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Celia watched Stephen disappear into the forest for a moment and then looked to Azolata. She seemed like she was on the verge of saying something, but she decided not to.
"We need to know what to do if we are all taken," Celia said.
"Don't tell them about the books," was the first thing Lou said.
Everyone nodded. The moon was high overhead and I could feel it prickling at my skin. This was the time that it would be easiest for me to change. It seemed foolish that they would choose tonight to attack.
But the Ascendancy wasn't foolish. Everything they did was by measure and countermeasure. I looked up at it and realized that Celia was looking up at it too.
"We need to get the rest of those books. Dante's book had different instructions. Artie's had his own. I can only imagine what the other books could say. The trials will have to wait. If we make it out, we have to find those books."
Her words sounded like final instructions. I didn't like what that meant.
Celia turned to me. "I wish you would go with them."
I laughed at her. She didn't seem surprised, but I knew she wanted to try anyway. She glared at me.
"You know what mom and dad told us growing up. When they knew that one of us was gonna be the alpha and the other one was going to be the beta. The alpha's job was to lead, the beta's job was to follow. I'm following. But I'm following you, Celia. You don't get to go anywhere that I can follow."
I couldn't read her expression for the first time.
"The let's go. Let's see what kind of damage we can cause while the others escape." She turned to Lou. He tightened his hand on mine and behind him, Dante loomed like a shadow.
"I'm not leaving. I'm not your pack and you can't make me," Lou said.
"I'm not leaving either. I won't leave you and I won't leave him," Dante added.
Celia looked at the two of them and shook her head. "I did not sign up to have two new little brothers."
Dante smile was grim. "And yet here we are."
"Here you are," she muttered.
We knew where to go. We always knew where to go. Celia led us, with Azolata at her side. Dante, Lou, and I followed them. The walk to the town center was short but at the same time, it felt too long. I couldn't imagine what Lou was feeling, because even I could feel the magic. It was thick like syrup being poured over our heads, and I wondered if it would slow us down.
In the end, it didn't.
When we got to the town center, the Ascendancy had Humvees and trucks lined with men in front of them, pointing guns at us. On the back of at least three vehicles were larger guns mounted to the vehicles. There were scopes and little red dots that trailed from the ground up to our chests. There were tall, glaring lights aimed at us. I felt like I was on stage.
As soon as we stopped, they raised their guns.
Lou's wall went up just as quickly.
"It seems like we're always meeting here," Bianca called out.
I couldn't find her. They had bright lights shining straight at us.
"Well, I wish we didn't have to meet at all," Celia replied calmly.
"Then do us all a favor and kill yourself," Bianca bargained.
"You first," Celia said.
Bianca's laugh echoed through the night. Other than that, it was silent and I was glad that we have the forethought of evacuating the town earlier.
I don't like this, I muttered. "Why are they firing?"
Celia shook her head. She didn't know either.
"I was ordered to give you a chance. I was told that if you handed over my sister, that you would get a clean death. No torture, no beatings, nothing. Hand her over, and it will be over just like that," Bianca said.
I wanted to laugh. Bianca wanted her sister back and her sister was something that she would hate.
"I feel like we are at a standoff. Because I don't have your sister. She left days ago," Celia replied.
Bianca waved her hand and the men with the big guns began to center their red lights on our chests and heads. I trusted Lou, though. I trusted that he would keep us safe from those bullets.
"Fine. If that's the way you want it, then we can just do this the hard way. I prefer it, anyway," Bianca said.
The shooting began without warning. Or, I guess we had a warning, but it still startled me. I seem to be the only one as Dante, Azolata, Celia, and Lou all stared the guns down. None of them seemed even remotely concerned but for some reason, I felt apprehension begin to creep between my shoulder blades. All of my instincts were telling me to turn around and run, to take Lou and run.
Then, I was thrown from my feet, pain like an icy fire bracing from my bicep up to my chest, finding my throat and squeezing it tight.
Celia dropped her knees. We both looked down to my arm, where I was bleeding.
I had been shot.