A Reason To Hope

A Reason To Hope
Lilieth 
Oh, Anice. 
What have you done?
The sight of the entire village on fire wounds me, and it hurts more than any physical blow would. For a handful of moments, all I can do is watch people running up and down, trying to get away from the flames. My eyes are burning from all the smoke and heat—this is something I never thought I'd see. 
This magical place is burning to the ground. 
And my sister's responsible for it. 
The worst part isn't even the fire—Omega-borns are being attacked. I watch Cadeon fight off a few of them from a distance. How did he get there so quickly? How long have I been standing here? 
These questions come to a staggering halt when I see a Gamma rapidly approaching me. I spring into action, using the knife at my hip to slash him across the chest. I join the others, fighting my way across the field. Cadeon's eyes meet mine occasionally like he's making sure I'm alright. 
I'm doing fairly well, considering I haven't really had much practice fighting in the real world. I'm momentarily distracted by the sight of the pack house up the hill, also burning. 
No. 
Cadeon's behind me in a flash, breathing hard. "You can't be distracted, Lili."
"I have to find out if they're alright," I say before turning my head to look at him. "My mother's up there."
Cadeon looks around. Most of the attacking Gammas have been taken care of. They might need support up there. I hope nobody's gotten hurt. 
Goddess, Anice. Look at what you've done. 
"Let's go, then. Watch your back."
We run side by side. I spot Timmon standing a few feet away, and he's struggling with two Gamma-borns. We stop to help them, and Cadeon delivers the fatal blow. Timmon's nose is bleeding, and he wipes it with his sleeve. "What's going on? Where are you two going?"
"The pack house. It's on fire. They might need support up there."
Timmon nods. "I'll go with you."
When we get there, my legs are burning from running up the hill so fast, but I'm determined to find my family. The whole front of the house is littered with dead bodies, and the sight shocks me so much that I can't tell if they're our dead or not. 
"By the goddess," I whisper. 
Just then, two people walk out of the house, and my heart sinks when I notice that it's Corey carrying Peyton out. Her face is covered with soot. I race toward them, calling his name. 
When he sees me, his eyes light up. His face is covered in bruises, and his lip is split. "Lili. Fuck, I'm so relieved to see you. I thought something might have happened to you on the road!"
"I'm fine," I assure him. "Mom? Deo?"
"Somewhere in the woods with everyone else. Hiding. They're safe, don't worry about it. Peyton was fighting with me. She'll be alright."
He puts her down on the steps and the poor girl practically coughs her lungs out while her eyes water. Cadeon asks, "Are there any attackers left?"
"No, they're all dead up here. What about down at the village?"
"There were almost none left when we came up here."
Regardless, we head down to the village just in case. I see a few of Draven's men sitting while trying to catch their breath. Goddess, everything is a mess. The whole pack's been destroyed, and I spot a few dead men and women on the ground.
The sight is demoralizing. 
I place my hands on my hips while looking around. I'm embarrassed that a member of my family is responsible for this. I wish I could kill Anice for what she's putting us through. 
It's not fair. It really isn't. 
Thankfully, nobody in my family got hurt, but I can't say the same for everyone else. In fact, when I walked into one of the newly built houses and found Larena on the floor near her bed, eyes staring back at me blankly with a pool of blood around her head, I knew that there was a part of me that would never recover from this vicious attack. 
And I understood then that Anice hated all of us—she's a miserable being. I have no idea where she learned to hate so deeply. The three of us were raised under the same roof by the same person. How could she have become so different from us?
This is completely unacceptable. Nothing in the world could justify her actions. Innocent lives were lost. Luckily, none of the children were harmed, but what if it had gotten to that extent?
By the time the sun sets, I'm exhausted and so is everyone else. I haven't said a word to anyone since the attack ended. Sometimes, I'll catch a few people eyeing me with a look that fills me with shame because I already know what they're thinking. 
At this point, everyone knows about Anice. News like that spreads like wildfire.  
I avoid looking at Corey because whenever I do, I'm filled with pity. He's smart; he knows that our sister is behind this. At first, he was the only one defending her, and since the day we figured out that she disappeared, he hasn't stopped looking for her. 
What happens now, I wonder? 
A few of the houses were unaffected by the fires and the explosions, and those are the ones we prepare for the surviving Omegas to occupy while we make plans to rebuild. If this happens constantly, what then? How often do we have to rebuild?
I find Deo inside one of them, holding a young boy who lost his father—his only living relative. The boy's asleep, and when she hears me approaching, she lifts her head. Tears are shining in her eyes. 
"How could she have done this?" she asks before biting her lip and crying harder. 
I stare at the poor boy's face and tears prick my own eyes. "We'll take care of him. He'll be ours."
"He's so young. Only five."
Losing a parent at such a young age is a tragedy. 
Outside, a Gamma announces that Ignis Draven wants to have a word with everyone. I leave the house but Deo stays behind with the boy. She doesn't want to leave him alone. 
Draven is standing several feet away and a crowd has gathered around him. I join them, looking around for Cadeon, Timmon, or even Corey. I don't spot them, not right away. It's too dark and there are too many people. 
"I know today has been a horrible day, but you've done well. All of you have been brave, and I can't thank you enough for your efforts. I'll keep this short—I don't wish to take up much of your time. You're all tired and deserve to rest. This speech merely serves to remind you of our accomplishments, so don't lose hope. Regardless of what happens, we stand back up, and we never stop fighting. They're cowards, plain and simple, and sooner or later, they'll pay for their crimes. Walls? They can be rebuilt. But what we're working toward is invaluable. Please, remember that."
Finally, I spot Cadeon. Our eyes lock and through the bond, I feel this sudden throbbing. I have no idea where it's coming from. 
Maybe it's just the sight of him, alive and well, when people lost their lives today. 
"I'll also go ahead and announce that we now have the full support of the eastern packs. They're all surrendered and will be sending troops our way. One less territory we'll have to fight."
Cadeon takes my hand in his once he's right next to me and squeezes. This is excellent news—I don't think anyone could've asked for something better. 
Despite the sadness permeating the village, this bit of good news cheers us up considerably. 
This is amazing news.