Sorry I haven't updated in a while guys...bit of a cliffhanger I left the last chapter on...;-) This chapter is on Tess so it might not answer your questions on what is going to happen to Edward. You're going to have to wait a little while longer for that. But enough of me, I give you Chapter 11...enjoy!!!!!

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I woke up leaning on a rough tree. My bare feet were freezing cold and a light snow was falling behind me. I gasped suddenly and tried to stand up. My legs were very shaky and I would have face-planted the ground if Nick hadn't of caught me.

"Woah, easy," he said, setting me back down. "I wouldn't stand up if I were you. They drained a lot of energy out of you, it isn't safe for you to do anything yet. I was actually afraid that you went into a coma."

"Where are we? Where's Edward?" I croaked.

"We're in Lake Forest, about five miles from the Government base. I managed to escape while you were knocked out," Nick said. "But as for Edward..." Nick looked down at the ground.

"Nick," I said. "Where is my brother?"

"He...he didn't make it out. We couldn't get into Frost's office and get the key for Edward's security bracelet. He told me to get you out and to leave him behind. I tried everything but he wouldn't listen. He held off the guards while I ran outside with you. I managed to dodge the guards and I got us into the woods," Nick explained.

"You mean, he's still...still trapped?" I stammered.

"I'm so sorry, Tess. I tried to help you both but I failed my mission," Nick said. He looked close to tears and I realised that he genuinely was sorry.

"They could be doing anything to him. Maybe even torture. We have to go and save him!" I cried.

"We  can't do anything yet. It's impossible to save him with just the two of us, we barely escaped. It's best that we leave it the the leader of the Changed," Nick said.

"Will they help him?" I asked.

"They should do, why would they go to all this effort to get me inside the Government's base to save you two?" Nick reasoned.

"But-" I started but stopped when I saw the look on his face. I realised that this was as much as a painful topic for him as it was for me. "Okay," I whispered. "So what now? We can't just sit out here freezing our feet off."

"Don't worry, someone is coming to get us," Nick said.

"Can't you just fly us somewhere?" I asked.

"Not the distance we need to go," Nick said. "And anyway, I'm exhausted from flying us out."

So we waited.

Nick started a fire and gave me his boots to keep my feet warm while we waited. I couldn't stop thinking about Edward. What could he be going through at the moment? I was so angry at him for leaving me. I know he done it to protect me but still, did he really think that I could live without him? He was my brother, I needed him just as much as he needed me. We had always been close, even when we were younger. Ed had never been one of those brothers that teased their sister, or one of those brothers who couldn't be bothered with their sister. He had always been there for me, treated me like an equal.

Our family had always been happy. At first I thought the meteorite tore that apart but now I realise that it was all a lie.

"What do you know about my parents, Nick?" I suddenly asked. Nick had been feeding the fire at that moment but stopped when I spoke.

"What do you want to know?" He sighed.

"Anything. Everything," I said.

"Look, I'm not really meant to talk about them to you but I guess you derserve to know," Nick said. "Your parents did work for the government but not in the way that you think. They were brilliant computer scientists and engineers, that's how they caught the government's eye. They didn't realise what cause they were working for until it was too late."

"What do you mean cause?" I asked him.

"The meteorite that everyone thinks the SRT chemical came from...well...it never existed. The thing that caused all that destruction and is the reason only half the world survived was a bomb."

"A bomb," I echoed.

"Yes, a bomb. It was designed by the Government. They were greedy and wanted more control of the world so they created the SRT. They put it inside the bomb knowing  that they'd kill millions of people. They made it so they could make a weapon more powerful then any in existence and so they would have total control of the world. Only they didn't realise that the people the bomb affected didn't want to be weapons or follow orders. They tried to create a dictatorship."

"And my parents helped them make it," I said miserably.

"Not entirely," Nick said, taking my hand. "When they realised what was going to happen, they tried to stop it. They went to Australia to try and stop them from setting the bomb off. They were so close but they died in the process. They couldn't stop it but they died doing the right thing."

"So they weren't bad after all. But why would the Government lie about the meteorite?"

"They needed it to seem like it wasn't their fault. If the people knew that the Government was the one responsible for all those deaths, well, there would have been a uprising already," Nick explained. I nodded but then shivered. I was still in them wierd silk clothes and they didn't offer much protection from the cold. "Are you cold?" Nick asked. He took off his black jacket he was only left with his black polo shirt. He wrapped the jacket round me. "Can't have you catching hypothermia."

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, your more important than me," Nick replied. Suddenly, the wind picked up, shattering the silence that once dominated the forest. I heard blades slicing the air and a helicopter hovered above us. Nick waved his arms frantically to gain the pilot's attention.

"Stay where you are, repeat, stay where you are. We will come and collect you," a booming voice from the copter shouted. It flew off to find a place for it to land. Nick pulled his boots off of my feet and hurriedly shoved them on his feet. He extinguished te fire and spread the ashes around. I tried to get up but black spots danced in my eyes.

"Hang on, Tess," Nick said. He gathered me up in his arms just as three men burst through the trees. "Captain Nick Garland, identity number: 367," Nick said to the lead man.

"All right, let's go," the man replied. He tried to take me from Nick's arms but Nick resisted.

"She stays with me. I think she's been through enough without being handed to strangers," Nick said gruffly.

"That's not what I was ordered," the man said, raising his voice in challenge. Nick looked at him sharply.

"I am the highest ranking officer here, soldier. You will do what I ask," he said fiercely. The soldier held his glare for half a second before looking away.

"Yes, sir," he said. He looked round Nick. "Where's the other one? There was meant to be two," he said.

"We couldn't find the key to the security bracelet. It was either be caught or leave one behind. Edward chose to get his sister out. There was nothing that I could do," Nick said. I buried my head into his shoulder and started to sob.

"The commander won't be happy but I guess we will have to make do with one," the soldier said. He turned on the heel and left, the other soldiers following behind him. Nick went next with me and we all clambered into the helicopter. The sun was just setting as we rose over the tree tops and headed away from the trees, leaving the Government and Edward behind me.

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How would you guys feel if I wrote a chapter in Nick's perspective??? Let me know if/when you comment, it would be really helpful.

Also, I really would like to very some more people reading my story so if you have any followers or friends could you please recommend my story to them. It would mean a lot to me.

Many thanks,

CricketCat