The next morning, Keanna has to drag me out of bed because all I want to do is sleep in and avoid having to go to the Wellings Manor tonight at all costs. I'm just not ready to face Athan after last night.

"If Athan is gonna be there, I refuse to go," I protest as Keanna drags me into the living room while Grace makes smoothies, happy as a clam ... right before it's turned into food, I will add. 

"Of course he's gonna be there," Keanna replies with a smile on her face. "It's mandatory. All members of the Resistance are required to be in attendance." 

"Then I'm not going," I say, jerking out of her grasp and throwing my hands up in the air. "I'll join when Athan is unable to attend." 

"Oh, you are go -" 

"I am not going," I cut Keanna off, putting a hand over her mouth to make it impossible for her to interrupt me. 

Keanna shoves my hand away and grunts impatiently. "You're still as stubborn as you were the first day you went to church."

I remember that day as clear as ice. 

I was three and very stubborn about moving into religion at such an early age. With Mom and Dad always at work, they left my upbringing with God in the hands of my godmother. Sabia insisted on my attendance, saying that if I wanted to have a good relationship with God, my attendance at church was mandatory so that I could confess my sins every week. 

Yes, I already happened to be baptized, but the church insisted on keeping children out of church until they're three years old for the assurance of a peaceful environment to have a conversation with God. So, it was baptism at two weeks old and then no church until three years.  

And when I firmly replied "no," Sabia took matters into her own hands, dressing me up in a beautiful dress and placing a rosary around my neck. She then dragged me out the door with me kicking and screaming the whole way. Not even Kyran could calm me down from my temper tantrum. 

Although he got me to stop kicking when he offered to carry me the entire way there, no way was he able to get to refrain from screaming. Meanwhile the entire way, Sabia prayed on her rosary, muttering to herself several times, "I'm gonna lose my sanity if this is how all of my Sundays turn out." 

As we made it to the doors of the church, Kyran bribed me into shutting up with a handful of candy. It worked ... for the moment being until I got to the sticky part of the lollipop and I started complaining as everyone went up to receive the Eucharist. But then, I shut up when I looked down at my feet where a delicate necklace below the pew in front of me. 

I leaned down and picked up the lovely necklace, made up of crystal thin cut beads.  I removed my current rosary from my neck and placed it where I found the upgrade rosary. I put it around my neck, letting the crucifix lay at the center of my chest. From that day, I wore my rosary proud of my neck every Sunday and never complained. 

"Come on." I feel Keanna place a hand around my wrist as she drags me over to the door. Grace looks up from her smoothie-making and waves goodbye, headphones covering her ears like a protective barrier. "We have to get to the Wellings' if we want to stay on their good side." 

After a good two minutes of pushing against the door, it finally forces open, and we make our way across the hallway to the elevator. Glass walls encase us with a slow and dark pop-rap song plays in the background. I find it repeating the same refrain throughout the chorus and ingraining itself in my brain until I'm humming the chorus to myself. 

During these five minutes of tranquility, Keanna takes the time to pull her hair back with an elastic band and tie her jacket around her waistline. She brushes the frizzes hanging down her face back.

As the doors slide open, Keanna glides out of the elevator like a ballerina and skips off into the daylight giddily. I sigh and going after her until I push the door off its hinges entirely. I jump back frightened as the old door falls onto the concrete and breaks into little slivers of red painted wood. I carefully step over the mess I've made and catch up with Keanna, calling out, "Wait up for me!" 

But Keanna can't hear me. She's already a quarter of a mile down the sidewalk of crowded tourists and residents that I have to push through to get to my best friend's side. I'm out of breath when I finally make it up to her. 

Her feet brush to a stop as we approach the iron gates molded with rust in every corner. The manor sits atop a hill of thriving green grass, built of the finest cobblestone illuminating off the bright rays of sunlight. It's a humble one-story abode unless you're willing to count the long stick of rooms hiding out in the back. 

And to think I prayed I'd never returned, I remarked sarcastically to myself as Keanna pushes the gate open and dances down the path of elaborate pebblestones set out to the porch set under elegant Grecian columns. I slowly trudge behind. I'm not ready to face Athan after last night. He ripped my heart out of my chest and spat on it. 

Keanna knocks on the door, and I'm praying. Please don't be Athan. Please don't Athan. Please ...

The door opens a moment later, and apparently, God hasn't heard my prayer, because right enough, Athan is standing in the doorway looking down at me as I prepare for a real scream. At the moment, I yearn for him to be unaware that I was at the party last night. 

"I know we're early," Keanna begins with a perky smile creeping up her face as if it isn't the usual look on her face, "but we have a little situation, so I'm wondering if Calamity is here at the moment?" 

"She is," Athan replies. After a moment of pause, he looks over his shoulder and yells, "Cal, Keanna wants to see you!" 

I peer over Athan's narrow shoulders to see Calamity come emerging from the long hallway. Her hair looks halfway decent today. 

Her thick mop of dark brown tresses is straightened to the point that they appear to be as smooth as silk and is pulled into a hairstyle that reminds me of one of these celebrities that appear rather frequently in our Gossip column of the Howl Gazette. I believe her name is Ariana Grande. Calamity wears her hair in a half-up, half down high ponytails with loose waves at each side of her head. 

"Keanna, what brings you here so early?" she asks, closing the space between the doorway as she squeezes herself next to Athan. 

"I need a makeover," Keanna feverishly admits. 

"Well, you've beckoned the right fashionista to solve your predicament." Calamity pulls Keanna inside and drags her into the dark depths of the hallway. Their raucous laughter can be heard even as they're halfway down that hall of gloom. 

I look up at Athan. His visage of neutrality turns sullen as his brows furrows and his mouth goes grim. I've never seen that darkness in those eyes, and it horrifies me more than it should. Does he even know of my presence last night? 

"I saw you there last night." I decide to break the silence with disclosure. Standing there, not uttering a word, he cocks his eyebrow in surprise, prompting me to continue without his consent. Not that I need it. "Who was that girl you were with?"

"My transient friend," Athan explains. He invites me inside and leads me to the couch where we sit down, his wild eyes getting way too far into my personal space bubble. The odd part is, I don't even mind it. "Kayleigh's older sister is in charge of covering up any transaction we make. The lease is signed under her sister's name. They cover up all of our tracks, so we remain unnoticed by the government." 

"Well, this Kayleigh girl seems awfully clingy from what I saw," I spit out a joke, even though to be honest, my sources proved it to be right. I just don't want to come on as quickly envious to Athan. 

"That's an understatement," Athan admits, shoving me in the shoulder. In response to such playful behavior, I narrow my brow at him and threaten to bare my teeth with a soft growl - typical wolf behavior. He gets the message and moves on. "Although I won't lie, I technically was on a date, but that was because we had some business transactions to carry out so the sisters would renew the lease." 

Keanna comes out into the living room bearing long tresses of waist-length barrel curls sweeping up in delicate layers. From the looks of it, Keanna seems almost real with those beautiful curls of her. 

I've never bothered to admit it, but her signature line of endless braids somehow always seemed phony to me. It felt as if she had something to conceal inside the crossings and twists. It felt as if her pleat substituted as a mask of her true self, but without the braid, she just seems to have unlocked the full Keanna Bethany White. 

"It's ..." Athan stammers as he stumbles to collect his words in one breath. After inhaling, his mouth opens once again, but this time a collection of syllables leave his tongue. "It's totally you, Keanna."

Calamity peers out from the darkened hall and makes her way up behind Keanna. Everything is quiet for a moment. Not one mouth moves until the clock moves one number ahead. Meanwhile, we all stay frozen in time.

I break out of the trance as a sound comes echoing into the foyer from the kitchen as a gust of wind makes the door to the kitchen swing open with an eerie squeak from its rusted hinges. It's a sound that almost seems familiar, but it appears to go back farther than my mind can permit. 

It's the hard knocking from someone's fist on a door. Athan jumps up to his feet peering through the connecting door from behind. The first words that leave his mouth as he slams the door shut are "Oh crap." 

"What is it?" Calamity asks as he approaches her, resting his hands on both of her shoulders. With the two face to face, the difference in their height is uncanny. I stand up with the idea that the knocking on the door should be sending me on high alert. 

"Government officials," Athan says, ushering Keanna and Calamity to the front door as quick as he can. From the echoes of the kitchen, I can hear the backdoor being busted down with a big crash. With the first two girls out the door, Athan comes bounding at me and grabbing me by the wrist. 

As we're outside, I'm following Athan to gate as Calamity takes the lead by ushering us into the taxi that Grace seems to be driving. For a moment there, a part of me has to sigh in relief. Then there's that other part of me that realizes I'm fleeing for my life, and I squeeze into the backseat next to Keanna. 

Calamity takes the passenger seat in the front of the taxi next to Grace, while Athan slides into the back next to me and Grace takes off onto the road almost instantly once we're all sitting down. His arm touches my as he secures his seatbelt and helps adjust mine, his cold fingertips trailing down my skin. It causes me to shiver with enjoyment. A smile creeps up my face. 

"Did your dinner date with Miss Kayleigh not suffice her and her sister's need, so they didn't renew the lease?" I crack a smile as I try to lighten the mood with some good-hearted humor. But by the way, Athan secures his face with a solemn visage, I realize that now is not the time for joking.

"No," he says curtly, his lips spitting out the syllable like venom. I jump back a little in my seat but then relax. "They're looking for you." 

"Why are they looking for me?" 

"They just are, Betrys," Athan rails at me. My heart pounds at the sound of his booming syllables. "Now, hold your tongue and quit with the question." 

"Well, maybe if you bothered to provide all the answers, then I wouldn't have to push for them so much," I fire back. His eyes meet with flames of fire. This is a game of chess, I realize, and only the master can win. That is unless a Noble steps up and dethrones him. 

"STOP TRYING TO BE HIGHER THAN ME," Athan raves giving me a sharp shove in the shoulder, sending me flying back against Keanna, who wraps her arm around me like a protective shield. I'm trembling at the sight of him. I've never seen an angry Athan Wellings, and I always hoped I would never live to see him mad, but reality has turned against me, I presume. "So let me put this in terms you can understand. The Resistance is sort of like a clan. There's an alpha, a.k.a. me. And there are omegas, otherwise known as you." 

His eyes narrow into a penetrating glare that has me shivering. "You better get this through your head, Beatrice. You are to abide by my rules and regulations, or you are to suffer the consequences. I hope I've made myself clear." 

Tears running down my cheeks, I nodded shakily. Never in my life have I felt so small. No one has ever forced me to feel like dirt compared to them. I never agreed to this. If this is the contract, I'd rather be Matchless and rotting in a sewer than ever giving Athan even a millimeter of my heart. Although, I thought I established that last night. 

"Cut her some slack, Wellings," Keanna interjects as she attempts to calm me down from my trembling. I look away from Athan. I can't look at him after he belittled me ... in front of my best friend. "She's - " 

Athan cut her off abruptly with a hiss. "I didn't ask for your input, White. Beatrice must learn loyalty to the Resistance before she can have a voice in the Resistance. And I highly suggest you shut your trap if you wanna retain that right." 

"Well, Betrys deserves way better than you," Keanna shoots back at him in her most menacing voice. I would smile, but my soul has sunk too low to permit even such as a slight smile. "So, how about you get out of this car, and you and your huge power trip get married, or you can face those who actually care for Betrys. Your choice." 

The inside window rolls down and Grace peers over her seat. "Can you three just bicker at your own time, not mine. I can't focus on getting through the midday commute with you three consistently throwing threats back and forth amongst each other." 

"I can," Keanna says with a smirk on her face, she holds me close to her ribcage and shoots deadly glares at Athan if she such as even catches him glancing at me. "I don't know if he can." 

Athan sneers at her. I sigh and break my silence. "Grace, where are we?" 

From the mirror at the top of the car, I notice Grace peering down at her phone, scanning it. "I believe this is where your brother and Eileene live from the conversations Keanna and I have had."

I unbuckle my seatbelt and get to my feet. I need to escape this monstrosity. Athan's threats have me at my wit's end, and if I listen to this anymore, I'm sure to blow my top. I just need an hour or more where I'm surrounded by people who don't try to dominate and be authoritative. I need to be with my family. 

"Stop the car," I command politely. I look over my shoulder at Athan who turns red with fire. Grace slowly brings the taxi to calm halt. "My stop is here." Keanna opens the door for me, and I carefully crawl over her. 

As I step out, I face Athan with a growl that emits the sound of a protruding crack of thunder. "We may be Matches, Athan Wellings, but I reject you. I will never love you, and you will never learn to love." With that, I slam the door of the taxi shut and turn to face a modest colonial with a beautiful garden of wildflowers spread out everywhere in the yard. 

On the patio swing, Kyran and Eileene sit together, her head resting against his shoulder as he holds her close by her shoulder. In their lap lays some sort of book. They seem so indulged by their reading, they don't even seem to notice my arrival. "Excuse me, is this the home of Eileene and Kyran Wilson?"

Kyran jumps up to his feet and comes running towards me. I let myself smile as relief fills my stomach. I've missed seeing that happy face. Whenever Kyran is happy, it makes me light up with joy. "B, my dear sister, what brings you here?" 

"The wrath of Athan Wellings," I answer with a frown. 

From the slight bob of his head, I don't need confirmation to know that Kyran understands what I mean. "Ah, you've met Power Trip Athan. The most abhorrent of all the version of Athan. What'd you do that sent him over the edge?"

"All I did I was ask him why government officials are searching for me," I explained. "It's not as if I demanded him to buy me a diamond necklace or write me a thousand poems or anything romantic. I just asked for answers." 

Kyran's eyes go wide, and his face flushes a pale white pigment. "Okay, B." He opens the gate and leads me down the path of stones decorated to make a pathway to the patio. We go up the steps and join Eileene on the swing. She slams the book shut and peers over at me with a watchful eye. "I know this Resistance stuff has put a lot of pressure on you, but I'm gonna have to reveal another bag of cats." 

Oh, Kyran and his poor idioms. "Just cut to the chase, please, Kyran."

"B, the government has records of your birth," Kyran tells me, giving my hand a quick squeeze. I look down at my shoes. "You were born in a hospital in Miami, and Mom and Dad had no way of erasing these records. So, seventeen years later, with security systems now upgraded to facial recognition, they have probably spotted you after you disappearing from this society after a week."  

"It's two o'clock," Eileene interjects as she looks down at her watch. "We better get going if we wanna be on time for the mandatory Resistance meeting." As Kyran and I look up from the boards of the patio, Eileene is already halfway through the block.

I follow Kyran, keeping up with him as best as I can as we try to catch up to Eileene, who apparently has more agility than Kyran and I combined. The only point where we're in the same spot as her is when she finally hits a stoplight. She takes a moment to rest and catch her breath. Meanwhile, I have to watch the scene as my brother creeps up on her and plants a kiss on her cheek. 

The cars stop and once again, Eileene is already a mile ahead of us before we can even take a breath in. In unison, we breathe and race each other down the block until the race ends at Eileene's shoulder. 

I fall to the ground, softly scraping my knee. With a slight moan, I pick myself up from the ground. Eileene is standing there, her jaw dropped wide to the ground, her eyes wide with terror as she looks at the neighborhood before her. 

"Eileene, what is it?" I ask. I don't even need to know her answer once she positions me to face the direction she's facing. 

Before us, the Wellings Manor stands there, shingled roof half-eaten by a live array of hungry flame. Broken glass and window panels lay scattered across the grass, thick clouds of smoke piling out from the windows. Meanwhile, the crackling flames serenade my uneasy ears and roars, devouring the other half of the roof. The inside of the house lights up like fireworks on what from what I learned it Mortal History, the Fourth of July. 

"Guys," I hear Kyran say as he finally catches up with us, "what are you waiting for? Go inside." 

As he meets my shoulder, I turn him to face the direction of the blazing estate. I feel his jaw drop to the pavement. "They've been here." 

"Who's been here?" I ask, not taking my eyes off the house for even a minute. 

"The Moon Clan." I feel Kyran's answer wriggle down my shirt and I shiver. "They located the Resistance HQ. We knew they would first look at a remote location for our headquarters, so, instead, we put it in the suburbs. The only possible way they could've located our office is if they've been secretly in contact with someone on the outside." A shiver spirals down my spine as my heart grows heavy with guilt. "Someone who has been inside Resistance HQ." 

"So, what do we do?" I feel my phone vibrate against my thigh. Placing a hand in my pocket, I block out the noise. 

"We fight back," I hear Eileene answer.

~

Hey, everyone. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. So much happened here.

Is anyone else starting to hate Athan? I know I am, but isn't Keanna such a great friend? 

Do you think the Moon Clan is actually responsible for setting the Wellings Manor afire?

What do you think the Resistance is going to do in response to the destruction of their HQ?

If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

X Shay X