Republic of Omisha

Chapter 42: Eliza

  She is dismissed and she goes to her own private room in the staff wing.

She wakes bright and early the next morning. At first light, there is no one stirring in the school.

Eliza's stomach is full of knots so she walks the corridors to clear her head. She passes the green house. Someone is sitting at a table. Eliza stops and back tracks.

She recognizes this figure, his tall broad stature and dark complexion. Clay.

Eliza enters the green house. She isn't trying to be stealthy, maybe he's just lost in thought because he is startled when she sits down next to him.

When she's sitting straight up and he's hunched forward their eyes are nearly level. Yes, they made up earlier, but Eliza isn't sure how "they" are.

"Are we okay?" She asks breaking the silence.

He nods. Then a smile breaks on his face. "Is that your way of saying or asking for us to get back together?"

Eliza smiles and lets out a weak, "yes."

Clay, smiling, wraps one arm around Eliza's back and examines her. Their faces are inches apart.

Eliza feels oddly uncomfortable. She wants to be comfortable around him, but she needs to know where he lies. "So is that a 'yes' you want to get back together?"

She sees his eyes drop to her lips as he replies, "yes," with that he bridges the gap between them and kisses her.

They both find themselves holding each other when they break off from the kiss. Eliza feels content. She feels invincible in his arms, feeling his strong embrace. She stares into his eyes, still close.

That's when the reality sets in. Eliza has to go. She will be briefed and sent on her mission soon.

The smile fades from her face. "I should go." She rises, letting his arms fall away.

She turns to leave, but stops when Clay's hand closes around her right wrist.

"I was jealous and I'm sorry. I should have trusted you, and I do. We are in the midst of a war that's bigger than any one of us."

Eliza pulls her wrist from his grasp and walks to the door. She stops with the door halfway open and she peers out it when she speaks. "I've never felt anything, but love for you," and she walks out.

What she said was profound. She isn't completely sure all of what she implied so she'd leave Clay to ponder it. She found an awful tone of spite in her voice. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She finds herself in the archery range thinking about her and Clay's first kiss. That was when their relationship began to take form. She practiced shooting and returned to her room by sunrise.

Helena gives her an earpiece and a black combat suit. "I'm not wearing this. I'm not some post-war government agent. Won't I look more conspicuous in this thing?"

"Never mind that. We need to know that your on our team." Helena explained.

It took Eliza a second to realize that they question her allegiance. If she wore their clothes it would show her allegiance. Reluctantly she replies, "fine."

She changes and climbs aboard a hover. The wind from the turbine whips her hair. She walks up the ramp. No one is aboard.

She turns back to see Helena watching her with her arms crossed and her shoulders tensed. Helena no longer holds herself in the same condescending demeanor that she used to. For as long as Eliza has seen her in the boarding school, Helena has seemed nervous, and uneasy, but more natural and true to herself.

Eliza pauses with her hand on the frame. Now things are clicking into place. They trust Eliza about as much as she trusts them. They don't want to take a chance on her to turn against them so she has them in her ear. Eliza figures that they could probably fry her brain if she double-crossed them. There is no pilot because if they no longer need her, this is a one way trip.

Now it's time for Eliza to form her own side. The next time I see my uncle, I will be holding a gun to his head. Eliza wasn't going to kill him, but she has to be on top. Her uncle only cares about himself. He has no integrity, and it was his turn to be used.

Eliza gets in the hover and buckles up. She watches the treetops pass. Another house goes by and Eliza takes a shuddering breath and shuts her eyes.

The memory of the Morris' exploding home is seared into her brain. So many have already died. Eliza just hopes for a peaceful resolve and the saving of the human race. She can feel the huge weight on her shoulders...at the young age of fourteen.

Eliza opens her eyes and continues to watch the scenery roll by. Soon she sees her old school. It is a ghost of what it was. Windows shattered, scorch marks on the brick, and with the front doors ripped off. She hardly recognizes it.

She knew that the riots had gotten out of hand, but the clips she watched in her briefing of riots on six of the eight boarding schools didn't prepare her to see it in person.

Sure, Eliza didn't have the best memory from her high school, but this was a horrific sight. She covers her mouth with her hand to keep from gasping.

The hover lands and she steps out. She is met by a mob, lead by Sebastian.

He looks noticeably different. His dark hair is spiked and unruly, unlike it's normal combed-over look. His defined facial features are smudged with soot, and his eyes are shallow and cross.

Eliza freezes a few feet from the hover. She makes sure to project confidence even though the mob and Sebastian's new disposition.