Align Ourselves
Page 24
"She's safe. She wouldn't leave, so we hid her in Peter and Brent's room."
"You need to get her out of here."
"I tried Lex. But she won't leave without you. She's safe, for now. We'll figure something out once things calm down a little, okay?"
"Okay. But get her out of here as soon as you can. Tell her she can't go to the village below us. That's too close. She has to go further."
"I will."
"And the rest of my people? What happened?"
Aria looked away.
"Aria?"
"Warren made all of them leave. He-he kicked them all out. I don't know where they're going to go, but...but they're alive."
"That's good," he said, nodding. But the look on his face told her that it was anything but.
"Take your shirt off," she said. She was pretty sure that the guard wouldn't let her stay long. And if she tried to fight it, he might not let her through next time.
"Funny, I always imagined you saying that under different circumstances," he said, smiling at her.
How he could joke at a time like this was beyond her. She shook her head. She opened her kit and made sure to keep everything sterile.
"This is gonna hurt," she said, cursing herself for not thinking about bringing him something for the pain.
She took out a small pair of medical scissors and widened the wound until she could see the small bullet embedded into his flesh.
He winced as the scissors gripped the bullet, pulling it out. She dabbed a few bandages with antiseptic and cleaned the wound.
Finally, she took out a suture kit and sowed the wound up. She put a little more antiseptic on it for good measure before covering it with a sterile bandage.
"Make sure you keep this clean," she said, helping him put his shirt back on. She could tell that he was in pain, even though he was trying to keep himself composed.
"Will do," he said.
"Lex, I swear I will get you out of this," she said. She didn't know-how. They didn't have a plan yet. Hell, she had no idea exactly how she'd fix this.
"I believe you," he said.
He was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. She'd stood in front of him on her knees, so she leaned forward to hug him, careful not to put too much pressure on his left shoulder.
He hugged her back. He nuzzled his head into the crook between her neck and her shoulder, and at that moment, she could almost feel how scared he was. And she knew it wasn't fear for himself, but for the others. For Grace. For his people.
As much as she wanted to stay there in that dungeon, holding him and taming all of his fears, she knew she had to leave.
"I have to go," she said, pulling away from him. "But I'll be back later. Try and get some rest."
"Alright," he said, nodding.
She got up to leave, knowing that the longer she stayed, the harder it'd be to go.
But she stopped at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Why did you say that you wished you would have met me sooner?"
He stayed quiet for a few moments.
"Ask me again when all of this is over," he said.
She gave him a nod before turning and finally leaving the dungeon.
"Thanks," she said to the guard. She didn't actually want to. But she had to stay on good terms with this man if she wanted to see Lex again.
He remained impassive.
She half-walked, half-dragged herself to her room. She'd told Warren to tell the guards that it was hers. She didn't really feel like being there without Lex; it was their home. But she couldn't bear the thought of some guard, or worse, Warren himself, taking their room and calling it his own. It was their home. It was where everything began.
Exhaustion and despair made it hard to go all the way to the bed, so she laid down on the small couch they kept in their front room. Her mind wouldn't stop racing. Mostly with thoughts of Lex and how to save him and his people.
Revenge was the only other thing on her mind.
Somehow, she fell asleep.
She felt like only a few minutes had passed when she heard a knock on her door, but the sunlight streaming into the room through the balcony doors told her that it'd been a few hours, at least.
She got up to answer the door, her head throbbing.
Her mother stood on the other side. Aria let her in without a word.
Katy looked around the room like Aria had done that first night. Aria was sure that Katy was surprised. She'd probably expected something more sinister than what she'd found.
"Nice room," she said, sitting down on the couch.
Aria nodded and sat down beside her mother.
"So, you're the queen?" Katy asked, her voice full of skepticism.
"Yeah, mom. I have a crown and everything," Aria said, already pissed off.
"Aria, why are you acting this way? We didn't know-"
"Yes, you did. I know that Lex sent his men to find you. And don't try to pretend like they didn't reach you. I know they did. But you chose not to believe. You-"
"Aria, we couldn't believe them! When we heard that you'd been taken, how could we possibly believe them? After all, we heard?"
"But Lex told them who you were!”
"Aria-"
"No, mom," Aria yelled. She had been tired when she woke up, but now she was full of anger and energy, thinking about what had happened the night before. "We were safe here. Happy. And you-you ruined everything!"
"We didn't want to! A lot of us don't agree with Warren and his group! But there are a lot more of them. I had to find you. I did what I did; I agreed to this so that I could find you," Katy said. Her voice was pleading, desperate.
"What about the rest of those people? They had families, mom! They were just trying to protect us, protect this place, and you killed them!
"No, I didn't, Aria. I've never killed one of them."
"But you could have done something, you could have-"
"What?" Katy asked, standing now. "What could I have possibly done, Aria? I told you, Warren has support. I'm sorry about your friends. I really am. But I did what I did so that I could find you. Can't you understand that?"
Despite her anger, a part of Aria could understand. She'd done everything in her power to find her mother, her people. She was no better than Warren.
"You-you have to leave, mom. All of you," Aria said. It hurt to say, but they didn't belong there. What they'd done to get here and what they'd done since they'd gotten here proved that they didn't. Lex had worked to turn this place into a safe haven, a place where people could live in peace. And her people had destroyed that in less than a day.
"You know that isn't going to happen, honey. I'm sorry, I truly am. But Warren will never leave this place, we've been through hell fighting with the Terra, and he won't give this place up. He won't go back to the Terra’s lands now that he knows this place is out of their reach."
"We'll see about that," Aria said, turning to go.
"Where are you going?" Katy asked, following her.
"I have to see my friends. We need to figure out how to take the palace back."
"Aria," Katy said, grabbing her arm. "You'll get yourselves killed. You can't think like that. Warren is letting these people live. He only plans to stay on the palace grounds, so-"
"Yeah, right. What do you think will happen when he sends the guards back? When the rest of you make it here? This place isn't big enough for that. You know as well as I do that you aren't done taking from them. You'll take more. I won't let that happen."
"You can't think like that. I don't know what'll happen when they get here. But Warren won't tolerate this. You can't-"
"Don't tell me what I can't do! You have no idea what I've been through! What I've done," she yelled, yanking her arm away.
Katy looked hurt. And even though she was angrier than she'd ever been in her entire life, the look on her mother's face forced her to calm down, to tame the anger that was building in her chest.
"I'd like your
help, the help of the others. You say that not all of you agree with Warren? Prove it. Help us overthrow him," Aria said.
"What about the rest of us?"
"If you help us, if we can get Warren and his people out of here, Lex will let you stay. I'll tell him you helped."
"And you really believe he'd do that? After what we did?" Katy asked.
"He will."
Katy was quiet for a few moments, thinking it over. Aria turned to leave; she couldn't waste any more time.
"Do you trust him?" Katy asked.
Aria turned to face her mother.
"With my life."
"Okay," Katy said, nodding. "We'll help. But we need to keep this quiet. If Warren finds out..."
"He won't. Ask around. Tell those who you deem trustworthy. I'll come to find you later. We can discuss our next move then," Aria said.
She turned to go again, but Katy stopped her and pulled her in for a hug.
As much as Aria had missed her mother, she pulled away. They didn't have time to waste.
Chapter 40
She found Mara and Martinez in the throne room. Together, the three of them made their way to Brent and Peter's room in silence.
While she had talked to her mother out in the open, she realized that if this really was going to work, they'd have to be more discreet. There were ears everywhere.
Isla let them in.
Inside, a very pissed Grace was pacing around the room.
"Finally," she said, once the others came in and locked the door behind them. "Have you seen Lex? Is he okay?"
"Yeah," Aria said, "He's okay. For now."
She was still a little hurt about what Grace had said, but she pushed those feelings aside. They had more important things to worry about.
Aria filled them in on the conversation she'd had with her mother, about how not all of them agreed with Warren and his crew.
Grace was a little skeptical, and Aria couldn't really blame the girl. They were all strangers to her, but Katy was willing to help. Aria knew it. And she figured that Martinez's father was among the group that would help.
As for Brent's mother...
"Don't worry," Brent said, "I know we can't trust her."
"Brent..." Peter said, placing a hand on the other boy's shoulder.
"It's fine," Brent said. But Aria knew that it wasn't. She knew that they were placing him in a situation where he'd either have to side with them or his own mother. But she knew which side he'd pick.
"So, what's the plan?" Isla asked.
"For right now, this stays in this room," Aria began, "Once I talk to my mother, once we figure out how much help we have, who we can trust, we'll start forming a plan. For now, we-we have to act like we're okay with this."
She risked a glance at Grace.
"It's fine," Grace said, "I know it's what you need to do. So don't worry about hurting my feelings or whatever. Do what you need to do."
Aria nodded.
"Act normal," she said, "If they start suspecting that we're not with them...they'll stop us even before we get the chance to do anything. So go to Warren. Ask for work; ask him what he wants you to do. Act like you're okay with it."
The thought made her sick to her stomach. It made her angry. But she knew it was the only way to avoid getting caught.
Eventually, they parted ways. They'd start going to Warren in small groups to avoid suspicion. Aria decided that she'd be the first to go.
She looked around for Warren, asking the guards about his whereabouts. One of them pointed her in the right direction, and soon she stood outside the doors to one of the rooms in the palace that she wasn't familiar with.
A guard let her in, and inside, she found Warren, Hunt, Brent's mother, and a few other guards she recognized but couldn't name hunched over what looked to be a map.
"Ms. Diaz," Warren began, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I just came to talk. I know that you're assigning work. I came to tell you mine," Aria said.
"What?" Warren asked, confused by the change in her attitude.
"I've been teaching here. I'd like to keep that position. When the children arrive, I’d like to be their teacher. Is that okay with you?"
She noticed Hunt eyeing her suspiciously. She wasn't sure if he was someone they could trust. She hadn't asked her mother yet, but he stood up for Lex. That had to mean something.
"Well, yeah. That sounds reasonable to me. We need good teachers," Warren said, nodding in agreement. "I've got to admit I'm a little surprised. After your little outburst last night, I wasn't sure if you'd be with us."
"I understand," Aria said, "But you were right. You are my people. We don't fit in here. Truthfully, we never did. If there's anything you need from me, intel, just ask. I learned a lot about this place, being the queen and all."
Warren nodded, looking pleased.
You fucking idiot, she thought.
"Thank you, Aria. I appreciate that. Please come by a little later. I do have a few questions."
"Alright," Aria said. "I'll stop by after dinner."
What's that saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
After meeting with Warren, Aria sought her mother out. She found her in the library, along with Jackson, a boy she’d known her entire life.
Katy closed the door behind Aria once she entered.
"I've asked around," Katy began.
Aria didn't bother asking about Jackson, about if he knew what was going on. About which side he was on. Aria had spent enough time with him to know that he was a good person. She was sure that he'd help.
"Warren has a lot more support. But there are enough of us to at least stand a chance. Hunt and I will oversee our groups."
"Hunt," Aria said. “Can we trust him?”
"Yeah," Katy said, "You can trust him."
Jackson nodded in agreement.
Aria remembered how much her mother had hated Hunt back home. Whatever had happened up here must have changed him. There was no way he was still the same person if her mother was willing to work with him, to trust him.
"Is there any sort of plan?" Jackson asked.
"Not yet," Aria said, "First, we need to figure out who's on our side. But we must pretend to agree with Warren. We have to convince him that we're on the same side; we're taking turns going to him, asking for work. I just spoke to him, and I'm sure I have him convinced that I'm with him. I told him I'd give him intel on the people in this place.”
She looked away. Although she knew she was just pretending that she'd never actually give him anything useful, it made her feel like a traitor.
"Good," Katy said, "I've told my group the same thing. And we have to be careful about our meetings. We can't get together in large groups or out in the open. We have to figure out how to communicate without them finding out."
Aria nodded in agreement.
"Hunt has convinced Warren to let Lex live. I don't know what he plans to do with him. I don't think he'll let him go like the others. Warren is too worried about him getting help from his people. So he'll keep him here, for now. Probably to keep his people from starting a riot. Probably to get some information out of him. But for right now, he's safe," Katy said, lacing her fingers through Aria's and giving her hand a little squeeze.
Aria looked at her mother. It was what she needed to hear. She pulled her mother in for a hug.
"Thank you," Aria said. She wasn't sure if her mother understood how much she actually cared for Lex. But she knew enough to make sure that he'd be safe, to tell Hunt about it. It was more than she could hope for. She pulled away.
"You can trust Brent, Martinez, Peter, Mara, and Isla. Adrian, too. They're all in on the plan. I'll tell them to report to you and Hunt. See if Hunt can get them jobs that will give them access to some of the guns. We're gonna need them when we decide to take Warren down, '' Aria said.
Her mother nodded. But she had a strange look in her eyes.
"What is it?" Aria asked.
"We stopped being kids the day we were sent up here."
She went to the dungeon again after talking to her mother.
"Back so soon," the guard said.
"I won't have time to check on him later. I have a meeting with Warren," Aria said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well then, I guess you better get going," the guard said, stepping aside to let her through.
She realized that she had to keep her voice down, no matter what she said to Lex. She was sure that the guard would try to listen. She could only hope that he hadn't overheard their first conversation.
She made her way down the stairs. He was still in the same position she'd left him in, but he was asleep.
It felt a little cruel to wake him. He must have been tired. And she was sure that he was uncomfortable. But she knew they didn't have much time.
"Lex," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake. "Lex, wake up."
"Hey," he said, a little lazily.
"I'm sorry to wake you, but I need to check your wound. And we don't have much time."
"Okay," he said, rubbing at his eyes.
He sat up straight and took his shirt off. The bandage was still intact. And he hadn't bled through it, so Aria took that as a good sign. She took the old dressing off, cleaned some of the dried blood around the stitches, and put some more antiseptic ointment on it before patching it back up with a new bandage.
"Thank you," he said, putting his shirt back on.
"Have they brought you food? Water?"
"Yeah. A man came down to talk to me a few hours ago. He said his name was Hunt. Do you know him?"
"Yes," Aria said, "I do. And you can trust him. He's on our side."
"Our side?"
Aria told him about what was going on, about her mother and the group willing to help. About how Grace was safe.
She wished that she had more to tell him. She hoped that they'd made some progress. But it had been less than a day since all of this happened. She would take what she could get.