Keira
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
The institutions taught me one thing—there was no way we could live here if we wanted to be safe. I believed, and so did Axelle and Wylan, that the institutions were hospitals and I just realized that they were prisons. Prisons for the mind.
Miles was supposed to be dead, and perhaps he would have been better off that way. Instead, he was brought here once, brainwashed, and then fed to the Death March like a lamb to a slaughter and brought back here as punishment.
They killed my parents for this. They killed them, and destroyed my entire life for what? What were they trying so hard to conceal?
I held my brother close, a storm raging within me. Anger, sorrow, and pain intertwined and I had to uncover the truth behind Veridonia. My parents' deaths, my brother's torture, my life...everything.
I exchanged a glance with Wylan who was intently focused on the road in front of him. Axelle was leading our way, and my brother was barely able to walk or talk to us and I was scared.
Did I already lose him to Veridonia?
We made our way back to Axelle's house, although I was very much tempted to visit my old house with Miles. It was still standing but it wasn't as safe as Axelle's. Miles also needed to breathe fresh air, otherwise, there'd be no way he could get better.
Miles' condition was deteriorating rapidly, and all three of us knew that there was a very very slim chance that he'd be able to survive. Every moment spent in Veridonia felt like a ticking time bomb, leading us closer to our deaths. I knew we needed to act quickly if we were to have any hope of saving him.
Once inside Axelle's home, we lay Miles down on a couch, his frail form not taking up much space.
"I'm going to fetch some water and clothes," Axelle said hurriedly and left, while Wylan paced anxiously, his brow furrowed in deep concern.
His brows furrowed in deep concern as he contemplated our next move.
I knelt before Miles, gently brushing a stray lock of hair off his forehead. His dirty blonde hair, once vibrant, now appeared almost grey and lifeless. His eyes fluttered open briefly, but darkness was the only thing I saw. I didn't know whether he could even see me or not. I didn't know what had happened to his eyes. Was he able to see...anything?
I gulped, my heart clenching as I remembered the old Miles. The vibrant, free-spirited painter who suddenly slipped away before my eyes.
"Miles," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Can you hear me? It's Kee. Please, you have to stay with me."
How was I going to save him when he seemed so far beyond my reach?
Suddenly, a soft hand rested on my shoulder. It was Wylan, his eyes filled with concern. "We'll find a way to help him, Keira," he said, his voice surprisingly steady. "We can't let Veridonia destroy more lives."
I knew what he was thinking. For him, there was a possibility in this void that his mother was alive, along with his sister. He was waiting for the day that he'd reunite with them, just like I had with my brother.
Axelle returned with water and clothes, her expression grave as she took it all in. "Baby Alissa can sleep in my room today. Miles can go to Papa's old room and you, Wylan and his father can stay in Baby Alissa's."
Wylan nodded. "I'll just help clean him up first."
Axelle sat down on a chair and retrieved a package from her pocket, gently tearing it open. Wylan and I began tending to Miles, washing away the dirt and grime that clung to him. Axelle had opened her package, only to find a long piece of paper crumpled up in the packet. I stopped, and looked up at her.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, concerned as I watched her eyes widen at the contents. "What does it say?"
"Names," she replied, "Names of 678 children that disappeared around the Death."
Wylan stopped at the mention of the children's names, his eyes widening in shock. "678 children?" he echoed. "Your father smuggled them out of Veridonia?"
Axelle nodded gravely, her fingers tracing the names as she unfolded the crumpled piece of paper to reveal a long list of names, each one representing a life lost in Veridonia that they gained elsewhere.
"Some of them are...my old friends," she murmured. "I thought they died."
Wylan interrupted her. "That's not the point here. There's a way out of Veridonia. Someone knows the way, or there's a key or an answer somewhere. We need to find it."
I was skeptical about it. "Well, if that was the case...don't you think the Dom Council would have closed up the way out, or got rid of the key?"
Wylan chuckled, for the first time that I'd known him. "That's not the point. The point is...there is a way out. We just need to find out where it is."
As Wylan spoke, a glimmer of hope ignited within me, but I was still skeptical. He was talking like it was the best case scenario. Everything would have to go our way. "Finding a way out sounds like wishful thinking," I admitted, still in doubt. "But we need to find out if it exists."
Wylan flashed me a charming smile. "Come on, Keira, where's your sense of adventure?" he teased, reaching out to tousle my hair. "Isn't this the kind of thrill you've always dreamed of? Finding answers to the chains of oppression and uncovering secrets hidden in the shadows?"
Despite myself, I couldn't help but laugh at his infectious enthusiasm. "Very funny. Definitely the perfect time to make jokes," I replied, unable to hide the hint of a smile tugging at my lips. "But I'm in."
Axelle watched with a fond smile, her eyes twinkling. "Just be careful, you two," she cautioned. "We don't want any reckless heroics getting us into trouble."
I scoffed. "Excuse me? You're the one getting us into trouble half the time," I complained. "I'd rather be in a 'Pride & Prejudice' type story but I am stuck in an unwanted action-adventure because of you."
Wylan stood up from kneeling down in front of the couch. "Who said your life couldn't be more Pride & Prejudice?"
I ignored him. "Axelle, your father knew about the exit. Would that mean...your mother knew and she told him? Or did he find out somewhere else?"
Axelle sighed, her gaze falling to the floor. "I don't know, Keira," she admitted. "Mama never talks to me about anything anymore, and Papa never told me about this. But if he did know about the exit, he would never share it with me."
Wylan, ever the optimist, chimed in. "Maybe he left a clue, like this list of names. Something that could help us find out."
I nodded, considering the possibility. "He could've taken you with him as well. But something stopped him, or something must have happened. He could've left you a clue, a key that'd help you get out."
Axelle's expression turned serious. "We need to be careful. The Council won't take kindly to us poking around, and if Major Verid is searching for us already...it'd be very very dangerous."
Miles grumbled on the couch in front of me, his voice finally somewhat alive again. I leaned closer, "Miles. Miles. Can you hear me? It's me. Kee. Your sister."
Miles stirred slightly, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to open them. Wylan sat down beside me, and I held my breath, waiting anxiously for any sign of recognition.
Instead, he spoke just four words.
"Get out of here."
I was grateful that he said something, and that he was still alive in his mind because that was something that Miles would say. Get out of here. Get out of where?
If he was listening to our entire conversation, he was just as easily telling us to get out of here. Veridonia.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟷𝟹𝟶𝟽 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂
𝚃𝙾𝚃𝙰𝙻 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚃: 𝟸𝟹𝟶𝟺𝟸 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂