Through The Ascension Room***Book One COMPLETE***

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE ~PART FOUR~

     Aubri's face shows of shock, fear, confusion, and pretty much every other emotion after we take turns explaining to her the story of how we got here. She seemed to be really skeptical at first and looked as if she was about ready to hop out through the window and run for her life. But she didn't. As much as I believe she wanted to, she didn't.

As the explanations went on, something shifted in her. She seemed to relax. As if our explanation and sincere delivery was actually working to bring her to a calm understanding. I relax knowing that she is more relaxed with the whole situation. Taking a break from the constant worry, I let myself sink into the lumpy chair I'm sitting in. It's not very comfortable but it will do for the time being. Any amount of rest at this point, even if it was on a bed of nails, would be beneficial.

We take a break from the conversation and we get into dealing with what to do next. This question seemed to avoid us at any cost up to this point, but it was time to really address it, no more running from it. We had to come up with some sort of plan of action. No more of this playing it all by ear. We resolved to come up with something no matter how shallow or half-baked it might be.

I watch as Aubri slumps into a slightly hunched over sitting position on the corner of the bed, quietly, and in deep thought. Her gaze fixed firmly on the ground next to the bed. Her posture said she wasn't really listening to the conversation in the room, but I could tell otherwise. She was listening very carefully.

"Ok so where do we even begin?" Ask Tristis. "I mean we can't live on the run forever."

"Maybe we could. At least for a while," Cynthia suggests. Her face looking as if she is posing it as a question, "like Alex's father. Somehow he's managed to stay on the run this long."

Maybe she's right. I mean my father has been able to remain on the run for years now.

"We can't do that. Where would we go first? Then what? Live in fear of getting caught for the rest of our lives? Jumping from town to town? I can't do that," Tristis adds shaking his head back and forth in distaste to the idea. Then to himself he adds, "I won't do that..."

Aubri remains quiet in the corner of the bed. She is still listening intently to the conversation but understandably has nothing to add to it at this point.

"We know that we need to find my father first if we want any answers to our questions," I recap hoping it will snowball into the full plan somehow.

"But before we do that we need to strike the Sumus Exitium somehow. To get them off our back and to slow them down a bit, you know?" Tristis says glancing around the room at the faces searching for a response, "we can't do this with them all over us. It'd be impossible."

"Tristis is right, we need a distraction of some sorts. We need to divert their attention off of us," Cynthia adds.

"What can we do to hurt them enough to divert their attention?" Tristis throws out there.

"The Ascension room," The words surprisingly come from Aubri's mouth.

"What?" Tristis asks tilting his head slightly on its side one brow raised slightly further up on his forehead than the other.

Everyone in the room diverts their gazes to her as we wait for her to elaborate.

Aubri repositions herself to a more forward position on the bed. She straightens out her back allowing her to sit taller and straighter adding presentation to her words this time, "the ascension room. The one you guys told me about."

She pauses long enough for us to signal our understanding so far. We nod in unison eager for the rest of her explanation and where she is going with it.