Cold

Chapter Fifteen

Honestly, the only reason I got up on that stage was because I didn't know what type of a signal I was looking for. Or when to run to the building. I got up on that stage and almost immediately people started calling out prices. The bidding started at $10 and climbed too fast to $5000. I didn't know I was worth so little.

"I BID $700 000 000. ANYONE WHO BIDS HIGHER THAN THAT DEALS WITH MY FRIENDS!!!" I turned to the voice and saw Reed standing with Justin, Bullet, Von, Ariel, and Seth. Then walking through the crowd came Drey and West with an army of armed soldiers.

"STOP THE BIDDING!!! Any more bidding of foreigners is illegal by the authority of the Queen of Asta'La. Anyone who objects can kindly follow me to Noten for execution" shouted West. Justin ran up to me and brought me off the stage to the others. We all went into the building.

"What's an Asta'La?" I asked. West looked at me then smiled.

"I see we need to fill you in on the history of this place. You must not be from here" he said. He brought me into a room with a lot of pictures of people fighting, kissing, or just partying. One picture in particular caught my eye. It was a picture of Von, Ariel, Seth, Justin, and me, standing on a mountain. Von had a green stone attached to a string around his neck. Ariel was wearing a beautiful blue dress. Seth had red eyes, and red bracelets. Justin was also wearing blue, but looked a little different from the rest of us. I was in the middle of them. I was wearing an outfit that looked like I was a goddess warrior, or something. There were chains around my hands that led to the bottom of the mountain, where five men stood there. I began recognising them one by one. West below Von, Drey below Seth, Pablo below justin, Reed below Ariel. Bullet, had chains around his hands that were attached to the chains around mine. He was directly below me. I moved closer to the painting. Something was strange. Not the fact that I was with all of them. Not even the fact that we were all together. No. It was something orange in my hair. Upon getting closer, I realized it was the orange flower from my visions and trials. The same orange flower that I relate to so often. I touched the painting. The paint was old, flaky, fell off if mishandled. The frame looked as though it was made from a tree trunk, perfectly fit for this painting. The corners were dull, starting to rot. How can something so broken down and beaten look so perfect and full of life?

"You like that one?" asked West. I pulled my hand away and looked at him.

"That painting is my favourite too. It tells the story of a warrior who fell in love with a prisoner, just to have her heart broken to find out who he really was" said West. Something about the way he said that made it seem like he had no idea who was actually in the painting. Like he had no idea it was us and our friends. I looled back at the painting. How could he not recognise all of us? This whole situation makes me think his friends were lying about there being no Cold. Maybe there is. Maybe the mountain is right. Maybe the mountain uses the same people all the time, but starts over when it messes up.

***

I must apologise. I thought she knew the whole story. Now I know that she only knows bits and pieces. But she is smart. If she finds out everything, please promise me you will take her memories. But do not harm her.

"Look. I am not one of your stupid guinea pigs. I have pretended for so long, and it hurts. If she figures it all out, who cares?!? When you're done with her, she won't remember us anyways. Just like her mom. Just like the rest of them. And she's acting differently ayways. She's not the same person she was before. She's smarter, faster. You were worried about her finding out the truth, you should be worried that she'll change the past and find out who you really are"

Summer might figure this all out. I am just worried about what would happen jf she does, though. Maybe it was a mistake bringing Summer to the Cold.

***

"What's it like, living here?" I asked West. Everyone was gathered around a table, eating supper together. Still, Pablo didn't show.

"Sometimes it's hard. We can't always afford food, and we needed to rebuild our home almost every month. But there is a plus. Friends and an awesome new job keep me happy" explained West. I looked over at Seth. He wasn't eating. He was just staring down at his plate with his arms folded. I feel bad for what I did.

"So what about you? Tell us about your home" said Reed.

"Well, my family is very disfunctional. My dad hates us, me and my brother. My mom died when I was young. I was the worker of the family. I was the only one with a job, and sometimes I wouldn't even get paid. When the day came for the choosing of the 500, I quit my job. I was slapped by my dad. When me and my brother were thrown into the Cold, he didn't even say goodbye. He just went back to sleep" I explained. I had to stop. If I kept going, I might've cried, and nobody needs that right now.

"Wow. That's tough" said Justin. I forgot we only just met a while ago.

"Tell us more about your brother" said Drey.

"I don't want to bore you" I said. That was a lie. Nothing about my brother is boring. I just don't want to cry while thinking of him.

"Oh come on. I bet he's as gorgeous as you are" said Drey.

"No, I really don't want to talk about him" I said.

"Why not?" asked West.

"Yea, Summer. Tell them about Lucas" pleaded Justin.

"I personally want to hear all about him" said Ariel.

"Me too" said Reed.

"Tell us" said Von.

"Come on" said West.

Eventually the voices drowned out. Eventually I stopped listening. I didn't know how to tell them that he was dead. Gone. I didn't know how to tell them that they would never get the chance to meet him.

Finally I said "His smile was magical. Everytime he laughed, you would probably start laughing too, just because it was full and riduculous. He had a scar on his right eyebrow from the time he fell out of a tree. He would always laugh when he got hurt. He never got in trouble. He looked like my mother. But not anymore." Silence. They want me to continue. Go into detail. But I can't.

"Tell us more" said West.

A tear rolled down my cheek as someone came in and said "Did you miss me?!?"