Align Ourselves

by Adrianna Schuh

  But she couldn't help but feel a little defeated.

  Chapter 45

  It crossed her mind to go to the dungeon now. Maybe Warren hadn't told the guard yet? But she knew she was only grasping at straws. She knew in her heart that the guard most definitely knew and that she'd only make herself seem even more suspicious if she went now.

  Instead, she went to the throne room.

  There weren't many people there. She sat down at one of the tables and forced herself to eat, to drink.

  By the end of the meal, she was feeling remarkably better. Physically, anyway.

  Mara came inside and silently sat down next to Aria.

  "I'm sorry," Aria whispered; she felt guilt gnawing at her over the sick guards. "I-I’m sorry I asked you to do this..."

  She searched Mara's face, expecting to see a look like the one her mother had given her. But she didn't find it.

  Mara didn't seem upset. Or angry.

  "This is war, Aria. People are going to get hurt," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "You did the right thing. You did what you had to do. We all did."

  Aria wasn't sure if she meant it.

  "Has anything happened? I mean, since I've been out?"

  "Not really. Mostly we've just been focusing on not catching the virus. But so have they. So no new plans have been made or anything. And since quite a few people are still sick, I don't think Warren is in any hurry to send people back," Mara said.

  Aria sighed. It wasn't enough. Warren would send people back at the first chance, and they still had no plan.

  "I've been working on something," Mara said.

  "What?"

  "Well, we need a way to communicate with each other since we can't all be in the same place at the same time."

  "And?"

  "I've stolen a few of their radios and reset the frequencies. We've formed a few small groups. Five, to be exact. But so far, we only have three radios."

  "Mara, that's great. Really, I-I don't know what to say," Aria said, feeling more grateful for Mara than ever.

  "Well, it's a start."

  "Have you talked to Grace?"

  "Yeah," Mara said, looking around. "She's going crazy, being cooped up in that room. She isn't used to being so...useless."

  Aria thought of Lex and how he felt the same way a couple of days ago. How was he holding up? Was he doing as Aria asked? Or had he already formed some sort of escape plan?

  "I need to talk to Lex," Aria said.

  "So go see him," Mara said.

  Aria told her about her conversation with Warren.

  "Shit," Mara said, "Well, there's no way you can see him now. That would basically tip Warren off."

  "I know," Aria said, feeling hopeless. "I just..."

  "I know," Mara said, "But there isn't anything you can do for him. Not now. So take your own advice and act normal."

  Just then, she saw Jackson walking past the throne room.

  "I gotta go; I'll catch up with you later. But please get those last two. We need to form a solid plan. Tell everyone to meet in Peter and Brent's room tonight, okay?"

  Mara nodded.

  Aria ran after Jackson, catching up to him before making the turn that led to the dungeon.

  "Hey," Aria said, "Are you going to check on Lex?"

  "Yeah," Jackson said, "I heard about what happened. I'm sorry, Aria. But I'll try to help him, okay?"

  She nodded. "Can-can you just tell him that we're working on getting him out? And that....and that I miss him?" she asked, feeling a little embarrassed.

  "Yeah, Aria. I'll tell him."

  She went back to the quarantine room, figuring that taking care of people would somehow make her feel better about what she had done.

  It didn't.

  That night, they met in Brent and Peter's room, not all of them, just the ones that could make it. Luckily, that included all of the leaders of the five groups.

  Katy, Hunt, Brent, and Martinez were four of the five leaders. Aria was the fifth.

  "How long do you think Warren will wait to go get the others?" Isla asked.

  "I'd say we're looking at a day. Two at the most," Brent said.

  They looked around at one another. Aria noticed that her mother was still avoiding her gaze.

  "Has anyone thought of anything?" Martinez asked.

  "I have," Hunt said.

  Aria looked up to study him, feeling more hopeful than she had since all of this had started.

  "What do you have in mind?" Katy asked.

  "From what we have learned, there are six entrances to the palace. Two guards stationed at each. If we plan to overthrow Warren, those will have to be taken first."

  "Why?" Aria asked.

  "So that my people can help us if they need to," Grace said, speaking up for the first time that night.

  Hunt nodded. So, they've met Grace? And she and Hunt had already discussed ideas?

  "We would take the entrances first. As quietly and as discreetly as possible. We'd let Grace and a few others go down to the village for help. By the time they come back up here to surround the palace, we need to disarm all the guards," Hunt said.

  "And?" Aria asked.

  "That's all I have so far," Hunt said, shrugging.

  "It's not enough," Aria said, "If you think that Warren and his group will give up or...or surrender...they won't. He won't care if they surround the palace. As long as they have their guns, they won't give up."

  "Which is why I said we need to disarm them," Hunt said.

  "And how the hell are we going to disarm all of them in time? If just one of them has a weapon, they'll win," Martinez said.

  "So we attack at night," Aria said.

  "What?" Hunt asked.

  "We wait until most of the people have gone to bed. Midnight should be a good time. First, we take the entrances. Disarm the guards and lock them away somewhere they can't get away—the dungeon. And then we go for Warren and his council," Aria said, the plan already forming in her mind.

  "Before we can do any of that," Brent said, "We need access to guns of our own. We'll never take the entrances without them."

  "But Adrian said there's no way he can sneak us guns," Mara said.

  "So we take the training area first," Aria said, "Before we take the entrances. We take the training area so no one else can get to the weapons. Get those guards first. Arm ourselves and get the rest?"

  They all looked around at one another.

  "Aria's right. We should take the weapons room first. Arm ourselves, take the entrances, and then Warren," Hunt said.

  "So how many people will it take? To secure the weaponry first?" Martinez asked.

  "I'll do it," Grace said.

  "What? No way. That's too dangerous, Grace," Mara said, shaking her head. "They'll kill you on the spot."

  "I'm the best fighter here," Grace said, "How are you going to take the guards without me? It's not like a group of you can just storm into the place and fight them off. You said we need to be discreet. If a large group is headed there, we will get caught before anything even happens," she said.

  "But-" Mara began.

  "Grace is right," Brent said, "Besides, Adrian will be there. So she won't be by herself."

  "That's too risky," Mara said, "I don't like it."

  "I'll be fine. The second best fighter in the palace, remember?" Grace said, smiling.

  "So when do we do this?" Martinez asked.

  They all looked to Aria.

  "Tomorrow night," she said. She wanted to do it as soon as possible. But tonight was not an option. They had just come up with the plan. Seeing it through tomorrow night would give them more time to prepare.

  "Katy," Hunt said, "What do you think?"

  Everyone looked at Katy.

  "It's too soon," she said, "We barely have a plan. And the rest of our people don't know. It's too soon."

  "No, it isn't," Aria said. "We have a plan. We just discussed it. And since it won't start until tomorrow night, you ha
ve all day tomorrow to let the others know."

  "I said no," Katy said, finally looking at her daughter.

  The air in the room filled with tension as Aria stood up and faced her mother.

  "I'm in charge," she said, not caring that her voice had gone cold. "And I say it's happening tomorrow night."

  "Aria-" Katy began.

  Aria turned her back on her mother and faced the group.

  "Leaders, let the members of your group know about the plan. As soon as Grace secures the weapons, I'll contact the team leaders through the radios. When you get my message, make your way to the weapons area in small groups. After we arm ourselves, half of the group will go to the entrances and take the guards out. The other half will go for Warren and those closest to him," she said, looking at every person in the room.

  Grace gave her an approving smirk, nodding her head.

  Aria looked at her mother again.

  "We attack tomorrow at midnight."

  Chapter 46

  The next morning, she caught Jackson on his way to the dungeon. She handed him a piece of paper and told him to give it to Lex.

  See you at midnight, she'd written.

  When they went for the guards at the entrances, they'd get the one that was in the dungeon as well.

  She wanted to be the one to free him; she wanted to be the first face he saw when he got out. But since her group was supposed to focus on Warren and his council, someone else would have to do it.

  Anticipation was in the air; almost everyone she encountered seemed jittery. She only hoped that Warren and his people wouldn't notice.

  She realized she couldn't say anything to the others; about being more careful, more discreet, because her own hands were shaking as she poured herself a glass of water.

  She ate breakfast with the palace residents, not really feeling hungry but forcing herself to eat anyway. She'd need her strength today.

  Going through her regular daily motions should have made the day pass slowly. But before she knew it, it was time for dinner.

  Everyone had been briefed; all the people that were supposed to know about the plan knew about it.

  Sitting down at one of the tables, Aria glanced around at the people she knew were on her side. A few looked scared, but her people just looked determined, ready to pounce at her command for the most part. It filled her with confidence. She realized that she wouldn't have been such a successful leader if her people weren't such good followers. They all knew their places; they all played their parts.

  The confidence turned her worry to excitement. Her anticipation wasn't tinged with anxiety anymore.

  The thought of seeing Lex at the end of the night gave her a feeling she thought she'd long forgotten; butterflies in her stomach.

  What will he say? What will he do, she thought, mindlessly poking at the food on her plate. She thought of all the ways their reunion could go. Would they get a minute alone? Or would they be too busy fighting? Trying to figure out what to do next?

  That brought her up short. She hadn't really thought about what would happen after this. And the group hadn't really discussed it. What would they do with Warren and the others? What would Lex do? It was up to him; he was the king, after all. And this was his land.

  "What's got you so worried?" Mara asked, sitting down next to Aria. She looked around before leaning in and whispering, "Thinking about your lawfully wedded?"

  Aria smiled. "Yeah, I was, actually."

  "Relax, you'll see him tonight. How will you celebrate?"

  "What?"

  "After we win," Mara whispered, a smile playing at her lips. "How are you gonna celebrate?"

  "I don't really know," Aria said. And she didn't. Everything with her and Lex was still so.... up in the air. She hadn't really had time to work through everything that had happened between them. But the night her people attacked, things had changed between them. Again.

  She shook her head; she couldn't think about that now.

  "What about you?" Aria asked, hoping to change the subject. Her feelings for Lex were something she had to work out on her own, in the quiet of their room, when her loved ones were safe and sound.

  "What?" Mara asked.

  "How are you gonna celebrate? Gonna give Grace a big sloppy kiss?"

  "Shut up," Mara said, rolling her eyes.

  Aria smiled to herself.

  "Who are you with tonight?" Mara asked once they were out of the throne room.

  "I’ll be waiting to hear what happens in the training area," she whispered. "As soon as Grace gives us the signal, we'll radio in to let the rest of you know it's time. After that, I'm with Hunt. We're going for Warren. What about you?"

  "I'm with Martinez's group. We're going for the guards," Mara said.

  They'd reached a turn in the hallway, and it was time to part ways.

  "Good luck," Mara said, pulling Aria in for a hug.

  "You too," Aria said, hugging Mara a little tighter than usual.

  Aria went to her room. She decided to go ahead and get ready, even though it wasn't close to midnight yet.

  After she got dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't intended to dress in all black, and yet there she was. In a way, her outfit reminded her of Lex and how he looked the first time she saw him.

  Dark. Dangerous. Intimidating.

  She sat down at her vanity table and put on a little makeup, similar to how she'd had it on her wedding day.

  After putting a long black coat on, she tucked the knife she'd stolen from the kitchen into her belt. She sat down on the loveseat across the fireplace and waited.

  At some point, she began to shake her leg.

  She got up, too full of nervous energy and anticipation to sit in one place. She paced the room, going over the plan again and again.

  Wait for Grace's signal, notify the others, find Hunt. Go to Warren's quarters and take him prisoner. Head to the throne room.

  Find Lex.

  After pacing the room for what felt like hours, she heard a faint knock on her door.

  She opened it and found Brent.

  "It's time," he said, and together they made their way toward the training area. They'd let Grace go ten minutes before they left, so she'd get a chance to get there and disable the guards before Aria and Brent showed up.

  The cold in the hallways was relentless; Aria felt it in her bones.

  So cold.

  They didn't speak a word.

  Silently, they stopped at the door that would lead out to the training area.

  And it didn’t sound like anyone was coming their way from the other side.

  She shook her head, silently telling Brent that Grace had not given them the signal yet. Aria hoped that she would hurry up. They were all alone, on palace grounds past the curfew Warren had set. If a guard caught them, they'd never get a chance to do this.

  A few minutes passed. Aria pressed her ear to the door. Silence.

  "Something's wrong," Aria whispered. Grace had been there for about fifteen minutes; she had said she would only need a few.

  Just then, a loud crash came from outside.

  Fear and curiosity propelled her forward. She knew this wasn't part of the plan. But neither was that crash. And Grace would have never made such noise; she knew they had to be as quiet as possible.

  Aria ran outside with Brent right on her heels. Whatever she was feeling, he must have been feeling it too.

  When they came upon the space, she saw two things.

  Adrian lay crumpled on the ground. It looked like he had been knocked out. That must have been the sound they heard.

  Aria glanced to her left and saw Grace on the ground. A woman was on top of her, choking her.

  "Mom!" Brent yelled, running towards his mother.

  Aria ran to Adrian's side. She had to make sure he was okay. "Adrian! Adrian," she yelled, shaking him.

  "I'm fine," he groaned, trying to stand up.

  Aria helped him up. She'd been so worried abo
ut him she forgot about the others in the room.

  She turned, noticing that the two guards that worked with Adrian were lying on the ground. They were dead if the puddles of blood by their bodies were anything to go by.

  "Mom," Brent yelled, trying to shove his mother off of Grace.

  But she was a lot bigger than he was.

  She threw one arm back, and her elbow collided with the side of his face, the force of the blow knocking him to the side.

  Aria ran towards Brent's mother, ready to tackle her to the ground.

  But the woman let go of Grace's neck, and suddenly she held a gun in her hands, pointing it right at Aria's head.

  "I knew it," she said, "I knew you were up to something."

  "Mom, please, don't do this," Brent said, rising to his feet.

  Aria was glued to the spot; she couldn't move forward. So she stayed standing, staring down the barrel of the woman's gun.

  "On your knees," she said, "All of you!"

  "Mom-"

  "I said all of you," she said, now pointing the gun at Brent.

  Aria couldn't really believe her eyes. How could she do that? How could she point her gun at her own son?

  Aria, Adrian, and Brent dropped to their knees.

  A second later, Grace's hand shot up and knocked the gun out of the woman's hand. It skidded across the floor, stopping right in front of Brent.

  The woman put her hands back down on Grace's neck.

  Brent picked the gun up and aimed it at his mother. "Mom! Don't make me do this," he yelled.

  Grace's lips were turning blue, her eyes were slowly rolling to the back of her head.

  "Mom!" Brent yelled again.

  Aria got up, ready to tackle the woman again, but Brent beat her to it. He stood up and ran towards his mother. He brought the butt of the gun down on her temple, and she let go of Grace. She fell to the side with a thud.

  "Tie her up and gag her," Brent yelled.

  Aria went to Grace, hoping that the girl was still conscious.

  Grace groaned, bringing her hands up to her neck. Aria could already see the bruises forming.

  Adrian tied Brent's mother's hands and feet together, placing a gag over her mouth for good measure. No doubt, she'd scream for help as soon as she regained consciousness.