by Lola St. Vil
Will she go out with Alex now? Will she start seeing other humans or just Alex? Argh, Ihate that guy. Has she contacted him to let him know that we broke up? Have they beentexting back and forth? Are they sharing witty jokes with each other? Worse, have theybeen sexting? If not, do they plan to start? Is she going to sleep with him? Will she sighand call out his name like she did mine?
Wait, does she love him?
Oh my Omnis, she loves him.
She loves him?
What if she loves him?
Emmy glares at me and that’s what forces me to put aside my questions. I remind Miku and Jay that we have more important things to talk about. Luckily they do not get to argue because at that moment, Rage makes an announcement.
“I know Ameana. She would never do this without a good reason. That Wolf bastard is holding her hostage.” He says as he starts to flap his wings and starts to hover in the air.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“I’m gonna find the Kon bastard and deep fry his ass,” Rage replies.
“Rage, you can’t go after him on your own,” Jay says.
“Fine, then come with me.”
“You can’t get to Wolf. The Omari won’t let you. They will take you out before you get anywhere near him,” Miku replies.
“I don’t care. This hippie fucker has my family. I don’t give a damn who or what gets in my way, I’m going to get them back. And then I’m going to sear Wolf’s wings off and shove them down his damn throat,” Rage vows as he starts to ascend higher and higher.
“I told you, you can’t kill Wolf,” I shout.
“Why the hell not?” Rage asks.
“Because I signed a contract,” someone says as they walk up the path that leads to the remains of the villa.
Ameana walks up to us with a flowing white dress and concern etched on her face. Rage flies down and lands in front of her. The team quickly surrounds Mimi, not sure if Rage will be violent or not. We wait with bated breath to see if Rage will need to be restrained.
He doesn’t do anything but stare at her for the first few moments. Then he desperately reaches out to her but she quickly steps back.
“Thomas, no! If you touch me, Aaden and I will die.”
CHAPTER TWO:
ONE MISTAKE
“YOU DID ALL OF THIS AND NOW YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER AND AADEN COULD STILL DIE? ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?” Rage shouts to Ameana.
“Hey, calm down,” I warn him.
“NO, I’M NOT GONNA CALM DOWN. SHE DID ALL OF THIS FOR NOTHING; NOTHING HAS CHANGED!” He bellows.
“Thomas, that’s not true. Now Aaden’s life is in our hands and not in the hands of the Originals,” Ameana pleads.
The two of them start to argue back and forth until I order everyone to shut up. Everyone does. I let the silence soak in for a few moments before speaking.
“Ameana, take us through this: from the top,” I instruct.
“Thomas, I’m so sorry. But I couldn’t take the chance that the Review would result in Aaden’s death. So I contacted Wolf last night and I told him I would marry him if he called off his kill order.”
“I told you I would take care of it!” he replies, only slightly less pissed.
“He’s my son. I couldn’t chance it,” she begs.
“He’s our son. And you should have had faith in us; in me,” he accuses.
“I did what I had to do to protect him,” Ameana shouts.
“You went and did this behind my back. Why didn’t you tell me?” Rage demands.
“I knew you would never allow Aaden and I to go off with Wolf. That’s why I had to sneak off,” Ameana replies, instinctively reaching out for Rage. She then remembers the contract and pulls back.
“Okay, let’s put a hold on why you married Wolf. What’s this about not being able to touch Rage?” I ask.
“At first, Wolf said I couldn’t even come back to the team. But then I told him that I had to help you guys find the last two Alphas. I think he said yes because he understands duty. He used to be a part of a team himself so…he said I could finish the mission. But he’s worried that Thomas and I would get together so he made me sign a contract,” she admits in complete despair.
“What kind of contract?” Miku asks taking her friends hand.
“A Garren.”
“Yo, you signed a Garren contract with Wolf?” Jay says in complete astonishment.
Rage’s mouth hangs open. Miku places her hand over her mouth, shocked. I lower my head downheartedly.
“Um…I’m pretty sure I’m going to regret this, but what is a ‘Garren contract?’” Emmy asks studying our faces.
“Well—” I begin.
“—No. Let Ameana explain to Emmy what she has just done. Go ahead, Ameana; tell Emmy how you have destroyed our family,” Rage challenges.
“He implanted a micro meter inside me. It’s the size of a pin but it’s deadly accurate. And it’s programmed to identify Thomas. So should he touch me, the creator of the contract will be alerted and the punishment will then get carried out. Death will be quick,” Ameana says.
“So it’s kind of like the contract Marcus signed when he had to marry Bianca?” Emmy asks.
“Yes but with a ‘Garren’ attached…” Ameana can’t bring herself to finish.
“A Garren protects the creator of the contract from retribution. So should anyone named in the contract kill the creator they too will die.” I reply.
“So if Rage touches Ameana, both her and Aaden will die?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“And if Rage goes after Wolf and kills him…”
“We’ll die anyway,” Ameana says looking desperately at Rage.
“So I can’t even go after Wolf,” Rage says shaking his head, exhausted with sorrow.
“I’m sorry. It was the only way I could come back and finish the mission. It was also the only way I could come and see you. Thomas, please try to understand,” she begs him.
“Tell me this Ameana, what happens after the mission is over?” Rage asks.
“Aaden and I have to go live among the Paras and never come back to earth.”
“So I would never see you. I would never see Aaden?” Rage asks.
“No. Thomas, baby I’m sorry. Please forgive me,” she begs.
“My father never loved me. He never…wanted me. I vowed to our son that every single day he would know that he was loved and that he was wanted.”
“Aaden will know that,” Ameana swears.
“How? The only thing Aaden will know is that I abandoned him. How can I forgive you for this?”
“Thomas…”
“You took my family away,” Rage whispers in a pained voice as he takes off into the sky.
Ameana bursts into tears and Miku holds her tightly.
“Marcus, should we go after him?” Jay asks.
“No, he needs some time to—”
“—I’m sorry to interrupt,” someone says behind us.
We turn and find the last person in the world I want to see, standing on a Port.
“What do you want?” I ask Alex.
“I heard about Ameana and the Kon, I came to see if everything was…okay,” Alex says looking at Emmy.
“Everything’s fine,” I reply shortly.
“Emmy, you okay?” he asks her.
We all turn our attention to the two of them. She nods quickly.
“Like I said, everything is fine,” I add once again.
“Good. The Review is over. I’m sure you already know that,” Alex says.
“And yet you came all this way to tell us,” I reply coldly.
“I also came to see if you guys needed any help,” Alex says determined to stay calm and collected.
“We got it under control,” I promise him.
“Okay. It’s just that my family has been dealing with the Kon and their family for centuries. We may be able to help.”
“No, you can’t. I signed a contract with Wolf. It has a G
arren clause. No one can help.” Ameana says miserably.
“Wolf’s family and mine are fairly close. I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Please, that would be great,” Ameana says with growing hope.
“Alex that would help so much, thank you,” Emmy says coming closer to him.
“I can’t promise anything but yeah, I’ll try,” Alex says smiling at Emmy.
I hate this guy.
“Thanks man,” Jay says.
“Yeah, sure. Emmy, you’re gonna be here when I get back? I won’t be long,” he says.
I really, really hate this guy.
“Um…yeah, I’ll be here,” she says smiling shyly.
He disappears on the Port just as suddenly as he came.
“Does he know about us?” I ask her with a voice far too firm to be casual.
“I don’t know,” she replies.
“Did you tell him?” I push.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the team exchange a look of concern. I should have stopped the conversation right there but I couldn’t help myself.
“Well, did you tell him or not?” I ask again.
“No, but you know how the Splash is, secrets are never secrets for long,” she reminds me.
“So he probably knows,” I say, mostly to myself.
“I have no idea what Alex does and doesn’t know,” Emmy says growing impatient.
“Why do you have an attitude?” I ask.
“Because I don’t like being interrogated.”
“I’m just asking a question.”
“Well like I said, I don’t know. Can we drop it?”
“Fine, whatever,” I snap.
“I need to see you alone. Now,” she demands.
She doesn’t wait for me to reply. She just takes off. I look at Jay and he signals that I should go after her. I sigh and follow her around the corner to the charred remains of the walls that once divided our bedrooms.
“What is your problem?” she accuses as soon as we are far enough away.
“You’re the one who is jumping down my throat for asking a few questions!”
“They weren’t questions, Marcus; they were accusations.”
“Emmy, I was just curious. If you don’t want to tell me than you don’t have to.”
“I know this is hard for you; it’s hard for me too. But we made this decision and now…we have to live with it. We can’t fight with each other at every turn and deal with the mission,” she reminds me.
“You’re right. I was being a jerk. I’m sorry,” I admit.
“Thank you; And I’m sorry I told the team about us. I should have talked to you before I did that but—”
“—no, it’s okay. I mean they would have found out eventually so…”
“Yeah, that’s true,” she replies.
We stand in silence not sure what to say next. She bites down on her lower lip and looks down at the floor. I place my hands in my pockets and look past her as if not looking at her will make this easier. It doesn’t.
“Um…I don’t really know how to do this,” she admits.
“Yeah, me too.”
“Marcus, I want you in my life,” she says looking into my eyes for the first time.
She wants me in her life? Does that mean she no longer wants to try being with humans?
Does she want us back together? I don’t care what I said before, if she says she wants usback to together then Lucy be damned, I’m taking my girl back. She wants me. She wantsus…
“Emmy, what are you saying?” I reply trying to sound casual.
“I don’t want us to do like we have in the past when we’ve broken up; I want us to be friends.”
Friends???
“What?” I ask, taken aback.
“How does being friends sound?” she asks.
It sounds stupid. Crazy. Torturous. How can we be around each other and not want eachother?
“Great; being ‘friends’ sounds great,” I reply out loud.
I flash her a big reassuring smile. She embraces me. I thought I saw a flash of disappointment on her face when I agreed to be friends but I’m sure I imagined it.
Holding her in my arms is agony because I know she no longer belongs to me. When we pull back she blinks away tears and smiles.
“I was waiting for the right time but it turns out there is no right time to give back an engagement ring,” she admits as she takes her necklace off.
She removes the ring I had given her and hands it to me. It’s like she handed my heart back to me. Only it’s useless now because it only beats when it’s with her.
“Emmy, you don’t have to…”
“I know but you should have it. You know for…the next girl.”
Next girl? Is she serious? Next girl? I’m dead. Without her I’m dead all over again. Andwho would want to go out with a guy who’s died, twice. She kills me then she talks aboutanother girl? What girl?
“Marcus, please take it.”
“Okay,” I reply as I reach out and take it from her.
She starts to head back to the team. Just before she disappears around the corner, she calls out to me.
“Marcus, we can do this, right? We can be friends?” she asks, filled with hope.
“Yeah, it’ll be easy,” I reply.
She smiles and walks away. I am left holding my heart in my hands.
When Rage returns a short while later, he doesn’t address Ameana. Instead he focuses on everyone else. Emmy tries to calm him down by reminding him Alex could actually come back with good news. I know she’s bringing Alex up in attempts to comfort Rage but really; I don’t need to hear that guy’s name—ever.
I send Jay and Miku to find a new place for us to live since our villa is now mostly debris and ash. While Emmy and Rage talk, I take the opportunity to check in on my second in command. She’s a few yards away from everyone else, looking troubled and hopeless.
“How’s Aaden?” I ask as I approach.
“He misses his father. I can actually feel Aaden longing to be near him.”
“They’re connected,” I reply.
“I didn’t think Thomas would behave this way.”
“You took his son from him, what did you expect him to do, Ameana?”
“All I know is I have to put Aaden first. I have to put him before my love for Thomas; that’s my job.”
“No one questions the reason you did it but it’s the way you did it that sucks. Mimi, Rage heard the most damning news of his life secondhand.”
“I didn’t have a choice, Marcus.”
“You did. You could have told him. And you know, it’s not just that. You and Aaden were the only thing that stopped Rage from giving in to his dark nature. And just like that you two are gone. Rage is new to being good and you are really pushing it.”
“I know…”
“What happened with you and Wolf after you two got married? He didn’t try anything did he?”
“No, that’s what’s so strange. I think more than anything, Wolf thinks he’s saving me from Thomas somehow. He thinks that keeping us away will end our love for each other. But I know for a fact that pulling lovers away, just makes them closer in the end.”
“You’re referring to me and Emmy?” I ask.
“Yes; despite everything the two of you ended up together.”
“Actually, we didn’t. We broke up.”
“Oh c’mon, what the hell, Marcus?”
I’m taken aback by her reaction.
“What? We broke up, it happens,” I reply, defensively.
“You two have to stop this. I mean how many times can the two of you go down this road? Enough already!” she says, clearly ticked off.
“Well I’m sorry if we can’t be as together as you and Rage,” I snap.
“Look, I don’t mean to be a bitch but seriously, you and the human are really starting to get on my nerves. How many times are you two going to do this?”
“I didn’t want to end it but in case yo
u forgot, she kissed another guy,” I reply.
“I heard you forgave her for that.”
“Yes, Mimi, I did. But she’s not done wanting to kiss other guys; other humans.”
“She said she wants to be with a human?” Mimi asks.
“She doesn’t know what she wants. She’s only seventeen; she has a right to have options. And try different experiences.”
“That sounds rehearsed.”
“It should. I’ve been telling myself that for days now.”
“Marcus, are you saying you let her go?”
“I told her she was entitled to an exit if she wanted one. And I guess she did…”
We both remain silent and look out onto the Valley below.
“Again, things would have been simpler had we just…loved who we were supposed to love,” she says sounding distant.
“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”
“Guys, Alex is back,” Emmy shouts.
Ameana and I head back and find Jay and Miku had returned as well. We all focus on Alex who stands a few feet away from Emmy.
“So, what did you find out?” I ask.
“Well the bad news is Wolf is serious about this marriage. Once the light is restored, he’s planning on building a castle in Daraquin for Ameana.”
We turn to look at the Akon/Guardian couple. Rage angrily shakes his head and Ameana looks away. The team and I exchange a troubled look.
“But there is some good news—kind of,” Alex says.
“Really, what is it?” Emmy asks.
“The Garren contract is unbreakable as it stands now. There is no way around it. But Wolf did make one mistake: he created the contract and signed it with the seal of the Kon,” Alex tells her.
“What does that mean?” Miku asks.
“It means that the contract is connected to his title. It’s valid so long as he is still Kon. But should Wolf no longer be the king of the Paras, the contract would be void.”
“So Wolf would have to be dethroned?” Miku asks.
“Exactly. And in order to do that, there would have to be an Uten. A fight to the death,” Alex informs us.
“So anyone can challenge a Kon?” Jay says.
“No. The Kon can only be challenged by another Para or a leader appointed by Omnis,” Alex replies.
