Control

xxi | lauren

THE SUN NO LONGER SHINES THROUGH THE SMOKE AND THE DIRTY AIR. Instead, all we have are giant clouds of grey lurking over us, acid rain falling on us on a daily basis. An orange haze seemed the fill the air during sunrises and sunsets, signalling that the sun was still there. Every day, breathing becomes something harder to do, every breath feels more like inhaling poison, not fresh air.

That's when I notice how bad all of this has gotten. Reducing air pollution was something the world was striving for for years, and we've made it a hundred times worse. Yes, we're also committing a string of mass murders, but it's different at the moment.

Breathe, Lauren. Breath, I tell myself as a rolled onto my side after the explosion. What was the Institute trying to do now, kill me? I struggled with each breath, my throat closing in. The dust around my was making me cough. It felt as if something was rammed into my mouth, blocking the passageway. Even gulping hurt.

I get into a sitting position, coughing the entire time. My throat is sore, and has been since I woke up this morning. Shards of glass surround me, cutting my palms, and a small stream of blood leaked down my arm.

I see Spencer helping Aidan get up, brushing off the dust and dirt. There's a cut on Spencer's cheek and around his lip. Aidan has a bruise on his arm and cuts on face. I cough again loudly, this time tasting blood. The metallic taste was all that filled my mouth. 

I was pulled to my feet by two blood-stained hands grabbing me by the collar of my shirt. My eyes met Aidan's, but they weren't the kind ones I might have slowly fallen in love with. No, these were filled with rage.

"What in the world are you trying to do, Lauren Olsen?" He said. I could feel his warm breath on his face. "Trying to kill us, are you?"

"You think I did this?" I asked between taking short breaths. I looked around, seeing the castle destroyed. "Do you really think I did this? Maybe you shouldn't be helping people that are supposed to die."

"Are you saying that Alyssa was supposed to die?" Aidan gritted his teeth. Her death affected him the most - I could see that. 

No, she wasn't, I wanted to say, but different words came out of my mouth. "That's different."

"She was your best friend."

"If I'm being honest, I've only known her for a few months. We weren't even that close." No, no, no, that wasn't true. I mean, partially. We hung out, had fun, but even though I spent more time with the boys and... Cole, she meant the world to me.

"I don't get it, Lauren," Aidan said. "I don't get what you're doing. I don't get your attitude. I don't get why you'd set a bomb in the castle-"

"That's not my fault, you idiot."

He let go of me, his crimson coloured blood leaving a stain on my white t-shirt. "I don't even know why I care. You're just a queen without a castle now."

"I have the world at my fingertips."

"The world that's soon to be destroyed," He snapped back. 

"We have a plan... aren't you a part of it?" I asked him, crossing my arms. 

He looked at me, his eyes cold. I could see him try to hold back tears. He shook his head only slightly, then walked away.

It was then that I noticed Spencer was already gone. When he left, I didn't know. He couldn't be seen in the distance and he left no trace of where he was going. I looked around, seeing injured people everywhere. My body shook, and it didn't help that my consciousness kept reminding me that all of this was partially my fault.