Chapter 10

I kept my back to Trevor when the sound faded out of my ears. I slowly turned to see his arms by his side and the gun clatter onto the floor.

"Trevor?" I said.

"I...killed her," He said. He sounded like he was out of breath. He turned around to face me. I reached out and put my arms around his neck.

"I know. But she was going to kill Lydia," I whispered in his ear. I felt his hands linger on top of my body before placing them on my back and gripping me in a strong hug. I felt him nod at my statement like he had a reason. But it doesn't hurt any less. Monster or not, she was still his sister. I let go of him and he let go of me.

"What do we do with her," I asked, walking over to Lisa. Her dark brown hair wasn't like mine. Instead, her hair had blonde highlights that were not natural. Her skin was the same light tan as Trevors and her rosy cheeks were still a little pink.

"We bury her. I don't want her to stay like this. I want to do something for her," He said, looking away from her.

"Ok. Do you want Lydia to stay here with me or do you want her to go with you?" I asked, turning to face him.

"I want to say goodbye to her," I heard Lydia's voice from behind me. Her soft soprano voice almost cracked when she said it.

"Are you sure? You don't have to if you don't want to," I said to her. She repeated herself with a stronger tone.

"I want to say goodbye to my sister," She said, walking over to me. She was only an inch shorter than me but I met her eyes almost evenly. I nodded and looked over at Trevor.

"We can stay here for a few nights. We have enough food for maybe a week or so. Lydia, you can take my room and I can sleep on the couch while you sleep in Jared's room," I said.

"Wait, your brother isn't here?" Trevor said. That's when I had a light bulb moment.

Jared would have heard the engine outside of the house. He would have enough time to get out of the house before I even stepped out of the car. Where was the only place he would actually go? The only place nobody would think to look unless it was me or Dad?

My eyes went wide and I started running outside to the backyard.

"Amber?" Lydia asked.

I ignored her and kept running until I reached the huge oak tree that was in the very back corner of the house. I climbed up the ladder that was nailed into the trunk of the tree.

"Amber where are you going?" Trevor shouted.

I kept climbing until I reached the top of the tree, where the treehouse started and slammed the small door open. I peeked my head through and that's when I saw him staring at me with wide, dark brown eyes. I pulled myself into the treehouse and he walked over to me. He stopped in his tracks as I stood up from my sitting position.

"Amber?" He said. I nodded trying to let the smile crawl onto my face.

"Hey, Jared," I said. He ran to me and I opened my arms to wrap around him. He slammed into my body and wrapped his arms around me.

"I made a promise to not leave you didn't I?" I asked.

"I missed you. I knew you would come back for me," He said.

I let go of him and he did the same. I met his eyes and I already knew there was a question about dad. Before he could ask, I spoke to avoid the subject.

"Come on, let's get out of this treehouse and back inside ok?" I said. He nodded, and I went out of the door before he could. As I went down the ladder, I couldn't help but think about what I am going to say to him about Dad. He just got me back but can he afford to know that Dad is dead and that he has been for months.

I reached the ground and walked over to where Trevor and Lydia were standing. Jared stopped in his tracks and alternated looks between Lydia and Trevor. I walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to focus on me.

"Don't worry, they're my friends. They helped me get back home," I said. Jared looked at them one more time before giving me a faint smile.

"If you trust them, then I do too," He said, giving me a full smile. "Are you hungry?" I asked him. He nodded and ran inside the house.

"You guys better go and bury her before it gets dark," I said, looking at Trevor and then at Lydia. They both nodded and walked into the house and took the body to the front. I walked inside after spending a moment outside just to get some fresh air. I locked the back door and walked into the kitchen to start on dinner. I found my brother and he was safe. But how was I going to tell him that Dad...was dead.

* * *

It took about an hour for Lydia and Trevor to come back. By then, the chicken I was making was almost done cooking. The whole entire time cooking, I kept on thinking about how I was going to tell him. What I was going to tell him.

"Ok where is your room? I need some major beauty sleep right now," I heard Lydia say with a joking tone.

"It's upstairs to the left. It's the room right across from the bathroom," I said, without looking at her or Trevor. I heard her walk up the stairs and then I heard a chair move back on the tile floor.

"Spit it out," He said. I didn't turn around to face him. Instead I shook my head while taking the chicken out of the pan and putting it on a plate.

"What's wrong Amber? Talk to me," He said. The same thought kept shouting at me inside my head. Don't tell Jared, he won't survive it. I set the chicken down and put both hands on the countertop, trying to steady myself. I felt nauseous and I could feel the anxiety build up in my chest. I could hear him walk around to me and put a hand on my shoulder. Instead of turning around, I shrugged his hand off.

For the first time in months, I could feel my throat close up and tears prickle at my eyes. I couldn't let him see me like this. Not when he just lost his sister.

He didn't give up. Instead, he put his hands on my waist and turned me towards him.

"What happened?" He asked, concern in his voice. His eyes were searching me for the explanation he wanted to know.

"I just got him back, but what happens if...What happens when I tell him about our dad," I said, trying to keep my voice steady but it broke in the process of speaking. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and buried my face into his shoulder. I felt his grip on me tighten as I spoke.

"I can't...I don't know how. I love him too much to break him like that," I said, letting my voice crack.

"I know it's hard but you have to tell him. He can't go on thinking that his dad left him all alone or think that his dad is out there. What if he goes looking for him? You need to tell him Amber," He whispered in my ear.

I felt Trevor lift a hand from my back and put it on the back of my head. He was delicate but still strong. He pulled back and I looked away from him so he wouldn't see me so broken.

"Hey. He can get through it. If he is as strong as his sister, he can get through it," He said, cupping my cheek. I looked up at him and met his dark eyes. I nodded before letting him go and turning back to the plate that had the chicken on it. I grabbed a piece of chicken and put some fruits on the plate before turning around to Trevor and handing it to him.

He smiled but said, "I'm not hungry, I will go give this to Lydia."

"Make sure she's not destroying my closet," I said, with a laugh. He laughed before heading upstairs to give the food to Lydia. I grabbed another plate and put a piece of chicken on it with some grapes for Jared. I picked it up and walked upstairs until I reached Jared's door. I opened his door and saw him sitting on his bed.

"Hey. I brought you some food," I said, closing the door, just leaving it a bit open. I walked over to his bed and set the plate down on his nightstand before sitting down next to him on the bed. He didn't look up at me. He just kept his head down and focused on the floor. I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

"Everything alright?" I asked, feeling the fear bubble up in my chest for what I'm about to tell him. He finally looked at me after a moment of silence. I searched his eyes to figure out what was wrong but I couldn't tell by his facial expression.

He took a deep breath and said, "He's dead...isn't he? He died the day you two left to get groceries." I looked at him in shock and then looked away. He rested his head on my shoulder and I wrapped my arm around him, and leaned my head against his.

"Yeah. He is. But he loved you, so much. And he wanted to come back but...," I paused and didn't finish.

"What happened?" He asked, not moving his head to look at me.

I took a deep breath before telling the painful story like it just happened yesterday.

"We went to Wal-Mart and we didn't know that someone was in there. It was one of The WildFires and he grabbed me. Dad tried to stop him but he had a gun and he...he shot him," I said, trying to keep my voice strong. What came out of his mouth spread surprise through my whole body.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. It must have been hard for you, but I'm glad you didn't shut people out like you did with mom," He said. I looked at him and he looked at me giving me a bit of a smile. I returned his smile and put a hand on his shoulder before leaving his room. Once I reached the door I told him what was coming for him the next few days.

"I'm going to call Aunt Jenna tonight. You're going to Texas in a day or two and she is going to get you to Mexico to live with Dad's friends. Ok?" I asked.

"Ok but Amber? Always remember that I love you to the stars..." He said.

"And to the moon," I responded.

I left his room and closed the door completely before heading to my room. Lydia was in the shower so I entered my lavender-colored room and went to the closet. I grabbed some sweatshirts and T-shirts and grabbed a few shorts and jeans. I picked up one of my backpacks and shoved the clothes in there. I bent down and grabbed my pair of converse and put them in the backpack with the rest of my clothes. I turned around and walked to the drawer that had all my underwear and PJ's. I grabbed all that I could fit in the backpack and filled it with underwear and PJ's and then closed the drawer. I turned to look at my bed and that's when the picture I had on my nightstand caught my eye.

I slowly walked over to the picture and picked it up, admiring the picture of my mother and my father in the frame. I carefully took out the photo from the frame and folded it in half, putting it in the front pocket of my backpack. I walked towards the door and walked out before Lydia could get out of the shower.

I walked downstairs, with the backpack in my hand, and walked towards the couch, sitting down as soon as I reached it.

I put my head in my hands thinking about the conversation I just had with Jared. I let him down, leaving him here all alone for 3 months. It was the only option to send him to Texas. If he stayed with me, he would be in more danger than ever. I stood up, walking over to the phone that was on the wall. I dialed the number that I memorized almost a year ago, just for the plan that was falling into action. After the 4th ring, I heard her answer.

"Hello?" I heard the sweet voice on the other side of the line say.

"Aunt Jenna? It's Amber," I said.

"Amber! I haven't heard from you or your father for so long. Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Aunt Jenna. Um...Dad is...He died about 3 months ago," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Oh Amber I'm so sorry. Is Jared alright?" She asked, with a hint of fear in her voice. That's when I saw Trevor leaning against the wall looking at me with a sparkle in his dark eyes.

"Yes, Jared is ok. But we decided to start the plan. Do you have everything prepared?" I asked, looking back at my finger that was playing with the twisted cord.

"I have enough food for both of us. I can get him to Mexico in about a week or two but he would be safe with me. When should I expect him?" She asked, in a serious tone.

"About a day or two. Most likely tomorrow at around 7 or 8 PM," I said.

"Alright. I will be ready by then. You take care of yourself Amber," She said. She hung up the phone before I could say anything else.

I put the phone back where it was before and looked at Trevor. His hair was dripping wet making it seem longer than it actually was, reaching his eyes.

"How did it go?" He asked, following me back to the couch.

I sat down and rested my head in my hands before answering. "He already knew. And he accepted it," I said.

"That's good," Trevor said, sitting down next to me. I grabbed the backpack from the floor and unzipped the front pocket to get the picture that was in there. I pulled out the photo and unfolded it looking at my mom and dad, smiling at each other in their wedding clothes. I leaned back, against the couch and admired the photo.

"Is that your mom?" Trevor asked.

I looked at him and responded with an airless "Yeah."

"Can I see?" He asked, without looking away from me even when I turned back to the photo. I looked at him and nodded, handing him the photo.

"You really do look like your mother," He said, with a smile on his face.

I laid my head against his strong shoulder, feeling myself relax as soon as our bodies touched. I reached for the photo in his hand and grabbed it, admiring it again.

"I remember this one trip. My mom would always talk about it because she said it was the best trip she had with my dad. They were in Cancun and at a beach. It was a nice beach, a blue beach. I remember because she showed me pictures. And on this trip, my dad was standing under a coconut tree. The coconut fell on his head but even though he had a concussion, they still spent their time together. Happy. And sometimes, I wish that I could have something like that. But I know I can't with everything that has happened the past 10 years," I said. I put down the photo and looked at Trevor, who was looking at me with caring eyes.

"You may not have a perfect trip but you can still have that one relationship. The person you know will support you and love you with all their heart. And I don't doubt for a second, that a guy will pass up that opportunity with such an incredible girl like yourself, Amber," He said. I could feel his weight shift to get up from the couch. I grabbed his hand before he could walk any further.

"Stay with me. Please?" I asked. He nodded and sat back down. I put my head against his shoulder and he whispered "Always," in my ear. He picked up the remote and turned it to the news. There was another breaking news report.

"We have reason to believe that from earlier testing, some of the side-effects that came with the first vaccine were suppressed until it was triggered by something. The only one we are aware of currently is healing at a quicker pace. This does not mean that you can heal from any wound in 2-3 days. Depending on the severity of the wound, it can last 2-3 days or 2-3 weeks. We tested it with one of the kids in our custody. We have determined that anything as severe as a gunshot wound or stab wound can heal in one week. With this information, we will need more time with your children in order to test these theories and examine these side-effects. If your child has shown this side-effect, please turn them in to the police to help our society become stronger. Thank you," Is what the scientist from a few days ago said on the report.

I heard a chuckle come from Trevor and I looked up at him.

"You're joking right? They just asked for more time a few days ago and now they are asking these people to give up their kids for longer so they can do what? Shoot them, run more experiments till they are dead? They can't actually believe this bull shit," He said. I tensed with every word.

"I don't want to be another experiment for them," I said, looking up at him. He looked at me and shook his head.

"You're not going to be. Not while I'm alive," He said, turning the TV off. I got up and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I saw Trevor get up from the couch and walk over to the wall and lean against it.

"You can't keep protecting this little puppy," I said, smiling at him.

He gave a laugh before going down the hall to where the guest bedroom was.

"Does the little puppy want to sleep in a bed tonight or on a rock hard couch," He said, giving a little laugh. I finished my cup of water and walked to the guest bedroom. He was sitting on the edge of the bed and I walked over to the other side, laying down in the bed and covering myself with the comfy sheet.

"So does the big protector have some happy memories to share?" I asked with a bit of a joking tone. He laid down next to me, on his side to face me. He gave a smile before saying, "I'm sure that your stories are happier than mine."

"You have to have at least something," I said, reaching for his hair to play with it. He closed his eyes as soon as I touched his soft, chestnut hair.

"Well, there was this one time. My family and I were all at Disney World for Lydia's birthday since it's during the summer and we were in Magic Kingdom. Lydia wanted to go and see Belle while I wanted to see Peter pan. Because what 8-year-old boy wanted to see a Disney princess. Well, Since it was almost 2 years into this whole disease thing, the park wasn't that full but it still had a decent amount of people. We were heading to see Peter pan when we couldn't find Lydia. And then I saw her talking with Captain hook," He said, pausing to give a smile at the memory playing in his head.

"Well, our whole family walked over to her and we asked what she was doing. And she was trying to lead Captain hook somewhere. But what she didn't realize was that the hands came off," He said, opening his eyes.

"She didn't!" I said, laughing while I was saying it.

"She did, she started crying saying that she cut his hand off," He said, smiling and laughing.

We spent the whole night telling stories about each other's families. Trevor told me things that he did with his mom and Lydia and I told him about the road trips that my whole family took with each other. It was a night filled with smiling and laughter and for the first time I actually felt happy. Until the memory popped into my head.

It was the memory of him yelling at me in the warehouse, the day before we left.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked in a low voice stroking my hair, as I was laying against his chest.

"The night before we left. You said something in the argument. You said that you were trying to protect me. And you have been saying that ever since we got out but why? Why do you want to protect me so badly from Luke and Jason? And why were you so angry when you walked in on the 'client' and me?" I asked.

"Because I care about you Amber. I always have. From the first day I laid my eyes on you I just felt drawn to you. I felt like I had to do everything to keep you safe," He said.

"What about the 'client'?" I asked, still waiting for him to say his explanation.

"I..don't know. It's been like that with every guy I have seen you with. I just felt like something kind of consumed me into anger. Even though I barely knew you, before I was just mad with any other guy who so much as looked at you," He said, still stroking my hair.

"What about you? Why did you shut everyone out?" He asked.

"I guess whenever my mom died, I've had those barriers up so nobody would hurt me. And sometimes I just go...numb. If I know I'm in danger or if someone I love is in danger then I just go numb and I'm willing to do anything to protect them. That's how I shot the guy in the warehouse," I said, falling into a sleep with every word.

"Are you tired?" He asked.

"I would be lying if I said no but I also want to keep talking to you," I said.

"Amber, we have been talking for hours and since we are driving to California tomorrow, we will have more than enough time to talk," He said, laughing a little.

"Ok. Fine. But you better not fall asleep while driving," I said, in a low voice.

"Have some faith in me," He said.

That's the last thing I remember hearing before falling into a deep sleep.