Sector 7

20:17

"Go fish," Thasia replied curtly. I frowned before taking one of the warped and slightly soggy cards.

"I can't help but feel like you're cheating," I muttered in annoyance. It had been a very uneventful day since there were no other activities planned. I read, talked with Thasia about school and friends, tried to remember my cousin's name and if Thesel was ever going to propose to her. About an hour ago, Thasia remembered she had a deck of cards and we played War, Spades Rule, Reds vs Blacks, and finally Go Fish.

"I don't cheat." She said with a straight face before bursting into giggles.
"I KNEW IT!" I hissed and leaped on top of her, making her drop her cards. There I saw it. "WHAT? You had three aces and two fours?! You are a little cheater Miss Thasia Glendower!"

"What are you going to do about it?" She asked.

A positively devilish idea entered my mind. Before she could even guess what I was thinking, I started tickling her sides as she howled with laughter.

"OKAY! OKAY! I GIVE! I GIVE!" She shrieked, tears escaping her eyes.

"SAY YOU CHEAT AT GO FISH! SAY IT! SAY IT!" I shouted over her laughs.

"OKAY! OKAY! I CHEAT AT GO FISH! I CHEAT AT GO FISH!" She hollered and I finally got off of her, cracking up. "You're mean." She whined in between pants.

I wiped a tear from my eye. "Yeah, but looks aren't everything."

She rolled her eyes. "Let's play again and this time I WON'T cheat."

I eyed her suspiciously before shrugging and picking up the cards to shuffle. "Fine. But I'm watching you."

She crossed her heart. "On my honor."

Before I could deal the cards, there was a sharp, urgent knocking at the door. We both looked up in unison before looking at each other. We held up our hands and whispered, "Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot."

I threw a paper and she threw scissors. I cursed under my breath while she snickered to herself, and I got up to get the door.

I opened the door to see Ajax, as white as a sheet. He quickly entered and shut the door before pulling me into a hug and crying into my shoulder.

Thasia stood up and nodded to me. "I'll leave you two alone." And with that, she grabbed the cards and went into the bathroom to play by herself or to eavesdrop. I wasn't quite sure on which.

I tried to maneuver my way to the bed and sit with Ajax still clinging to me, sobbing like a two-year-old. When I finally got to sit down, I held him until he ran out of tears.

"You wanna talk about it?" I whispered into his ear.

He looked at me and said, "I killed someone Delphi."

My heart hit the floor and shattered. How could someone as kind-hearted as Ajax kill someone? He always seemed like a pacifist to me. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this all was some elaborate trick on me.

I barely opened my mouth when he continued. "She was fourteen Delphi. I killed an innocent fourteen-year-old girl. I couldn't shoot her but they forced me to. I was crying when I shot her. I watched the life drain from her eyes. I'm scared Delphi, and I just need to be with you."

I nodded. "It's ok Ajax. I know that's not you. I know you are so much better than this. You would never kill anyone if it wasn't forced."

He sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Her name was Pucelle. She told me that before she died. She was screaming about how I needed to tell her family that she was killed and that I didn't mean to kill her. It broke my heart Delphi."

I hugged him. "I know. It hurts my heart too, just hearing you talk about it."

"I love you." He whispered in my ear.

"I love you too." He then kissed me on the lips and I let myself caress his cheek.

"Delphi, I love you, love you." He murmured, dropping his kisses to the nape of my neck.

I blinked in confusion. "What, what do you mean?"

He pulled away. "I want to marry you Delphi. I want to be Ajax Pandolph because Delphinium Bona just sounds stupid. Sorry, but it's true."

My breath caught in my throat. "Wha..." I trailed off.

He got down on one knee in front of me and held my hands in his. "Marry me Delphinium. Marry me and when we win the Slate, we'll get married and live together forever."

I couldn't speak. How could I? He put me on the spot and asked me the most binding question I will ever be asked. How could I answer?

If I say yes, I would have to marry him no matter what. We could be widowed before we turned twenty. If I say no, we would both be heartbroken. He would never forgive me for as long as he lived, which, statistically speaking, wouldn't be too long.

Before I could stop myself, I said, "No."

He looked at me with both concern and anxiety scrawled across his face. "No?"

I gave him a pained expression. "Ajax, we only met five days ago! That's not a long enough time to fall in love with someone. Yes, I care a lot about you, but I can't tell for sure if it's love. An engagement binds us together forever. I don't think I can make that commitment when death lurks around every corner."

He bit his lip before looking down and sitting back on the bed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He looked me in the eyes. "But I do love you, Delphinium."

I nodded. "I know Ajax. I love you too. I'm just not sure if it's true love yet."

"I understand." He exclaimed, before adding slowly, "But if you won't marry me, love me."

I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"

His lust-filled eyes bore deep into my soul. "Love me Delphinium."

Cold fear gripped my heart and I pushed him away, sending him tumbling to the floor. I backed up to the opposite side of the room, breathing heavily. I stared at him with fear and his expression changed from lusty to anxious.

"Oh m- Delphi, I'm so sorry." He reached out to touch me, but I backed away.

"No, don't." Before he could reply, I went into the bathroom saying, "Just, don't."

That night, as Ajax slept on the floor, Thasia and I curled up into the bathtub together. At least I had her to confide in.