Eidolon

The peacekeepers took me back to Manel's house. I'm glad because I feel safe here. I can wait in my room and try and distract myself from how shaken I feel.

I thought I could trust Iris. I thought I could be friends with her. But then she drugged me and got her friend to threaten me with a gun. Now I realise how vulnerable I really am. Manel and I might not be officially together anymore but I know I haven't broken things off with him fully. A lot of people are going to see me as the president's boyfriend - a target.

I know Manel has come back the moment I hear the door open. I wanted to see him the moment I was brought here but I was told he was off doing something important. Now he's back.

"Eidolon!" He cries. He rushes over and throws his arms around me. I feel the same sense of comfort I usually do when he's close. "I'm sorry. Nobody told me what happened to you. I only just found out."

I start sobbing, overwhelmed by what happened today. Manel just holds me close to him. I realise this is a bad idea. I shouldn't be close to him. I'm supposed to be giving him space.

But I'm scared of being separated from him again. The world just got a lot scarier and I don't know who I can trust anymore.

I pull away and reach for a pen and a notepad. I don't have the energy to think of what to sign.

What are we doing? I write. I thought we were breaking up.

"Do you want that?" he asks. "You can leave again if you want to. Do you want to?"

I shake my head. I'm scared, Manel.

"Then let me keep you safe," Manel says. He pulls me back into his arms. I can see it all, all the kindness and gentleness that I fell so hard for. I kiss him.

Manel frowns. "I'm glad I've got you back but I wish it happened for a different reason. I wish it was because you thought I'd changed."

I sigh and look him in the eye. I press a hand to his cheek.

"I guess I can still change," he says. "I'm going to surrender."

I gasp.

"It'll be okay," Manel says. "I helped Fawkes rescue his girlfriend. That'll give me some goodwill from the rebels. Maybe I can talk them into giving me a smaller sentence. I just… don't want to be president anymore. I don't want to be powerful. And I really don't want to be in a position that puts you at risk."

I nod. I understand.

It was foolish of me to hope for some stability with Manel. I just need to hope that he survives this.


Régine

The moment I heard Lobos had surrendered and I was allowed to see Binah and Fawkes in the Capitol, I was on the train. I needed to catch up with Fawkes and it was my duty to tell Binah where Ramona had really gone.

I didn't want to spend all my time in the Capitol with them. There was someone else I wanted to visit.

I have to wait for visiting hours. Apparently, while I was in District 7, Iris tried to get revenge on Lobos by kidnapping his boyfriend and ended up in a juvenile detention centre. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

I can't stop thinking about how lonely Iris must've been when she decided to do that.

Her eyes widen with surprise when she sees me sit at her booth. I don't think she was expecting any visitors.

"You've got a lot of nerve, Maurin," Iris says. "Trying to be nice again after what you did."

"All I did was save my friend's life," I say. "Now Ramona's gone. You're never going to have to think about her again. Maybe, one day, you'll realise that she did you a favour."

Iris laughs. "She murdered my grandfather. She turned me from the president's granddaughter to a useless orphan with no family, no money and no power. How did Hirose do me a favour?"

I sigh. "Your grandfather brainwashed you, Iris. He made you believe he was right about everything. As long as he was alive, you were his puppet. Now you finally have a chance to break free from him, be your own person. Now you finally have a chance to have some real power."

"You're wrong!" Iris cries. "My grandfather loved me! He'd never try to control me. He was just always right."

"I know you loved him," I say, calmly. "I know he was all you had. But you have to let him go, otherwise he's only going to hurt you. Let someone else in. Find someone else to love. Please, Iris. Trust me. Otherwise, when they let you out of here, life is going to be very difficult for you. I just want you to be happy. You deserve it, even after what you've done. I believe in you."

Iris' eyes widen. "Do you really think… I can change? And… it's a good thing?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'll help you. I'll be your friend if you let me."

She smiles, shyly. She looks very pretty when she smiles. She'd probably look even prettier with darker hair. Iris must've dyed her hair blonde for years, probably to look more like her grandfather did when he was young. Now I can see the darker roots showing through. Maybe I'll be able to convince her to stop dying her hair blonde and let it be its natural colour. I can convince her to break free of her grandfather's influence.

"Okay," Iris says. "Maybe I do want to be friends with you."


Binah

I come back from the hospital to find Fawkes crying.

Over the last week or so, my legs have been getting better. Every day, I go to the hospital to have them injected with something that speeds up the healing process. It's been a week and I've been able to take my casts off. My injuries mean it's been harder for me to help Fawkes look after the baby so I was hoping I'd be able to contribute more.

I was surprised by how easy it was. I expected looking after a child would be an absolute nightmare but Fawkes threw himself into caring for this baby. He seems so happy to be caring for someone. It's reassuring to have someone so confident to help me when I'm unsure. Maybe we can really be a happy family. Maybe I'll be able to do a better job than my parents.

But today, I find Fawkes crying and I know it's the end.

"I found his parents," I say. "They're both still alive. His mother left him because she had too many kids and she couldn't carry them all. They're on the train right now. They're going to come and take him away."

I wrap my arms around Fawkes to comfort him. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Fawkes says. "I'm glad they're alive. I'm just going to miss the little guy."

In that moment, I realise what I have to do.

The other day, I looked at Fawkes and realised with a start that we're both adults. If we were both normal people, we'd both have left school and found a job by now. Fawkes seems to want some responsibility. He finds it therapeutic. Giving himself jobs like looking after a baby is his way of building himself up, of telling himself he's strong enough. I've always been scared of responsibility, scared I'll let people down like I let my parents down so many times. But now I see that I shouldn't let my fear rule me.

I think I'm ready. This will be good for both of us. I have what it takes

"If you want to adopt a kid, we can. If there's a kid who needs caring for, we can care for them."

Fawkes' eyes light up. "Really?"

"Really," I say. "Where do you want to look first?"

"Here, in the Capitol," Fawkes says. "I still blame myself for the bombing. Also, maybe if I adopt a kid from the Capitol, people will see it as a gesture of peace. We have to stop treating them as the enemy."

I smile. Even now he's mostly staying out of politics, Fawkes is looking for ways to help the country recover.

"We can start looking into it tomorrow," I say. "Maybe think about going to parenting courses. This isn't something we should just do straight away. We need a plan."

"Okay," Fawkes says. "I like plans."

I kiss him, gently. I feel like I've got used to this. I kiss Fawkes pretty much every day. It doesn't wake up the uncertainty in me that it used to, only happiness.


We're almost at the end. Now it's just a matter of giving everyone a happy ending. There'll probably just be two more chapters, unless I can think of another evil last minute twist.

This chapter has a lot of reunions between characters. Eidolon's reunion with Manel is kind of bittersweet. Eidolon's attempt to be more independent failed but, luckily, Manel is willing to give up his power to keep Eidolon safe. He's prioritising Eidolon's happiness over hurting people. Also, Régine is willing to come back for Iris and give her a second chance.

Thanks to ReadBooksWriteThings for coming up with the adoption idea and letting me use it. Also thanks for giving me so much support, especially while I've been struggling with covid.