Chapter 31 Chapter 29 Betrayal

Maybe I should run the other way, no one will stop me now.Jared's voice was cold and angry, but he was calling me.I cautiously rounded the corner of the passage and walked slowly into the blue light. Melanie was even more anxious than I was, and I hesitated. Ian stood just a few feet in front of me, calm, wary of Jared doing anything wrong to me. Jared sat on the floor, on the mat that Jamie and I had left behind.He looked as exhausted as Ian, but it could be seen that he was exhausted, but his eyes remained very alert. "Don't worry," Jared said to Ian, "I just want to talk to it. I promised the kid, and I'll keep my promise."

"Where's Kyle?" Ian asked. "Snoring, your cave will collapse from his snoring." Ian didn't move. "I'm not lying, Ian, I'm not going to kill it. Jeb is right, no matter how stupid and bad this situation is, Jamie has as much say as I do. He's totally lied to, so I I don't believe he would agree to my approach so quickly." "No one is cheated," Ian roared. Jared waved his hand, not wanting to talk about the difference in words: "I mean I'm not in any danger." He looked at me for the first time, inspecting my position against the wall, seeing my hands trembling. "I won't hurt you again," he told me.

I took a small step forward. "Xiao Man, if you don't want to talk to him, you don't have to." Ian spoke quickly, "This is not a job, nor a responsibility, nor an order, you can make your own choice." Jared frowned - he didn't understand what Ian meant. "No," I whispered back, "I want to talk to him." I took another small step forward.Jared raised his hand and waved at me twice, beckoning me to move forward. I walked very slowly, stopping every step I took. I didn't move forward continuously. I stopped a foot away from him.Ian also followed me step by step, always very close to me.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to him alone," Jared told him. Ian stood there motionless: "I mind." "No, Ian, it's fine. Go to sleep, I'm fine." I gently pushed his arm. Ian looked at my face carefully, half-believing: "Isn't this some kind of death wish? Leave that child alone?" "No, Jared won't lie to Jamie." I mentioned Jared's name, and the voice was full of confidence, and Jared's face was displeased. "Ian, please," I begged, "I want to talk to him." Ian looked at me for a full minute, then turned and frowned at Jared.He roared every word, as if giving orders.

"Her name is Xiaoman, it's not it, you are not allowed to touch her. If you leave any scars on her body, I will pay you back double." Hearing such a threat, I couldn't help being stunned. Ian turned around immediately and disappeared into the darkness. We both looked at the place where he disappeared, silent.After a while, I looked at Jared's face first, but he was still staring intently at Ian's back.He turned his head and just met my gaze, and I quickly lowered my eyes. "Wow, he's not joking, is he?" Jared said. I take this sentence as a rhetorical question that does not require an answer.

"Why don't you sit down?" He asked me, and then patted the mat next to him. I hesitated for a while, and then sat against the wall with him, but closer to the entrance of the cave, keeping a certain distance between me and him.Melanie didn't like it, she wanted to sit next to him, to smell him, to feel the warmth of his body. I don't want to - it's not because I'm afraid he'll hurt me.At the moment, he doesn't look angry, just tired and wary.I don't want to be close to him anymore, too close to him, my heart hurts - so close to him, but he hates me.

He looked at me with his head tilted to one side.I couldn't meet his eyes, even for a short time, so I had to look elsewhere. "Last night, I'm sorry—your face, I shouldn't have done that to you." I look at my hands, which hang clasped in my lap. "You don't have to be afraid of me." I nodded, but still didn't look at him. He snorted: "I remember you said you wanted to talk to me." I shrugged, unable to speak in the face of his hostility. I hear him move.He quickly moved over from the other end of the mat and sat next to me—just what Melanie had hoped for.It was too close to him - it was hard for me to think calmly, to breathe normally - but I couldn't move away any longer.Strangely, because this was what Melanie had hoped for, she was suddenly annoyed.

what happened?I asked her, and I was surprised by her annoyance. I don't want him sitting next to you, it shouldn't be like this, I like the feeling that you need him.For the first time since we left civilization together, I felt the hostility in her.I was taken aback, it wasn't fair. "I have a question," Jared said, interrupting our conversation. I met his eye, but I quickly avoided it—partly because Jared was looking sharply, and partly because Melanie didn't like it. "You can guess my question, Jeb and Jamie have been talking to me all night" I waited for his question, my eyes lingering on the bag of rice on the other side of the dark aisle—my pillow from last night.Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his hand go up, and I was so scared that I pressed myself against the wall.

"I won't hurt you," he said again.He seemed impatient, cupped my chin in his rough hand, and turned my face away, so I had to look around him. When he touched me, my heart was beating wildly, and my eye sockets were suddenly moist.I blinked, trying to see clearly. "Xiao Man." He said my name slowly—I think he must have said it very reluctantly, but his voice was very calm, without the slightest emotion, "Is Melanie still alive—— Still in your body? Tell me the truth." Melanie hit me like a big iron ball.It hit me so badly, it was like a migraine flare-up, and she wanted to get out.

stop!Don't you understand? His mouth was tightly pursed, and the expression on his face was already obvious. It didn't really matter what I said or what Melanie said. I've lied to him, I told Melanie he wasn't trying to tell the truth - he was just looking for proof that I was lying, that I was a hunter, that Jeb and Jamie were wrong, that he could justify killing me. Melanie wouldn't answer me, or maybe she didn't want to believe me.It took a lot of effort to calm her down. Jared looked at the bead-sized beads of sweat on my forehead, my body was shaking strangely, and his eyes narrowed.He pinches my chin, leaving me nowhere to hide.

Jared, I love you, she tried to yell, here I am. My lips didn't quiver, but I was surprised he didn't read the obvious message in my eyes. Time passed slowly as he waited for my answer.It was painful to look into his eyes, to see the intense disgust in his eyes.As if that wasn't enough, Melanie was still physically attacking me in a rage.I was overwhelmed by the flood of jealousy she displayed. After a while, the tears finally couldn't help but flow down.Tears rolled down my face and dripped silently into Jared's hands, his expression unchanged. Finally, I've had enough, I close my eyes and jerk my head down.He didn't want to hurt me, so he let go. He sighed, feeling sad. I thought he was going to leave.I looked at my hands again, waiting for him to leave.Time passed by every minute and every second, and I counted the time with my heartbeat.He didn't move, and neither did I.He sat next to me like a stone statue.That's right, he is just a stone sculpture, sitting there quietly, with a serious expression and indifferent eyes. Melanie stared at Jared now, remembering how he used to be.She recalled the day of fleeing, which was an unforgettable day for them all their lives!Jared and Jamie yelled together. Jared was lying on the leather couch and Jamie was on the blanket in front of Jared.They were staring at the big screen TV, enjoying the basketball game.The hosts who live in the house are working and we've stuffed the jeep.Just a few more hours of rest and we'll disappear again. On TV, two players had a dispute outside the court, and their attitude was relatively mild.The camera is very close to them.We can hear what they are saying. I think it was me who hit the ball last - it's your ball. I don't think so + I don't want to get an unfair advantage like this, we'd better ask the referee to review the tape again. Players from both sides shook hands and patted each other on the shoulder. too ridiculous.Jared muttered something. I can't stand it, Jamie agrees, he imitates Jared's tone so much; he's talking more and more like Jared - in many ways Jared is what he has in mind Heroes, that's just one aspect of it, are there other shows? Jared did a quick station search and finally came across a station that had track and field events, and the hosts were currently hosting the Olympic Games in Haiti.From the pictures, these people from other planets were very excited about this, and many of them planted small Olympic flags outside their houses. However, this game is different. Every contestant has a pirated copy, which is really sad! Still, their 100-meter races are worth watching, and they're far more interesting going one-on-one than they are directly competing against each other.On individual tracks, their results are better. Mel, come and relax.Jared yelled. I stood by the back door out of habit, not because I was nervous about escaping, nor because I was afraid, it was just a habit. I walked over to Jared.He pulled me into his lap, my head against his chin. Comfortable?he asked. Ok.I say because I'm really really comfortable.Right here, in the house of the aliens, I feel comfortable. Dad used to tell a lot of funny things—sometimes he used to have catchphrases too.Such as departure, youthful period, nosy fellow, well-dressed and well-groomed, positions of power, extremely impractical, and such things as outlaws.But his favorite thing to say is that it is very safe. When my father taught me to ride a bicycle, my mother would always stand in the corridor, looking very worried: Linda, don't worry, this street is very safe.Dad kept Jamie from turning on the light to sleep.He often says boy, it's safe here + the monster is far away. Then, all of a sudden, the world changed and became terribly scary, like a nightmare.So the word came to Jamie and me like black humor, and the house became the scariest place in the world. We'd hide in a scrubby bush, watch the cars pull out of the garage of our solitary house, and decide if it wasn't too risky to go in and grab some food. Do you think hosts will disappear forever? No way - that place is safe.Come on, let's get out of here! Now I'm sitting here, watching TV like five years ago, and Mom and Dad are in the other room.While ghouls would be looking for a thief with a flashlight in his hand who had escaped with a bag of dried beans and a bowl of cold noodles, I didn't spend a single night hiding in a sewer pipe with Jamie, or a horde of rats. I know that if it was just Jamie and I living for twenty years, we would never feel this way—safety.Not just a sense of security, but also—happiness.A sense of security and well-being that I thought I would never experience again. It was Jared who made us feel safe and happy. He didn't have to do anything, as long as we were with him, we were safe and happy. I smell his skin, feel the warmth of his body. He still makes me feel safe.Melanie understood this, she felt the warm breath of Jared who was only half a foot away from me, but he didn't even know I existed. I didn't feel safe, falling in love with Jared was the most insecure thing I could think of. I don't know if Melanie and I would have been better off if he had been what he was now, not the smiling Jared we once remembered, helping Melanie with his hopeful and magical hand. will still love him.If he was still so strict and suspicious, would Melanie still want to follow him? certainly.Mel replied affirmatively, no matter what he becomes, I love Jared.Even as now.He is with me too. I don't know if I will be like her.If Jared was what Melanie remembered, would I still love him? Then, my train of thought was interrupted.Without warning, Jared suddenly started chatting, as if we had been chatting. "So, because of you, Jeb and Jamie both believed that some kind of consciousness would continue to exist, and after being caught, they were pretty sure Mel was still alive in your body." He tapped my head lightly with his fist and I recoiled as he sat there with his arms crossed. "Jamie thinks she's talking to him." He rolled his eyes. "It's not fair to play with a child like that—but if you had any sense of morals, you wouldn't, obviously, and you didn't." I wrap my arms around myself. "However, Jeb was right about one thing - it would have killed me! What are you after? The hunters' search was not targeted, even suspicious. They seemed to be looking for you - not Us, so maybe they don't know what you're doing. Maybe you do what you want? You're a spy, or" His speculation was so stupid that I didn't listen to it at all.I just look at my knees, as always, dirty and purple. "Anyway, maybe they're right—about whether to kill you or not." I didn't expect that his words made the goose bumps on my hands rise, but his fingers gently stroked my arm.He spoke again, this time his voice was much gentler than before: "No one will hurt you now, as long as you don't cause trouble." He shrugged: "I kind of understand what they think, maybe, just like what they said That being said, it might have been the wrong decision, and we'd all be sad if it was wrong. Maybe there's no reason to justify it other than Jamie" I looked up abruptly—his eyes were piercing, scrutinizing my reaction.I regretted that I was interested in what he had to say, and I looked at my knees again. "Jamie is so obsessed with this, it scares me," Jared murmured, "Can't you just get close to him and leave him behind? I can't imagine and now I don't know what to do." He thinks Mel is still alive, what will happen to him?" I noticed that he said when, not if.No matter what promises he made, he didn't think I would survive long. "I'm amazed you can influence Jeb," he thought for a moment, changing the subject. "He's a shrewd old man. He sees through any deception with ease, and he still does." He thought for a minute. "Have you nothing to say?" There was another silence. Suddenly, he began to talk endlessly: "The thing that bothers me the most is what if they are right, what should I do? How do I know if they are right? I hate it and I think what they say makes sense. It should be There is another explanation." Melanie began to struggle to speak, this time she was not as violent as before, this time she didn't want to break out.I folded my arms and pressed my lips together. Jared moved a little away from the wall so he could turn to face me, and I saw him move out of the corner of my eye. "Why are you here?" he asked softly. I sneaked up to see his face, gentle and kind, almost exactly the same as Jared in Melanie's memory.My self-control is weakening, my lips are quivering.My arms are still tightly wrapped around myself, and it takes all the strength in my body.I want to touch his face.I really think, Melanie doesn't like me like this. If you won't let me talk.Then at least your hands don't move.she said angrily. I'll do my best, sorry.I'm sorry it hurt her, we've all been hurt, just different hurts.At that moment, it was difficult to know who made the injury worse. My eye sockets were moist again, and Jared looked at me curiously. "Why?" he asked softly. "You know, Jeb is crazy. He thinks you're here for Jamie and me, doesn't he?" My mouth opened slightly, and I quickly closed it again. Jared leaned in slowly, cupping my face in his hands, and I closed my eyes. "Don't you want to tell me?" I shook my head quickly, and I didn't know who was shaking my head, was it me saying no or Melanie saying I couldn't? His hand was tightly pinching my chin, and I opened my eyes to see his face so close.My heart is racing, my stomach is sinking - I want to breathe, but my lungs won't work. I read his intentions in his eyes, I knew how he would move, I knew exactly how his lips felt, but it was a completely new experience for me.His lips on mine surprised me more than anything. I thought he just wanted to touch mine with his lips, I thought he just wanted to be gentle, but when our skin touched, everything changed.His mouth was suddenly so hard and rough, and his hands were pressing my face close to his, while his lips moved between mine in an urgent, unfamiliar way.It’s not like this, it’s not like this in my memory, it’s much stronger now than in my memory, I feel dizzy in my brain. The body was fighting, I couldn't control my body anymore - it was controlling me.Not Melanie - the strength of the body is far greater than both of us right now.Our breathing seemed loud: I gasped and he gasped, almost roaring. I finally lost control of my arms.I reached out with my left hand to touch his face, his hair, running my fingers through his hair. My right hand is faster, it's not my right hand. It was Melanie's, and her fist hit his jaw all at once, and with a muffled bang, it knocked him out in the face.The strength of the two people converged, which was violent and painful. The punch wasn't strong enough to knock him that far, but the moment our lips parted, he backed away in panic, mouth gaping, looking in horror at the terrified expression on my face. I lowered my head and looked at the fist that was still clenched tightly. I tried my best to get rid of it, as if I saw a scorpion stinging my hand, and there was a breath in my throat that wanted to rush out.My left hand desperately grabbed the wrist of my right to prevent Melanie from using my body to inflict further violence. I glanced at Jared, who looked back at the fist I was struggling to control.Panic fades away, followed by surprise.At that moment, his expression was so defenseless.His thoughts are written all over his face, and I can read them at a glance. This is not what he expected.He has his expectations, that's obvious.This is just an experiment, and he originally wanted to make a judgment based on this experiment.He was full of confidence in the results of this experiment, but now he was taken aback. Does this mean the experiment succeeded or failed? I have a lot of pain in my chest, which is normal.I already know what it feels like to have a broken heart, it really hurts. It's fighting, it's running, I never have a choice, I always choose to run.Because Jared blocked the exit of the dark passage, I quickly got into the hole full of boxes. The box was hit by me against the wall and the ground, making a ping-pong-pong sound. I twisted and tried to squeeze in, knocking the heavier square box upside down and crushing others.He tried to grab my ankle and I felt him scratching my foot.I kicked over a box between us, full of stuff.He groaned, and the desperation took my breath away.I didn't want to hurt him anymore, I didn't want to attack, I just wanted to get away. I climbed a few more steps into the crowded hole before stopping, and the sound of ping-pong-pong disappeared.Until then, I realized that I was crying very loudly, but I didn't hear it just now.I heard it, I heard a heart-piercing cry, and I regretted it. I feel so regretful, so ashamed.I was terrified of myself, that I was going to physically do violence to him, consciously or unconsciously, and I was terrified, but that wasn't why I was crying.I cried because that kiss just now turned out to be an experiment, so stupid, so stupid, so stupid.I'm actually a creature with feelings too, I hope that's not true. Melanie was tossing and turning in pain in my body, and it was hard to comprehend the double pain.Because it wasn't real, I felt like I was dying, and because it was real to her, she felt like she was dying.A long time ago, her world was gone. Although she lost a lot, she never tasted the taste of betrayal.Her father followed his child with a pack of hunters, and he knew it wasn't him.That's not betrayal, it's just heartbreak.Her father was dead, but Jared was alive, he was still him. No one betrayed you, idiot.I complained to her.I want her to stop suffering. This pain is too heavy. Her pain is another burden to me. I have suffered enough. How could this be?How could this be?She growled and ignored me. We all cried and howled. A voice pulled us back from the brink of collapse. From the hole came Jared's low, husky voice - husky, strangely childish - asking, "Mel?"