Beheading Beatrice

Chapter six

Human's are born completely dependant on the two separate people that had come together to create the tiny life. They are born like a flame. First, components must be strategically mixed together, chemicals or chromosomes. Second, they are born, pulled into this world whether or not they are wanted there. They can be killed, put out, though sometimes they are accidental, and are still there. Flames burn as long as they can until they lose the resources they need to survive, or they are snuffed. Just like humans, flames can be killed by the very thing that created them. Oxygen can kill flames, just as humans can kill other humans. The truth can be callous, hard to think about, but a flame is just like a human. Both can be snuffed out, both can be accidental, and both can be killed by the very thing that created it. Sure, other things can put out a flame, just as other things can kill a human, like water can kill both a human and a flame. 

To Vedalia, children and flames were nothing alike. She actually liked fire. Some people even could call Vedalia a pyromaniac, though she would never use such a negative connotation to describe herself such as a maniac. She was no maniac. Flames and children were different to her because she had never killed a flame, she let it burn until someone else had put it out, or natural causes such as rain had damaged the flame. Children, on the other hand, Vedalia was easily able to kill them. She would even call herself the fourth fate from Hercules. Of course, she was not immortal, nor was she ancient or shared her eye with the other fates, but she did the exact same thing the fates did. She took her scissors to someone's string and was able to swiftly cut it without hesitation. She decided when it was their time to die. She decided when her little puppets could be buried. And for some unexplainable reason that she could never be able to describe without completely butchering the way that she felt, she loved it. She loved being God. She was God. 

A strange feeling surged in Clementine's stomach, rippling like waves on a beach throughout her entire body. Her nerves were spiked, goosebumps traveling up and down her exposed arms. The bitter cold bit at her ears, nipping at the exposed skin all over her body. She did not want to end up freezing to death in this cell. She was intent on escaping, no matter what it took. She needed to help her friend, even if it was likely he was dead, she still had to hope. 

Finn had been alone for two days, left in his binding restraints to starve. His muscles were strained, his body coated in a sheen of sweat. Just as Clementine was planning for escape, so was he. He had no idea on how to get out, but he couldn't give up hope, hope was the only thing he had any more, especially because his friend was locked up down there with crazed, lonely men whos only contact with women was the guards, and sometimes, very rarely, Vedalia for torture. Finnley only knew this because his friends had told him what terrible things had happened in that dungeon, after their escape that is. His friends were Spanish fraternal twins, born and raised in Spain who had joined his fleet three years ago. He missed them, missed them deeply, though Perillo had turned his back on him once the fleet had turned on him as well, Santi had stayed by his side, ruining his reputation in the wake of his choices. Finnley was impressed with Santi, knowing that he was much more of a follower than anything, like sheep, but he had finally taken control over things and did something that he wanted for once. Even though he went from the sheep to the scapegoat, he did not recognize the scrutiny he was put under, as well as the vicious slandering of his name. He turned the other cheek, which truly transformed him into what his brother Perillo had always wanted him to be. A real man. Not a follower, a strong willed man. Finnley missed his best friend, well both of his friends, though his heart longed for Santi. The two had quite the affair, sneaking off during training, hiding out in a secret little corner. Finnley found this relationship exciting, new, something that he could look forward to during the days and nights he sat in this dungeon. 

Before he knew it, Finn's thoughts only remained on Santi. His chocolate colored eyes, his slightly chapped lips, his rough hands, his thick black curls, his strong hard nose, his deep thickly accented voice, his long muscular legs, his handsome face, even his scent. He smelled of salty sweat, sandalwood, and cinnamon. Anything that had anything to do with Santi, he thought of it. His kisses, his soft attitude, his rather romantic personality, the way he walked, his intelligent ways, his analytical processing of really anything that happened, from doing the dishes to fighting in yet another gender battle. Though Finnley saw Clementine as a great friend, she still could not measure up to his thoughts and feelings that had to do with Santi. Santi. Even that name caused a chill to zip up his spine, causing him to shiver with delight. He had to get out of here before Santi believed he was dead and moved on without him. Finnley was frightened, thinking that way caused him nothing but anxiety, but it was what drove him to continue to struggle, to thrash and throw himself around, draining every last bit of energy he had to the extremities. Santi kept him going, Santi reminded him that he had everything to fight for, he had something to go back to when he finally escaped with Clementine. He would cross over, and she would stay in her territory. Sure he would miss her, but he was not going to risk his life to see her. She had already gotten both of them locked up. She had already massively risked both of their lives. Why did it seem that Clementine had always managed to drag him down with her? Even back when he was a girl, living on the other side, Clementine managed to take him with her. He remembered those irritating moments like they had happened yesterday, like when Clementine sparked up the interest of a rather feisty Egyptian girl named Cleo and began a relationship with her. It was against the rules to have any kind of romantic relationship with a member of the same fleet, the only way that one beneath Vedalia's feminist reign could even have any form of love for another, was if they were not in the fleet, or in a different fleet. Clementine knew that, though she did not seem to care whatsoever, and continued on with her secret fling. Cleo became nothing but a pawn to Clementine. The Egyptian girl stumbled along happily, almost as though she was enjoying the way she was being recognized as. Just a phase was what she was treated as like two elementary children were experimenting with a cute little girlfriend and boyfriend basis, when really they were just copying their parents. Finnley ignored the way that Cleo was treated until Clementine was found out. She was caught with her hand up Cleo's shirt, their lips engaged and locked together. Finnley was later prosecuted for not telling Vedalia or her soldiers of the two's relationship and was stripped of her rights as a soldier. Ever since then, Finnley was pulled into every one of her schemes. He had been punished more times than he could handle and left Clementine behind. She was toxic to him, like radioactive waste. She always got him in trouble, and he had finally had enough of taking the fall for everything that she did. 

He had to get out of here, he had to. He needed to see Santi, he needed to kiss him and hold him and show him that he was okay and he was alive. But how, and when? What could he possibly do to get out? 

Finnley knew he would have to figure out the answer to those questions, and soon. 

~CN: I'm sorry for the many spelling mistakes in my past chapters, I was too busy to analyze it and correct the grammar mistakes. Also, in later chapters, I will try and write much more than I do, since a lot of times, chapters are much more than around 1,300 words such as mine are. Readers, fans, please message me and tell me what else I need to improve on, or you can message me some ideas on what you want to happen in later chapters :)~