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
(Leopold’s P.O.V.) I storm into the main building fo the Ministry of Females, enraged. I look around me until I spot Mother Addison a few yards from where I’m standing. She is rehearsing the speech she is about to give in front of a Matron that smiles kindly at her while she listens. “Do you think you can mock me?!” I ask infuriated as I walk toward Mother Addison. Both women look at me perplexed, they are probably taken aback by my rude tone of voice. After all, she is the head of the Ministry of Females and I am just a commander. All of a sudden, Mother Addison lifts her chin proudly, letting me know she is not going to be intimidated by my Shark attitude. “Commander Mortensen, I urge you to reconsider how you speak to Mother
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)The show is starting, a thin and tall man appears on the stage. Along with the man, music starts to play and behind him, eight ballerinas come out from the back red curtain twirling graciously. The audience starts clapping as they watch attentively. Alice’s boy gasps, amazed by the slender ballerinas.The show consists of various types of dances one after the other. I’m so focused on watching them dance that I don’t notice Leopold until he sits beside me. He puts his arm around me and leans toward me.“Aubrey, we have to talk,” he whispers to my ear.I turn my eyes to see him. He holds my gaze and a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. I must seem surprised because I am. Why
Matron Mary Ann takes me back to Leopold’s house. I spent the whole way here thinking about Zack’s kiss. I have to admit it was not as unpleasant as the first time he kissed me, I dare to say it was even somewhat enjoyable. Regardless, I know it can never happen again, and I don’t want it to, Zack was a big part of my past, I had a huge crush on him for a very long time but that was before. Now my feelings have changed, the things I felt for Zack are gone, I can no longer find them within me, although I can still recall the way I felt which helps me realize that whatever I felt for Zack pales in comparison to what Leopold makes me feel. Right now, I am disappointed in Leopold because he denied me the chance to explain the situation to him, but deep down my heart longs for him to reconsider, I’m certain I will forgive him in the blink of an eye if he apologizes to me. I don’t know if he ever will apologize but what I am sure of is that there i
I take a seat on the waiting lounge, my head is spinning. The idea of Leopold dying is unbearable. I can’t lose him, I would rather live with his sullen ways than being without him. He is ill-tempered and intimidating but deep down he is not so terrible. The truth is that I love him, maybe I shouldn't, but I do. Even I have a hard time understanding the way I’m attracted to him, but I am, I like to make love to him, to wake up next to him, to kiss him. There is still so much I want to experience next to him, to feel with him and to say to him. If he dies we will never have the chance to make things up. He can’t go like this, it will crush me.After today Mortensen won’t be a problem anymore. The sentence crosses my mind like lightning. After today Mortensen won’t be a problem anymore. That’s what Zack said… why would he say that? I asked him and
At some point I doze off and I don’t wake up until Jareth wakes me.“Aubrey, I think it’s time to take you home,” he whispers.“I can’t go home. What about the commander?” I ask with a frown.“I just spoke to the doctor, the commander is doing a little better, but he hasn’t regain consciousness. It could take a while for him to come back and having you here is risky, you know Bearers aren’t supposed to be in hospitals.”“I know but I’d rather stay,” I say as I look around. Sabrina is sleeping a few chairs from where we are. She is going to get to stay because she is not a Bearer. Jealousy takes over me, I don’t want her to be here when Leopold w
Grandma goes back to her house late at night, she is not going to be able to come stay with me tomorrow so I’ll have to kill time by myself. I go to bed but I am unable to sleep, I miss Leopold too deeply, I see his side of the bed empty and my heart aches. I wish I could be in the hospital with him. At dawn, I turn on the TV and I change the channels distractedly, nothing piques my interest until I get to the news channel. The words SHARKS INFECTED on the screen in red letters make me gasp. I turn on the volume.“Ten Sharks have died in the last four days due to the Virus E virus. Many more are still fighting for their lives at the General Hospital, among them, Commander Leopold Mortensen, our national hero,” the news anchor says.I feel a void inside of
Later I take out the trash. I throw the garbage bag inside the container and the second my hand is free someone grabs me by the waist and presses me hard against his body. I startle, but I immediately know who it is.“My sweet Aubrey. I can’t stop thinking about you,” Zack whispers to my ear.I hit him on the ribs with my elbow to force him to release me. Zack takes his hands off of me but just momentarily because as soon as I try to walk away he grabs me by the shoulders and forces me to face him. He leans his head to be closer to me, I can feel his fresh minty breath on my face.“Zack, are you insane?” I whisper because I don’t want anyone to hear us. “Do you know what will happen if someone sees us? Zack, I have told you a million
A whole day goes by and I’m still thinking about my encounter with Zack, I can’t decide whether he is truly an Eel or not. I try to think about what happened without bias, but it’s too difficult, even after everything that has happened, I still appreciate Zack and looking at him as an Eel seems inconceivable. The only thing I’m sure of is that I will never denounce him without having solid proof, I won’t allow anyone to go through the same things I went through in vain. Even suggesting he might be an Eel will ruin his life forever and I don’t want that in my conscience.There is something else bothering me aside from Zack’s issue, I am kind of annoyed by the fact that Jareth hasn’t come by to tell me how Leopold is doing. I wish I could go to the hospital myself and not just wait for someone else to tell me what is going on. I turn on the TV but there is no m
(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