It Started With Cherry Blossoms

Michael

The After Lily and I have been talking for a couple hours, mostly about Lily ( my life is a touchy subject), I notice Sam stirring on the couch. I lean over to her. "Your victim has miraculously survived," I tease, my smirk evident on my face, Lily pretending to be mad but failing horribly. "The zombie awakes," I say louder, so Sam can hear. Sam sits up, staring at Lily and I as if he can't believe his eyes. "Something must have happened while I was out. The last I remember, red-head here was being a psycho murderer." It's clear that we're all teasing by now, but I see Lily's face crumple with guilt. " Aww Sam, Lily is tame now. Being drugged can scare a person, you know." And now I've gone too far. It reminds Lily of the person her fear turned her into, and Sam and I of what we have to do. The room sits in uncomfortable silence, until Sam, always having a sense of duty, breaks it. "Yes, about that. Lily, I know what we did seemed....unnecessary...but you'll have to trust me that we had yours ,and the country's, best interests in mind. Now for the plan of the next few days,-"
"Would you mind telling me what those reasons are?", Lily interrupts, somehow polite and demanding at the
same time. Funny how women do that.
Sam looks caught off guard. "Well, you see,we...can't exactly tell you that-"
"Because it's top secret and you'll be killed??"
"Well,no. You see, even we don't know. Only Commander Highland knows, and he won't be here for a couple days. " Sam looks like he's been caught, and I'm shocked. I thought he knew. Who knows what we're sending Lily into? What kind of mission is this that nobody except Highland knows what it is? Who's approved of this?? We're just supposed to go into this blindly and just trust Commander Highland that he knows what he's doing and that Lily won't be killed???? That we're not just sending her on some suicide mission?!?? The three of us stand silently, Sam blushing now , Lily looking shocked and angry, and I suppose I look dumbfounded, because that's how I feel. Lily is the first one to speak, in a whisper yet in the angriest tone I've ever heard her.
"So you don't even know what you're sending me into?? I'm just supposed to trust this person that I've never even met and only heard of thirty seconds ago? I mean, I trust Michael here now, and I guess I kinda trust you, but excuse me if I have issues trusting an organization that sent two guys to track me down and drug me and won't even tell their own employees why??!? So I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to say no until someone tells me what's going on." Sam's increasingly bashful face pales at this statement.
"Well....umm...the thing is..."
"Spit it out,Sam."
"You can't."
"What do you mean, I can't?"
"The Insurrection has a top secret policy.If anyone finds out about them, just with what you know, they, willing or not, sign a contract with them. A lifetime contract."
"So you mean...if I don't comply.."
"Yes. You will be killed. Quickly and quietly." Sam looks nauseous."And with the amount of knowledge that Michael and I know, they would not only kill us, but everyone we care about. Family, friends, significant others, everyone. Gone." I know that that last part was mostly for me and Sam, to remind us that we can't help Lily get out of this. Not only would we be putting our lives in danger, but those of our remaining family, and our parents, if they're still alive. I'm starting to question the morality of the Insurrection, but it's far too late to get out. For any of us.