I go in the house with my heart pounding against my chest. I can’t believe we were about to kiss… or maybe I just imagined it. I don’t know if he was going to kiss me or not, but what I do know for sure is that I wanted to kiss him. Something inside of me longed to feel his lips on mine, I don’t get why I feel like this I just know I do.
The commander walks to the living room and gestures for me to follow him and take a seat.
“Aubrey, I’ve been thinking about a way of repaying you for what you did that night when the men attacked me… but I can’t think of anything and I think it’s best if you tell me how would you like me to compensate you,” he says.
“Compensate me in what way?”
&ldquo
Shortly after, Jareth leaves, I go into the bedroom as silently as I can and I close the door. I don’t want Mortensen to know I was listening to his conversation.The commander walks in a few minutes later and looks daggers at me. “Did you hear everything all right or do you want a recap?” He asks angrily. I panic. I look at him unsure about what to say. I can’t deny I was eavesdropping, lying would only make things worse. “When I tell you to do something, it is not a suggestion, it’s an order! Do you understand?” He says with a scowl on his face.“I understand, commander. I’m sorry,” I say shyly.The commander rolls his eyes and then he tosses a document on his nightstand. I assume it’s the copy of the report Jareth brought for him.
“Good morning, Bearers, how are you all doing today?” Matron Constance says as she walks into classroom 11.“Good morning,” we all reply in unison.The air feels heavy with expectation. Today the Matrons will announce the members of each team. Obviously, every Bearer already knows which team she prefers to be in, obviously, none of them want to be in mine, the Eel team.“I can see you are all very excited, so let's get started!” Matron Mary Ann says with a big smile.My heart is in my mouth because I know what’s coming and I know how Alice is going to react.“The first team is going to b
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)I play with the food on my tray distractedly. I feel restless. The doctors from the Ministry of Health are clueless as to how to fight this new virus the Eels have created and that leaves my men in a very vulnerable position. Maybe it would be wise to cancel any future raids until the Ministry of Health develops a cure for this new disease, but I can’t afford to do that right now, not when my promotion is so close. I have to show results and I have to do it soon: I must find the traitor inside the Sharks and I have to arrest Xander Norton once and for all. I know General Schubert promised to make me Major if I changed Aubrey into a faithful Bearer but I also want to prove to everybody that I deserve this promotion. The problem is, I would hate to lose one of my men because of this virus… Sharks from other Units have already died from it because they got infected. I don’t want that happ
(Aubrey’s POV) I help Eliza put another batch of blueberry muffins in the oven, let's hope this one is better than the last one she prepared. I watch her worriedly, she has barely said a word since this morning. Things at home are definitely not okay and I wish there was a way I could help her. “Eel!” I turn around to see Wendy and she throws the batter mix she was preparing to my face. “Eel” she shouts again and laughs hysterically. The batter is all over my face, Eliza hands me a napkin so I can remove some of it from my eyelids. Alice laughs discreetly behind my back. “Wendy!” Yells Matron Mary Ann. “This is not proper Bearer behavior!” The Matron clasps Wendy’s arm and drags her out of the room. “Aubrey, go to the restroom to wash y
(Leopold’s POV)I check that my gun is loaded for the fifth time while we wait for Wilson’s signal hiding behind an excavator. I don't even know why I'm focusing so much on checking my revolver when I have my sniper rifle on my back. Sabrina snorts once more to let me know that she is against what we are doing. I ignore her, I need to focus and to calm down, this plan is dangerous, but I think it can work. Besides, I have no choice, I can’t just let those Eels kill Aubrey’s father. What kind of coward would I be if I did that? I know my relationship with Aubrey is a mess, but that doesn’t mean I want her to suffer any more than she has. As much as this mission seems like a lost cause, I must at least try."Is there anything I can say to change your mind, Commander?" Jareth asks standing behind my back."No, boy, I made my decision,” I reply coldly.
(Leopold’s POV)I drop my gun and raise my hands as I kneel on the ground. I stare at Xander's eyes behind the barrel of his gun. The other Eel next to him also points his gun at me with cold determination.“Look who we have here," Xander says with a smirk. "Commander Leopold Mortensen. What a surprise, I’ve been wanting to meet you for so long.”“Then why have you been hiding from me all this years, scum?” I inquire looking at him with disdain.A disgusting grin appears on the Xander’s face."I see that you let my hostages escape... but it was very kind of you to stay and replace them, Commander,” says Xander."This was the Shark that detained Gordon," says the other Eel next to him."Yes, it was me," I reply, raising my chin with prid
After hours of uncertainty, Mother Addison receives a phone call. She says nothing, she just nods and mutters humming sounds. She then hangs up and looks at me.“Your father is safe, Aubrey. Commander Mortensen rescued him along with the urban development official. Apparently it was quite a deed, he went in and confronted the Eels by himself, he had no support from any of his Sharks,” she informs me.I’m perplexed. I can’t believe Commander Mortensen risked his own life to save my father.“What an extraordinary man!” Comments Matron Mary Ann.Relief washes over me, my dad is safe.“Indeed, Matron Mary Ann, Commander Mortensen outdid himself this time. You ought to be immensely thankful to him, Aubr
(Aubrey’s P.O.V)I am sick of the kitchen classroom, I am sick of my teammates, and by the look on everyone’s face, I know they all feel the same way I do. We have baked blueberry muffins for the last seven days. It doesn’t matter how much water I drink, I can’t get rid of the cloying from trying every batch we make. My back feels tired from standing on my feet for too long while we bake. Things are so bad that Alice has even lost her will to confront me, lately, she just plays along and does what she is supposed to in silence, this makes my days more bearable, but I am still tired of doing the same thing day after day. The Matrons say we have to practice until Bearer's Day so everything turns out perfect on the day of the event, but I think many of us are going to lose our minds long before that day comes. In spite of how I feel, I have tried to stay positive as Leopold told me to.
(A few months later) (Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I fix my eyes on the TV screen, I look at the news anchor for a brief moment trying to pay attention to what he is saying.“The secession movement has gained enough support in the Fourth District and now they have separated from Estermond. This is the third district to separate from our nation in the last two months. Unfortunately, without the Righteous Regime, there isn’t anything we can do about it as we witness the downfall of our nation…”I turn off the TV. I don’t care about the news, I am uninterested by Estermond’s destiny. Since the fall of the Righteous Regime a lot of changes have occurred in our nation and there is no one who can stop them. People are taking back what once was taken from them, the life that we once knew is over. We don’t have a unified powe
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)We get off the car in half a second and run towards the building. It is time to save Bastian. We go in and run up the staircase to the sixth floor. Sabrina is waiting for us in front of the apartment where she heard him cry. As soon as the four of us are together, Jareth kicks the door open.“Ministry of Bravery! Hands up!” Wilson yells at the top of his lungs as soon as he takes the first step inside. Sabrina and I go in behind both of them.We are immediately greeted by a burst of gunfire. Jareth drops to the floor in time to avoid the bullets, but Wilson is not fast enough and he is shot twice in the chest. Sabrina and I take cover behind a wall and start shooting back at the Eels. Ahead of us, we hear Jareth shooting at them too. I lean my head slightly to see what is going on, Jareth is crawling inside the apartm
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)The only thing I want is to drive as fast as I can to get to the place where the Eels have my son. But I am aware Jareth and I cannot do this alone, we need the support of our Sharks and for that we have to go meet everyone else.The meeting point where Major Anderson and Commander Wilson are waiting for us is located a few blocks from where the Eels supposedly have Bastian. Jareth drives at full speed to get there, we don’t want to waste any time. We arrive at the meeting point, the place is brimming with Sharks from numerous Units. Wilson is not the only commander present, there are other commanders ready to help. The only high ranking Shark who is absent is General Thompson who is with President Laurent at the Righteous Regimen headquarters, but nevertheless he is in constant communication with us thought the telephone. It moves me to see
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I look at myself in the mirror of the dressing room where they are making us wait until it is time to go to the set. In my hands, I hold a sheet of paper on which I wrote down what I want to say in case I get too emotional and forget the message.Leopold is standing behind me looking at his phone insistently in case there is news about Bastian’s whereabouts.Someone knocks on the door and comes in. It is an assistant who is here to take me to the set. I get up my chair and walk behind the assistant. Leopold gives me a reassuring smile before we exit the dressing room. The assistant leads us to the set, which consists of a black desk, a chair, and a gray background. I already gave them Bastian’s photo, so they can show it while I talk to the camera. The assistant takes me
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)There is no point in staying at the Equality Square, the banner has no more information or clues that can help us find Bastian. We go back home, heartbroken and feeling dismayed. Sadness is has consumed my will to live, I find no comfort or solace. The Eels have not attempted to contact us, they have not asked for ransom or anything in return for Bastian. The banner we found in the Equality Square only indicated their desire to make the citizens of Estermond suffer, they do not seem to have any intention of negotiating to give our son back to us.Once we are home, we find that Roberta has made dinner for all of us. I sit at the table and stare at the food on my plate. I am unable to eat, sleep or do any normal human function, in my body there is only room for anguish.Mabel turns on the TV, the news of Bastian's kidnapping spread like wildfire through Estermond. Several people w
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)Several hours go by and we have no news of Bastian, with every passing minute my heart breaks a little more. I do not know how much I will be able to endure this nightmarish situation. I never imagined experiencing pain like this was possible.In the news they are justifying the closure of the roads with maintenance work, President Laurent does not want the population to panic thinking that Estermond can not take care of their babies. He wants for Bastian’s kidnap to remain a secret.The night ends and a new day begins. We are all exhausted and dejected. At dawn Alice decides to go home, she wants to be here to support me, but she also worries for her little boy. She is afraid that what happened to us could happen to her child. Commander Wilson orders one of his men to accompany her and watch over their house, he is worried about his son too. Our experience is a cautionary
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I feel like I am trapped inside a nightmare and I don’t know how to wake up from it. The house is full of Sharks that come and go gathering evidence. I am seated in an armchair in the living room while Alice holds my hand to give me strength. On my lap, I have Bastian’s blue baby blanket. My baby boy is not here, someone took him and forgot his blanket. Bastian must be cold, he must be scared, hungry... I burst into tears again. Alice surrounds me with her arms to comfort me. She says nothing because there is nothing to say. What can you say to a person in a situation like this? There are no words, no possible comfort.The 9th Unit along with other Units is questioning all our neighbors, hoping that someone has seen something unusual that can help us find Bastian's whereabouts. People I have never seen in my life are searching for Basti
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)We arrive at the building of the Ministry of Bravery. People get out of their vehicles wearing their best clothes, the place is brimming with Sharks and their families. Aubrey takes my arm and we head to the party. The event is going to be held at the Temple of Strength under a big white tent. A lot of Sharks salute me as we walk, I am enjoying greatly all the honor and respect that comes with being a major. I look at Aubrey out of the corner of my eye, even though she has barely slept since Bastian was born and she has spent all her energy taking care of our boy, she looks ravishing. I feel like the luckiest man when I am with her.We enter the tent, inside I see General Thompson chatting with other high rank officials, among them Major Anderson. I d
(A few months later) (Aubrey’s P.O.V.)My eye lids feel so heavy that I have to close my eyes for a moment to rest. I can still hear Grandma and Mabel as they talk to each other seated on the couch next to my bed. I would like to ask them to give me a few hours to sleep in peace but I am afraid to be perceived as rude.The whole family is so excited about the birth of our little Bastian that they did not even wait for us to leave the Bearer Center to come to meet him. Normally, the Matrons do not allow so many family members to be here at the same time, but this time they decided to let it pass because of Leopold’s rank.Leopold is showing little Bastian to Jareth and Roberta in the nursery, while the three of us stay in the room waiting for them to come back."Aubrey, are you paying attention? What do you think about the id