Owen Changes His Mind

4. People Change 3/3

Present Time

"Okay, is everyone here?" Graecie mentally ran through her list. Magic, Ayngel, Krow, and Bek were there. Soup was with Owen. She'd left Leo with Owen, too- just to keep Owen and Rasbi safe from each other. She saw Kyle whispering something to Acho. Guts, Maggie, and Spidey were at the table as well. Red wouldn't be here- she'd left him to keep Apo safe and to keep tabs on him. Graecie remembered he'd wanted to have a say. "Magic, could you remind me to fill in Red, and Soup and Leo as well? We will need their votes too."

Magic tilted her head. "Of course, Graecie. Do you wanna tell everyone what this is about?"

"It's about Owen and Apo," Graecie declared, looking around the table at everyone. "I'm sorry we didn't get much time after Mohwee-" Graecie choked up, then pushed through. "Owen entered the maze alone. Apo carried him out again."

"Wait, Apo's back in the clearing?" Maggie sat up, attentive. Bek perked up too.

"Who's Apo?" Kyle asked. Acho looked confused too.

"They pulled- um. It's not important right now," Ayngel said.

"Yes," Graecie confirmed, looking at Maggie and taking control of the meeting. "I don't know what Apo was doing or why they chose now to come back. Owen says Apo is the one who injured him, and that Apo is trying to kill him." Murmuring broke out.

"That's bullshit," Maggie called.

"But they've been in the maze for so long, we don't know what's happened to them," Guts pointed out.

Spidey stood up. "I believe Owen," she said, and meandered away towards her house.

"Spidey-" Graecie called, but then refocused. "I'll talk to her later. Right now, we need to vote."

"Vote on what?" Bek asked.

"On- I guess whether to believe Rasbi."

"What's Rasbi got to do with it?" Krow scoffed.

"Well, she-" Graecie faltered and broke off, but Magic picked up the thread.

"Rasbi cornered Graecie and remembered some of her past. It was traumatic. That's why she isn't here now." Magic glanced at Graecie, who nodded.

"I'm okay, Magic. Rasbi said that before the maze, Owen murdered her sister. She also accused him of being a war criminal, although I don't know what that means. And what Rasbi said lines up with the little I heard from Apo-"

"What, that Owen hates demons!?" Krow burst out, unable to control itself in its shock.

"Is that what they said?" Graecie asked rhetorically. "Owen said that Apo tried to kill him. But that wouldn't make sense, if they- why would they bring Owen back if he was trying to murder them?"

"Apo wouldn't do that," Maggie maintained. "They wouldn't do anything that wouldn't help the clearing escape."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as most of them remembered the lever Apo had pulled, and how they'd been in prison for it for months before escaping.

"Why do you all- what happened?" Acho asked, curiosity blazing in his eyes. No one would meet his gaze.

"It- well," Bek started. "There were two levers. One for mercy, one for death. Apo pulled one of them. It let the monsters out, and a lot of our clearing members died. The ones from clearing B, that is. But they died because of me, I cut the rope. And I'm trying to redeem myself, and get better," Bek finished. Acho noted how some of the group was glaring at Bek and others were looking down. "Apo was punished for pulling the lever," Bek added. "I helped them escape."