How... by Bethany Cook (primary phonics .txt) 📕

 I wake to see Blaze smiling down at me. I blush and look away, he laughs, then leans down and kisses me. "I feel like I don't deserve you."

"No. I think I don't deserve you." He strokes my cheek and looks at me lovingly.

"Well I'm from a sector and you're government. You are higher in society then I am."

"I love you Lyds, nothing will change that...." My mind knows that I don't really love him, but I act as if I do. The one person I truly love is Ace, but I can't go back. I barely trust anyone, all my life I have been used and tortured, so I will keep trying to conceal my feelings. No one really understands how trapped I feel... He helps stand me up, but I fall backwards onto the bed pulling him with me. Smiling, he asks "Can we continue this time?" I smile back and pull him closer to me as he kisses me softly, I laugh under my breath. Our t-shirts come off as his hands trace my sides. He reaches my trousers and tries to pull them down. Slapping his hand, I whisper, "Not yet, Blaze. I have never loved anyone that much..." Blaze removes his hands from my trouser pockets and reaches up to stroke my face. As soon as his hands reach my face I break away. He smiles at me as he stands up pulling me with him. I fall into him and laugh softly. "I'm sorry, but, I don't trust or love anyone enough for that." 

"You don't need to apologise, I love you." He places a hand under my chin and raises it up so I look into his beautiful eyes. Our breaths mingle, as he places his forehead on mine. I take his hands as I stand upright and quickly kiss him on the lips. Dragging him behind me, I lead him out of the room. Looking at me in confusion, he asks, "where are we going?" Rolling my eyes, I laugh at him as he looks down at me. "Now i know why Archer was scared of you..." My smile slowly turns into a frown as I let go off his hands and turn my back on him. "Lyds, I'm... I'm so..."

"Don't worry about it, just go back to the room, I'm going outside." Hugging myself, I start to walk towards the main hall. Opening up the main doors, I look out into the storm and perch on the ledge of the fountain. The rain starts to clear and I hear the symphony of voices from the building. I hear the doors open and I see a head look through the doors. Blaze. He approaches me slowly and sits next to me. I look up at him, and he looks down at me and gives a half-hearted smile. Without thinking, I kiss him softly on the lips and he tenses up then relaxes. Resting his hand on top of mine, he holds my other hand, that's when my hand slips and sends both of us into the fountain. I sit up as he starts to laugh and I laugh too. This is the feeling of pure happiness, Blaze stands up and pulls me out of the water, both of us are soaked. We go back to the room and change out of the clothes. As I change I feel his eyes on me. "Yes, Blaze?" I say with a small smirk. Footsteps walk over to me as he grabs me by the waist, lightly. His eyes look into mine as our foreheads rest against each others. I laugh and blush. "I love you more everyday, Lyds." Sighing, I take his hand from my waist and place it in mine, I look up at him with soft eyes full of sorrow. "I'm sorry, Blaze... I just don't love you." He looks at me in complete shock as I putt on my t-shirt and gather my clothes. "Lydia, please... don't leave me." Looking down at the ground, I start to cry as I walk out of the room. Walking down the hallway, I look back, seeing Blaze leaning through the door frame, tear-clouded eyes. I'm going back to Ace whether Anaconda likes it or not, we've been through to much to just leave each other.

 I run down the hall way, tears flow down my cheeks as the door comes into view. I burst the door open to find Ace... and Anaconda, there, kissing, in the middle of the room. Ace looks over Anaconda's shoulder at me and pushes her away. "Lydia... My beautiful Lydia." He runs up to me and hugs me as i cry into his shirt, he strokes my hair. I missed his touch, his warmth and i'm so glad that i'm back. "I want my world back.." I cry, as i look up at him. His amazing green eye looks down at me. "Lydia, I will do anything to get you back." He hugs me tighter as I rest my head on his chest. "Are you forgetting about me, Ace?" A voice behind Ace asks. He unwillingly lets go of me and turns around. "No, I haven't, get out... now."

"But..." Ace points towards the door and Anaconda grabs a bottle and smashes it on the side of the table, leaving razor-sharp edges on the bottle. She walks up to me as I close my eyes, waiting for her to hit. Instead, I feel the blades run down my face from the top of my forehead, over my right eye and down to my chin. She whispers in my ear "Not so beautiful now, are you, Lyds..." I collapse to the floor grasping the side of my face as my tears mix with the blood. Ace's hand carefully traces my wound before he goes off to the bathroom to get bandages for my face. After a few minutes,he returns and carefully wraps it around my wound. Smiling, I open my good eye. "I was never beautiful anyway..." I mutter under my breath. His arms wrap around me as i start to stand, I blush as i wonder how he took me back so quickly. As if he knew what I was thinking he bursts into tears and hugs me. I amtaken back by this action and ask him what's wrong... I wish I hadn't asked. "They're finally gonna do it."

"Do what? Ace you're scaring me..."

"The world will go up in fire and flames, I'm so sorry..." My smile fades as he says that. I know what he means.The air raids, they were tests... The real thing will happen soon. All those people, dead. I even feel sorry for Sebastian. I start to cry too, soon we are a wreck. "Well, this won't help, let's go do things we have always wanted."

"Sure, thanks Lydia." Standing up, I take his hand and pull him up wth me.

"What are we doing first?" He gives me a look which I know. I shake my head. "That will be the last thing we do..." Ace smiles when he figures out we are still going to do it. It starts to rain,when I hear it I turn my head in the direction of the balcony. "Perfect timing..." I drag him outside into the rain and hold his hands tightly in mine. He kisses me as I push my back against the railing. His hands are placed on my face as he kisses me softly, and putting a small bit of pressure on me every minute. Finally,he stops and he leads me back inside, my hair is soaked so I go and dry off. As soon as I appear out of the bathroom, a flyer is shoved int my face. "A disco? What's that?"

"A big dance party."

"I can't dance, Ace, my normal daily routine used to only consist of survival." Taking my hands again, he spins me around and pulls me against him. "Lydia, I'll teach you." I blush and stare at the ground and timidly nod.

"I'd like that, a lot." He takes my hands as the music starts, placing mine around his neck and his at my waist. I look at my feet. "I feel like I'm gonna step on your feet."

"Trust me, you won't." I smile up at him as he looks down at me. "See, you're doing great..." He stops the music and disappears into the cupboard in the corner of the room. He pulls out a black and turquoise dress and hands it to me. "I know you hate dresses, but I think you would look beautiful in it." I blush.

"It looks awesome! I love you..." I kiss his cheek and he blushes.

"Love you too, now go put it on, then we'll be off." I take the dress into the bathroom and change into it, wash my face and plait my hair, which i can now do, I don't know how my hair grew that long, that quick. Walking out of the bathroom, Ace looks absolutely amazed and I laugh nervously and look to the floor. "Do you think I over-did it?"

"Not at all... wow... I knew you looked beautiful, but I never thought that if you dressed up you would look even better..." He leads me back into the bathroom and removes the bandage as i see small scratches down my face. Sighing, I look over at Ace. "How can you think that I am still beautiful?"

"Because you are and small scratches don't change my opinion of you." He looks pretty good in his uniform though, the white and black look really does actually suit him. Holding out a hand, I take it and we walk out the bathroom, then out of the main door. We rush down the hallways, laughing as we do so. Eventually, we reach the main hall and lots of people are already there.