Read Page 24

“Let’s go!” Aaron, the guardian with the scar down his face, called to us.Advertisement

Eli and I didn’t budge. Instead, we stared into each other’s eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. It was obvious he wasn’t going anywhere, he was too stubborn, so I rose to my feet and trotted off toward Mr Aleksandrov.

Without a glance behind me, I climbed into the back seat of Mr Aleksandrov’s car. It was a lot like Eli’s, only the insides were dark grey instead of white. Mr Aleksandrov got into the passenger seat and Aaron was driving. All the doors were shut and the car roared to life.

Slowly the car rolled forward, my teary gaze fell on Eli, watching me drive away. His face had returned to its usual hard stare, a stare that watched nothing but everything at the same time.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Mr Aleksandrov said over his shoulder.

“Then why doesn’t it feel like it?” I mumbled.

“Someday you’ll be able to return … and maybe you can be with the person you want to be with. There’s a change coming, Ruby, and it’ll help people in your situation and Mila’s.”

His words hit me. He knew about Mila’s and Gabriel’s love … perhaps he could change things. If he did, Eli and I could be together freely, but until then there was no happy ending. I could feel it. The love that Eli and I have was great, but when has any great love in history ended well? Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, or Tristan and Isolde? Each and every one ended in tragedy, be it death or banishment.

Once again I was leaving everything behind and starting a new life, and yet somehow it seems harder this time around. The thick forest whipped past me and the car picked up speed as it rolled onto the smooth highway. The harbor was disappearing rapidly behind me and I couldn’t help but let the tears fall. Letting Eli go was the biggest regret I have made in this life.

“It’s all for the greater good,” Mr Aleksandrov mumbled.

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I guess only time will tell. pqdm.com