Clancy stares at those letters for a long time.
FPE.
"Failed perimeter escape," Nico says sadly. "It means someone tried to leave the safety of our beloved city."
"But why?" Clancy asks, wide-eyed and young. "Why would anyone want to leave?"
"Because some people don't appreciate what they have," another voice says.
Clancy turns around. It's Keons.
"I hope I don't ever have to see one of those," Clancy says quietly.
"Me neither," Nico says.
Keons turns to the other bishop. "You've taught him well."
"I did my best," Nico says.
Clancy tries to shake away the memory.
"How could you?" Keons is yelling at him in the present. "How could you-"
"Dare to follow something other than vialism?" Clancy asks. "Dare to leave and try to be free?"
"You are free," Nico says from behind him. "We have shown you favoritism. You should be grateful after all we did for you!"
"But, instead, you will forever be marked," one of the other bishops says.
This time its Andre.
The bishop holds something in his hand and Clancy, unfortuntely, knows exactly what it is.
"Please don't do this," he breathes. "Please."
"You brought it upon yourself," Lisden says.
Clancy sees the rest of the nine enter and knows to stay silent.
He watches Nico sew the FPE badge onto his clothes emotionlessly.
"I hope it was worth it," Nico says. "There is no going back to the way things were."
The bishops leave him alone in his small, cold, room, and Clancy is ashamed to find tears trickling down his faace.
He made his choice. Now he has to live with it.
More than once he will pay for it.
YOU ARE READING
Øverturning the lies (a twenty one pilots fanfiction)
FanfictionTyler is alone in the city of Dema. He can't remember who he was before then. All he knows now is trying to survive in this world. He sees others around him who are struggling too, and he wants to help them. But he can't. He can't even seem to help...
