“Urgent news, Kyra
is making an announcement!” a scrawny boy entered the clinic after Realia had
finished trimming Ciara’s silky hair. Everyone paused and turned their
attention to the boy, puzzled.
“I wonder what Kyra
is up to this time,” Realia said gleefully, depositing her tools in her bag.
“But never mind that. There, now your hair looks pretty, dearie.”
“Thanks, Gire,” Liam
said to the scrawny boy. “We’ll take it from here.”
“Geez,” Gire sighed
and Ciara heard the door closing. “Alright, I’ll leave you two love birds
alone,” Realia said brightly, “I still need to polish those new weapons in my
trunk. See ya’ dearies.”
Ciara skimmed her
fingers across her short sleek hair. “What was that?” Ciara asked.
“Oh, that’s just the
messenger boy.” Liam explained, “He’s the one in charge of notifying everyone
to go to the Rest Room.” Liam continued, “Kyra rarely gives announcements like
that. If she does, then something important must be up.” Liam continued, “The
announcement is also known as the Tribe mission, a mission for the whole
organization.”
So
that's why the whole Vixens was there to fight Virgo…Ciara thought. But why involve
many lives in the process? Why is this mission so important for everyone?
“Let’s hurry up, or
we’ll miss it.,” Liam said, pulling Ciara outside the room.
“But what about
Chase?” Ciara asked, the kissing scene still flashing inside her mind.
“He’ll be fine.
What’s more important is listening to Kyra’s suicide mission,” Liam said, as
more chattering noise exploded inside the hallway. Ciara squeezed her
hands over her ears to mute the sound. So many people…Ciara noticed the
heavy air swarming inside the hallway, and the noises booming.
“I wonder what Kyra has in store for
us?” Someone said.
“Terrifying. I’m
scared of the mission already!”
“Many people died
between the battle of the Rein guards…I’m not sure if I want to continue being
a Vixen.”
“Then you’re a
loser!”
After several
minutes had passed, Liam and Ciara arrived on, what Ciara saw, was a large
amphitheater with a few lights crossing her vision. It’s afternoon. Ciara
noticed the faint objects. If it was morning, everything should be clear.
She closed her eyes.
For now, she had to depend on her hearing senses and Liam’s guidance. The noise
couldn’t seem to die down. Everyone was so excited and terrified of the
announcement. A pang of fear and guilt throbbed in her chest.
I have
spared your life because you have use for me. Kyra’s words echoed her thoughts. I’m
going to use you against Virgo.
Ciara tightened her
fists around her. Now that her hair had been cut short, she felt different, as
if the old Ciara had been replaced by a new one. Chase…I can’t believe that
you like me…Ciara said to herself. How should Liam feel about this?
It was getting
harder to walk with all the people moving too fast. They were trying to squeeze
through the crowd, while Liam was finding a seat for them. The Rest Room is
located at the South East side, near the garden. Ciara memorized the path. The
Southeast side is warmer, because it’s near to the direction of the sunrise.
When they finally
reached their seats, which had been at the farthest corner of the second stage,
two figures had bumped into them, causing the four of them to crash on the
ground.
“Hey, watch where
you are going, will yo—” Liam protested.
“Liam!” Chase
exclaimed, and Ciara's heart squeezed very tightly in her chest. Why is
Chase here?
“You should be the
one watching your step,” and Macie was with him. It didn’t occur to Ciara that
they would bump into each other. Maybe they had been too focused on hearing
what Kyra had in mind first.
“There’s Kyra!”
Someone shouted very loudly across the amphitheater.
Ciara looked up.
Since the stage had been very bright, which meant the lights were turned on,
she saw someone walking alone the stage. Kyra.
Everyone slowly
turned quiet, as if the sight of Kyra made them cringed in their seats. Without
any more excuses, the four of them took their seats, and began to listen
attentively to Kyra’s speech.
“Welcome, my cubs,”
Kyra’s voice boomed across the walls. A microphone…Ciara noticed. If
she’s using a microphone, and the sound of her voice expands twice as the
echoes, then the amphitheater must be a really, really large. Like the size of
the Casts itself. Kyra continued, “Today, I have an important announcement
I’m going to make, so listen very carefully.”
Ciara bit her lip.
“The Epicenter and
the Casts were long enemies, with rival leaders and strongest armies. Every
year, the Epicenter doubles their army, upgrades their weapons, and battles
with other regions to show their ultimate power.” Kyra continued, “As you may
know, this mission will have a greater risk of losing your life, because
starting tomorrow, you are all assigned to go to Epicenter and deactivate those
bombs.”
Everyone started to
protest, but Kyra still continued her speech, “Each of you will be free to
choose your own teams to go to Epicenter. Now that you have seen what Virgo
looks like, you should already know that getting into Epicenter isn’t an easy
job,” Kyra continued, “Unfortunately, seven days have passed, and still we
haven’t seen any signs of the bombs all over the lower states of Round. Virgo
must have known about those consequences, so she planned to have those bombs
dropped on the 10th day. Your mission is to survey for the bombs
inside Epicenter and destroy them—except for the Blind Candidate.”
“The Blind Candidate
is the only one who can deactivate those bombs, and therefore, she will become
a sacrifice lamb for the world.” Kyra announced. Ciara swallowed. “If she fails
to neutralize those bombs, then we die with her. However, if she succeeds in
stopping those bombs, everyone must immediately escape the Epicenter and enter
the Cast territory. There is only three days left, and so I will be waiting in
Crystal Waters for everyone’s return. Remember, there is never an end for war,
especially a nuclear one.”
Kyra repeated her
catchy phrase, “Only the strongest ones
shall live, and the weak ones will die. This is to test your strength as a
Vixen.” Kyra chuckled, “That is all.”
z
“Are you sure we are
really doing this?” Chase asked the third time to Liam. They were inside the
Crude Brother’s room, packing their things for the long journey, “I mean, there’s
only three days left for us to stop those bombs.”
I’m
going to use you as a weapon against Virgo. Kyra's words
echoed.
“Backing out in this
mission will get us killed. Remember what Kyra said? If you’re afraid to do it,
then you are free to die on your own.” Liam said, making swish, and
tying sounds with his hands. He’s gathering his weapons. Liam sighed,
“Just let me handle everything on this mission. It’s not a big deal anyway.”
“Not a big deal?”
Macie protested, “You can't even take care of your injuries for once.”
“Macie,” Liam said
sharply, “Even though you are in my team, you are not the one making these
decisions. I told you, leave everything to me, and we’ll be able to safely get
inside Epicenter without being caught.”
“Hmph, and how do
you plan us on getting there?” Macie snorted, “Walking?”
“Maybe,” Liam said,
“But you have one of those invented Swirls
right? We can use the Accelerator Swirl to get there half a day, and the
Majestic Costume Swirl to
dress as a Majestic.” Liam turned into his leader mode, “Walking takes 15 days
to reach Epicenter from the Casts. And if we’re going to take that route, we’ll
use up all our Food Swirls by the
time we reach there. It’s simple as if you’re playing chess, right?”
Accelerator
Swirl? Majestic Costume Swirl? Ciara thought. Did Macie invent those Swirls?
Liam’s teammates
didn’t start to protest, because they were simply amazed of Liam’s strategy.
“Hmph,” Macie
sighed, “Fine.”
Then her footsteps
disappeared from the room. Liam is incredibly smart…Ciara thought. He
managed to calculate the time and distance to Epicenter, even knew what Swirls
to use in this mission. Ciara wondered. Is this Liam’s other power?
A few days ago,
before Kyra let Ciara off the hook, Ciara had gone to the Rank 4 dormitory to
say goodbye to the Rank 4’s. She was glad they were her friends, even though
she didn’t trusted them at first. They were awfully strange, but somehow they
were her comrades. So Liam and Shell had been right about trusting them…
They are
not what you seemed to think.
“Ciara,” Liam said,
interrupting her reverie, “You should sleep… we have a long day tomorrow.”
Ciara nodded, and
grabbed the doorknob. Why Liam sounds so serious? Ciara noticed the
slight eagerness on his tone. And he’s excited too…Ciara thought. What
is so excited on going to the Epicenter?
You are
what I want. Your memories, your past, and the information inside your head. Virgo’s words echoed in her
thoughts.
Shaking her head,
Ciara turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, knowing that she will have
a chance to meet Virgo at the Epicenter.
z
Everything went
accordingly to Liam’s plan. The total time of their arrival outside the Gate
had an interval of 5 hours and 4 minutes. They had no sleep, or rest at all.
Maybe it was all in the Accelerator Swirl.
Macie never ceased to amaze Ciara. The Accelerator
Swirl was created to triple the human’s speed into vampire speed.
Ciara held Liam’s
hand, and Macie and Chase held hands together, while they dashed through the
forest in blind speed. It was a great Swirl.
They didn’t even felt a single sweat on their forehead, as if they were just
running without getting tired.
As they got closer,
Ciara’s vision was getting dark. It’s already night time. Ciara thought.
How many hours have we been running already? Ciara couldn’t count,
because for a while, she didn’t even realized they were already getting close
to the Epicenter. That was fast. Ciara thought. No one in Sputter
Palace can make a Swirl like this…Macie is amazing… it’s like she’s a scientist
or something…
“There’s the Gate!”
Liam shouted. Ciara squinted her eyes, but since it was already dark, she
couldn’t see anything. Macie and Chase gasped beside her. Since the wind was
picking up its speed, their hair had been blown backward, whipping behind them.
“Come on, let’s head down to the Rear Gate.”
“Why can’t we go to
the Front?” Macie asked.
“Oh, you’ll see.”
Liam said. Obeying Liam’s orders, they safely arrived at the Rear Gate, which
was surrounding by a vast land full of large boulders. When the four of them
stopped, the Accelerator Swirl
immediately became worn-out, losing all their strength by the time they landed
on the ground.
“Look…at…that…giant…wall…”
Chase wheezed. Ciara dropped on the ground, and accidentally bumped her head on
a hard piece of rock in front of her. She hissed in pain, and massaged her
head. She suspected they were hiding behind a large boulder. Why is there a
boulder here?
“Where are we?”
Ciara asked, panting. Now that the Accelerator
Swirl was worn out, all her bones seemed to ache, feeling like it was going
to break, “Also, what wall are you talking about?”
“Since Epicenter is
the most powerful city in Round, the city is surrounded by a 50-ft wall to keep
outsiders out,” Liam answered, and Ciara could hear him moving in quiet steps. Is
he trying not to make a sound? Liam
continued, “Outside the fifty wall is a large clear field, guarded by
hundreds of Rein guards. The Reason why we’re at the Rear Gate, is because most
of the Rein guards are stationed at the Front Gate. And since there are no
trees to keep us hidden, we’ll be immediately shot in sight.”
“How…” Chase panted,
“…do...you…know…this, Liam?”
“That’s a secret,”
Liam said mischievously, and that made Ciara suspicious. Chase has a point. Ciara
thought. How did Liam get to know about the formation in Epicenter?
Ciara continued. I got the feeling that he’s been here before…but how? Ciara
continued. He seems to know all the safe zones in Epicenter. Maybe that's
why he said to trust him in this mission.
“So…what…now?” Macie
panted.
“We wait,” Liam
said, “Just don’t make any funny sounds, okay?”
Liam was right.
Everything was awfully quiet, and even from the slightest sounds, she could
hear the clacking guns of the Rein guards moving across the field. Since the
boulder kept them hidden, the Rein guards wouldn’t be able to notice them,
unless they were to make any noises.
“What’s your plan?”
Ciara asked.
She heard Liam
making sounds, like glass and leather cloth shuffling. Liam said, “We drink
this, the Majestic Costume Swirl.” Then
she felt a cold brittle glass on top of her palm. “Once we drink this, our
clothes will be replaced by Majestic clothes. So bottom’s up.”
Ciara pulled out the
cork and drank the grape-flavored Swirl in
one gulp. A pleasant minty feeling began to spread around her tongue. Silky
sleeves traced down her arms, heavy silk and cotton covering her legs, and tall
heels that made her feet ached a lot. Ciara almost tripped, when thankfully,
someone caught her, and was now managing to steady her on the ground. Liam.
“Geez,” Liam made a
noise that sounded like he was chuckling, “You looked ridiculous.”
Ciara blushed. My
arms are heavy. My chest feels so tight. My feet hurts a lot.
“Is this…Majestic
clothes?” Ciara asked, “It’s getting harder to move,”
“Well, you’re not
the only one,” Macie whispered, and Ciara could hear small sounds of clothes
shuffling. A gown. Macie said, “At least you boys have to wear pants,
and flat shoes.”
“Not exactly,” Chase
said as if he was feeling uncomfortable. “The suit is too tight on me.”
“You’re not the only
one who feels the same, little brother,” Liam said. “This necktie is killing
me.”
Bam!
Everyone felt
silent.
“What was that?”
Ciara whispered, her heart drumming in her chest.
“It has begun,” Liam
said darkly.
Bam.
Bam. Bam.
Those weren’t normal
sounds. She could hear the thump of bodies across the field, some mixed with
yelling and gunshots. A few Vixens are here…Ciara thought. And
they’re already dead. Ciara’s stomach churned, feeling the acid rising from
her throat. They’re already dead.
“Are thos—” Chase
began.
The gunshots grew
louder, which meant more Vixens were getting killed at the Front Gate. Someone
grabbed Ciara's wrist and pulled her up with force. Ciara clumsily stood up as
Liam dragged her across the field, running faster, while Chase and Macie
followed them behind. Ciara panted.
“L...iam…” Ciara
wheezed.
“What are you doing
Liam!?” Macie shouted, her voice drowned by the noise of the gunshots and the
yelling across their right side.
“Can’t you see? This
is our best chance to sneak inside the Front Gate!” Liam yelled. Suddenly, he
bent down, pulling something, and then—
Splash.
Blood spattered
across Ciara’s face. What just happened? A body fell in front of them,
the sound of gun clacking on the grass. He killed a Rein guard. Ciara
swallowed.
Macie gave a little
scream. Chase’s wooden leg was tapping faster across the grass. Liam continued,
“Thanks to our stupid comrades, the Rein guard’s attentions are now diverted to
them. So If I were you, I would be going to the Front Gate by now."
“And
what if we get killed by the rest?” Chase shouted.
“That won’t happen,
little brother. I told you, leave everything to the handsome thief.” Liam
replied.
As they ran across
the field, with the Rein guards distracted on the incoming Vixens, Liam and
Chase managed to kill a few Rein guards coming toward their direction. Ciara
bit her lip as more blood spilled and bodies fell on the ground. This is
torture. Ciara thought.
“Incoming Rein
guard!” Liam yelled, pulling Ciara down as she heard another slash and splash
in front of her. Two thumps crashed on the ground.
“Is that all?” Chase
panted, and Ciara could hear Macie slightly sobbing behind him. She’s not
used to this bloodshed yet, especially seeing the Rein guards getting killed in
front of her. Ciara thought.
“Yup,” Liam said,
and let go of Ciara’s hand. “The coast is clear." Ciara heard him bending
down and making squeezing sounds. He’s kneeling down…in front of the dead
Rein guard…Ciara guessed.
“What are you doing,
Liam?” Chase asked, “Macie, it’s okay. Everything is over.”
“Nothing will be
over if there’s war, little brother.” Liam said, “Ah—here it is.”
Ciara heard Liam
groaning, lifting something heavy and dragging it toward her right side. The
thing made sliding noises, and a few quick taps that sounded like the clicking
of riffle. Blood began to fill the air. Ciara wrinkled her nose. The Rein
guard.
“Where are you
taking that Rein guard?” Chase asked.
“I’m going to use
this guard’s handprint to open the Gate,” Liam said, gritting his teeth from
the weight of the Rein Guard, “Now, I just need to see where that hole is.”
“Hole?” Chase and
Macie asked at the same time.
“Ah, here it is,”
Liam said, and Ciara heard a swish sound that sounded like Liam is
skimming his hands over the walls.
Beep.
The ground shook
beneath them.
It was getting
harder for Ciara to steady herself because of the Majestic heels, but somehow
Liam managed to grab her hand to keep herself from falling. There was a booming
echo that sounded like something heavy was being lifted up. The Gate is now
opening.
Judging by the
sound, the Front Gate must be almost 50 ft. high, since she could feel the
heavy pressure of the Gates being lifted up. When Liam dropped the body, he
grabbed Ciara’s hand and tugged her forward.
“Come on! There’s no
time to waste," Liam shouted, "We need to get inside before they
spots us!”
They made a beeline
toward the inside of the Gate, and thankfully, there were no Rein Guards
inside. It was hard to run wearing long heels. Ciara’s lungs were burning, but
as they got closer inside, her vision was filled with bright light.
Ciara squinted her
eyes, and finally saw what the Epicenter looked like.
It was a beautiful
city, with bright lights that seemed to go on forever as they run. The ground
turned into gravel because Ciara could hear the gritting sounds from her heels.
We must be at the Arch Bridge. Liam told her yesterday that Majestics
must cross the largest Arch Bridge before they reached the city, and this was
it.
Her heart pounded
excitedly in her chest. This is the Epicenter.
“What did you just
do?” Macie panted, taking slow pauses.
“I just used the
Leader of the Rein Guard's hand print to open the Gate," Liam said
nonchalantly. How did Liam know about
this?
“So…” Chase panted
behind them, “…what are we going to do next? Where are we going to stay?”
“Don’t worry about
that,” Liam chuckled, “I know the perfect place for us to stay. Come on, let’s
run faster before they notice us.” Liam slowly paused, and Ciara could hear him
shifting something on his pocket. “Oh yeah, you need to wear this, Ciara.”
Something light was
placed on top of her hand. She carefully picked the thing, and examined the
item with her fingers. Glasses. Ciara carefully slipped the glasses on,
until her vision grew pitch black.
“People can’t know
that you’re the Blind Candidate, right?” Liam tugged her hand, “So you need to
wear this at all times, especially in Epicenter.”
Ciara nodded, and
they continued to run down the Arch Bridge, using a little bit of Accelerator Swirl to boost their pace.
z
“This
is your plan? You’ve got to be kidding me,” Chase protested.
Taking off the
sunglasses would mean trouble, so Ciara had to keep it on to protect their
identities. But sometimes she was curious of where they were staying at. Since
she couldn’t analyze the place without touching it.
“A Majestic Hotel!”
Macie exclaimed.
“Shh!” Liam
whispered, “Don’t say that out loud. If you keep saying Majestic, people will
easily find out that we’re not from the Epicenter.”
“But why here? We
could hide somewhere under the bridge, or maybe at the stree—”
“I told you, Chase,”
Liam said sharply, “Let the handsome thief handle this. For now, just follow my
lead and don’t say another word.” Liam continued, “See that guard over there?
He won’t hurt you. He’s just there to greet visitors.”
“Geez…How do you
know all about this?” Macie sighed, “Have you been here before?”
“No,” Liam said,
“Now quit talking and follow my lead.”
Liam slipped his arm
under Ciara’s elbow, carefully walking toward the entrance of the hotel, where
the guard was standing.
“Good evening, Sir,”
the guard said politely that almost made Ciara flinch. She wasn’t used to the
courtesy of the Majestics, even spoke to one. Sweat dripped down the sides of
her forehead. What if we get caught? Ciara thought. What is Liam
doing?
“Good evening,”
Surprisingly, Liam’s voice changed into a much deeper tone, with a little
accent added on it. Ciara nearly gaped as she could feel Macie and Chase
stiffened behind her. Then she heard the door being pulled open. Liam said,
“Thank you.”
Cold air blasted
around their faces. The smell of sweet orchids filled the room with its vibrant
scent. Soft music played across the room, and it sounded like an instrument. A
guitar.
“Liam…” Chase
whispered.
“Shh.” Liam
said.
To her right, Ciara
could hear someone typing on the keyboard. A girl. Ciara thought. One
girl typing on the computer. And that was they were heading. Liam
excellently posed himself as a Majestic, acting carefree and noble. From
behind, she could hear Macie and Chase’s legs shaking from fear. Liam has
been here before. Ciara thought. If this is his first time coming in
here, he wouldn’t act like this. Ciara thought. Not once, but twice too…
“Hello, Sir. Would
you like to check in?” the lady stopped typing, her voice was a pleasant one.
“Yes. Two rooms,
please.” Liam said, his voice smooth without a trace of nervous, or fear.
“I see,” the girl
began to type on the keyboard, “May I have your name?”
“Brutus
Overie,” Liam said, and Ciara managed not to laugh at the ridiculous name. Where
did he get that?
“Okay, Mr. Overie.
How would you like to pay? G-Cash, or Credit card?” the lady asked.
“G-Cash,” Liam said
confidently and Ciara’s eyes went wide.
“Okay, that will be
5, 600 G-cash, with two bedroom and two separate keys,” the lady said.
Ciara heard Liam pulling something from
his pocket, until she smelled old newspaper bills on his hand. So that must
be G-cash. Ciara thought. Majestic money, and quite thin too…since I can
hear a few paper bills making fluttering sounds.
“Thank you. Have a good stay, Mr.
Overie,” the lady said.
With Liam’s guidance, they were able to
safely pass the Majestic people without any suspicion. Once they were inside an
empty room that seemed to make small chiming sounds—an elevator, Chase and
Macie began to protest.
“Liam! I can’t believe you just did
that…” Chase shouted, “Why choose a Majestic hotel? Of all places—”
“Chase is right!” Macie chimed in,
“Seriously, stop trying to show off! You’re going to get us killed!”
“Hey, just relax you two,” Liam said in
his normal voice, “Majestic people are dumb, and they are spoiled. So even if
you look like an outsider, they don’t mind you at all. That’s how it works
around here.”
“Geez…” Chase sighed.
When the elevator made a ding sound,
they slipped out and stopped inside an eerie hallway. Ciara started to take off
her glasses, but Liam stopped her.
“Don’t. There are surveillance cameras
around here,” Liam said firmly, “You can take them off once we get inside the
room.”
Surveillance cameras?
“I found our room!” Macie beamed eagerly.
“But why in the world did you pick a double
bed? Can’t you pick something that is single?” Chase asked.
“It’s too expensive, and deal with it.
After all, you have Macie to begin with, and I have Ciara all to myself,” Liam
said brightly. Before Ciara could open her mouth, Liam took her hand and
dragged her inside the Majestic room. “Goodnight,”
“Li—”
The door closed, and the lock clicked in
place. Everything turned quiet—too quiet that made Ciara uncomfortable because
of the eerie silence. Even the hotel
rooms are sound proof, Ciara thought. The
air circulating around the room felt trapped, so the room must be small.
Ciara carefully slipped off the dark
sunglasses and opened her eyes. The room was so bright, as if the light bulbs
were rich in energy. To be able to live in this city was a dream she never had.
Streets are quiet. People are nice and clueless about the outside world…and
even the rooms are contained with high quality materials.
“Liam,” Ciara said, noticing that Liam
turned quiet, “You’ve been here before, right?” Liam made a disapproving sound
and Ciara continued, “Don’t hide it from me!” Ciara lowered her head, “Up until
now…you’re still keeping secrets from me…” Ciara continued, “Why…why can’t you
tell me anything! I already know that you came from the Part, so—”
Suddenly, Liam slammed the door, where
Ciara could see his right arm extending from her right side, and his face
leaning close to her. She could hear him growling, slightly panting as if
mentioning Part made him angry.
“Did Gillian tell you about it?” Liam
growled.
“Yes,” Ciara said, tightening her fists
on her side. Liam chuckled.
“That stupid…idiot,” Liam spat, “I
told him not to tell you…”
“Liam. It’s okay with me…” Ciara said, “I
already know what you’ve been through, and—”
Liam’s lips were on her mouth, pressing
with urgency. Ciara tried to push him away, but this made him kiss her harder,
as if he wanted to do that a long time ago. His arms wrapped around her waist,
while his other hand was cradled on her head. Why is Liam so desperate? Ciara
thought. His kiss…it's too forced.
“Liam,” Ciara gasped, and Liam kissed her
again.
Then suddenly, her heels broke. Ciara
nearly fell backward, losing her balance, when two arms immediately gripped her
wrist, stopping her from falling.
Ciara’s eyes stared at the blurry figure
in front of her. Liam.
“Careful,” Liam said as he managed to
steady her on her feet, “And you shouldn’t be asking about my past, you know.
That’s rude.”
“But…” Ciara muttered, “I just don’t know
why you can’t trust me. I’m your friend, right?”
“Ciara,” Liam whispered, and Ciara felt a
small kiss on her forehead, “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.” Liam
continued, “You know my power…you know that I’m a freak, so I can’t let you get
close to me…”
Ciara didn’t say a word. They are
never going to tell me about anything.
“I’m sorry,” Liam said, and then he was
gone. Ciara looked up and saw him turning to open the door at the right side. The
bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower. Feel free to take a look at the room.”
Then Ciara heard the door closed.
Ciara sighed. Liam likes to isolate
himself from everyone, especially his love ones. Gillian’s words echoed her
mind.
While Liam was still on the shower, Ciara
took her time analyzing the walls, memorizing the interior design of the room,
and searching for some spare clothes on the drawers. To her panic, there were
none. It seemed like the Majestic Hotels didn’t provide spare clothes. She
couldn’t sleep in her Majestic clothes, so she had no choice, but to strip down
until she was only wearing underwear.
Ciara tiredly slipped underneath the
comfy, high fabric cushions and leaned her head against the pillow. Liam cut
his own brother’s leg…Ciara thought. Is that possibly true? Ciara
thought. Liam nearly killed me. Ciara remembered the flashbacks at
Thinnest River. Stay away from me! I’m a monster.
Ciara fluttered her eyes closed. Liam
and I were experimented and turned into freaks.
The door opened, and a blast of fuming
lavender scent spilled across the room. She could still hear the shower being
turned off, and someone walking outside the door. Ciara blushed. Liam stood in
the center of the light, hair dripping wet from the shower, and a white square
looking-thing wrapped around his hips. A towel.
Tucked underneath the blanket, Ciara
watched Liam pulling the drawers, searching for some spare clothes. When there
was none, he sighed deeply, unwrapping the white towel, and slipped under the
blanket.
"Here," Liam said, as Ciara
caught something in her hand. A dry T-shirt that smelled of sweat, "I
can't bear to see you naked, you know."
Ciara looked down and slipped the T-shirt
on, until it hangs on her legs. She could feel Liam's cold skin touching her
shoulder, and he smelled heavenly nice too.
“Thank you,” Ciara said.
“Guess we have no choice, but to sleep in
our underwear, huh?” Liam said, turning around so Ciara guessed his back was
facing her.
“Liam…about earlier,” Ciara said, “…about
you being in the Part. I—“
“You’re just curious,” Liam said sharply,
“But telling you the story won’t hurt a bit. The reason why I know the
Epicenter’s in’s and out’s is because I’ve been here before. When I was still
convicted in Part, I was quite famous for my power, you know. The internal
bleeding.”
Ciara paused, letting Liam continue, “The
Specialists, people who made me like this, were so impressed with me—with their
masterpiece.” Liam gritted his teeth, “And because of that power, I was taken
to the Epicenter to meet Virgo.”
“Why?” Ciara asked.
“It seems like Virgo has took interest in
me. After all, I’m the most deadliest person living in Cager Territory,” Liam
said gloomily, “When I was taken to her office, she made me a deal.” Liam
continued, “And that deal is to go to her side, or to stay as a prisoner
forever.”
“What did you do?” Ciara asked.
“I didn’t take it.” Liam said, “At first,
I wanted too. Taking that deal would mean freedom, a life surrounded by
luxuries and peace. But if I take it, it would mean leaving Chase behind,” Liam
continued, “Chase is my only family. He’s the only thing that keeps me living
as whole. And I’m not going to leave my little brother behind those
Specialists,” he shook his head, “I would really be a monster if I did.
“I’m glad you did the right choice,”
Ciara muttered.
“Yeah…" Liam said, "When I declined
her offer, Virgo said that I would be always welcome to join her side,” Liam
chuckled, “Though, that will never happen in a million years.” Liam’s laugh
died down, “Never…but I’m still thinking about it…”
The tiredness was swallowing Ciara
already. She couldn’t keep her eyes open, even if Liam was already telling her
his secrets. She was so exhausted, and all she wanted was a good rest.
Silencing Liam’s voice, Ciara slowly closed her eyes and let herself to be
taken away by the darkness.
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