(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)
Fear is eating me up. My anguish grows as we approach Leopold’s house. I am sure that Mother Addison has already called him by now to tell him about the incident.
I dread Leopold’s reaction, this past few days he has shown me how sweet and caring he can be but I am totally aware that there is another side to him, a ruthless and ill-tempered man that has zero patience for mishaps. I don’t know who I’m going to be dealing with once I get home. I can’t believe that after all this time everything is at risk over an insignificant conversation. I am so mad right now that if I had Wendy in front of me I would slap her. I was so foolish, I should have walked away the second Eliza started to complain about the Righteous Regime, it is better to be considered rude than a traitor. But it is useless to regret it now, what’s done is done and all I can do now is to face what is coming. I have to think very
(Jareth P.O.V.)I walk to the bar and gesture the bartender to ask him for another beer. I want to go talk to that cute blonde by the entrance door, I just need to summon up some courage. She is really good looking, so I have to ace my game.“Look who is here!” Anthony exclaims.My eyes leave the blonde girl for a moment, behind her I see Commander Mortensen walking towards a table and taking a seat. He looks upset, maybe something bad happened to him, although he is usually an ill-tempered man, so this is probably just a regular Wednesday for him.“I’m going to keep my dear Leopold company,” Sabrina says as she gets up with a sensual move.&n
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)Hours go by as I refuse to go to sleep. I don’t know when the Keepers will come but I want to be ready for them, which is why I don’t let sleep defeat me. I want to listen to them approaching. I’m sure that is the reason Leopold left, so the Keepers could come for me in his absence, he probably doesn’t want to witness my detention, he hates drama. The morning comes and neither the Keepers, nor Leopold arrive. The sun comes out like any other day, Baxter stretches his front legs as he yawns, everything is normal except for the fact that this might be my last day on earth… if I’m lucky; if not, I’ll spend weeks at the Detention Facility just like I did last time.I get up from the bed and get into the shower. I let the hot water run down my body as if my fear and uncertainty could be washed away. The last time I was imprisoned I spent weeks withou
I feel a pang of anguish the moment I spot Leopold’s car parked in front of the house. I am not sure what to expect from him, yesterday he has infuriated but then he convinced Mother Addison to take me back, I don’t know if this means he is not mad anymore, I have no idea what is going on in his head. I go in the house uncertain about how to act in front of him.The house is silent, the light in the dining room is on but there is no one there. I notice the back door is open and I hear Baxter barking in the garden. I walk there and I stand under the doorframe, Leopold is playing with his dog outside. I watch them in silence, it takes Baxter a few seconds to realize I’m here. The moment his round eyes notice me he runs towards me enthusiastically carrying his ball in his snout, he is inviting me to join the game. I pat him on the head.
Leopold comes in the bedroom, his cold presence weights on my heart and body, I can’t stand this situation.“There is someone here to see you,” he says stiffly.I sit up in bed and look at him with narrowed eyes. Someone here to see me? An unsettling thought makes my blood run cold. Did Zack followed us from the park? Leopold studies me with his blue eyes, he is surely noticing my strong reaction, I must be pale as a ghost.“It’s your grandmother, but if you are feeling indispose I can ask her to come some other time,” he says.It takes me a second to get up the bed. Grandma is here.“No, I’m feeling just fine,” I say as I run down the st
I drag my tired feet to the front door. Just thinking about getting up so early tomorrow for Bearer’s Day is exhausting. I feel zero enthusiasm about the event, I wish I could opt out but of course, that is not an option.“Don’t drag your feet, Aubrey! It is inappropriate and it makes you look scruffy,” Matron Mary Ann exclaims behind me.“Sorry, Matron,” I mutter as I straighten my back.I’m already home, who cares how I walk? I do my best not to roll my eyes, I don’t want her to get mad at me.“You better improve your attitude for tomorrow, it’s a big day for all of the Bearers, you need to smile and look your best,” Matron Mary Ann comments.
The doorbell rings one more time. Panic washes over me. Leopold is home, I didn’t have time to destroy the letter. I can’t burn it now because if I do it the smell of burned paper is going to alert him. My hands are shaking as I try to think of what to do with the letter. The doorbell rings a third time. I hide the letter inside the fridge. The cold hits my face as I open and close the door hastily, the chill sensation makes me realize that whoever is at the door is not Leopold. He has keys to his own house, he wouldn’t be ringing the doorbell, he would just come in. As I walk to the main door I wonder who could be outside, I dread it might be Zack who got impatient from waiting for me to go meet him, it would be reckless for him to visit a commander’s Bearer and it could get us into a lot of trouble. I know he is silly enough to do something like this in spite of the risks, although I have to admit that part of me still longs to see him face to fa
By dawn we are already coming and going frenetically to get everything ready for the event. Everyone seems stressed, even the Matrons. It is not just our group, all the Bearers are in a hurry to be ready: the group in charge of the beverages, the one in charge of the food, the one in charge of decorations… all of them are stressed so everything goes perfect during the event. As I mix the dough I think how absurd it is to celebrate Bearers by forcing them to get up at daybreak and work like crazy, it should be the other way around, they should celebrate us by giving us a break from our daily responsibilities, not give us more.“The oven they assigned to us is not working!” Alice cries out clearly distressed.“What?! Why?” Paula asks.“It Wendy’s fault! She was messing with the knobs and now the oven doesn’t work,” she
Alice turns pale as a ghost while Wendy keeps calling her slut out loud. Although she is not technically calling her that, Wendy is merely repeating what Alice said a few hours earlier when referring to Melody; unfortunately, no one besides Paula and me knows it, so from everyone else’s point of view, Wendy is calling Alice a slut. The whole group and a few bystanders look at Wendy astonished. Alice’s son starts to cry hidden behind his father’s legs. I guess Matron Mary Ann was within earshot because she arrives almost immediately and clasps Wendy by the arm to drag her away from us while she scolds her for using that kind of language.“Wendy, I told you to be in your best behavior…” she reminds her as she drags Wendy out of the Forum.Once the Andersons get over the surprise, their eyes glint with malice. They are the kind of people that enjoy others
(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