CITADEL (Updated Weekly)

Four - Family Affair

"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 as well as deep anger and confusion replacing any logic I had left in my brain.  "Mom and I thought you were dead!" I yelled in complete 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 bent down and grabbed my hands. "You don't survive by sitting idly by, 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 live on camera. All remaining air in my lungs escaped as I watched the real-time events unfold.

    It began to set in and 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. "It was never my intent to murder mom. We must all make sacrifices for survival, Aria." He said grimly. I spat in his smug face. He scrubbed it off before raising his hand to strike me. As I flinched away I made eye contact with Grey. He seemed to be intentionally looking away from me now in discomfort. I wondered what he'd do if Aaron when through with the hit.

    I had so many more questions now. How the hell was he still alive? Was my dad still alive as well? 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. "Well, now that I've found you, I want you to join me in leadership, Aria!" The voice was behind me now. I continued looking forward as the guards eyes watched him circle. "Never." I pushed the words out through my teeth. Alix became annoyed, scoffing at my irritation of his assumed idol.

"Well that just won't do, I'd like you to become a part of this." My brother started again. I attempted to break free of my restraints. Anger fueling my actions rather than logic. What would I do with my free hands? The reality of that made me angrier. Aaron watched as I struggled to get free, and then give up. He laughed a little under his breath before continuing. "Well you still have some time to think about it." He walked toward the stairs now. "Alix, I'd like her to stay in confinement a little longer, just to be safe." He began up the stairs. "That virus is getting closer to us and I don't want anyone bringing it in." He explained.

    Grey came over to where I was sitting as Aaron disappeared up the stairs, helping me stand. "Come on." He said gently. 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.