“I gave you Fenn, Meyer, Fiori and Yuki. I want to see my brother.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Hana, Ashe, Arno and Doran died. Meyer, Fiori and Yuki are out of it. You have Fenn. Let me see my brother. We made a deal!”

“I made an offer. It wasn’t a deal. You will get to see your brother. Patience is a virtue you know. You’ve got to be patient.”

Eli turned and looked at the bodies of her friends on the backseat of the car.

No, they are no longer my friends, she thought. I need to stop thinking of them as my friends.

Still working on learning her new part, she repeated to herself: “They were merely steppingstones. All of them steppingstones on my way to freedom.”

Eli forced a smile on her face.

Eva noticed.

“You are going to have to do better. Ted will notice if your smile is fake. If you want to live, you can’t be making any mistakes. Especially simple stuff like that.”

Eli lowered her eyes and looked out the window.

On the bumpy road, the car was moving at a steady pace back towards Nova Summus. It would take them about two hours. But Eli wasn’t quite sure where their final destination was going to be. Eva wasn’t the talkative type and Eli didn’t care to ask questions. There was a status quo between the two women, neither pleased with the situation, but that would have to do for now.

“When we get there, let me do the talking. Don’t start asking about your brother. That’s a sure way to die.”

“Yes, I know. Be patient.”

“Yes, but that’s not it. Be patient. Be poised. Be elegant. Ted likes beautiful things.”

“I’m not a thing. I’m a person.”

“To him… we are all things.”

“What a moron.”

“Say that in front of him and you’re dead.”

“Still…”

Eva, huffed. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought. Eva threw a quick glance to the back seat. Fiori was the only one awake. He was starring at the emptiness before him. There was no point in keeping him alive at this point, but Ted might enjoy torturing him.

She sighed.

Am I next? She wondered.

“So, is Fenn your boyfriend?”

She thought that her question would send Eli into an embarrassed fit, she was a teenage girl after all, but it didn’t. Eli stayed calmed and pensive.

“No. Not yet. I thought maybe one day we would. But as it stands, I don’t think we have much chance at a future together.”

Eva threw a quick side glance at Eli. She wasn’t what you’d call pretty. She was small for her age. Her hair was messy, overgrown. But her strength was beautiful. Eva could tell, the smile might be fake, but the poise was as real as it gets.

Eva felt a pinch in her heart.

Mrs. Weatherspoon is going to love her, Eva conceded to herself. Eli will be such a fun project for her.

Just like she had been, years ago.

“You seem to be a nice girl. Let me give you a piece of advice. There are people who refers to this continent as the Land of the Gods. That’s because after the tilt, scientists came to be seen as the saviors of humanity. But that was a long time ago. That was before Ted. Now, there are no such things as Gods… there is only one man holding all the power. I don’t know what your real intentions are… It is hard to believe you would follow me just to meet your brother. Whatever is the case, remember… this is a game… wear your mask, play the part, hide behind a façade. You belong to Ted now, know how to make yourself indispensable…”

“Is that what you failed to do?”

“Insolent! Do you even understand what the heck you got yourself into?”

“Who do you think you are lecturing? I’ve been battered, abused, tortured and left for dead more times than I can recall. And, you think I’m scared of that man? You think I fear dying? You think I care whether I live, or I die? I said I want to see my brother. And that’s that. Whatever sick game Ted has going on, he will have to play them with someone else.”

“If that is the case, then I wish you luck. I will be watching.”

That ended their discussion. Silence fell. Eli watched the scenery pass before her eyes. She wasn’t one to get bothered by things. She wasn’t the type to look for hidden meaning behind someone’s words or to ruminate over discussions always searching for what ifs. There was her, and there was the landscape outside her window. And that was enough.

Eva on the other hand could not stop her mind from questioning every intonation, every pause, every inflection. Everything had a meaning that needed to be discovered. Worst case scenarios had to be drawn, identified, and analysed. She had to stay on top of everything, her survival instinct was strong.

Shortly before arriving to the outskirt of Nova Summus, the car made a sharp right and started heading south.

Eli pretended not to notice. She tightly hugged the picturebook she was hiding under her shirt. She had retrieved the book that Fenn had hastily hidden under his pillow before leaving the cottage.

They circled around the city and finally entered a gated community hidden behind a ha-ha. Eva slowed down as she pulled up to the oversize iron gate. A guard came to the window and upon seeing Eva quickly returned inside a small wooden structure.

“It shouldn’t be too long,” Eva casually announced.

She then proceeded to stretch her shoulders and crack her neck. She lowered the mirror and checked out her face. She put a smile on then turned to Eli.

“C’mon, let me see your smile.”

Eli smiled. It was an improvement, yet still unconvincing.

The gate opened. Eva hesitated for a second, then went.

It wasn’t a really big community. Actually, it didn’t look like a community at all. There was, in the distance, a huge concrete house. But the surrounding was bare, punctuated by some small cottages. It was grossly underwhelming. Even the big house lacked distinction. It was plain. Boringly plain. It did not have the visual impact of the homogenous cities. Nor did it have any charms. It was a concrete bunker with windows, surrounded by trees and guards.

Eli frowned. Eva noticed.

“Architecture isn’t Ted’s strength” Eva said with a smirk.

“I thought he liked beautiful things. What is this place?” Eli asked.

“This is one of Ted’s personal residence, and labs.”

“And my brother is there?”

“No, your brother isn’t here. Well, he shouldn’t be here. Not today… But this is where Evian is kept. And this is where your friends are going to suffer the wrath of God.”

Eva talks too much, Eli thought, already bored of her company.

She sunk deep into the passenger’s seat and pinched her cheeks.

“Wake up,” she whispered to herself.

The game was about to start.

The car came to a halt in front of the bunker. Eva invited Eli to follow her.

“Don’t worry about your friends, the guards will come and collect them.”

Eli didn’t care about them; all her attention was directed toward the cold building she was about to enter.

Be strong, she reminded herself. Remember why you came here!

The door opened before they even reached the top of the staircase. A well-kept man stood in the doorway ready to welcome the two young women.

“Eli, meet Benagher Ulrich Christiansen.”

“Delighted to meet you! Eva didn’t tell me she was bringing back a little friend!”

“Is he always this obnoxious?” Eli asked Eva loud and clear.

“Wow! She doesn’t hold her tongue…” Benagher said with a grin. “She won’t last very long here…”

But before Benagher could finish his sentence, Eli had grabbed him by the wrist, spun him out of balance and pinned him to the ground face first. She was holding his arm in a painful position behind his back.

“I’m not here to make friends, General,” Eli whispered in his ears.

“Ok, ok! I get it. Let go of me!”

Eli obeyed, and took a step back.

“What’s up with her?” Benagher asked Eva.

“It’s easy… she just told you she’s not here to make friends.” Eva said exasperated.

This is turning out to be a bad idea. The girl is impossible.

“Where’s Ted?” Eva asked, hoping to get things moving along.

“In his office. Lunch will be served in twenty minutes. You might want to… clean up a little…” Benagher risked himself saying after noticing the blood on the women’s cloths.

“Come on Eli, let’s go get ready! Oh, and Benagher, can you tell Ted that Fenn is waiting in the car for him.”

Benagher did a double take on the car parked in front of the house.

“Fenn? Is here? You convinced him to come here?”

“Convincing is a big word… hum… I’d say contrived him to come here is a little more accurate. In any case, let him know, will you?” Eva pulled out the biggest victory smile her face could handle. She grabbed Eli by the wrist and quickly disappeared down the hallway.

Eva knew the place well. She had a room in this cold, empty building. It was small and lacking charm, but it was the closes to what she could call home.

With eagerness, she pushed open the door and crashed on her bed. She buried her face in the pillow and let out a deep moan. Eli followed her in and after hesitation, closed the door. She stood to the side like a spectator suddenly caught on stage.

“Oh, how I missed you, my sweet bed! How I wish I could just lay here for ever!” Eva suddenly turned towards Eli and cheerfully asked her: “Have you ever laid your head on a feathered pillow?”

Eli timidly shook her head.

“Ah! Well, you truly haven’t lived until you’ve rested your head on a feathered pillow.”

Eli was thrown back by Eva’s sudden friendliness.

“It’s too bad, we have to get ready for lunch! I would much rather stay here”

Eva jumped out of bed. She opened a closet and threw a few shirts on the bed. She considered each of them with keen attention, yet to Eli they all looked the same. She finally picked one, a black fitted turtleneck, then proceeded to undress. Having spent most of her life in an orphanage, she didn’t care for modesty. She slipped on some black wide leg trousers and threw on a pair of heels. Everything was simple, yet together, it gave Eva a sophisticated look.

“Now, let me see what I can find for you.”

“I am ok like this. I don’t need other clothing.”

“You look like a beggar. A bloody beggar”

“I look just fine.”

Eva didn’t seem to listen and went digging inside her closet.

“See, that use to be mine when I was your age. It should fit perfectly. It’s probably not your style, but don’t worry… it wasn’t my style either,” Eva laughed.

Eli started to look worried. Not about the clothing. The clothing Eva handed over was perfectly fine. Plain pants. Light blue pollo t-shirt. Eli was more concern by Eva’s push at making her fit in. All the advice… Now the clothing…

“Hurry,” Eva said. “Ted doesn’t like waiting.”

Eli carefully took the picturebook from under her shirt and laid it on the bed just as Eva tended her the clothing.

“That book…” Eva said as she stopped mid motion.

Their eyes met.

Eva said nothing more.

Eli quickly slipped on the clothing.

The air in the room had gotten heavy again.

Eli was keen to leave the place. She was relieved when Eva motioned to follow her to the dinning room.

During their walk, three things struck Eli as weird: first, the place was seemingly empty, second, there was no clear pattern in the layout of the building and third, the place had no windows almost as if they were underground.

A shiver ran through Eli’s back.

This isn’t a house. It’s a fortress.

“Airy, isn’t it? You get use to it…” Eva said. Then she added under her breath: “this is a lot like what Nova Urbi looked like.”

After passing through oversized metal doors, they soon found themselves in a brightly lite glass house: plants hanging from the ceiling, shrubs and bushes in planters, stone pathways along a small stream… The place was magical and a stark contrast to the hallways that had gotten them there.

“The garden,” Eva announced. “This is where Mrs. Weatherspoon likes to take her tea.” Then ominously added: “I hope you like tea.”

They crossed the garden and arrived in an elegant yet streamlined dinning room: a long table with 16 chairs under a spectacular golden chandelier. Seated at the table was Benagher. By his side were three other people.

Following Eva’s lead, Eli smiled and waited to be invited to the table.

“My dear child! Is that a friend you are bringing for lunch?” Mrs. Weatherspoon exclaimed with pure joy.

“Mr. and Mrs. Weatherspoon, I would like you to meet…”

“I’m Eli. My name is Eli. Where is my brother Elijah?”

Eva slowly turned with a horrified look on her face. She wanted to scream at Eli. She wanted to tell her to shut the fuck up. But it was too late now…

Ted put down the napkin he was holding, slowly got up of his chair and walked toward the new girl.

“Elliot Rose Edwards-North? You are quite an insolent little girl. This is my house. You are not in position to make any demand.”

“Listen, I came here to fight for you. In exchange, I want to see my brother. Leave it or take it.”

“I seriously love this girl!” Benagher bashfully commented.

There was no real sign of anger in his face. His whole body was remarkably relaxed. Yet, before Eli could react, Ted had wound up his fist and landed a punch straight into Eli’s face. The unexpected girl flew to the floor.

Eli brushed herself up and came back to stand right in front of the man.

“I brought you Fenn. Now, let me see my brother.”

Ted gasped then started laughing heartily.

“Well then, that’s a whole different story. Please, please, take a seat. Enjoy lunch, we can plan a little visit to Elijah later.”

Eva reluctantly took a seat.

She brought him Fenn? No. NO! I did! I brought Fenn here!

Once more, nothing was going as planned. She stared at the salad in her plate. She wasn’t hungry. Later… there would probably be meat. Ted loved meat.

She took a bite of the leafy green.

She wanted to be far away from this place. Around her, lively discussions had erupted but their voices sounded so distant. Had Mrs. Weatherspoon even smiled at her. Yes. Eva was pretty sure she had. Occasionally, some words jumped at her, but they were lost again as she slowly drifted away into her own self.

“… Elliot Rose Edwards-North… that’s a very pretty name…”

“… In this house, you use your full name…”

“… Hopefully, you will be able to join me for tea…”

The plates came and went in front of her… goat cheese and spinach salad… cream of mushroom… braised steak with roasted potatoes… Dulce de leche flan…

Benagher was being nice to the new girl. Benagher was always nice to everyone.

Mrs. Weatherspoon had found a new project.

Ted was visibly giddy to finally have Fenn.

Only Chancellor Rainer E. Christiansen did not seem to take any interest in Elliot.

The lunch dragged on, keeping Eva prisoner of her own misfortune.

She sat there quietly with a smile on her face…

The chandelier casting a shadow on her plate…

But as the minutes became hours...

As she starred at her replacement…

She knew…

I am already dead.