The Sympathizer

Chapter 3

Not a date. Not a call. Not even a glance.

I dig my nails into the palms of my hands and stare at Lazarus who is currently deep in conversation with one of the ministers from Earth.

It's like our kiss never even happened. Maybe I had imagined the whole thing. I've been wanting to talk to him ever since he got punished by his father but he's been acting so indifferent. Every time we're in a room together, it's like I don't exist.

And I hate to admit it but it has been slowly eating away at me like a disease.

The war council are gathered here today to meet with our liaisons on Earth, all of them currently fussed over our inevitable move to our new home.

Our bunkers have been laid over most of the Northern territories already. Only the South has been met with some resistance. Some of the humans have managed to debunk the myths surrounding aliens helping Earth's leaders.

Normally that wouldn't be a problem for us but when a whistle blower leaks this kind of information to the general public, things tend to get a little messy.

General Grievous and Lazarus are leading the discussion today. They seem to pair up more often these days. Lazarus is on fire today, quick with his suggestions, earning appreciative smiles from the leaders on Earth. He's always been so passionate when it came to Earth and they seem to love him for it.

He's telling them about this tracking device we have that can expose whistle blowers even if their IP addresses vary or if they use different VPN locations to upload information.

Every time I look at him I feel a deep longing, the feel of his lips on mine a memory I will never forget. But it seems he has.

The pain in my chest multiplies, it feels like a gaping wound has left me bare and exposed for everyone to judge.

I am an idiot. Just another girl who has been used and discarded by Lazarus IX. Just another statistic like the bunker numbers currently laid out on one of the screens before us.

I feel nauseous and this is the last place I want to be at right now even though my parents will kill me if I got up to leave.

Scratch that, my parents don't give a damn about my existence but General Lyra will. My eyes instinctively fall on where she is seated across the room.

Her silver hair has been pulled back into a tight bun, stretching her face, making her look fiercer than usual. At fifty, she's still a force to be reckoned with and she gives the Hungarian president her utmost attention, never breaking eye contact even once.

My admiration always seems to grow for her. She's someone I aspire to be like when I'm older. So calm, so indifferent to the men around her. Always just business and the Sympathizers.

Her gaze flickers my way for just a second, the first time she's broken eye contact with the leaders on screen. My heart rate spikes when she gestures at Lazarus's hands.

I've been watching him the entire day and I notice he taps his finger twice across the edge of the table again. It's the second time he's done it during this conversation and because I've been staring at him most of the time, I realise he's done this exact same gesture multiple times already.

Lazarus isn't the tapping finger type. He usually crosses his arms over his chest or interlaces his fingers when he's listening intently to someone.

General Lyra must have noticed this as well. I look around me at the Commanders, my parents and then at Lucian, wondering if anyone else sees this but nobody gives anything away.

Lucian currently looks like hell. His eyes are hooded and he's currently nodding off to sleep. I nudge him quickly before anyone else notices and he snaps to attention, eyes fluttering incessantly like he'd just been stunned with an electro pole.