Page 101 of Pet: Genesis

“So if Iriel hadn’t said anything... you would have left me with Remus?” I ask. Cypress finally realizes the mistake he’s made, releasing an irritated sigh.

“Iris, I couldn’t endanger thousands of people’s lives for yours. This is war. You have to understand that,” he says. I scoff in disbelief.

“But Iriel can?” I snap.

I look around to make sure no one is near us as I speak. “Why did Iriel suddenly decide it was a good idea to risk your life among others just for me? People died, Cypress.”

Cypress doesn’t miss a beat. “I’m not authorized to reveal that to you.”

My heart sputters at his words as horror washes over me. Whatever reason they had for rescuing me was not out of the goodness of their hearts. It wasn’t even because Cypress felt the desire to do so. Iriel needs something from me. Something more than the information I’ve been giving.

“And if Remus survived. What is the plan then?” I ask.

Cypress releases a breath, studying me. I can tell he’s wagering whether or not to tell me but decides to.

“...You are.”

I tense when I feel a hand on my back, whipping my gaze around to see Jude’s worried expression. He immediately pulls his hand back with an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, I was calling you, but you weren’t answering,” he says cautiously. It takes me a moment to find the words to speak.

“It’s fine... I was just lost in thought, I suppose,” I murmur. Jude chuckles lightly, taking a seat next to me. His eyes drift over the enclosed area where the humans roam free. I find myself comparing them to the Leviathan I saw throughout Remus’s society. Remus was proud of the peace and prosperity he granted his society. The thought of turmoil they feel now with their leader dead tickles at the back of my mind. So does the endless guilt of what I had to doto distract their leader. I wonder how many innocent Leviathan are dead now because of me.

“It can be difficult adjusting to this place. The people here see us differently. You know I’m here if you need me,” Jude says. I nod my head, looking at him. It’s nice to see him as himself. The months Remus used him to torture me, I only ever saw that empty gaze that haunted me. But now he seems back to his usual self, and that makes me happy.

“How are you adjusting?” I ask. Not only was he under Remus’s control, but he was Zaya’s pet. He’s endured a lot as well. He only shrugs.

“If I let my past bother me, I would never be able to find the strength to move on. Compared to waking up in that hell every day, I am great,” he says. I smile at his words, trying my best to find comfort in them, but I can’t. Still, Jude always found light in his situation, and I’m glad to see it hasn’t changed.

“It must be nice reuniting with your brother again, right?” he says.

I release a bitter laugh, thinking of our conversation only hours ago. They all tolerate my presence because I am the only thing keeping Remus from demolishing them if he is alive. Iriel has found another puppet in his game. They never planned on rescuing me because they cared. They were rescuing me to use against Remus. My own brother saw how Remus cared for me and told Iriel, who decided I was a good weakness, to command Remus. And now, because I killed him unexpectedly, they’re having to scramble for a new plan. A plan Iriel has no idea how to form.

“My brother treats me like he doesn’t trust me. He believes everything Iriel says, claiming he’s the reason the resistance has advanced so much. And thinks everything out of my mouth is because I’ve been brainwashed,” I say. Jude chuckles softly, pulling my attention. He gently holds my hand in his, running his thumb over my knuckles.

“We aren’t, you know. We’ve just seen the truth that they are all blinded to.” I look at Jude, who now has a distant expression on his face.

“Unfortunately, we were slaves to the powerful Leviathan in their society. We saw up close what they can do. And you... Remus gave you an in-depth look at everything. We understand how their society truly works, but because we were slaves with free will at some points, they don’t trust us.”

Jude inhales a deep breath, leaning back as he looks at the world around us with a bitter smile.

“You and I will never be accepted here. Our sacrifices were in vain.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Iris

My usefulness seems to have run out. I rarely see my brother, and I have not seen Iriel since giving the last bit of information he cares about. Unless Remus somehow miraculously survived the blast, they have no more use for me. Cypress and the others left for a mission days ago to ensure Xion’s death. And no one bothered to offer to send me with them. Me, the woman who was by Remus’s side the entire time, the one who knows their society inside and out. I am too important to be killed in the small battles.

I always dreamed that arriving here would lift the pain I feel in my heart, but it doesn’t. The people have grown complacent here in the confines of the mountain. I wonder if any of them remember their lives outside of this place before Remus arrived.

Images of the horrors I experienced flash across my brain as I think of him.

The world outside of this place offers them nothing, either. They’re better off creating life in here. That is, until more reinforcements arrive to avenge their leader. How could things have gotten so out of hand in such little time? I think of Jude’s words about how the resistance sees us, and I can see that he’s right. Our sacrifices were in vain. Margot’s death, among many others, was in vain. Everything I did to help the resistance meant nothing in the end, as it is a Leviathan who turned out to be calling the shots. Because even in our own war for our own planet, we are weak compared to our enemy. We need our enemy’s weapons to come close to it being a fair fight. But at the end of the day, Iriel is relying on blackmail and leverage to carry us out of harm’s way.

“You know you shouldn’t be this far out alone.” Jude silently takes a seat next to me. I don’t bother asking him how he found me. He tends to linger at my side these days. We are the only ones that can trust each other. We share the same pain. And we are both outcasts among our own people.

He leans back, tilting his head toward the sun with a relaxed expression.

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