Alone - a Lorien Legacies fanfiction

Family Ties

Eleven

Ella

After the Mogadorians took me from my holding cell with the others, they lead me down a long, dark hallway with their weapons steadily aimed at me. If I wasn't worried about the safety of my friends, I might have tried to fight back. I hesitated, though - Marina's and Six's legacies had stopped working. I knew it would be a long battle for freedom without our full potential. I was forced to wait.

They lead me past numerous cells that held screaming prisoners captive. One room at the end of the hall bore glass windows for walls. A woman in a torn hospital gown lay on top of a metal table with her limbs strapped down at her side. She thrashed, and I noticed that her wrists and ankles were bloodied and raw. When she turned to face me, her blue eyes grew wide as she screamed.

"Run! Run, Ella!"

My breath caught. Anna Paisley...? Madeleine's mother was here? Where was her father? My steps slowed, and the female Mog shoved me from behind.

"Go."

I followed orders grudgingly, but I glanced over at Anna one last time before being lead down another hallway. She was sobbing as her blonde hair hung in her eyes. I cast my eyes to the ground. I didn't want to watch her anymore.

After a few minutes of the same sterile lab walls, we stumbled upon a large oak door that bore an extremely outlandish gold doorknob. The male Mog stepped up and knocked, raising his chin high. The female grabbed me by the arms and squeezed. I bit in my lip in order to not cry out.

"Come in," a voice gruffly called inside. It ran chills down my spine. I knew that voice. I hated that voice.

The male stepped inside the plush office before us, and, after we entered, closed and guarded the door. The female stood with me before a beautifully polished desk that was decorated by golden office supplies. A humongous man in a pressed business suit sat in a desk chair, writing in a notebook. His skin was covered in scars, with one jagged, purple one slashed across his neck. I watched as he scratched notes down for a minute before deliberately placing his pen on the desk. Then he looked up at me and smiled, his rows of sharpened teeth displaying gruesomely.

"Why, hello, little Ella."

"Setrakus Ra."

"Well, that isn't the way to treat your grandpa, now is it, sweetie?" He stood as he smiled evilly. "You two, leave us."

The other Mogs left. I couldn't help but notice that their heads hung is disappointment when their Beloved Leader didn't give them a gold star sticker. Boo-hoo.

He walked around the desk, watching me the entire way. I held his gaze firmly.

"They let you wear those shambles?" He scoffed as he made his way over to a closet across the room. "A princess deserves better than that." When he pulled open the door, I couldn't deny that the beautiful dresses impressed me. A red and silver formal gown hung on the back of the door, while cocktail dresses and more gowns lined the closet walls inside. Heels and flats of almost every color sat neatly in pairs on the floor, and everything inside looked to be my size. To be honest, I loved everything. However, I never moved closer to them. I held my ground stubbornly.

"It's hard to save the planet when you're wearing gowns and heels, Ra."

The Mogadorian leader shook his head in disappointment as he shut the door gently. Stuffing his large hands in his pockets, I watched him pace around casually.

"Ella, I know you're young and conflicted, and that's perfectly alright. You've been brainwashed from a young age to believe in a false hope, which I have to admit is partially my fault. I should have came for you sooner, but my strength then is not what it is now." He looked up at me, and his eyes were full of guilt. "You are my blood, Ella, and I love you. I care for you.

"The Garde will fall, my dear. And when they make a mistake, my army will strike to kill. I am giving you this chance to come to this side, to make things right. I don't want to see you die like the others have and will."

I paused and watched him as he watched me. That was a great story. Just wonderful. Bravo.

"I don't believe you," I said bluntly. "I don't want to be hidden away as a princess. I came here to fight with my people-"

"Those brats aren't your people," he said menacingly as his voice shook quietly with anger. "They are vile and cruel. They will turn on you in an instant. I am the only blood you have left."

"They will not! They're good people!"

He took a deep breath before calmly saying, "You think they won't leave you? Who was it, Nine? Didn't he just abandon you for some ditzy girl with a southern drawl? He sounds like a great guy."

"That's not what- No, he didn't ditch me-" I sighed. "I liked him, yes. But the others helped me realize that we couldn't have realistically been together because of the major age gap. John helped me see that Nine would never be able to look past that." My heart hurt as I spoke those words. No matter how true it was, it hurt. I later wondered why I was telling him all of this.

"And yet, he was with her when we attacked, wasn't he?"

My lack of a response was enough.

"Hmm." He moved closer to me, and I took a step back. He reached out and placed his hands on my shoulders anyway.

"Ella," he said barely above a whisper, "I know you hate me right now. But you will learn to respect me, even if it is the same way Five did. You have your own room set up down the hall, and when you're there, I want you to study my book."

"You mean your book of lies and propaganda?" I spat.

Setrakus Ra slapped my cheek, not hard enough to do any damage but enough to sting. "Do it. Immediately. I'll be watching. And when you're done, we'll try this conversation again." He tried (and failed) to give me a convincing smile before making his way back over to his desk. Before he let his huge frame slide into his leather chair, he said,

"Oh, and you might want to hurry. You and I are going on a family road trip soon."

Before I could think up the perfect snarky comment to fire back, the door opened. The same female Mog from before motioned for me to come with her. As I left, I glanced back at what I couldn't believe was actually my grandfather. What led him to all of this? Why? She grabbed my arms and started to drag me away, but I dug my heals in and grabbed the door frame.

"I have a question," I blurted.

Setrakus Ra looked up from his papers and raised his eyebrows calmly. "Yes, Granddaughter?"

Ugh.

"Why do you hate us Loric so much? Does it just get you hard, or...?"

Surprisingly, he gave a small chuckle before pulling down his shirt collar gently. The deep purple scar became even more visible, and I wasn't sure if it was really pulsing or if my mind was playing tricks on me. He traced his swollen pointer finger across it as he said, "Who do you think gave this to me?"

I didn't answer as I watched him.

"Pittacus Lore did, Ella. They tried to kill me for doing scientific research. I wanted equality between the Garde and the Cepan. The leaders, however, thought such advanced ideas were barbaric. They thought me trying to help your grandmother - my wife - was cruel. So tell me, dear: Am I really a bad guy?" His dark eyes bore into me with gentle curiosity, but behind them, I could see the flame of anger burning bright.

The question resonated in my mind as I was pulled away from his office. I looked over my shoulder and watched as the bastard used his legacies to close the door behind us. I also kicked myself for not immediately thinking he was wrong. I hesitated.

I hesitated for hours.