You're Never Alone

Chapter 15

Word Count: 1527

Dan's father makes him pretend that the rebels return him the next day. Dan wakes up in his bedroom to the sound of someone shuffling around. He opens his eyes to see a guy with green hair placing Dan's clothes on a chair and smiles slightly.

    "Well nice to see you too, Jack," Dan mutters and Jack whirls around with a gasp.

    "Oh my god, you're awake. I was so worried," Jack says and Dan just shrugs at his friend's concern. Jack comes over and sits on the edge of Dan's bed. "How're you feeling today?"

    Dan just shrugs again. "Why're you being nice to me? Aren't you supposed to hate me for helping the rebels?" Dan asks suddenly and Jack pauses, licking his lips as he thinks for a moment.

    "You're my friend and I've always been on your side. I think that you joining the rebels is kind of dumb but if you believe it's the right thing to do, then I'm with you, okay?" Jack looks at Dan and Dan nods. "Clarissa suggested I helped you this morning instead of her. She thought you might find a friendlier face more comforting."

    So Jack helps Dan slowly sit up and take some pain meds so he could feel decent. Dan sits on the edge of his bed and they struggle to get Dan's shirt over his head. After roughly half an hour, Dan can kind of stand better than before and eat just a little of the apple on his nightstand. He looks in his mirror and sees that he looks almost normal besides his very pale skin and the dark bags under his eyes.

    Jack pulls up a chair behind him and Dan sits while Jack covers up how awful Dan looks with a bit of makeup. He puts on some concealer and blush so Dan can pass as tired and not the walking dead. Dan looks in the mirror again and observes himself. He wears his nice prince clothes with the metal cuffs on his wrists covered by his sleeves and his dead face hidden under makeup.

    "I know you feel like shit and you hate your father but... try to get on his good side. You and Wren have to escape here," Jack says and Dan nods.

    "I'll try my best." Jack turns to open the door but Dan grabs his arm so he pauses and looks at him. "Jack when this is all over, will you consider joining the rebels? It might be good for your rebellious side."

    Jack sighs. "I'll think about it, alright?"

And with that, Jack helps Dan go to the room where his father waits for him. Dan sits on one of the chairs across from his father with a small wince.

    "Hello, Daniel," his father bitterly greets and Dan nods in return. "Are you ready to tell me the truth?"

    "I will tell you if you hear everything first without shocking the crap out of me," Dan bargains and his father nods.

    "Fair enough." So Dan explains. He explains almost everything but he lies about joining and instead says that the rebels forced him to do everything he did, saying it wasn't his choice. This time his father listens, believing everything Dan says. "I do believe you because I know that you would never join some ridiculous cult but I don't trust you one bit so I'm going to have a couple guards keep a close eye on you, alright?"

    Dan looks down at his hands before saying, "Yes, father."

    Dan stands and leaves the room, noticing a few guards trailing behind him and the soldiers in the halls giving him weary and unsure looks, not knowing if they should be afraid or happy that Dan's here. He goes back up to his room alone and leaves one of the doors cracked open because of a soldier's request. He sits down on his bed and tugs up his sleeves, inspecting the cuffs on his wrists that prevent him from using his powers.

    A small symbol of a flame in a circle sits on the inside of the cuff in the middle. Dan touches it with his finger, tracing the smooth grooves. Assuming these silver cuffs are like the ones he secretly found a year ago, they can only be opened by a firebender. Before he can inspect any closer, a small knock sounds on his door.

    "Come in," Dan says quietly but politely and Skye walks in. She has blonde hair and soft blue eyes that make Dan smile. She gently puts the door back the way it was and sits down next to Dan on his bed, making him look over at her. "Hello, Skye."

    Skye doesn't respond; instead she hugs him very carefully before smiling slightly at her friend. "Dan, what happened?"

    "Long story short I got kidnapped by the rebels and then basically became a prisoner here," Dan tells her shortly and she scoffs.

    "Wow you're doing great," she says sarcastically and Dan just rolls his eyes at her. The two just sit in silence for a moment before Skye remembers why she came up here. "Hey I wanted to show you something. Come on."

    Skye pulls Dan up and they walk side by side down the stairs and then outside. Of course, Dan doesn't realize where they're going until they're there. They stop before the doors of the tomb building also known as Tomb Hall. Skye opens a door and shuts it behind Dan after he enters. The white marble floors glisten under the sun as it's beams shine through the window and the gray stone tombs stare back at Dan's wandering eyes. He follows her as they walk down the sides of the isles until she turns down one towards the end. She slowly makes her way down, Dan's heart pounding in his chest, until she stops and looks at the tile with a name on it. Dan stops as well and looks up, reading "Chris Kendall" and under it "I would not wish any companion in the world but you - William Shakespeare".

    Dan's lip trembles at the sight of his best friend's grave and his eyes water. "He always used to tell me that before we went on missions," he whispers and lets out a small chuckle as a tear slips down his cheek. "Even on the impossible ones."

    "Dan." He looks over at Skye as she stars at her hands. "I know why you lied to your father about joining the rebels. And I know that you hate him but..." and she pauses. "But they killed Chris and I don't know how you can even stand to be near them."

    "I-" Dan tries but no words can escape his mouth for a moment as his vision swims. "Of course I want to know who killed Chris but I also want my father dead. So which side do I choose?" Skye looks up but she's has no words and Dan shakes his head. "I have to decide whether to choose between avenging Chris or killing the one man who has destroyed so many innocent lives including mine."

    Skye opens her mouth to say something but Dan puts her hand up to stop her and she looks down once more.

    "I-I should go," Dan says, turning to leave but Skye catches his arm before he can take a step and he looks back at her.

!#$% (minor electrocution)

    "I can't let you do that," she says to him and Dan gives a confused look before a wave of shock ripples through him. Skye lets go as Dan collapses to his knees.

He looks up at her with eyes of betrayal. "You planned all of this, didn't you? You planned every single part of this with my father, didn't you?!" Dan yells as tears of anger now fill his eyes. "And you dare use my best friend's death against me?!!"

Skye stumbles away with the remote to his cuffs in her hands. "I'm sorry. I had to," she says but Dan shakes his head at her.

"You have a choice in this world and you made the wrong one this time, Skye." Dan sits back on his heels, wishing for a moment that he could have his powers this one time.

Suddenly Dan springs up with a scream of pure rage and dives for her. His fingers wrap around her throat as soldiers enter the room. Skye claws at his hands but Dan's just seeing red as he cuts off her air supply.

"You just wanted for my father to hear the truth from me! About what the rebels really wanted to do!" Dan screams as hands pull him off of her. "You just wanted me to come back to your side!"

Skye looks up in terror as Dan is shoved to the ground by the many people around him to get him controlled. Dan looks at her, whispering "I will never forgive you." Someone stabs him in the side with a needle and the world starts to fade to black, everything becoming blurry and underwater sounding to Dan. But his anger doesn't fade.