One World

Part 30

"We will return home and leave you your freedom."

The last words of the silver-haired Ardanian still echoed in Gabriel's ears. He couldn't erase them. Not even the cheers and shouts of joy, not even all the hugs and Matt's kiss could erase them.

Those were the very words he had said to Rag'ell. At the very beginning, when he was still his prisoner.

Then he would have felt so happy if the Supreme had granted his request, but now... Now the news made him sick.

Of course he was glad that the Ardanians had retreated and were flying home, but deep inside he wished that at least one of them had stayed. The one who had stolen his heart.

Gabriel knew he'd made the right decision. He was sure of it, even though he'd felt miserable since his return. He'd felt strange the first time he'd escaped the mothership, and he'd missed Rag'ell, but that was nothing compared to how he'd felt the last three weeks.

He hoped that things would get better, that if he kept going and got through the worst of it, it would pass. But it didn't.

Still, he was convinced that he had made the right decision.

But now, after Rag'ell's declaration, his resolve wavered for the first time.

He tried to act as normal and celebrate with the others, but it seemed impossible. He was shaking all over, as if he were having a panic attack, his palms were cold with sweat and his stomach was clenching.

He pushed past another in the line of people offering congratulations and tried to get out of reach of the chattering rebels.

We won, Gabriel repeated to himself, pushing his way through the groups of his friends who were starting to party. There were even bottles of alcohol circulating among them.

We won, and I had done what I had set out to do months ago. I had driven the Ardanians from Earth, forced them to retreat.

We won.

Only Gabriel didn't feel like a winner at all, he felt like someone who had lost everything.

It wasn't easy to sneak away, everyone wanted to hug him, everyone wanted him to celebrate with them. But celebrating was the last thing he felt like doing.

Suddenly he noticed a plain white sedan coming down the broken road. It struck him as odd in an otherwise deserted city, but perhaps people would start to return after Rag'ell's announcement.

An elegant woman with thick black hair pulled back by a colourful scarf stepped out of the dusty car; a slender woman in jeans, a dark top and sunglasses over her eyes.

"Mum?" Gabriel gasped in surprise and ran to her.

~~~

Mariana Cassel wasn't the only one who'd arrived in the city during the day, and by nightfall the streets were teeming with people.

By now the celebrations were raucous, alcohol was flowing and loud music and shouting echoed through the previously quiet streets.

Gabriel regretted that he hadn't had a chance to talk to his mother alone during all the revelry. Garret was the first to greet her, and then more introductions followed.

So he didn't hear much news.

Only that his father (his stepfather) and his younger sisters were safe. They too were due to arrive soon, but as Mariana had told them, there had been long queues on the roads after the news of the Ardanian soldiers' departure, as people tried to return to the towns they had occupied until recently.