SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 74- Risk

 "Wow," Magnus states as I lace up the front of my shirt "You look... wow." he seems to gawk at me. My hair is in a long braid and my shirt is strapless and tight, made of supple leather that matches my short skirt.

"What?" I ask, confused as I tie the strings at the bottom.

"You just look really... bold," he explains, his eyes seeming to study my figure "It's not like you."

"The shirt was a gift from Dez ages ago. Like I said before, I feel different," I state, leaning over to lace up my sandals "My mind got an upgrade and I feel like a new person. New mind, new hair, new tattoos, new sense of style." I explain confidently as I move to the dresser and look over my jewelry.

"I'm happy for you, but all things considered, are you ready for this today?" he asks worriedly.

"Nope," I state, picking up a black leather choker with red stitching "But this can't wait, so I guess I'm diving in head first," I say anxiously as I tighten the choker behind my neck.

"Comforting," he says sarcastically as he makes his way toward the door "You ready?"

"Yep," I say, quickly prancing over. As we pull the doors open, the two guards step out of the way for us to pass through. Immediately, I notice that they seem uneasy, as they're trying not to make eye contact with either of us. Magnus notices me glancing between them and seems confused for a moment, but I think we simultaneously come to the same conclusion; that door is not thick enough to block sounds, and if they have been standing here since last night, they heard everything. Feeling a conflicting amount of embarrassment and humor in the situation, I decide to hold face and simply own it.

"Carry on, gentlemen," I state confidently as I take Magnus' hand and lead him to the stairs, holding back laughter as we pass through. Once we're at the bottom, I look at him to see that his face is redder than a lobster, and seems so flustered by that encounter.

"If it's any consolation, I think you deserved applause for that performance." I giggle, tugging on his hand. That barely seems to ease his mood, but we continue on, heading for the dining hall. By the time we get there, Roxie, Marissa, Nixi, and Aurora are already talking.

"How many are we talking? Ten, twenty? More?" Roxie asks nervously.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the number was over fifty by now, Gaia works fast." Marissa sighs.

"What's going on, what are you talking about?" I ask as we join them.

"Apparently," Aurora begins "Gaia has been converting people to her 'order' for weeks now, and the bigger the numbers get, there may be an uprising on our hands."

"What do you mean by her order?" Magnus asks nervously.

"Before this family took over, we were the religion," Marissa explains "Gaia is using her ability to influence people's thoughts into thinking that this family is heresy and that she is going to be the revived savior of this place."

"That may be the dumbest thing I have ever heard," I state bluntly.

"I wish I could agree," Roxie sighs "But we've seen this before, Nico's revolution started the exact same way."

"The difference now is that we are catching it in its early stages before they cultivate too many followers." Aurora explains, irritatedly rubbing her forehead with her fingers "The problem is, I don't know how we are going to know who's been converted unless they act out."

"I doubt they will until they outnumber those who still follow you," Marissa explains "Regardless, we need to draw Gaia and the others out before they have a chance to turn to many people."

"I agree," I suddenly hear my father behind me, followed by my mother, grandmother, and Nixi. As they come in, my father seems to have trouble looking at me.

"Good, you're awake." Roxie begins "We need to get started."

"Where's Desire?" my mother asks, looking around the room.

"She's taking Rynn to Eli's," Nixi explains "I thought it would be best to keep her away from here for the time being. The place is going to be well-guarded, and if anything goes south, the bunker in the cellar there is still ready to go."

"Good." my father states "Now, what the hell are we planning on doing to get them to come out of hiding? Marissa, last night you said you had some ideas?" he asks curiously.

"I did, but I don't think you're going to like them." she sighs, glancing at my mother "Ember is the key."

"What?" my father objects.

"I agree." Nixi states, looking at my father sympathetically "I hate it as much as you do, but they want her back and we want her gone."

"What the hell are you suggesting?" Roxie asks angrily "That we make some sort of deal with them?"

"No, but we clearly can't get the bitch out of her head, so what are we supposed to do?" Nixi asks offendedly "They aren't going to stop until they get her back, so we need to find a way to let them get Ember back without Artemis' body."

"That sounds too risky, what if they end up killing Artemis in the process, or worse, permanently killing Veronika?" my father growls at the idea.

"Sweetie, Nixi is right, I can't wear this stupid collar for the rest of my life." my mother states "Marissa, what do you suggest?"

"Ember isn't going to want to give up your body without a fight, but knowing Gaia, she's going to want to either kill you or rip Ember out and put her in someone else just to get things over with the easy way." Marissa explains, glancing at Aurora "I'm guessing you don't know how to perform an exorcism of this sort."

"I've looked into it as much as I can, but this is beyond my ken, and far too risky to do as a test run." Aurora sighs, suddenly glancing up at me "Speaking of trying new things, Tessa, how are you feeling?" she asks curiously, and suddenly everyone turns their attention to me. Looking across their faces, I can see the mix of eagerness and judgment in their eyes. My parents look like they're in pain seeing me this way, but I try to remind myself of Magnus' words; my mind, my choice.

"Resting helped a lot, and I honestly feel more... complete now." I explain reassuringly "Although, I don't really know how I'm supposed to do, well, anything with this." I sigh, looking down at my hands.

"Don't worry too much, I think I might be able to help you there." Nixi winks, making her way around the table "You all can talk strategy for a while, but do you mind if I borrow her for a bit like we talked about last night?" she asks eagerly. My parents exchange seemingly nervous glances before nodding their heads.

"Fine, but will it be okay with just the two of you?" my mother asks worriedly, coming over to me. As she leans in to hug me, she glances at my forehead and grins solemnly, trying to hide her fear. I smile nervously as I pull my braid over my shoulder, and she looks down longingly.

"I'm okay, I promise," I say reassuringly, hugging her back.

"The loverboy can come too," Nixi states excitedly, draping her arm over Magnus' shoulder "C'mon, this will be fun."