The Elite

Chapter 2

Log: 05.03.833 AA

I just killed a man. I killed someone. With my own hands. The blood is still drying. I have a literal dead body in my ship, still warm from the kill. I can't get his face out of my mind. That shocked, sort of sad expression. The ferocity in his eyes as he tried to get away from me. That ferocity that blinked away when my swords beat his. Control your breathing. Control it Rennya. That's what Luke would tell me. But I can't. I can't I can't I can't. I see the blurry lights of the guild hall in front of me. Has the sign always been that blurry, or is it just me? I trip over the first stone step. A pair of arms catch me. An alien face looks down at me. Maybe Ashline from the glowing eyes. They're one of the lower-ranked guild members. Guard duty.

"You're drunk. Get out of here," they start to say.

I look up at them. "Luke. I need to talk to Luke." I can barely spit out the words. I bring my hand up to my face to brush black hair from my eyes. What? There's red on my hands. That's my blood. The man I killed has blue blood. Had blue blood. Then I killed him.

"Rennya? Oh, no. Quick. Get inside."

They recognized me. Yay. The doors heave open. Light bursts into my vision. Sound. Baudy laughter. The smell of alcohol. It's so loud. So loud. I trip and fall again.

A familiar voice calls, "Rennya? Oh my god, oh my god."

Luke? No, that's not Luke. Luke's not that short.

The same voice calls again, "Quick, get her to her room."

Everything's getting dark. My eyes flutter.

* * *

"Ah, Rennya, you're awake."

"Wha–?" I start to sit up.

"Hey, take it easy. Sit down."

I sit up anyway, only to be rewarded with an avalanche of pain. My vision blurs as the blood rushes to my head. I squint at the face in front of me. "Luke?"

"The one and only. Now lie back down before you kill yourself." He pushes my shoulder down and I let out a sigh as my head hits the pillow. He leans over to grab a glass of water by my bed. My bed. I'm in my room again. How did I get here?

"Rennya, have some water—"
I cut him off before he finishes. "Oh. oh no, oh no," I stammer. I look up at him. "I– I killed someone."

He sets down the water. "Yes, you did. You should be proud of yourself. You're quite young to have accomplished such a feat."

I stare across my room. I know I'm looking at my desk, covered with the gifts Wren and I had exchanged over the years, yet I see none of it. All I can see is that man's face, riddled with pain. "He looked so scared."

Luke sighs and begins to stare out into the distance too. Except he is contemplating. "They all will, Rennya. No one wants to die." He turns back to me. "But this is how we survive. This is our life."