Torture.
The houses in the vicinity of Base were used for torture.
When I realised this, I finally did it. I called out the one person I was dying to call out for the past seven days.
"Dad!"
I stood at the doorway of the kitchen, unable to believe. My heart rumbled like a thunderstorm. I found him. That's my dad. I found him.
Both men turned their heads to see me. I looked at my father in his pitiful state, and I could've sworn I was feeling more pain from his wounds than he was himself.
His eyes widened, and in utter disbelief he yelled, "Amy?"
The soldier instantly raised his gun, disgust raging in his eyes as he aimed it at me.
"Where did you come from?" he seethed.
I turned to look at my father, my loving father, and regardless of my life at stake I took a step towards the drawing room.
But someone, someone grabbed my arm from the left and pulled me. I crashed into a body. The person clutched my shoulder and turned me around to face him.
"Amy! That's your—" Alec began.
We heard thudding footsteps coming towards us. Alec was quick. He grabbed a rifle from Anna, pulled me behind him and flicked off the safety. Just as the soldier entered the kitchen Alec raised his gun. The tip rested centimeters away from the man's chest.
"Drop your gun," Alec commanded.
The man, who I now hated more than anything, paused for a second. And then, he said,
"Traitor like your father, huh?"
I didn't know what he was talking about, but I sure knew how Alec would respond to that. I knew what Alec was going to do. I knew he was fuming.
Alec threw his rifle away and leapt forward, jumping onto the soldier, and the man dropped his gun in the struggle. They both crashed against the counter behind them, Alec trying to choke him to death.
"Wait!" A voice yelled from the drawing room. My father.
It didn't look like Alec heard.
But why was he asking him to stop?
I'd be doing the same thing Alec was doing if I were him—but now that I thought about it...and when I thought of our future plans...
"Alec, stop!" I screamed. The soldier gagged and choked, his eyes rolling. If we were to get into Base for any reason later, we might need that soldier. I wrapped my arms around Alec, trying to pull him away, but he was as rigid as stone.
"You and your colonel are bloody psychopaths," Alec spat at the man.
I was losing time. If I didn't stop him the soldier would die right there. I struggled, wheezing and grunting, trying to pull him away, but it was useless. A fly trying to stop a rhino.
Someone behind me pulled me away and I lost my grasp on Alec, falling to the ground in the momentum.
It was Hale.
"Alec! Get a hold of yourself! If you kill him there wouldn't be any difference between you and the colonel!"
Alec waited for a moment before letting go, shoving the man to the ground next to me.
The man gasped for air, clutching his neck, coughing and spitting on the floor. Hale grabbed Alec by his shoulders. "Be rational, brother. We can't. You know we can't."
Alec exhaled. "He shouldn't have said that."
Hale shut his eyes. "I know."
I pressed my palms to the wooden floor and pushed myself up. I turned around to face my father in the drawing room.
He was standing next to the sofa. Looking at me. Waiting. I was suddenly rooted to the spot. Swelled with all sorts of emotions as I saw him there. Bruised. Clothes torn. But alive.
I found him.
I couldn't even digest the fact. We did it. We beat all the odds. We lost Samara. We were betrayed. But we did it.
I found him.
I actually found him. He really was standing right in front of me. This wasn't a dream. This was real.
I didn't know when the tears began falling.
Then, he laughed in joy. I thought of that smile he always gave me, that shine in his eyes which meant he was proud of me. I missed that smile so much.
"Amy."
Dad.
My father spread his arms out, the way he did to hug me whenever I came back from school with a medal or a trophy. It snapped me out of my trance.
I smiled. I almost choked on the lump in my throat, but I smiled. He was here.
I found him.
"My brave daughter."
And that was it. I bolted over to him and launched myself into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He instantly hugged me back; his warmth engulfed me, and the familiar embrace was overwhelming. The huge weight, the burden, the heaviness my heart was buried under had lifted. I cried and laughed all at once into his shoulder.
Dad. I found you.
I did it.
I shut my eyes. It was surreal. Ten minutes ago I wasn't sure I'd ever see him again. But now, here we were. He patted my back and stroked my hair. I cried, and cried, and cried.
My cheek was pressed to his and I was hugging him tight, so tight as if he would go missing again if I let go of him. I'd never lose him again. Never.
And then, my eyes squeezed shut, voice muffled by his shoulder, I said the four beautiful words I had wanted to say for so long.
"I love you, dad."
"I love you, too," came the immediate response, and I could tell he was in tears, too. He stroked my hair, just like he did whenever I fell sick. I wanted to tell him so many things, how much I missed his smile, his touch; who's betrayal and sacrifice had brought me here, who had left her family to support her friend, who had taken a bullet just so I could find him, who had the patience to bring us to a home where terrible memories existed; but most of all, I wanted to tell him about her who had torn the world apart to find him.
I turned my head around to see my friends. Anna had her hands clasped together, looking at me and smiling like a proud parent. Alec, standing near the stairs, beamed at me. Apparently, the soldier who attacked my father had been tied to the railing of the staircase by a rope, probably by Alec. He glared at all of us, and I didn't know why, but I laughed at that.
I turned back to my father and squeezed him one last time. But as he began to pull away, I felt something wet on his back, and when I retreated my hands, they were covered in blood.
"Dad?" I instantly walked around to see a slash across his back, the cloth torn and the blood dripping down. My heart wrenched in pain.
"Amy, look—"
"No, dad." I closed my eyes, the image of the wound still sharp in my mind. This was what the colonel had done. What my uncle had done. What my father's brother had done.
I turned to Alec. "Could you...you know..." I croaked.
He nodded sadly. "Let me see what I can do."
He went back to the kitchen. My father hardly bothered about his injuries. He held my face in his hands, and planted a kiss on my forehead.
"My daughter," he whispered.
I smiled sadly. Those words held more comfort than anything else in the world.
He let go of me at last and turned to Anna, smiling. "Nice to see you again, Anna."
She grinned. "Hello."
I turned to observe his face. There was a cut on his left cheek, and the wound was an ugly red. Dark circles under his eyes. Dry lips.
"What did they do to you..." I whispered, a huge lump in my throat.
My father pressed his lips. "Look, forget that. Where is your mother? Is she alright?"
There was a moment of severe, heartbreaking silence.
I stared at him in disbelief, unable to believe what I had just heard.
"Amy? Where is she?" Concern flickered in his eyes.
Mouth open, I turned around to look at Anna, as if she knew the answer. She looked at me sadly, her eyebrows creased.
"Amy. Answer me."
"You...you don't know?"
He looked at me seriously. "Don't know what?"
I found myself at a loss for words. I couldn't believe this was happening. He didn't know?
How was I supposed to tell him? What was I supposed to tell him? So many times...he had told me how she was the best thing that ever happened to him. How was he going to take the news?
God, help me...
"What happened?" he demanded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
If I thought of it, however, it made sense. When the wall...when it blasted open...he must've gone first. He wouldn't have known because my mother was left behind. She was injured.
"She's...she's gone," I told him.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" I could hear the pain in his voice, and deep down, he already knew.
"When the wall had burst open," I whispered, tears in my eyes as I thought about it, "she got hurt. She...passed away because of those injuries."
He gasped, clutching his chest. "No..." he cried, and I shut my eyes. It felt like I was witnessing my mother's death all over again. The image of her wounded head had burned into my mind, and that image floated in front of me.
"It..." my father said hopelessly, "this can't be happening. Amy!" I opened my eyes. He grabbed my shoulders. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening!"
"It's already happened..." I whispered.
"She's...she's..." Tears trailed down his cheek, crossing over the dried blood on his face. As if his tear was more valuable than his blood.
I turned my head on hearing footsteps. Hale and Alec appeared at the kitchen doorway, Alec holding the med box.
"Amy..." he sniffed, "This is impossible. How..." He squinted. "The wall. When it blasted open, I went first. I thought she was behind me..."
I whimpered in my grief. Every memory of that day had come back. The ambulance. The hospital. The bed. The grave.
A sick feeling settled in my gut. All my joy had evaporated to nothing, and I found myself lost in my mother's memories all over again.
The whole time...I had channeled my mother's grief into the inspiration, the inspiration for finding my father. But now, seeing him like this...it felt like all was done for nothing.
"I—I should've checked if she was okay...I thought she had changed her mind and didn't want to go, and was waiting for me come back," my father whispered to himself. He clutched his chest and sat down on the sofa, unable to bear the pain.
Alec and Hale rushed over to him.
"Sir, you need to get yourself together," Hale told him, and Alec gently made his back face him so he could tend to his wounds.
I wanted to be left alone, take some time to breathe and think like I usually did, but I didn't. Mr. Lee was there for me. Mrs. Janet was there for me. And now, I couldn't leave my father. He needed me. We needed each other.
And as for my lovely friends: Hale and Alec were consoling him, Anna gripped his shoulders like a daughter, and I wanted to console him with my words, too, but for once in my life, I let someone else take the reign of action. I really thought about it. My father needed my presence. And I knew, for him, that was more valuable than words.
So I sat down again, at the armrest of the sofa, and leaned my head. I had meant to wait till Alec was done with the injuries, but before I knew it, my drowsy eyes were shut.
******
I didn't know how long I slept for, so when I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see that I was the only one in the drawing room.
Yesterday's pain felt numb now, but I knew, that for my father, yesterday's pain was only the beginning of heartache. Thinking of him like that hurt me more than anything else.
I pushed the feeling away. He needed me. I had to be there for him. For now, I shouldn't think about it.
I got up, feeling well rested but still hungry. My back ached from my awkward sleeping position.
Yawning, I rubbed my eyes and slowly walked over to the kitchen. I found Anna placing the med box Alec had used in one of the cupboards.
"Hey."
She turned around to see me and smiled. "Hey."
"Where is everyone?"
"Hale and your dad are upstairs."
"Upstairs?" I asked. "What are they doing upstairs?"
"They're still asleep," she answered. "There were some bedrooms upstairs so they had settled in for the night—I mean, the day. And Alec woke up early. He's in the balcony."
"There's a balcony?"
"Yeah. There's a door just under the staircase."
The fact that Alec was alone made me feel like I needed to be with him.
I strolled out of the kitchen and turned to my left, walking past the now sleeping soldier who was still grudgingly tied to the railing. Going under the dark and dusty enclosure of the staircase, I found a door that led outside. I grabbed it's rusted handle, and with some effort, I opened it.
I was dazzled by bright daylight, and I instantly shielded my eyes with my arm.
I slept through the night here. It's sunrise now, which meant that it was going to be nightfall on earth.
My eyes adjusted and I shut the door behind me. I found myself standing on a wooden floorboard. The balcony was a tiny space, bounded by a green railing that overlooked the miles and miles of wreckage. Alec, resting his elbows on the railing, hadn't turned to see me.
But, above the demolished structures, the deserted buildings, the destruction, and all other man made things, was the sun.
I walked over and stood beside him as the sun rose above us.
"Hey."
He turned his head to see me and smiled. "Hey."
I exhaled and watched the rays of the sun touch the sky. Finally, after so much happening, I was able to stand here, beside Alec, and breathe. Witness something as beautiful as sunrise.
"I'm sorry." Alec said after some time.
"For what?" I asked.
"I should've told you about Heather. It shouldn't have been a secret."
I sighed. All my anger had dissipated by now. "It's okay. At least we made it."
We stayed silent for sometime after that, simply enjoying each other's presence. Maybe we weren't in the best position ever, but at least, we were at peace.
"It's beautiful, right?" Alec asked me.
"Yeah," I responded. I knew he was talking about the sun.
I waited for a minute before letting out a thought I was holding in for some time.
"You know," I told him, "I didn't think I'd find my father in this way. I thought we'd have to start our search from Base, then help him escape if he was there, blah blah blah. But we found him here."
"Yeah, well, some things aren't in our control, are they?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He smiled. "Think about it."
I was confused, but as I recalled every event that led up to this moment, I understood.
I had planned and planned. Did everything within my capabilities to find my father. Thought of every single step: from agreeing to work for the colonel, to figuring out the password, to accepting Alec and Hale's help, to reaching Dasrean. And yet, I was not able to predict Heather's betrayal. I was not able to predict meeting Samara. I was not able to predict finding my father in this way.
Some things aren't in our control, are they?
He was talking about destiny. Some things meant that most of destiny was actually in my hands. When I expressed the passion and took the action, the forces of the universe aided me. The passion was my love, the action were my plans.
But, as Alec said, a few things were beyond my control. Heather's betrayal was meant to be an obstacle for me, to test me. In other words, it was meant to happen.
And while that was a test, Samara was a blessing. Because I had given my own effort. It was an aid from destiny, or, in a way, it was an aid from God.
And now, I finally understood what Mrs Janet had said so long ago, to comfort me when we were driving to the hospital.
Many things are in our hands, and many times we may change our destiny, but we cannot alter the rest. That's just how fate works.
A smile played on my lips. "Destiny."
Alec nodded. "You're smart."
I chuckled at that. "Father taught me well."
"His teachings carried you to him." I nodded.
Speaking of fathers...
"Alec? Can I ask you a question?"
"I don't know. Can you?"
I rolled my eyes as he laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry. Go ahead, ask."
I took a deep breath. "That soldier in the drawing room...he called your father a..."
Alec lost his smile. "You want to know why."
I suddenly felt guilty, and I didn't know how to respond.
He sighed. "They had taken him to Base. There were...a lot of things happening there. My father could not stand it. So, with the help of his friends, he revolted. They had planned to strip Base of every weapon, and after escaping would bring it down from the outside."
He stopped. "What happened then?" I asked gently.
"One of them—as in, one of his friends—had turned his back on him, and they were all caught. All my father's companions were killed. They tied him to a pole and..." his voice lowered to a whisper, "killed my mother first, making sure he saw that happen. They didn't spare him, either. Hale and I were left to live, only to work for the colonel and be constantly reminded of what our father had done. So, to rub it in my face, they call him a traitor. As if he was the criminal and the colonel was the hero."
I shook my head. "I'm really sorry."
He sighed. "At least I don't have to work for him anymore."
I nodded. "Yeah."
I gripped his arm gently and he smiled at the gesture. He placed his hand on mine, and for the first time, I truly, truly felt closer to him. I gave him my most confident smile. I will be there for you, my friend. Always.
The creak of the door made us both turn around. My father stood at the doorway, wearing clothes different from yesterday.
He seemed in a much better physical state, although behind his eyes, was grief.
"Good morning," Alec greeted him.
He looked at him sadly. "Good morning."
Then he turned his gaze to me and stretched his arms out once more. I engulfed him in a hug. I knew I wasn't the one who needed it.
When he let go, the three of us stood at the railing, and my father, after a minute or so, said, "Soldiers at Base would be looking for me."
Alec nodded sadly.
I sighed. "Dad, the colonel...it's uncle."
He shook his head. "I know."
"But that doesn't make sense, right?" Alec interrupted. "The colonel isn't human. How can his brother be?"
"That...is a good question," I said. I hadn't thought of it, either. How was that possible? If my father was human, how could the colonel be an alien?
Which made me realise...Heather was an alien, too.
"I don't know," my father responded, then sighed. "I met him on the day of your last exam, Amy. He had told me about the wall and the password. I was stupid enough to think...anyway, he said he'd wait for me on the other side. I was curious, and I told your mother..."
I looked away. I knew all the events after that.
"I hate him," Alec seethed.
My dad exhaled. "He is driven by personal motive. When a long time enemy of his and a leader of Marsare killed his wife—that is, Heather's mother—he lost it. I don't know who the leader was, but he'd already caused your uncle a lot of trouble. Then, overcome not just by grief, but also by power..."
My eyes widened. "He started taking over..."
He nodded.
"Dad..." I might as well tell him everything. About Heather. Samara.
"Yes?"
I gave him every single detail, from the time I woke up after my exam to bringing Hale here when he got shot. I stressed a lot on Samara. She was the reason we were here together, after all.
"She gave her life for you, dad," I concluded with pain. "She did it just so I could meet you again and she barely even knew us."
I waited for him to say something. But he was silent.
"What do you see in front of you?" he finally asked. He hadn't answered me yet.
Wreckage, I was going to say. But I knew that wasn't the answer he was looking for.
"I see the sun."
He nodded. "What is it doing?"
"It's rising."
"Above what?"
"Everything."
My father nodded once more. "Do you see it's rays?"
"Yes."
"Samara was the first ray. That sun is the sun of hope, that rises above all atrocities, pain, and loss. You see what my brother has done? Samara didn't give her life for me. She gave it for that sun."
I stood silent for a moment, taking this in. "He needs to be stopped."
"Yes." He paused. "Something must be done. Something that starts with Samara and ends with us."
Something must be done.
Something must be done. Something that starts with Samara and ends with us.
Something must be done.
Those four words—they went deeper and deeper until they had become a part of my soul. I silently chanted it in my head.
Something must be done. Something that starts with Samara and ends with us.
As I thought of those words, together, with Alec close to my left and Father to my right, we watched the sun of hope rise up to the heavens above us.
END OF BOOK 1
A/N: The End.
How was the ending? Was it satisfying?
I truly, truly hope you enjoyed this chapter and this book. I would tell you not forget to vote and comment, because that support means a lot, but to let you know, you mean the world to me. Not just your read. Not just your vote. Not just your comment. But you.
Also, scroll down to see the afterword! It has some exciting news, too, lol
Adios, amigos :)