The story so far:

----Aija, Zuri, and Ze are three friends, who were working at the Pristine School at Innermost. Aija gets involved with the Ytai first, leading Zuri and Ze to them as well. Zuri falls in love with Nala (Lalana), who is Ytai, and works with Thieron. Aija and Ze are captured by Thieron, of H'eon, when they were at the Hospital - Aija was at the Hospital with Kuna of R'ies and Zuri to stop a Harvest; Ze was there to visit his sick student Xan. Xan, a student at the Pristine School, gives up his soul to Thieron, and Xan, is subsequently released by Aija. He then settles into the body of a kitten that Aija found at the Hospital, and is taken to where Thieron resides. Aija wills Xan to talk; he can speak now with his own voice. Thieron has bound Aija to himself, and Nala has bound Ze to herself. Luka works for Thieron(Ah'n), along with Lalana (Nala). Luka found Aija first at her school, teaching the kids. He seems to care for her. Luka's feelings for Aija only seem to be increasing with time. He's worried about Thieron finding out.

----Thieron and Aija get into a fight. When Thieron was asleep, Aija cut his hair to get back at him.

----Thieron is angry, but goes ahead and gets himself a haircut. He feels better and less angry.

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****27.3 - Aija****

Aija knew Thieron had come into the room. She wanted to ignore him for as long as possible. 

He cleared his throat, and she found her eyes going to him. 

She had cut his hair, hoping to ruin it. She expected it to hurt him; she knew that his hair meant something more to him than style. He had shown anger, but he'd gone ahead and gotten himself a neat haircut and to add to it - a clean shave. 

And, somehow, it had calmed him. 

And, it had disconcerted her. 

He looked more handsome now. All that hair on his face had hidden his true beauty. But now, with his hair cut short, and all that facial hair gone - he looked stunning. He was breathtakingly attractive. And, what had seemed like excessively thick eyebrows now looked beautiful; the entire focus now on his gorgeous mismatched eyes. The barber had done an unnecessarily superior job. Thieron seemed a whole lot more arrogant than before, and he had been incalculably arrogant, to begin with. 

 Thieron truly looked formidable now. Aija could see the Ah'n everyone feared. 

She had wanted to ruin him and had instead given him more power. 

Thieron placed the plate in his left hand beside her on the bed, his eyes searching for something in hers. He wasn't wearing the lenses that made his eyes blue; his true eye colors were even more attractive now. 

"You eat in the room," he told her, his voice devoid of feeling. 

She noticed a mole on the left side of his chin. She hadn't noticed it before thanks to the thick stubble he had sported. The enemy was too good looking. It was unfair; his beauty was far more superior to her own, not that she considered herself beautiful. Heartless people shouldn't have the right to look so good. 

"I'm happy right here," she claimed, not wanting to lose to him. 

He smiled, and her eyes widened. He had dimples. 

"I was thinking that locking you in this room isn't adequate punishment." his voice sounded melodious as if he were soothing, not threatening her. 

"Do what you want," she snapped at him. 

He smirked, and those damned dimples showed themselves again. He went close to Aija, she leaned back. His hand caught a few strands of her hair and twisted them deliberately, slowly around his fingers. He gave her a sinister smile.

 Would he really chop off her hair? Would that be his revenge? Without another word, he left, leaving her a wild, nervous wreck. The door locked as it closed. 

She ran her fingers through her hair, apprehensive. "Do you really think he'll cut my hair?" she asked Xan. 

Xan had been with her when she had cut Thieron's hair. She had been wild with anger in the afternoon. She had been upset with herself too. She had been worried about the soul wandering alone somewhere because of her and turning into something demonic. She had also been embarrassed by her display of anger. She never knew she was capable of screaming that loudly in rage. Not to mention the broken plate. Why had she done it? She had been so enraged. She had wanted to get the anger out of her system. 

Aija had gone downstairs to argue further with Thieron. Argue that she would do anything to protect other humans from being destroyed so callously. Instead, she had found him sleeping on the couch. 

She had tapped him on the shoulder, hungry for a fight. But he had been sound asleep and hadn't moved or woken up. She had taken a look at his hair in a bun at the nape of his neck. She had been fidgety and knew he treasured his hair. Xan had arrived and told her to cut it off. She had found a pair of big scissors in one of the kitchen cabinets. Xan had told her to do it at once, cut his hair at the nape of his neck. But, she been too enthusiastic, and Thieron had been deep in the clutches of sleep. So she had removed the hair-tie he had tied his hair with and started cutting handfuls of hair at different lengths. He had woken with a gasp, startling her, as if from a bad dream. 

She had fallen to the floor, but the damage had been done. 

She still remembered the exact moment he comprehended what had happened. It had been immensely satisfying, worth the subsequent anger. 

And, now she wondered if the cost of her satisfaction was her own hair. And it hadn't even ruined Thieron. It had given rise to a more dangerously confident Thieron. 

"I don't suppose so," Xan told her as she split the wheat-cakes and gave him some. 

"He looks so different with the haircut." 

"Even more terrifying," Xan admitted chewing a piece of wheat-cake. 

****

Aija dressed in blue jeans and a white shirt oversized for her. She yawned as she put her hair in a bun atop her head. 

Her hair had survived Thieron's fury through the week. So far, he hadn't made moves to cut it, although her fear had kept her awake for a good part each night. 

She had cut his hair. It would be a child's task for him to cut hers. 

She wasn't sure if the Ytai were going on a Harvest. They weren't dressed in the dark oxford-blue uniform. They were dressed casually, Nala was even wearing a pair of black shorts. 

Ze was dressed in either Thieron's or Luka's clothes. They were long for him. Ze had good height, but the Ytai were tall creatures. Aija hadn't seen Ze in a week; she'd been confined to her room ever since she'd cut Thieron's hair. Aija had only agreed to Ze's wish to escape to give him his chance to escape. He was caught in this mess because of her, and he didn't deserve to suffer too. Aija had decided since she was bonded anyway, she would stay; stay, and try to disrupt Thieron's plans as much as she could. But, it was confirmed now, that even Ze was stuck with them. 

Luka was dressed in blue jeans and a white tee, just like her. As she walked out the door, Luka smiled at her knowing they were matching with each other. He handed her a black over-sized coat. She wore it without hesitation, knowing how cold the nights out of Innermost got. The coat reached below her knees and was quite loosely fitted on her frame. 

Despite everything, she found herself reciprocating Luka's smile. Instantly, she schooled her features and got into the car; forcing a frown between her brows. 

Over the past few weeks with the Ytai, she had learned that there was no use defying their orders. They would make sure she did as they told. The only thing she could do was to be compliant and give little shocks when they were least expecting it – like cutting Thieron's hair. There was no use trying to escape; the Ytai were always a few steps ahead. 

Ze had probably figured out as much. He silently got into the car next to her. Aija had been surprised to learn of his powers. What did that make, Ze? Was he really human? He certainly looked human. She wasn't afraid of him or his powers. It made him a whole lot more special. 

But it made her wonder – he had known of his own powers and had believed her when she had told him of aliens. Then why had he been afraid of a talking kitten? It wasn't anymore weirder than his powers or aliens. Or was it because it was Xan? Someone he had known as a human? 

The three Ytai got into the car, and Thieron took the wheel. "Today," he announced, turning back to them, "I'll show you how much you humans have destroyed this planet." 

Ze wrinkled his nose in response and looked out of the window at the setting sun. 

"You speak as if Ze and I personally went around destroying the Earth." Aija scoffed. 

Everyone looked at her, eyes wide. Thieron glared at her, and she was silently pleased with herself. 

He looked between her and Luka who was seated beside her, and frowned eyeing their matching clothes; even their coats were a matching black. He turned around, annoyed enough to not bother with a retort and started the car. 

 Aija was suspicious of them. Were they really not going on a Harvest? 

As always, she and Ze didn't know where they were going. She looked out at the hills. The area lacked a lot of human presence. There were about four houses in all, each scattered miles from each other. She wondered who lived in those houses; what they did. The hills evidently didn't look like it had farming land. So what did people do there? 

The town at the base of the hills had a few more people living there. The amount of technology was nothing compared to that at Innermost. 

They traveled for a long time, the landscape changed from hills to towns to small cities. It grew darker and darker with the setting sun. 

She looked at Thieron who was driving at a steady speed. She wondered how they had gotten their hands on a car and how they managed to keep it off Secure Cams and Drones. Thieron was awfully thorough with everything he did. 

Aija had come to the conclusion that she was stuck to him. The way Etrie just plainly refused to take them back had her anxious. Was the bond really that strong? Would it be so dangerous to be separated from Thieron that Etrie wasn't even ready to take the risk? And what had that calmness been between Etrie and Luka? She thought they hated each other enough to take every opportunity handed to them to try killing each other. 

Etrie claimed he was no match to Thieron. But what about with Luka? Etrie had just let Luka take her away. Was it because he was actually afraid something would happen to her? 

 She was tired of speculating. But, her mind always overworked thinking of possibilities, of minute hidden details; driving her crazy. Most nights she lay awake, her thoughts gnawing at her sanity. 

They entered what looked like a big city. But as they drove through, Aija found that the buildings were old. Not the new looking buildings of Innermost. A few buildings were damaged. Lights flickered from several floors. A lot of people seemed to live there. 

Aija bent over to the window to get a better view as she sat between Ze and Luka. Most of the buildings were tall, about a hundred floors or so, not as tall as the ones at Innermost but taller than ones she had seen in small towns. There were no DigiScreens buzzing in mid-air, and there didn't seem to be any drones anywhere either. It felt like an old, fallen City, where people remained because they had nowhere else to go. 

"Welcome to Old Sea Drive," Luka whispered. 

She looked for a second into Luka's pink-blue eyes and then looked back at the old City. 

Thieron drove through wide roads void of people. He stopped a few minutes into the City and the three Ytai spoke among themselves in their language and Luka and Nala got out of the car. 

Ze made a move to get down and Thieron asked him not to. Aija's suspicion grew as Luka and Nala went somewhere by themselves. 

"Where are they going?" she asked. 

"To meet someone," Thieron said, unlocking the doors. "Come." 

Aija and Ze followed him across the street. What was going on? Where did the other two go? Surely it wasn't a Harvest. Thieron would have ensured he was involved too. Maybe they did really go to meet someone. Just the other week, they'd gone leaving Thieron with her and, she had cut his hair into different lengths. 

"Shouldn't I go with her?" Ze asked looking at the thin black line around his left wrist. 

"They aren't going too far. You can bear a small sting in case it is a bit far, can't you?" 

Ze glowered at Thieron. 

Aija heard it before she saw it; the sound of waves. She had heard it on a video of the sea on her Scroll, never in real life. She hadn't known she could actually visit the sea. 

Thieron led them to where she heard the sound of waves coming from. And, then she saw it. 

The sea. 

Her breath hitched. 

The water shimmered slightly from the lights in the buildings. But, the sea wasn't how Aija had seen them in DigiBooks. The pictures showed something different from what was in front of her. The images and videos depicted a large body of water, a beach with sand. 

It never showed buildings submerged in the water. 

The sea in the DigiBooks and videos on the LINC were beautiful. She wasn't sure what this was. 

They walked closer to the water, and she pulled her coat – Luka's coat – tighter around herself. The breeze was chilly. 

There was sand which one could call a beach; a beach on the road, in between buildings. There were buildings peeping out where the water was shallow, only the tops of the buildings visible further into the sea and then they disappeared swallowed entirely by the water. And, Aija was standing in the middle of the road with tall buildings lining up the street on either side. 

This was a city half-submerged. It wasn't where the sea truly began; it was where it had crept to, into human-occupied land. 

"What is this place?" Ze asked taking in the water and the buildings like Aija. 

They stopped just before a wooden walkway that extended out into the sea for quite a distance; the water lapping at its sides. 

"The sea," Thieron told him. 

"It doesn't look like..." 

"The pictures in books?" Thieron interrupted Ze. 

Ze nodded. 

Thieron smiled, there were those dimples again. There was no softness in his smile, though. "It's because this is a submerged city," Thieron explained. "The Earth's temperature increased thanks to those useless Wars. It melted every last bit of ice to increase the sea and ocean levels. You're witnessing the effect of that. The coastal cities are all gone under the water."

 Ze and Aija looked on aghast. This is what their ancestors had done. The Leadership was doing something to reverse the changes, right? 

Aija moved closer to the waves. She removed her shoes and stood where the edges of the waves grazed her feet. The water was freezing. 

Tears pricked her eyes. The sea must have been beautiful, once. It now reached into the city swallowing the tall buildings. Something more had to be done. In over seven hundred years since the wars, the Leadership hadn't done much. Not for the first time, Aija seriously doubted the Leadership's intentions. 

The sea and oceans had swallowed land. There was still no pure air provided in every town of the City – and it probably meant it was the same in every other Pristine City. There was no affordable packaged food everywhere, although Aija had started to think packaged food was terrible. The Green Plague was still troubling people – mainly those in the perimeter of every City. Was it true that the Leadership concentrated only on Innermost and a few profitable towns? It had to be like this in every Pristine City. The Leadership controlled every City, after all. 

"Don't go too close to the water," Thieron warned her, "unless you want to be dragged in by something terribly hungry." 

Aija stepped back and put her shoes on. 

"What's in there?" Ze asked, wary of the water. 

"Dangerous things," Thieron said. "Creatures muted by the Wars and evolved to survive underwater. They have a scarcity of food." 

Aija was suddenly reminded of the Savage that had attacked them in the Open. What more damages had the Wars left in its demise? What more was the Leadership hiding from the public? 

"After all these years, do you still believe the Leadership wants to protect the Earth? It's been seven hundred and nineteen years since the Wars ended. All they have done is to protect their position of power." Thieron said. 

Ze was quiet too, just like her, probably having thoughts similar to hers. 

They went on the wooden walkway; it was at level with the water, a rather recent construction. They walked till where the walkway submerged into the sea. 

Aija stood at the edge, looking out at the sea. It was tremendous; mesmerizing. She didn't know what its name had been before the Wars had changed everything. The seas and the oceans didn't have names anymore. Maybe, it was true that the Leadership wanted to erase any semblance of their existence. The full moon shined brightly; the water reflecting its light in shimmery glee. 

"Who lives here?" Ze asked, looking at the worn-out buildings behind them. 

"Humans who cannot afford Innermost," Thieron answered, standing beside Aija. 

She looked up at him. Light stubble lined his jaw. That haircut had taken the attention off his hair and given it to his face; his eyes, his sharp jawline. 

He looked at her and she instantly turned back at the sea. 

Thieron took out two small glass jars from the pockets of his coat. They contained a blue and a red soul. He released them into the air; she looked on, bewildered. 

 "What will you do now?" Thieron asked her. "Send them to a lonely eternity? Or let them serve their purpose as destroyers of the human race?" 

He was cruel. He was challenging Aija. 

"They have each other," she declared. Thieron shrugged but looked amused. He looked at Aija awaiting her reaction, her decision. 

Aija looked at the two souls. She felt them - they felt calm, happy. Was it because they were free now? 

Instinctively, she lifted her right hand. She moved her hand and the two souls hovered closer to each other. That had been her intention; although it didn't surprise her when it had happened, though it should have. 

They won't be lonely if they are together, she thought. She made the souls conflate. The two souls merged to form a pulsating purple light in the air above her. It was entrancing. 

Ze yelled, "Ow!" breaking her concentration. 

The souls split and she and Thieron looked back at Ze who was holding his right wrist with his left hand. He was wincing in pain. Nala and Luka must have gone a bit far. 

"Ze, are you...." her question was cut short as she felt something wet grab her ankles. 

It pulled her into the sea before she could react, and she gave out a scream that was cut short as she hit the water.

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