Episode One, Part 1: 
R e a l   o r   N o t   R e a l

We know full well there's just time, so is it wrong to dance this line? 
If your heart was full of love, could you give it up? 

The door to the annex lifted open; inside, a few dozen faces nervous to look up to see if they had been discovered by the enemy. Sol waited up top, allowing the others to enter before she could, wanting to hold off for as long as she could before she revealed to Jonas what she had came here to do: announce Noah's death. 

Bas, on the other hand, was desperate to get down there, and he pushed his way to the front of the group, hurrying down the stairs to his brother who was the last person in the world that he truly had left; who was all his. 

He didn't want his own emotions to dominate him, or to scare Harlow, but despite the strength he had, he couldn't hold back all the tears in his eyes. 

Harlow pulled away from Bas' embrace, his small hand wiping his brother's cheek, hoping to rid him of all the pain he was feeling. Fabian was still there with him - but able to understand that something wasn't right, he left them alone, and followed everyone else as they left the annex. 

Apart from the two of them down there, it was only Jonas left waiting; waiting for someone who wouldn't come back. Sol made her way halfway down the stairs, and the young boy looked to her, seeming to feel already what was about to come when he realised that Noah wasn't there. He gulped away his fear, bravely climbing upwards and following the Nobel, not ready for his world to fall apart. 

Alone, Bas looked at his brother softly; for a moment, it was Hayzel standing in front of him, and it was so real that he thought for a fleeting second that she was there. And then he blinked, and she was gone again, and Harlow was the only one left. He searched his face, as if he was now looking for Lyra, finding every similarity they had, just not her. 

Bas sighed and looked down, crushed by the heaviness in his heart. 

"I have something important to tell you." He uttered, taking hold of his hands and pulling them to his lap. 

"Whatever it is, can it wait a little bit longer?" He stretched his words out. "I'm just happy that you're here." 

Bas sighed, trying to force a smile onto his face, but it wouldn't come. 

"You can tell me when Lyra gets back." Harlow continued before Bas could even begin to explain. It hit him then that Harlow couldn't imagine what had happened to their sister, or for the worries about the world to reach him fully. He only knew her being here, and her being gone; and the only thing that mattered was how long it would be until she returned again. 

Bas shook his head, biting on his lip. He didn't want to say it .

"No, bud. It can't." 

Harlow's attention was finally drawn - entirely focused on Bas, not understanding why he hadn't agreed with him. He waited to hear more. 

The words played out on Bas' tongue, a battle for which words would be the most delicate to his young heart; 'she won't come back,' or  'I'm sorry, but you won't see ever get to see her again.' 

"Lyra...isn't coming home." He looked down at his brother, eyes completely overflowing with tears, waiting to see if he would scream or cry or get angry. 

"She went back to the other people.." Harlow's bottom lip dropped, thinking that his sister had chosen someone else over them, again. 

"No." Bas murmured, quickly, not even allowing a second for Harlow to think her leaving ever had anything to do with him. 

"Do you remember when we lived in the ground," Bas began, shifting on the edge of his seat so he was closer to his brother who was standing between his legs. "And... And dad left?" 

Harlow nodded. "Mum was sad forever." 

There was a twinge in Bas' heart; how the smallest, and most innocent of words wounded the most. 

"Yeah. She was sad for a long time. We all were. But we were okay because we had each other, remember?" 

Harlow nodded generously, a smile tugging at the side of his lips. Even at a young age, he knew that making it through to the other side of tragedy was something to be thankful about. 

"Well it's a bit like that." Bas told him. 

"And mum and Hayzel as well?" 

Bas could only nod. Everyone was gone: their parents, and now both of their sisters as well. And even more, half of the people from the Bunker were as well. 

"At least they're together, then. I bet they're missing us." 

Bas wiped under his eyes, smiling up at his brother who was somehow enough for him to feel okay. He was too young to comprehend the depth of why they weren't around. One day he would understand why his sister left, and why she wouldn't come back again - why everyone had left ; even though it hurt him, and even though they loved him. One day he would understand why so many of his family had gone, but not today. 

////

Above the annex, Sol had led to Jonas to a private section of the Quarters - somewhere he could be alone to collapse in the news. 

As the Nobel closed the door behind her, she wished there could have been anyone else to reveal to the boy what had happened, as she still needed time of her own to come to terms with what had happened, but the reality was that she was the only person in the world Noah had trusted to keep Jonas safe. It had to be Sol. 

She turned around, facing Jonas who was on the opposite side of the room, perching himself on top of the table. He was looking at the ground, twiddling with his thumbs nervously. 

Sol gulped, taking a few seconds to compose herself, trying to find the kindest words to use. 

"Jonas-" 

"I-I think I know already." He cut her off. 

Sol breathed out. "You... You do?" 

Jonas looked up; the despair on the Sovereign's face was enough to tell him that something had gone gravely wrong in their plans. 

The boy nodded. "He would be here otherwise. He'd be the first one to come into the annex and he'd find me." He told her. "He's dead, isn't he? That's why he hasn't come back for me yet. He's dead..." 

Sol was crushed, deteriorating in her own misery as she moved closer to Jonas, hesitant and unsure how to comfort him. 

He peeled his eyes up to look at her, tears spilling mercilessly from his eyes, and his body shivering in fear. There was a moment of doubt, but it passed, and the young boy crashed into Sol, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly. 

The Sovereign held back just as tight, leaning down and placing a kiss to the top of his head; his brown curls were so much like Noah's that it was as if a part of him was still in the room. 

"W-what h-happened to him?" Jonas sobbed. 

She didn't want to answer. She didn't want to confess that his brother was dead because his dad had killed him, and the reason they couldn't get help quick enough to Noah was because of a fire that he started. 

She couldn't tell him that, but she could tell him something to give him a peace of mind, just like it was for her. 

"He died by my side. He was brave." 

"Was he in pain?" Jonas trembled. 

Sol nodded, pulling away. "Yes. That's what made him brave." She answered. 

As Jonas wiped his tears away, still unable to keep them all in, he straightened himself up. 

"When do I have to leave?" It was as if in a matter of moments, he had grown up completely - not allowing himself another moment of weakness, perhaps for the sake of making his brother proud. 

"What?" Sol mumbled in disbelief, her voice barely audible. "No, Jonas, you're staying at Basilisk." 

There was a distant hope in the young boy's hope, like it was fighting to be felt, but he couldn't bring himself to let it reach the surface. 

"Noah died a Basilisk." She informed him. "That means you are a Basilisk, too." 

Sol sighed, exhausted by all of the heartache they couldn't escape. "I promised him I would keep you safe, and I will. As long as I'm around, nobody will hurt you." 

The hope flooded in, and for once, he didn't have to be afraid of it. He knew the Sovereign was his dependent, and he had a place to stay - free of his father. He knew he didn't have to be afraid anymore, but he was: after all, the world would prove to be quite a lonely place when the only person you loved was gone. 

One // Part One
24/02/2020

'One day he would understand why so many of his family were gone, but not today.'

I'm so excited for this season and the relationships it will explore! You have no idea what's coming for you! I hope to have regular updates on this book as I managed to complete S3 in 77 days, but I'm literally about to move countries for a job, so the updates for this season will most likely be very interrupted.

By the way, if you thought last season was hard on these characters, just wait for what you'll be feeling by the end of this one.

I am going to love you this much forever. And a little more.