Page 121 of The Arbiter
"Deimos, wait—"
She starts, her voice cracking, reaching out a hand that stops mid-air.
I don’t wait. I turn and walk toward the doors. Every step feels like a lead weight, a physical manifestation of the bridge I am burning behind me. I reached for something human last night, and it bit me.
I reach the exit and pause.
"You think you’ve seen the dark part of me, Madeline," I say, my voice dropping to a near-silent vibration that carries across the sterile tiles.
"But you’ve only seen the part of me that tried to feel something for you. You haven't seen the part of me that survives."
I take a deep breath, knowing this punishment I’m about to start is probably going to hurt me more than her.
"The next few days... they are for you to remember what it’s like to breathe without my permission. To remember what it’s like to be alone in a world that wants to consume you.”
I finally turn my head just enough to see her silhouette out of the corner of my eye. She looks so small against the backdrop of the dead, her hand still reaching out into the empty space I left behind.
Even now, through the layers of betrayal and the cold calculation of my mind, the sight of her makes my blood roar. She is a parasite in my system. A beautiful, lethal infection I can’t quite bring myself to cure.
"Don't try to find me. Don't try to save her," I warn, the threat lacing through my words like a silk cord.
"Because if you step out of the lines I’ve drawn for you, I won't just destroy your secrets. I’ll destroy the woman who was foolish enough to think she could outsmart the Arbiter."
I push the doors of her office and leave.
CHAPTER 24 - Madeline
The first day of silence was like a drawn bowstring. The second was like a punch to the gut. By the fifth day, I had forgotten what my own voice sounded like, because the only sounds in my apartment were the hum of the refrigerator and the occasional click in the ventilation system.
Deimos hadn't abandoned me. He had just relegated me to the void. Every night, I sat on the floor in the living room, back against the wall, staring intently at the lens of the camera hidden above the cabinet.
In my work, I couldn’t focus. I felt his gaze on my skin like a physical touch. Sometimes, in a fit of absolute despair, I spoke to the lens.
"Please," I whispered into the empty room.
"Deimos, she has nothing to do with this. She's innocent. My only friend. Don't hurt her because of what your father did."
My only answer was the kitchen light clicking off. A remote-controlled message. I’m watching you. I control you. Be silent.
It’s the sixth day and I can't take it anymore. I need to see Lucy. Make sure she's safe.
We agreed on meeting in a cafe on the outskirts of the city, our usual spot. There are enough people for us to get lost, but few enough that I can see anyone who might be tailing us.
Lucy looks terrible. She has dark circles under her eyes, and her hands shake as she grips her coffee mug. But there is no fear in her eyes. There is fanaticism.
"Madeline, I know almost everything now," she blurts out before I can utter a single word of warning.
"I’ve been searching archives no one else looks at. Charles... he isn't just some rich guy. He’s the key to something much bigger. To an Elite that no one can even imagine."
"Lucy, stop," I hiss, grabbing her hand tightly.
"You have to stop. Right now. You're in danger you have no idea about. He's watching you. He knows what you're doing."
"Who? Your stalker? Deimos?"
Lucy laughs bitterly and pulls her hand away.
"This man. Our father. Is the only one who can explain to me my childhood. I found the address of one of his old estates. I’m going there."
