Uncontrollable

Chapter Thirty-Five

My heart raced as her excuse about writing letters came to mind. Was she telling the truth? Is she going to send a letter full of lies to Grey right now? Or is she about to send him a letter filled with all of our plans? Is she even going to deliver the letter to Grey? Maybe she's going to burn it right now.

A war raged in my mind as different emotions and feelings clashed, each fighting for dominance over all others. In the end, it was my curiosity that won the war as curiosity tended to do in my mind.

Quietly, I slipped out my door, being sure to shut it. 

I padded down the metal hallway and began down the staircase that Vanessa was walking down, being sure to keep a steady distance.

Her movements in front of me were zombie-like; her arms hung limp at her sides and her steps were even and rhythmic, looking unnatural and forced. It was as if she was possessed by some outside force.

No one else was out in the complex, letting an eerie silence cover the jumble of metal like a blanket. My guess was that everyone who would normally be out and about were either sleeping or working hard in a workroom.

As we walked, Vanessa expertly navigating through the rooms, pathways, and staircases as if she'd done it a thousand times.

Something definitely wasn't right.

Time droned on and it felt like we were never going to get to the place where she intended to go, but as we the amount of pathways and staircases diminished until there was only one way to go — out. Was Vanessa trying to leave the complex to deliver the letter? Was she going to give it to Grey directly?

My mind raced as fast as my heart as I followed her down the last staircase and we walked through the dirt wall as if it was air. When we were in the circular passageway that we had entered the first time we came here, her footsteps sped up and her breathing grew heavy.

I remained as quiet as possible although I predicted that with the hypnotized trance she was in, it wouldn't matter if she could hear me.

When we arrived at the area we had jumped down, Vanessa raised her right hand and disappeared. I copied her actions, imagining myself appearing in the field above again.

Moments later, I was standing in the cool of the night, the wind blowing intensely, biting at exposed skin. I shivered, but trudged on through the tall grass, refusing to lose Vanessa from my sight. Because the moon was the only light, all that I could see was her silhouette, barely outlined when surrounded by the grass.

Owls hooted in the distance, creating a constant, peaceful background noise. The field around me still smelled of flowers and grass.

Behind me, the force field covering the city glowed and the walls protecting it from outside forces seemed highlighted against the night sky.

My eyes stung from the cold night air and as we continued to walk, I began to doubt my plan for following her. Was there even a destination in mind or was she just taking a walk because she couldn't sleep? Maybe she took the letter to leave it out here.

My legs burned from all the walking mixed with training earlier today. I seriously debated going back, but in the end I continued following her — I had to know what this was about.

It felt like it had been an eternity of walking when the grass around us shortened considerably and we began climbing a large hill. Where was she going?

Vanessa's breath remained consistent, her pace unwavering. Walking became slightly less physically demanding as the grass became so low that it didn't even reach the middle of my sneakers.