~A Wattpad featured and Wattys Longlisted story~
Lana can hardly remember what it's like to be free. After nine years as a captive on board a ship ruled by ruthless bounty hunters, sailing across Maris with no clear direction, she's desperate for so...
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LANA WANTS TO say that the news about Arlo hits her like a slap to the face. She wants to say that it shocks her, and she never saw it coming. Yet, even though in the brief moments she knew him where he was kind and honest, she never truly knew him. So rather than being shocked, she's disgusted. What had led him astray to monsters like that? What led him to...her?
At the very thought of her conversation with Vyanna, her whole body tenses up and she feels sick. It's as if after that whole interaction, her soul has been tainted with a darkness that makes her feel unclean, and every time she thinks about it, she only becomes more aware of its existence. It's whole presence makes her feel unsafe and fearful, and she can almost picture the Morai laughing at her weakness.
She truly feels powerless at their earlier discussion, the mere action Vyanna wants her to take sending chills up her spine and making her breathe come short.
Because what Vyanna wants is to meet her alone and if she doesn't go, if she tells anyone about it, Vyanna will continue her siege on Halsa and thousands of people, including Skye and Bryan, will be slaughtered. The only way to prevent that from happening is going through with what she wants, and ignoring every survival sense drilled in herself.
She takes a deep breath, feeling a sudden wave of sadness along the immovable fear. She's likely giving up everything she just earned in her newfound freedom to save it all. It seems cruel that just when she's found people that she cares about and a group she belongs to, it will all be taken away but if that is the price to preserve it all, then she's willing to lose it all.
Lana turns toward Skye instinctively, realizing these moments may be her last with him, and her heart breaks as she notices how lost he seems at the news of Arlo's treachery. His face has paled to an uncharacteristic shade of white, like fresh snow that has fallen to the cold hard ground on an unforgivably cold day. His jaw has tightened visibly, and Lana can see his fists clenching and unclenching as he goes from appearing defeated to in denial.
"Skye?" she asks gently, and puts a hand on his shoulder, silently willing for him to look at her. A small part of her hopes that if he looks at her, she'll be able to know if he's alright. she'll be able to look into his eyes, and know that he'll be okay if she leaves him. Slowly, Skye brings his eyes up to gaze into hers.
But it's as if his eyes are shattered glass and there's something broken in their icy blueness. Lana feels startled by his obvious pain, and it hits her like a sharp knife, as if he sent all his emotions over to her in one painful stab to the gut. She gasps slightly, and tries to think of anything to say that will make him feel better, but after several moments, she's still at a loss for words. How can she leave him like this? How can she go, knowing it'll only break him more?
Skye breaks eye contact from her, but not before she can see his resignation at her silence. He quickly turns away from her, refusing to meet any of their gazes, and he pushes past Ellerin and Raz roughly to reach the small exit. Then, within seconds, he disappears amongst the intertwined rock formations, leaving Lana alone with Ellerin and Raz.
