Paite Chapter 2

As promised here is chapter 2!

Leader



    “Devon!” Lia cried, rushing down the isle between the wemon’s tents. “Devon! Devon, they’ve got search parties around the east ridge!” Lia panted.
    Devon swore and shook his head in frustration. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. “Wake up the camp,” Devon ordered. “Tell them only to take what they need. The search parties are too close. We have to move…”
    Lia nodded, and then something occurred to her.
    “Devon… What about the others?” Lia asked. “Who’s gonna tell them?”
    Devon spat, “I’ll do it. Just go!”
    “Okay,” Lia shouted, and she was all ready off, running to warn the others.
    Lia was scared. The search parties were so close. There had been no warning. The scopes had just announced that they were on the other side of the ridge. They could be in Paite in ten minutes.
    “Wake up!” Lia screamed, trying to drive the panic from her voice. “Wake up! We have to relocate! Wake up! Wake up!”
    Lia watched as the first of the runaway’s poked their sleepy heads from their tents.
    “Lia, what’s going on?” Michaela asked, sleepily.
    “Search parties,” Lia panted, “Across the east ridge. Get out. Now. Wake up the others.”
    Lia ran down the long isle, shouting as she went, until she reached her tent at the end of the row. Lia ducked in through the small door way. She wasn’t prepared for this. They had just arrived at their new location. She never thought that they would have to leave so soon.
    “Take what you need,” Lia reminded herself, shakily.
    Lia grabbed a small canviss backpack from the corner and filled it with the nessesities. Clothes. Water bottles. A few energy bars, and a blanket. That was all she needed.
    Lia was just about to leave when she heard the first of the voices. The search parties were here. They were busted.
    “Is this some sort of camp site?” An unfamiliar voice asked.
    “Not occording to the map. It says here that the next camp site is a few miles up,” A second voice replied.
    “We should check these tents,” The fist decided.
    “Are you sure?” The second asked. “This place looks pretty deserted.”
    Lia’s thoughts were racing. Had the others escaped? Were they safe?
    “Wait… I think I saw something moving over there…” The fist voice said.
    Lia closed her eyes tightly. She had to put her fist in her mouth to prevent from screaming. This was going to be exactly like Jesse all over again. Someone was about to get caught.
    “Is anyone here?” The second voice asked. From what Lia could tell, she sounded like a woman. Probably young. But, Lia didn’t dare peak out from her tent. The last time she had decided to look, Lia had seen it all happen. And, the experience had scarred her for life.
    Anyone who ran away to Paite, obviously had something to run away from back home. And, getting caught was like being sent back to prison. Or-in some cases-it was worse.
    Lia allowed herself one, shuddering breath as the search party members shuffled through the bushes.
    Lia heard the scream a moment later. Tears welled up in her gray eyes, and threatened to flow. It was Michaela. They had caught Michaela. She was so young. Only twelve. She had such a tragic story.
    And, now she was going back home to be beaten and threatened by her parents.
    They would question her about Paite. They would want to know where she had been or who she had been with. They would never let this go, and little Michaela would have an entire societies secret resting on her shoulders for the rest of her life.
    Lia could only hope that Michaela was strong enough to keep Paite a secret. Though, she wouldn’t blame her if she told the truth. Lia couldn’t imagine going back home. She couldn’t imagine what she would have to go through to hide it all.
    Lia whimpered.
    “What was that?” The first voice-A man’s voice asked.
    “I don’t know... Sweety,” The woman asked Michaela. “Is there anyone else here?”
    Michaela stayed silent.
    “We should check the tents,” The first man demanded.
    “All right,” The woman agreed before turning her attention back to Michaela. “Honey, we’re gonna need you to stay right here while we look through some of those tents. And, then, we’ll take you back to your mommy, okay?”
    Panic swept over Lia’s body. They were going to find her. They were going to take her back home. She would have to face her parents. Her old friends. Taylor…
    Lia couldn’t do that. She could never go back to Lucielle. Her eyes swept her small tent, searching for anything she could use to defend herself.
    The washtub!
    Lia crawled over to the large metal washtub that she used to wash her clothing. Gently, she grasped the washtub by the handles and lifted it from the floor.
    Lia prayed that the washtub handles wouldn’t squeak. The thing was so old, and covered in rust that it would make more noise then she would if she had to use it to defend herself.
    But, it was all she had.
    Lia could tell that the search and rescue team members were getting close. She could here them shuffling thorugh someone’s things on the other side of the thin canvass wall. The ruff scraping of canvass against canvass was enough to drive Lia insane. She had always hated that noise.
    Lia flinched as the canvass of her wall was shaken.
    The washtub handles squeaked.
    “Hey, Cheryl!” The male voice shouted, “Something’s over here!”
    Lia braced herself, ready for a fight. This was not going to be her last day of freedom.
    Lia watched as the canvass door of her tent rustled, gently, the cloth fell away.
    Lia lunged herself at the man who had come to rescue her.

“Is everyone here?” Devon asked, as they entered the clearing. “Is anyone missing?”
    Devon felt like a school teacher as he stepped up on top of a large boulder and pulled his role sheet from his pack. He needed to make sure everyone had gotten out.
    “L’wren?” Devon called.
    “Right here!” L’wren called from somewhere in the back of the large crowd.
    “Patrick?”
    “Here!”
    “Siobhan?”
    “Here.”
    “Finly?”
    “It’s Fin, you b*****d!” Fin shouted, “And, I’m right here.”
    “Sorry,” Devon mumbled.
    “Michaela?”
    Dead silence.
    “Michaela?” Devon called again.
    No response.
    “Does anyone see Michaela?” A girl named Sinead asked.
    There was a murmur amongst the crowd, people were sighing and shaking their heads. Michaela was gone.
    “All right then,” Devon said, trying to stay calm. “Is anyone else missing?”
    People looked around themselves searching for a missing person.
    “I don’t see Lia anywhere,” Steve shouted, suddenly, his voice quivering in panic.
    Devon’s heart skipped a beat.
    “Lia?” He called out. “Lia!”
    There was no answer. Lia had been left behind.
    “What are we going to do, Devon?” Patrick asked, after a moment’s silence.
    Devon’s mind was working ninety miles per minute. He knew that he couldn’t convince everyone to come back to the camp with him, and he may have to go in alone. But, he couldn’t leave Lia and Michaela to be captured.
    “We have to go back,” Devon declared, as he jumped from his place on the rock.
    Everyone in the crowd seemed to exchange a worried expression.
    “Wait a minute,” someone said, suddenly.
    Devon knew the voice before he even looked.
    It was Zane Walker.
    “Since when do you get to call the shots, Dev?” Zane asked, coolly.
    Devon turned to see Zane leaning back against the trunk of a tree on the edge of the clearing, a bag of sunflower seeds rested in his palm. “Why do you get to force us to risk our freedom? This is Paite, after all. I believe that sign in contract said something about personal choice.”
    Zane’s words cut through Devon like a knife. Devon shot a glare at Zane that made him raise his arms in a fake surrender.
    “Sorry, buddy, didn’t mean to interfere with your protective moment. You can just run off and save your girlfriend now if you’d like,” Zane snorted before adding, “God knows I wouldn’t mind.”
    Devon fumed. He wanted to say so many things to Zane, but, he knew that they were running out of time.
    “Whatever,” Devon grunted before dropping his pack and hurrying out. “Anyone who wants to come help me save the others should come now. It isn’t safe to travel alone. Anyone who wants to stay behind…” Devon paused. “Can go to hell.”
   
   
   
 

Author's Note

I am aware of the many grammar/spelling/typo errors this story must have. Please try and ignore them as best as you can. haha. I promise, I'll fix them soon! :D

Reviews

[Arc Moore]

I liked this just as much as I liked your previous chapters. Excellent, superb job, and you have my encouragement to continue with this story . . .