REVOLUTION: A Rebel Among Monsters ✔

Thirty-Three••A Deadly Distraction

How do I explain I have an Impian bomb inside of me?

Immobile on the Infirmary bed, Melaynia tried not to cower under her sister's scrutiny, under Wylan's confusion. "I... trespassed. I hesitated before, but... you have to understand that I had to. And that I immediately regretted it once I arrived in the darkness on the other side of that Wall." She shifted about, but Valnia said nothing. "Here's the thing; someone knew I was going to trespass. They... waited for me beyond the Wall. Expected me, due to my... behavior."

Valnia huffed, Wylan's eyebrows inched up.

"The second I set foot in the Forbidden Side, a set of hands wrapped around me, covered my mouth, and they put a bag over my head. Next thing... I had arrived in a dark room, attached to a chair, with several masked recruits staring at me. Rebels."

Valnia spun to peer at Wylan, then returned to Melaynia. "Rebels," she said, her voice low in her throat.

"Rebels." Melaynia winced. "But I didn't let them intimidate me. I... was daring. Asked them who they were, how they'd figured out who I was. How they knew to snatch me at that exact moment. And they didn't hesitate; they advised me that a Big Wall guard warned them I was coming, sensed it in my attitude. I was a risk and I'd cross the border." She closed her eyes, remembering the last guard she spoke to; the one who basically guided her into escaping the inhabited side. "And that person was... a rebel in disguise. Spying for them, for the Impians. And... I assume there are others hidden in the population."

Dropping into her chair, Valnia's jaw loosened. "The... mission wasn't fake? I... had no idea. Did Lexa? The Monsters? Did they—"

"—I'm not done." Valnia snapped her mouth shut and blinked as Melaynia narrowed her gaze. "I struggled, but it turns out I wasn't chained to my seat. No restraints. I was free, but... I wasn't. They wouldn't let me leave. Even when I begged them, promised not to tell anyone. They... said I had come this far, out of curiosity, so it was time to satisfy that. They took me... to the Impians."

As Wylan stepped fully into the room, he took Valnia's hand, and both of them frowned.

"They didn't hurt me right away. They... laughed. Because they were happy? Glad to have found me? Probably." A shiver slithered down Melaynia's spine at the recollection of her first glance of the evil siblings. Their pallid flesh, their wrinkled faces, the iciness in their light eyes. "They toured their Lair with me, revealed its secret: a factory meant to create hybrid humans, and to research outer space. It's true, Val. I didn't lie about that."

Valnia swallowed loudly, and Wylan kneeled beside her, mouthing something that Melaynia couldn't read.

Did Val tell him about that part, from earlier?

"There were still regular rebels... as in normal, human Ceruleans. But a majority of their staff and recruits... are hybrids. They explained that they were... robots. Posing as humans, intelligent and obedient, but their minds were controlled. Their agility and strength were... multiplied." She inhaled and exhaled, and Valnia and Wylan hung to her every word, absorbed in her tale. "Then they explained how they wanted to explore outside of Cerule. They were going to work on a way to detach themselves from the planet... to travel elsewhere. The Impians... want to leave."

It had been a lot to take in. She had no clue how her sister and Wylan would digest this; they didn't believe her to begin with, and this was insane.

This is why I kept it all hidden.

"Go on," said Wylan, intrigued, eyes wide and alert. "Don't stop. There's more, right?"