Gizmo's Story of Stories (mcyt)

The Aftermath

The Other Facility AU
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Elena sat at the high table above the ball room, leaning on her hand slightly as she watched the players dance below with a frown. Her eyes followed a young boy that switched between dancers with ease. His movements were like an angel's, like he was dancing on air. The boy spun each lady and man that approached him, all smiling in delight for the season had come to an end.

She knew the boy wouldn't remember her. He had only been 12 at the time. Now, he was 21, gracefully waltzing his way across the floor. Elena watched as he offered his hand to a boy slightly older than himself, pulling him across the floor.

Her gazing shifted to the other guests, a smiling gracing their lips as they danced in gental blitz. There was a time when she was once a part of those dancers with her own partner, but those times were in the past now. She twirled the single strand of purple hair between her fingers, dropping her gaze to the empty plate in front of her.

The banquet was bound to start soon and the room would become filled with tables. The dancers would stop, and it would fall silent as everyone turned towards the upper table.

Silently, Elena stood, her dress flowing around her ankles. The mask covering her face was simple, the same shade of pink as her dress with a flower feathering out, just enough to hide her identity. None knew the real her, and the few who did would have no memory of her.  She was a mystery to the players, someone who had been around longer than they had.

On either side of her, two males also stood. The Admin and Watcher faced the crowd, both masked as well. The masks were a sign of power, but Elena only saw it as mistrust. She knew that the people she stood beside weren't to be trusted. They weren't the rightful heirs either. The heir stood below, sentenced to be a player with no memory of his past.

Demise was a dangerous game, Elena knew that, but she had no choice but to watch it happen. She was once a player herself, fighting along her friends for victory. Only, the victory they sought wasn't the same as the rest of the players.

"Another year, another season, has passed. Everyone standing beside you are survivors of this season." The Watcher, Ziocda, gestured around the room, a smile painted on his face.

"Congratulations to every single one of you. You deserve to celebrate," the Admin, Cobsri, expressed, placing a hand on Elena's shoulder. She glared at him, quickly shrugging it off as she stepped forward.

She quickly brushed off her pink dress before raising her hands, food appearing amongst the golden plates. Her hands quickly returned to her sides as she turned her back to the crowd. The low back of the dress revealed the beginning of a long scar that ran down her back, but she wasn't ashamed of it. It was simply a reminder that she was once a part of the horrid game.

Chatter filled the hall as she returned to her seat. Her gaze fell back on the boy from earlier, ignoring her food completely. Beside him sat the other boy, both males looking eerily like her friends. It wasn't a surprise to her though, of course they would look like their siblings.

"Lady, are you not going to eat on this fair night?" Elena ignored Cobsri, choosing to continue to watch the boy in the crowd. The admin's eyes followed her gaze, landing on the boy as well. He sneered, recognizing him. "He will never be fit for the job."

"It's a shame he doesn't remember his past," Ziocda chimed in. "And that boy he's sitting with? I heard rumors that they were hooking up."

Elena tried to ignore them, she knew they were only trying to rile her, but it was working.

"His sister would expect better. A boy? Disgusting."

"Enough," she growled under her breath. 

Cobsri's eyes widened. "Strike a nerve, did we?"

Ziocda smirked, picking some potatoes off of Elena's plate. She growled, smacking his hand away. They were never this bad. "Don't you remember, brother? Her partner wasn't male."

That was the final straw. "Enough!" She shouted, standing up. Elena felt everyone's eyes on her, but she didn't care. She was done with their nonsense.

"The Resistance fought for this world! They fought to get rid of the tyranny that lived here!" She pointed a fork at the players. It was time they knew the truth. "Nine years ago there was a war. The Watchers corrupted this game, turning it into what it is today. A group of people, who called themselves the Resistance, fought against the Watchers and corrupt admins. They won, for a brief period of time." Her eyes landed on the older of the boys, meeting his eyes. "Two months later, they were murdered. There were only three survivors, and two of them suffered severe injuries. The murders claimed themselves as your saviors."

Elena glared at the two that stood beside her, staring at her in hatred and shock. "You wouldn't dare," the Admin muttered.

Elena smiled, turning back to the crowd. "These two aren't your rightful leaders. They murdered the ones who wanted to save this world." She picked up one of the candles off of the table. She stared at it, her smiling growing. "It's about time I finished what my friends started."

Elena held the candle to the bottle of oil beside her glass, it ignited very quickly. In a quick motion, she hurled the bottle across the room, it smashing on the floor in the center. The bottle shattered, allowing the fire to lick the legs of the wooden tables.

Screams echoed throughout the room and players scattered, making their ways towards the exits as the fire began to grow. Elena watched as the two boys glanced at her before darting out the door.

The fire was out of control by the time Elena found the two boys. Calvin spun on his heels when he spotted her, immediately running over. He glared, shoving her. Despite being three years older, Elena stumbled back, tripping over her ball gown. "Why did you do that!? It makes you no better than the old watchers!"

Elena remained silent as Jake placed a hand on Calvin's shoulder. He glanced at his friend, motioning for him to be silent before meeting Elena's eyes.

"You were part of the resistance, weren't you?" She nodded. "Wait. You knew her? Personally?"

"I knew all of them," she murmured. "At least, I thought I did. Once. A long time ago."

"What were they like?"

Some crumpled copy of a smile crossed her face. "They were going to change the world."

And around them, the world burned. The watcher's castle lit the night, a grand sight for everyone watching.

Calvin stood beside Jake, his voice just loud enough for Elena to hear. "We are the three survivors, aren't we? You knew my brothers."

"And my sister."

Elena stared off into the fire, pulling the two boys close. "They would be proud of you both."

And from above, Sky wrapped her arms around Phoenix and Lizzie, smiling.

"Maybe the universe loves us after all."