Page 120 of Semblance

Shadow ignored the knife on the ground. “No,” he cried out. “I will not make this choice.”

“Three seconds,” the cloaked man said. “Pick up the knife and choose a life. There is no negotiation.”

Shadow’s weary eyes turned to me and I saw the helpless expression on his face. I knew what decision he needed to make, and I couldn’t blame him. Calisto was family after all—his twin. There was a bond that they shared that was far deeper than our love which hadjustblossomed.

“One,” Sinister shouted from the helipad.

I turned to Lincoln, who was frozen in place. “Shadow…” he began while staring at Calisto longingly.

“I love you” I said to Shadow just before closing my eyes.

I thought of my dad holding me tightly as a child when I was most scared. He always made me feel safe.

“Two,” I heard Sinister shout from the distance.

I let out a deep breath and waited for Shadow’s knife to enter me. I couldn’t help but think about the kid I had murdered in Calisto’s apartment. Not only did I feel remorse for what I done but fear also. If there was a hell, I had punched myself a one way ticket and the kid was probably waiting for me down there along with the Black Crow.

I would never see my dad again nor Justin who I needed to apologize to.

Suddenly I heard both Shadow and Lincoln scream.

I opened my eyes in time to see the knife protruding from Calisto’s heart, a trickle of blood painting a thin red line down Calisto’s white gown.

“Fuck it,” Sinister said. “You took too long. I made the decision for you.”

I looked at Shadow, who was gripping the bowie knife in his hands, pointing it in my direction.

“You fucker!” Lincoln cried.

“You disappoint me Shadow,” Sinister said. “I thought this was an easy choice. Instead you had to think about saving the whore while your own blood’s life was in jeopardy. Hasn’t anyone ever taught you that family comes first? In the end, it wasyouwho stabbed her in the heart.”

There was a blank, catatonic look on Shadow’s face as the knife fell from his hands and onto the ground. I ran to Shadow and held him.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I held him tightly.

“You surprise me Aria,” Sinister said. “I thought you’d be pissed that given one more second, Shadow was going to kill you.”

“None of us know that,” I shouted. “You never gave him a choice.”

“Of course I did,” Sinister said. “He just took too long to make it.”

“You promised him three seconds,” Lincoln shouted.

“He shouldn’t haveneededthree seconds. Hell if it were me, I would have stabbed the Golden Virgin in a heartbeat. No one in this world is worth the life of my own blood.”

I looked at Shadow who was visibly shaking. I wanted to say something to him, but there was no combination of words in existence that could make this right. Instead I held onto him.

From the distance, the sounds of a helicopter approaching signaled the end of Sinister’s games. He was going to escape cleanly with the blood of the Midnight Society on his hands. In one single night, he had destroyed the organization.

“The game is done,” Sinister said. “I’m tired. Let’s call it an evening.”

His words cued the demon-faced guards to pull the trigger on the guns that were pointed at us.

I blinked hard, anticipating a round of bullets to rip us all to shreds. However there was no barrage of gunfire—only an empty click.

“What the hell?” one of the guards cursed.

“Do it the old fashioned way you lazy shits,” Sinister cried out. “And entertain me. You goons are unworthy of any more of my bullets.”

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