Glistening Embers

Chapter 28: I'm Sorry

Glisteen sat on her bed, her tears finally dried up. She wasn't hungry, in fact, she felt sick. Sabecary was gone. But she had to get up, had to get ready to go to the meeting. Glisteen dressed herself in a black, long sleeved shirt and pants, with combat boots. She forced herself to brush her hair and put it into a ponytail. Glisteen looked at the clock and let out a groan. It was only 9:00 o'clock. She sat on the bed. She couldn't think about Sabecary. She wouldn't think about Sabecary.

She would think about something else... what else? Oh, who's fight was next? She had heard that they got two days off after her fight today. But whose fight would it be, then? Glisteen realized, suddenly, that it was Yilasia's and Sabecary's. She would have to fight Raya, her ex best friend. And if she won that, she would either have to fight her sister, or her former boyfriend. A single tear ran down Glisteen's face. She knew that she would, soon, become Improved, because she knew she could never win. She couldn't even fight.

A knock on her door rang out through the silence of her room. Glisteen stiffened and walked to the door, but stayed behind it. Wearing all black wasn't usually her thing. Whoever was at the door, would question it.

Glisteen opened the door. It was Sia, dressed in a velvet, green turtleneck, and jeans. Her green streak had taken over half of her head.

Glisteen tried not to make her voice hard.  She wasn't sure if she succeeded. "What do you want?" Glisteen questioned.

Yilasia flinched, as though slapped. Glisteen guessed her voice had been hard, after all. Yilasia cleared her throat. "I know, that we may have to face each other in the final battle, and I just wanted to say... I love you." Sia turned on her heel and ran down the hall.

Glisteen stood by the door, in silence. An ache began to form in her chest.
She still missed her little sister. Glisteen closed her door, and went back to her bed. She still had to wait for a couple hours. The time passed slowly, ever so slowly. Glisteen began to wonder how she could have changed her and Sia's lives, so they didn't end up here. If they had actually ran away, like they always planned. If they had never been born with Gifts. But, if things had been, well, normal, she wouldn't have met Mictochra, Sinlivbie, Thigil... Sabecary. She wouldn't know who her parents were. Glisteen shook her head. She couldn't afford to think like that.

Glisteen checked her clock, 11:50. It was time. Glisteen quietly got out of her room and closed the door. She snuck silently down the corridors. It still unnerved her to think someone could be following her, stalking her, ready to imprison her. Glisteen soon reached the door. Glisteen walked in and took her usual place in the corner. The fire was unlit, since no one was there, and the room was completely dark. In her black attire, no one would be able to spot Glisteen spying.

A few minutes later, the cloaked figures took up their places, as usual. As was the routine, the fire was lit. Glisteen edged farther into her corner, retreating from the light, using the shadows to her advantage. Raya took her place on the middle right. The person whose identity still remained a secret was the one next to Aritraya, the one who had never spoken. Glisteen couldn't help but remember how she had found out about the last meeting. "It's not Sabecary," she thought to herself, pushing down the thought. "It can't be. He wouldn't do this."

Glisteen guessed that the one on the left was Showda, since she had always seemed suspicious, and the voice sounded like hers. The one on the right must been Talyah, since she was Showda's sister, and equally suspicious.

"I take it no one was followed?" Showda asked.

"Oh, come one. We're not that obvious." The one on the middle right, Raya, said.

"Very well. But, the spy still may be here." Showda said. "Bring him in!" Glisteen watched as Artew was brought in, tied similarly to Telma. Glisteen remembered how Telma had turned into a monster and shuddered. She wasn't sure if she could watch that again.

"What am I doing here!?" Artew shouted, obviously bewildered at being tied up, and facing the four figures.

"Oh, don't talk like that. We have you here for a Gift Improvement." The one on the right said. It sounded like Talyah.

"What kind of Improvement?" he asked, suspiciously.

Showda held out the same silver liquid, in its glass. "The good kind, of course. Untie him." she ordered the one on the middle left.

The one on the middle left, who was still a mystery,  easily untied Artew's ropes. Artew was handed the glass, and looked at it, carefully. He raised the glass to his lips- and put it down, again. "No." he said, flatly, handing the glass back to Showda.

Showda's grip tightened around the glass chalice. "No?" she questioned, with a mix of astonishment and anger. "What do you mean, no?"

Artew took a deep breath, and pushed his blue and brown streaked hair back. "I mean, no, I will not be drinking this. I mean, no, I don't think this is an 'Improvement.' My-" His breath caught in his throat. "Smeko told me he would write to me, leave me a letter if he lost. I checked my room. Nothing. So, no. I will not be drinking this, because I don't trust you, because I believe that there is something going on here, that you don't want us to know about. Something evil. Something wrong. So, no, I will not be drinking this. Thank you." Artew crossed his arms, waiting for a response.

Glisteen was glad Artew wasn't tricked by their lies. She felt a pang of guilt about him being there. It was her fault. If she had been the one to lose, he wouldn't be here.

While Glisteen had been thinking, Showda had, also, been pondering. "Very well, Artew." she responded to his speech. She gestured to Raya. "Kill him."

Raya stepped forward and raised her hands. Glisteen had to do something, otherwise, Artew would die. Without thinking, she jumped in front of him. "Stop!" she yelled.

"Glisteen?" Raya's surprised voice said. She threw back her hood, revealing the silver eyes that Glisteen had found so beautiful, upon first meeting her, that now seemed harsh and unforgiving. "You see-"

"I know what you've been up to, all of you." Glisteen pointed to the four cloaked figures. Showda and Talyah removed their hoods. The last figure, on the middle left, remained unnamed. Glisteen swallowed a sob. "You've been turning Gifteds into monsters, with that evil potion." She turned around. "That's what happened to Smeko, Artew. They turned him into a monster, took his soul."

Artew looked as if he had punched in the stomach. Glisteen turned back. "I will not stand by, while people are lost, their souls are lost. And I am willing to fight to make sure this information gets out to everyone."

"Fight?" Showda questioned, her eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "Aritraya?" Aritraya raised a hand and pushed up.

Glisteen was pushed in the air by an invisible force, choking her. "Let... me... go!" she managed, with the little air she had left. The force tightened. Black crept in at the edge of her vision. No, she would not pass out.

The force dropped her onto the ground, her head slamming against the ground. She was so... exhausted... The black was coming faster, inch by inch. She just barely saw Sabecary, his hood down, his blue eyes sad, kneel in front of her and say "I'm sorry." Then, the world went black.