ALLEGIANCE

ALLEGIANCE part 5

It was probably a half hour before I ran out of tears. The lump in my throat disintegrated into my stomach and my face dried in the evening breeze. I realized then that if Rodan was dead or gone for good, I had to choose which country to become loyal to. That would be a terribly hard decision to make on my own.

I decided to weigh my options. Of course, being born into Dezmon, it was expected that I become a Dezmon Loyal. But everyone who was anyone knew that Dezmon made any able citizen join the army at age 16 and a half, no questions asked. Unless you were dying or weighed too much (which wasn't very likely, considering the limited food resources throughout the entire country) you were in the army, fighting against adults to preserve what little was left of Dezmon.

But, if I became a Talon loyal, I was throwing my future away. No husband, no children, no chance at ever becoming a doctor like I'd dreamed of. Rodan and I would have to hide in the forests or Talon, which were known for being dangerously cold. We would be hiding from the war.

I wish Rodan was here to help me. I couldn't show up at the convention next week without him. It was out of the question.

RODAN

I decided to wander back around the block and return to Bea. Of course, she didn't know that I had seen her kissing Tate. She didn't know I had been standing behind a torn wall watching her run her hands through his smooth hair and hear her moan with pleasure.

She didn't know that I was in love with her and what I had just seen had sent a bullet through my heart. I hiccuped, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Hello?" A soft, familiar voice called out. I peered around the corner where the voice originated from.

I saw a stick-skinny, pale girl with light yellow hair the color of sand down to her waist. Her once vibrant blue eyes were sunken into her face and her eyebrows were resting so low on her eyelids that it looked as though the two could be one feature. Her cheeks were a rosy red and her lips were cracked and dry.

"Whit?!" I asked, my brain finally making the connection. The tattered, ruined girl in front of me was my kindergarten crush, who also turned out to be Bea's best friend.

"Rodan?" She asked, a look of surprise on her face.

"Y-yes." I replied.

She stepped forward into the light, and I saw scratches on her arms and legs.

"Whit, what happened to you?"

The Whit that I knew was a bomb-shell of a six-year old who vanished in fourth grade. She left for winter break and never came back. Her parents didn't know where she was, no one did. Bea was distraught for weeks, turning only to me and Tate-

My stomach filled with boiling rage again at the thought of the filthy name. Tate Evans. Who in their right mind meets up with someone six years after last seeing them and makes out with them?

Wait.

it's my turn.

I meet up with someone six years after I see them and make out with them-I think, grabbing Whit's tiny waste and tucking her matted blonde hair behind her ear. I saw past the scrapes and bruises and physical traits inflicted by the war and pressed her lips up to mine. It was average. My stomach fluttered a little, and I eased my way into the cracks in her lips. After several minutes I pulled apart, running away. I couldn't face the decision I had just made. I had kissed Whit Marshall to get back at Bea for kissing Tate.

She must never know.

I maneuvered my way through the shrapnel and rubble that was now our city. I found Bea laying in the spot where her bed used to be. I saw traces from tears that cut through the dirt on her face. I snuggled up next to her and closed my eyes, choosing to forgive her for kissing Tate, given what I had just done.

BEA

I woke up with Rodan cradling me. Still not sure why he had disappeared in the first place and having no clue where he had gone to, I was baffled as to how I woke up with him next to me. The hours of believing he was dead or being tortured; extinguished by the warm feel of his touch on my arm.

"Ro," I said. "Ro, wake up."

He arose and stirred a bit before faking a smile and asking how I slept.

"Fine." I replied. "It would have been better if I hadn't been worrying where you were."

There was a look of guilt in his eyes, like he had done something terrible in his absence. He looked down at his chest in a shameful way.

"I saw you kiss Tate, so I took off."

My heart skipped a beat.

Rodan had seen me kiss Tate.

"Oh," I replied, breaking the silence. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't know you were watching."

"Yeah, well, I was."

Rodan stood up and dusted off his pants.

"Bea!" Tate's voice came calling out from a couple yards away. "Bea, is Rodan back?!"

"Yea!" I called, deeply embarrassed.

Tate came around the corner of the broken wall and spotted Rodan standing over me.

"Oh, bad timing, I guess."

RODAN

Deep rage ignited in my abdomen again. I saw the unscarred tan face and toned arms approach Bea and I snapped. I lunged forward and balled my fists up, one connecting with Tate's nose. An ache spread through my hand. I tried my best to shake it off. A steady stream of blood started to flow from Tate's likely broken nose.

"Don't touch her, ever again." I said, gesturing to Bea, who had a look of surprise and anger in her eyes and was attempting to stop the blood pouring out of his nose.

I had done what was second nature to me: to fight back.