Chapter 11: “The Decision”
I hesitated to tell them. They all looked so happy, and I felt guilt rising up in me to tell them that it was all a fake. They were all laughing, probably because Leon had just made a joke. Looking at their beaming faces, I almost turned around to leave but…
“Hey there, where’re you going? Join us,” said Wanda.
I grudgingly walked over to them, feeling the burden on my shoulders grow heavier.
“Are you okay Trinity? You look sick,” said Natoe.
“Yeah, something like that. I mean I’m-I’m—” I started.
“Oh my god, you’re not pregnant are you?” interrupted Haley.
“What? No, I’m—”
“PREGNANT!” exclaimed Wanda.
She shot a glance at Alex, who made the mistake of looking guilty (for he had still not recovered from our previous encounter and had not heard anything we had discussed).
Wanda was raving mad.
“I knew it!” she cried, “How DARE you—”
“Wanda—” I tried to say but she wouldn’t listen.
“—get me friend pregnant?! I knew something was—”
“He didn’t—”
“—wrong! You had your eyes on my friend the moment you—”
“I’m not preg—”
“—stepped into this place!” Wanda was advancing towards Alex who looked extremely puzzled.
“What are you talking about?” asked Alex, but that was another mistake.
“OFCOURSE! I knew this was coming! You don’t want the baby, do you—”
“What baby?” Alex asked incredulously.
“AH-HA! You’re trying to deny it’s yours but I know it’s yours cuz Natoe or Leon would never—”
“Calm down, woman!” exclaimed Alex in vain.
“—cuz they’re Trinity’s friends and you—you dirty, perverted—,” she struggled for a word, “—BEAST!”
The scene was hilarious but no one was laughing. Wanda kept on ranting at Alex while Alex desperately tried to grasp the situation. Leon and Natoe were brandishing fists in Alex’s direction while Haley looked from Alex to me and again to Alex in utter bewilderment.
“I’M NOT PREGNANT! I’M INFECTED WITH A VIRUS THAT WILL KILL KREONS AND MIGHT ALSO KILL ME!” I shrieked with one breath.
“Exactly what she said,” finished Wanda, but then considering my words thoughtfully she said, “Wait, what did she say?”
I turned towards Haley, “What on earth made you bring up the subject of pregnancy?” I asked her.
“I-I-I don’t know. Leon was just making a joke about it so I—but I wasn’t serious about it!” she stammered.
I restrained to laugh seeing Wanda’s face. It was confused, embarrassed and flushed all at the same time.
“S-so you’re not pregnant?” she asked me.
“No!”
Wanda then turned towards Alex, “Sorry,” she said.
Alex was recovering from the shock of being accused to be the father of the non-existent baby and just gave a weak nod in response.
What followed next were a stunned silence and then a long explanation.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
“So what’s the plan?” asked Natoe who was the only calm person in the room.
On explaining everything, from vision to the fact that I might be dying, everyone could hardly believe anything Alex and I had said.
Have you ever believed in something so deeply that the thought of it being fake never crossed your mind? It’s like telling a five year old on Christmas, that Santa wasn’t coming, for he actually never existed and all the previous presents were from mum and dad.
That is exactly how everyone in the room felt. One could clearly see the shock on Wanda’s face, surprise on Haley’s, disbelief on Leon’s and even though Natoe appeared calm, I could see that his hands were shaking.
“We need to get out of here to the outside world,” answered Alex.
No one said anything; they were too traumatized to speak. Alex took my hand in his and led me outside, saying, “Let them digest the information on their own.”
Night had fallen outside. The sky was littered with twinkling stars. A full moon casting its bright white light illuminated our path. I smiled. I can’t believe that I hadn’t noticed that there’s always a full moon at night. No wonder nothing is real.
Alex and I walked hand in hand to my favourite spot beside the river bank- the weeping willows.
“I’m so dumb,” I said, looking up at the full moon.
“Yup,” said Alex.
“Alex, this is the part where you’re supposed to say, ‘No, Trinity, you’re not dumb’.”
“What can I say, I’m unpredictable.”
Silence passed between us. Alex was still holding my hand. We were leaning on the willow tree, almost hidden by its long leaves.
“What’s the outside world like?” I asked.
“You don’t wanna know.”
I pinched him.
“OW! Okay, so you do wanna know…Well, its nothing like this place. There’s no sparkling river, no weeping willows. There’s not even a full moon. I mean there is a moon but it’s been destroyed.”
“Destroyed?!”
“Yup, during the war. There are only chunks of it left now.”
I was imagining what a destroyed moon looked like.
“The outside world’s not the best place be in. We have to be constantly on the run from Kreons. There’s bloodshed everywhere.”
I shuddered. Alex felt it and came close to me.
“Hey, don’t be scared. I’ll never let anything happen to you. I made a promise to Johnathan and I’m not going to break it.”
Alex was so close to me now, I could actually see my reflection in his eyes.
“But it’s not only because of that,” he continued, “It’s also because I…I—”
“Trinity! Alex! Where are you two?”
Alex broke off hearing the voice, utterly annoyed. I suppressed a giggle and emerged from the leaves of the trees.
“Oh there you are,” said Haley, “What are you doing—Oh…” she broke off as Alex came out after me.
Alex focused on something in the ground, trying to ignore Haley’s ironic smile.
“Well, what is it?” I asked Haley.
“We’ve reached a decision,” said Haley, eyeing Alex as he now focused on the stars in the night sky, “We want to know how we’re going to get out of here.”
“Yeah, Alex knows how, right, Alex?” I asked.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure,” said Alex as he started walking.
Haley and I followed him a few feet away. I could sense Alex getting more embarrassed and annoyed as he tried to block out our giggles.
