Rosalyn

Rosalyn didn't know what she was more afraid of; the sinister look on her fathers face, or the utter devastation on Malakai's.

She knew exactly where they were; on the side of the building in front of the stone walls, with small bushes and flowers leading up towards two steps that led up to a mini-looking stage. Her father stood tall in the middle of the frame, while Malakai stood off to the side with his body swaying, trying to keep his balance.

"He's drugged," Sebastian noted, his body leaning towards the TV.

Rosalyn and the other subjects were huddled next to one another, surrounding the television. They had made it safely back to Ingrid's cabin just in time to watch the East Capitol go live. Hyemi turned on the subtitles for Becks, and everyone's mood shifted as the image of Malakai appeared.

Rosalyn sat on the single couch, and Sebastian leaned on one of the arms, as close as he could get to the television. The four girls shared the larger couch, while Wolfgang sat on the floor, his legs sprawled out before him.

"You see a bruise forming on his jaw there?" Miriam said, and everyone nodded. Rosalyn's heart sank as she realized who was most likely the giver of that bruise. Everyone probably knew.

"They didn't even bother tidying him up?" Wolfgang mentioned. "He looks horrible."

"It probably makes him look more scary," Hyemi pointed out. "Like it's a good thing he's not on the loose anymore. Bonavich and Veil must want him to look deadly."

Probably, Rosalyn thought. With marks and bruises and old ragged clothes on, he looked more like an image of a monster that the world had a right to be fearful of. But to Rosalyn, she could still see his bright emerald eyes, glossier than normal, but still there. She could see the soft features of his lips and the sharpness is his jaw. She could see Malakai, way deep down and hidden, but he was still there.

"I am Vice President Isaac Bonavich, and here with me is Subject Zero," Bonavich gestured to Malakai, who gaze was elsewhere. "We have come with some insightful information."

Malakai's eyes caught the screen, and his large eyes stared deeply. And to Rosalyn's surprise, he began to speak.

"The other subjects and Rosalyn Bonavich are—are still on the loose, and—" he blinked a few times. "And the cash prize is still in effect."

Malakai immediately pulled his head back to look above him, like he was searching for the sun through the clouds.

"He's being forced," Miriam stated. "He's being threatened. He wouldn't comply this easily if there wasn't something being held against him."

"And he's drugged," Hyemi added. "He looks in a daze."

"Plus, it seems like he didn't give away our location. We probably would've been caught by now if he did," Wolfgang said, and Rosalyn knew where he was going with his words. Malakai was likely beaten. He was likely already broke.

Rosalyn glanced at Sebastian, who had his lips pinned together tightly, his glowing orange eyes memorized on the screen. She could see the pain past his eyes. She could see a best friend who could only watch the other suffer.

Rosalyn's father continued speaking, and it sent shivers throughout her body. She could only imagine the conversation her father and Malakai had, especially with the result of a bruise on Malakai's face. She wanted to scream, to reach through the screen and snatch the boy back; she wanted to walk with him in the woods once more, with their walking sticks, simply living. She wanted Malakai back, and she realized she couldn't feel the same emotions for her father, the man who raised her. The man who still loved her, deep down.

Malakai looked back at the screen, stumbling on his feet a little until trying to settle himself. It took him awhile to speak again. "They might still be around the area, but be on the lookout—"

Malakai suddenly released an exaggerated breath, his eyes glossed over with thought as he paused.

Sebastian almost gasped, leaning even closer towards the TV. "He just—that was a laugh." He glanced at the others, his eyes wide. "He just laughed."

"How could he possibly laugh?" Wolfgang expressed, his hand rubbing through his blonde hair as he glanced at Sebastian. "You sure Seb? Maybe he's just taking a breath."

"It was a laugh," Sebastian said. "I know him. I know Kai. But—why?"

"He's thinking," Miriam replied. Her blue eyes shimmered; was she crying? "He's thinking of something. But why would he think of something that would make him laugh?"

Malakai paused, stuck in his daze, so Bonavich took over. "But be on the lookout in any areas. They could have traveled far and wide. We don't know any specifics yet."

Rosalyn watched as Malakai angled his head towards her father, cocking his head, his jaw muscles ticking. Sebastian and Miriam were right; something was running through Malakai's head, so much so that he couldn't hide his emotions. He released a breath of laughter, yes, but it was drowned in sorrow.

Rosalyn thought back to when she first met the boy, his entire body tied up and mouth shut tight. Even then, when all hope for him seemed lost, he held a certain aurora over himself; he was clutching onto a spark of hope. Now, the spark seemed to die out. There was no light in him anymore. What had happened?

Rosalyn could not focus on her fathers words. He spoke of the subjects and the war, but she could only stare at Malakai, who seemed to be at war with his own mind.

She turned to Sebastian. "What else do you notice about him? What's going on?"

Sebastian bit his lip. "He's scared. Or at least, I think. His laugh threw me off." He paused. "For once I can't read the guy."

"He's distant," Miriam jumped in. "He was sort of like this when I first met him. He acted like this when he thought he wouldn't see his family again."

"Maybe he thinks he won't see us ever again?" Farrah suggested, but Hyemi only shook her head.

"He's not a negative thinker like that," she explained.

Wolfgang cleared his throat. "I mean, we do have a new addition."

All heads turned to Rosalyn. Even Becks had been reading lips and rested her big chocolate eyes on her, nodding.

Rosalyn shook her head. "I don't think that's it—"

Wolfgang only shushed her. "You affect him more than you think, darling."

No, it's the other way around, she wanted to say. He affected her in ways he would never know. She did not know how quickly she had gotten close to him, how quickly she cared for him more than she could imagine. She regained her focus back on the screen, only to see Malakai avoiding the camera, his stare now directly at Bonavich.

There was an awkward pause, but her father took over once more, talking directly at the camera, while Malakai still stared him down off to the side. He looked—wild, almost. He looked determined.

"Cool it, Kai." Wolfgang whispered as Malakai furrowed his eyebrows, his hands starting to twitch. "He looks pissed now."

And he did look pissed. He stared at Bonavich with utter rage, his palms now opened and stance firm. Rosalyn chewed on the inside of her cheek as Malakai's arms raised, and she held in a gasp as he directed his palms towards her father.

"No, Kai!" Sebastian stood up and yelled, like he could get his attention through the screen. Sebastian stood close to Rosalyn, almost in front of her now, ready to block her view. And she knew why. She knew what Malakai's actions would result in, and she knew with the determined look on his face that he would not stop himself. Sebastian cursed under his breath, but Rosalyn wondered if, deep down, he was applauding Malakai for what he was about to do.

She remained numb. She did not move as the others around her gasped and stood up, shocked at Malakai's decision. But was she shocked? Was she shocked that he could hurt her father on live television?

"He's going to get himself killed!" Farrah shrieked. She stood up and took a few steps back so she was in the kitchen, barely watching through her fingers over her face. Everyone was standing up now, besides Rosalyn, but they were all holding their breath, awaiting Malakai's next move. In that moment, with his hands freed, he held all the power. He could finally destroy Rosalyn's father. He could finally take back his sacrifice from before.

Rosalyn's eyes closed as she saw her father avert his eyes from the camera to Malakai. She could not watch. She could not fathom the outcome and what it would mean. She did not want her father to get hurt, but she also did not blame Malakai. She was lost in the middle of it all.

But nothing happened.

"Wait—" Sebastian whispered, and Rosalyn opened her eyes to watch the scene before her. She had not imagined this outcome.

Malakai's eyes widened as he stumbled a few steps backwards, his body completely giving out on him.

It was a long fall. His hands fell to his sides first, and his head craned onto his right shoulder. His eyes were still wide, alert, but his body went limp from underneath. Finally, his legs bent, and he slumped onto his side, his left cheek pressed against the ground.

"Hold on," Sebastian said, his stance rigid as he watched his best friend fall. "That's—"

"Seb," Miriam stated, her tone taking on her normal seriousness. "Seb, is he?"

"Is he what?" Rosalyn sputtered, frantic eyes glancing at everyone in the room. Nobody responded, so she turned back to the screen and almost cried at the pain on Malakai's face.

He was awake, but his body was malfunctioning before his own eyes. She could see his quick and short breaths, and his emerald eyes that were now full of tears. His limbs were tangled over himself, but he could not move. What had they done?

"No no no," Sebastian murmured. He took a few steps back, his hands crossed over the nape of his neck, his glossy eyes staring at his best friend's limp body.

Rosalyn heard a shuffle of footsteps, and she watched as Becks paced back and forth, probably not able to bear the emotions in the room. Her panicked eyes told a story; she needed no voice to explain the emotions on her face, and it made Rosalyn worried.

"Did they overdose him?" Rosalyn asked, now standing up to face the others.

Once again, no response. But they all knew something she didn't. She could see it through their reactions while they stared at Malakai. She could see it plainly on their faces. She could feel it.

Miriam turned to Sebastian. The two seemed to know more than the rest. "Is that possible?"

"No," Sebastian replied. "Unless—no. No."

What was going on? Rosalyn clenched her fists as she nearly glared at everyone. What were they keeping from her? She was already full of too many unknowns, she could not bear this.

"Stop—s-top, please."

Rosalyn released a sob as she heard the cry from the screen, and she turned to stare at Malakai, who was visibly crying and shaking. His eyes were full of pure dread; she had never seen him like this before, even during his panic attacks. He was—petrified.

"Someone tell me what's happening!" Rosalyn shouted, and it startled everyone in the room. She ignored the tears on a few of their faces as she demanded an answer. But Sebastian only pointed a shaky finger back at the television.

Calm down, she told herself. While it was torture watching Malakai like this, she had to remain calm. She sat back down, grasping her elbows as she leaned towards the screen, watching the boy she liked break before her.

His lips were trembling, sputtering out soft pleads into the wind. His body remained limp, and his cheek pressed even deeper into the ground, his tears starting to puddle around him. His curly locks fell over his eyes and stuck to the sides of his neck. He was sweating profoundly, or maybe it was his tears. She couldn't tell anymore.

She could see her father now, staring at him with jaw dropped. Nobody knew what to do; everyone could only stand and watch the chaos that laid out before them. It seemed as though they were about to cut the camera until Malakai audibly gasped, his somber eyes resting directly at the camera.

Malakai stared at Rosalyn with frantic, dreaded eyes. All she could do was stare back, pleading that he would see her too; that he would see Rosalyn and suddenly want to be with her again. Because in that moment, it was all she ever wanted.

But his eyes were staring past her. Past the other subjects. Past the rest of the world.

His eyes caught a certain someone, and his breaths became irregular, shortened. He released a few more cries until he could finally focus on the camera.

And then, Malakai, Subject Zero, suddenly shook the world once again; first with his power, and now with his words.

"Benedict Lee is alive."

~END OF BOOK ONE~

•••

Chapter song: Believe // Mumford and Sons

Well hi pals!

BOOK ONE IS COMPLETE !

Benedict Lee is alive, y'all! A lot of you guessed this, so congrats to you all for the wonderful (and correct) predictions!

THOUGHTS on Book 1? I honestly have not completed a book with this many words, LET ALONE IN LIKE, FOUR MONTHS! Did you enjoy it overall? I love the feedback!

So,,, Book Two? Oh ya, it's happening

As some of you know, I got accepted into Grad School! Therefore, I will be VERY busy, so updates may be slower this time 'round. I hope you all can understand! I also need to do some more brainstorming, but I will update you all on THIS BOOK about the next book (I will publish an update), so keep your updates on!

Thank you. Thank you to the small handful of you who stuck with this book & voted & commented & gave me so much love. I appreciate you ALL SO MUCH. I am so emotional, lol. :,)

It would mean the world to me if y'all shared this book with others! It doesn't have a ton of views, which I know is just fine, but if you may know anyone who may like this genre, please tell them!

Thank you, again. Thank you all so so much.

Until Next Time (Book Two Awaits...)
Grace