Chapter 24

The heavy breathing of both teenagers could be heard echoing in the immense forest; they had been running for hours, and fatigue was present. They weren't used to running for hours for their lives. Their hearts were beating faster and faster, but it wasn't from the movement; it was from terror, from the panic that one of Mason Jones' guards would catch them.

What were they supposed to do, where could they hide? Going into the woods was a bad idea, and Jack kept thinking how foolish it was to make that decision. He really would have listened to her, if they tried to hide among the great streets of that unknown city, they would have had a chance to escape, but he didn't. The area was crawling with General Jones' people one false step, and they would be caught before they noticed.

They knew nothing of that world; everything was quite noisy and irritating. Yes, it was beautiful, but Jack found it a little hard to enjoy his freedom mainly because Elliot Craig's men were on their heels and secondly because everything was more than he ever imagined. He was terrified. The further they went towards The Gold Star, the more he realized how small and insignificant Annette was. He didn't want to appear weak in front of the black-haired girl, but he couldn't hold back the urge to vomit because of so many emotions together.

Collette never told them that the outside was so big. No one ever told them anything, and maybe that was why the blond made such bad decisions, and now they were on the run. They wouldn't hold on any longer, his ribs were burning, and his feet were burning too. The girl next to him had stumbled a couple of times and almost fainted from the effort.

Why couldn't it be easy to reach their destination?

What did the world have against him?

Couldn't he enjoy some time alone with the most beautiful girl in his life?

He understood that, like Annette, he was a mistake. His mother died when he was born, and for reasons no one knew how to explain, Mr. Craig decided not to take him to where they took newborns. He had to fight to survive; he wanted to be a hero like Oliver's mother's stories; Oliver wished to protect those he cared about. He had to watch the smile of that little black-haired girl with honey eyes and also of the freckled boy with a curious look; he was the oldest of the three, and Collette had asked him to take care of them when she was not there.

But it was hard to keep the promise since Mr. Craig hated Oliver to death and would not let anyone interfere with his cruel punishments, and Annette.... well, she did what she could. Bibi was one of the most beautiful women in that prison, and when the little girl was born, the woman almost went crazy knowing it was a girl. She wanted to give her up; she wanted Mr. Craig to take her daughter away and give her to a family looking for a baby or kill her before she grew up because she didn't want to take care of a child who would end up suffering like all the others. Bibi never wanted to talk about how she ended up taking care of her daughter, but she had also asked him to do the same as Collette to protect Annette.

>>I know you love her; I know those looks; protect her with your life, Jack. Don't let them break her <<

"Ann."

"I can't... I-I can't anymore," she whispered in gasps, falling to her knees on the floor.

"It'll be all right, w-we just have to..."

He stopped when he heard her crying; seeing her like that broke his soul; there was no sparkle in her eyes; she was desperate and tired. They both needed rest, but they couldn't find a place to take refuge. Letting out a sigh, he pulls the girl to his chest, wrapping her in his languid arms. He couldn't keep going either.

So this is where it would all end? Would he die without having enjoyed freedom? Wouldn't the fairy tale Collette was telling come true? Was it all a lie, as Bibi said?

Jack wanted to reach the Gold Star and be able to love freely. He wished, like everyone else, for a happy ending. He wanted to be a hero, to have a story like the ones he used to hear.

"I've had my five minutes of a fairy tale..."

Jack remembered the last few days with Annette, from when they had acquired new clothes to the time before they came face to face with Mason Jones. Despite the bad moments where he suffered anxiety attacks because of so many things that existed, the good moments stood out in his mind.

They walked towards the city's outskirts, always trying to stay as far away from people as possible, holding hands and trying not to step on the lines on the ground. They had seen some children playing near them and decided to give it a try. They had never played in their lives, things like eating and not getting beaten up were more important than playing, but in those moments where they thought no one was watching, they decided to have some fun.

It was one of the few times that Jack felt happy and at peace; he smiled with sincerity, and to be holding Annette's hand listening to the sweet melody of her laughter made his heart jump with happiness, and he felt strange things in his stomach.

<

All of Jack's emotions were on his stomach; when he was nervous or anxious, his stomach would twinge, and the urge to go to the bathroom would increase. When he was angry, his stomach felt heavy, and his chest burned; when he felt sad, it wasn't his stomach that weighed him down; it was his heart. And when he was with Annette... his stomach fluttered in the same way Collette said, he had eyes for no one else and sometimes felt warmth in his cheeks.

Jack could never ask Collette other signs to know if he was in love or not. He never dared to confess to her how he felt; Jack feared he would turn into a monster like Mr. Craig. Jack didn't want to hurt Annette, let alone pressure her; they were just children who didn't fully understand their surroundings. Jack wanted to see the black-haired girl smile every day; he wanted to hear her laugh and know all her crazy dreams.

Jack believed that it was impossible to love in that prison, but he held out hope that in the outside world, love was different and that he could love in a more wholesome and romantic way, like in Collette's stories. However... he preferred to keep those feelings to himself until they were safe with Oliver on the other side of the world. If Annette didn't feel the same way about him, he would accept it, just as Collette had advised, and continue being her friend and most loyal companion in their adventures. But now, it was very likely that Mason Jones would be behind them, savoring the moment before he tortured them and put an end to their miserable lives. Jack had to tell her. He didn't want to die without confessing his feelings to her.

"Ann," he murmured, running his hand through her curly hair.

Annette shrunk in her place without saying anything; it was a sign that she heard him.

"I always liked to listen to your crazy dreams; I liked to imagine the same as you to understand you better; despite how horrible life was in that place, I had the best moments by your side and by Oliver's side. I wanted to be the hero you always longed for. Maybe I didn't do it in the best way, I always got you in trouble, and you ended up rescuing me; even being in the outside world, you are still more of a hero than me."

Annette undoes the hug and stares into his eyes; he tried not to get lost in the girl's sweet and sad honey gaze; he had to finish.

"Jack," she whispers, outlining his face.

"I'm in love with you, and I would have loved to learn to show it in a better way than we were used to. I wanted to love you freely, without fear of being the same as those people. My only regret is that our time in this world was so short that I could not keep more of your smiles and laughter in my memory."

The hurried footsteps of heavy military boots were near, the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and his eyes watered.

"One of us must arrive with Oliver, and that will be you. "

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, shedding bitter tears for not having more time to be happy by her side.

Seconds later, a gunshot echoed throughout the quiet place.