Deceive

Chapter 4

Dylan's POV

I’m out hacking branches for Hope and I. I hope she’s okay. When we first met she lied all the time. I grew up in the colony, I don’t know what people like Hope have gone through to make them lie and want to run from the first person they see. I wanted to see the world outside of the wall that surrounds the colony. With 289 people in the colony from the old world and another 56 born into this world, we stay within the walls. But curiosity got the best of me. I was heading back to the colony when I came across Hope. She had frozen, staying perfectly still. If it wasn’t for her gold-blonde hair I would never have found her. Her eyes were beautiful, so blue they seemed impossible. She looked my age, and was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen. Her voice was a melody I could listen to forever. But when I saw that fear in her eyes I wanted to burn the world down for making her scared of people. I hated that I put that fear in her eyes. I let her go. I watched as she left, not moving for a while. I was going to leave, go back to the colony. But… I just couldn’ t leave her without asking her to come with me again.

When she said yes. And came with me, I couldn’t be happier. I didn't want to scare her so I waited for her to talk, but she never did. I slept away from her the first night, although I longed to be close to her for some reason. I wanted her to be comfortable.

When we found Betsy the fear on her face seemed different from when we first met. It seemed more real whereas when we first met she was afraid but it seemed more secondary, like it was calculated. I mourn for the childhood she had, she didn’t know what a dog was. It may be the end of the world but in the colony there were dogs, cats and fish, sheep, pigs and cows. When she pet Betsy my heart melted. The joy on her face was breathtaking, I had to look away or I think I would have died.

Walking back towards the makeshift camp where I left Hope, my arms full of dry wood to burn. The sight that greeted me made my heart literally melt. A content smile played on her mouth as she layed on her stomach, Betsy on top of her. Betsy looked up at me as I walked closer, but didn’t move. Setting down the wood, Hope looked up at me. She didn’t smile nor say anything. But those eyes. Those eyes said everything. They said ‘thank you’, and ‘hello’ and ‘I’m giving you a chance’. I’m not going to mess up that chance. I smiled at her. She looked into my eyes. I’ve noticed her doing that a lot, she keeps looking into my eyes like she’s looking for something. What? I don't know but I most definitely don’t mind. I let my eyes roam over her face, her hair is tied back in a knot on top of her head, some strands have escaped the elastic holding her hair, curling around her face. My fingers twitch as I long to push them away from her face. I don’t move, looking from her hair to her chin and back to her eyes. Her eyes haven’t left mine. I hold them with my own. I didn’t want to look away but the sun was setting quickly now and the chilly air was biting into my skin. I focused on starting a fire. It blazed to life, I cooked a just add water meal in a pan over the fire. I don’t enjoy the things, but they were protein and we need it to make it back home. I let the meal warm over the fire, looking back at Hope I see she has found a paperback, she doesn't seem to be reading it, just running her fingers along the printed words. I watch her a moment.

“Can you read?” I ask softly. She looks at me, a blush staining her cheeks and a hopeless look in her eyes. I don't think she’s lying. She shakes her head. A small movement so as not to disturb Betsy.

“I can teach you?” She looks at me for another moment before nodding. Lying on my stomach next to her, I take the book she offers me. The Hunger Games. I’ve never read this book before. Opening up to the first page I start reading. Hope drifts off after a while, and soon I’m drifting off too.