<u>Part 6</u>
- He pauses for a moment and looks at me. My tears spill over, but I don't bother wiping them away. We stand in silence. <i>His eyes look so distant.. So broken..</i> But he starts again.
- "The workers there trained us as if we were recruits in the military, but treated us far crueler than any general. They also trained us mentally. We were taught how to handle any and every situation. Idealy, we were to be strong, fast, and cunning. The ultimate surviver.. But I never understood why until I was fifteen." Eythan stops again, but then looks out at nothing, like he's remembering something. I take a step towards him. "Wha.." was all I manage to get out before he interupts.
- "One night, I decided to find out what was going on. I'd been there for five years and never understood anything. Especially what they were training us for.. So I snuck out of my room and into the main building, slunk my way past ten guards, and before I knew it, I was in the file room. The files were of course lettered alphabetically, but I had this gut instinct to look up the letter of my last name. So I did. And I found my parents' file.."


<u>Part 7</u>
- "The day they died was no accident. They had gone through that facility and been released. But that's what they wanted, the people in that place. That's what they had been training us for. They made the ultimate surviving machines, guinea pigs. Then, at eighteen, let them go into the real world to be hunted.. The night I found my parents' file, I escaped. But assuming I was unable to take care of myself fully, they left me alone until I turned eighteen. My birthday, I barely got away. And now they're after me again.." I'm speechless. But Eythan isn't. "We need to leave <i>now,</i>" he insists.
- I'm stuck, mouth agape. <i>I met Eythan two years ago.. Why didn't he tell me? Maybe he thought they were done chasing him. It has been four years after all..</i> Eythan steps towards me and takes my hand. I'm shaken out of my trance. "Please.. We don't have much time." I gaze deep into his eyes, those perfect aqua spheres, and find something. <b>Trust.</b>


<u>Part 8</u>
- Then something inside me clicks..
- I jerk away from him. "Why should I trust you?" I ask accusingly. "You never told me any of this and I've known you for two years! And more than half of that we were together. How do I know that it's safe to be with you?" He stands his ground. "I never told you because I never thought I would have to. And I thought you would be safe with me, but now I don't know. But please.." I cut him off. "Eythan, these people.. They are after YOU. Which means as long as I'm with you, I'm just as likely to end up like your parents." I went too far.
- "My parents died because of those people! Those psychotic sickos! How can you even talk about them like that?!? No witnesses! No evidence! It was a freakin' cover up! They were murdered! They were murdered.." He trails off, tears running off his face as he franticly tries to wipe them away.
- I feel so guilty. "Eythan, I'm leaving. Okay? It'll be better for the both of us." He's still trying to dry his face. "Fine. Leave." My jaw tightens, but I say nothing. That did it. I run into the bedroom and pack myself a bag. I storm back down the hall and across the living room. Eythan is still standing in the same spot when I open the front door and slam it behind me.


<u>Part 8 1/2</u>
- Now beyond the front door, the rushed thuds of my sandals disturb the peace. The long hallway is empty, and I walk quickly toward the elevators. When I arrive at the end of the hall, I press the "down" button which lights up happily. <i>Speak for yourself.</i> Almost immediately, a short ding sounds as the sliding doors open. My face scrunches. <i>The elevators are never this fast. Hmm.. Oh well.</i> And I climb inside.
- Five floors later, I step off the elevator onto the reflective marble floor of the lobby. Only one problem.. <i>no one</i> is here. Front desk.. Couches.. Tables.. The whole lobby is deserted. But I don't think much of it. I just want to get out of here. So I race swiftly through and out the swinging door at the main entrance.
- I scramble down the steps and continue to the sidewalk just before the street. I stop. I look left.. Then right.. <i>Where the freak is everybody?</i> The wind rustling the trees is the <i>only</i> sound. I begin to panic. "I need to get out of here.." I murmur to myself. I take five steps into the street and notice the sudden rev of an engine. I glance in the direction of the roar. It's a jet black Cadillac Escalade, and it's coming right at me.. <b>fast.</b>


<u>Part 9</u>
- I can't run. I can't move. Stuck in slow motion. I'm frozen. The car gaining speed and shortening the distance between with every passing second. 50 feet.. 30 feet.. 20 feet.. Then suddenly, I feel a gentle, but firm grip tighten around me. "I've got you sunshine," a creamy smooth voice says. And they push me out of the way.
- I hit the asphalt hard. My hands trying to catch my fall, but my head becomes aquainted with the concrete anyway. Instant pain. The screech of rubber tires and twisted metal pulses in my ears. I glance back just in time to glimpse the speeding SUV turn the corner. <i>He saved me.</i>
- I spin back around looking for him, but lying just six feet away is the man's motionless body. His face unrecognizable from the gashes and streaks of blood. <i>I'll never get to see the face of my hero.</i> But then, my attention goes straight to his eyes. They're an unmistakable shade of green. <i>Just like..</i> And everything fades to black.


<u>Part 10</u>
- <b>Buzz.</b> I twitch. <b>Buzz.</b> It nags. <b>Buzz.</b> I slap it off of the night stand. Now it's quiet. "Stupid alarm clock." I sigh.. "Finally morning." Relief sweeps through me. <i>But why?</i> I sit up slowly as the aches taunt me. I'm alone. <i>Am I suppose to be alone?</i> Rubbing my eyes, something rough touches my face. My hands. A strange bandage hugs my left, while the palm of my right is scrapped, red, and swollen.
- <i>What happened?</i> I wonder.. Then, as if played back on film, the previous day's events flash before my eyes. The phone call, the fight, the car accident.. And it all started with a kiss..
- "Eythan." I whisper. I look around.. <i>I'm the only one here..</i> and instantly burst into tears.