More Than a Battle, Less Than a War || tøp AU

17

Day nine:

You should've seen the look on Tyler's face when I said we could make it to the statehouse today. Priceless.

- Scarlet

Josh and Raysel met up with Scarlet and I this morning, with Raysel in an unusually cranky mood. I wonder what Josh could've said to put her in a mood like that.

We packed our things and got going. Scarlet said that we should make it to the statehouse today if we move at a steady pace. Do you know how long I've been waiting for this day? How long I've waited to hear those words?

Just knowing that I can reach my goal today puts a little skip in my step. Kind of like how Scarlet used to walk around in the Academy to trick everyone into thinking she's an absolute angel.

She's not. But that's okay.

Raysel waves and salutes her passing teammates while I give them awkward smiles. I don't know how to look innocent. They have absolutely no clue that I'm on my way to kill their leader.

"Where are all the guards going?" I ask Raysel.

"There's still trouble in sector three. They need more backup." she called out to me firmly.

In the distance lies a building far more maintained than any other building around, standing tall, wide, and intact. Its ivory color seems to glow in comparison to its dull surroundings. The statehouse. The statehouse is straight ahead.

Raysel takes a detour off of our direct path and leads us into a deep alleyway. I was reluctant to follow, I considered just running straight into the statehouse for a second. I follow Raysel into the alleyway anyway.

"H-Hey," Josh spoke up anxiously. "Where are we going? The statehouse was just straight ahead."

She comes to a halt and turns around slowly. Wiping away a tear that barely escaped her eye, she leans in to give Josh a small peck on his cheek.

"I'm so sorry." Raysel sniffed. "But this is as far as you go."

I don't understand. What is she saying?

She approaches me, and my stance stiffens out of fear. She tenderly holds my face in one hand and turns it to the side.

"Forgive me," she says, right before harshly colliding her fist with my jaw.

I let out an unintelligible shout of pain, the right side of my face throbbing intensely. Although my line of vision is going haywire, I can barely see Scarlet ferociously throwing hits at Raysel like there's no tomorrow, while Josh does nothing but dodge Raysel's swings.

"Raysel!" Josh said inbetween punches. "What's - gotten into - you?"

As of now, Scarlet seems to only be bugging Raysel, so she grows a monstrous rose stem out of the ground to bind Scarlet's hands together entirely.

"I heard it all! Everything Tyler and Scarlet were talking about last night!" Raysel shouted at all of us. "Including your plan to kill Xenon!"

Something in my stomach drops. I look at Josh, and it looks like it's the same for him. He looks at me with confusion and betrayal, like I've done nothing but lie to him the whole time we've known eachother. I want to scream and tell him all at once that what Raysel said was true but for the best and explain myself entirely. But I can't! At this point, it's up to him whether he'll side with Raysel or Scarlet and I.