Final Truth

Chapter 31: You'll Go Home

Susan's point of view:

After Adam had been deposited back to the cell that he and Kyle share, he wasted no time informing the rest of us that we would probably be interrogated by Will within the coming days.

Interrogated for what, exactly, remains a mystery to me. I'm surprised they've let us live as long as they have instead of killing us in the bunker. But nevertheless, I choose not to dwell on it; I stopped trying to figure Will out a long time ago.

Evelyn's family and Cade have managed to occupy a great deal of my thoughts lately, and I can't help but worry about them. When Julia, Adam, and Cassia left for Will's society to find Henley all those months ago, Kyle and I stayed behind to watch the city while they took refuge with the family. I had never met them until Cade brought them, but they were lively and kind to all of us.

I can always appreciate those kinds of people.

And then there's Cade, whom all of us remain indebted to for keeping us safe as long as he did and giving us a sort of home when we had none. Thinking of what Will has probably done to him by now as punishment for helping us is enough to make me feel anguish; Cade helped us to survive, but now we can't return that favor.

It's worse for Cassia, the unknown of what's become of him and what they're doing to him. She doesn't say anything, but it's plain as day that she's worried. We all are, of course, but hers is a different kind of worry: the kind you know runs between those whose ties are a bit tighter. Cassia has more to lose if he dies, but it's the not knowing that hurts her the most.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Kyle whispers to me from his cell, careful to be quiet so we won't wake up Cassia and Adam.

Night had long since overtaken us, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the ungodly hours of the morning after midnight that I so despise.

I consider Kyle's question, retracing my thoughts until I just sigh and reply, "Everything."

My eyes find his and we both scoot a little closer to the steel bars that separate us, Kyle reaching through the spaces between them to take my hand.

My spirits lift a little at this, having not had the chance to truly have a moment to talk with him in earnest since we arrived. I miss having a normal life with him, having a life with all of my friends where we could be free.

Where I could make people happy.

"Don't you start that," Kyle orders me, snapping me out of my thoughts as I look up at him. I make a face to imply that I don't know what he means, but a small smirk crosses his face at that.

"I know you, Susan. You think it's over," he explains.

"If I recall correctly, and I am recalling correctly, you thought we were done for as well earlier. Face it, we're gonna die here," I retort remorsefully.

Kyle grips my hand a bit tighter, demanding my attention back to him.

"I've been thinking about what Adam said earlier, about how we'll make it. We always do, after all, in one way or another. He's right, everything he said. We'll figure out Cassia's power, and Adam can outsmart anyone. Susan, you'll make it home," He promises me.

I try to bite back a cruel laugh, grateful for his hope but also remembering our precarious situation. "Easier said than done, Kyle."

"I didn't say anything about it being easy, but I trust Adam. Everything will be alright; I think there are much scarier things in this world than Will."

I shiver a bit as thoughts of Henley come forward, a dull pain in my chest aching for Julia and Peter. I begin to wonder if they're okay, or if they're even alive anymore. After seeing that video of Julia down in the bunker, urging everyone to keep fighting followed by a terrible scuffle, the idea seems a little less likely. But if they are alive, are they alright? Do they think about us?

"It does no good to dwell on things you cannot control," Kyle reminds me, reading me like a book.

"I miss Julia and Peter," I admit bluntly, to which he nods in agreement.

"Me too," Kyle settles, but I notice that he doesn't seem to offer much hope for their situation like he did for ours. I can't blame him for that; we've all prayed for their safety, but the longer everything goes on, the likelihood of ever seeing the two of them again seems to get smaller.

To me, if even one of them were to walk away from Henley alive, it would be a miracle.

But then again, I've seen miracles happen before. Julia saving Natalie's soul before she died was one, Cade finding Cassia and giving her the map to the bunker was another, and meeting Kyle was a personal miracle for me.

Perhaps we still have some more miracles up our sleeves, waiting to save us from more detriments. Maybe Kyle and Adam aren't as foolish as I take them to be; in theory, we might still have a chance.

"You really think we can make it out of here?" I ask Kyle, gripping his hand tightly as I finally begin to feel the beginning stages of hope taking place once again.

"You'll go home," he replies simply, leaning his head against the wall and shutting his eyes, growing sleepy.

I do, however, notice that he hasn't said anything about himself making it through this, and that makes me nervous. He's showed confidence that the rest of us will, but revealed nothing about himself in the situation.

"We'll go home," I correct him quietly, giving his hand one last squeeze before I let go to lay down on the floor, wanting to sleep myself.

I love you, Kyle, I think to myself as my eyes shut, becoming peaceful once again.

"You'll go home."