In the Ruins of Hope (Centauri Asaris: Book 1)

Will You Join Us?

I finally understood why I was hated, or in more accurate terms, why my parents were hated. The pieces of the puzzle were finally appearing, but they were not going place. My parents did have the authority to exercise orders, but my parents would never wipe out a village because the village refused to join the empire. This puzzle cannot be solved until I find out who Dain is. It seems that whatever is happening is directly influenced by Dain. The destruction of Alex's village occurred six months ago, so Dain must have had something planned then. It is probable that his plan to gain power over the empire has been in effect for longer than I had realized. We need to move fast, so we need more power. We need Alex.

"Alex," I began, "The man that destroyed your village goes by the name Dain. I don't know how he is related to our parents, but Alisa and I are investigating into it. I want you to read this. After you read this I'm going to ask you something that is beyond dangerous. It is your decision if you agree or not." I handed Alex the letter previously owned by the Interrogators. I saw hesitation race across his body. He probably knew how important this letter was, and the consequences of knowing its contents were apparent.

I gazed at Alisa, as he began reading. She probably knew what I was going to ask, so I looked for approval on her face. She slightly nodded her head, but I could tell that she was just as uncertain as I. I nervously, but patiently, waited for Alex to finish. He finished examining the profiles about five minutes after he started. "What did you need to ask me?" he said, as his eyes were masked with confusion, just like mine were, "Where did you even get this?"

Alisa began before I could, "Are you going to join them?" She wore a serious expression. Her normally soft expression was gone and replaced by a stoic demeanor. I probably mimicked her.

As though he didn't want to tell us, Alex was silent. He examined the letter in his silence. He was probably reading over the part where it said:

We have also been scouting the citizens to see who is powerful enough to help further our cause. We have found several candidates, but there is one person who stood out. He has the potential to exponentially further our movement.

After several times of reading it, he finally said, "No. I want revenge, and this is probably the best way to get close enough for it. However, there is no way I could work next to someone I hate without the knowing."

I snickered at his remark and said, "That's for sure." After hearing what I just said, Alex did something he never did before. He did not yell nor glare. He did something remarkable, something I thought I would never see: he smiled. Well, not quite, he managed to make a slight smirk. I looked at Alisa for confirmation, but she was just surprised as I was.

The "smile" vanished and he innocently asked, "What's with those looks?"

Alisa and I erupted in a short burst of laughter because of the innocent and confused man sitting in front of us. I realized that he, in that moment, was just a kid. He was just a normal sixteen year old wanting to live his life. In that way, he was just like Alisa and me.

"Sorry," I managed, "We're done now. You can continue."

And so, he did, "Like I said, I would never join him. I would just end up getting caught. There are other ways I can get my revenge."

I saw the determination in his eyes and asked, "Why don't you join us? We are looking for Dain and his organization. We are also looking for our parents, so why not kill two birds with one stone. If you join us and help us find Dain, you will probably find our parents."

Alex seemed interested in my offer, but he asked, "Why do you need me? If I'm looking for revenge against your parents, why do you even want me on your team?"

Alisa answered, "I think there is a side to your story that needs to be heard. We need to know why Willow's parents did what they did, or if they even did that. If you join us, we can help you find your answers."

This was probably a lot to absorb. It was hard for us to know that we were in danger, so it was probably going to take a while before he could answer. I said, "We will give you tonight to think about it. If you want to join us, come to my house tomorrow. It is on the outskirts of the business district, about fifteen minutes away from the school." I reached for a paper and pencil in Alisa's bag to write down my address. I handed it to Alex and said, "If you want to join, come to my house tomorrow. We will be there all day, so just visit whenever. If you don't come, we will know you don't want to join. Simple as that."

Alex put my address away and stood. We followed and made our way to the station. Alisa and I sat in the front seats of the train. Alex sat in the middle seats, a major improvement if you ask me. When we arrived in the Shopping District's station, we said our goodbyes. Alex went on his train, and Alisa and I finished our shopping.

When we finally came home, it was already midnight. Without saying a word, we went into my bedroom and found our way to the bed. In bed, Alisa asked, "Do you think he will come tomorrow?"

I immediately answered, "I don't know. Whichever decision he makes, his decision will push us to act. By this time tomorrow, we will know if he is a friend or a foe. If he is going to join us, we have to start gathering what we can to find Dain. If he does not come tomorrow, we have to tell the Headmaster. Whatever happens, we will push forward to find the answers we need."

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Picture Details:

This is Alex's village before Dain came. Most of the village was looked after, but there were certain areas where it was unkempt. This was one area. Most of the villagers did not reside in areas like this.

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I found this picture here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/138063544800685857/