Page 37 of A Harmony of Procellarum

“It’s okay,” I reassure him as I disentangle myself from him to fix the shirt. “It’s the door.”

“They seriously couldn’t let me fucking sleep,” he grumbles as he pulls on his boxers and stands. “Yeah!” he calls out.

The door opens just as I grab the blanket to wrap around myself. Two guards stand there with knowing smirks on their faces as they look between us. My cheeks burn with shame as I shrink smaller into the bed.

“What the fuck do you want?” Torrent snaps as he steps forward. “Or are you just here for me to pluck your eyes out for looking at something that doesn’t belong to you?”

I shouldn’t swoon, right? That’s psychotic.

“Luciphia has summoned you,” one guard clears his throat while the other steps back out into the hallway. “You have a minute to get dressed.”

The door shuts as Torrent gives me a sly look over his shoulder. “I was hoping they’d give me a reason to kill them.”

“Then we’d be killed,” I huff as I roll my eyes.

“We’re not meant to live forever.” He shrugs as he finishes getting dressed. “Not too much longer now, Tiny. I have one more sacrifice and then freedom.”

“Two more, right?” I remind him and point to myself.

“Schematics.” He waves me off and bangs on the door. “It’s still freedom from these four walls.”

The door opens as he steps out, taking any semblance of warmth with him, and plunges me into a frigid darkness when the door closes with a loudsnick. As my teeth chatter with fear, I gather the blanket under my chin. I long to see Squall one more time, to confess what I’ve done and to apologize for ruining his relationship with Torrent. I didn’t know, of course, but I still feel like things changed for the worst when I came along.

I wish I could see Tempest and Sky. I want to tell them what they mean to me and just how much they saved me. I was a lonely girl when I first walked into the Temple, and when they showed up, I knew they were both special. I’m so lucky to have known them.

My mother needs me, but that has always been the case. Despite that, I left her to her own devices because I was a bitter adult. I couldn’t help her quit the bottle because I was too hung up on being ashamed of her. Now as I look back, I know as her only child, I could’ve made her stop at any time. I just didn’t care. I hope she finds the peace she’s desperately searching for in the many empty alcohol bottles strewn around her apartment, and I hope she stops before it kills her. She deserves to live a life worth seeing without the lens of an alcoholic.

Finally, to Torrent. I hope he knows I will forgive him for his actions because I know it’s not his will. This life he’s living wasn’t one he chose for himself, and yes, I do know as an adult he makes his own choices, but I don’t blame him for these. The sentiment echoes something I warned Sky against months ago, and now I understand how she was feeling at the time.

This organization is the evil rot, not the men who work for them.

SQUALL

I woke up alone in the bed and now I know for certain that everything we did from the moment Torrent invited me to LA was a goodbye. I rushed back to New York on a red eye and let the frigid air slap me in the face for my stupidity. If anything happens to Tiny because of my weakness for Torrent, I will fucking lose it.

After parking the Honda farther up the street, I walk toward the skyscraper that makes me sick to my stomach. The closer I get, the more frenzied I feel. I don’t know if it’s anxiety for Tiny or my connection with Torrent, but something is off. My teeth begin to chatter with my frantic energy and just as the front of the building appears, a car pulls up.

The blacked-out sedan is a staple for the Order and when they step out with a man whose head is covered by a sack, my feet stumble. I dart into the alley and peek around the corner, trying to get a better look at who it might be. It’s hard to focus on the man because about five guards are surrounding him while he puts up a fight. They quickly usher him inside and I can’t slow the beating of my heart. Something about this is off and there’s only one person who can help me now.

I pull up his number and hit send, pressing the phone to my ear. “Come on, Raiden,” I growl as I release a breath. I pace as his phone rings straight through to voicemail and I let out a heavy exhale before hanging up. I don’t want to leave here, but I have to go see Raiden. He’ll know how to handle this.

With time feeling like it’s against me, I run back to the car and peel away down the street. Raiden’s hotel isn’t too far from here and if I take the side streets, I should be able to avoid New York traffic. I fumble with my phone as I make a sharp turn and press Raiden’s contact again. A car flies out from an alley in front of me and stops in the road, cutting off my route.

“What the fuck?” I mutter as Raiden’s voicemail blares into my phone, asking me to leave him a message. I look into my rearview mirror to see another car come up close behind me, and that’s when I realize they’re here for me. The beep sounds as I pop the car into park and I hold the phone up to my mouth. “Raiden,” I choke out as the driver’s side door opens from the car in front of me and an Order member steps out. “I love you, brother. You’ve done so much for us and I just needed you to know that. Without you, we’d all be dead, but me? I would’ve never known what it was to have a genuine family, one who loves unconditionally and provides protection from the storm. That’s what Deluge was for me, a storm more powerful than any other we ever encountered.” Two members step up to my driver’s side door and tap on the window. “Tell Tiny I love her. Tell Victor he was always my reason for living, and please, please, don’t blame yourself for anything that happens. You’ve sacrificed enough. Live your life with Tempest and be happy. Tell Hail I will be waiting in the hottest pits of Hell for him, and when he arrives, we’ll rule it all together. I love you all.”

I toss the phone to the passenger seat and turn off the car, knowing I’ll never see it again. The door opens and one member reaches in to haul me out, his grip telling me he won’t hesitate to take me out if need be. There will be no need. I’m ready to face what I always knew would happen eventually. We are not infallible. We were always meant to surrender to the Order, and it doesn’t come as a surprise now. I just hope the others stay safe.

I’m gently guided into the backseat of the sedan, the one that stopped in front of me, as if I’m not on my way to face a death sentence.

We pull up to the front of the building, much like the car I saw previously, only I’m not struggling with a hood over my head. I’ve come peacefully, knowing I don’t want the end of my life to resemble the beginning. I’ve loved, I’ve lost, and I know what it is to truly have a family. I won’t put up a fight.

I’m ushered inside to find the interior deathly silent and dark, and every hair on my body explodes and stands on end. This isn’t the same building I walked into a few days ago. It’s emanating something dark and ominous, the energy crackling with foreboding. Even though everything inside of me is screaming for me to run, I can’t do that because Tiny and Torrent are somewhere in here.

I’m ushered into the elevator and standing in the middle of three guards, none of them I recognize and nor do I expect to. It seems the new Luciphia is slowly cleaning house and replacing everyone to her liking. It scares me because that could include me and my brothers. Then, to make matters worse, I watch as one guard presses his finger into the number seven. I know the significance of that floor and I know what happens there. I’ve been to the seventh floor plenty of times.

“What’s going on?” I finally ask. Two of the three guards remain quiet, but the third one turns and gives me a look. His eyes are filled with something close to pity.

“We all know what happens on the seventh floor,” is all he says, and the car falls quiet again as we slowly ascend, the sharp pings filling the silence.

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