Flames (Book 3)

Chapter 12: Mey

I sat in a chair in the main hall of the base. I had felt too numb and exhausted after Princess Viviana's grand sendoff to actually leave the hall. Quite conveniently, Chief Myers had retreated to the quarters of the human Glitches in a futile attempt to escape the wrath of his aunt, and almost everyone else was busy packing their things in preparation for the evacuation that was soon to come. 

I was completely alone. 

I liked it. 

I could finally hear myself think.

The image of Aron kissing Princess Viviana replayed over and over in my head, haunting me until I felt almost physically sick. I imagined standing in front of the princess and staring at her perfect, Lessaenite face. I continued the fantasy, visualizing myself reaching out and jabbing my fingers under Viviana's violet, royal eyes and yanking them out of her skull. 

Not so beautiful now, are you?

The thought brought a smile of cruel joy to my face.

My confidence in the unspoken love of Aronel Faerlen and the security of my future with him began to slowly wane as I reflected on my life from the beginning of high school, when I started to spend more time with him, to the present time. 

All those cups of coffee, all those late-night Aura warfare training sessions, all those rides home...the whole time, he was just...being friendly? 

His strong voice echoed in my ears at an agonizing, piercing volume. 

"You're my best friend, Mey." 

The sentence repeated itself thousands of times, overlapping and growing in intensity until my eardrums vibrated from the sheer force of the sound. 

Yes, I thought with venom. He wasn't lying. I would always be his best friend. 

I would congratulate him at his wedding. 

I would hold his children, gush over their cuteness, and tell him how they looked just like him. 

I would be his wife's confidante.

I would always say he was like the older brother I never had.

Was that really the cruel fate to which I was sentenced forever? Was I to watch Aron and Viviana grow old together, encouraging them and laughing with them every step of the way? How could such a horrid punishment be inflicted upon an innocent girl, under the watch of the righteous eye of Lumys?

Suddenly, I could no longer contain myself, and a deluge of sorrow began to pour down my cheeks and onto the leather of my warrior gear. 

How could I have been so blind? 

After all the times he wiped away my tears, all the times he called me "baby sis," all the comforting hugs, how could I have not seen it? 

He just felt bad for the poor, little orphan girl. 

I had joined the Radicals with the hope that his brother would give me the kind of attention I wanted, but Teren was just a weirdo. 

I wanted Aron. 

I needed Aron. 

"I know what it feels like."

I jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice behind me, my hand instinctively going to the blade at my side. 

"W-who's there?" I asked, surveying the empty hall. 

"I know what it feels like to have your heart ripped out of your chest and shredded to pieces in front of your eyes. I know that feeling all too well. You poor, poor girl," the voice crooned sympathetically. 

Even though all my training told me to be wary of the stranger, something about the lullaby-like rhythm of the voice put me at ease. I felt so fragile- I needed comfort, and that was exactly what this mysterious voice was bringing me. 

"I was wronged too, once. I thought I was done, that I could no longer live a full life. But, there, I was incorrect. Broken hearts can be mended- shattered souls can be made whole." By this time, I was completely spellbound by the voice. 

"You can...m-make Aron love me?" I squeaked hopefully. 

"No, that, I cannot," the voice chuckled. "Love is dictated only by an individual's desire. I can tell you this, however. You are beautiful, and strong. You deserve so much better than that filthy rebel." 

Filthy rebel. 

"You're Queen Saralee!" I gasped in realization, rising from my seat in fear and confusion. 

"Should that matter? I'm only offering you the best advice. And, it's not like things can get any worse for you." 

"You're an expert at making things worse for people." 

"Or so you are told. You grew up with dreams about Aron...and you saw how that turned out. What you know is not always the truth. I have a solution for you, something that can lift you right out of your confusion and despair. It will go against everything you ever believed, but I can promise you that it will save you." 

I found myself beginning to agree with her, but quickly chided myself. 

Following the Ice Queen's instructions was worse than selling your soul to the devil. 

"There is a world outside this base, a world where there's a guy like Aron on every block. I am offering you the key to that world...and the key to your heart." 

Before I could contemplate the meaning of her words, a shimmering needle appeared in my lap. It was full of a translucent, blue liquid. I nearly cried out when I realized what it was. 

The Iceheart Serum. 

"The choice is yours," Queen Saralee laughed, before her voice and presence faded into nothingness.