Katerina's POV

"You don't have to grow up here if you don't want to," Jason replies. He offers a smile, his gray eyes friendly, yet intimidating at the same time. They're intense, so intense that sometimes I find myself avoiding his gaze when he's looking at me.

"Growing up isn't a choice. That's something out of everyone's control," I murmur, wringing my wrists as a nervous habit.

"Who says? Kat, I don't think you understand what you found when we brought you to camp."

I shrug, not really knowing how to answer. I found people. People who grew up free and strong.

He clears his throat dramatically, which makes me smile a little. "Your government inside the Walls think they're in control, when it's quite the contrary. They come here now and again, sending all kinds of things to exterminate us. Last time, most of us died. But there's more of us all over the world. We are the true Kings of the world, and our next goal is to conquer the place where they think they can keep us out."

"You mean the Walls? The rest of the world isn't enough for you?" I snap.

"If we took over that land, we'd have resources we could never imagine. High tech weapons, new clothes, and a bunch of little puppets that we might be able to train as soldiers. Although, they'll probably start crying after breaking a nail."

I feel heat rise into my face. I know it's probably a bright shade of red. I want to tell him off, but I've learned never to do that, so even when I'm free from rules, they still haunt every single thing I do.

Jason seems to sense that he made me angry, and smiles. I've never seen anything like him. He's completely confusing.

I open my mouth to say something, but he abruptly grabs the collar of my shirt, his hand clamped on to my mouth.

"Be quiet. I hear someone," he hisses. His hand is still on my mouth. I feel my face burn as I'm pressed into his chest.

Then I hear them too. My heart beats fast. Too fast. Adrenaline and terror pound in my ears.

"I know the girl is around here somewhere. Can't believe she's so hard to catch," says a gruff voice.

"Do we kill her?" Asks another.

"No. We have a special punishment for her."

I try to break Jason's grip. I need to get out of here. I need to run. It just grows tighter.

"Stay here. I think they're the only ones," he murmurs, stepping out into plain view. He pulls out a knife. Instead of attacking him like I expected, they break into a run. That's strange. Something is going on here...

Jason's pride seems to swell as he dashes after them. He thinks they're afraid of him, even though it's clear they have a plan. They knew we were here.

Well, time to run.

I'm immediately ambushed by men in white armor. They wear helmet like masks to where I can't see their faces.

For a moment, I start to panic. They're much bigger than me. I can't fight them all off at once, let alone even one. I fumble through my clothes and grin as I pull out a small pocketknife. Jason gave it to me before we left.

"Stay back! I- I'll do it!" I stammer, awkwardly pointing the weapon at them. The men start laughing as they advance. I swipe, cutting through one of their sleeves. Blood begins to stain the white clothing. I think the wound is deep.

"Dammit!" The man curses angrily. They all tackle me, leaving me helpless without my knife.