Played For A Fool

Stronger Than Love

Cress sat curled up in the corner of her room, wrapping her long braid around her hands, feeling more panicked by the second. A thousand thoughts moved through her head, faster than a speeding car. She felt the anxiety creeping up on her, beginning to choke her all the way through.

The lights from her computers blinked all around her, giving her a headache. She felt sick to her stomach, on the verge of a breakdown. Her world was crumbling, and her only witness would be the flashing lights.

"I am an actress," Cress said to herself, voice trembling, "I am a spy for the Intergalactic Forces, and my job is to save the entire world." Breathing deeply, Cress continued, "I am the bravest soldier known to mankind, the ultimate weapon in defeating the dark forces of evil."

Cress began shaking, her stories couldn't even help her now. She was being torn apart, ripped at the seams, not sure where to turn, who to trust.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, letting out a sob. She couldn't carry on like this, not after all this time. Her moral compass was telling her to do one thing, while her brain was telling her to do another. She was being pulled in two different directions, not sure which side to let go of, which one to run away from.

It was a battle between the heart and mind, of love or trust. One could not simply win, though Cress wished it would work like that. She wished she could just flip a coin, and let it pick for her.

Cress pulled her braid hard, yanking it over and over again. The hardest part about the entire situation was not the danger, though that scared her, it was that she knew the right decision. Cress knew what she needed to do, who she needed to betray, but it was easier said than done. She would be eaten away by guilt either way, but she knew that one would be worse than the other.

Her decision was already made, though she wished she could change it. She needed to do this. She needed to be brave. She needed to be strong.

"I am an actress," Cress started again, feeling more confidence as she said the words. "I am going to do what I have to do, and I am going to save the world."

Standing from her sitting position, Cress began to pace the room. She didn't know how she would do it. How do you tell a loved one you're leaving them forever, joining their enemies, and hoping that they end up in prison for their crimes. Or even possibly die.

She loved him, and always would, but she couldn't stand the burden of his crimes any longer. He had used her from the very beginning, acting like he loved her, only to betray her, breaking her even further.

Because that's all that Crescent was now; a broken girl.

Life hardly ever puts you in good situations, but you're supposed to be able to count on your loved ones. They're the ones who hold you up, not shove you down and not care if you burn.

He had told her lies, for years on end, with no consequence. Cress was done having her heart broken, her trust destroyed.

Maybe love wasn't the strongest force in the world, because this time, Cress wasn't getting her trust broken. She wouldn't go with love, she was going with trust.

***

Kai paced through his house, uncertain what to do. It was late afternood, but the world had already gone to heck. He was more confused than ever, which was saying something, and couldn't decide what his next move should be.

After school, Kai had stayed a little extra, helping with some of his duties as the Student Body President. It hadn't taken long, but the teacher that had cornered him did. It was a miracle that Kai had gotten away three quarters of an hour after school had officially ended.