The Rebel (#Wattys2016)

50. Lies

Adeen stood on the Palace's roof. Her black cloak hung loose and flew as another gust of wind hit her. She looked to her right, then to her left. All was quiet on the Palace's gardens; all but a stone path directly below her that surrounded the Castle, where a sole guard -dressed in the new blue uniform- made his rounds, his right hand resting comfortably on his sword's pummel. Adeen stared at him as he walked, tense in fear he'd look up and see her, but he didn't and soon rounded a corner to the west gardens. Adeen waited a couple of seconds before she dared to move, even though she was four stories above him. She put on her black hood, which covered her forehead, temporarily shielding her eyes from the silver moonlight that reached every corner of Adeen's surroundings. She surveyed the gardens once more, waited some more seconds, and then took a deep breath.

Adeen took a step into thin air.

The wind howled at her, and Adeen fell down, down down. Her black cloak flew up, and in the dark -yet clear- night, her clothes' shadows seemed like two black wings. One, two, three stories down and Adeen still fell, her face grim and unaffected by the floor approaching her. Seconds after she passed the fourth floor, the harness hidden underneath Adeen's black coat yanked her up so violently the wind was knocked out of her. The rope she'd tied to herself stopped Adeen's fall and brought her to the Castle's wall, where she planted both her feet firmly on a ledge, years of practice making the motion seem graceful and effortless. For a few seconds, Adeen gasped for the air that had been missing from her lungs for too long, and she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. The wind was the only thing there with her, and when she opened her black eyes she looked down, her paranoia momentarily fooling her into thinking somebody had somehow seen her. But the Palace's gardens were empty, and Adeen started her short way down. Making little jumps, the Rebel made her way down a few more meters and then into the garden's grass.

Adeen stood still where she'd landed, not daring to even breathe, until she was sure nobody had seen her. After a few seconds of silence, she dared to walk forward, summoning every ounce of silence into her feet. The process to the wall that surrounded the gardens was slow, with Adeen hiding behind the bushes every time a guard came close and having to wait there for a minute or so. But when she finally made it to the hole Skander had shown her back in the beginning of the Selection, it was worth it. As if somebody had heard Adeen's prayers, the hole had not yet been covered, and the path to the outside was clear. Sparing a last glance at the Castle, Adeen snuck out the hole.

The city's lights met her, and for a moment, Adeen stared at them. The lights shimmered and were faint, but they were there. Adeen was out of the Castle. Adeen smiled to herself and decided it was time to move on. She lowered her hood more and took the first step towards freedom-

Someone clapped behind Adeen's back.

"Good escapade, Ade." A guy's voice said. "I gotta admit, the whole assassin ninja plan was good."

Adeen turned around, a cold rage filling her. Zed stood there, grinning at her. He shook his head, as if he couldn't believe Adeen had tried running away.

"Too bad you won't be able to run away tonight." He said as he extended his left hand. In his right hand, he clutched a sword. "Let's go back and forget this incident, Ade. Golmes doesn't need to know."

Adeen fought back a snarl.

"You mean he doesn't know?" She asked, then shrugged. "Guess it won't be long until you rat me out."

Zed shook his head. "I won't rat you out."

"Like hell you will." Adeen said, taking a step forward. She looked up at Zed, at his brown hair and black eyes. He had put up weight, like everybody else. Well, everybody but Adeen, who was never hungry this days and often puked her dinner out at night when she woke up from a nightmare and felt the walls closing in. "You'll tell him, like the rat you are."