Abigail stared up at her ceiling as she replayed the day's events over and over in her mind. Even though it was the middle of the night and she should have been asleep hours ago, she couldn't seem to get the boy out of her head. Who was he and where had he gone? Would she ever see him again? What was that look in his eyes?

            She let the thoughts and wonder dissipate as she rolled over and settled into her plush white pillows and pulled her covers higher over her body. Abigail took in a deep relaxing breath in an attempt to calm her nerves and let her mind focus on the silence of the night. The still quiet had always been a comfort to her. There was never a sound other than a few betraying animals after the ten o'clock curfew. But tonight, it seemed that not even a bird or cricket risked breaking through the hushed silence of the late night darkness. The world had a strong reaction to today's wrongdoing, as well, it seemed.

            As soon as she began to fade into sleep, she heard a soft tapping on her bedroom window. Scared, yet curious, she went against her better instincts and softly removed herself from her bed and padded lightly to the window. As she pulled the curtain to the side and peered outside, all she saw was the blackness. But, as another tap hit her window, she looked down towards the street below to see a young boy looking up at her, rock in hand, ready to toss it towards the glass between them. It was the boy from the crowd.

            Confused at his presence, and worried about being caught outside after curfew, Abigail opened her window and pushed her head out to speak to him. The cool air of the night was pleasant against her face as she looked down at him.

            "What are you doing here?" she quietly called down to him.

            Without answering, he motioned towards the fence that separated her backyard from her front, signaling to her to meet him out back and let him in. She hesitated momentarily before nodding her head yes, and pulled herself back inside before closing the window. She walked to her closet to grab her robe and put it on, then quietly headed towards the stairs. She took each one with caution, making sure not one squeaking sound was made so she wouldn't wake her parents. When she made it to the back door, she hesitantly opened it and stepped outside. The cool grass beneath her feet was beginning to dampen with dew, and each foot became slick as she walked to the gate to let the boy in.

            Abigail lifted the black metal of the gate's lock, anxious to ascertain a reason for his presence at her house in the middle of the night. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if she was being wise by just letting him in, but she immediately realized she felt no fear towards the boy, only curiosity.

She was surprised by his appearance when he stepped through the gate. He wasn't dressed in the modest clothing he had worn at the assembly. He was wearing blue jeans, which were usually strictly worn to work in, and a short sleeve black shirt that resembled the cotton t-shirts she often slept in. His hair was no longer slicked back, but was a dark shaggy mess that flopped over his forehead and nearly covered his shining green eyes. He must have noticed her reaction to his appearance because he gave her a sardonic smile as he walked past her and into the yard.

            Abigail shut and locked the gate, then turned around to find him sitting casually at their metal patio table, smiling at her. Feeling a bit bemused, she made her way over to the chair opposite him and took a seat. The metal of the chair was cold against her body, but she didn't complain as she waited for him to speak.

            She watched as he propped his feet up on the chair next to him, then leaned back in his own as if to get comfortable, before he turned his attention to her to begin talking.

            "My name is Alex," he began. The smile on his face let her know that he was just as surprised as she was that she had allowed him this far without even knowing his name. But they both lightly shrugged it off as he continued on.

            "You aren't going to tell me your name? I did come track you down at this awful hour, you know," he commented as if he should be the one offended.

            "It's Abigail," she whispered out, careful not to break the quiet of the night too harshly. "Abigail Newman," she added on.

            He smiled at that, too. "I didn't realize we were being formal," he was kidding with her. "Its Alexander Wells, then," he added on.

            At the sound of his name, however, she wasn't in a smiling mood. In fact it was like ice water pouring over her. Wells. Like Daniel Wells. The boy who had been executed earlier. She was right when she had guessed the two were related.

            Alex seemed to notice that she had picked up on that fact, and lost the smile he had been wearing. His serious tone cut through her thoughts like a knife.

            "Danny was my little brother," he explained. He turned his head away after the admission, trying to hide the emotion she could hear coming through his voice.

            "Where did you go today?" she timidly asked, "I saw you disappear then could never find you again."

            He took in a deep breath before turning back to face her. "I couldn't see them take his body away. Not after what I watched them do to him." She could hear the pain and strain in his voice.

            "I'm so sorry, Alex," she tried to console him, "I can't imagine what that must have been like for you. I wish there was something I could do."

            At her comment, Alex seemed to perk up a little. She wasn't sure how her comment would have helped much, though.

            "You aren't like everyone else here," he commented, almost to himself more than to her. She knew she held a confused look on her face until he continued. "No one else would have offered condolences to me. They would have agreed that he deserved his punishment."

            The realization was like a cold bucket of water being poured on her. She had made a grand mistake without even trying to. This was what she feared every single day.

            "Hey," he interrupted her terror-filled thoughts, "I won't tell if you don't."

            "I... I don't understand..." she tried to get out.

            Alex looked around the yard and out towards the sky before turning back to face her. "You know this is wrong, Abigail. People weren't meant to live like this."

            At the comment she felt the fear prickle in the back of her neck. They weren't supposed to be talking like this. It was bad enough that they were a boy and girl together at this hour, but talking like this could land them with the same punishment as Daniel.

            "Alex," she began, "I don't know what to say. I hate that Daniel was killed today, and I am truly sorry for your loss, but I can't say the things you just did. I don't have that kind of bravery. I fear the consequences."

            "Abigail," he paused to take a considerate breath before continuing, "You just admitted your feelings without even realizing it. You said he was killed, not punished or executed. You know in your heart that it was wrong: it's obvious. I promise you that what you say to me won't be repeated. Just talk to me." The end of his sentences almost sounded like a plea.

            She was shocked to realize he was right. She wondered what would have happened to her if anyone else had heard her misspeak like that. Deciding that he must have a reason other than this ridiculous conversation for showing up to her home at the late hour, she gave him a quizzical look before earnestly replying, "Why are you here?"

            He must not have expected that response, because he grew silent and studied Abigail's face for several moments. The silence between them grew and an awkward tension was beginning to form when he finally responded.

            "I'm here to save you."

            The air between them seemed to grow colder as her silence stretched on.

            "What do you mean you are here to save me?" The distress was clear in her voice. "Save me from what? And how?" In frustration at his vagueness, she felt herself let out a long exasperated sigh and looked cautiously towards this confusing young man. Her eyes met his shining green ones as Alex looked over Abigail's face. She could see him searching for something, but she was not sure what she could possibly offer. After several awkward seconds, Alex looked unsure himself.

            "Abigail," Alex began speaking with much trepidation, almost as if he was afraid to finish his sentence, "I want to show you something. This life doesn't have to be like this."

            The words seemed to ring true in Abigail's mind and ignite a fire in her chest, which was a stark contrast to the cool night air that surrounded her. As if noticing her interest, Alex continued to speak.

            "I know you don't really know me that well, but I can tell you are different. You know. You know all of this is a facade and that there is more to life than this. I can take you away!" His voice seemed to be getting louder and louder the more he spoke: a fact that was making Abigail increasingly nervous.

            She sternly shushed Alex with rising panic. "You can't just say things like that, Alex! You are putting your life on the line!" Abigail let out a long breath in frustration at his lack of caution. "How can you just come to my house in the middle of the night and throw all of this at me? You aren't even trying to show concern for your safety, or mine for that matter. We could be arrested for this kind of talk."

            He looked off into the distance as if the answer to all of this way in the night sky before he turned back, more determined, and faced her.

            "I am fully aware of the risk I am taking, probably more so than you are. But I know, Abigail, can't you see that? I know that there is more out there and I can give it to you," he paused to take in a deep exhausting breath. "Look," he reasoned, "you don't have to decide tonight. You deserve more time to think it over. I'll give you a few days, okay? I'll come back Thursday night. Let me know then."

            With that, Alex stood up and began to make his way towards the gate, but turned around as if he forgot something. "Oh, and Abigail? If you do decide I am right, have a bag packed because we will be leaving and we won't be coming back." He paused before leaving her with a final note. "I am going home." With that he opened the gate door and was gone.

            Shock. Confusion. Uncertainty. Fear. All of these emotions swarmed through Abigail as she sat processing everything Alex had just told her. It was almost like he had blitzed attacked her with information. Leave forever? How could she do that? What about her parents? What if she was caught? So many questions kept terrorizing her thoughts until one that scared her more than she realized came to mind. What if she stayed?

            Could she live with herself staying here knowing there is more out there? Was she okay walking the treacherous line between her own outlawed beliefs and those she was required to live by? She feared her own response.

            Deciding she could run these thoughts over in her mind inside, and realizing it was much past the nightly curfew, Abigail got up from her chair and made her way back inside, locking the gate and the back door as she went. She took the stairs as cautiously as she had before and when she finally laid her head back on her pillow, her mind wandered not to the promise of freedom, but to Alex. Who was this boy willing to risk his life for a chance at something not promised? How could he keep this goal after what had happened to his brother? Shouldn't he be scared now that he has seen and felt the dire consequences? As she drifted to sleep, it occurred to her that perhaps his brother's death was his driving force.