Chapter Fifty-Six

Destruction everywhere. The mall in ruins, human bodies scattered everywhere, their faces masked in death and pain. The lives of the residents of the Mall Rats extinguished once and forever. There would be no rising from the ashes for this tribe any longer.

Amber, her neck twisted in an unnatural manner, her eyes glazed over unseeing. Lex, inching closer to her still form, using the last of his precious life to be near the woman. Danni, arms curled tightly around a small child, trying to protect it from the doom that she herself had faced. A man – Ravenscroft – body crushed under slabs of concrete, his fingers outstretched towards Danni. Cloe, her body broken and bloodied, legs snapped, and expression of pure and excruciating pain on her now lifeless face. All people she had loved, all people she had cared about. There were others Ebony did not know, all laying amongst the ruins, all dead or close to death.

Amongst the victims there was one young man who held Ebony’s gaze longer than the rest. His eyes were closed, his face unmarred by the explosion that had ripped through the mall, but he was dead nonetheless, Ebony just could not see the wound that hat taken his precious life.

“Jay.” She whispered, her heart feeling as if it had been ripped from her chest then shattered on the ground. He had killed Jay as well. “How could you?” Ebony turned her tear-stained face towards the man responsible for it all, wishing that somehow underneath the cold mask she would see even a glimpse of remorse. “How could you?”

“It was simple, really.” His voice was mocking, intoned with a cold edge that Ebony wanted to erase from her memory. “Explosives have been around since the dawn of time. It doesn’t take technology to create a bomb, though it does help.”

“But why?” Ebony struggled to regain her composure as tears of agony streamed down her face unchecked. “They were your friends! Your family! And you killed them without batting an eye. Why?”

“To hurt you.” He hissed, leaning close to her, his crystal-blue eyes boring into her soul. “To make you feel the way you made me feel. To take everything that was precious to you and rip it away. To see your tears, to see your broken heart. That’s why.”

Ebony flinched, cradling herself with her arms, wishing that the chill that had seeped into her bones would somehow disappear. “But why hurt them? Why not hurt me? Kill me. Not them.”

“You stole Amber from me, Ebony.” His voice was low and deadly. “Twice. But that wasn’t enough. You then took Danni. Trudy. Salene. Everyone who ever loved me you turned them against me. You poisoned them. You didn’t just cause a brief momentary pain, Ebony. You tortured me. My spirit, my soul – my entire being. I could only do the same for you.”

“Murderer.” Ebony whispered, though her voice was dead and flat, void of emotion. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you, Bray. I hate you.”

“Ebony! Ebony!” An insistent voice began to rip Ebony away from her dreams, her nightmares, an unrelenting hand shaking her gently on the shoulder. “Wake up Ebony! You’re only dreaming. It’s just a dream. Wake up.”

Ebony felt the darkness of the dream slowly begin to slip away, though not even the sensation of her warm blankets pressed tightly around her body could ease the unnerving chill that had her gripped by the heart. She slowly opened her eyes, focusing on the pair of wide brown eyes staring down at her with concern.

“Cloe,” Ebony mumbled, putting a name with the face hovering above her. “What are you doing here?”

Cloe ignored her question, sitting on the bed beside Ebony as the recently elected City Leader rose to a seated position, her back against the heavily padded headboard. “You were dreaming, Ebony.” Cloe stated matter-of-factly. “Are you okay?”

Ebony nodded her head, pursing her lips together in a fine line. The details of the dream were still vivid in her memory, the stench of sulfur and smoke still filled her nostrils. She almost preferred it when she couldn’t remember the night terrors. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She said at long last, pushing her loosened braids away from her face and tucking them behind her ears. “Just fine.”

“You don’t sound fine, Ebony.” Cloe argued. “You were terrified. You kept shouting, though I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I couldn’t bring you out of your dream for the longest time. It was like you couldn’t be woken up.” Cloe paused, her brow knitting with concern. “I’ve never seen someone like that before, Ebony.”

“Don’t worry about me, Cloe.” Ebony’s lips twisted up in a wry smile. “I’m still haunted by a great many things that I did in my past. That’s all.”

“Zoot?”

Ebony hesitated, memory of the madman with the clouded blue eyes returning to her. “Yes, Zoot and others.” Ebony stated at last. “I haven’t always been a very nice girl, Cloe, and that’s not something I’m exactly proud of.”

“I know, Ebony.” Cloe nodded her head, causing several strands of thick chocolate brown hair to come loose from her experimental upsweep. “We all know. But we also all know you’ve changed. You have a good heart, Ebony. It just took awhile for it to come out.”

“Yeah, it did.” Ebony agreed, her mind wandering off into it’s own private thought. “By the way, you never answered my question. What are you doing here?”

“I woke up early.” Cloe shrugged her shoulders indifferently. “I wanted to come by and see if you needed any help with your speech or something.”

“My speech!” Ebony’s hand fluttered to her throat and she visibly paled. “I nearly forgot about that. What time is it?”

“Not even eight. You still have three hours, Ebony.” Cloe informed her.

“Oh good.” Ebony gave a small smile. “You had me worried there for a moment.”

“So…” Cloe drawled out, “Do you need any help with your speech? Or is it all ready?”

“I finished it up last night.” Ebony lied to Cloe. She rarely prepared her speeches more than a few minutes before she was to give them. She felt it was better to wing it and be true and genuine in her words than to have a memorized and practiced speech, though Ebony knew most people could not work like that. “I think I need to go for a walk, though. Clear my head a bit.”

“You want some company?”

Ebony quickly shook her head. “I need to be alone for a bit. I’ll be alright. I promise.”

“Okay,” Cloe furrowed her brow as she raised to her feet, allowing Ebony to look over her latest costume with a careful eye. Her trousers were a bit tight, showing off her developing womanly form, and her shirt exposed her midsection in a flattering yet alluring manner. “Well, I’ll come back later, if you like me to.”

“If you’d like to. You really don’t have to.” Ebony shrugged. “I don’t know how long I’ll be out.”

“If you say so.” Cloe gave her a small smile. “Then I’ll catch up with you after, okay?”

“Later.” Ebony watched the younger woman slowly make her way out of the presidential suite Ebony had moved into the night before, or rather, re-moved into. After Cloe had shut the door behind her, Ebony quickly pushed off her warm blankets and stood to her feet, hurriedly preparing for the day, her mind preoccupied by her latest disturbing dream.

‘Bray.’ She thought grimly to herself. She had to do something to stop him from blowing up the mall, but Ebony didn’t know what. She couldn’t watch him twenty-four hours a day, especially since she didn’t have any clue when the explosion took place, just sometime in the future. There was no way she could stop him that way. But there had to be some way, some way she just hadn’t figured out yet…

~*~*~

The city was still and quiet when Bray slipped out of the mall in the early hours of the morning, careful not to disturb Danni who was sleeping soundly beside him. After their argument the day before they had barely exchanged fifteen words with each other. Danni had refused to come back to the room they shared together until nearly two in the morning, thinking that Bray would already be asleep when she got there. He had been awake, however, though he didn’t say anything to her.

He had lain awake, listening to the soft, even sound of her breathing as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness, dreaming of her beloved Ravenscroft no doubt. Bray had never even met the man but already he couldn’t stand the man and knew that if he and Ravenscroft ever did cross paths it would not be a pleasant meeting.

Bray didn’t know what was wrong with him. He didn’t want Danni, he wanted Amber, and yet just the thought of Danni loving someone else, laying in someone else’s arms at night angered Bray. In his head he knew that he shouldn’t begrudge Danni happiness, but he couldn’t help himself.

Bray let out a heavy sigh, his breath visible in the chilly morning air as he kicked at a loose tin can that had once contained the most valuable trade on the streets – food. He was torn on what he should do. Part of him knew that if he stood any chance of winning Amber back he would have to end it with Danni, but just the thought of being alone, without either of them was a very frightening prospect. Bray was used to always having someone in love with him.

The baby was only an added complication. Bray didn’t know how much Danni would let him see their child if they broke up shortly before the baby was born. He had never known Danni to be spiteful, but she was still a woman and he wouldn’t put it past her.

Bray closed his eyes, picturing both Amber and Danni. He knew that his heart belonged to Amber, even though he really didn’t stand much of a chance with her any longer. He also knew that Danni loved Ravenscroft and that he more than likely adored her just as much. He should release Danni, allow her to find the one her heart belonged to, and yet…

Bray could still remember the sweet tenderness they had shared together, working together trying to better the city around them. They had been such an amazing team, so in tune with each other’s thoughts and feelings that they almost never had any arguments. They had been a perfect couple, and yet, Bray had not loved her enough to forget about Amber.

A warm feeling spread through him at the thought of the golden haired Amber. When they had first gotten together so long ago Bray had thought it was too good to be a true. She was an angel, so beautiful and so perfect, Bray hadn’t been able to understand what she had seen in him in the first place. All he knew was that whenever he laid eyes on her his entire being felt as if it were on fire. His appetite for Amber was insatiable. He wanted her. He needed her.

He let out a low moan, realizing at last exactly what he had to do. He needed to break up with Danni, no matter how inconvenient it would be. He would still take care of her, her and the baby, but it was Amber he wanted. Amber was the only one he wanted, and no matter what, no matter what he had to do, he would have her. Or no one would.

~*~*~

The city was quickly becoming a hive of activity, entire tribes slowly migrating towards Sector Ten where Ebony would be giving her speech in just a few short hours. Lex had been watching the crowds pour into the sector, most people relatively well behaved, though a few had to be reminded of his presence. For the most part, however, the crowd was quiet, the air buzzing with an excitement that Lex knew Ebony winning the election had created. Even the Mozquitoes were quiet, though Lex had yet to see their leader, Moz.

“Good morning Sheriff.” A tawny blonde smiled at him as she passed, giving him a sly wink. Lex remembered her from one of the pubs he used to frequent, though for the life of him he couldn’t remember her name.

“Morning.” He tipped his hat in her direction, only a polite gesture. He had no desire to respark anything that he might of once had with that woman. He had come to a decision the night before. There was one woman for him, and one woman only.

Lex continued to meander through the sector, passing along the streets and giving polite nods at those who acknowledged his presence. He broke up two fights as he neared Sector Nine, but nothing major. Deciding that Sector Ten was all on its best behavior, Lex plunged into Sector Nine, hoping to stop any troublemakers before they headed in towards Ebony’s speech.

“…your votes.” Lex recognized a familiar voice echoing along the street. “I’ll do my best not to let you down.”

“You could never let us down, Ebony!” A boyish voice exclaimed, reminding Lex of Amber’s words the night before. ”You could never let me down, Lex.” His heart tightened in his chest.

Lex rounded the corner and Ebony and the two boys she was speaking with came into site. She was dressed in red leather, a look that no one but Ebony could successfully pull off. Lex recognized the boys as part of the Wrecking Crew tribe, a tribe that had been peaceful and helpful for the most part, though they lived in a far off sector.

Ebony murmured her appreciation for the boys’ confidence then sent them on their way as they promised they would be there at her speech – the two loudest in the crowd they assured her. Ebony laughed, then noticed Lex standing in the distanced, watching, giving him a slight nod to acknowledge his presence.

“Hey there.” Lex greeted her as he approached the petite young woman. “You out patrolling the city too?”

Ebony shrugged her shoulders, a smile playing up on her lips. “I suppose you could call it that.” She paused, glancing around. “Actually, I was just going for a walk to get some air before my speech. Clear my head a bit.”

“Probably a good idea.” Lex nodded his approval. “There’s already quite a crowd gathering in Sector Ten. Mostly well behaved, though. I had to bust up a couple of fights, but nothing major. I don’t expect too many problems.”

“Not even from Moz?” Ebony shot him a questioning look.

“I haven’t seen any sign of Moz since yesterday when she was outside the mall. A-Amber chased her off, though.” Lex replied, feeling his cheeks flush like a schoolboy with a silly crush as he said Amber’s name.

Ebony smiled knowingly, but graciously said nothing, remaining on the topic at hand. “Well, I almost hope she doesn’t show up at the speech. She’s sure to stir up trouble if she can.” Ebony grimaced.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Moz, Ebony.” Lex quickly assured her. “She’s just a bunch of hot air. She doesn’t have enough supporters to actually do anything. Besides, I think even her own tribe are starting to get restless on her.”

“You so sure about that?”

Lex nodded. “Yeah, I am. Or at least that’s how it seemed yesterday when Amber…” Lex trailed off, blushing once again at Ebony’s smirking expression. “What? What is it?”

“There’s an expression you know,” Ebony began, twisting her lips up in a rueful smile. “Goes something like ‘there are two things a man can’t hide, that he’s drunk and that he’s in love.’”

“What are you saying, Ebony?” Lex feigned ignorance as he folded his arms against his chest, refusing to meet her laughing hazel-green eyes.

Ebony grinned. “Admit it, Lex. You like Amber.”

“Well, sure I like Amber.” Lex shrugged his shoulders. “She’s a great girl. Really smart, funny, knows how to handle herself in tough situations. She’s a great friend.”

“But you like her more than a friend, don’t you?” Ebony commented mirthfully.

Lex quickly looked away, his cheeks hot. “Stop it Ebony. Amber and I are friends, but it’s not like that.”

“Right. Right.” Ebony nodded her head, still laughing. “So what about Tai-San? Does she know?”

Lex growled, realizing that Ebony was not going to relent. “No,” He sighed in defeat, “Tai-San doesn’t know anything. She still thinks we stand a chance of getting back together. But the truth is, Ebony, I don’t love her anymore. I-I can’t. I just can’t forget what she was going to do, what she was willing to do. For the good of the tribe.” He added the last bit sarcastically.

Ebony pursed her lips together, touching him softly on the arm. “Look, Lex, I think you and Amber are perfect for each other, but I also know that it’s not a good idea to get into a relationship with someone else when you’re still hurting over the last one.” She hesitated, her expression falling. “I know that one from experience.”

“I’m not rushing anything, Ebony.” Lex quickly assured her, his thoughts already being captivated by the haunting memory of his stolen kiss with Amber in the Gaian village. “Besides, I don’t think Amber’s interested. She’s too busy.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Ebony’s lips quirked up.

“Say what? That she’ snot interested?”

“Yeah.” Ebony grinned, the added her face turning serious. “But she’s hurting a lot too. Bray— He hurt her a lot. Probably more than you or I ever could. She needs time.”

“Well, time is something I’m more than willing to give her Ebony.” Lex whispered quietly. “I know I don’t exactly have a spotless reputation with love, but I really care about Amber a lot and I’m serious this time. I don’t want to muck anything up.”

“Don’t worry.” Ebony smiled. “Just be patient and—“

“Stay away from her.” A voice, low and deadly, half-mad interrupted Ebony mid-sentence.

“Bray!” Ebony exclaimed, her face paling dramatically. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

Lex whirled around, finding himself near face to face with the taller Mall Rat. Bray’s expression was twisted and distorted with rage and Lex began to wonder just how much the sandy haired man had heard. “Bray,” Lex murmured a little shakily, slowly slipping his hand inside his jacket for the club that had been given to him the day before. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a free city.” Bray scowled at Lex darkly. “Or at least it was until yesterday.”

“Shut your mouth, Bray.” Ebony planted her hands on her hips and eyed him evenly, clearly in control of her emotions now. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh yes I do.” Bray’s voice was maniacal. “I know you Ebony, more than anyone else knows you. I know what you’re capable of doing and I know what—“

“Shut up, Bray.” Lex cut him off, not nearly as polite as the braided City Leader had been. He quickly took a step between Bray and Ebony, intent on protecting her if it came down to that. “Why don’t you just get going? Mind your own business.”

“This is my business.” Bray stated evenly. “You were talking about my woman.”

“Your woman? Not hardly!” Ebony exclaimed. “Amber kicked you to the curb long ago. She doesn’t love you anymore. Maybe she never did. Doesn’t matter now, because the two of you are over and its high time you get that through your thick skull. Besides, you have Danni now.”

“You witch.” Bray’s expression darkened. “You leave Danni out of this, before you poison her too. I swear, one of these days—.”

“Come on, Bray.” Lex tried to act mediator, “You don’t want to fight. Just move along and no one will get hurt.”

“Are you threatening me, Lex?” Bray hissed.

“No.” Lex rolled his eyes, fingering the club in his jacket. “But if you’re entertaining the thought of harming our City Leader, you can think again. Ebony’s under my protection now and I’m going to see to it that not a single braid on her head is harmed.”

“Then I’ll just have to eliminate you first.”

Bray moved so quickly that Lex barely had a chance to react. Somehow he had managed to keep a metal bar hidden from view, whipping it out and striking Lex across the stomach viciously. Lex doubled over, his wind knocked out of him as he struggled with his nightstick, hearing Ebony shout for help, her voice desperate.

“You don’t want to do this, Bray.” Lex wheezed as Bray moved in for another blow. Lex yanked out his club, blocking Bray’s hit, though his arm still absorbed the majority of the impact. Bray did not hesitate before striking again, kicking at Lex, hitting him in the stomach again.

“Stop it Bray! Stop it right now!” Lex watched as a blur of red and braids attacked Bray, who was now shouting obscenities Lex had never believed him capable of.

Lex struggled to his feet, picking up his club where it had fallen from his hands after Bray’s last hit. He moved in, trying to focus on Bray, readying his club. “Ebony,” He shouted, his voice commanding, “Leave me to him.”

Ebony stepped away, her facial expression hard and full of hatred. “He’s all yours.” Ebony spat as Bray looked up, exposing his now bloodied face.

“What are you going to do, Sheriff?” Bray mocked, “Hit a man while he’s down.”

“Of course not.” Lex winced, trying to mask the pain. He was pretty sure Bray had fractured one or more of his ribs, severely bruised them at the very least. “Drop your weapon. Now.”

Bray smirked, making a big show of throwing down the lead pipe. “As you wish, Sheriff.” But rather than throw the pipe onto the ground, he hurtled it in Lex’s direction, forcing Lex to quickly duck away to avoid being struck yet again. While Lex was distracted, Bray moved in again, this time using his fists as he pounded Lex, reminding Lex far too much of the last time he and Bray had scuffled.

“Get off him, Bray!” Ebony shouted, her voice laced with fear. Lex continued to fight Bray, but the taller Mall Rat fought with a frenzied intensity, not showing a single sign of any of Lex’s blows affecting him. “Someone! Someone help! Pride!” Ebony exclaimed.

Suddenly, Lex felt Bray being pulled away from him, though he could not see by who. His vision was blurry from the numerous times Bray had thumped him in the head. He tried to stand to his feet, but he felt woozy, the whole world spinning around him.

“Lex!” He heard Ebony cry in alarm. “Lex!”

~*~*~

Ebony sat at her desk, drumming her fingers atop the beautiful finish, her mind thoughtful and distracted. Both Amber and Danni were seated opposite her, watching her with guarded expressions. She knew both their requests already, part of her wishing that she could oblige them, but her nightmare returning to her in vivid detail. She had been handed a golden opportunity to rid themselves of the menace of Bray once and for all. She could not pass that up.

“He tried to kill Lex.” Ebony stated after several long minutes of silence. She kept her gaze on Amber, knowing that though Danni respected Lex, she would not be affected by Ebony’s words nearly as much as Amber would. “Nearly succeeded too. He would have killed me next if Pride and his palls had not shown up when he did.”

“He tried to. He didn’t actually succeed.” Amber pointed out, her voice soft. “He doesn’t deserve to be executed for that.”

“Right.” Ebony pursed her lips together in a fine line. “Just like he attempted to rape you but didn’t actually succeed. Don’t you see, Amber? If this behavior goes unchecked who knows what he’ll try and do next time. We can’t afford to take that risk.”

“Wh-what?” Danni’s eyes widened, her face paling. “What did he try to do to you, Amber?”

“Nothing. It was nothing.” Amber shot Ebony a hard look, which the braided beauty choose to ignore. “It’s in the past. He wasn’t himself that night.” Amber paused for several long minutes, both she and Ebony watching Danni’s face carefully. “Danni, I’m sorry.” Amber whispered softly. “I know I should have told you, but I wanted to give you a chance for happiness… That’s all.”

Danni nodded her head, her lower lip trembling, a score of emotions crossing her face that Ebony could not keep up with. Ebony knew with a cold certainty that she had chosen the wrong moment to let her tongue slip about Bray’s attempted rape on Amber, but there was no way she could take back the words.

“Still…” Danni chocked out at last, tears streaming down her face. “You can’t execute Bray, Ebony. You just can’t. This is a new world. No one deserves to die.”

“No one?” Ebony arched her carefully groomed eyebrow. “What about the Guardian? And Meredith? Weren’t you the one shouting for their blood just a few weeks ago.”

“That was different.” Danni’s pale cheeks colored, Ebony hating herself for reminding Danni of her moment of weakness in one of the very first post-war council meetings.

“The Guardian and Meredith actually killed people, Ebony. Bray hasn’t.” Amber met Ebony’s gaze evenly. “He’s sick. He needs help. He doesn’t need to be—“

“Stop it, Amber. Danni.” Ebony flicked her gaze between the two women, one whom was her best friend and another a cherished friendship she would do almost anything not to mess up. “Don’t you think that if there was any other way I’d go with it? We can’t afford to let Bray live. He’s dangerous, highly unstable. If we allow him to go free—“

“We didn’t say go free. Just please, don’t execute him.” Danni’s voice wobbled dangerously close to tears. “I know he’s not a good man, I know that lately he’s been absolutely horrible, but you’ve got to give him a second chance. A third.”

“Oh, like he’s willing to give me?”

“But you’re better than him, Ebony.” Amber’s voice was soft and convincing. “You don’t hate.”

‘But I do.’ Ebony thought silently, closing her eyes as flashed of her most recent nightmare came back to her. Bray’s voice, mocking and deadly. The exact same tone that he had used when threatening Lex. Perhaps her latest terror wasn’t as far in the future as she had hoped.

“I’ll consider it.” Ebony said at last. “But I can’t promise anything. Bray has to be punished, but perhaps you’re right, perhaps execution is too much.”

“Thank you.” Amber smiled, the color returning to her cheeks.

“I said consider, not that I had changed my mind.” Ebony quickly pointed out.

“I have faith in you, Ebony.” Amber whispered. “You’re a good person. You have a good heart.”

“But do I?” Ebony murmured quietly, looking away from both Amber and Danni. “I need to be alone right now.”

“Sure, of course.” Amber smiled, motioning for Danni to follow her. “We’ll go back outside. The crowd is growing restless, but they understand. Not even Moz is making a scene.”

“She’s out there?” Ebony turned back towards them, noticing that Danni’s expression was still pale and her eyes dark.

“Yeah, she’s out there.” Danni murmured, her voice toneless. “Dee’s keeping her under control. For now.”

“Give me a few more minutes and then I’ll make my decision.” Ebony stated. “But Amber, Danni, I have to do what is best for the city.”

“We know that.” Amber assured her. “And we trust your judgment. Come along, Danni.”

Ebony watched Danni carefully as she and Amber left her office. She was upset, that much was clear, and Ebony had a hunch that no matter what she decided to do with Bray, she would be running the risk of destroying her friendship with Danni, but she had little choice.

“You’ll understand someday, Danni.” Ebony whispered, still unable to block the image of Danni’s lifeless face from her mind.

Ebony let out a heavy sigh, slowly spinning her high-backed black leather chair in a circle, over and over again. So much was weighing on what she decided in the next few minutes. She knew the only way to rid themselves of the threat of Bray forever was to order his execution, and yet she knew that she couldn’t do that. Even if Danni and Amber had not come to her, beseeching her for Bray’s life. As much as Ebony hated herself for it, she still felt something for Bray, though it certainly was not love. He still held a portion of her heart, he always would, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Ebony squeezed her eyes shut tightly, wishing that somehow she could be transported back several years into the past when her life was free from concerns. When she was thirteen years old she would never have imagined she would have worries like this. Her biggest concern was Jay, how she could convince him that she had not cheated on him, that she loved him. If only she could exchange them…

“Come on, Ebony.” She chastised herself for allowing the distraction of Jay back into her mind. “You’ve got to think. You can’t kill Bray, but you have to keep him away from the mall. Away from this city…”

Realization dawned on her. The solution was sitting right in front of her. Banishment. It was cruel, perhaps even crueler than death, but he would be alive and she would appease Amber at least. Ebony wasn’t sure what it was that Danni wanted her to do. She wasn’t sure Danni knew herself.

Ebony leaped to her feet, snatching up her red leather jacket and slipped her arms through as she strode through her office, determined to speak to the crowds before she had a chance to change her mind. She passed several faces she recognized as she went through the halls, nodding at each of them until she arrived at the hotel room that had a balcony that overlooked where the crowd had gathered. Summoning all of her strength, she turned the golden knob and pushed open the door, knowing that once she stepped through there was no turning back.

~*~*~

Another strange twinge coursed through Danni’s body as she nervously fiddled with her fingers in the small amount of space that Amber had managed to find for them near the front of the fidgety crowds. The baby had been moving all morning, making Danni wish she had stayed in bed. She had wanted to beg off going to Ebony’s speech, but just as she was gathering her energy to pull herself out of bed and find someone to tell them that she would not be coming, Cloe had burst through her door, eyes wide with panic.

It was then that Danni had learned of Bray’s attack on Lex. Cloe had not known many details, only that Bray had happened across Lex and Ebony in the city and had attacked, threatening to kill Lex. He had wounded Lex pretty badly, Danni had seen the damage herself, but the raven-haired Mall Rat would live. That much could not be said for Bray. Danni had no assurance that Bray would live through this, just Ebony’s promise that she would consider it.

“Relax.” Amber gripped Danni’s arm, pulling her attention back to the present. “Ebony will make the right decision. She can’t kill Bray, no matter how much she may want to or how much he deserves it. It’s not in her.”

“I hope you’re right.” Danni grimaced, wishing that she could believe Amber’s words. The moment she had heard that Ebony was contemplating having Bray executed for the attempted murder of the City Sheriff, all of Danni’s doubts about Ebony’s character had come flooding back to her. All the times Ebony had acted suspicious and selfishly returned to Danni’s memory, reminding her why she had detested the braided young woman for so long.

At that moment Ebony appeared on the balcony, her expression grim yet unreadable. The crowds erupted in loud cheers, welcoming their City Leader with exuberance. Amber shouted next to Danni, but Danni did not have the heart for it. She watched as Ebony gave the crowd a small wave, scanning the people until her eyes found Danni’s. They locked gazes for several seconds and instantly Danni knew the news would not be good.

“Good afternoon, citizens.” Ebony greeted the gathered with a clearly forced smile. “I’m sorry for the delay in my speech, but as most of you know there was an attack on both myself and my Sheriff earlier this morning. Both Lex and I are fine. Lex is back at the mall, recovering from his injuries, but the prognosis on him is good. Very good.”

Ebony paused, her steely expression wavering slightly. “But now I must address the matter of our attacker, Bray of the Mall Rats.” She used the name of the tribe indifferently, almost as if she was no longer a part of them, Danni observed. “What he did must not go unpunished.” She paused, once again finding Danni’s eyes, “Therefore I hereby banish Bray from the city and all its properties and suburbs. He must never step foot back inside our city under punishment of death.”

Danni gasped loudly, though her shock was drowned out by the cheers that erupted from the crowd. “How could she?” Danni whispered, only half aware of Amber turning to her and saying something along the lines of how wonderful the news was. Danni could only think of the child inside of her, how once again she was completely alone and this time it she knew exactly whose fault it was.