SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 68- Ghosts of the Past

"I can't stop you if that's what you want, but if you want to know anything, feel free to ask. To be honest, I have nothing to hide." Marissa states bluntly. I can't help but look at her skeptically.

"I find that hard to believe. You said you aren't going to put up a fight, but why should we believe anything you tell us?" I ask boldly, hopping onto the table. "You may have been following Lucius' orders, but you still tried to kidnap me, not to mention, when we were in the bunker, you were downright insulting towards me."

"Hm?" she seems confused.

"May seem minor, but you accused me of not being sexy enough for Ember," I state irritatedly.

"The girl is vain, what can I say? I also recall calling you pretty after that, so don't go twisting my words." she sighs "Look, I know the grudge you have against my family, and I agree that it's justified, so like I said, I have no reason to lie."

"No offense," Roxie states, kneeling in front of her "but I'm not going to believe someone who's backed into a corner after being an accomplice to my son's murder."

"You've had me locked up for days, Scara," Marissa says, staring her down "I know you're angry, and trust me when I say that I know exactly what you're capable of. What do I have to lose?" Suddenly, Roxie grabs her by the throat, pinning her to the wall.

"You're right, I have," she states, gritting her teeth "and you're lucky we can't just kill you, or I would have made you wish you were dead more times than you can count. But unfortunately, that's a risk I'm not willing to take," she grunts, releasing her from her grip. Desire looks down at Marissa in horror as she gasps for air, bruises already forming on her neck. Both of us are aware of Roxie's past in torture and experimentation, but we've never seen her start to become unhinged in front of us before.

"Mother," Desire says shakily.

"Don't," she says bluntly, backing away.

"That's enough." Aurora sighs "This is the only option, alright. Whether or not you let us willingly is up to you, but we need to see the truth." she explains. Marissa sighs, knowing what had to be done.

"Fine, but I'm afraid I may not be as helpful as you hope," she explains. Carefully, we all gather around her, preparing to dive into the unknown.

Water. Marissa's gate is filled with waterfalls leading into rivers, cascading through and disappearing into the distance. The sound is melodic and calming, and despite what I was expecting, it feels filled with purity. Everyone else seems to have similar reactions as they gaze at the falls that surround us, feeling the mist bounce off of our skin. Looking around, I always liked this part; seeing our original faces. Suddenly, the largest of the waterfalls parts down the middle, revealing Marissa in her original form. Her hair is short and black, her eyes are an emerald green that almost seems to glow. She has a tattoo of waves wrapped around her arm, and she's wearing pearl earrings.

"Calista," I say as she begins to approach us.

"Welcome." she sighs as she looks around "It's been a long time since I've seen you all like this."

"I'm guessing this isn't the first time we've officially met," Scara asks curiously. Calista starts to chuckle, looking across our faces.

"Not even close." she laughs "Believe it or not, a long time ago, we used to be close friends."

"Wait, what?" Mahina asks nervously.

"Do you honestly think we didn't keep tabs on you all over the years?" she asks, seemingly waiting for an answer "Some of the others may not have had the best intentions in doing so, but I honestly just wanted to see what the new leaders of our empire were like up close."