ROSE
I woke up to the feeling of someone holding my hand.
The first thing I saw was my brother sitting beside me.
He was staring at me, and the expression on his face immediately made my heart sink.
He looked broken.
I slowly sat up. "What's wrong?"
He didn't answer.
I frowned. "I said, What happened?"
Still nothing.
"I'm sorry if I did something wrong." My voice softened. "Please talk to me. You know I don't like it when you give me the silent treatment."
He finally spoke.
"Since when have you learned to hide things from me?"
Huh?
"Why didn't you tell me about everything you've been through?" he asked. "The punishment you had to take."
Jackson.
You're dead meat.
I shot him a glare where he sat on the sofa. Everything I had carefully hidden was being exposed one piece at a time.
Jackson noticed my expression.
"Rosen, she's staring at me, and I can tell it's not a good sign."
Oh, he knows.
Apparently, before dying, he had decided to experience a little more torture.
I turned back to my brother and noticed the tears that had escaped his eyes.
I immediately wiped them away.
"It was nothing."
I gave him what I hoped was a convincing smile.
"That punishment was a piece of cake. You think too little of me. I'm your strong girl, aren't I?"
He stared at me.
"You couldn't even walk properly afterward, and you're calling that a piece of cake?"
His voice was stern now.
"Now stop talking and answer the questions I want to know about. Okay?"
I lowered my eyes.
Fine.
Deep down, however, I was already making plans.
First, how exactly am I going to kill Jackson? Second, which method would be the most satisfying?
Then my brother asked the question I had been dreading.
"Besides, Jackson... was there someone else who knows you're not me?"
Gulp.
I kept my gaze down. There was no reason to look at him. The moment I did, he'd know I was lying.
"Don't even think about lying to me."
His voice softened, but somehow that made it worse.
"If you want me to stay with you, then tell me the truth. Otherwise, I'll leave here with Jackson."
Traitor.
My tiny bit of hatred toward Jackson doubled instantly.
But what could I do?
This small truth might actually help me keep the bigger one hidden.
"The general there knows," I mumbled.
"The general?" My brother's expression sharpened. "Logan Hawk?"
Well.
Brother had clearly done his research.
I almost smiled.
I loved interrogating other people. But I never imagined that one day I'd be sitting on the other side of the interrogation table, being questioned by my own brother.
How wonderful.
"When did he find out?"
"I don't know exactly when," I hesitated. "But it happened within the first week."
"A week?"
His eyebrows rose.
"And you called yourself the master of disguise?"
Jackson immediately laughed. "Really? She never called herself that."
"Hahaha."
"Quit it." I glared at him.
My brother ignored us.
"Jackson, how did you recognize her?"
Jackson answered without hesitation.
"The eyes. The birthmark. And the dimples."
I went still.
The birthmark.
That was the one thing that bothered me.
Seven years ago... He had been here with his father for Dad's funeral.
We had seen each other back then, but only for a moment.
How could he possibly remember me? My eyes? No.
He hadn't even known that Rosen had dimples.
So that couldn't be it either.
My birthmark was the only possibility. And suddenly, I had a horrible feeling about it.
He must have seen it when we had that little clash.
Which meant... He recognized me on the very first day.
The day I was hanging upside down from that tree.
That bastard.
He had known. He'd known all along. And he'd made a complete fool out of me.
"What are you thinking?"
I snapped back to reality.
"Nothing."
My brother narrowed his eyes.
"Even if he knew about you, why didn't he tell anyone?"
I looked away.
He had helped me.
I didn't want to think about that. Not now.
Jackson spoke instead.
"If she says he knew her from the very first week and still kept it hidden, then there must be something we don't know."
He paused.
"Am I right, Rose?"
He deliberately used my name for emphasis.
I wanted to throw something at him.
My brother's gaze immediately returned to me.
"Tell me. Why didn't he tell anyone about you?"
I couldn't take it anymore.
They had been talking about him.
Asking about him.
Him.
Again and again.
It was embarrassing.
Humiliating.
"He said he liked me. "The words slipped out before I could stop them.
A deep-rooted silence.
Then Jackson asked the question I absolutely did not want to answer.
"And what about you?"
I closed my eyes.
I'd already had enough.
"It doesn't matter now."
I stood.
"I'll just be Rose."
I looked at my brother for a moment.
"The Rose I was always supposed to be."
I walked straight into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.
Only then did I allow myself to breathe.
I changed my clothes, wiped away the remaining tears, and washed my face until I looked somewhat normal again.
Then I stepped outside. Both of them were still in my room.
Of course they were.
Apparently, they were still waiting for more explanations.
I looked at Jackson.
"Jackson."
He raised an eyebrow.
"I need to have a few words with you."
I walked toward the door.
"Meet me downstairs."
I didn't wait for his answer.
I left the room.
Whatever happened next, I couldn't keep dwelling on the past.
Not on what happened seven years ago. Not on Logan. I had something far more important to worry about.
He was coming. I knew he was. And when he does, I will be ready.
Whether that meant having a civilized little chat with him...
Or starting another fight.
Either way, I wasn't running anymore.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I waited downstairs for about five minutes.
This meeting had to go well. It had to. My district and I were running out of time.
Today was the last day. Tomorrow, Jackson and I would both have to return to our respective districts, which meant everything needed to be settled today.
I couldn't afford to take unnecessary risks anymore.
I looked up when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
Jackson was coming down.
I gestured toward the sofa across from me.
"Sit."
He dropped onto the sofa.
I looked around.
"Where's Bro?"
"In his room." He raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to see me, didn't you?"
"Yes."
I leaned forward.
"Look, I didn't call you here to discuss whatever you told him upstairs. I'll deal with that later."
"I know." He gave me an apologetic smile. "And I'm sorry for telling him all of that, but I've never lied to him."
He laughed awkwardly.
"I understand."
I took a breath. "I need your help."
His expression immediately became serious.
"Go ahead. I'll do whatever I can."
"First, I need to know why you're willing to help us."
I had to be sure.
If Jackson was going to involve District 9, I needed to know where his loyalty actually stood.
"You know why."
He leaned back.
"No one deserves the kind of inhuman treatment your entire district has been facing. And Rosen's condition is pretty obvious to both of us."
I studied his face.
"How much do you actually care about my brother?"
Jackson didn't answer immediately.
"He was the only person there for me when I was suffering from severe parasomnia. You can't relate to that, I suppose."
His expression softened.
"I still remember those nights. I couldn't sleep properly because of the nightmares, and Rosen would stay awake just to make sure I was okay."
He looked down at his hands.
"That wasn't just kindness to me." He paused. "Rosen didn't abandon me before we separated. Now I'm not going to abandon him."
Now we're talking.
That was exactly what I somewhat wanted; I needed to hear.
"Jackson, I've already told you that District 10 is facing a serious threat from District 1. And you know there's a huge difference between our military strength."
I raised a hand before he could misunderstand.
"I'm not insulting my own district. I'm just being realistic."
I took a breath.
"I want my people evacuated."
Jackson's eyebrows rose.
"So?"
"District 10 doesn't have enough manpower to protect everyone. I want to evacuate the civilians."
His expression changed.
"You want them evacuated into my district."
"Yes."
I nodded.
"There aren't that many civilians left, so it shouldn't be an impossible number."
Jackson became thoughtful.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Please say yes. Just look at me and see how desperate I am.
Please.
Finally, he sighed.
"At first, I thought you were going to ask me for soldiers."
He looked at me. "But this? I'm willing to help."
I nearly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you."
"But how are you planning to do it?" he asked. "It doesn't exactly sound easy."
"Well, that's the surprising part."
I smiled faintly. "It isn't a problem."
I leaned closer.
"We built a tunnel."
Jackson blinked.
"A tunnel?"
"An underwater tunnel. It leads directly to District 9."
His eyes widened.
"You built a tunnel without my permission."
"Please overlook that."
I gave him an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry. But District 10 is the closest to yours, and now that I know you're my brother's friend, I feel slightly less guilty about it."
Jackson stared at me. "Wow."
He placed a hand against his chest dramatically.
"Should I praise you for everything you've been doing just because I'm your brother's friend?"
"No."
I shook my head.
"I only found out that you two were friends recently. It was a coincidence."
"Really?"
He smiled. "Your brother told me you don't do anything without a motive. Whether it's regarding something or someone."
"Hmm."
I laughed.
"See how much my brother knows me?"
I shrugged. "But our first interaction wasn't planned. That just happened."
"Fine. I'm not accusing you."
He stood.
"So, are we going or not?"
He pointed toward the hallway.
"Or, more specifically, are you going?"
We didn't have any reason to stay behind.
We had to go. I only hoped what I was thinking wouldn't actually happen.
"We'll go."
I stood as well.
"You'd better pack your things, because I'm not helping you this time."
"Yeah, right."
He smirked. "Last time, you ran away immediately after seeing a picture of me with Rosen."
"Well, I didn't know you two were friends."
"He never told you about me?"
"Nope."
I think I saw him sigh. I can't blame Bro for keeping that part of his past to himself.
"We became friends when we were five," Jackson said. "At first, we fought constantly. Then we started competing with each other."
He smiled. "Eventually, we became friends."
I smiled too.
"Brother really cherishes you. He probably wanted to contact you. He just couldn't bring himself to do it."
"He didn't want me to see him like this."
"Yeah."
I looked away.
"He's better now, though. Much better than before."
Jackson's expression became serious.
"What was his condition back then?"
My chest tightened.
If someone ever asked me about my guilty conscience, this would be it.
I had been young, but I still remembered that day. The time it took me to reach the gun.
Those few seconds.
Sometimes I still wondered whether they could have changed everything.
That scene had replayed in my dreams more times than I could count.
I told Jackson everything. Every detail.
I never thought I'd have to explain it again.
And saying it aloud still made me question myself.
"All I remember seeing afterward was Bro covered in blood."
My voice grew quieter.
"Because of the blood loss and the damage to his legs, they were never the same again. He fell into a coma."
I swallowed.
"Bro became terrified of sleeping afterward. He thought that if he fell asleep like that again, he might never wake up."
Jackson didn't interrupt.
"The doctors eventually gave up hope. The bullets had caused severe damage, and he was partially paralyzed for almost three years."
I looked down.
"He went through so much." My voice cracked. "And he never complained."
I wiped at my eyes.
"That was the part I hated most."
I didn't like crying in front of people.
Lately, though, it seems to happen whether I wanted it to or not.
"So District 10 declined," Jackson said quietly.
"Yes."
I nodded.
"Uncle Joe did everything he could to stabilize the district. A lot of people started looking at us like easy prey."
I exhaled.
"Then I took over under Uncle's guidance."
Jackson looked at me.
"At what age?"
"I mean, I got District 9 when I was seventeen."
"I was eleven when Father died."
I counted silently.
"Three years later, when I turned fourteen."
Jackson stared at me. "Should I call you lucky?"
"Lucky my ass."
I rolled my eyes.
"It's boring sometimes."
"Hmm."
He nodded.
"I can't disagree with that."
Then he looked at me with a strange expression.
"So you're a fighter."
"How do you know?"
"Just guessed."
I frowned.
"That's not something you can easily guess."
"Just a guess."
He smiled.
"How did you become one?"
That smile.
The cheesy smile.
"I won't say I was born strong or anything."
I shook my head.
"I know you wouldn't believe that."
"If you'd told me you were born with a superpower, I probably would have believed you."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "You amaze me every second."
I laughed.
"Okay. Fine."
I leaned back.
"When Dad was alive, he used to teach me...more like beat me whenever I did something wrong. I suppose that made me mentally stronger."
I paused.
"About a year before his death, he hired a martial arts teacher for me."
Jackson listened carefully.
"I started training when I was ten and finished the main training at thirteen. After that, I spent another year studying and preparing."
I smiled faintly.
"Then, at fourteen, I became the district's ruler under Brother's name."
Jackson nodded slowly.
"I think you should feel praised by now."
"Quit it."
A cough interrupted us.
I looked up.
Uncle was standing right beside me.
Looking down at me.
With an expression I couldn't quite decipher.
He really needs to stop doing that.
His stealth walks were terrifying. "You're needed."
I sighed. Of course.
"Okay. You go first."
I turned toward Jackson and gave him my most helpless smile.
"I have to go."
"It's fine."
He waved a hand.
"I'll just roam around your gardens."
"Okay."
I pointed at him.
"But don't go to the back."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Why?"
"I won't call a doctor for you."
His expression became confused.
I sighed.
"Tom is at the back."
"Oh."
His eyes widened slightly.
"Okay."
He paused.
"But, for your information, I'm not that allergic. It's minor."
"Still. Don't go."
"Okay."
I nodded and left. I went downstairs to the underground base, where everyone was waiting.
"Is there a problem?"
Uncle looked at me. "The X9 fighting bots. There were three operational ones yesterday."
He hesitated. "Now there are only two."
Here we go again.
"Yesterday, everyone was confident about them. What happened?"
I looked around the room.
"Listen. I don't care what you have to do. Just make sure no one gets close to this place."
Scientist Four nodded.
"We understand. That's why we're preparing the smaller bots in much larger numbers."
"Fine."
I took a breath.
"Now let's discuss the evacuation plan."
Everyone became silent.
"We'll do everything we can to defend this place. But if things go wrong, I want all of you to leave this base as well."
I pointed toward the tunnel.
"Go through the tunnels and get the civilians to District 9."
Uncle immediately asked, "What about the people stationed at the border? And those inside the flying bots?"
"I was getting to that."
I looked at everyone.
"If you fail to hold the line, or you realize the situation is getting beyond our control, leave them a route back."
I paused.
"Don't return here unless I tell you to."
My voice became quieter.
"I'm afraid we might lose District 10."
Nobody spoke.
"After all, that's what this entire fight is really about."
I looked around the room.
"Do you understand?"
They stared back at me.
Wide-eyed.
I knew my speech had been a bit of a shock. But they needed to hear it.
District 10 didn't have many chances left, but we were willing to give it all.
If everything went according to plan, we might have a chance.
Maybe even more than that. But deep down, I was still afraid of the other fifty percent.
Uncle finally broke the silence.
"Did Jackson Woods agree?"
"Yes." I nodded.
"You all prepare everything as planned. No more bad news."
I looked at the scientists.
"If things become uncontrollable, save yourselves."
Then I remembered something.
"And make sure everyone inside the flying bots has an escape pod. That way, almost everyone can still be saved."
I turned toward Uncle.
"What about the team assigned to the civilians?"
"Already done."
"How many?"
"Twenty."
He continued, "There are thirty locations that need attention, but each person can cover more than one. Everyone has already been alerted to stay ready for our signal."
"Good."
I exhaled.
"Tomorrow, Jackson and I are going back."
I hesitated. "Give me at least two bots."
Everyone looked at me.
"In case we need to escape."
The expressions around the room twisted.
I couldn't blame them. There wasn't much else I could do.
Scientist Two finally spoke.
"We're proud of you, Rose."
I smiled faintly. "Thanks."
I turned toward the exit.
"Think positively and pray for everyone."
"Bye."
I left the room with a heavy heart.
But there was one thing I was relieved about. They hadn't asked me when I planned to leave. Because if something went horribly wrong...
I already knew I wouldn't.
If there was even the slightest chance that I could save my district by surrendering myself to them...
More specifically, to him...
Then I was prepared to take it.