Defeat (Book Attack Series: Book 9 - Alex Rider)

Chapter XXIII

Chapter XXIII

Melanie

Okay fine, maybe I'm not the best person in the world. I care a lot about my popularity, though I don't know why considering all the popular people a dumb bitches with dyed hair and faces that could survive on much less makeup. Despite all my flaws, why can't I just have a nice break where I sit and relax on a beach and enjoy the Easter season instead of working my ass off to save the world and avoid getting killed by something that shouldn't exist in the process. I go to church. Why am I not granted these simple luxuries, Lord God of all Creation?

I mean, it's not like I'm asking to go to Paris and enjoy escargot on top of the Eiffel Tower with the sexiest guy in existence. I'm thirteen, for God's sake! I should be going to the beach with friends and doing stupid things that I'll regret later in life but still laugh about. I'm not positive if that's how I'll ever remember stabbing peacekeepers with a samurai sword (by the way, I'm kinda worried about where Maddie found that... I think they might sell them in a flea market in Savannah... Which is also very worrying...).

Anyways, after I stabbed the peacekeeper with the worrisome sword and sent an Indian Haladie dagger into the spine of a chimera (do you see my point with the worrisome arsenal?), I found myself in a stand off with a particularly nasty-looking manticore with the body of a lion, face of a man, wings of a bat, and stinger of a scorpion.

Obviously that thing was gonna be a little hard to kill. Just wait, it gets better.

So anyway, turns out that samurai swords are very good weapons when it comes to fighting a full-grown manticore (despite her flaws, I thank Maddie for her excellent find). I took it down within 2 minutes of combat.

Couldn't be that easy, right?

So yeah, once the manticore proofed into yellow dust like Percy's pre-algebra teacher (I'd killed her about 10 minutes earlier), I stood, only to have someone grab me from behind and put a dagger to my throat.

Guess who it was! I'll give you a hint. He's an actual character. I'll give you another. He's from the Hunger Games and betrayed everybody with his idiotic obedience to tyranny!

You guessed it! Marvel!

"Drop the sword." He said bluntly. I did as I was told. I rather like my life. I'd prefer not to lose it.

"You know, for a kid raised in one of the more privileged districts, I would expect you to be a little more observant to moronic, tyrannical dictators..."

For my beautiful snarky comment, Marvel pushed the dagger into my throat, and I could feel blood dripping down my neck, "I've been offered a very nice seat from which to watch this lazy realm burn. Of course, I can't do that with a bunch of idiot hosts with superpowers running arou-"

I heard the whoosh of metal flying through the air, then Marvel fell forward, his grip on me loosening considerably. I threw him off of me a turned to face my savior with a small, "Thanks."

Nathan nodded, "Don't mention it." When he saw my bleeding throat, he made me lie down and yelled, "Jordan! George! Get over here!"

After a few seconds, they were kneeling over me as well. "She needs help." Nathan stated the obvious.

"Okay, I get why you needed him," Jordan said, "But why the hell am I here?"

"Because there's a khalkotauroi over there, and I really wanna kill it before Cassidy gets to it. So yeah. Bye." With that, my savior was gone.

"Jordan, hold her still. This might sting a little, Mel." As he got to work, George addressed Jordan with, "Still think he's the traitor?"

"Wha- How did you know about that?!" Jordan exclaimed.

"Nevada and you shoulda figured out by now that you're not subtle. At all." George looked down at me, "You're good."

I sat up, "Thanks, G." I turned to Jordan, "Think about it. If he were the traitor, why would he save me?"

"But then what was the phone call about?"

George frowned, "What phone call?"

We were interrupted by a flash, then Lucas, Phil and Maddie were standing next to us. Maddie looked to be in terrible shape, leaning heavily on Phil and trying her best not to loose her breakfast. "What happened to you?" I asked.

Maddie winced, "Take it from me. Dying hurts a lot more the second time around."

Jordan raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me...?"

"And apparating definitely doesn't help."

"We need George." Lucas interrupted, "Important plan to save the world. No biggie."

"I'll apparate us somewhere safer to talk."

As George grabbed Lucas's shoulder, Maddie let out a groan, "Oh God help me..."

They were gone in a flash.

·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·Author's Note!!!·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·

Sorry I didn't update yesterday... I MADE UP FOR IT!!!!!

Check out my sketch of Ali on the side :)

אתם הטובים ביותר! אני אוהב את כולכם! להצביע ולהגיב בבקשה!

~ Maddie