CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MY HEAD WAS spinning when I became conscious. I was still sitting on the white chair, only now it wasn't covered in blood. All of my injuries were healed but my body felt drained from all the blood that was lost. Both of my arms were tied behind the chair with gold ropes.
The table was gone as was the paper with the black sentence written on it. On the ceiling there was an outline of a red rose and on the wall I was facing THANATOS was written in black ink. Soon the second half of the test would commence.
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Act II
The Rose
"A rose–when cut–lives up to seven days. Seven days. Now, a week is seven days isn't it? On the seventh day it's fragrance is subtle and it's color is faded. On the eighth day it's replaced." The voice had started to speak again and the test was at its end.
"If it's treated right it can last up to ten days. On the eleventh day everything–it fragrance and color–vanishes." Hades had been through this once and the voice knew this.
A recording of Persephone and the king had begun to play on the wall. They were walking through a garden and looking at each with love in their eyes. She was content.
"The rose is you, Hades"
At the sound of the voice I snapped back into reality. Tears were threatening to fall and my face lowered. Before I could even get a word out Persephone was standing in front of me. She kneeled down and tilted my head to face hers. There were two guns on her lap, she took one and set it on my lap. Taking the other in her hand she stood up and went around the chair to undo the ropes.
"Kill her. If you do you get to leave but she'll be dead the minute you arrive to RUINS. Now, if you don't kill her she will kill you and your babe will be forgotten. You have seven minutes."
We were standing face to face and my head was spinning again. There was no way around this game but the clock was ticking and one of us would have to pull the trigger.
5 minutes. The.
4 minutes. The rose.
3 minutes. The rose is.
2 minutes. The rose is you.
1 minute. The rose is you, Hades.
Her gun was pointed at my heart. 30 seconds. My hand let go of mine and it fell to the floor, creating a bang that echoed through the room. 17 seconds. I smiled at her and gave her a small nod.
The rose on the ceiling had been filled in. A bullet had been shot. The white room was now coal-black.
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Blood fell and I rose.
note
not edited.
