Defect

[chapter 18]

"This place is..." I began, my eyes wide.

"Huge," Alex finished. The wind rushed past us, ruffling our hair, and the air had that warm, slow-moving feel you always get around dusk, as if the wind is growing sleepy. We were standing on the top of a six-story building, courtesy of a decrepit fire escape clinging to the side of an ancient brick building. Far, far below us, Evos the size of ants strolled past, while more buildings went as far as the eye could see in every direction, some towering far higher than the abandoned apartment complex we stood on. The other side of the Wall was barely more than a speck on the horizon.

"How the hell are we supposed to get every single Evo exposed to the bioweapon?" I asked, feeling the last shreds of hope spiral down the drain. "There are millions of them."

"I know."

"And we only have one canister of the gas."

"I know."

"And we have no clue how it works, or how to make more, or if we're even understanding this whole thing--"

"Violet, I get it!"

There was silence. "At least the sunset's pretty."

He laughed. "Yeah, this is a good view. And so far the city doesn't seem to be made of cannibals or torture chambers."

"It's actually kinda... pretty," I said, looking around. I heard the sounds of everyday life--cars running, doors opening and closing. Around us, mixtures of every possible culture and form of architecture spiraled around each other: a Chinese-temple-style house next to some sort of authentic-looking Mexican restaurant. Glass and steel skyscrapers rose side-by-side with shacks decorated in colorful quilts, greenhouse gardens decorated the sidewalk next to chalk drawings of solar systems. Pillared buildings with golden rooftops seemed to be scattered throughout the whole area, and laundry had been hung out to air-dry in various alleys.

I glanced over at Alex, loving the way the evening light made everything have a soft, rounded glow to it. He was staring out at the city, a single tear glistening on his cheekbone, seemingly suspended in time.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently, snapping him out of it.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, blinking, "I just... It doesn't seem fair, you know? That the same people who have done so many cruel things to us--the people we're trying to take down--could make something so beautiful. I guess I was half expecting an evil lair, not... this. Not people. Not families."

"It's not that black and white--it never is," I said, looking out across the winding streets. "I know what you mean, though. It's hard to make everything fit together--I can't believe the people who built this and the people who killed my parents are the same."

"Yeah, but they did kill your parents. They shouldn't be allowed to treat us like dirt. It needs to end," he responded, standing and looking firm as ever.

"You're right," I sighed, leaning against the edge of the roof, crossing my arms. The brick was about waist-high and still warm from the sun. "But how are we going to get all of them together in one..."

I trailed off, my eyes widening. We looked at each other, electrified, and spoke in unison.

"Rot-Core Con."

It was so obvious it was dumb. Once a year, all the Evos attended a mandatory three-day event here in Rot-Core. No one knew what they did, just that for three days, every Evo picked up and left, and it was basically the largest holiday in the country--time when we could relax and enjoy ourselves and just breathe.

All of the Evos would be together in one place. Assuming we could somehow corral them into a small, enclosed area, we could let out the gas, and then...

I grinned widely, resisting the urge to jump up and down. Alex laughed out loud, and we hugged, thrilled with the realization.

"Okay, okay, we have to figure out what RCC even is, and where it's going to be," I said, stepping back just far enough to look into his eyes.

"Right, yes," he agreed, looking at me. "So... how do we do that? I mean, we can't just ask around. The Evos will know we're Non-Evos."

"I guess we look around? Eavesdrop on people, see if there's anyone preparing for a huge gathering, you know... The usual stuff."

"This is just so... I mean, this is amazing! We might actually have a chance!" He exclaimed, hugging me again and spinning. I laughed, letting the sound bubble up and overflow out my lips, momentarily forgetting we were in enemy territory.

It was hard to remain on high alert when all around me, I could hear and see a day coming to the end, when all I could feel was the lingering sparks where Alex's fingers had brushed across my skin.

It was hard to be terrified when all I could feel was the butterflies, fluttering from my stomach to my fingertips, when all I could see was the illuminated, supernaturally beautiful shade of his eyes in the dying sunlight.

The sky was the color of roses in July when I kissed him.   

***

Okay, so I suck. 

I know.

I haven't updated in over a month, and I left you guys in kind of a cliffhanger, and I suck. Deal with it. 

I am sorry that I haven't posted in a while, but I've been exhausted, stressed, and extremely busy, what with starting AP classes this year. I haven't gotten much time to write (or read), and what I did I spent on fanfiction, because I seriously needed to relax. 

H O W E V E R 

I did sit down today and type this up over the course of a little less than two hours. Hopefully it's decent--I was having trouble writing today because I'm so tired, so there might be typos. 

Also, guys, I was thinking about it today, and we've only got a few chapters left. Probably another 2-3 after this till the big, climax-y chapter, then 3-4 after that, and then it's over... Kinda sad. 

I am still writing a sequel, and I have a better idea of a name and a plot now--when I start working on that, I might post some descriptions/teaser-type stuff for you guys. 

Last but by no means least, THANK YOU. Everyone who comments or votes or even reads at all: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. We're almost up to 18K reads... Do you know how exciting that is? When I first joined, I was hardly brave enough to hope for 100, much less 17,900 something!!! 

This seriously means the world to me, guys.

Stay cool, my fellow Wattpadians. I hope the next update will come much, much sooner than this one did. 

--Earthstone