The Mutant World [UNFINISHED]

My Love

I hear the cage open and close with a bang. I stand and turn around, my hair whipping in my eyes periodically. There is a group of teens who are pilled on to each other by the cage door. They stand and notice me, causing a tear to form in my eye. They all run up to me and without words, we hold each other. Tears fall down my face as we embrace each other. I can tell we are all crying but we are all smiling as well. I can feel Milo's hand wrap around my waist, Nathan has one of my arms, Hugo is crying on my shoulder and Tara and Liz are sobbing on my other shoulder. Juno and Jack are hugging me on the front side of me. I missed them so much. We don't let go. We stand there, holding each other and crying with happiness. I break the hug after a few minutes and we begin to talk with rushed words.

"Eli gave me up to the soldiers," I sob, "I trusted him... But now I know he is not to be trusted."

"He must have spilled about us as well," Jack adds. We all sit there together on the cold metal floor, fuming with anger and sorrow.

"You chose this future," we hear a familiar voice call from the shadows. We turn to the voice and stand as Eli appears in front of us.

"Bullshit," I snarl, ready to protect my friends.

"You could have married me, been the queen of Tariua, and lived happily ever after, with me," Eli says calmly, grinning at me as he walks closer to the bars of the cage.

"As long as I am with you, I will never have a happy ending," I snap at him. I stand strong as Eli reaches the cage with a sly grin on his face.

"Oh!" Eli laughs, eyeing me carefully with a wicked smile, "You're feisty when you want to be."

"I have a reason to be," I reply with the same teasing tone.

"I could have let you run away and be shot down," Eli begins after a second of silence, "but by handing you over to them, I can now watch you suffer in pain as you watch your friends die."

I choke over the tears. Stay strong, Alice. For your friends.

"You better back off before I hurt you, Eli," I warn him. Eli laughs loudly, his deep voice shaking the bars. A few prisoners laugh madly as well.

"What are you going to do?" he asks, "You can't use your secrets down here."

I stand there, knowing I can just step forward and choke the life out of him. I grit my teeth and stay silent, debating the thought. As Eli leans closer to the bars I suddenly lunge forward and shoot my clawing arms through the metal beams. I miss Eli's neck by a hair and he laughs as I struggle to reach him. I stop trying and back up to my friends' warmth.

"Which one are you more attached to?" Eli asks, looking around with an amused grin on his face. I automatically shift my stance in front of Juno.

"That one," Eli announces, pointing to Juno. Shit, he noticed. I'm so stupid. Soldiers open the cage and stomp inside as one stays out and guards the door. They walk towards Juno and I step in front of them in a protective stance. I try to flap my wings, but remember that they are chained to my back. The soldiers push me ruffly to the ground and grab Juno. I stand quickly and sprint after them, but the door closes before I could reach Juno. Juno looks so scared. I'm sorry, Juno. Don't let the tears fall. Juno is dragged to Eli and held there by two soldiers.

"This is the one you have a crush on, correct?" Eli asks laughing. I know it's a rhetorical question. Eli was hanging out with us when we talked about us. Wait, that's it!

"Eli," I reply, trying to stay calm, "I thought you were our friend? You risked your life to come and see us."

"So, you see, I made it look like I was risking my life so that you guys would trust me on a greater note," Eli explains with a shadowy smile on his face, "The queen and king have been in on it the entire time, plus, I'm a great actor. Now, what should we do with him?"