Page 113 of Forbidden Letters
Devina
I love you too!
I looked up at the tall wall and calculated in my mind how long a rope I’d need to get across. Flying over with my drone would draw unwanted attention so I’d better do it as simply as possible.
The thorn bushes on their side would tear at my clothes but if I wore gloves and thick shoes, I should be able to rappel down.
“Step back from the border.” The voice was female and made me look around to see a small drone approaching. I frowned and shoved my letters into my pocket.
“Step away from the border, now! This drone is armed.”
Two other drones came up fast and I took one step back.
“Walk away from the border. There’s a twenty-meter no-trespassing zone.”
I scoffed. “Maybe on your side. But on this side, the land belongs to me.”
“Step back!”
I’d never seen these drones before and felt annoyed as hell. In the story Devina and I had written, Mark had used a simple rope with a hook to climb the wall. It had never been a question to me how I’d get across it since it was ultimately just a tall wall. These little drones were fucking with my plan.
“This is a no-trespassing zone.”
“Where did all these drones come from?” I didn’t expect the voice to answer, but it did.
“Border security has been enhanced and these drones have the means to harm anyone who tries to climb the wall.”
“What do you mean harm? Aren’t you people supposed to be pacifists?”
“We will numb you. It’s not lethal but if you climb the wall you might hurt yourself falling down.”
“Who am I talking to?”
“This is border patrol officer Tanya Banner. I’m going to ask you one last time, step back from the wall.”
“All right, Tanya.” I knew she could see me via the cameras in the drones. “I’m leaving.”
Backing away, I headed for my loft considering how I would get to Devina. Those drones were a nuisance, but they wouldn’t hold me back. I would find a way around, over, or under that wall, and once I did, I would track down Devina and convince her that we belonged together.
Coming close to death had made me sure of one thing. I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t do everything in my power to make Devina mine.
The dusk gave me enough light to find my way into the hay barn and up the stairs to my apartment, where I headed straight for the bathroom. My clothes were filthy and sweaty from days of wear. Stripping out of them, I walked into the shower and enjoyed the warm water falling down on me. I wouldn’t give up until I’d found Devina. Worst case, I’d get caught in the Motherlands and returned to the North, but with Emmerson as the new ruler he wouldn’t kill me.
If the Motlanders decided to keep me and send me to one of their places of reflection, I could always leave. According to Devina those places weren’t guarded very well.
Devina’s letters had been painful to read, but at least her sweet declaration of love gave me hope that I could convince her to come back here with me. All I needed was to find her among the one point five billion people on their side of the border.
Despite the daunting task, I began whistling because a few hours ago, I’d been facing death. Now that I’d been given a second chance at life, I sure as hell wasn’t going to waste it worrying about all the things that could go wrong.
When I was done showering, I grabbed a towel and dried myself off while making plans for my mission. If I left now, I could steal old Hansson’s boat and cross over to Devina’s side. A small voice told me it would be wiser to catch some sleep and come up with a solid plan.
Walking out of my bathroom, I moved to the closet in my room and turned on the light.
A creaking sound from my bed made me spin around to see Devina sitting in my bed looking like she’d just woken up from a deep sleep.
I jolted back as if I’d seen a ghost. “What the fuck?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to spook you.”
