The Insane Asylum

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

She stuck her tongue out

[[deleted user]]

Aris smirked.

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"You haven't changed a bit,"

[[deleted user]]

"I got older," Aris said. "I grew up."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"But you're still the same person inside," she said

[[deleted user]]

"Maybe. You're braver than I remember," Aris told Cinder. "You're tougher for certain. I remember when you couldn't get a paper cut without bawling."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

She gave a small laugh. "I got tougher because I had to."

[[deleted user]]

"I think that everyone does," Aris agreed.

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"It wasn't easy to though,"

[[deleted user]]

"Is it ever?" Aris asked. "I've seen and done horrible things, Cinder. Do you think it's easy to face you now?"

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

She shook her head. "I almost killed a man yesterday"

[[deleted user]]

"In self defense," Aris stated. "He was torturing you; that's different." He looked Cinder in the eyes. "You're a good person."

[[deleted user]]

((Also, I figured out a way to get the html format for my book more quickly. However, it is a bit wonky with the indent. I have chapters 1 & 3 posted))

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"I thought if I told him I would, he'd stop. I never wanted to, but when the trigger fired... I don't even know if he's dead or not. I don't know what id do if he died because of me," she said

((Awesome! I've been really busy the past two days helping my family with Halloween so I'll read it asap))

[[deleted user]]

((It's fine. Whenever you get a chance. I'm just letting you know what I've gotten up. I have some of the outline up now as well. I just finished writing chapter five))

"I've been on the Council long enough to know he's almost surely living," Aris told Cinder, not sure if that would reassure her.

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"That doesn't help. Still it's just the fact that I actually pulled the trigger that bothers me..." She trailed off, not looking at him

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

((sorry, just saw this. I have no service while I'm on the phone))

[[deleted user]]

((I just got on because sleep))

"You were saving your own life," Aris insisted. "Besides, like the Resistance hasn't killed people before. Your Resistance isn't much better than the Council, if at all."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"at least we're trying to stop the council" she gave him a look

[[deleted user]]

Aris sighed. "Maybe, maybe not. I want to fix it, not kill it."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"They killed mom," she said

[[deleted user]]

((How long ago was that again?))

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

((Uh... I think she was 13 so 6 years ago))

[[deleted user]]

((kay))

"I know," Aris whispered, looking at the dirty floor. "I had been on the Council for over a year then."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"Still how can you not want them dead?" She asked

[[deleted user]]

"Because for a long while, I was not really much better than they were!" Aris snapped. "I've killed people, interrogated them. I left you and mom. I may have wanted the Council better, but I did very little, if anything!"

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

She just looked at him for a minute. "You've killed people."

[[deleted user]]

"Yes," Aris confirmed. "I didn't survive by being a good person. I'm here now because I wanted to save you."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"You've taken lives though," she said

[[deleted user]]

"Yes," Aris hissed. "And I'm sorry, but there's no changing that."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"Still,"she said

[[deleted user]]

Aris looked at her. "It haunts me all the time."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"I'm not surprised," she crossed her arms

[[deleted user]]

Aris nodded. "Don't ever follow my path."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"Trying not to,"

[[deleted user]]

"Good," Aris said. He tried to wrap his arm around Cinder's shoulders, but doing so caused him to flinch.

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"We need to get out soon," she said, leaning into him instead.

[[deleted user]]

Aris agreed. "So, plans?"

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"Distraction, obviously. Lure them in one by one and knock them out. Once enough of them are unconscious, we make a run for it," she shrugged like it was obvious

[[deleted user]]

"They won't fall for it," Aris muttered.

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"And how do you know that?" She asked

[[deleted user]]

"Stories," Aris said vaguely.

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"They might not be true"

[[deleted user]]

"They are," he mumbled. "It's happened since I've been on the Council."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"You got any better ideas?"

[[deleted user]]

"Not really," Aris admitted. "Savannah will try to help us. . . ."

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"Then she'll get thrown in here or killed and that's one more dead person on our minds!"

[[deleted user]]

"She might be able to help us," Aris said logically. "If we can keep her from being caught." He frowned and bit his lip, worried about his girlfriend.

[Jules, Tʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғᴏʀᴍɪᴛʏ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ʟɪᴇs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ Cɪᴛʏ.]

"And how can we do that from inside a cell with bullet wounds!"

[[deleted user]]

"If she's helping us out, we'll be with her," Aris said.