The image stayed in my head. Ellie lying dead on the floor. The blood spilled everywhere. The single red bullet wound on her back. John’s smirking face.

            It all consumed me.

            I should’ve been trying to figure out where I was and why I was still alive, but all I could think about was Ellie and John.

            I replayed our happiest moments in the past four years again and again in my head.

            I envisioned ways inflicting pain on John.

            I remembered my first kiss with Ellie.

            I remembered John’s face after I punched him.

            I hadn’t moved since the girl left. The ice around my wrist had formed a puddle of water as it melted. There wasn’t much left and my wrist was beginning to ache a lot more.

            I dared a glanced, pulling back the towel she had wrapped around it.

            A purple-ish bump wrapped around it. I cringed at the sight, delicately putting the towel back over it. Disgusting.

            Suddenly, light spilled into the room, causing me to close my eyes quickly. I could hear footsteps walking down as I tried to focus my eyesight again.

            The girl appeared before me, switching out the ice to give me a fresh batch. My arm had long ago gone numb from the cold, only shooting pain if I touched the tender parts.

            She crossed her legs, sitting down next to me. I noticed how she kept her distance from me, touching me as little as possible as if I had a disease.

            Was this how all girls had always acted? It had been a while since I’d seen any reactions like this. I had been so comfortable touching Ellie, I had nearly forgotten our sexes hated each other.

            She studied me, her eyes trailing down my body with interest. While she did keep herself reserved, I noticed how she didn’t glare at me with disgust. More curiosity than anything else. I cleared my throat awkwardly, meeting her eyes.

            “How’s your wrist?” She asked quietly.

            I frowned, “It hurts”

            Quickly, I watched as she pulled something out of her pocket. The light reflected off it, giving me a glimpse of what it was.

            A syringe.

            “What are you—Ow!” I hissed as she plunged the needle into my skin. I cringed, tightening up my arm. My fingers clamped together, forming a fist as she quickly forced the liquid into my veins. She withdrew it as quickly as she put it in, a faint sting remaining.

            She clamped a hand over my mouth, a finger to her lips “You have to stay quiet if you want to live”

            Her eyes bore into mine sternly. I felt a trickle of fear run down my spine as I stared back, nodding weakly.

            Hesitantly, she pulled her hand away, moving farther back. “I don’t know what it’s like over there, but we have three floors above us. You have to stay quiet if you want to live”

            I nodded, feeling a burning sensation run down my forearm “What did you put in me?”

            “Medicine”

            I snorted, rolling my eyes “Yeah right. Why would you help me? I’m a boy. Seriously, tell me what you put in me”

            “Don’t get snippy with me” She hissed “I did give you medicine, for your information. And it should quicken the healing process of your wrist”

            I blinked, taken back slightly. Did she really help me? Or was this all a lie? I wanted to believe her so much, but I had to remember that she wasn’t like Ellie.

            She would rather see me dead.

            I sighed angrily, realizing I wasn’t going to get an honest answer out of her.

            She watched me quietly, her face clear of any expression.

            “What do you want?” I growled, irritated.

            “I’ve never seen a boy in real life” She commented quietly “You’re very similar to girls”

            I rolled my eyes “Oh, trust me, we’re very different”

            She made a face, knowing what I was referring to. I guess reproductive organs were a sensitive topic on the Girls’ Side. “I know that, Boy. I mean, for the most part though. We have similar builds, yours being wider and taller than mine. But aside from…certain features our bodies are constructed the same”

                “Well, that and we have an extra organ”

                “Extra organ?” She asked hesitantly, moving away slightly.

                “Yeah, ours is called a heart.”

                She rolled her eyes “Don’t be stupid, we have a heart too”

                My eyes widened “What? No you don’t. I’ve seen studies done in school; it’s a proven fact that girls don’t have hearts”

                The girl pressed a hand against her mouth to hold back laughter. I felt my cheeks heat up from embarrassment. I knew I was right, but the fact that she was laughing at me was offensive.

                “You’re so stupid” She giggled gently. “Of course we have hearts.”

                “No… you don’t”

                “All humans have hearts. We need them to survive”

                “But girls don’t”

                She reached over, grabbing my uninjured hand. I let her pull it over towards her. She pressed my palm against her chest, just above her left breast. I could feel a steady pulse going inside of her. Something which she must’ve assumed was a heart.

                “Do you feel that?” She asked, keeping my hand there

                I nodded.

                “That’s my heart”

                I pulled my hand away, pretending as if I believed her. I knew better, though. Her heart beat couldn’t have been real—it was too faint compared to a real heartbeat.

                She smiled gently at me. “It’s no wonder you’re losing the war”

                I frowned. What was she talking about? We weren’t losing “Stop feeding me lies”

                “I’m not lying”

                “Yes you are”

                She held her hands up innocently “You know what? I’m trying to be nice to you, but clearly you don’t want me to be.”

                I watched as the girl stood up, taking a few steps away. “I’ll be down in a few hours to give you food. Stop being such a jerk. I’m trying to help”

                She shot me a dirty look before storming up the stairs angrily.

                I sighed. Fantastic.

                The only person who knows that I’m here is angry with me. I wasn’t sure what I had done to her. She was the one trying to tell me lies. I knew that I was right.

                I frowned, trying to figure out what that pulsing inside of her was. Who knew what the technology was like over here?

                What if they had created a heart to mimic ours? If they could get something that advanced inside of them, what else did they have? I couldn’t even begin to imagine the things they could’ve invented while we’ve been trying to fight them off.

                And why did she think they were winning the war? Clearly, their side was lying to them. I had total faith that the boys’ were winning.

                It just wasn’t possible, statically speaking, for the girls to be winning. The odds were against them.

                Why would their government lie to them and make them think otherwise? Was it to encourage them?

                I sighed, closing my eyes as the burning sensation numbed. So many questions.

                Was this what Ellie felt like when she first arrived?

                No, I knew better. It was worse for her.

                I should be thankful I didn’t have someone like John harassing me.

                Speaking of John, my mind began to wonder where he could possibly be. He could be anywhere in the world. I could only hope he was in a place worse than were Ellie had been.

                And I hoped he didn’t have a happy ending either.

                ~*~

                Time passed ever so slowly, boredom creeping in quickly. As I waited for the next time the first would arrive, I had taken up constructing small weapons from scrapes I found on the ground. Despite the cries of pain from my body, I would search the floor of the room I was trapped in for bits of metal.

                My wrist had begun to heal much quicker, the pain subsiding whenever I moved it. Whatever that girl had injected into me had indeed worked.

                By the time the light spilled into the room the second time today, I had managed to sharpen a fairly nice blade on the edge of one of the pieces of metal I was working with. Quickly, I shoved it into the waistband of my pants, wincing as it scraped at the skin.

                I let my body go limp, watching as the girl walked downstairs, holding something.

                She knelt down next to me, glancing at me suspiciously.

                “What?” I snarled.

                She made a face, dropping a tray next to me. It sounded loudly when it hit the ground. I glanced down at the food atop of it, my stomach growling.

                “You should learn to me nicer to me, Boy” She hissed “I’m the one in control of your life”

                “Please, feel free to end it any day”

                “Stop sounding pathetic” She leaned back against the wall behind her “Eat your damned food”

                I picked up a slice of bread, observing it as best I could in the darkness “Is it poisoned?”

                “Why would I go to the trouble of poisoning your food when I could easily just shoot you now?” She questioned angrily.

                I shrugged “Who knows your mind works”

                “Logically speaking, it just doesn’t make sense” She snapped. I watched as she took in a deep breath, steadying herself “Look, I didn’t do anything to the food. You’re hungry. Eat it”

                I watched her, meeting her eyes. After a moment, I decided she was telling the truth and bit into the food. The bread tasted wonderful in my mouth. I chewed slowly, savoring the taste. I ate the rest of my food quickly, gulping down the drink she had brought.

                “Thank you” I muttered once I was finished.

                She nodded silently, picking up my sprained wrist carefully. She held my arm delicately in his small fingers, eyes scanning the area. The swelling had indeed gone down in size, leaving my wrist close to its natural size.

                She ran a cold finger over top of it, pressing down lightly. I bit my tongue to keep from flinching at the pain, refusing to let her know it hurt me.

                “It’s healed amazingly well” She whispered, more to herself than to me. “I never imagined…”

                I frowned, confused “Imagined what?”

                She blinked, looking back up at me “Uh… I uh, didn’t think you’d recover as, uh…, as well”

                I studied her, knowing there was something else behind her comment. But I didn’t push it. I let her absorb herself in studying my rest, her eyes wide with surprise. Eventually, I would found out what she really meant by that comment.

                The girl sat my arm back on the ground gently, crossing her legs. “Does it hurt still?”

                I hesitated. Did I want to tell her the truth? She could always use it against me…

                “Yes”

                She pursed her lips “Hold on”

                She stood up, quickly hurrying out of the room. I sighed, closing my eyes and leaning back against the cold wall. She was incredibly strange.

                The girl returned a few seconds later with a guilty smile.

                She sat down next to me in the same spot she had previously occupied. I turned to her cautiously. She produced another needle from behind her back.

                “No” My eyes widened as I jerked my arm away. “Absolutely No”

                “Come on” She whined “It’s not going to hurt”

                “No”

                “I should’ve just jammed it in you when you weren’t expecting it” She muttered under her breath. She sighed, crossing her arms and pouting.

                “I refuse to let you put anything else inside of my body!” I growled

                She rolled her eyes, fiddling with the needle “Boys are such wimps”

                I glared at her, gritting my teeth “Watch it, Leech”

                She gasped, slapping my face. My head was jerked to the side violently, the sound of a gun starting up piercing my ears. I felt my heart quicken.     

                This was it.

                I was going to die.

                Ellie, I’m coming.

                “Don’t. Call. Me. Leech” She hissed in a tone that sent chills down my spine.

                I stared up at her. She was standing over me, looking rather tall. Her shoe was pressed against my chest, restricting the air I took in. I could feel the heat of the laser on my forehead, the gun pointed towards me. My heart pounded.

                “I do not tolerate that kind of language” She growled “You will not call me Leech again.”

                I nodded, losing my breath. If I wasn’t struggling to breathe, I would’ve called her a Leech again. But I felt my head spinning, black dots swarming my vision.

                She pulled back, noticing my state.

                I heard the gun click off.

                I sucked in a deep breath, the stale air fresh in my lungs.

                She glared at me, tucking her gun back in her holster. My eyes flickered down, not noticing it before. It made sense, she would have to keep a weapon on her when faced with the enemy.

                The thought crossed my mind as to why John felt confident enough not to have a weapon. I knew I had been too foolish, but he was smarter. He would have been the one to have brought the gun down.

                Yet he didn’t.

                Or maybe he did, but I had never known.

                The girl bent down, picking up the try next to me. She scanned the empty plate and glass, avoiding looking at me.                

                I kept my eyes trained on her, not daring to look away.

                She bit her lip, fully aware I was watching. Hesitantly, she looked up, a bold face on.

                “Don’t forget who’s side you’re on, Boy” She said

                “I haven’t forgotten yet” I growled.

                “Better start showing respect” She snapped “I’ve been damn well too nice to you. I can easily make your life a living hell.”

                I rolled my eyes. It already is.

                She shot me a dirty look before turning on her heel and heading upstairs. I could hear the soft thud from every footstep she made as she walked upstairs.  I heard the door slam shut loudly, silence filling the room.

                I sighed, closing my eyes.

                This girl infuriated me to a level I wasn’t used to. I didn’t want to hurt her like with John, but I didn’t want to be her friend.

                Opening my eyes again, something shiny caught my eye. I glanced down, noticing the needle was still there. I felt my hand twitch towards it.

                She hadn’t harmed me with the other needle and that was by force. Aside from the bruise from entry, at least. And she had a point before, she could’ve killed me already.

                Why go to all the trouble to kill me with a needle when a gun would be so much quicker?

                This wasn’t like the days Ellie talked about where killing me would’ve sent her to jail. I was on the Girl’s Side. They probably would have rewarded her.

                I grabbed the needle, resting it against the inside of my elbow gently.

                Did I want to do it?

                I poked the needle into my skin, pressing down. The medicine entered my body cold and quick, sending shivers down my spine. I pulled the needle out as soon as I could, feel fatigued.

                I took a deep breath, closing my eyes once again.

                Who knew what would happen tomorrow?

***Alright guys, I got two covers that I really like, but unfortunately, I can't use them both. I'm thinking I'll make one the Wattpad cover and then the other the Booksie cover. But thanks to Club22478 and schem1ng_v1xen for the covers! THEY'RE AMAZING <3

Also, this girl needs a name. What do YOU think her name should be?(:****