Bloodline

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Six stood across the room from me, his arms folded over his broad chest, his stance wide and prepared for battle. I glanced toward the door to see if anyone was going to burst in, glanced at the windows to see if anyone was going to bust through and attack, but surprisingly, it was silent. I narrowed my eyes and turned back to Six.

"You're alone," I stated. Six studied me.

"Yes."

"Kind of stupid to admit that."

"You won't attack me, unless I do first, and we both know who'll have the upper hand," Six responded, making me grit my teeth in frustration, "I came here to offer you a bargain."

"A bargain?" I asked. Six inclined his head.

"Come back with me," he stated, making me snort, "Come back with Thirteen. The Mother is willing to forgive you just this once for your insubordination. This is my offer to you."

"And should I deny it?" I asked. Six's hazel eyes gleamed.

"Should you deny it, you will be put to death."

"Returning to that place is death," I threw back angrily, watching Six narrow his eyes, "Don't look at me like that. You think it's fucking paradise because you're not defective. You can stand as equals with everyone there, I can't. I need to be able to see Thirteen, to be with him. He's my brother."

"We're all brothers," Six responded, making me throw my hands up in exasperation.

"No, we're not. Your genetic carriers are not the same as mine. We are not brothers."

"Our Mother is the same."

"She is not my mother," I snapped, making Six's eyes widen for a split second before dropping to the floor for a long moment. He studied the floor before looking up.

"Then consider this your final warning. For your insubordination and denial of the Mother, you are sentenced to death. You, and Thirteen," he said, making me stiffen.

"He's a child," I said. Six's eyes flickered. There was something there that said he really didn't want to do this, that he didn't want to be here, that he didn't want to be telling me all of this. I wanted to reach out to him, wanted to beg him to leave Thirteen alone. Thirteen was just a child in all of this. He didn't deserve to be fucking killed for my mistakes.

But Six was a soldier of the Mother. He was brainwashed too. He was doing what he was told, which was all we ever grew up with. He had no idea that he was being used or abused. It was just life for him. And it was life for Thirteen if they got him back, if they got me back.

At this point, I had to decide. Take Thirteen back to the Mother, and never see him again, except maybe on the wall of fame for having given his life for a useless cause. Or to keep him away from the Mother where he could live his life the way it was meant to be lived... while also always being in danger because the Mother would never let him escape.

It made my heart ache. I didn't know what to do.

"Time," I said, making Six frown, "I need time to think."

"There is no time," Six stated, "You choose death or you choose life. For both you and Thirteen."

"This isn't fair," I said angrily, "You can't give me this choice knowing that Thirteen will be sentenced to death if he goes back to the Mother. He'll be fighting a war he doesn't understand, just like you and I. He'll be brainwashed into fighting and killing people. Thirteen is nothing like us. He doesn't kill people. He doesn't hurt people. He's innocent."