“Finally!” Alegra ran to the door as Elle walked in with her father. Alegra had ditched the academy uniform and was dressed formally for the occasion. She wore a light blue halter dress that flared at her waist and ended just above her knees. As usual, she was the most beautiful girl in the room. “You’re here,” she hugged Elle before turning to her father. “Nice to see you, Mr. Kennicot. How are you, sir?”
“Polite, as usual.” Her father chuckled, pulling her in for a short hug. “Congratulations for making the Top 10. Where can I find your parents?”
“Oh, they’re over by the drinks,” Alegra gestured to the drinks table, waving as he walked away. “Elle, let’s-” She stopped, seeing that Elle was already behind her with her eyes locked towards the window. Quickly catching up to her, she grabbed her hand to slow her down. “Rushing to see the outside?”
Elle didn’t answer, as she had her eyes locked on the glass. The city of Bellum is the only world she’s ever known, and it was limited. The roads were plain, brown dirt. The houses all looked the same. The trees never grew very tall, because they always needed the lumber before it got the chance to grow.
Her eyes shimmered with amazement as she looked outside. It was a few hours after the graduation ceremony and the sun was beginning to set. She took in the breathtaking sight before her, a small “Wow,” escaping her lips as her eyes scanned the scenery.
The trees were so, so tall. Taller than anything she’d ever seen in her life, she couldn’t even see the top. The leaves weren’t just green like they were described in books. They were a gradient mixture of yellow, red, and orange. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Alegra said quietly, joining Elle in her admiration of the outside.
Elle didn’t get a chance to respond, as Alegra’s attention was swiped by someone trying to steal the drinks. “Niko! Levi! Put those down! There's no reason why the two of you should have more than 10 drinks in your hands.” She scolded, leaving Elle by herself.
Elle watched as Alegra walked away, finding Silas sitting on a couch across from his parents. Silas looked distressed, his mother had her head in her hands, and his father was red in the face. She cocked her head to the side as she pondered why his parents would be upset with him.
She had a few moments of silence before there was the sound of someone whistling behind her. “You look great.” Kai said, offering her a drink. Elle was never one to wear dresses on her own accord, but Alegra could persuade her to do nearly anything. Her dress was fitted and deep red with laced sleeves, and her feet were far beyond uncomfortable in the heels that she borrowed.
Elle accepted the drink, clinking her glass with his before taking a small sip. “You’re looking pretty dapper yourself,” she complimented.
“Thanks,” he grinned, running a hand through his hair before stuffing his hand in his pocket. He turned to the window and watched the wind blow through the trees. “I’m sorry for what I said last night.” Kai apologized.
Elle chuckled, “Would you still be apologizing if I had made the third rank and not Silas?”
“Probably not,” Kai answered honestly. “But now I know that you’ll be safe.” To this, Elle sighed and bit her lip to keep herself from responding. After trying to focus her vision on what looked like an animal on the outside, she realized that there was a small vertical white line on the glass. She reached her hand out to trace the line when Kai grabbed her hand to stop her. “That’s where it opens.”
“It opens?” Elle’s eyebrows raised. She knew that the wall had to open, but she never knew where.
Kai gestured to a small door at the opposite side of the room next to the drinks. “The control room’s right there. It can be opened with a key that's only given to Outer Commanders. Hasn’t been opened in years.” He explained. “If I play my cards right, come next month, that room and that open button will be gone entirely.”
“I wish you the best of luck with that.” Elle leaned her head back and gulped down the rest of her drink. If they kept talking, there would be another argument. Not that Kai was instigating, but Elle wasn’t in a particularly good mood. She lifted her empty glass. “Excuse me, I’m grabbing another drink.” She said as she walked to the drinks table.
She set down the empty glass and picked up a new one as she turned to the window again, frowning as it began to get darker. Seeing Silas by the window as well, and noticing that his parents had left the party, she made her way over.
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He didn’t even look in her direction as she approached. “Hey, Kennicot.” Silas greeted, though his tone was a lot less enthusiastic than it usually was. “You enjoying the party?”
“I am. You’re clearly not.” Elle answered. When Silas finally turned to look at her in question, she continued. “I may have seen the conversation you were having with your parents,” she admitted.
Silas shook his head. “I’m going to tell you something that I haven’t told anyone else, okay? I didn’t even tell my parents until just now.”
“Okay,” Elle replied, waiting patiently for his confession. Silas was always the one who was well put together. Since they were children, he seemed like he had his life figured out. He knew who he was, he knew what he wanted, and he knew where he was going. It was unsettling to see him so shaken.
He took a deep breath before he finally blurted, “I wanted to be in the Top 3 so I could become an Outer Commander.” Silas recited in one long breath. He took another deep breath before continuing, “I never told anyone about it because I know it’s considered taboo to even think about going outside now, and I know your dad expected it of you to be in the Top 3 in the first place, and then there was your mom, and-”
“Silas, shut up.” Elle interrupted him rudely, though there was a smile on her face. “That’s exactly why I wanted to be in the Top 3.”
He grinned. “I had no idea. I wish I told you sooner.” Silas sighed a breath of relief before turning back to her with a glimmer in his eye. “You’re definitely coming with me on my first outside expedition, right?”
“Yes!” Elle nearly yelled, unable to contain her excitement. “Please, please take me.”
“You got it.” Silas clinked his glass against hers in celebration. “Now if you excuse me, I’m going to try and see if I can get your partner in crime to come with us.” He said, his eyes on Zen.
A smile was still plastered on Elle’s face as she watched him walk away. She took a deep breath and released, her shoulders feeling two tons lighter than they did just minutes ago. Finding an empty seat in front of the window, she sat in front of it, claiming the seat as her spot for the rest of the evening. She watched as the sun went down and observed the way the trees moved with the wind. Her mind wandered as she fantasized about what her first outer expedition would be like.
After several hours of daydreaming and the occasional friendly interruption, the party had died down and most of the guests had gone home. She waved goodbye to Kai and his mother as they left. Her father sat down in the seat next to her as he squinted at the window. It had gotten dark and there wasn't too much that he could see. “What are you looking at?”
“I can’t really see anything anymore.” Elle confessed. "I'm really just... thinking."
The two of them sat in silence before Elle spoke again, “I’m sorry for not making the Top 3.” She tried to bring herself to make eye contact with her father, but her eyes remained glued to the window. “I know how much it would have meant to you.” She paused before she continued, “And to mom.”
“I am proud, Estelle.” He reassured her. “I’ve watched you educate yourself. I’ve seen you work your butt off to rank high. And you did.”
“And..." Elle took a deep breath before continuing, "Silas wants to take me on an outer expedition once he becomes an Outer Commander. I want to go.” She said, squeezing her eyes shut. “I’m sorry.”
Without pause, his hand was on hers. “I know.”
She looked up at him in surprise. “You know?”
He smiled, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Your mother used to come home and tell you stories about the outside. You would get so excited. You’d draw pictures of what you thought she was describing. You would talk about going outside all the time.” His lips pressed together and he gripped her hand tighter. “When she disappeared, all of that stopped. You threw away the pictures you drew and you stopped talking about it. Still, I had a feeling that your longing for the outside never went away.”
“I’m sorry for not telling you.” Elle apologized again.
“I don’t know why you keep apologizing. You haven’t done anything wrong.” He replied. Elle stood up, motioning for a hug, and he complied. “I’ve been proud of you the whole way through. There isn’t a single second that you let me down. And I'm sure your mother feels the same way.” He reassured her, smoothing out her hair. When they finally released each other, there were tears in her eyes. “It’s past midnight. Are you ready to go home?”
“Can I get a few more minutes?” She pleaded. He nodded, picking up his jacket and walking out the room.
Elle wandered the room for a few minutes, walking from one end of the window to the other. Glancing at the door of the control room, she smiled. In a few weeks, a month tops, she would be going outside for an adventure with her best friend and a new team. Tracing the white line on the glass door, she smiled and turned off the light before leaving the room.
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Elle woke up with a start, the blaring sound of sirens threatening to shatter her eardrums. Flashing red lights were shining through her window, illuminating her room in crimson. There was the thumping of her father’s footsteps, but it was nearly drowned out by the sounds of screaming outside. “Elle!” Her dad slammed her bedroom door open.
She blinked, her vision still blurry from sleep. She looked at her clock. 2:13. She had barely been asleep for more than two hours. “Dad? What’s happening?”
His expression was frantic as he spoke, “There's been a breach in the wall. The undead are inside.”