M3RG3

Chapter 31

"Move the pace!" The tiresome exercise of running around and keeping everyone in check had proved to be excruciating and exhausting. The training the Republic provided for us paled in comparison to the tiresome reality of the Revolution.

Most of the people here today were of children and elderly. As I watched them lumber their way to the Warp, I was hyper-aware of the time left, gradually trickling away, like sand washed away from a beach. If we couldn't get this done, the genocide would wipe out the remaining population that still remained in the Wastelands.

"How many left?" My mother anxiously flipped her wrist to check her watch again.

"About 20," Karen rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn.

"Karen, why don't you take over? Arista's been running nonstop for 3 hours straight." My mother suggested. Instantly, I slumped into the chair nearest to me, mentally sighing in relief.

Fortunately, with no interruptions, we managed to safely transport the quarter of the population away as everyone cheered when the last of the warp machines winked away. Soon, a dishevelled Karen stumbled back, exhausted but ecstatic that we were finished.

"How are your studies holding up?" My mother focused her vivid green orbs on me, eyes alight with genuine curiosity. For a second, I almost snorted. We were in the middle of preparing for an upcoming genocide and my mother was asking me about my grades. If she wanted to pretend to be normal for a few seconds, then so could I.

"Decent," I grimaced. I hadn't studied at all for tomorrow's exams, so I was pretty much bound to fail.

"If you fail academics, I won't kill you." My mother's eyes gleamed with amusement, almost like she had expected me to not revise. "You'll be fine as long as Lyla and Natasha stay on your side."

I shook my head, confused. "I don't recall telling you about this."

"I have eyes, Arista, and they're trained on you. Keep a low profile; There are lots of people who want you once they know of your heritage." She brushed down some stray strands of my hair that were sticking out. "You've risked a lot and I'm proud of you for doing this, doing what you believe is right."

"Mum," Her hand froze momentarily before carefully removing her hand from my hair. "Did you and William work together before you joined the Revolution?"

Her jaw and fingers clenched instantaneously as her green eyes dulled to algae like colour. Her expression had twisted into something forlorn, filled with an ancient bitterness.

"I thought that the Merging Process would truly evolve mankind, take us to a new level of perfection. It might've worked, but my plan was too ideal. I wanted it to be voluntary since the process itself came with too many drawbacks." She lifted her head, staring at the gleaming buildings that towered over everything else, one of those which I lived in. "The people who I worked with weren't as naive as me. They were ambitious and greedy. I had to leave when I released the monstrosity I had created, that I had invented." Her voice was like glass; Sharp, hard, yet brittle.

"That's why I'm here now to end it," She finished, her face hardening in determination. "The biggest reason why the Republic makes mistakes is that the people there do not recognize nor embrace their flaws. They cover them up with more lies and smiles, burying them within the pristine and extravagant luxuries of the Republic."

"What about dad?" I whispered hoarsely.

Her face convulsed in pain. "They punished him instead of me. They erased every single trace of me from his memory. He awoke, remembering everything except for me. It was like I never existed, but he loved me afterwards still because I never changed on the inside. " The smile was both bitter and triumphant, one that was earned, that made her bruised, broken yet alive.

"Thank you for participating. Tomorrow, please arrive as early as possible. We want to be prepared just in case something unexpected happens. Some of us will be on standby starting at noon. Good night!" The speaker squealed.

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Someone knocked on the door at 1:30 am sharp, just as I was about to go to bed. My frown increased when I opened the door and Kyle stood there, in all of his wondrous glory, smiling at me like it was 8 o'clock in the morning instead of 1:30 am.

"Go away, Kyle, I need to sleep," I muttered, slamming the door in his face.

"Wait." My hand froze on the door as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm really bad at speeches, so this might be awkward."

He swallowed harshly before opening his mouth, but nothing came out. He clenched it shut and tried to vomit his words out, but it was like retching. Nothing came out.

"You can take your sweet time coming up with a speech, but I can't do that to my sleep, so goodnight." I closed the door, averting my eyes so my heart wouldn't soften at the desperation on his eyes, or how my stomach would flip at the mixture of foreign emotions on his face.

"Wait!" His fingers caught the edge of the door. "I'm sorry about today."

Nothing else was said as we stood, inches apart, the tension thickening like a curling fog. "Since you've finished your speech, I'm going to close the door. Good night." I muttered, closing the door for the third time.

"I really liked to see you in simulations." He suddenly blurted out. "You just looked..." He paused. "Alive."

"Everyone else screams and freaks out every time they enter a simulation. They're stuck in this cramped box that limits their thinking and their imagination. Then, I see you." Then he stared at me, and it wasn't the assessing stare that all Republicans used, nor the loving stare my mother gave me every day. It was one of wonder and strength, that sent spurs of energy ricocheting through my veins. "I see you jumping off a building, not giving a care about the world. I see you fighting tooth and nail, no matter the cause. Then I see you, unafraid, brave, and courageous, as you fight against the simulations that were designed to make us scared in the first place."

"I call it recklessness," I muttered, staring at my shoes.

"The way you handle simulations is so different and so unique that it's mesmerizing." He shook his head in awe. "Everything feels cramped and tiny, but you make it feel so infinite." He tilted my head up with a finger. "I guess the reason why I wanted you to come with me today is that I wanted to see you alive, see you guide me out of this cramped room. They told me that the only way out was the passcode, but you proved otherwise."

My lip trembled. "But I didn't. I used the passcode."

"Actually," Kyle's walls were down as he stared at me, his gaze swimming with a magnitude of emotions. "I don't care. You can say any excuse to defend yourself, but I've seen the way you handled that wolf. That was a totally different level of mesmerizing."

"Look, it's 1:30 in the morning, we're discussing nonsensical matters, and I just want to sleep." I snapped, then forced my tone to soften. "We can discuss this tomorrow if you want."

Kyle looked like he wanted to tear his hair out. "That's the thing! There won't be a tomorrow! There's no time left! And I want to say this before I don't get the chance to say this. I like you, Arista, a lot. I feel like we're more than friends, and if we had ever gotten a chance, then hell yes, I would've asked you out. If the feelings don't reciprocate, then that's okay. What I'm trying to say is, you're a good person, and you do what's right. I just want to get this out in the open because I'm not brave like you, but I'm honest, and I've kept this secret for weeks and just need to tell you before this is all over."

My heart continued to beat erratically in my chest. I knew that I liked him too, and it would be so easy to confess, but my stubborn mouth refused to open itself up. Instead, what I said was this, "It's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow, Kyle."

"Okay, good night." He murmured. It was until I heard his fading footsteps did I lean my head against the door and utter the words that had been lodged in my throat for too long.

"I like you, too," I whispered back.

Next Update: 2/6