The Selected | ✓

Chapter 17

I run through the gardens, trying to find Clara. My heart pounds against my chest, and definitely not in a good way. I see a mess of red on the ground, coating the grass. It makes no sense until I see the edge of a rosy pink dress.

I run through the bushes and see Clara lying on the ground, her head turned away from me and her blonde hair fanned out behind it, stained with red. Her pale left hand rests on her stomach, right above a large red circle.

"Clara!" I run and drop to my knees next to each other, grabbing her hand. "Clara, Clara answer me."

She lets out a small moan and turns her head. I pull her up so that she's laying in my lap, and her blue eyes flutter. "C-Ca-Cassiana?" She chokes out.

"It's me. You're fine. You'll be alright." I put pressure on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding and unsure of what else to do. She whimpers. "It's all right."

"I-I always w-w-wanted you to win." She gives me a weak smile, her dark pink lips paler than normal. "You will win, r-right?"

I nod, though I don't believe it myself. "I will. I'll win for you."

She smiles. "Good." She closes her eyes. "Cassiana?"

"Yes?"

"Th-the girl that Alexander told you about. He-he meant you. He thinks you l-love M-M-Mason." She opens her eyes again. "Promise you'll make sure they do nothing stupid when I'm g-gone?"

"You're not going to die, Clara. I won't let that happen." There's some red on her silver tiara.

"You can't h-help it. Can you l-l-lay me d-down?" I do what she asks, trying to put both of my hands on the wound. She pushes them away. "It's no use. I-I'm going to die."

I want to cry. I do. But I can't. She needs me to be strong. "I can go get help. I can-"

"No! Don't leave me." She begs. "I don't want to die alone." the last part is a whisper.

"You won't. I'll be here the whole time. I promise." I brush some hair back from my eyes, forgetting that her blood is on my hands. I feel it smear against my face, but I don't care.

"Cassiana? Do you really love Mason?"

I nod. "I do."

"Do you love Alexander?"

I nod again. "Yes."

"How do you love them both?"

I smile and brush some hair back from her face. "Your brothers are both great men, Clara. You were lucky to grow up with them."

A tear rolls down the side of her face. "Now I'll never fall in love like you."

"Oh, Clara." I wipe away the tear. "Think of it this way- in whatever life there is after this, you can fall in love with whoever you want. And you can meet my father, too."

She smiles weakly. She's fading- I can feel it. "That would be nice. Can you tell me more?"

I nod and brush her hair back. "Well, you can have a ton of friends, and I know you will. And you can do whatever you want, dress how you want- whatever. You'll probably be able to watch over your family..."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Even after her eyes have closed and her head has fallen to the side, I still tell her about the life after this. "Clara!" My blood freezes in my veins. I don't want Alexander to see this, or to see me like this. But I can't move from where I kneel next to Clara's body.

"Clar-" He cuts off, and I know that he sees her, dead.

I hear him walk up beside me. He grabs my shoulder and roughly pulls me up. "You killed her?" There are tears in his eyes.

"What? No! Alexander, how could you-" I see the gun laying on the ground, next to where I had been. I look back up at him, my vision blurring. "Alexander, I swear I didn't." I didn't even notice that there's something in my hand. I look down- it's a gold locket, the pendant oval shaped and decorated with a swirling design.

He places his hand under my chin and forces my head up. I have never seen Alexander so angry, or so rough. I never thought I would be on the recieving end of his anger or Mason's. His eyes are tinged with pink. "What happened then?"

"Th-there was a sh-shot, and I heard a scream. A-and I ran to help her, but sh-she was- it was-" I break off, tears running down my face. "I wish it was me instead."

He pulls me against him and kisses the top of my head, smoothing back my hair. I sob into his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Shh. It's okay. I'm so sorry. I should've known it wasn't you." He pulls back after a few minutes, when I calm down a bit. He wipes away the tears. "Let's take you to see my parents." He casts a grim look at his sister's body. "They'll want to hear about this."