Page 84 of The Order: Rise of the New Empire

Picking up the entirety of my weight in his arms, Aaron holds me close, my eyes glaring at him with anger.

"You said you'd keep my sister safe-"

"And we are," Aaron whispers. "Everything will be fine, so long as Forest truly stays on our side."

Moving over to me, Mason peers at the sight in front of him.

"I told you he shouldn't have come. What the hell do you think would have happened if knew where the Underground is?" he questions, both Aaron and Bekah bowing their heads.

Unable to stop the sedative from pumping through my veins, I feel my arms and legs sway as Aaron carries me out of the cave.

Closing my eyes, I hold onto one thought pattern.

All of these people are willing to sacrifice Forest for the future of the Marked.

I'm willing to watch them all burn to keep her safe.

It would seem the side I'm standing on will always be my sister's.

Chapter twenty-six

Valerie

The Underground is a spectacle.

One that makes New Haven look like the work of a child.

Bunkers turned into a refuge, the Underground is completely isolated from the outside world, large enough to house ten thousand people if need be.

Refined and crafted by some of the keenest Revolutionists and refugees, the Underground is meant to protect all who reside within its walls, carefully crafting and building up the tormented minds of the Marked within our walls.

The Underground is meant to be a safe haven.

A school for those minds willing to see the potential in their kind.

How I see it now, people like me and Aaron are the scholars, whereas Mason and Bekah are the informants, keeping order and structure in the lives of the youth, training them to see a side of their Marked abilities they thought not possible.

Only at one fourth capacity, the Underground is busy with life, people quickly settling into their schedules, Shifters roaming the grounds, children choosing to play with them as if they are small dogs.

Seeing life being breathed back into the creatures, it's all so overwhelming.

"Hey," Bekah smiles, wrapping her arms around me from behind, genuine hope touching her expression.

Watching the group of Marked cadets trailing after her disperse once she excuses them for lunch, they all nudge one another, giving Bekah a mix of tooth lined smiles and nods.

"What class are those ones?" I question, wrapping my arms around the woman's neck, giving her a brief peck.

"Cadets, I'm considering them first years given how little control they have on their abilities. Most of them were rescues from the compound," Bekah sighs, rolling up her sleeve, a healing cut working down the side of her arm. "It would seem they have little to no concept on how to hold a blade, let alone use their abilities," she sighs, the skin of her arm slowly healing.

Taking a look around, the cadets all grab their dining trays, some even welcoming over the Shifters, trying to dare the creatures to take a drink from their wrists.

"Adrenaline junkies," she sighs. "Knock it off!" Bekah yells, her voice rattling thew walls of the mess hall. "You," she hisses, pointing at the Shifter. "Either eat or go help with construction. I don't need them thinking your kind isn't willing to bite," she lectures, the shifter's head bowing with a nod.

Rolling their eyes at her, the cadets are filled with sarcasm.

"This is why I will never have kids," she sighs, running her hand over her face. "I've barely spent any time with them, yet they drain my very essence."

"No? Where have you been then?" I question, getting her to take a seat.

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