Atlas (A Selection/Hat Films Fanfiction)

~ Twenty Six ~

It was quiet.

No one wanted to talk to me, and those that did, did so cautiously. I had been through countless meetings with Silver, revising my schedule to give me less work and more time to rest. I wanted to immediately return to status quo, prove that the King couldn't break me, but I was genuinely scared.

I had to admit the break did help me, even though I did so begrudgingly. I didn't want to stay in the infirmary, and even when I was returned there I left again, so I spent a week recovering in my bedroom. I stayed away from meals and anywhere I might meet the king, but he still communicated through Gavril, who told me I had to make a public apology and run damage control to try quelling the outrage my whipping had caused.

I didn't tell Alex about Gavril; the prince trusted me enough when I said I had a connection but didn't want to tell him who it was yet. I knew it bothered him, but if anything went wrong, I wanted to make sure he knew only what he absolutely needed to.

Gavril only came a few minutes at a time and there were few updates from the Northerners that directly involved me, so he had no excuse to stay long. He also helped me write my public apology, since he was the one who was going to approve it. I had to be incredibly safe with it, but we tried to imbed messages in it that would let the people know I wasn't going to be broken down by the King. I don't know when I decided it, but I was now actively working against the king and encouraging the rebellions, even if it was only indirectly.

I was wary of Gavril, since we still hadn't discussed his motivations nor his role in the greater scheme of the Northern rebellion, but he was one of the only people I could trust carrying these messages back and forth right now. I had considered the ideas that he had his own contact, that I was vetting all my responses through him, and that I was adding another complicated step that could be discovered, but I was secretly grateful he was here. It felt like a real adult was on our side, checking my work to make sure I wasn't making mistakes and guiding me through this new territory of resistance and rebellions.

People were angry. The northern rebels had started to openly campaign and protest the king, while violence from the southern rebels had died down now that the citizens were causing enough chaos on their own. Alex had shared his fears that they might be planning something big, so we started brainstorming on how best to use the Italian Princess' support. So far, we had very little planned, and I was starting to get overwhelmed with the number of factors I needed to keep track of.

The Turks had agreed to an alliance, and Ross had convinced them to include the condition that I wouldn't be put in jail. We weren't sure what his father would do to me, but this had granted me temporary immunity from the worst punishments. I didn't have any contact with the Turks, but Ross had told me that they shared similar motivations with the Italians. However, they were far less comfortable with the mention of any rebel groups and I didn't want to put any real weight on the help they were supposedly willing to give.

The Elites had been given a break. The Convicting trial date was pushed back two weeks. When I started returning to lessons, the other Elites treated me with caution and slight pity, which I preferred over aggressive competition. Now that Beckii was gone, I felt increasingly lonely and didn't bother interacting with any of the other girls or going to the Women's Room. I knew they read the same papers and tabloids I did, and they had been vastly overshadowed by me - something I was sure they didn't appreciate.

I kept Alex at arm's length, only speaking with him to discuss politics and strategy. I simultaneously longed for our friendship to return to what it had been and wished I could cut off contact with him all together. He couldn't look at me; he would often speak at his papers or off to the side instead of meeting my eyes. I did notice him stealing glances at the bandages around my arms and shoulders, but he never said anything about them.