Revamped!

[I finished writing this arc a while ago.]

Forming Clay Soldiers: Part Seven

Commonwealth, The Earthen Union

Winter can't believe it. Jacin is calling her. He really is. That has to be a hallucination. Did she take her meds today? She's hearing his voice now. The quality of the call isn't that good and it's an unknown number so he has to be calling from a burner phone he picked up along the way but still, he's talking to her now. This is real!

Her heart races rapidly as she tries to speak.

"Jacin…" She mutters. "Everyone's worried. Where are you?"

Jacin Bae: I can't - anymore.

"Jacin, please, I don't understand."

Jacin Bae: You - the drug for me. Something potent and addictive - caffeine that keeps me awake - ecstasy that keeps me happy - a cold pill that calms me down. You could - I can't beat that high.

Winter's heart is about to burst right out of her chest. "Jacin, what are you talking about? You're scaring me. Are you on drugs or something?"

Jacin Bae: - a hold over me, you know it and I know it.

"Jacin?!"

There's no response. Winter yells his name repeatedly before seeing that the call died. Winter freezes as her phone sits in the palm of her hand. She tries calling back multiple times but nothing goes through. This was real, wasn't it? Tears well up in her eyes as she tries to understand the remnants of that choppy phone call. Winter screams before running out the door.

Flashes of her last days in Artemisia flash in her mind as her steps quicken. The haze fills her mind as that one voice yells for her help before it bit the dust. The blood that stained her hands, poured from her scars when they were fresh, and appeared everywhere around her. She knows that this time, she could save Jacin and she needs to.

She may not be sane but she's sentimental.

-o-

Location Unknown

Jacin walks through the airport, hood over his head as he tries to blend in with the crowd. Lucky for him, his corridor is packed with people headed the same way. His steps are quick yet casual to make it look like he isn't in a rush and not suspicious. His head is up and eyes look straight ahead. He needs to resemble a casual traveller until -

"Sir."

Jacin stops walking and sees the customs officer that has stopped him. He remains silent, unsure of how to handle this situation. He secretly hopes that he dropped something a while back and was getting it returned.

"You have been selected randomly for a secondary examination."

Jacin nods as he follows the customs officer. He quickly panics to himself since this was possibly not chosen "randomly." What are the chances that out of all the people walking down the same path, he had to be picked? This wasn't his day. Randomly? Aces…

Once he reaches the examination table, the customs officer stands on the other side. Jacin puts his bag, passport, jacket, and sweatshirt on the counter before taking a step back to allow the customs officer to begin his search.

"What's your reason for travelling today?" The customs officer asks. It sounds like procedure.

"Visiting my girlfriend," Jacin answers confidently. If he sounds even the slightest bit off or inconsistent, his entire story crumbles.

"Sounds romantic. How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"So, you're a student, right?" Jacin nods. "What school do you go to?"

"Andromeda Academy."

The customs officer nods as he continues searching Jacin's bag. Jacin remains still despite his anxious heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. The fact that the officer isn't asking more questions makes him more nervous and Jacin tries his hardest not to show it. It means that the customs officer is thinking of possible plot holes to his alibi.

The customs officer takes out the passport and compares the photo with him in real life. The blue hair is the obvious difference but it's shrugged off since he's a teenager. Jacin crosses his arms casually. The customs officer zips up Jacin's bag, giving him a bit of relief.

"Andromeda Academy…" The customs officer mutters. "That's the best and most prestigious military school in Luna and possibly the world."

Jacin nods as he's granted permission to put his sweatshirt and jacket back on.

"So, tell me this, Cadet Clay," the customs officer asks, "if you're on leave from military school, where are your legal papers granting leave?"

Jacin is left without words because he doesn't have any. He didn't think this part through. Spades … how didn't he not think of those? Answer: because his dad's the Dean so he never had to fill those out himself.

"Follow me into further questioning."

Jacin knows he's in trouble now. Nothing good ever comes out of further questioning because that's when stories fall apart.

-o-

Commonwealth, The Earthen Union

"You're late," Kai tells Cinder.

Cinder gives him a look as she stands beside his seat. Kai looks up at her with a cheeky grin and Cinder's glare breaks as she laughs. It was only a few minutes, not even double digits.

"I'm not late," Cinder argues. "I just showed up after you."

"Oh, sure, Cinder," Kai responds sarcastically. "Whatever pleases you."

"You know what they say, 'happy wife, happy life.'"

"We're not at that stage."

Cinder snickers. "We sure argue like we are."

Kai laughs. As he settles, he offers Cinder a seat and she sits across the table from him. Cinder quickly glances at the menu set before her as she scoots her chair in, and is glad not to see a mocha-cappuccino-thing as an option. She sees actual edible foods and drinks that she knows the words of. It was such a relief for her. Her only issue is that she promised Winter she'd bring her back a mocha-cappuccino-thing with extra foam.

"You look great," Kai tells her.

Cinder can feel her cheeks tinge with a little blush. "Thanks, so do -"

Cinder looks at Kai's outfit and sees that he's wearing a grey flannel like she is. She looks under the table and sees that he's in jeans and white converses. Cinder sits back up awkwardly which Kai notices. That prompts Kai to look under the table and he notices the elephant in the room immediately.

"Well…" Kai mutters.

"I guess we're one of those couples…" Cinder says before turning red after the realization that she called her and Kai a couple.

Kai only grins in response. Not only do they argue like they're married but they unconsciously coordinate their outfits. He likes it and she seems like she does too from behind her menu.

They'll be together forever. They're already bounded by their outfits.

-o-

Across the restaurant's street sits Cress, Thorne, Scarlet, and Wolf on one bench. They all share one pair of binoculars to spy on Kai and Cinder's date since they were not only invested in the future of their relationship although they had nothing to do that was more interesting. Cress is currently the one looking through the binoculars.

"My favourite part was when the teacher marked the test in front of you," Scarlet tells Thorne, reminiscing on her date with Wolf.

"Mine was when you failed," Wolf adds.

Scarlet and Wolf laugh at Thorne. He rolls his eyes, hating them both at the moment. That test wasn't his best moment and he hated that they saw that. If only he aced that test to make Scarlet and Wolf look stupid and feel like they wasted their time, but the stars were never in his favour and frankly, neither were the tests. To distract himself from his misery, Thorne takes the binoculars from Cress so he won't have to look at Scarlet and Wolf laughing at him.

"Hey!" Cress exclaims, taking them back. She focuses back on Cinder and Kai. "They're wearing the same outfit."

Wolf takes the binoculars. "Oh, my stars…"

Thorne takes them. "Aces, they'll be one of those couples for sure."

Scarlet takes them. "Only they could pull this off."

Wolf is about to argue but keeps his mouth shut. Only Scarlet could make a red sweatshirt look good. When he wore hers that one time, it wasn't his look.

Cress sighs happily. "I ship this so hard. What's happening now?"

"They're laughing," Scarlet explains as she continues watching through the binoculars. "Now, it's idle chitchat as they browse the menus."

"They should get the nachos," Thorne says. "That place has the best nachos in Commonwealth."

"On a date?" Cress cringes a little. "That's so messy."

"Nothing says I love you like a plate of comfort food like nachos."

Cress cringes even more now at Thorne. He huffs a laugh as he nudges her playfully. He would so buy her nachos for the two of them to share to prove his point that nothing is more romantic than some cheesy and gooey nachos.

"Oh, my stars!" Scarlet exclaims, looking closer. "What is Winter doing there?!"

[Jacin's in trouble … pretend I sang that in that tune. You should know what tune I'm talking about. But hey, that Kaider date is cute. I promise, their relationship will develop more.]