Page 70 of Captured

Iknow I’m crying but I don’t make a sound. The last sound I made got Luna killed.

Hugo releases me either out of remorse or carelessness, but I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t care. Nothing even matters because he just shot Luna.

All I see is the pool of blood surrounding her body.

Annabelle congratulates Hugo on his good shot.

But I don’t care because all I hear is my scream that made her stop.

If only she had just kept running.

If only I wasn’t so weak.

I turn her body over carefully, surveying the wound. The bullet landed just under where her heart should be beating quickly. Instead, her heart rate is slowing drastically.

“Emerson?” her voice is barely a whisper and I bring my head to her ear to hear her.

“Shhh.” I say, relieved she’s alive. But I know it won’t last. I know that there is nothing I can do to save her. And I know that no one else cares enough to help her. “It’s going to be okay.” Tears of guilt prick my eyes like needles. I’m lying. It’s not going to be okay.

I know it’s hopeless, but I rip off a piece of my shirt and try to stop the blood that is pouring out of her like a river. My attempt is useless, and I know it, but I can’t just sit here watching her die. I need to do something.

The blood soaks through my shirt and I throw it away in frustration. Seeing my agony, Luna puts a soft hand over my own. How could she possibly be so kind? Looking out for someone else, even on her deathbed?

I soften my posture and sit cross legged next to her. I put her head in my lap and gently stroke her caramel hair. “I’m so sorry.” I say, the tears soaking her hair. “You should’ve kept moving. You shouldn’t have turned around. Luna, I can’t-” I take a deep breath. “I can’t lose you too.”

She doesn’t reply, but she just smiles and lifts her eyes up. At first, I think she’s looking at me, and then I realise that it’s night-time. And the sky is putting on a show just for her.

“The moon looks so beautiful,” she smiles. It is a full moon, bright and glamorous. I hope that it is better than she ever imagined. I hope that it exceeds all of her expectations. I hope that at this moment she feels truly free.

“I promised that I’d show you the moon,” I laugh at the irony. I promised her a lot of things. And now I will never be able to keep any of those promises.

And it’s all because I couldn’t keep my stupid mouth shut.

“Thank you,” she whispers, with a single breath, I feel her body go limp in my arms.

“Luna?” I whisper in her ear. “Luna?” I say, louder this time. “LUNA?” I cry out. Maybe if I just keep saying her name, maybe if I say it loud enough, she’ll wake up. Maybe she’ll come back.

But I’m not that naïve anymore.

She’s gone.

And I will get my revenge.

I lay her down softly and close her eyes. I know she’s not asleep, but maybe I can just pretend. Just for a moment, it isn’t my fault that her lifeless body is sinking in the swishing grass. I take off my jacket and I lay it over her. I walk out to the backyard and pick a rose from the garden.

Mrs. King put so much thought into making this garden as beautiful as she could. I know she won’t mind me cutting off one of her roses to give to one of the most beautiful people I knew.

I walk back over to Luna, and I kneel down placing her hands over the rose. A real one. Not like the paper ones that she made back at Calveron. Something real.

Sobs rack my body and I do nothing to control them. I let my emotions take over, all of the grief and the pain and the suffering. All of the guilt. But mostly all of the anger. This is Jasper Cunningham’s fault. He set me up. He taught me how to drive and pretended to care and let me escape just so that he could show me the control he had over me. The control everyone has always had over me.

But I will no longer be controlled.

I stand up slowly and turn to face them. Hugo has come back from wherever he went. He doesn’t even pretend to look remorseful. His eyes are cold and calculated. It’s impossible to believe that he is related to the girl who made origami roses and drew sketches for her mother and who never failed to make me smile.

He approaches me, and I stand in front of Luna defensively. “What are you doing, Hugo?”

“Whatever it takes to make sure that they don’t get me again.” He answers. He grabs my hair so suddenly that it takes me by surprise. I try to wrestle out of it, but his grip is too tight. He hits me over the head with the barrel of his gun.

Everything goes black.