ELECTRIFY ME• aaron warner

8|CHOREOGRAPHY

"I have somewhere to take you."

I look down at my choice of dress, hesitating. I don't know where Warner wants to take me, but I don't want to go.

"What? Now?"

Warner's eyes continue to travel down my body, the sparks of hunger resting in his eyes. "Dont be worried. You look lovely."

"It's time to go."

Carven is escorted out by another soldier, and I feel so tense. He's hurt, and I know Warner has been hurting Adam and Kenji too. I don't know where Adam is, because he hasn't come to check on me today. It worries me.

When we step outside of my cell, I see an empty hallway. Carven is gone, and it feels like abandonment. It's just me and Warner standing side by side.

Warner gestures towards the elevator, but then his arm slips around my waist. I try to push him off, but it doesn't work. "Good choice of dress, love."

"Oh shut up," I mumble.

Warner raises an eyebrow. I love to see the anger bubble up on his face, and I know that he hates when I talk down to him.

The elevator stops, and we're walking down a hallway I've never been in before. Warner is moving fast and I'm just barely keeping up with his pace.

He stops in front of a door, and when he opens it, rays of sun fall against my bare skin. "Welcome to your future, Emilia."

I love being in the sunlight, and it's a reminder that I'm still alive through this entire mess. I'm stuck inside and I live just for Warner now, but when I'm out here I get to be something else.

Almost everything seems concrete and dull, but I don't care. I'm glad we're out here. "What are we doing outside?"

I look around and Warner isn't as excited as I am. "We have business to take care of."

I turn away from him, smiling. I taste the sunlight with my tounge and I feel the cool air brush against my skin. My face is glowing, and I feel like I'm floating on a cloud. Warner notices, and now he is smiling.

His hand reaches for mine. "This is what makes you happy?"

I look down at the grey floor, and know that Warner must see all of this as depressing. The world looks empty, and the trees are dead. But our world is still something worth living for.

"It's nice to get fresh air, I guess," I say.

Warner seems surprised, but brushes it off. He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a glinting weapon. A gun. He slips it into his hand, and sees the questionable expression on my face.

He slips it back into his pocket, and I swallow. Warner with a gun is making me nervous. He wouldn't kill me, right?

I get on my tip toes to look over the barrier so I can peer down below. Lines of soldiers are in view. They're all a sea of dull black. Their left hands are pressed onto their hearts, and none of them are moving.

The wind is blowing roughly, and goosebumps threaten my revealed shoulders. Warner seems like he knows what he is doing.

"Sector 45."

The soldiers' left fists release, and their right fists take their place. They work as a continuous machine. I wonder if Adam or Kenji or even Carven are down there.

Warner speaks crisply, "We have a matter to deal with this morning. She is standing by my side."

"Emilia, come closer."

I gulp before Warner pulls me close. Our bodies touch and I feel the same feeling in my stomach. His gun is so close to me that I feel dizzy. They all seem surprised that Warner wants to touch me.

"Most of you have heard of what Emilia is capable of, and I've seen the way many of you see her. What she did was not on purpose, but it shows how useful her powers are. She will be with us for sometime, and is a very valuable asset to the Restablishment. All of you should welcome her and treat her with respect."

The soldiers still seem almost motionless. I don't know how to feel. Warner is telling them to respect me, but he's also referring to me as an 'asset'.

They raise their arms and curl their fingers into a fist. And then they fall on one knee. They're choreographed until Warner allows them to stand. "Good."

"And then the second matter," Warner says, smirking. "Delalieu has a report for us."

No one is saying or doing anything, and I can feel their imaginations running wild. My heart is almost beating out of my chest as I try to shake off the feeling I get from Warner's arm around my backside.

I still don't know what Warner's gun is for, but I think he's going to use it soon. "Delalieu, you may step forward."

A balding man comes into view, his head slightly ducking. Warner's eyes finally leave me and go to him. "Sir."

"We have a charge against 45B-76423. Fletcher, Seamus."

Everyone seems afraid, and I haven't spotted Fletcher yet.

Warner must have. "Fletcher."

He steps out of line at the sound of Warner's cold voice. His hair is a light ginger, and his freckles match. Fletcher doesn't look afraid, but he looks emotionless.

"Private Fletcher was found on unregulated grounds, fraternizing with civilians believed to be rebel party members. He had stolen food and supplies from storage units dedicated to Sector 45. It is not known whether he betrayed sensitive information," Delalileu reports.

Seamus is standing before Warner and I now. "So you deny these accusations, soldier?"

Fletcher tenses, and his voice begins to crack. "No sir."

Warner nods, only taking a single breath.

And shoots Fletcher in the forehead.

a/n- bit of a copycat chapter of the og shatter me, but important to plot!