The Well

‘’Okay…we’re…here.’’ Jerome panted in between each word, coming to a stop in front of the dark, rocky well. Aurora was glad that they were finally going to get something to drink because she was pretty positive that she was about to pass out from dehydration. She ran up to the well and dropped the bucket into it greedily, not even waiting for Jerome to catch up with her. He chuckled slightly.

‘’Thirsty, huh?’’

‘’Shut up.’’ Aurora snapped, still fiddling with that bloody rope. The bucket was slowly reappearing to the surface. Jerome smirked and watched patiently as Aurora downed the whole bucket of water. He had to admit, she even looked elegant while doing so. Yes, there was water dripping down her front, and yes, she was gulping rather loudly but…that was sort of perfect to Jerome. Whatever, these were just fantasies. Besides, he would rather not get into anything while he was still thinking about Hazel. But that was a story for another time.

‘’Right. Is it my turn now?’’ Jerome asked with a smirk on his face. Throwing the bucket at him, Aurora suppressed a smile and sat down as she waited for him to have a drink. He did it a lot slower and gracefully than she did. Not that Aurora cared, she was never the lady-like type anyway.

‘’Okay, what not?’’ Aurora asked before standing back up, trying not to get a head rush in the process. Jerome just lifted his head and put the bucket back down.

‘’I don’t know. We’re outcasts. We have nowhere to go.’’

‘’Hm, true. But being an outcast might not be the worst thing in the world, you know that, right?’’ Aurora said, a cheeky smile playing on her lips. Jerome rolled his eyes, trying to figure out how calm she could be at a time like this.

‘’You’re something else. You know that, right?’’ He smirked. Aurora giggled and flopped back down onto the floor. When the smile slowly fell off her lips, Jerome sat down next to her, leaning back so he could see her face. She seemed to be deep in thought. ‘’What are you thinking about?’’

‘’I just…’’ Aurora hesitated, picking away at the hard rock, ‘’Do you wonder why we haven’t been caught yet? The Leaders would have surely found us by now…’’

‘’Why do you care? We’re safe, aren’t we? I don’t know about you, but I’m not stressing about getting my head shot off anytime soon.’’ Jerome said grimly. Grains of rock massaged Aurora’s fingertips as she dug her hands into the ground, looking up at the boy in front of her.

‘’I guess you’re right. It’s just risky- what if the Serpent has this whole thing planned out? What if he’s hurting our families first and then coming after us?’’

‘’I know you have a lot of sisters, okay?’’ Jerome said, staring into Aurora’s eyes, ‘’But I don’t really have much left. I understand that you have to worry about them, but now is not a great time. Let’s focus on getting out of here before we get too ahead of ourselves.’’

‘’Yeah, you’re right. But we do have to worry about what the hell we are supposed to do next. Any ideas?’’ Aurora asked as she tried to think of something, anything that would help them get out of here. Nothing came to mind. Not that it was easy; escaping curfew was one thing but escaping the whole Core was something that no one has even attempted before. Well, maybe they have, but it never ended well. People die in this society. More than people care to admit. Aurora knew that very well because she sees it every goddamn day. People getting shot, people getting hit, people getting tortured for the stupidest things…such as, staying out for one second too long. That’s all it takes: one second. One second and you lost someone you love. In the Core, every millisecond counted for something.

‘’I don’t know.’’ Jerome sighed, ‘’Maybe just…try to find the exit? I know that sounds bland, but I don’t really know what else to do. There has to be some way out of this hell-hole.’’

‘’True, but wouldn’t the Serpent catch us? Let’s face it, if anyone knows where the exit is, it’s him.’’

‘’Let’s just…uh, I don’t know, I’m lost!’’

‘’Yeah, me too…’’ Aurora admitted softly, playing with the loose strands of hair. She really wanted a shower, but she knew very well that there was no way she could just walk back into her dorm room without getting killed. Besides, that would be a very stupid move. So, what else is left? Looking over to her, Jerome sighed again and started flicking at the tiny rocks on the floor.

‘’I’m sure it’ll be fine if we go have a look around. And if we die…we die. It would almost be a blessing.’’ He said as his hair fell into his deep eyes. Aurora shook her head, not seeming at all surprised at his statement.

‘’I can’t afford to die. You know I’ve got people to look after.’’ She said carefully. Jerome looked over at her and squinted slightly, not responding for a few seconds.

‘’You don’t have to do anything. Yes, they are your sisters but it’s not like you are tied to them for life. They’ll learn to let you go.’’ He said, staring back down at his hands. The heat licked at their faces as they continued staring at the stationary wall, looking just as boring as the rest of the Core. Yes, it was a sacred place, but Jerome liked to call it boring just to spite the Serpent. It was petty, but who cares? Sometimes, you had to do things no matter now stupid or childlike they are. It makes you feel better. Well, it makes Jerome feel better, anyway.