Chapter 12 (Part 2-The Aries)

Esme is sentenced to death. Read my review when done!

Chapter 12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evander’s saying something I can’t understand. Gwendolyn watches as Elaine tries to scream and yell at her, Silas covers Elaine’s mouth and holds her tighter. Two knifes still remain in Elaine’s hands, and blood spills down and drips everywhere. Ian backs away from Gwendolyn, and Honor does too. Evander grabs onto my skirt and keeps on saying something I can’t make out. He reacts to Gwendolyn’s appearance as if he’s trying to tell me to run. I take his other hand into mine, but he just becomes louder with the nonsense. I gently cover his mouth and feel his warm blood on my hand. Blood is everywhere, coming from Elaine’s hands and Evander’s body.

Evander’s weak hands continue to try to push me, tell me something. There comes a time where you learn you’ve been defeated. There are times to keep fighting, and times to give up. There’s no way we will all get out now, not with Gwendolyn blocking our path and so many people hurt. When a team falls, it’s the leader’s fault. When a country falls, it’s the president’s fault. It’s my fault for Clarissa and Dex’s death, and if Evander dies It will be my fault.

So what can I do now? Will Gwendolyn compromise or will we all die tonight. I begin to feel the same way I did when the Eila held the gun to my head, before Max saved us. I can’t die just yet; I still have to save the world. Maybe everybody’s wrong, maybe I’m not supposed to save the world, what if Max is the Sati or Elaine? Even if they’re not, maybe this isn’t my story anymore. This could be a story about any of us.

I remove my hand from Evander, and it shakes as I see how much blood rests on it.

 Gwendolyn leans in the door way, and begins to pick at her nails. “Too bad he’s going to die, such a great royalsis. Plus, he was such an amazing kisser.”

Evander’s arms and legs stiffen at her voice, I begin to wonder if she’s the one that made him so bloody, that if the black covered man was just the show.

Gwendolyn continues. “Too bad Aurelia had to die too, if it wasn’t for her this would never have happened. But, you know sometimes you just can’t trust people anymore.”

“We used to trust you!” Honor yells. She strings her bow with her last arrow and steps toward Gwendolyn. She aims at Gwendolyn’s head, and takes another step. “I just need one arrow to take you out, and believe me I will. We used to be best friends, and then we came here and you sent me to a sweatshop and wouldn’t talk to me because I’m Azali. So what I’f I’m Azali? At least I’m not a backstabbing b***h!”

Two knifes fly from Gwendolyn’s hands, one lodges into Honor’s arrow, pinning it to the wall and breaking it. The other one pierces in her stomach. Honor releases a scream, and begins to fall. Ian catches her and lifts her up. He incases the petite Honor in his goliath arms and she stops screaming, and whimpers slightly.

“You don’t understand!” Gwendolyn yells at her. “You are a dirty Azali! The only humans that should live on this earth are Royalsis! We are supreme and you are nothing but scum on the bottom of our shoes!” Gwendolyn breathes heavily then fixes her eyes on me. “Look at what the Harle did, look at what she has accomplished, Letting Micah, the little boy and the Azina die. And now Evander has to die because of you. You could have just followed orders at the Gemini, but no, you couldn’t marry Silas!”

It remains dead quiet for a minute. Ian carefully places Honor on the ground and retracts the knife from her stomach. She spits up a little blood, and Ian sticks his hand in the bloody mess, fishing out the rest of the broken knife. His hands shake as they exit her stomach, revealing a pound of blood and three tiny metal pieces. He gasps and stares at me. I swallow and we communicate without speaking. Honor will die if we don’t get her help immediately. I look back to Gwendolyn, whose face looks as though nothing has happened, just a walk in the park. I look down to Evander, he’s still trying to tell me something, his fingers curl around mine and his body quivers. He opens his lips, and whispers my name. My eyes flood with tears again, and I look up to Gwendolyn. Maybe I was wrong, guardian angels don’t exist.

Gwendolyn peers down at me, with eyes like a hungry wolf. This was her plan, from the beginning to get me here and beg for her mercy. “That is, unless we compromise.” She says, adding to her last spat about Evander’s life.

“What is it?” I whisper. I have a feeling we all aren’t walking out of here alive, there will be more blood tonight. She smiles slightly, and steps forward. Silas backs away, holding Elaine. Ian picks Honor back up and steps back as well. I stand up, facing the Brutus. Evander’s hand grabs onto my ankle but I ignore it. Her blue eyes glow into mine; they no longer look light and harmless. She isn’t the girl I rescued from the Virgo anymore. She’s taken down two of my warriors tonight and is about to take two more, her best friend and her fiancé.

She shrugs. “I guess someone can offer to take his place at the guillotine tomorrow morning.”

I remember Elaine’s words when she was the black thief, telling me more of the prophecy. “One of your rouges will backstab you, that one will also steal something very precious to you. One of your rouges will die for you.” Gwendolyn was the backstabber, and she stole Evander for me. The next is that someone will die for me, but what if it isn’t me. This isn’t my story anymore, it’s someone else’s. Everyone was wrong. I’m not the Sati, I’m the one who dies.

Elaine begins to scream again, this time at me. “Esme don’t do it! Esme no we need you the world needs you. Esme! ESME!”

I shoot Silas a look and he covers her mouth. Elaine kicks and throws her arms around trying to get Silas to let go of her. Silas stares at me, begging me not to do it but understanding at the same time Elaine might die if I don’t.

Evander begins to grab on my ankles more harshly now, and starts so my name over and over again. He then begins to apologize, I don’t know what for but it angers Gwendolyn and she kicks him in the head. He shuts up and I look back into the blue eyes full of hate.

I swallow and begin to speak. “You let them all go. You let them all go back to the plane so they can go back to the Aquarius. You have to!”

“Deal.” She responds.

“How can I trust you?” I ask her, stepping closer and feeling Evander’s fingers strengthen and beg my ankles to stay next to him.

“What?” Gwendolyn asks, dropping her chin and narrowing her eyes at me.

“How will I know that they’re safe?” I say slowly, as though she was stupid.

“Do you have another choice?” She asks. “You won’t know because you’re dead but it’s worth a shot, right?”

“Esme, are you sure? Maybe there’s another-“Ian’s meaty voice starts.

I grab my swallow and hand it to Gwendolyn. Two Mazte guards come in and one hand cuffs my hands. The other searches my body and removes the three daggers and pistol from my thigh straps. He even goes down to my shoes and takes them away from me. Evander’s apologizing becomes louder and he rolls over, hugging my feet. Elaine breaks free from Silas and runs to me. She’s screaming and tries to hug me but a Mazte picks her up and throws her against the wall. Silas runs and picks her up, holding her against the wall as she continues to scream. An unconscious Honor still lies in Ian’s arms as he steps back in the corner, away from the Mazte’s.

One of the Maztes picks me up and throw me against the wall. Pain shatters all over my body as I crawl next to Evander, whose arms are now around me and screaming with apologies.

Gwendolyn clears her throat. Elaine and Evander shut up as they look to her in fear. “Here, is where you learn that I double crossed you. Please don’t get mad, there’s nothing you can do now.” She looks away and her eyes find Evander. “Evander, sweet heart stand up.”

Evander starts to scream again with apologies. I stop breathing as I watch the Mazte’s lift him up, and Evander stand on his own. Fake blood falls off him as he looks at me. His eyes are full of apologies.

“Esme I am so sorry I had no-“The guards grab his arms and begin to walk him out. “ESME I’M SORRY!”

“Wait,” Gwendolyn ponders. The guards stop. Gwendolyn pats her index finger on her lips, thinking of any more ways to torture me. “Let the others go, leave him here for an hour. He can tell Esme all about his little plan.

“IT WASN’T MY PLAN!” Evander yells as the guards throw him onto the ground next to me.

Gwendolyn points to Silas and Ian. “Let the rest go.”

The both remain perfectly still.

“You have ten minutes or you join Esme on the guillotine, including your little girlfriends and the other three.”

They charge out of the room to retrieve Conrad, Max and Felix. Now it’s just me and Evander staring down Gwendolyn as she turns away and the guards shut the door.

The room is almost completely black; the small sliver of light from the crack of the door is the only thing that relaxes my eyes. Evander breathes in uneven breathes next to me, unaware what to say. I close my eyes and take it all in. The white flower in her hair, the young boy’s corpse, Gwendolyn attempting to kill Honor, Elaine’s hands and Evander who wasn’t hurt at all playing along in Gwendolyn’s game.

Evander sits up next to me. He turns his eyes to mine and we stare at each other. I’m not sure what to think. I don’t know how Gwendolyn put Evander up to this, is Evander still to trust? Or is he just like her. His breathe finally begins to even. “Esme I never meant to-“

I shake my head and he stops talking. His eyes search mine as they begin to water. A tear drops from my eye onto my leg. A few more drop, but this time it doesn’t make a guardian angel. I was wrong, guardian angels exist, but not in some other way. We all live here, in this world to protect the others. My job was to protect the new Sati, it was my time to die.

Evander begins to speak again. “I never meant to hurt you, or kill you. Gwendolyn and Artie told me if I didn’t do this they would kill everyone in that tower. I didn’t know that you were going to die, Gwendolyn told me they were just doing it for the Haima.”

“Haima?” I say between tears. “What do they want with Max? And who’s Artie?”

“They say she’s a Russian mole. And Artie is the leader of the Aries, the one in all black.”

“Why does he only wear black?”

Evander shakes his head. “No one knows.” He puts his hand on my cheek and wipes the tears away. “I thought I was doing this for your safety.” He whispers. “Is there any way I can still save you?”

I shake my head and tears fall faster now. He cups my face and places it in his lap. I curl up in a ball and let him stroke my hair, wipe the tears away, and tell me everything is going to be okay. Finally, I feel like Max in the nightgown. Everything would be perfect, if only I wasn’t going to die tomorrow.

It doesn’t seem like long until Gwendolyn opens the door back up, and the two Maztes carry screaming Evander out. He tells me he loves me again, and Gwendolyn’s face wrinkles with anger. She slams the door, and I am left with nothing but darkness. A few minutes later, she returns to place my diadem on my head, fixing it perfectly.

“You left this here.” She mutters.

It feels so nice to have it back on my head where it belongs. The coolness of the gold relaxes my headache a bit, and I stay on the floor curled up in a ball.

I guess before most people die they think about the best things in life. In reality, the best things that ever happened to me mostly happened after the apocalypse. Besides when I danced and the whole school cheered, with Evander being the leader there wasn’t much. Of course I had good times with Clement and my little brother Julian, but nothing compares to now. Waking up to Elaine’s big eyes after my suicide attempt, the first time I ever used the swallow, the battle with the cannibal while saving Lance’s life, Lance turning on me, the Virgo, the first time I saw Silas and Gwendolyn, when Evander and I met again, choosing our name the phoenix rogues, the night by the fire and my speech, dancing for the rogues, the Libra, Micah’s head and screaming Honor lighting the tree on fire, finding the ring and throwing it into the river, Elaine coming out as the black thief, Evander’s fake kisses, the zombie horde, dueling my clone, setting the Russian flag on fire, Gwendolyn at Macy’s, Honor at the Phantom, Silas at the zoo, Elaine on the statue, pulling my hair out when searching for Evander, Silas proposing, burning down the Gemini, waking up in the Aquarius, saving Athalie and the other prisoners, discovering Max’s true identity, and then today. Life was never this exciting before the zombies. I would have never met Elaine, Silas, Honor or Max.

I crawl to the corner, and curl up in an even tighter call there. I had only one last thing to do before I died, and that was to have one night without nightmares. Maybe this one night, a burning hand won’t flash or the lovers on the balcony. Tonight, I am young and I will sleep.

Before the zombies, I could sleep anywhere for hours. Tonight will be just like that. Tomorrow Micah will greet me asking about Honor. Clement will beg for Lance and Evander details. My parents will cry, and Julian will have a nightmare and need me to hold him. I will wear my raven hair and green eyes prouder than ever. I’ll watch Elaine save the world. I’ll watch Max find the Azali. Silas will finally get revenge, and Honor will find love. I close my eyes and pretend I’m in a bed, a California king bed with twenty pillows. It cold, but I’m toasty in between the sheets. Evander tucks me in, and kisses me on the forehead. Finally, I can sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

Light flashes in my eyes as I jump out of the fetal position. Gwendolyn stands with her hands on her hips and the Maztes walk towards me. I gasp, waking up back into the nightmare I escaped from. The maztes strong arms grab my elbows and pull me up to the ground. One of each of their hands locks onto my elbows as they lead me out of the room into the basement. Gwendolyn lets them pass, and then clips my swallow into the holder. She doesn’t say a word and then disappears in the corner of my eye.

The maztes push me around the corner to the elevators. One inserts a slip, and then pulls it out. A green light flashes and they force me into elevator. I swallow and my heart begins to beat outside my chest. I guess yesterday I didn’t really think this through, maybe I thought a miracle would happen that would save me. I was so wrong. I accept my death now, it will happen. The doors open and the Maztes push me out, steering me into the lobby where all the zombies were last night. They take me out the doors, and toward a crowd of people. My lynch mob, I think to myself.

It’s déjà vu. The crowd throws things at me, and calls me names. The mazte’s don’t cover me, so odd objects hit me left and right. Some people punch and kick me, the pain hurts but the sight of the guillotine hurts more.

It stands tall with chestnut wood. The rope is beige, and worst of the entire angled blade is sharp as ever. My heart stops as it sees the blade, waiting to slice through my neck and taste my blood. The executioner is a tall Mazte, he has no shirt on and only wears brown pants. He holds the rope impatiently, waiting for my head. Gwendolyn also stands on the stage with the guillotine and the executioner. She watches me with a smile, admiring her work.

None of my rouges are in sight except Evander, who is also being held back by two maztes. His head is angled down so he can’t see me. But the sound of my first foot hitting the stairs makes his curiosity jumps and his eyes buries into mine. Tears stroke his face and he tries to free from the maztes but they just hold him tighter. He mouths the words ‘I’m sorry’ to me before allowing his eyes to fall back to the ground. I’m completely on stage now, and I face the Guillotine. My breath becomes uneven as Artie begins to speak.

“People of Gemini and Aries! We believe in a world full of Royalsis, and this fiend, this HARLE tried to ruin it. Does she not understand, that out of the old world must a better one thrive? One full of only Royalsis, where one dominates caste rules. Instead, this harle challenged our rules and tried to make her own. This, this starts the beginning. Esme Caliente will be the first to die, then all the harles after her. She will die because of her caste, because of all the blood she has shed, and because her relationship with a royalsis!”

The crowd boos. Thoughts are racing in my mind, ideas of how to get out. But there’s no way to get out. I just have to accept that it’s my turn to pass. Artie continues his speech, but I can’t listen any longer. The Maztes push my head down, and lead me to the guillotine. The crowd cheers more. The rest my neck on the curved wood and the executioner takes his place holding the rope. I close my eyes and wait.

The wait is the hardest part. I feel the same way of the Eila pointing the gun at me, except this time the executioner will let the rope go.

It’s silent, dead silent. I learned once that after getting your head cut off you stay alive for about three more seconds. That’s enough time for someone to pick you up by your hair and show you to the crowd. I wonder how much pain it will be, how excruciating my head will feel as it’s being lifted away from my body.

The man still hasn’t let go of the rope, and now I’m just begging for him to. I just want them to get it over with, put me out of this agony of waiting. My neck tenses, any second now he will drop it. I can’t cry, I ran out of tears last night. The mazte’s push my shoulders down so hard I can’t move. I can’t breathe out of fear.  My heart feels as though it’s beating so fast I’m having a heart attack. I say my first words, asking them just to get it over with.

There’s a loud noise in the distance, then a grunt. Something falls to the ground and then a whipping noise. The two maztes let go of my shoulders and the guillotine is released. Someone pulls my head back, and I watch as the blade cuts an inch of my hair. I fall to the wood floor and look up to my savior. 

Reviews

[Shep]

Tigher call( ball) there....


I hate. It when you do that yiu know...

[Gretchen Clarke]

Wow, this was a pretty scary chapter, Esme almost dying and all. According to the caste system, I'd either be an Azali or a Royalsis, since I used to be blonde, and someone says I still am, but it looks brown to me.

[Lydia]

I have reddish- brown hair so I'm either a Lotus or a Aiana.

I think this chapter was amazing. Even though I knew Esme wouldn't die it still made me cry. Especially the part where Evander was screaming apologies. That was intense. I usually don't cry at books, but this was defiitley an exception.

[Syrinx]

Aww! This is going to sound mean but I'm glad you cried cause that means you enjoyed it! (I'm not really happy you cried lol) Thank you so much!

[Lydia]

You should be glad I cried. It is a good thing!