CHAPTER 55: 55-A DEAL OR A DEATH PENALTY?

Clementine:

Flashback Continues:

"There’s no such thing as an alpha warrior. There is an alpha, and there are warriors. Right now we are being treated as warriors, and that would be okay if we wanted to be. There are trained warriors who could do what we’re doing. I don’t understand why teenagers are being dragged into—" I was trying to express my thoughts when I heard footsteps. At first, I thought maybe my squadmates had realized she was trying to convince me and had come to stand beside us, but then I turned my head and saw the ringleaders walking downstairs.

The two ringleaders lingered in the background, while Lenora and Rick came and sat beside Rue, Lenora on her right, Rick on her left.

"I thought you would wait for me upstairs. I’m kind of still talking to my squadmate," Miss Rue said, a forced smile on her lips.

I guessed she was afraid I’d disrespect her in front of them, just like Haiden and Ian had. And I was pretty sure she didn’t want that.

"We don’t think you’re able to handle her, or your squadmates," Rick started, addressing Miss Rue very disrespectfully. I could already see the wedge between them. She was younger than the others, and I could tell she was a new ringleader. The others seemed to be friends or at least familiar with each other, but Miss Rue was already outcast. I felt bad for her, especially now that her squadmates wanted to quit after just one mission.

"Here’s the thing, Clementine Stark. There is no quitting. And since you’ve disappointed and disrespected us so badly, the punishment for all of you will be harsher," Mr. Rick said, mimicking slicing invisible food on the table while pointing out different things we might face for refusing to be part of the squads.

"What punishment?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

"Public hanging."

As soon as he said that, my arms slowly slipped from my chest. "You’re kidding me, right?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at his face.

"No. And don’t worry, it won’t kill you. It’ll only cause pain and shame. It will be repeated every day. Like you wanted, you’ll no longer be crusaders. You’ll be entertainment, or maybe used to lure in monsters in the future," he said. I hated everything he was saying.

So basically, he was telling me that we would be treated as objects. There was no way out, just punishment for us now.

I knew we were getting into trouble back when I kept feeling like we should’ve given it a second thought. But those alphas were idiots. They always thought and acted on emotions. And I was a fool to follow them, so I wasn’t any better either.

"Wait a minute. Let’s not be harsh on them," Miss Rue finally intervened. He was giving me serious heebie-jeebies. All the hair on the back of my neck was standing like spikes. I didn’t understand why they had to come and sit with us. What was the point of appointing separate ringleaders when they wouldn’t let our ringleader lead us?

"If you help us make them all stay, we promise to send our warriors to search the woods in the north for Sadie. However, if you don’t, then sadly, I cannot help you, Clementine. Sadie will be out there all by herself. Do you think your sacrifice will bring her back?" Miss Rue said. Her body leaned forward slightly, showing how anxious she was that we had even expressed a desire to go back.

"Why are we giving them such extra privilege?" Rick asked, clearly annoyed that Miss Rue was bending the rules for us.

"They won the first mission, and they have great potential. Just please, let’s give them a little bit of hope. It’s not fair, they’re just teenagers."

I guess none of the ringleaders had ever expressed concern for any of the Crusaders the way Miss Rue did, because even Lenora snapped her head toward her, looking at her like she was a ghost.

"What about Ian and Haiden? They misbehaved with the ringleaders. You want me to believe there will be no consequences for them?" I asked, straightening my posture and placing my elbows and forearms on the table.

"What do you want?" Lenora asked. It was surprising, I had expected her to be harsher. But I guess she was partly agreeing with Rue about giving us another chance, or maybe she just wanted to hear my demands.

"Spare them. You will not punish them," I said, and Rue began to nod while Rick clenched his jaw.

"It’s alright. They’re kids. Kids make mistakes," Rue said to Rick, trying to calm him down.

"Please, Clementine. If you want to quit, it’s fine. But think about your life afterward. You’ll be treated like an object. The punishment won’t kill you completely. They won’t let you die. Do you want that kind of life? Or would you rather be a savior? At least then you can live on your own. At least you can do something good."

She kept repeating the same things, but she didn’t have to. I had already realized there was no escape. Whatever those alphas were planning, it was a suicide mission.

"Fine, then I’ll help you make them stay. But I have a few demands. First and foremost, we will not be treated as just weapons thrown at monsters. We want to feel free, not like prisoners," I started, and Miss Rue tilted her head, probably asking me to explain further.

"We want to be able to go back to our packs during the holidays."

As soon as I said that, I watched Rick and Rue exchange a glance, then look at Lenora.

"Okay," Rue said.

The moment she did, I could tell the ringleaders had lost their minds. But that was all I needed to know. Even if we couldn’t leave, we had gained a small amount of freedom, to feel that while we weren’t working or fighting, we could be ourselves again.

End of Flashback: