Her Defective Secret - CURRENTLY NOT UPDATING

Expel

Asher's POV

I hear a set of feet feeling their way carefully downstairs. It was about time Aurelia got me something, and this time, orange juice wasn't gonna cut it. The holding cell was as boring as it got. There wasn't anything to do, and I was eager to surprise Aurelia with my latest prank. Imagine my surprise when someone different came down the stairs.

"Ah, did I disappoint you that much?" The girl asks, looking a bit off.

"No, I was just expecting my incredibly hot girlfriend, you know?" I smirk at the girl's expression to this information.

"If Aura was with a defect, I think I'd know." The girl has a mind of steel, and I can see she's not as sympathetic as Aurelia.

"Well, no need to soften the blow," I fake a pained expression, which gets a small twitch out of the tiati. "So she can smile."

"Shut up," She looks directly at me, no fear in her eyes. "I'm only here to avoid someone turning out like you."

At least she had a heart. Might've not been a saint, but still bearable.

"Ouch," I match her eyes. "No remorse I see?"

"Nope," She popped the P.

"Not against your rules?" I question.

She looks away at that one, then meets my gaze again. "No one's listening."

"So, what's your name?"

"I don't answer to defects," She turns away, looking for the nonexistent windows.

"What's your story?" I prod. "Dead family member? Broken friendships? Bad boyfriend? Etcetera... ?"

For a flicker of a second, her eyes glisten before she snaps her head away quickly.

"Shit, sorry, didn't mean to make you cry," I look away, saving her the embarrassment. People crying was not my forte. Unless I had purposely made them cry.

Then it was cool.

"I'm not crying!" Her face is flushed and our eyes refuse to meet.

"So I suspect it's the latter?" I raise an eyebrow.

"No, Noah's fine, I'm just worried about..." She ends the sentence slowly, as if to give me time to catch up.

"Aurelia," I finished for her. "I'm guessing you two had a falling out?"

The girl looks up again, begging for eyes to match her own. "You ever feel like our system is... a lie?"

Shit, how did she know?

"No. No! What? Noooooo, nah, no way, it's flawless. Flawless." I fail in masking my own sarcasm.

She smiles slightly. "So you agree?"

I sigh, giving in. "Say hypothetically I do. What can we do about it?"

"That's what I wanted to ask," The girl faces me and looks at me deeply. I don't question her like I did Aurelia.

Something about her was different. She had some air about her. While Aurelia acted impulsively, this girl seemed to weigh her options calmly to decide. Undoubtedly what made her a rebeller that was open to change. But at the same time, she had a sweet sense to her. From what Aurelia told me, all her friends were cheery, loud talkers, and abrasive. She did well to hide that side of her from me, but I was smarter.

"What happened to the 'I'm a clueless tiati who's also really happy but not really' act?" I question.

"I sorta," She chooses her words hesitantly. "Gave that fake me up after what happened between me and Aurelia."

"You're for the rebel cause?"

"God, no! I could never just give everything up for a chance."

"Unless he went along with it, too?"

"Who?"

"Your fiance," I indicate her ring. "Congratulations, by the way."

She blushes a tender pink, almost like a schoolgirl. "Promise ring, but one day, maybe a real one."

"And you want to live your future here?"

"If he wants to, I'm all for it."

"But he doesn't want to," I put the pieces together. "Your boyfriend, or fiance, whatever, is working for the other side."

In every perfect society, there lies distrust in the very heart. They crawl up like unwanted weeds to the prize crops in the flowerbed and if they are pulled, more come up to replace them. They called themselves the Eversio and were practically invisible. They were more than careful and considered people of myth. This was the first time I heard about an actual member. To think there was one so high up in the ranks was virtually impossible. And also slightly frightening.

"No!" She yelps. "That's not true! He's just... securing our future."

"How far will you go to secure this future of yours?"

"As far as we have to!" Her voice rises and ebbs like a growing wave. "I don't want anyone in our family to be involved in things like these gangs and sides, including Aurelia."

I could tell she was close to Aurelia. Even through their falling out, she cared for her. It was sweet to see her worry about such a thing when she obviously had bigger problems.

"This could be a chance though," My eyes sparkle with excitement. "If we can find a way to spread word of the Eversio, we can find more rebellers an -"

"I'm not putting my fiance at risk for some child's dream to come true!" The girl looked angry, and her voice is shaking.

"What other solution do you have?" You can say I was intrigued by what the girl had to say.

"We live in this clandestine world for as long as we can," she says, her voice wavering. "When change comes, I pray it comes after my death."

"You want your children to do the work that you could have?" I feel my annoyance in this girl rise.

"I'm fine in my shell-shaped mind," She shrugs. "I get the best view."

"You kind of astonish me, did you know that?" I sit against my wall, legs crossed, and in deep contemplation.

She leans closer towards me. "What's your story?"

I edge closer. "To know that, take your number and place in line."

Her eyes narrow. "Seriously."

"Depressing things," I say easily. "Nothing that a cheerful tiati like you would like to know."

"You underestimate me," She looks curious, just like Aurelia did when she was figuring me out.

"Do I? Interesting. You do surprise me, whatever your name is," I shrug.

"Audrey," She says simply. "Audrey Rose Taylor."

"Well, Audrey Rose Taylor," I grin widely. "Asher Lily Everett."

Astoundingly, she doesn't correct me on my middle name.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED!

Word Of The Day: chantpleure - to cry while singing; to cry and sing simultaneously

- Angelica and Eliza