A Reunion of Lips

IV

Something was wrong.

Something was really wrong.

Mitch was sitting between Kirstie and Esther on a small couch in the lounge car of the private train silently zooming through the skies, watching Scott pace while the last of the group found seats.

The group in the car was both nostalgic and worrying to Mitch. Kevin was leaning against a wall opposite Matt, both of them wearing matching frowns. Mitch, Kirstie, and Esther took up the only couch, while Nicole and Avi both had their own chairs. Ben and Ryan were settling on the floor, propped against the walls of the train. The only new addition to the group was Leigh, (recently married to an exhilarated Kevin), who was perched on the edge of the couch next to Esther. It had been so long since they had all been together—but that's exactly what had Mitch scared.

He knew Scott trusted all of these people. These were the people he had called together two years ago when Mitch had found himself locked in the palace dungeons overnight and Scott didn't know who he could trust. Having this group of people singled out, especially now, meant something was really, really wrong.

Scott finally stopped his nervous pacing and turned to face them.

"So I have some bad news."

Somebody snorted.

"Yeah, I know. Shocker." Scott ran a tired hand through his hair. "What I'm about to tell you needs to be kept between the people in this room—and I don't say that lightly. When I say confidential, I mean my sisters haven't even been made aware of it yet."

Mitch saw Avi's face fall as he leaned back in his chair. Avi looked up at Scott hesitantly and asked, "Is this about the rumors?"

Scott grimaced and nodded. Avi let out a heavy breath that sounded almost painful. "Oh, God."

Scott crossed his arms and stared down at the floor as he continued.

"The official reason that we've cut the summit short and are on our way home right now is because of a weather concern for travelling tomorrow. The unofficial and real reason we're leaving is because Myrosian rebels attacked the alcázar while we were in the conference, and both President Jose and myself agreed that we need to return home before anything else happens."

There were looks of disbelief and horror thrown across the room, but Mitch couldn't spare them a glance by looking away from Scott's worn face.

"I wish that was the end of the story. I don't know what you guys have heard—the rumors have been quite creative—but here's the truth: Myrosias isn't the only country under attack. There have been reports of Asdrian rebel groups forming underground for the last few months."

Avi's face was buried in his hands, and Mitch could see Kevin's head hanging in defeat. Next to him, Esther also seemed to be aware of this information to some extent due to her stiff posture as she nodded along forlornly.

"So far, all reports have been kept very quiet, but they all seem to agree on two main points. First, the Asdrian rebels seem to have allied themselves with the Myrosian rebels. They are two separate groups, but they appear to be working together for now. Second, the Asdrian rebels have not made any violent or public advances, unlike the Myrosian rebels, so we know very little about what their actual size is, their root cause, or their goals. But that brings me to my least favorite subject."

Scott paused to take a deep breath, and met Mitch's eyes for half a second before they were dropped back to the ground.

"The Duke and Duchess, ahem, my parents have gone missing from their mansion, along with some of the staff tending to them. I have no proof to confirm or deny anything, but I feel it would be ridiculously stupid to not assume that they are behind this, or at the very least, are involved somehow. We all know their opinions on my rule, and quite honestly, I would be more shocked if they weren't working to have me overthrown."

Mitch's head was reeling and he could feel his heart thudding in his chest.

Kirstie was the first one to break the silence. "So, to be clear, we know that Asdria, or at least you," she nodded at Scott, "are under attack from an organized rebellion that is most likely being led by your missing parents. And we know almost nothing about the rebels except that they've allied themselves with the violent Myrosian rebels, and prefer to work underground."

Scott pursed his lips. "Mhm. For now, I want this information to stay confidential. Until we know more about what's happening, I don't want the country to fall into a panic. Chaos is not going to be our friend unless we know for sure it could be their enemy."

Avi lifted his head from his hands. "Is that all? Do you have any plans going forward?"

Scott shifted his weight and glanced around the room. "Most of the reports are present in the outer cities right now, so the first plan is to get back to the Capital without any issues."

Mitch felt his stomach churn. They needed to pass through so many of the outer cities to get back home. No wonder Scott had decided they needed to move fast. If the Myrosian rebels were moving, there was no telling what Asdrian rebels might have planned knowing Scott would be forced to travel home through their territory to find safety.

"I need to call my sisters and update them on everything that's happened," Scott continued. "I want to wait to get a little closer to home before I call them, though. I don't want to trust that our communication will be secure while we're passing through outer cities. Other than that, I have spies working to gather any information they can. Once we know a bit more about them, we can start to plan how to stop them. If my parents are behind this, I intend their rebellion to end with them behind bars."

The group dispersed slowly. Everyone seemed to be a bit dazed at the sudden knowledge Scott had shared with them, and Mitch watched as they filtered their way back out of the car and back to wherever else on the train they had been previously. When Scott was the only other one left in the car with him, Mitch pushed himself to his feet and walked over to him.

"I don't think I like my new in-laws that much." Scott offered a sad smile to his half-hearted joke. "I suppose I understand why you didn't want me to leave the bunker now."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner—"

Mitch shook his head. "No, you did what you were supposed to do. I suppose I am glad that you aren't carrying this around by yourself anymore, though."

Scott looked like he was trying to smile, but it came out as more of a pained grimace. "See, I do listen to you."

Mitch raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Sometimes."

"...Sometimes."