VANYA

—VANYA HAS A SNEAKING SUSPICION NOVUS MIGHT BE TELLING THE TRUTH.

She feels it in her bones and a cold shiver creeps up her spine as she contemplates his story. What if she did lose her memory? What if she did die? She closes her eyes, and listens. Animo interrogates Wilham, asking questions.

“Where do you see yourself in the next couple of years?” Animo asks Wilham.

“Dead,” Wilham replies, and a blast shakes the air. The shelf containing glasses meets the ground, the wine bottles shattering. A chunk of the ceiling looks like it’s going to fall as it splinters. She is going to die—this is her end—

A sharp pull on her chair, and her chair leans backwards as she desperately tries to keep balance, her feet trying to find the faded tiles on the floor. Another strong pull, and she is on the floor, clasping a sore back. The ceiling collapses with a deafening crumble, and Novus glares down at her.

“Well? Come on!”

She stammers a thanks, and gets herself onto her feet. The heels of her worn out shoes rub against the pavement as they run outside, and the ruins of the town greet them. She feels herself freeze, and the realisation flows in, drip by drip.

The town’s been bombed.

Novus drags her farther and farther away, but her eyes are still fixed on the broken town. She wonders what would have happened if Novus didn’t shove her away before the ceiling came down on her. Would she have died? Would she have gotten her memories back then?

Another click, and she looks up. A helicopter is suspended in the air, whirring away as a man peeks out of the window. The helicopter is red, and it reminds Vanya of days before the sun disappeared. When it used to set, hues of orange, red and yellow were splattered in the sky.

( She resists the urge to flip him off. )

The man drops something. She can’t see it, but Vanya can hear the faint ‘click’ as it plunges through the air. There is a burst of smoke and flames, and the pub is no longer there, only ruins of cement and bricks.

The helicopter lowers itself even more, Vanya locks eyes with the man. The face, the familiar eyes, the cropped hair, she steps back, horrified. She knows that gleam in his eyes, she knows the mouth that only speaks fibs. She knows the faux warmth that he radiates, which isn’t to warm, but to burn.

Arthur.

“We have to go. Now.” She whispers to Novus, urgently. She balls her hands into fists, clasping the fabric of her trousers tightly as she does so. Her nails dig into Novus’s hands

He rolls his eyes. “What do you think I’m trying to do? Move your legs!” He lets go of her hand, which she forgot he was holding and she feels a strange sense of loss. She shakes herself, and follows them.

Arthur shouts at her, and runs after them, his own footsteps matching theirs. Vanya panics, and speeds up. She reaches Wilham and Animo.

“Move it!” She yells, clenching her fists.

“Why?” Wilham snaps.

“Do you want to be blown up to bits?” Vana glares daggers at him.

“No, but—“

“Yeah, so do I. So if you want your limbs intact, keep moving, Kane!”

He blinks, and does start moving faster. Animo gives her a questioning look. She shrugs, and takes off, her eyes barely looking back at Novus. After realising he might be telling the truth, it feels strange to look at him now.

“A car!” They all give Vanya a questioning look. “A car! We can get out of here!”

“Why do we want to get out of here, again?” Wilham asks, raising an eyebrow.

Animo sighs. “We are literally getting bombed, Wilham.”

“I didn’t mean—“

“Shut up, Kane.” Novus whispers furiously. “Just shut up and do what Vanya wants you to do.”

Wilham scowls deeply, but gets in the driver’s seat. He spurs on the engine, but it just splitters. Vanya groans, and then spots the helicopter hovering closer and closer to them.

“Stupid piece of—“ she bangs the dashboard repeatedly.

“Stop it! You’ll only make things worse!” Wilham says through clenched teeth.

Arthur is almost here, and he is holding a gun. He grins wickedly as he shoots at them, cracking the glass windows.

“Do something!” Animo shouts. “I don’t have my weapon on me!”

“I’m trying!” Wilham says. He steps on the gas, and the car finally roars to life. They speed away from the scene. Animo taps her foot repeatedly, and Vanya continuously tries to crack her knuckles, looking for something to do.

Novus taps on her shoulder. “Hey, guys? I think you should see this…”

He points at the helicopter making the distance between them really small, and Wilham frowns.

“Why aren’t they bombing us?”

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“Does it matter? Step on it! This isn’t a driving licence test!”

Vanya pushes leg to the gas pedal, and the car is shoved forward unexpectedly, and they all lurch forward. Wilham pushes her to the side.

“For frick’s sake, calm down!” Animo admonishes, putting on her seatbelt. “Who is that guy anyway?”

Wilham continues driving, taking sudden turns here and there.

“Yeah, well, remember when I said I was a thief?”

The wind whistles through the open windows. “Can’t forget it, yeah!” Novus shouts back.

“So, I didn’t exactly choose to become one,” Vanya mutters, but they all hear it. Wilham hardly spares a glance, focusing on the steering wheel.

The scene is so vivid. Vanya remembers how desperate she was, cloaked with little newspapers as a shelter from the cold nights without the sun. She had stumbled through an alley, and found a crooked little shack. Arthur, as weedy as he was, offered her a deal: To be a thief, and get paid.

Vanya notices Animo’s eyes glowing, and then the glow dims. The shocked golden brown eyes blink at her again from the backseat, and Vanya hastily turns back to the front.

“I had a deal with that guy,” she says loudly, determined not to falter. “To be a thief in exchange of money. He made me sign a contract.”

Wilham shrugs. “That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” He asks, half-listening.

“I couldn’t read the contract,” Vanya reveals, ashamed of her stupidity at that time.

The car almost crashes at a Faeish lady. She curses them, waving her grocery back threateningly as they drive away.

“That lady has a family,” Animo grumbles at Wilham.

Wilham doesn’t even turn back to look at her. “Not my fault,”

Animo clenches her jaw. “It is your fault. You’re the one driving like a maniac.”

Wilham glares at her. “I’m trying to save our lives, in case you haven’t noticed. That guy is still after us.”

He points at the rearview mirror, where Arthur’s helicopter is gaining on them. Vanya’s hands search for something to grasp, something to play with. She finds a thread from the seat, and she wraps her finger with it, feeling it digging into her skin.

“What does he want from you anyway?” Novus asks, his voice tense.

Vanya’s heart leaps. She isn’t sure what to say, and no—she doesn’t even feel like she has a heart anymore. It feels like it has dissolved, in some part of her, and will never return.

“Vanya?” Novus presses.

Her eyes remain glued to the front, but she does answer.

“The contract…I found out later that it means that I swore my indebted loyalty to him..and…”

“And?” Wilham asks, incredulous. “How could this possibly get worse?”

Vanya winces. “And…I’m supposed to steal for him. Forever.”

She glances at Novus, but he is staring furiously at his lap. His hands are on his thighs, but Vanya could tell that he is restraining heavily to punch her. Vanya wonders who will kill her first: Novus and Wilham or Arthur.

Animo’s expression is calm and thoughtful. “Interesting,” she murmurs.

“Interesting?” Wilham snaps, his face twisted with anger. He jerks the steering wheel, and they swerve through an alleyway. “We’re being chased by a madman with a gun, and you find it interesting?”

“Did you expect her to spill all of her secrets the first time she met you?” Animo retorts, her voice icy and sharp. “Or do you want us to share all of our secrets with each other? I’m sure you have plenty to reveal yourself, Wilham.”

Wilham glares at her but says nothing.

The helicopter is right above them now. Vanya screams at Wilham to go faster, but it’s too late. The helicopter lands in front of them, blocking their way. Arthur steps out, holding a gun in his hands.

Vanya looks at Novus. He is still staring at his legs, as if he can’t believe they’re working.

She sighs, and faces the front. There is no way out. Arthur’s men have surrounded them from all sides.

“Dear, dear, Vanya,” Arthur calls out, lifting his gun a bit higher. He aims carefully and fires. The bullet whizzes between Vanya and Wilham, and hits near Novus’s head.

“Come out, little thief,” he orders, his tone authoritative. “You can’t break a Faeish contract.”

“Faeish?” Wilham shouts, as they all get out of the car, their hands raised in surrender. “You signed a Faeish contract? Are you insane?”

Arthur smiles wickedly. “Not very smart of her, was it?”

He scans the rest of them, looking amused.

“Quite a group, this is.”

“Who are you asking?” Novus snaps. His eyes are blazing, his grey irises sharp.

Animo kicks his leg, and Novus shuts up, but his eyes still burn into Arthur’s. Arthur meets his gaze coolly, and then turns to Vanya.

“Well, come on, Vanya. I’m giving you one chance.”

Vanya feels a surge of defiance, and flips him off. “No thanks.”

Arthur raises his gun again, and points it at Vanya’s head.

“Wrong answer, Vanya,” he says coldly. “You don’t get to say no to me. You don’t get to choose anything. You are mine, and you will do as I say. Or else.”

He cocks his gun, ready to shoot.

Vanya ignores the nausea that rises in her throat as she glances at the barrels of water nearby. She hates the liquid, hates how it makes her feel weak and powerless, but she has no choice.

She watches her mother drown. All because of her. All because of her.

She gathers all of her strength and sends a wave of water crashing into Arthur’s face. She spins around, hoping to escape past the guards, but the water blinds her vision.

Novus’s hands suddenly flare up with a brilliant light, like a miniature sun. He grabs her hand and Animo’s, and shouts, “Come on!”

Wilham stays rooted to the ground, his blue eyes examining the terraces around them. Vanya pulls on his sleeve.

“Come on!”

He glances at her, and takes a step back. Vanya doesn't wait for him—she runs, and after a moment, she can hear his footsteps rapidly following her as well. The rush of energy devours her soul, and she can almost feel everything that is going on, each scrape of the shoes, each panicked breath of everyone.

A scream. Vanya stops in her tracks. She slowly turns, and she sees Wilham with a knife pressed to his neck by Arthur. He struggles, and then stands perfectly still, closing his eyes. For a horrifying moment, Vanya thinks he is dead, but then he chokes as the hold gets tighter.

“Stop!” Animo says forcefully, stepping forward. Her eyes glow, like they did in the car but nothing happens.

Arthur blinks at her, and then smiles slowly.

“A manipulative elf, are you?” He laughs, his voice rich with spite. “Too bad I’m immune.”

The knife cuts deeper into Wilham’s neck and beads of blood appear. Wilham still stands there, his eyes forcefully shut. Vanya remembers how panicked he was when he saw blood when they met Jase.

“Should we just leave him?” Novus suggests.

Vanya closes her eyes as well. Do you want to be responsible for another death?

She did not, but before she opens her mouth, as figure sweeps from the shadows and the rest is a blur.