The Lunar Chronicles: Cresswell's Adventures

Chapter Nine

It was the same as she had remembered, just without all the blood. It was where she had reluctantly picked up a gun and shot at Thorne's armed hand to prevent him from doing so to Cinder. Where he seemed to retaliate under Levana's control and stabbed Cress almost clean through, yet sobbing as he did it. Where she felt horror as she watched the tyrannical queen pierce a sword through Cinder's heart after her fraud surrender, before slipping into unconsciousness. Except there was nothing clean about it. Nothing clean about any of this. Cress walked over to the throne, stroking her fingers over the elaborately carved arm. The memory of being in this room almost brought all the pain she had experienced with it. If Wolf hadn't arrived when he did and carried her to the doctors, she probably wouldn't have been standing here.

Cress sank into the floor beside the throne, attempting to control her ragged breaths and compose herself. She leaned her head back, trying to clear her muddled thoughts. She shouldn't be here. The heavy door swung open. "I'm fine, Thorne. I just-"

She froze as she looked up. It wasn't him.

"He's looking for you." Cinder still had the wire cutters in her hand, fiddling with it. "We were looking everywhere, almost giving up. Until I looked in here." She pushed back her bangs from her forehead and glanced around the room. "I hate this room. Too much has happened in here. I almost got executed, was stabbed, and then you and Thorne and the rest ... I almost never come in here unless I absolutely have to. There's only one time when I was in here that I didn't loathe it."

Cress forced herself to stand up. "I don't suppose it was when Kai was here?"

"It was." Cinder strode over to the balcony and stood there, almost at the edge. "I don't know what I was thinking when I jumped off here. I thought I would be able to swim. Thank the stars Thorne and Jacin were there to pull me out."

Cress bit her lip. The image of Cinder nearly drowning was too much to bear. She wasn't even sure if they would've been able to rescue her. "I still can't believe Thorne suggested putting rice in your head."

She heard Cinder let out a soft chuckle. "You've got to admit, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. But you and Iko managed fixed me up anyways. I don't think I ever thanked you for that, so thank you, Cress."

Cress turned away, unusually embarrassed by her words. Somehow when it wasn't Thorne complimenting her, she didn't mind. Or maybe she had been around him long enough to get used to it.

"It was nothing. Iko did most of the work, anyways, and I think you did thanked me already."

Cinder shrugged. "And thanks for ... for everything else you did for us. I really doubt we could've pulled off this whole revolution without you."

"After everything I did for the Levana and Sybil, hacking into the earthen government system, searching up private information, among other things..." Cress gulped, rubbing her sweaty palms on her pants. "I felt like I needed to make up for it somehow."

Cinder nodded in understanding. "And after all this, Thorne now has someone to keep him in check. I honestly don't know how you do it."

"Neither do I." Cress tilted her head towards the door. "We better go see what he wants then."

***

"Why'd you stop calling me Captain? You did it before Cinder's inauguration. I ought to be shown more respect for helping the revolutionary."