Choosing death was easy. Dying for him wouldn’t be so hard, but living for him— I’d never wanted to live for anyone, no matter how much I cared about them. I adored people, but I wanted to live for myself, do my own thing, be in control of my freedom.
He was different. For the first time, I was considering someone else’s future rather than my own. It made me want to make him endless promises that I knew I couldn’t keep.
Charlie fell asleep in my arms not long after, but sleep still eluded me. I waited until he’d been out of it for a few hours to slip out of bed. I grabbed a knitted blanket that was lying on an armchair and wrapped it over my shoulders and around my naked form, proceeding to the balcony.
I looked down upon Forevermore. Even in the darkness, it shimmered. There seemed to be no flaws to it. In the distance, the massive Mirror of Ingress shone against the rock. The golden floral frame that outlined the mirror beckoned to a new beginning.
Maybe we really could stay in this perfect place for the rest of our lives. It wouldn’t be so bad. It’d be bliss, even.
Yeah, right. You can’t be held in a cage, even a pretty one.
You’ll do something to ruin it, Ava.
It’ll drive you out of your mind to remain in a paradise.
I scoffed and leaned on the bannister. The voices could be right. It was just too heavenly. The straight and narrow had never suited me well. I’d get bored. I needed to have that rebellious feeling. Maybe if the Elves were still out there committing crimes, living a fast and loose life, I could get along here, because I would go with them.
But that was all behind them now. After the genocide, the Elves had committed themselves to a quiet life, not one of sin.
You’d be wasted talent.
I sighed. Whatever the case, it was too much to decide tonight. I knew I wasn’t getting any sleep, so my mischievous nature kicked in. I wondered how many guards were stationed around the area, and how vast this palace was. There had to besomany places to explore.
I was shaken out of my reverie by the sound of an explosion. The stone balcony shook beneath me, and I had to grip onto the sides of the railing to avoid tipping over. My head jerked up. I realized with horror that smoke was beginning to filter through the sky, filling the cave and blocking out the light of the false moon. I looked closer. My heart contracted in my chest when I realized that the gate to the city we'd come through earlier had been blown open. Figures began marching through the open space.
Even from this distance, I recognized the uniforms of the guards that so often patrolled the Institute. There were hundreds of them, marching through the streets of Forevermore, raiding shops and yanking people out of their homes.
I knew exactly what they were after. In one singular line, the guards began to rush through the city in the direction of the palace.
I recognized someone amongst them. Though he was far away, I would know that imposing stature anywhere.
Fuck! Fuck, fuck,fuck!
I ran back into the room, the blanket falling off my shoulders. I shook Charlie awake. "Charlie! Charlie, get up!"
Charlie stirred, rubbing at his face. "Pidge, what's going on?”
"The Warden is here!” I yanked open the wardrobe, looking for clothes to wear. I found the servants had stocked the drawers. I yanked out clothes for Charlie before hastily dressing myself in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, already preparing for a fight.
“What?” Charlie balked. I tossed him a pair of jeans with some boxers, socks, and a t-shirt. He yanked them on before I found shoes at the bottom of the Wardrobe. We shoved them onto our feet before I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living area.
Marcus and Kallie were cuddling on the couch, still fast asleep. Somehow, they'd ended up entwined in each other's arms, completely out of it. I think they'd been too drunk to notice what they were doing.
Great. They decided to look cute the moment our lives were in danger. Typical of them.
“Get up!” I screamed, and I tossed a pillow at them. “The city is under attack!”
The pillow smacked both of them in the face. Marcus pulled his head off Kallie’s cheek— he’d drooled on it. Kallie stirred in a daze. Both of them shot upward when they heard the sound of screams resonating outside. More explosions echoed through the city. I could hear the sounds of the Elves fighting back, swords clashing together as guns were fired in the city streets.
Kallie was not bothered by the Marcus-slobber in the slightest. She wiped it off her cheek and said, “Dammit! Forevermore hasn’t been attacked in over a hundred years, and the nightweshow up is when shit goes down!”
“We’re bad luck, just face it,” I told her. Charlie had gone pale, losing color with every dying scream that resonated through Forevermore.
Oberi and Rishi were both awake. Oberi had started barking like crazy, while Rishi ran in circles. It was at that moment Eddie flung open the door.
"Charlie, we need to get you out of here," Eddie began. "The city isn't safe anymore.”
“But what about the Elves?" Charlie asked. “We can’t leave them to fend for themselves.”
