Unsuitable

by Dawn Norwell

  Many suit soldiers dodged out of the way before the bronze bell crushed them; others weren’t as fortunate. I felt guilty about the deaths of the soldiers, but I wasn’t sorry, not when the lives of innocent children were in danger.

  The distraction was effective, as all of the Syndicate soldiers turned to the source of the commotion. They lowered their weapons just a fraction of a second, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike. With a deep breath, I ran toward an unsuspecting Thane. Seeing my approach, he dropped the match to the ground where it snuffed out in the dirt.

  He tried lighting another match, but I was on him before he had the chance, bringing the full force of my weight down on him through the butt of my gun. I felt the snap reverberate through the weapon as it broke his nose.

  As Thane lay bleeding on the ground, some part of me was screaming to shoot him before it was too late. But another, larger part of me heard my mother’s final words telling us to take care of one another before she died.

  I hesitated for a fraction of a second, contemplating taking the life of the only suit family I had left. I allowed my mother’s words to distract me, to sway my moral compass, and interfere with my better judgment. By the time I regained control of my thoughts, it was too late to act.

  He gave a signal to the pilot, who pressed a button on the dashboard. All of a sudden, every gun in the courtyard started trembling, seizing, as if coming to life. I gasped as the pistol was yanked aggressively out of my hand. The weapon- along with every other gun in Nova- was stuck to the side of the aircraft, as though it were some sort of large magnet.

  My heart sank at the sight. Without our new and advanced weapons, Nova would never stand a chance against the suit militia, who were armed with swords that seemed unaffected by the large magnet.

  I stood vulnerable and unarmed before my brother, who was so irate that he was shaking with rage. Before I could think or move out of the way, Thane grabbed my arm, holding me firmly in place. Without a second thought, he pulled a knife from his belt and thrust it directly into the center of my pregnant stomach.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: SELFLESS SACRAFICE

  I felt every agonizing inch of the blade when Thane pulled the knife from my stomach. A grunt of surprised pain escape my mouth. Blood poured from the gaping wound, forming a scarlet puddle on the ground.

  I fell to my knees in the grass, my hand grasping desperately at my stomach, as though I would be able to reverse the effects of the blade. My mind goes to the daughter growing inside of me, right where the knife had punctured. Thane’s followed my gaze and smiled, acknowledging that the wound might be fatal for the baby. He was driven mad with his need to punish me, to exact his revenge, willing to do whatever it took to make me suffer, even if it meant murdering his niece in the process. He wanted his revenge, sought a way to make me suffer, and he had finally found it.

  Time seemed to slow down. Somewhere, in a faraway place, I heard a roar of rage. I recognized Zander’s agonized cry as he realized what has happened. I prayed that someone would hold him back so that his fate wasn’t the same as mine.

  As I bled out in the streets, soldiers in the courtyard watched in horror, suit, and unsuit alike. The world fell silent as they took in the scene before them- the wife of Nova’s leader, seven months pregnant, stabbed while trying to stop the Syndicate. The suit the Nova citizens had despised upon her arrival, had sacrificed her life to save the unsuit children.

  Slowly the faces of my comrades filled with unrelenting fury. This had been an attack on one of their own, and they would not take this assault lightly. Weapons or not, they would not allow my death and the death of my daughter to be in vain.

  The Nova soldiers tensed, preparing for war. They determined to avenge me, their martyr. The Syndicate outnumbered us more than threefold, but that didn’t matter- we were filled with adrenaline and rage and would win this war, even if we died to do it.

  But the suit soldiers didn’t notice the unsuits preparing to attack because they couldn’t tear their eyes off of me. Their gazes locked on my swollen stomach, their faces filling with disgust at Thane’s behavior.

  Thane paid them no mind, though, because he was reveling in this moment. The corners of his mouth turned up in an evil smile, and he began whistling “Hush Little Baby” as he walked around me, playing my torture song, one last time.

  His tune was interrupted as a suit soldier approached him. The man reached for his first aid kit, but Thane yanked it from the soldier’s hand and tossed it into the crowd before the man could help me.

  “Sir… she’s pregnant?” the suit soldier said, his nose wrinkled with revulsion as he stared at my wound.

  “I know she’s pregnant, dumbass. That’s the point.”

  The man’s mouth fell open in shock. “I-I-I think you crossed the line, sir,” the soldier stuttered, fearful, but determined to stand his ground. “It’s just a baby.”

  Thane scoffed at him. “That is no baby. It’s a mutt- a suit/unsuit hybrid that is sn abomination to suits everywhere.” His lips curled in disgust. “Killing it would be doing everyone a favor.”

  “You’re wrong,” the soldier said, squaring his soldiers. “Suit or unsuit, a child is still a child. They know nothing of this war we wage.”

  Thane, who had finally grown tired of the man’s insubordination, let out a groan of frustration. “You just don’t know when to shut up, do you, Maddox?”

  Before the man could respond, Thane used his knife to slit the man’s throat. People screamed, but Thane showed no remorse. He was making an example of the man, trying to get his soldiers in line. He glared at the suit soldiers, daring one of them to say something.

  What Thane didn’t expect, however, was that this unnecessary death of his people would only ignite the flame of rebellion further. The suit soldiers shook their heads with aversion, declaring that Thane had gone too far.

  Even though the unsuits were outnumbered and weaponless, despite that the suits had the upper hand, many of the Concord soldiers laid down their swords, and lifted their hands in surrender, revolted by their commander’s actions. They didn’t agree with him or his methods; they would rather die or be held prisoner than stoop to his level. Committing a pregnant woman to death was unforgivable.

  Death. The word stuck in my mind. It felt ominous, dark, something sinister. I didn’t like to think about it, but how could I not? How could my death not be impending with the copious amount of blood dripping in agonizing slowness from the place where my daughter lay?

  As the blood continued to pour from my body, my vision started blurring. I looked up, searching for Zander’s face in the crowd. He looked like a madman, fighting against the unsuit soldiers who were trying to hold him back, fearing that he might be the next to die.

  His mouth was open in shock as he tried to absorb the scene before him. I stared back, kneeling on the ground, staining the dirt beneath me with my crimson blood. It poured from the gaping knife would near where our daughter’s heart would be. Thane hovered over me, pleasure coloring his face as he examined his handy work.

  Tears poured down my eyes as I took in Zander’s agonized pain. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, hoping that he could forgive me for essentially murdering our baby girl.

  Zander’s face transformed. He was no longer staggered by the lethal injury in my abdomen, but was pissed. His teeth clenched together with so much force, I could swear I heard it from across the square. His cheeks reddened as rage and adrenaline rushed through him. There was no holding him back now.

  He easily pushed past his security, grabbing one of the swords the suits had thrown to the ground. Tightening his hold on the weapon, he ran forward, ready to kill. Thane had taken away the only people that Zander still cared about. For that, he would pay.

  Zander ran full-force toward Thane, desperation in his eyes. I begged him with my gaze not to stoop to Thane’s level, to continue being the brave man that I knew he was. He couldn’t put his life in danger, not when his people still
needed him. But he didn’t notice my pleas because he only had eyes for Thane.

  I knew that if the tables were turned, I would want to avenge his death, the same as he would mine. We had agreed that this life wasn’t worth living without the other. Still, my heart ached as he quickly approached where I kneeled. I couldn’t bear the idea of losing him too.

  Thane followed my gaze, his face contorting with intrigue as Zander approached him. He cocked his head curiously to one side and smiled, pleased to finally have an apt adversary, someone who might give him a real fight for a change. But deep in his emerald green eyes, I could see a different emotion, something I had never seen from Thane before- fear. How would he stand a chance against a desperate man, someone who had nothing left to lose?

  Thane stepped into the courtyard, his goal of murdering me long forgotten. He had a new objective now- to take out the commander of Nova, to take out my husband. My heart hurt at the idea.

  All eyes were on the two men as they met in the middle of the town and started circling each other. The men stared at their rival for a moment, each tightening the grip on their weapons as they measured their opponent.

  As though through some unspoken command, the fight began. Zander slashed through the air in Thane’s direction, but Thane dodged the blow easily. Thane jabbed his sword at Zander’s abdomen, but Zander parried to the right, blocking the attack at the last minute.

  The men lunged and ducked and jumped out of the way of their opponent’s weapon, missing the blow of death by millimeters each time the blade neared their bodies. Then they would swing their own sword, aiming for the kill, knowing that their survival depended on taking the other man’s life.

  The clashing of swords reverberated throughout the courtyard with such power and intensity, it jarred my teeth. Zander and Thane were equal adversaries, both powerful soldiers and masters in the field of battle. They were equals on the battlefield, distinguished in the art of war, always cognizant of the other’s intentions so that neither man could gain the upper hand.

  Though Zander was skilled in battle, he had been fighting the Concord army for hours now, and it didn’t take long for his fatigue to show. Thane took advantage of Zander’s exhaustion. When he lagged just a moment too long, Thane dragged his long, silvery blade across his ribs. Zander let out a grunt of pain and clutched his side. Scarlet blood stained his shirt, but thankfully, the wound was shallow. Zander gritted his teeth and allowed his fury to propel him forward through the injury.

  With newfound aggression, Zander reciprocated the attack, slashing Thane’s arm so deeply that it severed a nerve in his dominant arm, causing the extremity to fall limply to his side. Zander cursed as Thane switched his weapon to his other arm, ambidextrous in his ability to swing the sword.

  In an attempt to take advantage of Thane’s injury, Zander took a forceful swing, aiming to kill. But Thane fell to his knees at the last minute, causing Zander to stumble. He brought his blade across the back of Zander’s knees, forcing him to fall to the ground. Try as he might, Zander was unable to get back up.

  His eyes met mine from across the courtyard, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion and defeat. Dread filled me as Thane lifted his sword high into the air, ready to swing it for Zander’s death blow. I wanted to turn away, to stop watching the battle before it was too late and I had to witness the love of my life taken from me. But my eyes were glued to the scene.

  I reached out as if I could do something to stop the inevitable death blow from occurring, but I would never make it in time to save the man I loved. As my heart accelerated, the pain in my abdomen intensified. My blood flowed more freely now, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I knew that I was nearing the end.

  At least we’ll be together once again, I thought, dreaming about holding Zander and our baby in my arms in the afterlife.

  “I love you,” I whispered, staring into Zander’s crystal blue eyes as I slipped away.

  Aggressive coughs racked my body as I started to choke. Blood filled my airways and spewed from my mouth, blocking my oxygen supply. I grasped at my throat, trying futilely to catch my breath, but I was unable to clear the obstruction. The world around me went dark as I suffocated from the inside.

  Zander snarled in anger as he watched me diminish. Despite his exhaustion, despite his life-threatening injuries, despite the fact that Thane was seconds from killing him, the color returned to his cheeks. His face contorted with fury, coming back to life as my own life faded away.

  Watching me die filled him with renewed vigor, and he managed to tumble out of the way, just as the edge of Thane’s sword landed where his head was moments before. With a roar of determination, Zander hoisted himself onto his injured and bleeding legs. In the same second, he pulled his sword back and thrust it forward, straight into Thane’s heart.

  With the blade still gouged in his chest, Thane dropped his weapon and fell on the ground beside me. His eyes were wide with disbelief as he gazed at the wound in his chest. He looked Zander in confusion, clutching the sword as though it were a think of make believe.

  Zander leaned down until his face is only a few inches away from Thane’s. “You messed with the wrong family, fucker,” he said, twisting the sword for good measure.

  Thane let out a constrained groan and clutched at his heart, but it was too late. He took one last gasp, and then he was gone, snuffed out like the match he’d held only moments before. Zander pulled out his weapon, and Thane’s limp body fell to the ground.

  “Kai…” Zander mumbled, his eyes searching the courtyard until they found me.

  My vision blurred as he ran toward me, desperation in his eyes. I reached out to him, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms as I slipped away from this world, but he didn’t make it to my side before I fell into unconsciousness.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: LOVE’S LEVERAGE

  T he dark abyss weighed heavily on me. It called my name, urging me to give in. It promised me a life of ease if I left this cruel world behind. The pain in my abdomen, white-hot and insistent, nearly pushed me to the brink, yet I held on.

  Zander’s face came to me in my unconsciousness, angry and accusing. It would be hard for him to forgive me for putting our child in danger, to continue loving me when I got our baby killed. It would be so much easier to give up, to enter the beyond, and not have to deal with the guilt and grief I would feel for the rest of my life.

  “Kai, its Zander. Can you hear me?”

  His voice was far away. I searched for him in the void, but he was nowhere to be found. If only I could see him, maybe I could find my way out of this black hole that was slowly consuming me. But his face was lost, obscured by the blackness. As his words faded, I felt myself slipping, slipping away. I tried to hold on, but the pull was just too strong.

  I vaguely remember the alert of the hospital monitor as my heart stopped beating.

  No, I begged, I’m not ready to leave him.

  But it was too late. I had already been dragged into an ethereal world, lost in the obscurity of this realm. A sense of numbness fell over me, devouring me, filling me with a peace unlike any I had never known before.

  “Welcome, my brave girl,” a familiar voice called. I opened my eyes to see Athena standing before me, a warm smile on her face. She placed her hand comfortingly on my cheek.

  “Athena? What… how…” I stuttered. My eyes widened with alarm. “Does this mean that I’m dead?”

  “It depends on your definition of death,” she said with a knowing smile. I looked at her in confusion, unable to decipher her words. She took my hand and led me deeper into the darkness.

  “If you choose, you could move on from the mortal world and join us in the peaceful afterlife. You could spend your days in tranquility, no longer worrying about war, and pain, and enduring the cruelty of the world, but basking in the serenity of the beyond,” she says.

  My brows furrowed. “Or?” I prompted.

  “Or,” she continued, “You could choose to go con
tinue your old life, the remainder of your days filled with apprehension and the struggle to survive. You would be made to deal with the consequences of your actions, and feel every ounce of pain the world has to offer for as long as your life continues.”

  I looked at her hesitantly. The first option was, by far, the better of the two. It seemed like an easy decision- why would I choose purgatory over paradise? But at the same time, I couldn’t forget all of the things that I would be leaving behind to live this life of peace.

  Athena watched me undergo this battle, her eyes softening with compassion.

  “It’s your decision. If you choose to go forward, you will be able to see your parents and Leilani again. They’ve been waiting to for you,” she smiled, but her grin quickly faded. “Just know that if you choose this route, you won’t see Zander again. Not until he has joined us in the afterlife.”

  I contemplated her words. The image of Zander’s wounded face appeared in my mind, a man crazed with loss and sorrow as he stood over my lifeless body. Could I really move on without him and betray his love? Could I choose to become just another loved one who abandoned him, knowing that he might not recover this time around?

  My hands fell to my abdomen, no longer swollen with child. Tears pricked at my eyes as I remembered my blood pooling to the ground, taking my daughter’s life with it. Things would be different if I went back. Would I be able to deal with the pain of losing a child? Would Zander forgive me for my impulsiveness that killed our baby, or would he condemn me, declaring that my actions were inexcusable?

  So much loss and destruction filled my life these days. What I wouldn’t give to move on and avoid the pain that I would feel when I woke up. But then my mind drifted back to our wedding night, to the vow I made to never desert Zander. I could never be so selfish as to abandon a man who had sacrificed everything for me, who had already experienced so much agony in his short life. Despite my desire to escape the inevitable pain of living in a world where my daughter didn’t exist, I could never leave Zander.