Valarie

I stand for my honour
and that subsides the noise.
I walk towards the reaper,
and make the everlasting choice.

My head whips around just in time to see Kylo enter with another guy in tow. Aria and Javi were supposed to keep him distracted while I removed the clause causing deaths from the Terms and Conditions.

It look longer than expected to scroll through layers and layers of code to finally find it. Either Aria is great at flirting or Xander is actually a good guy that he even gave us Kylo's password. And with our experience from life, we assumed the same key works for every dorm room if you jam it in the keyhole and push the door hard enough.

“What are you doing here?” Kylo asks.

“Take a guess Sherlock.” I reply as I toss the phone back to him and try to make a run for the door. The black haired guy instantly steps in front of the door and I debate between pushing him aside or simply stalling till they are distracted enough to not notice me getting out.

Aria once said the first option is the best option. I am about to follow her advice but I halt as I hear footsteps coming towards us. Soon enough, Aria, Javi and Xander join us too. The overcrowded room with no windows gives me more reasons to get out of here.

The room doesn't even look anything special, an abandoned wooden desk with literally no books on it and a small bed to one side. Built in wardrobes line the other side, giving off motel vibes. But somehow, all of us fit inside the room.

Kylo is tapping away aggressively at his phone while the black haired guy throws concerned glances at him. Meanwhile Aria, Javi and Xander look completely clueless about what's happening.

“How did you know where to find the death clause? Certainly you didn't know when you were alive, else you wouldn't be here.” Kylo speaks after what feels like a very long time.

My throat is dry as I reply, “None of your business. You were the one screaming to Make you my villian every time I opened the game. Well- I just did.”

“The murderer is always the villian, isn't he? The reasons don't matter, they never have.” He murmurs and the room suddenly feels too quiet. The black haired boy puts his hand on Kylo's shoulder, and a look passes between them.

“There is absolutely nothing that can justify taking a life.” I reply, even though enough doubts cloud my mind to feel sympathy for whatever Kylo had to go through.

“Do you think I wanted any of this to happen? I just wanted to survive. I didn't have a choice.”

“Everyone has a choice.”

“Well, I made a choice to put myself first. If that makes me a villian, so be it.”

I hope I wouldn't have to explain what is happening to the others, and that Kylo does it for us. Even though I know he may try to exaggerate every miniscule detail to make me look like a villian rather than victim. But I don't know anymore- if I looked through his perspective, would he still be the villian I claim him to be?

Before either of us can speak another word, another pair of footsteps echoes throughout the hallway. All of us turn our eyes to the door, expecting more drama than there already is.

I don't know why I’m surprised on seeing a royal guard at Kylo's door, but fear creeps in on me anyway. “Queen Lillith commands your presence.” He states. Meeting the Queen? Count me in, even if I’m not invited.

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As worried as I am about Javi and Aria, I easily get distracted by the castle looming in front of us. Even though I judged the exterior too harshly, it is absolutely spectacular on the inside.

The guard leads us up the stairs and into a long corridor before stopping behind a corner and ushering us inside. The throne room looks quite empty, except for a woman in red and black sitting on one of the thrones. She narrows her eyes at us and I worry if red lightning can strike us at her command.

“Why are there so many of you?” Queen Lillith asks. Aria opens her mouth to reply, but Lillith cuts her off, “I suppose it doesn't matter. Prince Aaron, leave us please.”

The dark haired boy hesitates, but he turns around and walks out the same way we came in. Lillith turns to all of us. “You.” she points at Kylo, “You have been more trouble that you're worth. My husband is too arrogant to give you this choice but I am not.”

We just stand still, each of us sharing the same confusion on our faces. Her smile seems to grow as she takes our looks in. “You have four options. One, go to heaven and be the angels’ problem.”

She pauses and I wonder if it is for dramatic effect or if she is observing the happiness on Kylo's face like I am.

“Two, go back to earth and live the rest of your life.” She continues.

This time it is Javi who seems interested, he looks at Aria before looking away. If the choice is upto him, I know what he is going to choose, and I would probably do the same.

“Three, drop out of the competition and I’ll turn you into an Elite.”

This time it is Xander who looks at Aria. Aria looks as torn as Kylo looks. He constantly looks at Lillith and then I find myself following his gaze to the door. Maybe there is something more about Kylo and Prince Aaron, but would he give up a chance at peace for him?

“Four, choose none of the options and I’ll throw you in a prison and feed the keys to my hound. Whichever option you choose, you will have no recollection of Kylo's game or your time spent here in the past few days.”

I try to control my laughter as I grimly nod along with the others. Kylo seems to have forgotten I exist, his heart longing for things only he knows.

“The choice is yours.”

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