Uprising: A Collide Novel Part 32

"Twenty six."

"That's not too bad. Mitch.e.l.l is thirty nine ya know."

"What? That's ancient! And you're twenty one? He's a grandpa!"

"No he's-" I stopped. "We aren't supposed to be talking about them." I made a motion of zipping my lips. "You'll have to keep reminding me."

"I got no problem with that, lovely. Now how exactly should I keep you're mind off of it?" he asked and ran a finger down my cheek. "Man, you're skin is so soft," he whispered against my other cheek.

I was frozen in his arms as he continued to sway us even though I stayed silent.

All too soon the song ended and he reluctantly released me and stepped back.

"Ready to get out of here?" he asked.

"Not really. But yeah," I answered.

We grabbed two of everything that was free on our way out. We had t-shirts, mugs, stickers, posters, hand held fans, b.u.t.tons, even car air fresheners. Everything with the Taker on them. Not like we'd use it but we needed to look enthusiastic and also, these things might come in handy for future scouting and spying.

We drove home and talked about nothing and everything. The best part was that he didn't once mention Sherry and I didn't once think about Michael. Not Mitch.e.l.l either.

Maybe I should have thought about him though, as Cain played with my fingers on the middle seat between us, I wasn't bold enough to scoot myself in the middle, and we chatted about past jobs and favorite bands. He told me all about his military stint.

Whatever happened, I refused to feel guilty. I was young and the world was ending. I should have a few inches of running room.

As we pulled into the store parking lot, seven minutes until 2:00 a.m., he parked us under the awning at the back shed. It was so dark out and I was a little freaked. I looked around warily.

He grabbed a big black flashlight from behind the seat and pulled me out the drivers side behind him and then shut the door. We didn't walk yet. He was looking at me. An intense way that made me forget all about being scared of the dark.

"Lillian? Would you mind if, since we aren't inside yet, technically we're still party friends, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And you had fun being old friends tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Absolutely."

"And drunken party friends can still kiss, right?"

I heard my breath catch and I fought to steady my voice.

"We're not drunk."

"You didn't answer my question," he breathed.

I licked my lips again subconsciously and once again regretted it as I saw his eyes watching me intently. He probably thinks I'm doing it on purpose to taunt him.

"Um."

He didn't give me a chance to answer but I didn't push him away. Oh goodness. He was sooo good at this.

This kiss was even more skillful, if possible, than the first. More intent was involved. He pushed me gently against the truck side and pressed me there, we were still under the cover of the shed. His hand was in my hair, ma.s.saging the back of my scalp and playing with and rubbing the curls that had turned flat from Celeste's earlier makeover.

My hands had no where to go but his hips. Extremely lean compared to his muscular shoulders. He was gentle but I could tell he wanted more. He was probably used to getting more from girls back in his day, before all this.

I let him kiss me for as long as I could take it. When I felt my breaths coming so shallow it was unbearable I pulled back and gasped out my breaths. He laid his forehead on mine and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "My lovely, you are just too incredible to resist."

"Well." I chuckled breathlessly. "I think we better go inside. Before I don't ever want to go back."

He laughed and looked up at me ruefully.

"If only that were true."

"It kind of is. I had fun. Thank you. Anytime you need another accomplice, you know where to find me."

"You got it, babe," he said softly and my heart flipped so big and loud, I was sure he could tell, but he just watched me with a look of...what?

Wonder? Amazement? Maybe he thought I had been too far gone with Mitch.e.l.l already and now...

"Alright you. Ready?" he asked as he pushed off the truck and me.

"Ready."

He held my hand as we walked back. Our fingers laced, his other hand holding the flashlight, guiding our path. As we got closer to the back door, I started to see some dark spots in the tan sand that we stepped on.

"Cain. What is that?"

We looked closely. The sand had footprints everywhere and those dark spots. I gasp.

"It's blood," he growled anxiously.

He pulled me faster to the door and locked it behind us. He knocked and when they let us in I knew something was really wrong.

Sherry, was still up. Everyone was up. What in the world? And they were crying, some were furious.

"Lillian," Sherry started then, stopped to take a breath and stifle what looked like tears about to come. "Lillian. Mitch.e.l.l..."

Cain still had my hand and was standing next to me. I felt his fingers tighten on mine.

"What is it, Sherry," he asked her but stayed where he was.

I thought for sure with the way she was so distraught he would have went to her immediately. But he stayed by me and held my hand tight.

"Aaron and Mitch.e.l.l. They..." she tried again but stopped again.

Merrick came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Lillian," Merrick said to me. "We had a run in tonight. Mitch.e.l.l... Mitch.e.l.l's dead. I'm very sorry."

Sherry pulled herself away from Merrick and hugged me tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Lillian," she said and pulled back quickly to retreat to Merrick's arms.

"Honey, Lily's up," he said glancing over his shoulder and patting her back. "Lillian, I'm sorry," he said softly and glanced quickly at Cain before leading Sherry away.

Cain immediately turned to hug me to him, pressing my face into his neck and whispering in my ear while his arms encircled me, but I could only make out half of what he said.

"Lillian, I'm so sorry...let me take you to...some rest...we'll talk...get you some water?...sweetheart, talk to...be alright?"

Then I couldn't hear him anymore. I was numb and frozen.

Mitch.e.l.l, my best friend, was dead.

I was out partying and kissing another guy, knowing how he felt about me, and he was here, dying.

Mitch.e.l.l was dead.

Only In Dreams

Chapter 17 - Sherry.

I picked Lily up and hugged her to me as she ran from her room in her long t-shirt with pink and purple hearts. Everyone was upset and she woke up in all the commotion.

"Shawwy. What's wong? Why you cwying?"

I didn't realize I was.

"It's ok, baby. Let's get you back to bed."

As I slipped her through the crowd, holding her head to my shoulder so she didn't see the bloodied and bruised people all around, I turned just once to look at Lillian.

Cain was just then sweeping her up, off her feet into his arms and taking her towards her hall. She laid limp in his arms and his grim gaze met mine for a few seconds before I pa.s.sed into Lily's room.

"Lily. We have a lot of work to do tonight. You might here some noises but everything is ok. I want you to stay in bed, ok? Promise me."

"I pwomise," she said as she swiped her hair back from her face.

I pulled the hair band I had on my wrist off. I had forgotten to put her hair up before bed. I twisted up a quick ponytail for her and she laid down, searching sleepily for her doll. I put it in her grasp and slid out quietly.

Then I practically ran to Lillian's hall, I knew her room was on it somewhere, though I still didn't know exactly which one.

I found Cain in the hall, creeping out of a room, closing the door.

"Cain," I whisper.

He straightened and immediately pulled me in for a tight hug and spoke into my hair.

"Are you alright? What the- What happened, Sherry?"

I explained everything to him, just as Merrick had told me what happened when they finally came back down that hatch.

"The Lighters were here. They tricked Margo into ringing the bell and sending some of us out. The Keepers. They were outnumbered." I started to cry again and we slumped to the floor in the hall.

My heart ached for my gruff rescuer Aaron, who thought he saved me from Merrick that day in the yard, and poor Mitch.e.l.l.

"Go on, Sherry. What happened?" Cain said as he rubbed my arm.

"It was just like that day, when we went to the cave. Markers everywhere. They called the other Keepers to come help and left one to stay with us and told us to hide in the storage room. That's when we knew it was bad," I choked on a sob. "So we ran out to help, all of us, well- all of them. Of course I wasn't allowed to go. I never am," I said and could practically taste the bitterness, but I knew it was just the anger talking. "So, Danny and the rest of them ran out to help but the Lighters took Aaron out first thing and a Marker got Mitch.e.l.l not long after. They eventually cut all the Lighters down and either killed or ran off the Markers. They were out there for an eternity it felt like. Everyone else is ok just a little...banged up. Margo is still locked in the bathroom in the store. She refuses to come out. Celeste has been up there with her since they got back in, trying to coax her out."

"Oh man. If I'd been here, I could have helped," Cain said and leaned his head back on the wall.

"No. You would've just gotten hurt too. How's Lillian?"

"She's in shock. She won't talk."

"It's gotta be hard on her. To loose two people she cared about back to back like that."

"Yeah," he said gruffly. "I'll stay with her."

"Ok. I gotta go check on people. A few need st.i.tches and stuff like that, including Merrick."

"Ok. I'm glad Merrick made it. And Danny. I'm glad they're ok."

"Thanks. I'm glad you weren't here though. And I'm glad Lillian wasn't here either. This will probably sound stupid after all that but...how did it go tonight? Find anything useful?"

"It was fine. We got some things to give the Keepers to look at. Everything went fine," he said softly and sat staring at the wall in front of us.

"Are you ok?" I ask, knowing none of us are.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I feel guilty."

"Cain, you couldn't have-"

"I was having fun, Sherry." He cut me off briskly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We danced, we were laughing, we talked, we kis-" he tried to cut it off but it was too late.

"You kissed?" I asked softly, thinking back to what Lillian had said about liking Mitch.e.l.l and feeling some confusion.

He hesitated then looked at me.

"Yes. We kissed. While ya'll were here fighting, we were out there dancing and kissing," he said like it was disgusting.