The Color of Knowledge

Chapter Sixteen (pt. 6)

"Keegan!" Ivy shouted. Her vocal cords vibrated. She ran to the edge he had just gone over. She was unable to see far enough down. He was gone. She turned back to Khamar who stood over her. "Why are you doing this?"

President Khamar shrugged. "I did nothing."

Ivy kicked him behind his ankles, sweeping his feet out from under him. She climbed on top of his aged body, punching him repeatedly. With every hit, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders: first, the weight of guilt, second, the weight of her parents' pain, third, the weight of Alex, and, finally, the weight of Keegan.

"You will not win," she spat through ragged breath. President Khamar did nothing but block the blows.

"It was his time," said Khamar. "As it was Alex's. As it is now yours."

Ivy was not listening. "You will not kill innocent people for something that can be prevented, you selfish animal!"

"None of that matters," said Khamar.

The sincerity in his voice made Ivy stop for the moment. It was the voice her mother had often warned her about when she was younger; the voice of a man in a strange van, offering candy to a child in the street.

President Khamar capitalized on her cessation to gain the upper hand. Moving fast, he shifted her body weight and had her hanging by one wrist out over the edge of The Society.

"You will not stop me," he said with a sadistic grin and twinkle in his eye. Blood dripped from his mouth, landing on Ivy's arm with soft patters.

She wriggled out in the open air, but it was hopeless. Tears sprang from her eyes. "You will not win!" she said sure as anyone could be.

A crackle filled the air and Tima's voice rang into the sky. "There are a few things you must know about The Society in which we live—"

Tears ran down Ivy's face. She smiled. "You're too late." She looked up into Khamar's wide eyes. "You will never win. Life is bigger than you and I. It is all of us, together."

"You're ready," whispered President Khamar.

Silence moved between them, suspended in the open air.

"I know," she said with a sense of understanding. "I have always known." Her brow furrowed. "How is it that I've always known?"

"The knowledge is within all of us. It's the experiences we live through that hold the power to bring it forth. I will only see you once more after this, Ivy. It has been a pleasure, truly."

She shook her head. "My parents. Spencer. Will you tell them for me?"

"No. It is necessary in their development. Everyone must have their own experiences in order to grow. It is my job to make sure they have those experiences. They will never see me as the good guy."

"Where will I go?"

"You already know the answer."

Ivy smiled. "The sun. It never actually dies."

"You have a bigger purpose on the other side," said President Khamar. "It won't be easy, but with the tools you have come to learn through your experiences, you will succeed."

"—The Society in which we live has misled us. They have lied to us and kept us in the dark for too long. These ivy leaves—"

"Ready?"

"Ready."

President Khamar let go of Ivy's hand. She closed her eyes and felt the sense of weightlessness take over her body.