Chapter 9

Instructions

Chapter 9 “Why’d you betray us?” Are the first words that form on my lips before I can stop them. Shadow completely ignored me as he went over to the group, pulled out his sleeping bag, went into it, and looked up at the sky. I looked at Violet. She was so tense, shaking, and rocking. She was so afraid of the world. Once she was brave and funny, and then all of that was gone. I got up and walked over into my sleeping bag. I pulled out my book and with the moonlight began to read. “I don’t know why I betrayed you,” Shadow whispered to me, making me jump and drop my book on my face. “Ow,” I muttered, “Well, you’ve got to have a reason.” “I thought you’d guys… stop the mission… or something…” He started. “We did,” I tell him. “Oh, so we’re going home right now?” He said, smirking. “Ah, yes, of ‘course we are!” I mumbled back. “You sarcastic, too?” “Alas, is it contagious?” “I believe it to be! Aye! It hath plagued me!” I fell back in my sleeping bag laughing until Shadow said in his serious voice, “I wouldn’t say I betrayed you, I’d say I didn’t inform you of everything. I wanted to get our families back, and telling people that there would be side effects that might put off the mission, leaving us in a broken mess… like Violet.” I sighed, “I’m going to get some sleep,” I said, and fell back onto my hoodie which I had been using for my pillow because I thought my actual pillow was too firm. Screaming woke me up, it was the screaming of Jeremy. He looked up, “Nightmare,” He said quietly. I slumped back onto my pillow and fell asleep, quickly broken by Violet shaking me, “Get up! No time to explain, get your stuff, and run towards the lake!” The confusion came over me, but instinct took over. I ran as fast as I could towards the direction I was pointed in. I was bumping into a tree after tree and ended up falling over when my nose hit a hard tree branch and blood started spewing out. Oliver skidded to a stop, looking at me and his face instantly when pale and sick. I shook my head, “I’ve cut my chin, I’m fine!” I said and got up to my feet. Finally, after we ran about 2 miles, we all stopped. Oliver ran over to me, inspected my nose, and grabbed a large leaf. He gave it to me, and I placed it over my nose. Everyone looked at Violet. Nevada said, “You’re too dead inside to talk, yet you get us all up and moving to run away from what?” “They were the robot-people that got us stuck in that metal room!” She said frantically.