Awol

"You need me, don't you," Emilia says with an awful smirk. I turn my back to her, I don't have time to deal with her right now. "I don't need you, Lieutenant General Aldine does," I say sending her a harsh glare. "Which in turn, means you need me, Clara," she erupts into a hysterical fit of laughter which dies out as soon as I pull on the chains locked around her wrists. I lead us both into a train car trying to ignore the suspicious glances I get from pedestrians. Emilia is surprisingly calm for being kidnapped, almost as if she's done it before. "Watch your step," I order her as we step over the stair up to our seats.

"You know, you really should have let me put on some suitable clothing before kidnapping me," she says shivering in her nightgown. I shrug off my jacket and swiftly throw it over her, she smiles at me sarcastically and covers herself with it. I really should have at least let her get dressed, it is the coldest season in Cypor and as we travel north it’s only going to get colder.

It’s not like I’m an expert at the whole kidnapping people thing I’m just doing this because I have to. It wasn’t like it was my choice to kidnap my Ex-best friend in the middle of the night for god knows what, but here I am anyway. “I’m awfully hungry, does this train have a restaurant car?” Emilia says flopping her back onto the bench opposite to mine. “I don’t know, and don’t care,” I say opening my book. If we were to go to the dining car as two teenage girls, one of which being in a nightgown and shackles would probably raise some suspicion.

I check my pocket watch for the time, 7:35 am, which means we only have about 4 hours and 30 minutes until we get to the capital. Emilia curls up into a ball trying to find a comfortable position the sleep with her chains on. She used to be like a sister to me, I sigh putting my luggage into the overhead bins.

     Emilia wakes up about 11:00, which means only 30 minutes until I can turn her into Liutentint General Aldine. I don’t want, to but it’s my duty as Brigadier General. I’m only 17, which means I’m the youngest person, other than my Emilia, to even make a rank higher than major. Emilia used to be in the military with me until she dropped out when we were 15. She never told me why she quit, she just left me. 

         The train stops abruptly, much to my amusement it sends Emilia straight into my lap. Still Frozen, I push her off in a swift motion and I collect my things. She stands up glaring at me with all her might as we swiftly exit the train car. I hold on to her chains tightly as we enter the busy station, walking as fast as possible. I quickly realize all of the strange looks coming in my direction are now because Emilia is wearing my military jacket. We shove our way to the exit and I try to hail a carriage to take us to the center of command.

        After taking a carriage to the Center of Command I suspect were followed. Ever since we got off at the train station a man has been following us. After getting out of the carriage I abruptly take hold of Emilia’s chains and start running. After running a block or two we managed to duck into an old library. “w-what was tha-at about,” Emilia says struggling to catch her breath. “We were being followed,” I say sharply. “Yeah, I fingered out that much,” She takes a breath “but did we have to take off running like that,” I look into her frightened Green eyes and suddenly a memory comes back to me. 

       Emilia and I are 15, We both had just made Liutenitend Cornal and we were on our way back from training, I remember that day she seemed off in some way. I just assumed she was stressed or didn’t feel well, we were walking back to the dorms when she suddenly made an uncalled-for turn, “Where are you going I called out” she gave me a forced smile and said, “just to talk to Colonel”. 

      That was the last time I saw Emilia until today. No one ever told me why she went awol or what happened in the colonel’s office, they all just said she was gone and to get over it. “Emilia,” I start to say, “why did you leave the military”. She inhales deeply and starts “You know I come from a family of witches, right?” I nod, I’ve always known she wasn’t human, even as children we always talked openly about it. She continues, “Well, the reason I enrolled in the military in the first place was to save my family. They told me if I came to the capital with them they would spare their lives. The reason I left was was because they slaughtered my people and were using me to do it.”

     Emilia and I are now in a cafe on the east side of the capital, She sips on a mug of tea with a tremendous amount of effort due to her restraints. “I’ll unchain you if you promise not to run,” “I already did a while ago,’ she says dangling the chins from her hands in a taunting manner. “I don’t need anything from the likes of you,” She laughs into her mug.  Before I could even think a dagger is thrown inches away from my ear. 

   The screams that surround me are ear-splitting. I jump up immediately and bolt for the door, I look around the room for Emilia but I can’t seem to find her. I finally spot her bright red hair swishing wildly out the backdoor and I run I follow her. We both duck behind a trash can trying to be as quiet as humanly possible. When my adrenaline finally wears off I realize that she has her arms wrapped around my waist, I tightly embrace her back. She looks at me with tears in her eyes and says “I thought I was going to lose you again,” she says pulling me closer. “Emilia I was wrong, I do need you,” “ And I need you back.” It’s moments like these where you can make or break a relationship.