Earth Is Mine

Chapter 13

The control room is silent as each of us try to register what just happened. We'd only barely escaped with the skin of our teeth and yet we are still in a much better state than the majority of the rebels left behind.

At least we are alive. 

The thought fills me with an immense amount of guilt. It was all because of one person's desperation and the bounty on my head. 

I guess it could all boil down to Lazarus but somehow I feel like it's my fault as well. 

My fingers clutch the medical kit tightly as I stare into space blankly, not knowing what to do. I turn back to Lucian only to see him limp to the back as he clutches his arm. 

Luna sinks into a chair, her face filled with dejection while Pollux is the first of us to actually act. He grabs the medical kit from me and rushes in the same direction as Lucian did. 

I glance at them, wondering if I should check on Lucian but my feet are glued to the floor. I'm still stunned, still trying to come to terms with the fact that all those homes were destroyed, all those lives taken. 

All for some money and tax relief. 

"Let Pollux tend to him. He's probably blaming himself for the destroyed rebel base and it's best to leave him alone for awhile," Luna tells me after noticing my hesitation. 

"Lazarus, he did this," The words leave my mouth in a soft gasp. I always knew he was horrible but this just took a whole new meaning to the word. 

Luna nods, looking disappointed and tired. I wonder if she is thinking about her ex fiancé, the one she was supposed to marry. The one hell bent on capturing me.

I sink to the floor as the shock slowly wears off and exhaustion kicks in. My arms and legs are sore from the previous battle and I can only imagine the pain Lucian must be going through both physically and mentally. 

"Did he put a bounty on your head too?" I ask Luna. It would make sense if Lazarus did. I've seen the way he was with her, it may have been twisted but there was definitely some affection there. I doubt he would have taken her betrayal lightly.

"No," She says, her eyes glassy as if she's in a faraway place. Most likely relieving memories that will never be realised again. "He said he knew I will come back to him. I always have." 

For some reason, his pompous assumption makes me grit my teeth in anger and I expect her to retort at his stupid insinuation but she remains silent. 

"He's right, you know? I always chose him, from the time we were kids. I loved Lucian but it was always Lazarus. Always," She murmurs as she fiddles with a strap on her seat. 

"Why?" I just can't understand her reasoning. Why would anyone choose Lazarus over anyone, let alone Lucian. 

Luna chuckles, a soft delicate sound that is filled with bitterness. "They are like two opposites of a pole, Lazarus was like a raging fire, passionate, impulsive, enchanting. You couldn't ignore him even if you wanted to. His intentions are in his words, in his actions. With Lazarus what you see is what you get. I understood him and I was entranced by his passion and the power he exuded."

She shifts slightly and looks at me. "Lucian on the other hand was always the calm, elusive one, so guarded, so difficult to understand like water with unknown depths. One wrong step and you drown. Every time I thought I understood him he would do something completely unpredictable, leaving me on shaky ground. I guess even though Lazarus was ruthless, he made me feel secure, something I never felt with Lucian." 

I lean back, thinking about her analogy. Fire and water, in a way it makes sense. Lazarus is pure destruction while Lucian might be the only thing that can extinguish his fire. However, water can also be just as dangerous.