Crossed Worlds

Chapter 19: The Night Before

  The room was quiet, other than the odd sigh and the repetitive tapping of Hunter's tennis ball against the ceiling. He kept throwing it and catching it endlessly. Perhaps this is how he dealt with stress.

"Hunter, stop it," Anna snapped at him in the way only a sibling is allowed to.

He caught the ball and kept it clasped in his hand.

The quiet had loomed over them after Lily had been asked to give an answer as to whether she would join the protest or not. She was already pale from having thrown up at realising she may have to expose herself to her parents – to the world – and so the prospect of actually agreeing to it and making it a reality was taking her a while to come to terms with.

"You can say no," Jade said gently. "We would understand."

"I can't," Lily spoke for the first time since the dreaded question. "I have to live for me. I'm just...so afraid."

Zoe pulled her in closer; it looked as though nothing and no one could break her protective embrace on her girlfriend.

"So, yes?" Hunter lifted his arm to throw the ball again before Anna slapped it down with a warning glare.

"Yes. I'll be there. I have to be," Lily nodded firmly, but her eyes were elsewhere.

It surprised everyone that James was the one to talk next.

"Lily...I know I've only known you a short time...but I know how fondly Jade speaks of you. Of all of you. You're family. And so, if the worst happens when your parents see you're a rebel...we will be your family."

Lily stood up from the sofa and walked to where he sat on the floor before crouching to give him a cuddle.

"I don't like affection much," she said over his shoulder. "So, take this as a big compliment."

The gang laughed, and Hunter shouted "PILE ON!", and as they all jumped on top of one another in a messy, painful stack of hugging bodies, it felt as though they could do anything. And they were going to do something. They were going to change the world.

"Okay, not to be dumb, but what actually is our main message at tomorrow's protest?" Zoe asked as they all went back to their seats.

It wasn't dumb; it was a good question. It was simple to know at the Wild One Awareness meeting, that their message was essentially being against the place they were at – for unity and against discrimination. Now, it was harder.

"Well, our Head Being traumatised us all with those jabs just for the sake of propaganda and has been disgusting towards Wild Ones forever," Jade said. "He's a bad person who has corrupted so many minds. Our message is against him."

"And against our Queen. She put you all in serious danger with that storm and has been doing shady things on our side ever since her coronation. She is equally as bad," Isaac nodded firmly.

James let out a small laugh and everyone's heads turned to him instantly.

"Sorry, sorry," he grinned. "I just thought of us holding signs saying 'Get sociopaths out of powerful positions'."

Everyone else fell into laughter, too, and it felt good that the quiet was gone.

"As catchy as that is, I don't think it'll cut it," Jack smiled.

Jade sat and thought. Her brain hurt from all the stress, excitement and anticipation. It was a good pain, though. An ache that kept her pushing forward.

"We know we are against our leaders. So, we need to open everyone else's eyes. Show them that our leaders don't care about us, any of us, and certainly not about peace and beneficial policies," she stated.