Enforced (Book 1)

Chapter 45

Once the sun began to sink beyond the trees, we stood up and put our clothes back on. I could still feel the sand between my toes, up my back, and in my hair, but I didn't care. We walked back to camp hand in hand, both of us still high on happiness.

We lit a fire and lied down in our sleeping bags. We listened to the cracklings the fire as it warmed our bodies and looked up at the stars.

You could the stars so clearly out in the woods. I reached over and grabbed Benjamin's hand. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." He replied.

"Do you ever imagine a world without Richardson and his laws?"

"All the time." He replied.

"What do you imagine?" I asked, curious.

"It's kind of complicated. Because my family is, well, who they are. So my family life wouldn't have been any different with or without Richardson. So the only thing I really imagine differently about my life is you. Us.

It would be just like before. Just like before your dad chose Acer for you and you were forced to become his fiancée and future wife. We would still be meeting at the pond every day, escaping our home lives, and knowing that we could have the choice of who to marry. Who to spend the rest of our lives with. Even if it wasn't me you chose, at least you would have a choice."

"Oh, I would've chose you." I said, "And I imagine life the same way, but more in the future than what would be the present.

I imagine us married happily, unafraid and never thinking of the horrors of our pasts. I imagine us together without anyone stopping us from being happy, from being with one another. I imagine us living in a small cabin in the woods, by a small pond. Kind of like our pond, but far away from our district and our families and our past.

"Bethany," Benjamin said turning toward me, his eyes squinting to try to see me better. "That will happen, we may not live in a cabin in the woods, we may not live by a pond, but some day we will live safely and happily. One day we will be allowed to be together.

"I hope so." I looked over and saw him looking lovingly at me and I smiled, "If we..." I paused and corrected myself, "When we get out of this mess, we are going to live that dream."

"Yes we will." He whispered as he leaned over and brushed the hair away from his face. "That's all I want, Bethy. That's everything I want."

We looked back up at the sky and saw a shooting star cross the galaxy above us. I closed my eyes and wished for our dream of happiness, safeness, and togetherness to come true. When I looked over at Benjamin I saw his eyes were closed too, and I knew he was wishing for the same thing.

After a moment he opened his eyes and smiled. I knew he was imagining our dream. I squeezed his hand and imagined it with him. A few minutes later his grip loosened. I looked at him and saw his eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling evenly. I let him sleep, it was the first time I had ever been with him that he didn't have a night terror. I lied there awake for a long time before I finally fell asleep. I dreamed of Benjamin and our future, I slept perfectly.