𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𓆩⟡𓆪 𝕏𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕟 ℝ𝕚𝕠𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟

「 ✦ 0.02 ✦ 」

Before I knew it, I was next in line to put my name down and walk the parapet of death. I can't wait.

"Next!" the boy with the marked arm shouts and I step up to the table. He lifts his gaze towards me and lifts his eyebrows in surprise. "Ainsley Whitlock?"

"Yes sir." I say, smiling slightly and I could see a faint smile on his face as well. He look around, as to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. Luckily, Mira was too busy giving Violet tips to notice anything.

"You're the old childhood best friend Xaden has been talking about, aren't you?" He asks and I widen my eyes in shock that he knows about me. I can't help the warmth that pools into my chest at the thought of Xaden talking about me. I nod my head, smiling widely. "He won't be happy to see you in the riders quadrant."

"I know." I say softly, smiling widely, knowing he will throw a fit when he sees me there. I smile politely at the boy and step aside for Violet and Mira. The man's smile is wiped off his face at the site of the Sorrengail sisters standing before him. He narrows his eyes at them in anger and I can't help but feel guilty for being with them. While my father was there and helped scar Xaden's back as well, I was the one who stayed behind and helped clean the wounds on his back and comforted him. I have never been cruel to the marked children and showed them so much kindness. I couldn't say the same for these two, though.

"Thank you." I say, smiling as I walk past the table and he nods his head politely. I pause at the doorway and wait for Mira to finish talking with the people behind the tables. Once the conversation was finished, Mira leads Violet to where I was standing and turned towards Violet.

"Don't die, Violet. I'd hate to be an only child." Mira says, grinning at Violet before turning her attention to me. "Be safe Annie."

Mira doesn't wait for any of our answers and saunters off past all of the candidates watching her every move. She was a pretty famous dragon ride with a great power, everyone knew her name.

"Tough to live up to that," I hear a woman say in front of me say and I turn to meet her gaze as she stands just inside the tower.

"It is," I say smiling at Violet who nods in agreement. Sometimes I wish I had an older sibling that would have saved me from my father's wrath, but I would have to live up to their greatness. I think I'll pass.

I head through the doorway and behind the woman, just below the spiral staircase that disappear the higher it goes up. The girl looks between the both of us and I can see realization dawns in her gaze. She knows who we are.

"Sorrengail and Whitlock as in...?" she asks, looking at us over her shoulder as the line begins to move up towards the parapet. The staircase to our doom. Literally.

"Yep." we both say at the same time, already used to these questions. We both grew up with these questions and it gets old quick.

"The generals?" the blonde guy ahead of us asks. The shimmer on his arm catches my eye almost instantly. I glance down at his arm and see the relic swirling up his arm in black ink in beautiful strokes. The same one that was on the boy behind the table. I look away quickly, before he catches my stare and smile at him. He was one of the children that Xaden protected and in turn, sacrificing his own self and mentality. Sometimes I hate how much he feels he needs to save everyone, but I can't blame him really. I would have done the same thing if given the chance.

"The very ones." I say nodding my head slightly. Violet has not said a lot, but I have a feeling these two will take a liking for her when we all get to know each other better. Me, however, it's hard for me to trust people and get close to others. Not after what happened to Xaden. My father takes everything I love and ruins it. He saw how close I was getting to the Riorsons, closer than I ever felt with him, and he dug deep into the family. What he found was why he killed Fen and all of his followers, as well as, marked all of the children. Sometimes, I blame myself for what happened. If I hadn't screamed that I hated him and wish the Riorsons were my family... Maybe nothing would have happened. I shake the thoughts from my head and focused on the steps in front me as I started to move with the line.