5 YEARS AGO

“Norbu said you’ve improved greatly, maybe are even better than him. But, you still have the hardest head he has ever had the pleasure of training.” Uncle Shou did not look up as he lectured me. I was used to his multi-tasking but it irked me that he would castigate me without making eye contact.

I didn’t respond. From my perch on the windowsill, I could see the entirety of the Insight Branch and its borders with the Will Branch. They blended together almost seamlessly. If it weren’t for all the steel of Will you might think it was all the same place.

My home was far away, past Will and Might, opposite Insight; I hadn’t seen it in a long time.

“Z, I want to trust you but this attitude doesn’t leave me much choice.”

That surprised me. I whipped around to see him looking at me over his glasses, his face pensive.

“You can trust me, Uncle.”

He tapped his stylus against his lip and regarded me with a curious expression. “It’s quite beautiful, isn't it?” He walked up beside me and looked out at the city he helped mold.

“Yes,” I let my voice trail off and turned back to look outside again.

“It could all disappear one day, you know.”

“From the oceans rising? I thought the walls provided safety from that.”

“Nothing is ever completely preventable.” I felt his gaze on me again but I keep my eyes straight ahead. “You know not everything that can stir up trouble for the Republic comes from outside the walls, Z. Some things come from within.”

“You mean the rebels?” The news was always full of reports of horrible bombings and attacks perpetrated by elements outside of the Republic's control that called themselves the Reunification Forces.

I stood up, hitting my fist on the palm of my other hand. “I’m sure they will be stopped before they can do that much damage, Uncle. They won’t destroy everything you’ve built here.” I didn’t believe it, but I knew that it was what was expected of me.

He murmured softly, so faintly I almost missed it, “I wish they would.”

He walked over to his desk and pulled out an old storage cube. I hadn’t seen one like it outside of lectures on outdated technology.

He placed it on his desk and pressed its only button. Light erupted from the top creating a cone of imagery.

Faces spun by me, two I recognized as my parents, others were unfamiliar. One image, in particular, puzzled me; my mother was dressed in battle fatigues like a Might officer. But that made no sense since she was a Science officer from Insight.

“I wanted to show you this a long time ago but I just didn’t know how. Atilio already knows,” he held up a hand, knowing I was about to object to him finding something out before me. “He was ready to understand, You, I am still not sure about. It is not a condemnation of your character, Zorione. You and your brother walk different paths. But I hope it is your time now.”

He pressed the button again and the cube went dark. He picked it up, his hand outstretched to me. “Take it. It has everything you need to know. When you are ready, I’ll be here to answer all your questions.”

I tucked it into my pocket, then deposited it into a drawer in my room where it remained for another 5 months until I had the courage to look inside again.

The day I decided to look, there wasn’t a real reason behind it. Nothing had happened to spur me into action - it was a regular Tuesday. But something in me said it was time to look and to understand.

The storage cube contained the history of the Reunification Forces, all the way from their inception. It detailed about their founding members, a number of officers and officials I didn’t know, Uncle Shou, and both of my parents.

Along with all the historical information, there were notes left by Uncle Shou for me, little comments on pictures, and funny things about my parents. I even learned that the rebellion was the reason my parents had met at all.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I spent almost three entire days combing through all the data and by the time I was done, it felt like I had lived an entirely other life. As soon as I was satisfied that I’d absorbed it all, I took the cube back to Uncle.

He was sitting at his desk, clearly deep in thought, when I placed the cube down softly in front of him. I took a step back and stood with my arms crossed behind my back.

“Is there anything else?” I tried to seem as nonchalant as possible but I doubt I fooled him.

He smiled softly and tucked the cube into one of his pockets. “There’s so much more, Z. But what about you? How are you feeling?”

“They were found out and that’s why they were taken, right? My parents, I mean.”

“Yes, and it might have ended much worse but we were able to convince enough people that you and your brothers should be spared.”

I nodded slowly, my expression hard as I pushed whatever sadness still lingered over their death back down.

“What about Atilio?”

“He’s been involved for almost a year now. He is very devoted but to be clear Z, you don’t have to do anything. Knowing this does not obligate you in any way.”

I wondered if that was technically true or if he was just trying to be kind and not make me feel pressured. But the thought of Atilio out doing dangerous things on his own - no, he had always been the weak one out of the two of us; he'd never even been able to hit the center of a target no matter how hard Norbu tried with him. I couldn’t leave him out there on his own.

“I’ll do it. I want in.”

“Are you truly sure? You are welcome, though I must warn you the initiation can be a bit… unpleasant.”

“I can handle it,” I assured him, though secretly I was concerned about what could be so bad. I got that it was risky and they’d probably need to be sure of who was joining. But, I hoped I wasn’t about to experience something akin to a Might integration - people didn’t leave those without at least a few broken bones.

Uncle Shou agreed and told me that something would happen tonight so for my own comfort, it would be best if I slept fully dressed. I appreciated the warning because sure enough, I was rather ungraciously thrown from my bed, and tied up with a bag over my head. I didn’t fight against it, even as someone threw me over their shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

I tried to count the steps, while we were walking and then keep track of the turns once they put me in a car, but I was pretty sure they were just driving in circles. I sighed and tried my best to relax, knowing that at least I was among people that Uncle Shou trusted - that had to count for something.

I got picked up again and the man grunted like I weighed a ton. I snorted and shifted around, making it even harder for him. Then, I heard someone laugh from a distance and I recognized it instantly.

“Ander?” I asked, my voice muffled by the hood.

“It’s okay. You can untie her. I personally vouch for her.”

More than a few sets of rough hands descended on me at once and I was unbound in a matter of seconds. Rubbing my wrists, I cleared my throat and asked, “Does the bag need to stay on?”

“Just for a moment,” Ander replied softly. Someone, I guessed Ander, took my elbow and began to steer me away. I heard a door open and shut, and then we came to a stop.

When Ander removed the bag, I had to squint against the light, though it was clearly dimmer than usual. “Damn, that was uncomfortable, Ander.”

He smiled knowingly, “Yours was much better than mine, trust me.”

I wanted to laugh at first but then the weight of his words hit me. “Trust you? How long have you been a part of this?”

“Almost since the day we met.”

“Years? That was half a lifetime ago for me!” I wasn’t angry, not really. But I did feel the tiniest bit left out.

“I wanted to tell you, Zo, I really did,” he grabbed both of my shoulders and leaned down so he could look me squarely in the eyes. “It was hard not to share it with such a dear friend. But now I can. I’m so glad that you’re here, Zo.”

His words stirred something in me that had been blooming for years. I didn’t want to acknowledge it, but I had to biggest crush on Ander. Now with the way he was looking at me, it felt like the right time.

I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips to his. He didn’t push me away nor pull me closer and after a few seconds, it began to feel really awkward. I pulled back and cleared my throat unable to meet his eyes again.

He was still holding my shoulders when he asked, “Zo, could you please look at me?”

My cheeks were so red and I felt ashamed. Had I done something wrong?

It felt like he was reading my mind when he said, “Zo, really. You’ve done nothing wrong. So please, hmm?”

I sheepishly looked back and saw that his expression was solemn. “Zo, I care so deeply for you. You need to know that. And I am truly flattered that you could like me in such a way, but those aren’t feelings I can reciprocate.”

Before I could even answer he pulled me to him in a tight hug. I struggled a little before he whispered, “I am going to tell you a secret now, Zo. One I haven’t told anyone, okay?”

I nodded against his shoulder and he sighed before continuing in a voice so soft I could barely hear him, “There’s someone I love, Zo. There’s a man I love.”

Ah, a man. It clicked into place and I immediately wrapped my arms around him tightly. There were no rules or laws to dictate such things as it was in the Old World, but I knew that the Executor Fate and his family adhered to much stricter rules than most. Being the son of the Fate must have put a lot of pressure on Ander - so much so that he was afraid to be himself.

I nodded again and murmured into his shirt, “I’ll always be here for you Ander and I’ll always protect you.” I knew then that I could let go of my childhood crush; Ander meant so much more to me than that.