THE LAST GIFT

TRUST

"So, I should trust you?" I said, my voice laced with skepticism after being triggered by her words about trust. "Your words are beautiful, but you people have a way of ruining everything beautiful. You treat everything that's different with no respect," I replied to the girl.

"You are not alone, and so you'll understand what I mean," she said, her voice softening. She walked towards a place, opening a cover that revealed a secret passage. We walked straight ahead for a while, the whole passage engulfed in nothing but silence.

As we walked, I noticed marks on her neck and couldn't help but ask, "Who did that to you?" She looked at me with a gaze that held many secrets.

"As you said, the world is a cruel place to be in," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "Cover your face," she instructed as we reached the end of the passage.

I quickly used my scarf to cover my face, and we stepped out into the street, which was bustling with people going about their day. I tried to be careful not to be caught by them. After walking for a while, we came to a stop, and she pushed open a gate. We went towards the back of an old building, where we saw different people.

"Welcome," a man said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank heaven you're safe." He looked towards me and wanted to approach me, but when he saw how guarded I was, he decided not to. Instead, he simply said, "Follow me."

I looked towards the girl and asked, "This isn't the Ivory Tower. How can you help me here?" She replied, "You can't go marching towards the Ivory Tower. As incredible as you are, you'll be killed before you can even get there. The Ivory Tower is heavily guarded by the Council and Enforcers. If I smell anything fishy, I'll kill you in a blink of an eye."

The man pushed open a door, and a group of people were gathered around the table. The man, who I assumed was the leader, walked towards the main chair and sat down. "Welcome, Avery. We are the Resistance, and you look so much like Tia, your mother."

I looked at him, confused and shocked that he knew my mom. I turned towards the girl. "Why did you bring me here?" The leader answered, "Don't blame her. I asked her to bring you here. We are not your enemies but your allies, fighting for the same cause."

I turned towards him with hatred in my eyes. "Allies?" I repeated. "Let me guess. You need a supernatural so you can stand a chance against the Council and Enforcers. So, after you use me, you'll dispose of me when you have no use for me, or fear I'll overtake you."

I looked towards the girl and said, "Our paths are not intertwined." As I walked towards the door, the leader said, "Don't you want to know how I knew your mother?" I stopped in my tracks, intrigued.