The City Of Death

Chapter Twenty- Macy

"You're going to love it. It's something both beautiful and fun," she tells us as the four of us make our way to the firepit. With only forty-five minutes until the wedding is set to start, Renegades are starting to find a place a sit. Aubriana and I want to sit close to the front where we'll have a clear view of the ceremony since we've never seen one. Turns out, we had the right idea. We manage to snag spots in the front row, and as soon as we've sat down, the rows behind us start to fill up. 

"So what exactly happens?" Aubriana asks. 

"Well, Atlas is going to start with some sort of speech. Then Gemma and Savannah will exchange vows, before putting the bracelets on each other. Then Atlas will pronounce them married and they have their first married kiss. And that's a very short version of the ceremony," Sabella answers. 

"And after that?" I ask, and Sabella shrugs. 

"You'll just have to wait and see," she says, and I laugh softly. It's either going to be something completely boring or completely extraordinary if she won't tell me what it is. With what I know of the Renegades, it'll be the latter. Aubriana tries to get Sabella to spill the information, but she keeps her mouth shut. It goes on like that for forty minutes, with Aubriana trying to get details, Sabella keeping her secrets, and Oskar looking increasingly annoyed by the whole thing. To his credit, though, he keeps his mouth shut. 

At the end of those forty minutes, Atlas takes his place at the altar. Everyone goes silent, waiting for the wedding to start. I look around, trying to spot everyone I know. Matt and Taryn are in the third row, their logs pressed together, getting as close as they can. They keep giving each other loving looks, and I wonder if they're dreaming of the day Matt's Mark is finally healed. The day they can truly be together. The day that they can finally get married. 

Despite my best efforts, Savannah and Gemma are still nowhere to be seen. Annalise, Israel, and Rosalie are all off to the side of the altar. Israel has his guitar in his hands, and Rosalie sits in her mother's lap. Both of their hair has been put up, and I smooth down my hair. Was I supposed to do something with it? None of the other women have done something with theirs, except for maybe Gemma and Savannah, but the bows in Rosalie's hair make my own head feel naked. It's also strange to see Israel with his guitar, but Rosalie without her drum. The two always go hand in hand. 

My thoughts come to a screeching halt when Israel starts to strum his guitar. It's a soft, moving melody, different from anything I've heard him play before. But it seems to fit the mood, and I join as everyone stands. Every Renegade turns their head and looks at the beginning of the aisle, including Israel and his family. I stand there for a moment with bated breath, and then I see her. 

Savannah makes her appearance, wearing a green dress that I've never seen her wear before. Her ash brown hair is in a braided updo, and as she walks down the aisle, she's smiling brighter than I've ever seen her do. She's still limping as she walks, but her head is held high, and if she's at all embarrassed by the limp, she doesn't show it. I suppose any embarrassment over it is long gone after thirteen years. 

Once she makes it to the altar, she hugs Atlas tightly and he kisses the top of her head. It's a small but intimate moment, and it makes my heart swell. It'd be easy for the Renegades to treat their leader with a sort of reverence, but none of them do. They treat him as a close, trusted friend. And I think, above all else, that shows exactly what kind of a leader he is. 

Savannah takes a step back and looks down the aisle, waiting for Gemma. Israel is still strumming his guitar, a soft smile on his face. He catches me looking and nods his head to the beginning of the aisle, where Gemma is standing. She's staring at Savannah, a bright smile on her face and tears in her eyes. I don't need to be in her head to know how she's feeling. To know that she isn't yet walking down the aisle because she's been blown away by the love she feels for the woman on the other end. She doesn't need to see to know who's at the other end of the aisle. Her heart and soul know. Her heart and soul can see what her eyes can't.