Hey guys! I'm not dead! I promise.. just lost some inspiration:( Sorry for not updating lately... the story is coming to a close in the next two chapters so I wanted to thank you for sticking by me!

The song for this chapter is Trees by Twenty One Pilots

Love you guys! Happy reading=D

Chapter Fourteen

My heart lurched at the word. Rebels. I immediately thought of Mom and Dad, and Kaden and Ostin. What if they don't make it out alive?

"How-wha-huh?" was my response.

"Stay here," Kile told me with a wild look in his eyes. He ran toward the library door and stopped right before the exit. He turned to face me and his eyes softened. They filled with so much love and protectiveness, and it was for me.

"I love you, Eadlyn Schreave!" he yelled over the noise. He didn't give me a chance to respond, for he turned off the lights in the library and ran out the door, closing it behind him.

I stood there for moment, and the alarms stopped blaring. "I love you too," I whispered to the darkness.

I knew the library well enough to move around in the dark. I found an area between bookcases that I thought served well eough as a hiding spot.

Of course I wanted to go fight and not let Kile and the guards do it for me, but I'm the heir to Illèa. Ahren has eloped, so he couldn't come back and be king, and I would never want to put Kaden under all of the pressure I had growing up.

If he's even alive, the back of my mind whispered.

I needed to make a choice. Illèa or-

The door to the library opened and I snuck a glance, hoping it was Kile.

It wasn't.

But I recognized him. He had a rifle. Was he- no, he couldn't be.

I stood. "Ean?"

He turned on the lights and I squinted to let my eyes adjust.

"There you are," he said with a sly smile.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Put it together, Your Highness."

The tears filled my eyes before I could comprehend. Ean Cabel is a rebel. He is one of the people who were the reason Dad was aging before his time, the reason hundreds of people could already be dead. Aspen's training kicked in at the exact right moment. I jumped to the right behind a bookcase the second a gunshot rang out.

I sat behind the bookshelf, panting due to the extra kick of adrenaline.

"Come out, pretty princess."

The rifle cocked and I dashed to another bookcase, hoping he didn't see me.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he taunted.

The fear was the only element racing through my veins. The only thing I could focus on and understand.

Another shot rang out and I gripped the bookcase, ignoring the violent ringing throughout my ears.

"Oops, not there, are you?"

The tears ran down my face to my dismay. I had to do something before he killed me. Ean Cabel could kill me.

I recalled Aspen's training. I wasn't sure the exact type of rifle he had, but usually rifles hold about 20 bullets. So if I can make him use up all 20, he can't kill me. Right?

I grab a book in the shelf next to me, turn my head just enough to see him wandering through the library. I throw it at him suddenly and it knocks him right in the head. I jump to the side and cover my ears, desperate to muffle the noise of another gunshot.

I hear him growl and stomp to my hiding place. I have no other choice but to crawl as fast as I can to the aisle of books next to me. As I crawl, three more gunshots reverberate.

I pause, catching my breath. He used two before, and now four. I sighed, 14 left to go.

I repeated the action again. This time he shot six. Eight more, I encouraged myself.

Shaking, I grabbed another book.

"Princess," he whined. "Taunting is mean."

I couldn't resist. "Sorry, but aggravating you is a blast."

I ducked as three more gunshots rang out. They were more towards where I was. He's getting close to his mark: me.

Five, five, five. The number was the only thing keeping me going as I stood up completely, understanding the consequences.

"There you are."

And I started to run. I suddenly ducked and did a forward roll behind a bookcase. Four gunshots followed my motions.

Just one more, Eadlyn.

The rifle cocked for the last time, and another gunshot pierced my aching ears.

Except it wasn't aiming for me. I looked out toward the entrance to the library to see Neena, her maid's outfit soaked in blood.

At this moment, I didn't care about dying, I needed to get to her.

I stood and ran to my loyal maid.

She was now on the floor, already dead.

Her eyes were open, but now lifeless. I remembered when they were full of color. When she got offended when I said something stupid, or when they lit up when she told me about her boyfriend.

I sobbed as I whispered her name like a prayer, rocking back and forth.

I looked up as Ean centered into his prey. Rifle pointed right at me.

I stared back at him, daring him to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, Ean's head was penetrated by a bullet. Red dripping down his forehead as he fell to the library floor.

Behind him was Mom. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress now in tatters, blood soaking most of it. Her hair was pulled back into a now loose bun, a pistol in her hands.

"Mom?" I asked in disbelief.

Her warrior face now sympathized when she saw Neena in my arms. "Oh, honey."

I put Neena back on the floor, relieved that Mom was alive. I looked down at my hands, covered in Neena's blood. I quickly wiped as much of the substance onto my exercise pants, wanting to get it off of me.

Mom waited a minute before saying, "let's go."

I followed her out of the library, trying not notice how silent it had gotten. Rushing to the closest passageway to the royal rooms Mom ran to the wall of it, using her hands to pull the wall to the right.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

The wall popped open, and inside was a little closet-like area.

Mom grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, slamming the door.

The room became completely pitch black. I found myself clinging to Mom, just to make sure she was still there.

"Are the other safe?" I ask.

"Max- your dad has Ostin," she sniffed, holding back tears. "That's all I know."

I hugged her tighter, fearing for my brother's life.

"Will you tell me a story? Something to get my mind off of things?"

Her hand stroked my head.

"Okay." She paused. "When your dad had his Selection, my mother was ecstatic..."