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
Leopold sleeps for hours, the sun goes down and he still soundly asleep. I decide to prepare his favorite meal for dinner in case he wakes up. I go to the kitchen, I take out two steaks from the freezer and I start to boil water to prepare mashed potatoes. Baxter is so happy to have Leopold back that he doesn’t even come to the kitchen when the smell of food reaches the upper floor. The dog stays beside the bed waiting for his owner to wake up.The doorbell rings. It’s probably Jareth checking on us. I leave the food and I open the door with a big smile. Outside I find a short chubby middle-aged woman with gray hair and a scowl on her face. The woman is wearing a sky blue Bearer dress and is carrying a big suitcase. The woman looks somehow familiar although I can’t determine why.“Who are you?” The woman asks looking at me up and down with a furrowed brow.
Mabel stays for hours chatting with Leopold inside the bedroom. I stay downstairs feeling annoyed, I’ve missed Leopold so much these last few days and now his mother is here I can’t spend time alone with him. At some point, she comes downstairs with the empty tray and the dirty dishes for me to clean them.“Girl, once you are done with the dishes go unpack my suitcase. Be careful, I don’t want you to ruin anything,” she orders me.“Yes, ma’am,” I reply frowning.Unpack her suitcase? Does she think I’m her personal maid? I snort angrily but I go to the guest room to do as she told me. After all, she is one going to be here for a few days, and then Leopold and I will be left alone.I open her heavy suitcase and I am surprised by all the clothes and perso
Now that Leopold’s mom is staying with us, I have no excuse not to go to the Bearer Center. Even though I dread to go back, I am received by some interest changes: thanks to Leopold’s close experience with death, the Matrons have decided to forgive him for yelling at Mother Addison and regard him once more as Estermond’s hero; this turned out to be a good thing for me because they are kinder to me; but it’s not just the Matrons who have changed, Alice is so thankful for what I did with the Andersons that she now treats me in a friendly manner, her change of heart is noticed by the rest of the Bearers, and so they decide I am no longer a pariah in the group. I go from being Aubrey the Eel to just being Aubrey, another Bearer from group 11. Eliza is also back, although she keeps to herself all of the time and barely talks to the rest of us. Fiona and I have tried to talk to her about her absence but she refuses to say anything.
I spend the days leading to our getaway wondering where Leopold is taking me. He refuses to give me any clues and tells me I do not have to pack anything because he has arranged everything himself.The day finally arrives, I feel excited and nervous at the same time. We leave at dawn, I get in his car without the slightest idea of where we are going. Leopold kisses the palm of my hand before starting the car.“Are you ready?” he asks with a sly smile.I shrug, I do not know what to expect. He drives and drives, and we leave the city behind us and drive through the Equality Forest. I used to come here to camp with my friends. Is he taking me camping? Leopold doesn’t seem like the kind of man that likes to camp and I am definitely not the kind of girl that li
The dress Mabel chose for me is breathtaking. I have never seen a dress like this before. I was expecting for her to sabotage me in some way, choosing a cheap fabric, an unflattering design or giving the dressmaker the wrong size, but none of that happened, the dress is spectacular and it fits me perfectly. I think it is safe to say the my mother-in-law is finally starting to accept me. Mabel even offered me to help me do my hair and she did an amazing job making it into a waterfall braid that suits my features just right.“Keep in mind that this is a very important day, Leopold is going to be in front of his superiors and all the family has to rise to the occasion. Please, girl, do not make a fool of yourself during the event, do not embarrass my son,” Mabel reminds me as puts the final touches to my hairdo.
I go to the nearest restrooms and change my dress. Luckily, Alice and I are the same size. Alice’s dress is not as spectacular as the one I had, but it is cute and, the best part, the design is original. I toss Grace’s dress to the trash, furious at Mabel for what she did.I walk back to my group. Mabel’s face reddens with anger when she sees me coming.“What happened to you, girl? Where is your dress?” She asks angrily. “Alice’s son spilled grape juice on it and it got ruined, she gave me a spare she had as an apology,” I lie not able to hide a joyful grin.“Oh, what a shame, it was such a nice dress,” Grandma exclaims. “But this one is pretty too.”Mrs. Jordan smile
(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