"Over here!"
Gunshots and screams could be heard all over the place, upsetting the nerves of both teenagers who were running for another exit. They had not waited long when Oliver turned around to escape; they ought to do the same, turning to the right freedom felt closer.
They ran towards the boats still being chased by a group of guards who managed to hurt the blond's left arm.
"Jack!" shouts the black-haired woman.
"Go away!"
"What are you saying?"
She didn't want to go alone in that boat, she wasn't as strong and independent as Oliver and Jack, she had accepted this craziness because she wouldn't be alone.
"Stop acting like a hero, you idiot!"
Annette bent down to help the blond stand up, placing her healthy arm around his neck, with the other hand she holds him by the waist and they both move forward a couple of meters before the guards arrive for them.
"No!"
"Let her go, it was my...mgh!"
One of the three chasing guards violently grabbed Annette's hand, separating her from Jack as he was being beaten with great force. Annette was screaming for them to stop, trying to break free from the suffocating grip of the huge guard.
She knew it was a bad idea, something would go wrong, and they would die tortured like her mother. He should have resisted more, talked some sense into Jack ... what assurance was there that Emer, the guard, wouldn't set a trap for them? Oliver could be being crushed by Mr. Craig right now and the dreams of freedom the three of them shared would vanish along with their meaningless lives.
-JACK!
Tears overflowed from her honey-colored eyes and her throat was tearing as she cried out her friend's name loudly. Names were forbidden in Elliot Craig's domain, but that didn't matter to Annette anymore, if she would die here then it wasn't worth calling his name one last time.
Happy endings did not exist, her mother was right.
Three shots were heard and the noise in the background disappeared, as well as the strength in the arms of the guard who was holding the girl. Annette with watery and frightened eyes moved away from the corpse until she reached Jack, without looking away from the person who had helped them. Her body did not relax when she saw the "friend" guard, she did not trust any guard.
Emer had managed to free himself from his companions and was deciding for a few seconds who he should help, resolving that the two remaining teenagers would not make it away without his help. He ran as fast as he could, hoping the poor boy was still alive.
"He's alive?" he asks a little agitated, seeing Bibi's daughter nodding, "Well, hurry up, you must leave now."
Annette nods again, focusing her attention on the blond who was bleeding from his arm and face. She bites her lip repressing any emotion that would prevent her from continuing with the escape, once away she would heal him.
"Will you come with us?" gasps the blue-eyed boy, semi-conscious.
The boots of reinforcements could be heard nearby.
"I will join you... listen" he had to tell them, the mission was out of his hands and he couldn't think how the three teenagers would meet again. He didn't even give them a map or directions on how to get to the Gold Star or what they would do next "You must find Oliver, stay together and run away from here. If I don't arrive by snowfall you must leave without me."
The horde of gunfire returned, Emer looked back for a few seconds knowing he would not survive, but at least he would die fulfilling his promise.
"You'll be fine, take care of each other."
Was Emer who touched the red button and the boat left at full speed, taking those children away from that hell.
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It was difficult to finish the tourniquet with the boat moving at a high speed, Annette was slipping from side to side as was her partner who was also struggling not to close his eyes. Once she was able to tighten the cloth on Jack's arm and control some of the blood, she thought it would be best to remove the bullet when they were on dry land.
"Jack" she whispers, moving his right shoulder. He slightly opens his eyes, connecting his blue gaze with the girl's honey, not understanding much of what was happening. He had received a strong blow on the back of his head.
Annette watches the place where she had lived all her life disappeared every second in the distance. They had made it. It was crazy, her mother didn't talk much about the outside world, but Colette did, she liked to listen to the stories she used to tell Oliver before going to sleep.
>>It's all nonsense Annette, don't believe everything she says. The world is cruel, that's the only truth<<
Almost all her life she believed that his mother's words were true, the world was cruel. But, at that moment, seeing the sea and the sky full of stars, Colette's stories came back to her mind and a warm feeling in her chest appeared. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen, Colette's stories might be true and now Annette was able to find it out for herself.
"Jack, look..."
When she looked at the blue-eyed boy, he was lying unconscious with blood dripping his forehead. The honey-eyed girl bites her lower lip again, she thought she could soak the cloth in the water, but the boat was moving so fast that she couldn't get up, even so, she tried, she had to clean the blood and pray that Jack wouldn't die.
"They are real, the stars exist, you must live to see them."
Gently lays the blond's body down, leaving his head on her lap so wiping the blood from his forehead would be easier. Carefully she passes the cloth over his forehead, admiring once again the perfect face of her friend. She always hated having to see Jack or Oliver hurt, but she was grateful to her mother for teaching her how to heal them. When she finished bandaging his head, she stroked his hair, then ran her slender fingers over his nose, cheekbones, lips, and chin—something she only would do with Jack when he was unconscious.
Something about him attracted her more than anyone else; she thought it was because they had been friends all their lives and because she had experienced some good moments by his side when they were still innocent enough to know what was going on. The brown had noticed, and Annette had to shut him up because if anyone else found out that Jack was attracted to her, he would die tortured, and then she would.
She let out another sigh and went back to looking at the sky; that wasn't important now. The first part of the plan had gone reasonably well; the three were out, alive. Now came the hard part: meeting Oliver and getting to the Gold Star without dying in the attempt. Thinking about having a life like in fairy tales had never been as accurate as it was now; Annette had a mission to keep on living to appreciate everything Colette told her as a child and have a worthy, accessible, and happy life.
She joins her forehead with Jack's, closing her eyes.
"Someday... we will have our fairy tale."
Oliver didn't keep track of how many days he had gone without healthy food and how slowly he was recovering from his last punishment. He was tired, sore, and sick. Maybe, last night he should have slept more instead of enjoying the beautiful, freezing rain. Even so, he had to move forward; he thought that he would regain his strength by eating a little and drinking.When they left the forest, Oliver had to hold back a grunt because of how annoying the noises, the people, and everything around him was. He felt afraid again; there was a lot of light, and he felt all eyes on him. He had to endure it and adapt if he wanted to be free.The way to Chrystal Daly's house was tortuous, and the redhead had to help him in the last meters because his feet could no longer support his weight and the pain in his torso.“I'm sorry,” muttered the green-eyed boy, once inside the house.“Nothing's wrong,” she answered instantly, “I think you sh
Chrystal was undecided on what to do. She never imagined that the boy would faint in front of her, but if he fainted, it was because something was wrong with him. She thought that his face was not the only injured area. He was walking slowly and limping on his way home; she offered him help, but Oliver immediately refused her.She picked up Oliver's unconscious body and carried him to one of the couches in the living room. She couldn't take him to the hospital in the rain, or he would get sick. She hurried to get some gauze and cold water to regulate his temperature, and a couple of warm blankets as well. When she had everything she needed, she placed the cold water-soaked gauze on the boy’s forehead, then the socks. She thought for a second if it was wise to treat the bruises on his face and find out if there were more injured areas, like his feet.If she waited for him to wake up and ask him if he wanted help, Oliver would probably refuse with mute words...no,
“Oliver.”The named boy opened his eyes for a couple of seconds without recognizing the person in front of him. Chrystal moved away a little, seeing how he slowly began to recover consciousness.“You fainted after eating,” she said as she saw the confusion on his sore face, “you had a fever.”Oliver was surprised to see her, not knowing how long he had been asleep. He was sorry for causing more trouble to the girl with strange reddish hair. He wanted to apologize, but his mouth was so heavy he could barely swallow his own saliva. His whole body ached for more rest, he felt worse than a few hours ago… or was it days?“Drink.”The girl passed him a clear glass with water. Oliver stretched his arm with great effort; however, his hand could not support the weight and slipped to crash with the floor. Oliver let out a gasp and forced himself to get up quickly to pick up the glass, trying to get the w
The moonlight kept Chrystal awake, she hadn't admired the star since the death of her family, and it never seemed brighter than now. What was she supposed to do? How could she help Oliver if she needed help too? She let out a sigh remembering some of the many pieces of advice her mother used to tell her.If he was on the run, he probably didn't know where to go... why, of all the people he could run into, was she the one he turned to? She wasn't exemplary; she didn't even trust herself; why should he?Maybe... looking for safe places where he could take refuge and live in peace, or look for his parents or a family member to take him...She let out a sigh and moved away from the window. She left her room and went to the living room to see the strange young man who seemed to have a pleasant dream. Why did Oliver remind her of her brothers? Why did he make her feel... more human? Did the world want her to go on living? What was the reason?Soaking the gauze
Oliver thought that if people didn't return, to tell the wonders of The Gold Star must be because there was no reason to return. His mother also did not plan to return when they were both out; even when Oliver pleaded for his friends and the other women who lived with them, his mother refused to go back for everyone. >> We'll help them from the outside, Oliver. The police will take care of it. If we go back for them, no one will get out. <<“Do you know how to get there,” he insisted.Chrystal stared at him for a few seconds with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't sure if going in search of a legend was a good idea; what was the point? If she could have a second chance she would choose to live with her family and cherish the moments with them more, somethi
“I knew it was a bad idea,” muttered Annette, washing the blood-stained clothes.Three days had passed since the boat stopped on dry land and Jack's wound was not getting better. For a few minutes he was sane but then returned to unconsciousness. The tourniquet she had made was not strong enough to stop the bleeding and the loss of blood was playing against him.She was stressed, she really didn't like being in an unknown place with the blond getting worse every second. It was an odyssey to find that lake near some trees so she could take better care of him. The first night in the outside world she couldn't sleep because she was trying to bring down his fever. She should have known that, once outside, their survival would not be easy. They had to move further every day, otherwise Mr. Craig's guards would soon find them and Annette was not strong enough to defend herself, much less Jack. She could not stay forever in that lake that saved them from dying of t
“Will you come with me?” Chrystal and Oliver had been discussing for hours about the best plan to get to The Gold Star. Chrystal didn't believe the place existed, but after going back to her parents' room and seeing that picture... thinking about the fantasy city was distracting her from the painful memories. When she heard the chestnut's voice, she stopped talking, taking her eyes off the huge map. Going with him to a place that probably didn't exist? She had to tell him that she planned to take him to the port and sneak him on a ship with a far destination; that was her way to help him escape and start his new life. Thus, she would seal that strange deed. “You would have a second chance, and you would no longer be alone. Jack and Ann are good people; we take care of each other and....” “Do you think I'm alone?” Oliver was trying to sort out his thoughts, he wasn't good at talking, but he was good at observing. Chrystal was a sad person, alwa
Her mother believed things happen for a reason, to help us grow and mature. Chrystal grew up with that idea and always tried to see why things happened, both good and bad. She learned from her mistakes and improved on the good things. However, she could never understand that car accident, why the driver of the trailer was so drunk that he threw them into the ravine, and she was the only one who survived.Why didn't she die too?What good did the universe have to show her by making her an orphan?The world turned gray for Chrystal Daly at the age of thirteen: her paternal aunt and uncle reluctantly decided to take care of her until she turned fifteen so that her parents' will would become effective and she could keep the house. She got a part-time job and continued with her studies, but... the will to live was becoming weaker and weaker.Why, why did she have to go on living?Life with her uncles and irritating cousins was not the best; no matter ho