The Fence

Chapter 75: Traitors

~Ky~

2 Days Ago

"Bena," I whisper, reaching up to wipe the rain or tears from her distressed face. "I may be your shield, but Grey is your knight. Go be his princess."

Her mind contemplates my words for a brief second, before her expression becomes peaceful once more. She gives me a final look, her hazel eyes mirroring mine, and then turns around and begins to walk away.

I can't believe I'm letting her go to him.

The rain stops descending, the clouds stop rumbling, the ground stops shaking, and the wind dies down. My sister is no longer within my eyesight, swallowed by the vast forests surrounding our camp. As she gets further away, the storm goes with her.

I grip the sleeves of my nylon jacket. "She's like me..." I murmur. "Here I thought she was in total control...but look at what she just did."

"Is she gone?" Val whispers, peeking her head out of her tent.

I glare at her, feeling the heat that is starting to dance across my skin. "Is she gone?" I scoff in disbelief. "That's the first thing you have to say?"

"I'm sorry," Val retorts. "But that was terrifying. What is she, crazy?" she asks while climbing from her tent.

"Crazy," I repeat. "You're kidding right? Please tell me you're kidding."

Val shrugs. "She accused my brother and I of being yukos, then blew up on Donte and Raven, and then she completely horrified Merida. I can also mention that she stabbed at me again after that. So yeah, she's a little crazy."

Somehow, I find myself standing right in front of her, peering down at her with anger. "She's not crazy. She blew up on you because she has PTSD. PTSD from a gun that you gave her! Excuse her if she feels a little bit betrayed!"

Slowly, the rest of the squad gathers around us again. "Ky does have a point, Val," Pine murmurs, keeping his eyes on the ground. "Do you really have a right to be angry at Bena right now?"

"Yeah," Merida squeaks, pushing a strand of her red hair behind her ear. "I mean, Bena's gone through a lot."

"We all have!" Val shouts, her eyes flashing.

"Really?" Donte mutters. His posture is casual, but it's obvious he's angry. "I don't remember you lying on that surgery table with my trembling hands carefully picking out the bullet. Do you know how close she was to dying, Val? That's how she got PTSD. Meanwhile, you were twiddling your thumbs in that waiting room with no guilt on your conscience. Kirbena thought she was weak. Because of that, she forced herself to continue training even against my orders. She fought to overcome her fear, and then as soon as things started to get better, a bomb went off. She stepped up, Val. She found all of us in the rubble and brought us to safety before we could run out of oxygen. She saved our lives, while you almost took hers."

Val throws her hands above her head, rolling her eyes. "You people are acting like I shot her myself! Did I know that Nixon would pull that trigger? No! I was trying to help!"

"What did you think he would do? Pretend it was a teddy bear? If he asked for one, then he had a purpose!"

"This isn't about me!" Val huffs, her face boiling red.