Waves of Ruin

Chapter 26

I toss and turn in my bed. Mulling over Atlas's offer. I want to make the right decision, after so many wrong ones, I need to. Nothing has been clear, no signs telling me exactly what to do. This time I will think of every possibility, what could go wrong, what I need to be prepared for. This plan involves much thought. Not a single piece of what we would do will be easy. I know I can't do it alone, I would need a crew, one I trust.

I don't know if my crew trusts me, not after what happend. I need to decide if I will take Atlas's offer to get the revenge I deserve, that my friends deserve. Once I decide this I can go to what's left of my crew and tell them everything. Starting from the day I was in the graveyard until now. I can't go forward with this secret. I want them to know everything, and if they still trust me, then I will ask them to join me on this mission.

It's too early to go see Atlas, and even if it wasn't, I am not quite ready to see him. I don't trust him, at all. But I do trust that he wants to destroy what is left of his family. I trust he wants revenge just as much as I do. That is all I need to follow him.

I get up and wander out to the kitchen. Sitting on the couch is Saige. I stop mid step, I was not expecting to see anyone up, not at this hour. "I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone was out here, I will leave you." I say, turning to head back to my room.

"It's alright dear, I could sense you were not able to sleep. I have been waiting to see if you make the trip out here." She says, starting into the fire.

Huh? She was expecting me? I didn't think I was that loud. "Oh, okay then."

"Sit, I will get you some tea."

I sit next where she was, hands in my lap. When she returns with tea I happily accept. The fire keeps me warm on the outside, but the tea should warm up everything on the inside. We sit in silence for a bit, not awkward silence though, contentment. Neither of us has anything to say at the moment. I just think.

"I know you have a big decision to make, after something like what you went through you have to figure out what to do next."

"Yeah. I don't know what the right decision is, I dont want to ruin everything again."

"You can't think about what might happen, most things are out of your control, so you really just have to decide, what do you want. Once you have figured that out, you decide the best way to achieve that."

She is right, what do I want?

I go to meet with Altas. After my talk with Saige, I went back to my room, having made up my mind I was finally able to sleep. The sun greeted me and I knew it was time, I finally had made a decision for Altas and I couldn't wait any longer to tell him. Once I told him my answer, I would come clean to my crew about what happened and we will go from there.

I knock on the houses door, his charge opens it, its a small women. She has white hair down to her butt, fixed into a beautiful braid. However she isn't very old, maybe ten years my senior. She is quite pretty, the pail hair only accentuating her wonderful features. She gives me a smile, one so warm I wonder if she is mistaking me for someone else.

"Hello, I am here to see one of your wards." I say, more shy than I planned to.

"Of course, Atlas is right this way. He is in the bedroom, Ty is out here in the living room to give you two some privacy." She leads me past Ty, who is quietly sitting by the fire.

How did she know I needed to speak with Altas privately. She might have talked with Saige about us meeting by ourselves after the meeting, but that wouldn't explain how she knew I would be speaking with him now. Saige had been gone when I left, but I didn't tell her I had made my decision and that it involves speaking with Atlas.