GOLDEN AGE | ON HIATUS

XVII | SASHA

[ 17 ]

DEATH WAS A FORM of creation, too. Creation of ruin, of darkened skies and withered flowers. But unlike creation, it was no longer as beautiful as it had once been foretold, as the poets sang its praises. No -- death was ugly and brutal and violent, and Sasha would make sure that everyone knew. Those who glorified it could go on, but no would cry when death stole them away. They opened it with open arms, so why should they? But people like Sasha, the people who saw death as it truly was, who looked it in the eye and told it to let go, those were the people who escaped.

It was a wonder that she wasn't dead yet, but she took it.

She would never be like her family, so afraid of death that they didn't fight it, so afraid that they didn't even try to live their lives.

Sasha felt Narcissa's freshly manicured nails dig into her wrist, her pulse pounding in her ears as a round of polite applause concluded Director Singh's speech. The Scarlet Serpent was terrified, it was painstakingly clear -- and Sasha didn't blame her. It was no surprise that half the people out there, UN members, senators and exclusive reporters, hated her guts and probably wouldn't mind splashing a small fortune to have a bullet in her head. Had Sash been in her place, she would've probably been sobbing by now, but Narcissa kept a poker face on, jaw set and eyes dull and cold.

Heaving a breath, Sasha resisted the urge to close her eyes as an encouraging quirk of Neleesha's lips invited her to the podium, the speech she'd prepared clutched in her sweaty palm, pale pink nails clawing at the paper as she walked to the front, a thousand sets of eyes following her movement. As she cleared her throat, Sasha kept her eyes trained on the microphone, trying her best to keep her voice even despite the nerves making it quiver hopelessly.

"It is an honour to be here today," she began, tracing the edge of the podium with her finger. "In front of so many world-changing people, all of us with the common goal of helping Semper City's potential shine through. As you know, my name is Alexandra Sperova, and I am not a native, as many of you here are -- but that doesn't change my love for this city. I have a speech prepared, but after seeing so many faces in this room, with all of your stories, I've decided to not read from a sheet of paper. So hear these words, and know that they come from my heart, because that is the most important place that words that really mean something can come from."

Sasha didn't miss the tantalised glare that Director Singh shot her, dark eyes flashing.

"I have been in Semper for four years, and in those years I have seen people from every corner of the world, creating a mix of cultures that is nothing short of beautiful, and I'm sure many of you will agree. While others see Semper City as something needing to be saved, I see a brighter future, for all of us. For everyone in this city, regardless of which part they live in, regardless of who they are or what they will become. Mayhem breeds monsters, but today, we can change that and make Semper the greatest city in the world, if we all work towards the things that our communities have proposed. These include the reinstallation of youth programs, which give underprivileged teenagers a chance to make themselves into something better than what they will be forced to be.

The police service--"

A sudden bang cut her off, and Sasha found her chest heaving, air barely entering her lungs as she registered the sound as a gunshot. Ducking down behind the podium, her knuckles turned white, bone pressing against her freckle-beaten skin as she clutched the marble, holding on as if the floor was about to swallow her whole.