Deception

Chapter: Twenty

Chapter Twenty

"No!" I yelled as I rushed forward, standing in front of Charles as Liam approached me.

"What are you doing?" Charles asked, looking at me in surprise.

"Trying to save you," I admitted, turning to face Liam.

"Britt, step aside," he said darkly, and I knew he was going to kill him.

"You can't kill him," I begged.

"I definitely can, but you know that, don't you?"

"Please Liam, for once, listen to me!"

"You should kill him!" Shika yelled from down below, but I wasn't thinking about him right now.

I knew I could do nothing to stop him. He could easily move me out of the way. After all the ways I'd insulted him as of late, the chances of him listening to me now were even worse than they would have been otherwise. Granted, the few times he listened to me, something went wrong, but I couldn't let him die. Killing him was wrong. Just as some of us had voted, there didn't need to be any more death. Especially not the death of a human who'd never wanted to hurt me at all.

"I have listened to you in the past and look how that's turned out."

"You're the reason he's in this situation now. What you did with Amelia was-

"You know nothing about that," he interrupted.

"I know enough to know that this is wrong and when you have a chance to do the right thing, you should. You don't always have a chance, but this time you do. The right thing is listening to my idea and sparing his life. Don't kill someone just because you can," I stressed.

"He'll never listen," Clary scoffed.

"He's long learned not to listen to you," Zeke agreed, but I wasn't paying attention to them right now.

"Britt, just come over here and give it up," Jay sighed.

"No," I refused.

"There's nothing you can do," Niles told me softly.

"You always made me believe I could do anything," I gazed at him.

"Well, you can't, not this time," he assured me, his face full of pain. "It truly is out of your hands."

"No, but he can. You can," I said, turning back to Liam. "And you need to make the right decision."

"She's not wrong. Maybe someone like Amon deserved to die. Maybe someone like a gang member, but this man is none of these things. Listen to Britt," Megan interjected.

"My decision is made," Liam declared.

"Liam," I frowned.

"Let's hope you're making the right one," Louis trailed off.

"Liam, is that your name?" Charles spoke up.

"It is."

"I have a question to ask you."

"That is?"

"All those moments you had with Amelia. How could you kill her afterward? If you really got to know her, then how-

"Before I answer that question, if I do, I have some questions for you."

"Go ahead. Not like I have much of a choice."

"You don't. Anyway, to start with, I have this. You've listened to us debate on whether your life should end or continue. So perhaps you should get a say in it. Do you really want to live?"