The Stolen

Chapter 24

At first, I think the hallucinations are back.

 But no, this is completely real, I somehow know it is.

 Emma is standing at the frame of the door of the little white room.

 "Chrix." She smiles. "Oh, thank god you're okay. I know you must be so tired of fighting these people, but at least you're okay."

"E-Emma?"

 "Yeah. Did they do something to your head? Can you think straight?"

 She approaches me and takes my arm, but I push her away with all the strength I have in my small, hurt body. "I can think perfectly, thank you very much."

 She's related to Brooke or Inés or whatever. She helped her. Indirectly, Emma killed Olympia.

 "What did they say to you? Don't you trust me anymore because of something they said?" She sounds very worried.

 "Did you know Brooke's real name isn't Brooke?" I ask her, and something flashes across her face.

 "No."

"I want the truth."

 "That is the truth," she says. "I don't know anything about that. She's my cousin, and her name is Brooke."

 "I saw an emotion flash on your face when I said it," I say.

 "Of course you did, it was surprise!" she complains. "Chrix, c'mon! I have no idea of what they did to you or said to you, but none of it was true! None of it!"

  "None of it?" I mock her. "So your cousin isn't a crazy Spanish chick who killed the only friend I had here?" My voice breaks. "So my friend is alive and all of this was some kind of sick, twisted joke?"

  I hear steps near the door and turn my head fast. Too fast, because I'm still recovering and my head is starting to hurt a lot. 

 Lucy has entered the room, and behind her, Daniel and Madison are holding hands.

 It's too much information to process.

<><><><><>

 In my dream, I see every single person I did not personally know back in Opportunity coming to the Earth to fight with the Stolen. Their faces don't have names, but they are here to help, and I don't care who they are as long as they fight for the cause I believe in.

 I don't actually know what this cause is, but after seeing Olympia die in front of me at the hands of Brooke's minions, I've decided I want in.

 I have Brooke few meters away and the knife feels familiar and reassuring in my hand. I raise my arm, preparing to throw and...

 I wake up, and Emma's face is too close to my eyes. "Get off me get off me get off me!" I scream, and accidentally hit her face moving my arms. Madison snickers.

 Madison.

 "You! What are you doing here?!" I shout.

 She looks at me and smirks. "I thought my favorite roommate would be happier to see me than this... Dissapointing."

 "Shut up. You're not funny." I stare at Lucy, Daniel and Madison in disbelief. "And you. You're terrible people. I'm sure you took part in Brooke's awful plan."

 "What are you talking...?" Daniel starts.

 "Well of course we did. We're very important pieces of Brooke's plan. Which, mind you, isn't awful." Madison interrupts him, and we all look at her in shock. "We're not like you, Christine. You're worth nothing to those people you're defending so hard. You're one more black dot in their darkness. But if you joined us, you would have an extremely important spot."

 "Black dot in their darkness? Seriously? When did you become so metaphorical? Also it's a bad metaphor. And I wouldn't join you for something like an important spot in this attack. I wouldn't join you for anything in the world. You killed my friend. Maybe while I was unconscious you've killed even more of my friends. I hate you all!"

 And without even realizing it, I'm crying.

 Lucy pushes Madison aside and comes closer to my bed, face to face with me. "Chrix, we trained you, we taught you everything you know. Without us, you wouldn't be the person you are now. You can't betray us."

 I roll my eyes. "Enough of that shit. According to you, I can't betray you, but you can leave me to die in a ship far, far away from the Earth? What is wrong with you? And don't think I'm going to do what you say because you were the adult when I grew up, Lucy. You have no power over me. I have grown out of the phase in which I listened to what you said."

 "What about me?" Daniel says. "Would you let me go because of some uprising war we need to take sides in? Chrix, please..."

 "Chrix?" I cross my arms over my chest. "Don't you mean Clarisse? Come on, Daniel! I'm not the little girl who was madly in love with you anymore! I don't believe a word you're saying. And how could I?"

 "But we were friends, Chrix," he says in a whiny voice.

 "Yeah, we were, weren't we? But we stopped being friends when you forgot my name, even if I don't remember the exact moment you did it. I don't want to hear another word from you, thank you very much."

 His face twists and darkens. "Fine, whatever. I'm glad you're smart enough to recognize lies. A lot of people would kill for that ability. If you like the truth so much, do you want to know what really happened in the ship after we left?"

 Madison elbows him.

 "Leave me alone!" he says. "I'm old enough to say what I want to say. So, do you want to know the truth?"

 I look at him in anger and despise, but deep down I want to know what he's talking about, so I give a quick nod.

 "We blew the ship up. We blew everyone up."

 The nameless people I wanted here are now lifeless as well. And I seriously can't believe Daniel.

 I'm unsettled by the feeling his words cause in me.

 Which is indifference.