Chapter 5

Margaret watched the soldiers walking towards them from the jeep disinterestedly. Then, one of them caught her eye. As he drew closer, Margaret was able to make out the tall figure and dark hair of Joumon. He walked over to the prisoners and scanned over them, apparently making sure they were all there. Their eyes locked for a second, then Joumon's gaze slid away, his face carefully veiled of any emotion. He turned around to talk to another soldier about something. His voice and gestures became ever sharper until he followed the soldier back to the jeep. Margaret leaned over to Kariss.

"Did you hear what they said?" she asked.

"I think something's wrong with their jeep."

Just then, there was a loud boom and flames erupted from under the jeep's hood. In a panic, all the soldiers rushed off to extinguish the fire. Margaret stole a glance at the border. It was only 150 yards away now, maybe just 100. If they could just get over that fence, they would be home free. Just get to the fence. The soldiers were still at the jeep, no one was watching them. Coming to a decision, Margaret struggled to her feet.

"Get up." she whispered, frantically pulling at the others. "We're going to make a run for it."

Beno glanced at the soldiers doubtfully then pulled himself up. Then Kariss and Alistair were up too. They stood there for one stomach wrenching second, too afraid to move, then Margaret hissed "Run!" and they all broke out in a headlong sprint to the border.

Margaret's foot steps pounded in her head as she hurtled towards the border in a wild run. It was hard to move fast with her hands tied and she noticed the others stumbling as well. She stole a glance over her shoulder just as Joumon looked in their direction. He screamed something incomprehensible at the soldiers and broke into a dead sprint after them. Margaret snapped her head forward and leaned in with everything she had.

They only had 50 yards to go now. Margaret willed herself to go faster, but she could hear Joumon's footsteps now and they sounded alarmingly close. They Just had to make it to the fence. Just make it to the fence. Margaret glanced over her shoulder and saw with alarm that Joumon was pulling a gun from his belt. They might be able to outrun Joumon, but not a bullet. Without another moment's hesitation, Margaret whirled around and flung herself at Joumon letting out a wild scream in the process, knocking him to the ground before he could shoot. Joumon grunted in surprise as the breath was knocked out of him. Margaret flailed wildly and tried to clamp his arms to his side with her legs, anything to make sure he remained on the ground long enough for the others to cross the border. He tried to rip her legs off him, wrestling her to the ground. It wasn't long before he had her arm pinned behind her head, but as he jumped to his feet to peruse the rest of the group, Margaret saw with satisfaction that they were all climbing down the opposite side of the fence into Cisilon. As Kariss, Beno and Alistair dropped to the ground on the other side, they turned to stare at Margaret and Joumon, mouths agape in shock. Beno started towards the fence and yelled "Margaret!" but Alistar and Kariss held him back.

Joumon pulled Margaret roughly to her feet and pushed her ahead of him back to the Jeep. They walked silently across the clearing, and for the second time in two days, Margaret felt the tip of a gun being pressed into her back. Only this time it's owner wasn't some anonymous NPK soldier, but a person she had once trusted and loved more than anyone else.

Another Jeep rolled up to replace the one that had broken down and Margaret was pushed into the backseat between two soldiers. Joumon got into the front seat and steered the jeep back the way it had come. They bumped up and down on the rough terrain, following the border, for several minutes. Margaret watched one of the soldiers next to her. He was younger than she expected, he could scarcely be out of highschool. His freckles and soft face gave him the appearance of a young boy dressed up in someone else's clothes. Noticing Margaret's stare, the boy glanced at her nervously and then looked straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact again. Was he actually scared of her? Margaret almost laughed with the ludicrousness of the idea that this soldier with a rifle propped in his lap would be scared of a 5'2" girl who had never fired a gun in her life.

The Jeep stopped in front of a low, bland looking building, probably border control Margaret realized. The soldiers hopped out of the Jeep and Joumon pulled Margaret out by the arm. He strode towards the building, still grasping Margaret's bicep. She almost had to run to keep up with him as he pushed through the door and lead her down a long hallway. They stopped halfway down the hall in front of one of many grey doors. Joumon unlocked the door and pushed her into a small room lit with only a single struggling lightbulb. There was a metal chair in the middle of the room to which Joumon handcuffed her. Finally, Joumon closed the door and turned around to look at her. His face was paler than it used to be, and it seemed thinner, more drawn out. Margaret watched him silently. Her head was surprisingly clear and she felt calm. It was like a new strength had risen up in her that she never knew existed.

With an air of simple conversation, Margaret remarked "Your face is thinner. Have you been eating enough?"

Joumon just sneered at her.

"Tell me where Alistar is going." He said in a cold voice.

Careful to keep her voice calm, Margaret replied "I don't know where Alistair is."

Joumon took a step closer. "Yes you do, and you're going to tell me."

Part of Margaret found this scene utterly ridiculous. Joumon trying to intimidate her with his tall body and dangerous stare. She knew she should be afraid of him. She knew he was capable of hurting her. And yet, she knew him too well to be afraid of the darkness within him.

In a calm voice, she said "I don't know where he is Joumon."

"Quit the crap Margaret." Joumon snarled. "Don't you realize you have no choice? You have to tell me."

"No I don't."

Joumon was pacing across the room like a hungry cat. Suddenly, he stopped and said "Why did you have to come here? You have no right to show up and start meddling in my business."

"Joumon, Your business is an insult to my conscience. I had every right to save Alistar from the fate you would have given him."

"Nevertheless, you're going to have to tell me where he's going."

Margaret watched him as he stood there fuming at her. She knew she should be quiet and focus on simply surviving the conversation but she couldn't stop the words that poured out of her. "Oh Joumon what have you done? Everywhere I go, there is a trail of your destruction. I still miss you, you know. I miss who you were. And now you've robbed my beloved away from me to replace him with a ghost. Do you realize how empty I am without you?"

"Shut up." Joumon growled. With great effort, he seemed to regain some composure and resumed his cold unemotional voice. "Now, where is Alistair headed?"

Margaret sighed. "I really don't know."

"You know I'll do whatever I have to to find out where he's going."

Margaret shuddered. How many people had heard this threat from him? In a way, it seemed fair that she, the person he had cherished most in life, would be on the receiving end of such an interrogation.

"What do I look like to you Joumon? When you look at me do you remember Kariss or Sarine or the countless other people you have treated with such inhumanity?"

Joumon's voice had an extra ferocity behind it now. "Just tell me where Alistair is."

Margaret looked him in the eye. "When you look at me, do you see your cousin soul?"

Joumon shot forward and slapped her in the face. Her head snapped back and her ears rang with the impact. Her whole body was tensed with shock and anticipation. When another blow never came, she looked up and saw Joumon just standing there looking at her. His eyes were wide with horror. Then he turned and tripped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Margaret sat there stock still for a moment as she tried to understand what had just happened. Then, for no good reason at all, she let her head tilt back and fell fast asleep.