The Purge
Chapter 47: Halley

“A villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told.”

Chris Colfer.

I don’t have many friends. And yet I was hoping I could get lesser enemies.

When I was forced into a life of purgatory at Battle Camp, I didn’t quite think making friends was a necessity. My father made sure that I was already broken before they could break me so that I’d know how it feels like to be rejected and to be hated. I was used to the isolation. I was used to be deficient. But the eyes, the voices, and the words still hurt even if I try to hide away in my little box with my dad’s knife in my hands.

What a harsh world for a soft heart. I always thought I’d survive as long as I’m Addonexus.

Addonexus don’t die. I barely doubt that now as Athren and I ran for our lives.

Chivas Cantemir was an extreme force to be reckoned with. An offend reason without a doubt. A perfect example of a wolf under sheep’s skin. I tried to remind myself again never to trust anyone except myself. My life was bending over a cliff and one wrong friend can push me right into oblivion. The earth shook under the palm of his hand. Cracks started to appear and I tried as hard as I can to evade them. Athren bluntly set his hurricane loose. Chivas set a counter attack by unleashing a sand storm. Storms collided like twilight of the gods. Chivas bended his stigma further so that it overtook Athren’s storm. It swallowed his like a whirlpool made of sand; Chivas pushed his own storm towards us. Chivas submerged into the ground in grains of sand and appeared right between us. Athren whirled almost immediately to give him a punch in the stomach but sand oozed out of Chivas like he’s barely corporeal at all. He gave him a lopsided smile before disappearing into sand. He appeared behind Athren and he struck him in the head. Athren fell on the ground, face first. Chivas clawed his hand upward and sand rose in the air in sharp points.

Athren got a hold of his balance and leaped his body back into action. Chivas unleashed his knives of sand towards him and Athren countered the attack with a gale. Chivas’ toys disappeared with Athren’s wind. But so as Athren’s will to move. Sand grasped his feet like ravenous shackles on the ground. With a baleful smile, Chivas turned his impertinent attention on me. My heart thrummed like the drums of war. I wanted to fight him but my sanity ran away before I could.

The ground got a hold of me. Slowly, sand snaked up and covered my trembling body and I felt hot tears burning at the brim of my eyes. I forced them open and I looked back at Athren who stood frozen a few feet away from me. Maybe he thinks I deserve to die. Perhaps I will. I am useless anyway. I cannot protect anyone even my pathetic little self with foolish childish lies to comfort me during the night.

I turned to Chivas who was walking towards me. His bronze skin remained unharmed. His predator-like eyes roamed on my skin like fire. His pupils were dilated and were lack of life. I felt the sand gripped hard on my wind pipes and then he was thrown out of my vision.

I have never been so glad to have the air right back in my body. But I’ve never felt so relieved as to see my commanding officer stand right before me.

“I’ve warned you, Cantemir.” Bri said. Her hand outstretched towards Chivas, ready to attack again. “Stay away from my friends.”

Chivas stood up without a word and fought back with stone exploding on the ground. Bri hardened the ground like metal with a stomp of her feet. Conleth who I now realized was also with her sent a gush of fire to keep him away.

Chivas attacked by molding sharp vein like object with his sand and sending it right straight to us. Con destroyed every little piece of it with his fire but Chiva’s sand kept coming into multiple shreds. Bri cloaked us in a shield but Chivas broke in. His sand scattered into pieces with Athren’s gale. It rained down on us but as soon as it hit the ground, its turbulence started by creating a whip out of its sand strips floating in Athren’s air. It managed to incapacitate us like a deadly invisible whip.

Conleth cursed as he manipulated his own fire to combat with Chivas sand. His balls of flame floated with Athren’s air. But Chivas would only block the attacks with walls of stone. Boulders started to spring out of the ground letting us lose our balance. Bri sent an explosion out of her hands snaking its way behind Chivas silencing his attacks for a few minutes.

“There’s something odd about him.” Bri said.

“Of course there is.” Athren spat. “He’s trying to kill us!”

“Well it’s been nice to see you too, Athren.” Bri prompted.

“Thanks for abandoning us.” Athren growled at her. Bri opened her mouth to snap back but then she closed it for some guilty reasons I think.

Athren moved towards Chivas who lay on the ground like a lifeless ragdoll.

“Athren—” Bri started but Chivas was already up and made a move at harming Athren. But Athren was faster. His air, already innate in a living thing’s body made horrible wanders in Chivas’. He let out a wail as his knees fall unto the ground. He has his hands on his head, gripping hard as Athren’s air made its torment inside.

“STOP!” I found myself saying. But Athren cannot be moved. “Stop!” I cried again. Bri tried to get a hold of me but I was already running towards Athren.

“He’s compelled!” I shouted right at Athren but he wasn’t listening.

I grabbed hold of his uniform but he sent a gush of wind to throw me away. But it didn’t stop me from pursuing him. I took a good hold of his shoulder and then Chivas was no longer screaming—Athren was.

“Halley!” Bri shouted as she rushed towards Athren, not knowing what to do. I looked at my hands like unseen blood wash through them. Chivas rolled his eyes backward and then he fell unconscious on the ground.

“Make it stop! Make it stop!” Athren screamed. Bri turned to me in horror. I reached out to Athren once more. And the moment I touched him, his screams left his mouth. He dropped on the ground right next to Chivas. He opened his eyes only to glare back at me.

I looked up at my friends and they all looked at me like I was a monster. I fear that if I take a step forward, they might move away from me.

“You…” Bri started. “You turned Athren’s powers against him. Halley—”

“I’m sorry.” I cried. “I didn’t mean too. It was an accident.” I felt the words I used before haunt my lips once again.

Con was the first one to approach me. He wrapped me in his warmth, unafraid. “I know you didn’t, Blondie.” He brushed my hair with comfort. I wanted to wrap my arms around him but I was still too weak and too scared.

“She always didn’t mean it.” Athren said bitterly as he stood up.

“Will you stop being an arse?” Bri glared at him. Athren turned her fiery gaze at her.

“Where were you when we needed you?” he asked, hatred visible in his eyes and I started to cry. “Oh right, you’re on a date with your boyfriend while we were chase to death by monsters and people who clearly wanted us dead.”

Bri bit her tongue.

“Sigourney is dead!”

“Athren, I’m sorry.”

“Everyone is always sorry! That is just bullshit! I am tired of that word! People should act more like it!”

“Calm down, Athren.” Con chastised.

“No!” tears started to fall down his eyes. “I wanna go home!”

“But there is no home, Athren.” Bri said. The reality hurt so bad that neither of us don’t know what to say next. Sometimes the truth hurts without being said.

Bri wiped her eyes and turned her back to us. “We cannot stay here. We have to move.”

“But this is our home.” My voice cracked as my chest became heavy.

“This isn’t home, Halley!” Bri burst out as she turned around and faced me. “Home is where you have a home and a family that loves you! Not where you are raised to kill somebody.” She drew in a breath and turned around.

“But it doesn’t belong to them.”

“Are you ready to lose the ones you love to come back home, Halley?” she said without a hint of emotion in her voice. After a moment of silence she continued, “Well, I’m not.”

I looked down at my feet. Am I really ready to give up the lives of everyone I care about to a home that barely treated me right?

“If you still want to join me, you may come along.” Bri said as she started walking. Con lets me go, ruffles my hair and smiled. Of course, he is with her. He always is. Athren looked back at Chivas and then back at me. Silent words passed between us before he looked away and followed Bri.

“Wait,” I called out to them. “What about Chivas?”

“I don’t trust him, Halley.” Bri said.

“But he is still one of us. We cannot leave him here.”

“Here tried to kill us, Halley.”

“He’s compelled.”

Bri’s eyes dropped on Chivas and then back at me.

“Tie him up.” She said as she pulled a vine out of a tree and threw it at me. “You can keep him but he is your responsibility.”

I caught the vine with my hand and I started tying Chivas’ hands. Con bent over and helped me.

“Thank you.” I told him.

“You’re too kind, Halley.” He said as he carried Chivas on his shoulder without difficulty. “It’s something rare in this world. Something that you shouldn’t give to anyone even with your enemies.”

I bit my lips shut as I watched my friends go. I followed behind with my thoughts scattered inside my head.

Usually, it’s the friends we make that turn out to be our enemies and it’s the enemies we have that become our allies. Choose wisely. My father said.

I moved my father’s knife on the safety of my jean’s belt.