by Elle Grace
“It would be my pleasure.” He looked a little relieved. I wondered how he had passed his trial. However, I remembered that the trial tested a lot more than fighting ability, it tested loyalty too and I knew Cameron was probably the most loyal person I had ever meet.
Everyone dispersed, busying themselves. I picked up my bag and placed it on the worn table, going through the contents.
“You made a great call.” Tristan came and stood beside me as I packed up my bag.
“Thanks. I’m not sure everyone agrees.” I looked around and saw a couple of people watching me.
“They will come around to you in time, after all I did when you first got here, Aurora will stand by you. You have allies in Doe and James.” He looked around the room. “Cameron will do anything you say based on his crazy respect on you and think Mike admires your intelligence. Although I’m not as sure you have any.” Tristan Jested. “The shifter is changeable so I’m not sure you will ever win them over.” I laughed at his little joke. I was still worried I was not making the right judgement. I was sure all the great leaders in history never doubted their decisions as much as I did.
35
Colt
2pm 12th September 2020
The group had set off and been walking for about an hour. We knew the nest was somewhere near the centre of the arena. As the cottage was closer to the edge, it was a fair distance to cover. Tristan and Rory had set off in front of me, they were whispering tightly to each other. That is new, I thought to myself. Behind me James and Sam made small talk, whilst Mike was attempting to flirt with Doe. It was not going well. I walked on in silence. A quiet determination to get to the nest and get out long before we were even noticed. The trees got thicker as we had cleared the hill and walked further into the forest. I had a weird feeling in my gut, but I pushed it down. The wood around us was quiet. Perhaps too quiet, I thought.
Gentle thuds hit the earth around us. My first thought was that Immortuuis had found us and were attacking as we had braved getting close to their nest. I thought that maybe the simulation had been created in a way that is always attacked when people got close to the nest. But as I looked at the dirt covered faces, I realised that the other team were ambushing us. They had even covered their skin with moss and mud to blend into the trees. They advanced on us pushing the group together.
“Really?” I said angrily. “Can’t you guys just do the actual job as you were told.” I could see it was the other team trying to get to us. Caitlyn strode forward, a sharpened stick in her hand. Trying to look like a warrior princess, she looked silly.
“Your leader needs to step forward.” She barked. I went to move but Tristan held me back and shook his head. Telling me he thought I should not engage with her.
“Our leader does not have to do anything.” Tristan replied defensive. I muttered to him that it was okay and stepped forward.
“You have been found not worthy.” Caitlyn shouted and all of the rest of her team shouted hooting and hollering like birds. Repeating the words ‘not worthy’ over and over again.
“Have you been reading Lord of the Flies or something?” I quipped. “Where is Lance? Did he not fancy coming out to play today?” Caitlyn did not see the funny side and tried to swipe at me with her stick. She missed. Her action made the entire situation devolve as my team lunged forward and began to fight back. A full brawl erupted. I fought with Caitlyn, punching her and getting her to the ground.
A horn trumpeted to life somewhere in the trees and I instinctively knew it was the Immortuuis. They must have heard us fighting, I thought.
“Retreat.” I bawled at my team that were still fighting. I ran past them, grabbing at them and pulling them away whilst shouting “Retreat.” Lance’s team had realised what was happening and began to retreat themselves.
36
Colt
3.30pm 12th September 2020
We felt defeated and angry. I was just unsure as to how they had done it. Someone on his team must have followed us after the fight when we had first arrived. I knew the team were definitely doubting me after the ambush. I was so angry with myself and my own stupidity at not realising that his team would do something like that. Lance really had some nerve. Even in a simulation with a job to do he was still being a bigot and desperate to take down the hybrids.
“You look stressed.” Rory caught up with me as I had stridden ahead of the group.
“I am.” I breathed.
“We can beat them.” She said defiantly. “This is just a setback.”
“I’m not so sure.”
Rory looked at me for a moment and then shook her head.
“With you leading us, I am sure.” She smiled and I felt myself relax a little. She had a way of making me feel calm and confident.
“We need to have a talk.” I said quietly.
“What about?” She looked worried.
“I saw the pictures from the roof, from the night that they attacked you.”
“Yeah?”
“You decimated all three of them. How did you do that and survive? Lance has been training all his life and his pure hatred of hybrids is bound to get his adrenaline pumping.” I questioned.
“I barely survived, if you had not of found me, I would probably be dead.” She argued.
“See I don’t think you would be.” I posed.
“What are you saying?” She looked at me slightly angry.
“I’m not sure, but I feel like there is something different about you. I can’t put my finger on it but since I found you in that corridor, I can’t shake this weird feeling.” I said.
“What weird feeling?” She frowned at me.
“I’m not sure, just a feeling.”
“Probably guilt.” She said coldly.
“What?” I was taken aback.
“You have let Lance and every other asshole get away with that kind of behaviour, it is not wonder that he would try something like it again. He did it twice to me in two days and yet he is still here, acting as a commander. It’s disgusting.” She was mad and highly defensive. I felt terrible and knew she was right. She begun to slow her pace, so she no longer walked with me.
The cottage was in the distance and as I looked at the stone building something just did not seem right. I thought at it for a second and realised that the team was not ready for another ambush.
“Rory, can you go ahead and make sure the coast is clear?” I asked. I wanted her to go as I wanted to test her. To see if she really had changed and suddenly had new abilities like the scene from the roof had indicated. She nodded without speaking and ran ahead of us all.
37
Aurora
4pm 12th September 2020
As I approached the cottage, I felt something was wrong. I suspected that was why Colt had sent me ahead. In case of another ambush. I knew I could deal with the situation alone if I needed to. I thought that Colt was beginning to suspect me as well. He was observant. I wondered if he had said anything to William in their meeting about his suspicions. I hoped not. I was beginning to think I could trust Colt.
The door to the cottage was off its hinges, I stepped inside cautiously. The furniture was destroyed, there had been one hell of a fight. I looked in the back room for any signs of Cameron. Two legs stuck out from underneath an overturned table and I knew it was him. I lifted the table to reveal his lifeless body. Blood puddled around him. I knelt beside him begging him to walk up, trying to put pressure on his wounds. It looked like he had been stabbed multiple times.
“Help! We need help!” I screamed and shouting praying the others could hear me.
“Rory, is that you?” He whispered. It was barely audible.
“Shush, it’s going to be ok. Save your strength, the others are coming, they can help.” I stroked his head gently.
“I tried to stop them.” He was so quiet. “I really tried to fight.”
“I know you did.” I smiled.
“It’s too cold.”
“Just hold on the others
will be here any moment. We will get you help.”
“It’s too late.” He breathed.
“Don’t say that.” Tears stung at my eyes. “You are going to be fine.” Even I knew from the amount of blood that covered the floor there was nothing to be done. Sod it, I thought. Even if it meant I would probably get caught I had to try and heal him. I placed my hands on his chest and took a deep breath. Letting the energy flow through me. Light danced out of my hands and across his body, but it wasn’t enough. Tristan came running into the room and stopped dead as he saw the light. Cameron breathed his last, his whole body going completely limp. His eyes were open and vacant. Dead. My head fell onto his chest in anguish. Desperately trying to wake him. It was no use. I was way too late to help him in the first place. Tristan just stared at me.
“You remember?” He said quietly and I nodded. “Tell no one.” He warned me. I felt weak and overcome with grief. Tristan pulled me off Cameron and gently closed his eyes. He pulled down one of the lace curtains and draped it over him.
My pain turned to anger, and I silently vowed to destroy whoever had done this to Cameron and I knew exactly who had done it.
Tears flooded my eyes, but I held them back. Everything seemed like a blur as the rest of the team came running in. Colt grabbed me and dragged me outside away from the situation.
“Leave this to Tristan now Rory.” He said as we got outside. I tried to get past him, I did not want to leave Cameron alone. Colt pushed me to the ground hard. My whole body hurt from the pain of loss. I tried to get up, but Colt’s hands kept me down. “Stay there.” He hissed.
The same images playing out in my mind over and over. Cameron lying there, his blood all over me.
38
Aurora
5pm 12th September 2020
“We should never have retreated. We should have fought them off.” I ranted outside the back of the cottage to Colt. I was incredibly angry.
“What would you have me do Rory?” He shouted at me. “They could have killed us all, then where would we be?”
“Cameron did not deserve to die!” I snapped.
“No one deserves to die Rory. You didn’t deserve to get stabbed the other day. No one deserves the amount of pain Lance inflicts but there is very little we can do about it.” He replied.
“I can certainly think of a few things.”
“Don’t you dare even think about it. He is protected. You would be dead long before he was if you even tried.” He was getting even more angry with me.
“We would see about that.” I muttered and he gave me look.
We had not stopped arguing since we had gotten back to the cottage. He had kept me outside and away from the others whilst Tristan dealt with poor Cameron.
“One of the team members is dead. That is on you and your decision! I should have saved him… Done things differently.” I snapped. Angry tears streamed down my face. He could give me all the looks he wanted.
“And not listened to orders? This is not your fault.” He pleaded with me. Trying to calm me down.
“I let him die.” I slumped against the wall of the cottage, my head in my arms. He crouched beside me and pulled me into him. Holding me, trying to make it better.
“No. Lance had him killed to take our provisions. Lance was not at the ambush, he probably did it himself. Murderous little bas…” Colt was interrupted by Tristan.
“The assistants collected the body.” He said from the doorway.
“Cameron.” I looked up, tear tracks marking my face.
“The assistants took Cameron.” He corrected and walked closer to me. “They just left. They asked what happened, but I said we didn’t know as we had left the cottage.”
“You should have told them that Lance murdered him!” I snapped.
“We don’t know that he did.” Tristan said diplomatically.
“Well he didn’t stab himself.” I spat back.
“Whoever it was they took pretty much everything, Colt.” Tristan changed the subject. He was looking for guidance.
“Of course, they did.” I shook my head. We should have known that Lance would play dirty. I also did not really care the provisions were gone. That was something for Colt to deal with.
“If you need to talk Rory, I’m here.” Tristan said carefully and I knew what he meant. He was not talking about grief but about what he had seen when he walked in.
“I know.” I nodded and I knew that Tristan knew a lot more than he was letting on, it was not some big shock to him what I had done. It was in that moment I realised that the Resistance had a deeper infiltration into the Inperium than even I knew.
Tristan walked back inside, and Colt held me again, I just sobbed into his chest. I let it happen. Needing the comfort, forgetting about the rules. Not caring about what his touch meant. I just needed him.
39
Aurora
6pm 12th September 2020
Everyone had gathered in the main room of the Cottage. Colt and Tristan whispered in the corner. Mike was comforting Doe who was still very visibly upset. Sam had been changing their features one by one over and over again for at least an hour. It was clearly the way that they dealt with grief. I sat near to James but neither of us spoke. I realised that things had become weird between us after the ball. I think it had taken the conversation outside the cottage when we had first arrived for me to figure that out. We had not discussed what the underlying issue was. He was unavailable to me on many levels and I could not give in to liking him.
“You should say a few words.” He whispered to me and I frowned at him.
“You guys all knew him way better than I did.” I argued back.
“Yes, maybe but he really liked you.” He replied smiling.
“I do feel like we need to do something to honour him. It seems so cold to just sit here and let his death pass without saying anything.”
“I know how you feel. In Oblituus we have these huge ceremonies when someone dies, we mark their passing with fire.” He told me and I thought for a few minutes.
“It’s not really my place to say anything.” I felt defeated.
“I don’t think anybody has a specific place anymore, not after what happened today. If you want to do something, I certainly stand with you and so will the other hybrids.” He was solemn. It was clear they were feeling betrayed by the human commanders.
I stood up and looked around the cottage. Colt eyed me but I ignored him, I was still a little mad at him from earlier. Eventually he gave up watching me and came up to me.
“What are you doing?” He asked.
“I’m looking for something.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure. I want to do something for Cameron.” I said. “James said in Oblituus they mark death with fire and if I’m honest I want to send a message saying that we will not let Cameron’s death stand.” Colt raised an eyebrow. “Without violence.” I added. For now, I thought.
He walked over to his backpack and pulled out a flare.
“Will this work?” He asked showing it to me.
“It’s perfect.” I nodded. “Tell everyone to meet me outside in like five minutes.” He did as he was told, and I went outside. I looked up at the stars that ornamented the sky. It was a beautiful evening and one that I knew Cameron would have enjoyed. The others began to work their way outside and stood in a messy semi-circle. Once everyone was gathered, I began.
“Today we lost one of our own. Cameron was not just a member of this team, or a hybrid. He was a friend. He treated everyone with a level of love and respect that I have never experienced before. I think we have to honour the sacrifice he made. His life was ended but his memory will live on and we will avenge his death.” I finished and Colt handed me the flare. I removed the lid and pulled the tab. Holding the flare high as the orange smoke bellowed out of it filling the sky above us. I just hoped wherever Cameron was that he could feel the love that we had for him.
40
Aurora
>
7pm 12th September 2020
We stood for a while, long after the flare had gone out. One by one we said our silent goodbyes.
I turned and watched as Colt went back inside the cottage. I moved forward and sat down, just taking a moment for myself. I was still sad about Cameron. I was mad at Colt for leaving him alone as well.
I played with the grass underneath my finger types. Letting myself get lost in my own thoughts. I knew I needed to do something I just was not sure what. I took a deep breath and allowed myself some time to plan my next move.
“What you said was perfect.” He placed his hand on my shoulder crouching behind me.
“I wished I had more to say.”
“I think that was enough.” He smiled at me. He moved to sit next to me, and we sat in silence for a few moments watching the stars.
“I still can’t believe that today happened.” I said lost in my thoughts.
“Me either.” He agreed. “One thing I do know if I would do anything for you.” He whispered.
“That is sweet James.” I brushed him off. I was not about to start a mutiny against Colt because of what had happened.
“I mean, if it meant I had a chance with you, I would break my arranged marriage agreement.” He said and I frowned at him.
“You said that would be an act of war.” I shook my head. “I can’t have that on my head.”
“It wouldn’t be on your head; it would be on mine.” He stated.
“I would still feel guilty.”
“Aurora, I am not going back there. Ever. I want to stay here with you. At least for now. I have no place there. At least here I know who I am.”
“That is a lot to take in.” I sighed. It all seemed too much too fast and it had me feeling suspicious.
“Please give us a chance.” He begged and I was silent for a moment. I was really torn over what to do. My head was still reeling from Cameron’s loss and from Colt. My true self being awakened had not helped matters either and now I had to worry about so much more than a light-hearted crush and just trying to survive the Inperium long enough to escape. I had a purpose for being there.