Hi everyone, here is chapter 69 (at last!)! I hope you'll like it.
I just take a little time to thank LucyRider17 who reviews every chapter: thank you so much! You're very sweet! Also, I'd like to welcome lizDegna who just started to read the fic and seems to enjoy the story! And eventually, I'd like to thank abbieseal for her last, long and amazing review. It was a really really good surprise to read your comment. You guys are awesome! Reviews are always welcomed. It inspires me!
That said, enjoy this chapter!
Because of you
Alexandra woke up with a huge hangover, her mouth drier than ever. She turned on the side to bury her head in her pillow, grumbling. But she stopped dead when she smelt Lucas' scent on it. She forced her eyes to open and looked around her. He was gone. Or at least, he was not there anymore. She tried to recall her last night but all her memory was a blur. She was drunk, that she was sure about. Her aching head proving it.
She glanced under the sheets and exhaled loudly when she noticed she was naked. She let her head fall back on the mattress, annoyed. She had obviously slept with Lucas, again. She groaned in frustration. She had no will at all. She glanced to her clock and moaned, even more frustrated. It was eleven already.
"Shit…" She sighed. She managed to roll to the side of the bed and sit, rubbing her eyes with both hands. Last night had been a stupid act. But it had done well on her. Alcohol had made her insensitive and all the pain she had, had flush away during a moment. Now the agreeable effects of the dizziness were gone and she couldn't feel worse. Nausea, as usual, was threatening her. Alcohol, sickness, maybe both. She didn't have much time to wonder about it and ran to the toilets to throw up everything she had in her stomach.
Sat between the toilets and the shower, she tried to calm down. Once she felt better, she brushed her teeth and took a quick shower. She grabbed a pair of dark trousers and a green tee-shirt and dressed up. She went to the living room and found no trace of Lucas. She stopped to think where he could be and her eyes darted to the counter in the kitchen were a note was. Alexandra chuckled lightly when she read what was written on it.
'I had to leave for a summit meeting with my dear father... I rejoin you as soon as possible. Do not do anything silly while I'm away or I'll kill you myself, this is a promise. Lucas.'
"Lucas and his sarcastic comments," she smiled to herself. "Anyway, I won't wait for you forever love," she added before putting her shoes on and heading outside. She didn't have to think too much where she wanted to go. Boylan's bar was the shelter she needed.
Boylan scanned the girl from head to toe when she entered the room. Her trousers seemed too big for her and it made her skinnier than he remembered. Her face was pale, despite the fact that she was constantly in the sun outside. Not only one night out, like the one last night, could have made violet marks under her eyes like it was right now. Tom knew she was sick. He just didn't know how bad it was. Only now he wondered if he had underestimated her state. Maybe it was worse than he had thought.
"Hey ! Sleep well?" He mocked her.
"Like a baby," she grinned.
"You came for the second round?" He beamed, his mocking eyes shining with mischief.
"It sounds tempting, but I think I'll pass this time. Too many collateral damages," she grimaced.
"Water?"
"Thanks."
Alexandra emptied the glass quickly. The cold water was doing good on her. Alcohol had always side effects, especially a dry mouth.
"Tom…"
"Yep?"
"Do you think…" She started to ask. Her eyes were on the bar, staring at her fingers as they were tracing patterns on the counter. "Do you think someone can stay who he is, I mean who he really is, all his life?" As Boylan didn't answer, she looked up and saw he was smiling at her. "What?"
"What is it that ya really wanna tell me?"
"I know you know a lot of things Tom. Most of them you shouldn't know," she chuckled. "You know me, right? You know my story. I've never had to tell you." He nodded in agreement. Of course, he knew almost everything. That was one of the good consequences of being a bartender. "I don't wanna them to think they have changed me. I don't want them to think they have me, that they own me. I'm not a piece in their game. I am the one who decides what I want to be. I want to be me." Boylan didn't ask her who 'them' were. It didn't matter. It was clearly not the most important part of her talk.
"What do you really wanna know girl?"
"Do you think that no matter what happen in our life we can keep to who we are?"
"I think so, yes."
"'Cause… There are some wounds that just can't mend, I do pretend, pretend I am free from all the bad things that happened. But it's printed in my memory. I don't want anyone to change me into someone I'm not. I want to be me… Until the end, you know."
"Sound a little bit sad, don't ya? Is there something you wanna share with old uncle Tom?" He grinned widely to her, but she could see how serious he was. "I'm good when it comes to listen ya know!"
"Yeah… I know. Thanks."
"Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes good things fall apart only to be replaced by better things."
"I wish you were right, Tom."
"Alex, you don't have to worry. You still are who you really are."
"I'm not so sure anymore."
"I know you've got the feeling you've been different lately. But you don't see yourself clearly. If you're looking for a proof, think about yesterday."
"I don't think it's a good thing if I'm myself when I'm drunk only," she grinned truthfully.
"See! You still smile so easily, it is always an honest smile that charms everyone. Your eyes sparkle with life and mischief. When you come into a room everyone hooks you at a glance. You are an accessible person and even if you say you do not like people, we both know that's not true. That's only to protect yourself from being hurt. I can assure you, you are still yourself. Stay as you are, you're perfect this way."
"Thank you Tom," she smiled sheepishly. Then a red light started to lighten in the bar. "What is it?" She asked, worried.
"Ah that… Taylor has installed them everywhere few months ago. When they turn on, we must gather in front of the headquarters."
"A little bit gushy, no?"
"Yeah, he probably wants to talk to us. Come on, let's go and find out!" He smiled.
"I might stay here."
"Come on cheeky girl, Daddy wants you out!" He laughed, putting his arm around her waist and pushing her outside with him.
Tom and Alexandra arrived in front of the headquarters where hundreds of people were gathered. They stayed back from the crowd, near a unit, waiting. On the balcony, Taylor arrived, surrounded by Jim, Damon and Lucas. Alexandra's heart tightened at their sight. So that was the famous summit Lucas was talking about. What were they doing? What kind of announcement needed to gather everyone?
Taylor held his hands up to ask everyone's attention. When the silence had installed, he started to speak, his voice solemn and his icy gaze deeply serious.
"People of Terra Nova, I'm not going to waste time and maintain the suspense about why I have asked you to come here today. It has been confirmed that we are going to be attacked soon," he claimed. Some murmurs started to grow into the crowd in reaction to his statement. Taylor held his hands in the air again to calm them. "We have collected information that proves that we are going to be attack. Unfortunately, we can't know exactly when this is going to happen. This is why I want you to be strong. I know I have already asked you a lot, but this is going to be war, and I need you to be prepared."
"What a bunch of scumbags!" Alexandra heard a man growled in front of her.
"I told you so!" Another one replied. "They think we are stupid or what? All this to keep us under his command, as a well-behaved dog."
"It's been a year now since he told us to be careful. And now the threat is on again but he still doesn't know when these bastards are gonna come. Bloody Taylor, his glorious days are long gone," an older one sighed.
"Gentlemen, ladies are here. Maybe you should behave yourself," Tom suddenly warned the men.
The three men turned to look at him and noticed that Alexandra was glaring at them. She had not realized she was staring at them angrily until she met their disturbed faces.
"Sorry miss," the oldest one said, turning his attention back to the balcony, imitated by the two others.
"Alright, Alex?" Tom asked, concerned.
"Yeah."
"Don't listen to them. They know nothing."
She nodded in agreement but their conversation was repeating in her mind. The fact that they didn't believe in Taylor anymore was disturbing her. She had doubted him too in the past. But she knew he was a good man. There was a leader in him and he would always take the right decision for his people. Obviously, the last year had not been as easy as Alexandra had thought. The Terra Novan looked in good health, but mentally, they were knackered. Exhausted to live in fear, tired of waiting for an enemy that never came. Doubts about Taylor's credibility had started to grow inside them, it was evident now.
"We are not soldiers, Taylor!" A woman yelled.
"She's right, we didn't sign for this!" Another man added.
"I know you have already endured a lot. I know you are angry. This situation is complicated. But you need to comprehend the difficulty of it. This threat is real and we need to be ready to face it, all of us."
"How do you know it's not a trap? Your son betrayed you in the past. We already had to rebuild the colony after he and his men destroyed it. How do you know this time is different?"
Alexandra looked at Lucas who stayed emotionless. Actually, his eyes were shining with laughter and his lips were in a thin line, as if he was trying not to smile proudly. He had never shown regret about attacking the colony, he was not going to have some now. He would have probably replied to this man's insinuation if the entire colony was not listening right now. For sure, he would have given him a quick and sarcastic response.
"As the commander of this colony and with all the authority and power that it gives me, I can assure you that I am not lying. This has nothing to do with my son, nor the Sixers, nor the Phoenix group. This time is different. This time, the danger is coming from the future. We are their only exit door. They want to save their lives in detriment of ours. In the world we left behind, I watched as crap went on and people get hurt, but some of us have to stand up. With or without recognition I will use everything I have to protect those that can't protect themselves, to protect the ones I love."
"You just react as a kid who wants to play war. This isn't a game, this is our life!"
Taylor frowned at the man's comment. How could he believe him so egoist that he would put them in danger just to have fun?
"I am very sorry to hear you think that of me. But I am going to be clear right now, this is not an option. Whether you like it or not, there is going to be a fight. And when it will happen, we will be ready. I won't allow anyone to destroy what we took time to create."
"How can we prepare a fight we don't know when it will happen? This is nonsense! There must be a way to avoid this!"
"We tried to figure out another solution, but there is none."
"Liar!" A man in his forties shouted, a worried woman, who was probably his wife, gripping his arm, begging him to keep quiet.
Alexandra had not expected them to react that way. She wanted them to understand the danger that was coming. They could be worried, it was comprehensible. But they should want to fight for their home. They should want to fight for their life. Why were they angry with Taylor? He had done nothing wrong. She closed her eyes and shook her head with annoyance. This man was wrong, but his perseverance and his attitude were going to convince the others to believe him.
"He is right! You already told us to prepare ourselves a year ago and nothing happened! You're a liar!"
"He's not a liar!" A woman claimed loudly, silencing the crowd.
Taylor looked where the voice had come and found Alexandra, confused. She had not realized it was her own voice which had yelled until every eye was on her. She had not thought when she had spoken. The words had come out without waiting for her brain to allow it or restrain it. Now, she was regretting it as everyone was staring at her. She was not regretting what she had said, because she believed it. No, she was regretting she had said it aloud.
"And how would you know that?" The married man said angrily as he stepped to her. She quickly stepped back in reflex, surprised by the man's temper. Her eyes went down her leg, ready to grab her knife in case the man came too close.
"I asked you a question," he insisted.
Alexandra glanced quickly to the balcony as she spotted a movement there and saw Lucas ready to jump down in case she needed help. She shook her head slowly from side to side to show him she was handling the situation and she put her gaze back on the man.
"He gave you a second chance! He gave you the opportunity to start over, to change your life, to be better people. Why would he lie to you now?"
Whispers started to fill the place again. As the man in front of her seemed speechless, Alexandra made a decision. She was the first to claim for the truth, the one who refused to stay in the dark, the one who said that lies brought troubles only. She had to tell them the truth. They were going to die, all of them, if they didn't have a plan. She ran upstairs and stepped next to Taylor, looking at the people down there.
"People of Terra Nova, some of you might know me as the French girl from 2012. Some of you might know me as the soldier from the market. Some of you might know me as Taylor's son's girlfriend. Or maybe some of you just know me for the party in my name last week. Some of you know me very well and some of you have probably never heard of me. My name is Alexandra Paris and I am one of yours. I am a Terra Novan and I'm proud of it. This place is my home as much as yours and I will defend it from anyone who threatens to destroy it. I'm not a liar. He's not a liar," she affirmed, pointing her finger in Taylor's direction. "You should trust Taylor when he says that what we are going to face is gonna be decisive for Terra Nova, for your home, our home. This is the day you decide to fight for your freedom, for this second chance he gave you. Today is the day you decide if you wanna fight for your life or die as martyrs. Because let's face it, there will be no mercy. Nobody will be spared. Not your wives, nor your children. A war is growing up and we must prepare ourselves to win it. Because we can win, we really can. But we have to stick together to succeed. We have to prepare ourselves and above all, we have to believe in each other."
"How can you be so sure?" A woman with grey hair asked skeptically. "How can you know what is going to happen? You're not a medium!"
"I'm sure of myself because I know the man who's gonna lead the troops. Because I know this man is never gonna stop until he reaps this place apart. He's never gonna stop until he finds what he's looking for. And if I'm so sure of what this man is capable of, it's only because I know him for a long time. Because I already fought with him. Because he is my father." An heavy silence followed that confession, then murmurs started to raise from the civilians. "This man will come and destroy this place. He will do it and have no regret, because this man is… heartless."
Only now she realized how evil her father was. She knew they were different, but she had never really thought that they were actually opposite. He had always mocked her heart and she had lied to herself thinking he had one. She had known for a long time that he was heartless, she had just never put a word on it.
"So this is all your fault if he's coming here! He's coming for you!" A man shouted from behind.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Jim intervened. "She has nothing to do with that. She's a victim, just like all of us."
"No! This man he's right," Alexandra stopped him. "You're right," she said, looking straight to the man. "I failed. My plan was to protect you all from the future. I should have ended it there, but I didn't have the time to finish what I've started."
"You didn't succeed back there. How could we succeed here?"
"Their only power over us is the surprise. We are stronger than them. We are better than them. And above all, we have insiders with them. We are not alone."
Alexandra felt everyone around her stiffen at her statement. It was true that she had never really told them that she had insiders in her father's army. She had mentioned she had started a tiny revolution with Sean but they probably had never thought she had other friends to help her. Only now she realized she had not said everything about her life back then. It was really time to tell everyone the whole truth.
"Are you going to fight them?" The woman inquired. Alexandra felt Damon and Lucas' eyes boring into her, waiting for her answer. They were eager to know if she was going to fight or not. Not only for her life, but for staying alive. She had to choose the good words for her response. She would not lie in front of so many people.
"I'll fight as long as I can to protect this colony. As long as I stand, I'll defend Terra Nova. And I know you'll do the same. All of you. Because you are fighters. You are here because you are the bravest. You are the most courageous people I know. You left your life behind to start a new one here. You wanted to be here. You were ready to fight for it and you're still ready to fight for it. I'd rather die today than stay here and wait for them to come and rape this place apart."
"We can't think like you! We've got family to protect, children! We can't risk to die," a young woman with two kids in her arms stated.
"We are talking about the fate of the human race here," Taylor said. "If you were in my place, would you bow? Would you let those people come here, in Terra Nova, our home, and let them do what they did to the Earth we left behind? Or would you fight?"
"You want to protect your kids? Then fight for them! If you don't, they won't have any future," Jim confirmed.
"I can promise you something," Taylor continued. "If we stay together, we will win. We are going to win this war. You are the resistance. Fight for your future, rise for your freedom."
"If you want to stay here, you have a decision to make. Sometimes is just easier to let things fall apart. But I dare you to choose the easy way out," Alexandra challenged them.
"I'm with the girl," Boylan said loudly. Alexandra searched him in the crowd and spotted him, arms folded on his chest, leaning against a house. He winked at her and she felt a smile spreading on her face.
"You can count on me," Josh shouted from behind.
"Me too," a female voice said. Alexandra found Skye had stepped in front of the people.
"Count me in too," another girl voice said. Alexandra was surprised to see Trinity stepped next to Skye, soon followed by Elisabeth, Maddy, Hunter, Tasha, Reilly, Dunham... And people Alexandra didn't even know.
"We won't leave! We won't go anywhere. This is our home and we're gonna fight for it," the young woman said, her eyes shining with tears, but determined.
Alexandra felt Lucas stepped next to her and put his right hand on her left shoulder, squeezing it lightly, proving her he was right here with her, supporting her.
Alexandra felt a wave of hope fill her body. She suddenly felt proud. Proud of Terra Nova, proud of its people, proud of their bravery and their determination to defend their home. She felt proud to be on their side, proud to fight on the good side, the side of the good guys. She took a deep breath and straightened up facing the crowd, feeling strangely proud of her too.
"She has no idea of the effect she can have on people," Taylor whispered to Jim.
"She's a survivor and people are willing to help her. They'll fight with her."
"Let's start the preparation," Taylor declared with intensity to his people.
Feel the music, feel the story
"Do you think about everything you've been through? You never thought you'd be so depressed. Are you wondering, is it life or death? Do you think that there's no one like you? We are, we are, we are, we are the ones. We get knocked down. We get back up and stand above the crowd. […] The life I think about is so much better than this. I never thought I'd be stuck in this mess. I'm sick of wondering, is it life or death? I need to figure out who's behind me." One X – Three Days Grace
