Cassandra

I. So I stayed in the darkness with you

Briallyn remembers the time when she long to be in the place where she can hide from the world - mainly, from her father, - but after 1 year and 8 months of confinement she finds that she is sick of seeing forth walls nonstop. The only real saving she has is the fact that at least her older brother, Raden Warmer, - half-brother, as her father kept reminding her - came to visit her and gave her some books to read, along with some news about her best friend Illene Sforza, who too was confined for the same crime as her accomplices and Bri wondered if any of her family members went to check on her.

She wondered why she hadn't died yet since she became 18 almost a year ago - 10 months and 5 days ago, or 309 days ago, to be exact. She would've thought she just lost the track of time, but her brother made sure that she didn't. Perhaps it was some kind of sick entertainment for her father. God knew he loves make people wait.

But it seems that her time of living had finally come to an end, if the cacophony of sounds was any indication of it. The metal door to her compartment opened and the platinum girl heard how someone entered it, the sound reverberating through the cold concrete floor on which she sat, meditating. She opened her sky-blue eyes slowly and turned her head to the side, only to be met with the view of a Dr Lahiri standing there uneasily. Briallin looked him over, noticing that there was absolutely nothing in his hands and behind the man were two guards who patiently waited for their order. Her father's soldiers. The same ones who brought her here in the first place.

"Have you finally come to finish the job?" She asked simply with a scottish accent that her grandpa had and she adapted over the years, uninterested and uncaring, as though she was talking about nothing more than a weather or clothing - the last one being the most popular topic of Phoenicians girls. Or it was before her confinement, at least. She really can't say now. Not that she cared.

"No," Dr Lahiri said, which caused her to raise a brow questioningly and expectingly. "You are going to Earth. Along with 99 kids."

Earth. That word made her freeze for a moment, while her brain tried to come up with understanding of it.

Of course, she understood the reason behind her being sent there with the oxygen problem and all, but there was no reason to send a criminal there. That was until the other thought struck her.

They didn't know about the living ability of Earth. And there was absolutely no reason for them to not send them there as a collateral. They were still going to die, anyway.

"If you manage to survive there," Dr Lahiri continued. "You will be pardoned of all your crimes."

Pardoned my arse. Does anyone really believed in this? That they would suddenly forgive them?

"Right," she said, with a small, amused smile. "And let me guess, there we find a place of our dreams with unicorns and dragons?" Briallyn chuckled, raising to her feet and outstretching her hands. "Does Sforza coming as well?"

"And Griffin, and Jaha." She nodded at that. Not really interested in the last one to be fair.

"Do you think it would be cold?" He put a metal bracelet on her hand that he took from the guard and only shrugged at her question. "Right. Sorry. I forgot that there is no fun for you in knowing this."

"Don't want to take anything with you? I may land it in your backpack." She nodded and looked around as though really considering it.

Everything she really needed - her rings, that were gifts from her mother and grandparents, - and earrings - a gift from her brother - were on her. "Count of Monte Cristo would be nice, thank you." he nodded.

"See you soon, Warner." They both knew how unlikely it was, but she still nodded at that, feeling the press of a syringe to her throat.