Fanning the Flames of Rebellion [A Lunar Chronicles Fanfic]

Chapter 53

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He regretted his words the instant they left his mouth. Everything he said was wrong. Wolf knew that much. He had no right to blame Cinder for the mess they'd been dragged into, especially when she wasn't there to defend herself. As much as he hated to admit it, Thorne was right. Cinder had done all she did for everyone else.

And she'd probably do it all again.

Still, there Wolf sat, head in hands, beating himself up for saying what he said, and for not getting Scarlet back in time.

He couldn't believe it. Scarlet, his alpha, was going to be dead soon. And there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Wolf stood up, taking a deep breath, and walked over to the door. He peeked through the space between the door and its frame. It was mostly quiet except for the soft humming coming from across the hall. Wolf gingerly opened the door, careful not to make any noise, and crept down the hall to the living room.

Cress sat on the sofa eyes closed, humming a song Wolf had never heard before. Thorne, seated next to her, was tossing a ball of wadded up paper in the air and catching it.

Cress, sensing Wolf's presence, opened her eyes and turned to the door way. Her humming stopped. She gave a nervous smile. "Hi, Wolf."

Thorne stopped the ball in his hand and snapped his head up. "Hey, Cress." Wolf replied hesitantly. "Look, I'm really sorry for how I acted earlier. I know this isn't Cinder's fault. I was just--"

"No worries, man." Thorne jumped up from the sofa and walked over to Wolf, feeling around him. "You good now?" He asked, standing beside him.

Wolf nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Thorne clapped a hand on his back. "It's good to have you back."

"Aww, that was so sweet!" Iko squealed. He didn't even realize she, Al, Kai, and Winter had been in the kitchen, that connected to the living room, the whole time. Kai laughed.

"Well then." Thorne said, "I believe we have a plan to make, am I wrong?"

A sudden realization came to Wolf. He had allies--possible allies-- to help them. "Wait, what sector are we in?" He asked.

"Estella." Al replied.

"My parents... I remember they lived here. Around here. They could help us."

"Are you sure, Wolf? Because I really feel like I need to start asking that question more." Thorne stated.

"Yes. They're my parents. They'd always help."

"Alright then, it's off to your parents' house." Al said.

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"We shouldn't leave you, I know." Helena looked at Cinder cautiously. "I feel terrible."

"I'll be f-fine." Cinder croaked, tugging at her blanket. Her blotches had been wearing off, leaving only the faintest blue splotches on her forearms and behind her neck. Her skin had regained a little color, and her eyes were no longer puffy and bruised. Only one thing made Cinder go absolutely insane was the fact that she was always frigid. It was almost like someone froze her from the inside out. She thought she was getting better, if that was possible. But she was wrong.

"Your body is fighting the disease with all it has. It was trying to ration your life, to make it last longer. But now it's just giving you all the life you had left." Lucas had said. This frightened Cinder. It would only last a few days. She had only a few days to finish what she started. Only a few days to reclaim her throne. Only a few days to bring down the greatest tyrant in the galaxy.

"We're doing everything we can to get you that cure." Helena smiled anxiously.

"Go, go. I'll be fine." Cinder replied.

"Alright," she eased off her bed, "I want you to shower, okay? We drew the blinds, locked the windows, and we'll lock the doors. If anything happens, you call us, you hear me? Anything."

Cinder nodded. Helena left the room after giving her a small wave. A soft click outside her door signaled to Cinder that Helena and Lucas had left for work in the labs.

Cinder picked at the hem of the blanket where threads were beginning to come loose. A shiver racked through her whole body as she tossed the blanket to the side. She placed her feet on the cold wooden floor and gingerly walked to the bathroom.

There were three towels folded up on the sink for her. Cinder grasped the handle of the shower door and yanked it open. She turned the knob to its hottest temperature and stepped out of the shower.

"Well, Cinder, it's now or never." She sighed and began undressing, bracing for the cold that would greet her soon enough. Cinder could have turned into an ice cube right then and there. Once she managed to get herself out of her shirt, she jumped into the steaming shower.

Cinder couldn't remember the last time she had a real shower. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been clean. She scrubbed the surface of her skin and smirked. If she was going to die, she would die spotless.

No more than 15 minutes passed until she was out of the shower, drying off. Cinder threw on her clothes that smelled of grease and oil--her aroma-- and walked out of the bathroom.

Knock, knock

Cinder snapped her head in the direction of the front door where she had heard two loud knocks. The knob on the door shook. Cinder dashed into her room and pulled out a small case from the closet. She dove to the floor beside her bed and unlatched the case. The gun's metallic surface glinted up at her. Cinder pulled the gun out from the case and pushed it aside. She loaded the gun.

Cinder stood up and crept into the hall. She heard a soft click from the kitchen and the front door swung open. Cinder glued herself to the wall and waited for the invaders to come nearer.

"I don't know where they could be." A deep, gruff voice spoke. Something about that voice was familiar to Cinder. She knew she had heard it before.

The wooden floorboards creaked as they came nearer. Cinder took the gun of safety and stepped into the middle of the hallway, blocking their path. She aimed the gun up at the figures.

"Don't move--" Cinder's eyes went wide as she dropped the gun to the floor. No more than three feet separated her from her comrades.

"Cinder?" Wolf looked at her in disbelief. He took a tentative step forward, but Cinder took two away.

"Don't, Wolf. Don't come any closer."

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A/N: Okay, okay, I'm really sorry for not updating since AUGUST! I must confess, I've been putting off writing for a long while. I had written the first part of the chapter about a month ago and basically gave up.

We've also had a couple birthdays since I last updated!

Happy Birthday to:

BookAddict510 --August 26

@Crescent-Moon_Rodgers --October 2

Hope you guys had an amazing birthday!