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Chapter VI - Part I
It had been a while since she last wore something so clean. It smelled so fresh and felt soft against her skin. If only it could stay that way forever. Andy took her brush from the cupboard and started combing her hair. When she was just a little girl, her mother had done it for her. She had even braided her hair. Life had seemed easier then. She hadn't worried so much.
"You look lovely," said Andrew noticing her new clothes.
"It wasn't my first choice though," answered Andy turning to her brother. "I wanted a book."
"A book?" Andrew was surprised but Andy had expected that. "What kind of book? You can't read."
"I know I can't read. I just hoped that maybe Grandpa would teach me if we had a book. I know it sounds stupid but I feel like I'm missing out by not knowing even what text looks like."
"It's not stupid. I just never thought you cared," Andrew sat on his bed and patted the seat next to him inviting her to sit. Andy sat. It felt good to talk.
"I never thought I did."
"Eliana could read," said Andrew. It was the first time he had mentioned her. "I even saw her write a few times. She offered to teach me just in case we ever got out."
"She wanted to escape?" Andy had rarely heard of people planning to escape but never of anyone succeeding. They were always noticed from one of the watchtowers and killed on site.
Andrew nodded. "They had her cremated." He was holding back tears as he said it. He wanted to scream out loud how unfair it was he didn't get to say goodbye. How unfair she was dead. She was only eighteen and they took her. She never got to have her own family, to experience life, to fail or succeed at anything other than scavenging at that stupid lake. He wanted to hurt those who were constantly hurting everyone else. Who gave them the right to decide who gets to live and who doesn't?
Andy took his hand into her palms. Andrew couldn't hold it in anymore and a single tear fell down his cheek. It was as if a block had been raised from his emotions. Now the tears started falling in pairs. Andy wrapped her arms around him as he allowed grief to take over.
She felt useless as he was sobbing. All she could do was hold him. They were constantly on the verge of death and they didn't have any control over it. Her brother could've lived happily with the woman he loved but instead, the Emperor decided she deserved to die. If it even was the Emperor, who made the decisions.
"Do you think we could stop them?" she asked feeling her mind come to a dangerous conclusion.
Andrew looked at her with his red eyes that were slightly swollen from the tears. He didn't seem to understand where she was going with that.
"What if we all came together and broke out of Sencor? We could escape and be free. They couldn't stop us if every family, every prisoner fought against them," she sounded crazy but determined. Her heart was pounding and adrenaline already pumping through her veins. "If we wait for the right moment, we could even assassinate the Emperor himself." She remembered the thought she had had earlier about her becoming a hero and the idea became even more appealing to her.
Andrew's mouth fell open in shock. "You want to start a revolution?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I want!" Andy realized she was telling the truth.
"If you want to get killed, just volunteer at one of the executions. Why do you want to drag everyone else with you?"
"I would rather die fighting!" Andy's face hardened and her jaw clenched.
"What do you know of fighting? You're just a little girl who has listened to Grandpa's stories and started believing that she could change the world but let me tell you something. You can't! Sencor was filled with prisoners before you were born and it will be so after you die. If you decide you want to die right now, fine. But it will not change a thing."
"I choose to believe otherwise," Andy answered firmly. She understood all the risks of a revolution. She knew it would be hard but it would give them purpose. It would give them hope.
"I don't want to fight with you, Andrew. I want to fight against the Empire and for our freedom. Don't you see the point in that?" Her behavior surprised even Andy herself but she believed in her words. She really believed that they could fight their common enemy if they just united.
Andrew just shook his head. "I don't want to fight at all. Not with you, not with anyone."
He stood up and wiped his cheeks. Others were probably already by the bonfire but she had come to change her clothes. She knew the idea of revolution would not leave her now. But if she couldn't even convince her brother then how would she convince anyone else?
She put her brush back into the cupboard and stepped outside into the chilly night.
To be continued
Chapter VI - Part I
It had been a while since she last wore something so clean. It smelled so fresh and felt soft against her skin. If only it could stay that way forever. Andy took her brush from the cupboard and started combing her hair. When she was just a little girl, her mother had done it for her. She had even braided her hair. Life had seemed easier then. She hadn't worried so much.
"You look lovely," said Andrew noticing her new clothes.
"It wasn't my first choice though," answered Andy turning to her brother. "I wanted a book."
"A book?" Andrew was surprised but Andy had expected that. "What kind of book? You can't read."
"I know I can't read. I just hoped that maybe Grandpa would teach me if we had a book. I know it sounds stupid but I feel like I'm missing out by not knowing even what text looks like."
"It's not stupid. I just never thought you cared," Andrew sat on his bed and patted the seat next to him inviting her to sit. Andy sat. It felt good to talk.
"I never thought I did."
"Eliana could read," said Andrew. It was the first time he had mentioned her. "I even saw her write a few times. She offered to teach me just in case we ever got out."
"She wanted to escape?" Andy had rarely heard of people planning to escape but never of anyone succeeding. They were always noticed from one of the watchtowers and killed on site.
Andrew nodded. "They had her cremated." He was holding back tears as he said it. He wanted to scream out loud how unfair it was he didn't get to say goodbye. How unfair she was dead. She was only eighteen and they took her. She never got to have her own family, to experience life, to fail or succeed at anything other than scavenging at that stupid lake. He wanted to hurt those who were constantly hurting everyone else. Who gave them the right to decide who gets to live and who doesn't?
Andy took his hand into her palms. Andrew couldn't hold it in anymore and a single tear fell down his cheek. It was as if a block had been raised from his emotions. Now the tears started falling in pairs. Andy wrapped her arms around him as he allowed grief to take over.
She felt useless as he was sobbing. All she could do was hold him. They were constantly on the verge of death and they didn't have any control over it. Her brother could've lived happily with the woman he loved but instead, the Emperor decided she deserved to die. If it even was the Emperor, who made the decisions.
"Do you think we could stop them?" she asked feeling her mind come to a dangerous conclusion.
Andrew looked at her with his red eyes that were slightly swollen from the tears. He didn't seem to understand where she was going with that.
"What if we all came together and broke out of Sencor? We could escape and be free. They couldn't stop us if every family, every prisoner fought against them," she sounded crazy but determined. Her heart was pounding and adrenaline already pumping through her veins. "If we wait for the right moment, we could even assassinate the Emperor himself." She remembered the thought she had had earlier about her becoming a hero and the idea became even more appealing to her.
Andrew's mouth fell open in shock. "You want to start a revolution?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I want!" Andy realized she was telling the truth.
"If you want to get killed, just volunteer at one of the executions. Why do you want to drag everyone else with you?"
"I would rather die fighting!" Andy's face hardened and her jaw clenched.
"What do you know of fighting? You're just a little girl who has listened to Grandpa's stories and started believing that she could change the world but let me tell you something. You can't! Sencor was filled with prisoners before you were born and it will be so after you die. If you decide you want to die right now, fine. But it will not change a thing."
"I choose to believe otherwise," Andy answered firmly. She understood all the risks of a revolution. She knew it would be hard but it would give them purpose. It would give them hope.
"I don't want to fight with you, Andrew. I want to fight against the Empire and for our freedom. Don't you see the point in that?" Her behavior surprised even Andy herself but she believed in her words. She really believed that they could fight their common enemy if they just united.
Andrew just shook his head. "I don't want to fight at all. Not with you, not with anyone."
He stood up and wiped his cheeks. Others were probably already by the bonfire but she had come to change her clothes. She knew the idea of revolution would not leave her now. But if she couldn't even convince her brother then how would she convince anyone else?
She put her brush back into the cupboard and stepped outside into the chilly night.
To be continued
I feel like she'll succeed and there'll be a revolution, also really enjoyed this part, full of emotions.
ReplyDeleteI guess we'll find out more in the next part 😉
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