The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy (29 page)

              Alessa peered up at him. Then, without a word, she laid her head against his chest and sighed deeply. He took his cue and settled his head atop hers.

            
 “
You have to know that I never want this moment to end, but we have a man at the guard station for about another half hour and if we miss his shift we are
n’
t going to be able to leave the Capitol
.
”

            
 “
Okay, le
t’
s go
,”
she said bravely. Camden took her hand after he gathered their necessities and began to walk. He noticed stiffness in her movements. He thought about asking her if she was okay, but decided against it. He was sure she was
n’
t. She had just escaped near death, swam the longest distance of her life in almost freezing temperatures, and nearly drowned in the process. He could see the pain all over her face and could tell that she had decided on the stoic route for the remainder of their exit from the Capitol. He would allow her that.

              They walked on in silence. Camden kept Aless
a’
s hand firmly in his and continuously looked over at her to make sure that she was making it. He also could
n’
t help to look just to reassure himself that she was really there. He was so incredibly relieved that she had done it and made it successfully. He was in awe of her.

              Finally, he spotted the perimeter gate. This one was in a lightly trafficked area and was only manned with one guard at a time. The SDL had gotten one of their men on the rotation several years ago in preparation for this mission.

            
 “
Let me go ahead, make sure that everything is okay, and then w
e’
ll go through
,”
Camden said to Alessa before they stepped into sight of the guard shack.

            
 “
But what if h
e’
s not there for some reason? Yo
u’
re wanted, Cam
,”
the worry in her voice touched him. He laid his hand against her cheek.

            
 “I’
m not nearly as recognizable as you, sweetheart
,”
he joked lightly
,“
i
t’
ll be fine, I just want to double check while yo
u’
re back here and safe
.”
And he turned to walk before she could argue. The guards changed shifts in ten minutes. If the next guy was early they would be done for.

              Camden peered through the window of the shack. The guard sitting inside startled.

            
 “
Where have you been
?”
The guard demanded
,“
Jimmy will be here any minute, you sure are cutting it close, get moving
!
”

              Camden smiled at the guard. Clearly he was
n’
t dealing with the pressure of his position well. He ran back to where Alessa hid and grabbed her hand
,“
all clear, le
t’
s go
,”
he said as he pulled her along.

              He noticed that she moved much slower that she was capable of moving. He hoped she was only tired and not injured. The next leg of their trip would be quite difficult if she was injured. Of course, if he had to carry her through the woods for the next three days to SDL headquarters, he would do it. He was fairly certain that he would do absolutely anything for this girl.

Alessa

              Alessa had never been so completely exhausted in her life. Not in all the times that her father, or Marston, or even Evan had pushed her to her limit had she felt this thoroughly tired. And afraid. Deep in her bones, she felt a driving fear that she could
n’
t quite explain. She had done it. She had escaped the Sacrifice, Camden had been waiting, and they were walking hand in hand towards whatever future was on the other side of the Capitol. And yet, fear still gripped at her chest with a vice.

            
 “
Alessa
,”
Camde
n’
s voice shot through the silence. Even though he spoke softly, he startled her
,“
are you sure yo
u’
re okay
?
”

            
 “
Yeah, yes,
I’
m fine.
I’
m just tired, that was quite a swim I just pulled off
,”
Alessa tried for a triumphant smile, but was fairly certain all that she managed was a grimace.

            
 “
Yo
u’
re amazing
,”
Camden whispered as he kissed the side of her face. Every time he commented like that she felt a rush of exhilaration swim through her body. His eyes had been filled with wonder when she walked out of the ocean. She would
n’
t soon forget the way he looked at her, as though she was an oasis in an unending desert.

              Alessa looked around her. The woods were thick on the other side of the guard station. Alessa was astonished at how quickly the view could change. In the Capitol, the only greenery was carefully manicured and designed. Short of the Great Cliffs and the Sacred Ocean, there was
n’
t a section of the Capital sector that man had
n’
t touched and molded. Out here, only yards from the guard station, the world was already wild.

            
 “
Cam, where exactly are we going
?”
Alessa asked nervously.

            
 “
Well, right now we are going to a safe house about a mile away. Then, in the morning, we are going to set out to SDL headquarters
.
”

            
 “
And where exactly is that
?
”

            
 “
About three days that way
,”
Camden pointed straight in front of them out into the distance. Alessa felt her breath catch.

            
 “
Three days
?”
Alessa asked, exasperated. How did Camden expect so much of her?

            
 “
I know, Alessa, I know i
t’
s a lot. But I also know that you can do it. We are going to rest tonight, eat some real food, and take a real shower. I do
n’
t want you to think about the next three days yet. Just pretend like it is
n’
t there. All we have is tonight and a warm and comfortable bed waiting for you
,”
Camden looked like he was pleading with her, his green eyes boring into hers. They had stopped walking and he stood in front of her holding both of her hands tightly.

            
 “
No
,”
Alessa said softly but defiantly
,“
no, I have spent weeks ignoring the day that comes next. I have spent my entire life thinking that I would just ignore the unpleasantness on the other side of the Ceremony.
I’
m here.
I’
ve made it to the other side.
I’
d rather be tired and hurting than dead. I think I would like to think about it
.”
Camde
n’
s face broke a large grin.

            
 “
Tha
t’
s my girl, you are incredible
!”
Camden said jovially and pulled her into a fast and fierce kiss
.“
Now, w
e’
re almost to the safe house and can rest for the night, come on
.
”

              Camden tugged on her hand and she followed. Although her muscles still screamed their protest against movement, her mind willed her onward. She could do this. She could trek through the woods. After all, she had just swam what she believed was an insurmountable distance after escaping from an inescapable box in the hopes of rekindling what she thought was a nonexistent flame between Camden and herself. She was invincible.

              Alessa had started to slow. A simple mile felt like a league after the day that she had already endured. Just when she thought she would fall over, Camden pulled her behind some bushes.

            
 “
I
t’
s right over there
,”
Camden pointed out. Alessa was surprised. In the middle of the trees sat a log house. If Camden had
n’
t pointed to it, she would have likely overlooked it as a part of the landscape.

            
 “
Wow, I thought people only lived like that in movies
,”
Alessa replied, laughing.

            
 “
Oh, sweetheart, yo
u’
ve got quite a few surprises headed your way
,”
Camden joked back, although Alessa was
n’
t sure he was entirely joking.

              Camden approached the house silently. He held her hand, but his eyes were locked on the house, Alessa guessed he was looking for signs of life. When he appeared satisfied that they were alone, he walked up to the front door, picked up a stone figure sitting on the top stair, and broke through the small window beside the door handle.

            
 “
Whoa, I thought you said this was a safe house, why are you breaking in
?”
Alessa was incredulous.

            
 “
It is, they are SDL, but we have to keep them safe
,”
Camden replied simply.

            
 “
What do you mean
?”
She asked suspiciously.

            
 “
Alessa, the
y’
re going to track us
,”
Camden said gently as he opened the door and led her into the small home
.“
They will eventually know that we were here. The people who own this house are o
n‘
vacatio
n’
. We have broken into their home and used it to spend the night. That way, when they are questioned they are
n’
t in any danger. If our use of the home has
n’
t been noticed by the time they get back, they will file a report themselves
.
”

            
 “
But, if the Government knows that we started here, wo
n’
t they be able to find us
?”
Alessa asked. The reality of being a fugitive was starting to settle in around her.

            
 “
Yes, but we have quite the head start on them. Remember, they have
n’
t even pulled your Box up yet. By the time they find this quiet little place in the woods, we should already be at the SDL headquarters
.”
Camden stroked her arm and propelled her towards the couch.

            
 “
Wait, I should
n’
t sit down yet. If I sit down,
I’
ll never get up. Can I bathe and get out of this gods awful wetsuit first
?”
Alessa asked with an annoyed look.

            
 “
I do admire the wetsuit
,”
Camden answered suggestively. Alessa forgot to give a smart reply to his blatant flirting
,“I’
m kidding, the shower is back here
.”
And he guided her down the hall.

              Alessa turned on the old fashioned shower and began to undress. She pulled off the extra clothes and looked at herself in the wetsuit. True to his word, La
i’
s hair and make-up were perfect. She would have been a beautiful corpse. Alessa shook her head to clear the image from her mind. It made her sick to think of herself as dead, ethereal and floating in a watery, metal coffin. She quickly pulled the suit off and climbed into the shower. The warm water washed over her, chasing out a bone deep cold that she did
n’
t even realize she still felt. The water pelted down on her from above. Suddenly, she was reminded of the water pelting her from the hundreds of tiny holes in the Box. That water was cold and biting, this water was so hot it almost stung her skin. She looked at herself. Her skin was pink from the bite of the beams of water. She wondered if her skin was pink when she was in the Box from the stabbing rays of ice that assaulted her then.