Slam.

My eyes fly open to find the source of the sound. I gasp in air, it chokes me. A coughing fit racks my body, causing waves of pain to roll through it.

Not the wake up call I wanted. But now on high alert, I scan the car. It is day now with the bright sun shining on my skin, warming me. I meet eyes with Ezra who smirks although he looks tired. He walks around to my side of the car and opens the door.

"You drool when you sleep."

I shake my head as I relax into the seat. "That's not true."

"Saw it with my own eyes." He touches the side of my mouth then wipe his hand on his pants. "We can't drive any longer. The roads have become rough and unpaved. We will take a hovercraft for the next part of the journey." He steps aside allowing me to see a small black aircraft. It looks like the same one I took to get to Regal just a few months ago.

"Was the drive alright?"

"We drove through the night, crossed the border with a Commonwealth."

We made it out. The Motherwealth does not hold me captive any longer. I smile. Freedom. That was easier than I thought it would be. Hell is still a far journey, but it feels more attainable outside Regal's boarders.

I stand up too quickly from the car, forgetting about my wounded side and yell in pain.

Ezra eye me with concern although says nothing.

"I'm fine," I mutter as I lean against the car to catch my breath. My side is tender. Any movement sends ripples of pain through my body. There is no way I can walk anywhere in this state. Thank goodness the hovercraft is here.

In the distance I hear an explosion. Birds fly from their trees and smoke plumes in the distance.

Ezra's attention turns to the tress. "We can't stay here for much longer."

I nod as the smell of smoke fills my nostrils. With a deep breath, I push myself off the car and walk towards the aircraft with careful steps, praying that my side won't get worse.

Ezra offer his hand, but I shoo it away. My feet feel studier then they did last night. Today will be better. Plus, I don't want to give him any more reason to have a hero complex. He is taking me from the capital, but I shouldn't have been there to begin with. There shouldn't be a talent program.

Once I get into the metal machine and sit down, the hovercraft quickly takes off. It lurches forward with a soft hum.

"Are we going to Hell?"

He nods.

My insides feel gooey just thinking about it. It's my dream come true. Before long, I will be in my bed. In my home. With Kol. I can image him stoking the fire as I cook dinner on the small stove. It sounds inviting. As much as I want that, I fear that I will not be safe there. Soon the Motherwealth will know I fled. They will look for me and they will go to Hell. "But don't you think that's where the Motherwealth will look first?"

He shakes his head. "They aren't going to look for one person when they are scrambling to save their country."

"The attacks...." my voice trails off as I think about the explosion.

Ezra nods. "The neighboring country has been fighting the Motherwealth for years. That is why we have the Talent program. Some of the talent stays to help fight against our enemy, other's knowledge gets transferred to the dedicated families that live here. It's all for fighting the war."

Finally, Ezra is sharing the truth. Maybe he feels safe enough now that we are outside the city. It emboldens me to ask him questions that I wish I asked earlier.

"That was what happened to Eydis. Someone in the Motherwealth got her knowledge about math to help build bombs and things. But what shouldn't have happened was her escaping and running back to campus. My dad talked about it for days. He only stopped when the attacks came. Now, his mind is distracted with something else."

If he wasn't distracted with the attacks, who knew when or even if I could sneak out. Ezra's eyes held fear as he talked about the war but for the first time in days, I wasn't afraid. The attacks brought a cloak of invisibility around me. The attacks made me free. The war was with the Motherwealth. Not me or Hell. Hell is far from Regal. It is small. It would not be touched. I could feel it.

"I can only take you another hour before I need to return, sir," the pilot says to Ezra.

"I understand. We can manage on our own from there," he replies then sighs. His attention turns back to me. "Can you walk alright?"

I cannot walk far. It will take days before I will feel better. But there is something that tells me Ezra doesn't have days. He drove through the night for a reason. Time is important to him. It isn't to me though. "I think I can go a fair distance."

"Good because I think we need to walk a day or so to get there."

I swallow the lump in my throat. Already my side aches.

If this is what I have to do, I will do it. Hell is so close now. Just a day away...

The hovercraft shakes a little.

Ezra grabs a hold of anything he can to stabilize himself. He looks afraid.

"Sorry. The bombs are throwing off the GPS," the pilot says to us.

Ezra frowns. His knuckles turn white. "We were taught that we were too strong, too powerful for any bomb to hit Regal. We talked about our neighbors like they were nothing. Never did I image that they would cause so much damage so fast."

His voice shakes. All he knows is being destroyed. It must be painful for him. I just don't have much sympathy to give. How can I when the Motherwealth is hardly a saint?

I place my hand on his and give it a squeeze. That is all I could muster.

For a moment we are silent as I think about the events of the last few days. The town we went to, the attacks. Eydis isn't the only thing on my mind now. In fact, she slowly moved to the side lines. There are two many things to think about. Maybe it is easier now that she doesn't remember me. She isn't missing me like I miss her.

"I went to an edge town. I saw firsthand how Regal is hording the wealth. Why?"

He shrugs as he leans forward, resting his head in his hands. "Because they think they're better than everyone. They think they're doing the right thing. They're in Regal for a reason. They believe that they're protecting all of us."

"Do you believe that?"

He gives a long-tired sigh. "Don't know what I believe."

The hovercraft jerks, making my head smack against the wall. I hiss in pain as I rub the already bruising spot. My hand then drops to my throbbing side. Gingerly I touch the gauze. Pain shoot up my side with every breath I take but I try not to focus on it.

"Sorry all," the pilot mutters. "We have to fly low to avoid detection."

Out the window, through the treetops, smoke lifts into the air.

"The neighboring country is really attacking the edge of the Motherwealth. I think they know that's where we are weakest," the pilot explains.

Traveling to Regal just a mere few months ago was hardly a smooth ride. I thought the pilot was terrible. Maybe it was a common practice. Even back then they were dodging things. They flew like that for protection.

"How long have they been fighting this war?"

Ezra shrugs. "Too long. Decades, maybe."

The fact that I don't know anything about this war astounds me. There should have been at least whispers throughout the town.

"And no one has won?"

He shakes his head. "In my opinion, no one will. My dad hates when I say that. It's what 'losers' say. Psssh." He waves his hand in the air, showing his bruised knuckles.

I don't linger on how he got them. "What would happen if the Motherwealth stopped fighting back?"

"You mean gave up?" He asks as his eye grow wide as if this is the worst possible outcome.

I shrug. "How bad would it be?"

I see that the Motherwealth has and what it gives. Surely whatever the neighboring county has couldn't be any worse. Then this war wouldn't be anything to worry about. Lives would be spared. But then again, the Motherwealth doesn't seem to care about sparing lives.

He opens his mouth then closes it. "To be honest, I don't know much about the country. I don't actually know how bad it could be."

My eyes drift towards the window, watching the shades of green we pass. The hovercraft jerks again, but this time, I am ready and hang on to my seatbelt to steady myself.

"What will happen to the rest of the people in the Talent program?"

He gives a tired sigh. "I think you know the answer to that."

He is right. I do. It would have been my fate possibly. The sad fact is, I never had a chance to warn anyone. They would be cut and they would never know the truth before hand. I have failed them.

This war. It is the cause of all this. The talent program, the hording, the power grabbing. If there is no war, then there would not be a need for the Talent program. None of this would have happened.

"What do you know about the neighboring country?"

"They speak a different language. It's warmer there. There is never ice or snow. The people look different too and dress differently. I remember meeting a few of them one time when I was young. They were trying to negotiate peace or something like that. But obviously nothing was agreed upon."

"Has there been many times where peace was negotiated."

"I only remember that one time. But my father mentioned a few other times before I was born. For whatever reason, the peace talks never amounted to anything."

The pit in my stomach wants to blame the Motherwealth for the failed attempts. I always want to blame them.

"There needs to be change."

He gives a sad nod. "Maybe one day the Motherwealth will be better." He sighs wishfully.

Maybe. But I doubt it. If they have been fighting the war for decades, then what would stop them now? They probably don't know anything different.

"Sir, I have to land. I've gone as far as I can," the pilot says to us. "They are calling me back to the Motherwealth. A new wave attacks are coming."

"Thank you for all of your help."

"Of course."

In a matter of a few seconds, the hovercraft is landing, and we are getting off with a small bag that Ezra holds tightly.

With my hand shielding my eyes, I watch as the machine flies off.

There it goes. the last of our free transportation. I try not to think about how many miles we will have to walk. I have no idea where we are. It could be days or hours. Only time will tell.

Ezra pulls out a compass from his pocket. He squints, looking at it, tapping it. To be honest I am surprised he has one. This is something people in Hell used when they went into the woods for seasonal hunting. Compasses are not high tech or shiny like everything in the Motherwealth.

"Hell should be that way," Ezra says, pointing towards a field.

"You have one of those?" I ask.

"My dad got it from one of his travels when I was a kid. Showed me how to use it. You know, he always had one in his pocket. I think he used it for luck. Anyhow, I couldn't take any of my capital things with me in fears that they would track them. This the only option." He places the compass in his pocket and starts walking forward.

I follow after him with my head high. Hell is near. I just need to tell myself that no matter what. That is enough to keep me going.

Minutes turn into hours as we walk under the sun. Occasionally we share a few words, but for the most part, the only sound between us are the rustling of freshly blossomed tree leaves, here to stay for the warmer months.

We finally make it to open fields, tilled and ready to be planted. It is the first hint of civilization we have seen. It gives me hope we are close.

I rub my side as I try to ease the throbbing. It has only increased in pain since we started. It is relentless. It pounds in my ears. I can't go much further.

Ezra struggles to step over the mounds, but even though the pain, I walk with ease. My childhood was filled with running through fields like this one. It brings happy familiar memories to mind.

Slowly, the plowed field turns into a plain of wildflowers. They are all flowers I recognize.

The sun is now descending, casting a golden hue over the sprawling field. It looks more like a painting. Colors of pink, purple, blues, sprawled for as far as I can see. The vibrant colors swaying in the breeze is a small welcoming distraction. Sweetness fills the air and there is a gentle sound of buzzing bees.

Ezra stops with his mouth open.

"Isn't it beautiful?" I ask.

Ezra nods, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, it really is. I don't think I've ever seen so many flowers in one place."

I have. Flowers like this grew in the late spring early summer every year. The pond where I skated was surrounded by flowers like these. Winter held skating. But I will never forget how beautiful spring is in Hell.

Flowers brush against our legs and for a second, I can push pain to the back of my mind. I bend down to pick a particularly bright flower, twirling it between my fingers before tucking it behind my ear.

Ezra stares at me. "You look like you belong here," he says softly.

I laugh. For the first time in a while, it sounds as light and carefree as the petals around us. "Maybe I do. Regal was never for me. You know, Hell is like this."

"It sounds beautiful."

The pain comes back in full force, knocking me to the ground. I cry out as I touch my side. It is hot. Seering.

He eyes me. "How about we stop for the night."

That is the phrase I hoped to hear for a while now. "Do you think it is safe?"

"The war is being fought close to the capital, not in the Commonwealths. We should be fine."

That is enough to allow me to lay back into the flowers. "These flowers will make a good bed." I force a chuckle to hide the pain in my voice. No sleep will come with this pain. But at least I can lay down.

"I think it'll suits you."

He lays down beside me and we look up at the multi color sky. "I was taught that the Commonwealths have nothing of beauty. That they were waste lands." He sighs. "I'm starting to believe that was a lie."

The Motherwealth is great at lying. He isn't the only one that fell into their trap.

"I always wanted to see other cities, like my dad but never got the chance. That is until now." He turns to look me in the eyes. "You know, we are trapped just like everyone else. We couldn't leave cities even if we wanted to."

"Well, at least you get to see things now. Hell in the spring and summer are beautiful."