CITADEL (Updated Weekly)

Four - Family Affair

     "It's been awhile." Aaron said. My mind raced at a million miles an hour. All this time, I grieved him. I thought he was missing, or worse. I then thought about how depressed my mom was, losing half her family. I thought about my brother almost every day. The memories he never experienced with me, the people he never got to meet. Aaron began to walk slowly around my cold, metal chair. I looked up at him now in anger rather than shock and depression when he reached the front of me again.

    "Miss me?" He smiled. "What the hell?" I yelled. "Where have you been?" His smile remained. "I've been... busy." He explained, looking around at the men behind him. They all laughed and I wondered if he was their leader. Shock flooded my body and deep anger and confusion replaced any logic I had left in my brain.  "Mom and I thought you were dead!" I yelled in more sadness now. "And Dad! Where is he?" I pleaded. Aaron didn't answer and continued circling me.

    "You see, I was awakened." He began. The guards looked excited to hear him speak, minus Grey. He sounded evil in his tone now. "I was shown a new way of life, something I would have never understood before leaving The Edge." I was only confused now. He stopped in front of me again and crouched down. "We lived in poverty, back home." He began. "We barely survived, fighting to live every day, but I have found a new way!" He giggled a little. This new Aaron scared me. Was he possessed? Only evil flooded out of his words now.

    "You have to earn survival." His eyebrows came together in a menacing manner as he stated his revelation. He placed more emphasis on the last two words and that scared me. "What?" I asked. He began to tell me an old story we both already knew. "Aria, the Broken ruined everything. They destroyed our world. Now, we have to attempt to survive with what they've left us." He grabbed my hands. "You don't survive by sitting idly, hoping and praying." He stood. "You survive by taking action." He turned his gaze to the screens behind him and the guards. I watched as familiar neighboring villages were destroyed and attacked. All remaining air in my lungs escaped as I watched the live events unfold.

    It began to set in. I thought about my last night in The Edge. "You killed our mom!" I screamed in horror. The room became quiet and tense. Aaron looked down but he didn't seem to be upset. "You massacred our village, our home!" I continued to scream. "You're committing genocide! To survive?" I screamed even louder on the last two words. Aaron kneeled down again infront of me. "We must all make sacrifices for survival, Aria." He said grimly. I spat in his smug face. He scrubbed it off before I felt a quick and strong slap across my face. I felt a stinging sensation in my right cheek as I made eye contact with Grey. He seemed to be intentionally looking away from me now in discomfort.

    I had so many more questions now. How the hell was he still alive? Where was my dad? How did he become their leader? How did he go from a sweet, caring, older brother, who always watched out for me, to now a mass murderer? He stood now and headed for the stairs. "I want you to join me in leadership, Aria. You'll understand, with time." The voice was behind me now. I continued looking forward as the guards followed behind him. "Take her back to the cell." Alix said to Grey. Neither of them looked at each other. Alix began to go to work on some of the screens behind them when Grey looked over to me. My expression of complete numbness didn't change.

    Grey came over to where I was sitting and helped me stand. "Come on." He said a little gently and quietly. As I stood to my feet I understood where I was headed again. "No." I protested. Alix laughed without turning around. "No! I am not going back in that cell!" I screamed. Grey grabbed my arm tighter and it began to hurt. "I'm not going back in that cell!" I repeated louder. Grey started to shove me towards the stairs when I noticed his gun in his belt behind him, like how Mikah kept his. I grabbed it quickly and pointed it towards Alix as he turned around.