Betrayal
Margot's footsteps echoed through the darkened hallway as she approached the old storage room at the far end of the building. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her mind swirled with questions. Why would they leave without telling anyone? She pushed the door open and froze at the sight before her.
Elias and Lara sat at a makeshift table littered with papers. In the dim light, Margot's eyes caught something that made her stomach churn—a map spread across the table, marked with symbols and routes she couldn't understand. But what truly made her blood boil was Maddie standing off to the side, clutching one of the papers tightly to her chest like it held some great secret.
"What is this?" Margot's voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a knife. She stepped into the room, her gaze darting between the trio. "What are you three doing out here? Alone? With this?" She jabbed a finger at the map.
Elias straightened, his expression calm but wary. "Margot, it's not what it looks like—"
"Oh, spare me the lies, Elias!" Margot snapped, her voice rising. "You think I wouldn't notice? You've been sneaking off, whispering behind our backs, and now you've got her"—she pointed at Maddie—"holding maps like you're planning a mutiny. Are you forming your own little alliance?"
Lara stood slowly, her hands raised in a placating gesture. "Margot, please. Let's talk about this calmly. It's not what you think."
Margot's laugh was sharp and bitter. "Not what I think? Then what is it, Lara? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like betrayal."
Lara took a step forward, her voice soft and steady. "We've been working on something to help all of us. We were going to tell you—"
"Don't." Margot's voice broke, her anger barely masking the hurt underneath. She took a step back, shaking her head. "Don't stand there and act like you're doing this for me. For us. I was there for you, Lara. Before Elias came along with his half-truths and schemes, I was the one who stood by you. And now look at you—defending him."
"Margot, you don't understand—" Lara began, her voice pleading.
"I understand perfectly!" Margot interrupted, her voice trembling with rage. "You've chosen him. A stranger with an agenda you're too blind to see."
The room grew tense as Margot's words hung in the air. Lara's shoulders slumped, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Elias finally stepped forward, his voice firm. "Enough, Margot. You're overreacting."
"Overreacting?" Margot's voice rose to a shout. "You don't get to tell me how to feel, Elias! Not when you've been plotting behind my back!"
Lara reached out, her hand brushing Margot's arm in an attempt to calm her. "Please, Margot, listen—"
The slap came out of nowhere, the sound reverberating through the small room like a gunshot. Lara stumbled back, her hand flying to her cheek as tears spilled down her face.
"Don't you touch me," Margot hissed, her chest heaving with emotion. "You betrayed me, Lara. And for what? Him?"
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the sound of Elias's sharp intake of breath. In one swift motion, he crossed the room and slapped Margot across the face.
The force of it stunned everyone, including Caleb, who had just entered the room.
"Elias!" Caleb's voice was a mixture of shock and anger.
Elias's voice was low and steady, but his eyes blazed with fury. "Who gave you the right to lay your hands on Lara?"
Margot, clutching her stinging cheek, glared at him with a mixture of disbelief and rage. She raised her hand to retaliate, but Elias caught her wrist midair.
"Don't," he warned, his grip firm but not painful.
The tension in the room was suffocating. Caleb stepped forward, his voice strained. "What the hell is going on here?"
Before anyone could answer, Maddie finally spoke, her voice shaky but defiant. "We weren't hiding anything. We were planning to come to you—to explain everything. But you didn't even give us a chance!"
Caleb turned to Maddie, his tone sharp. "And you? You're just as guilty for going along with this. You've always been quick to follow whoever holds the reins, haven't you?"
Maddie's eyes blazed. "And you've always been a fool, Caleb. You and Margot both! You don't see what's coming, and you're too blind to listen to anyone who does."
"Watch your tone," Margot snapped, stepping toward Maddie.
"No, you watch yours!" Maddie shouted, tears streaming down her face. "You think you're so righteous, Margot? Your impulsiveness has cost us everything! The lives we've lost, the opportunities we've missed—it's all because of you!"
Caleb raised a hand. "Enough, Maddie."
But Maddie wasn't finished. "No, Caleb. Let her hear this. Let her feel this. She's so caught up in playing leader that she doesn't even realize the city is winning. Our memories are slipping away—clues, names, places. The nexus, the sigils, the realms, the keys—everything we've fought for is disappearing, and she's too selfish to see it!"
Margot's voice was raw. "How dare you talk to me like that?"
Maddie's expression hardened. "Because someone has to. And if you can't see it, then I will. I'm done with this. With you. I'm following Elias because he's the only one who knows how to get us out of here."
Her words hung in the air like a death knell.
Margot stared at Maddie, her face pale, her breath shallow. For a moment, no one spoke. The weight of Maddie's declaration settled over the room, a stark reminder of just how fractured they had become.