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Ivy 

With his gun pointed directly at me, my mind went blank trying to comprehend what was happening. I knew something was up with him, but I would never have expected him to actually do this... and for what reason? Did Glory get to him? 

I blinked, watching him carefully. "What are you talking about, Ralph? This is the Core, everything we need to finally be free-" 

"You heard me... I can't let you leave here with it. I-- I can't also let you come out of this building alive." 

Still confused, I managed to find my voice. "What does that even mean?" 

He gulped down, visibly nervous and still unsure about what he was about to do. Was this why he suggested Ethan distracted the Robots while I go in with him? 

"Look," he began. "I'm all for this, the Rebel-lions, our freedom... you know that, more than anyone." 

"So why are you doing this?" I asked. "What happened?" 

"Love. Family. Sanity." He said, still being vague. 

Love, Family and, Sanity? What does he mean by this? Did glory put him up to this? Does she have someone he cares about? 

"I was born here, Ivy... My life has always been in this dimension. I really want to get out because that is exactly what my parents would have wanted, and also because even though I was born here, I still don't feel free, I still feel choked up. All I had ever wanted was my freedom... mine and my sisters'" He said. 

"But we are about to get it Ralph... It's only a few minutes away."

"None of it would matter if the only family I had left doesn't get to experience that freedom with me." He let out. 

No way... 

"Glory has Michelle, Ivy. The moment you take that Core, she's fucking dead." His voice wavered. "She's my little sister and I am not about to watch her die. You're my friend, and I am so glad we got to meet, but if Glory wants you dead, and away from the Core, just for me to see my sister alive and okay... then so be it." 

"So she sent you to stop me from getting the Core, and to-- kill me?" I asked, unable to believe what he just said. 

He managed a nod. 

"Then you are just as foolish as you are smart." Ethan's voice brought my notice to his presence. His gun was outstretched to Ralph, whose gun was pointed at me. "You would take Glory's threats to heart, and hurt Ivy?" 

"She has Michelle at gunpoint as we speak, what the fuck am I supposed to do, man? You would do the same if Edith were in danger, and you know it." 

"Would I? Glory knows better than to fuck with me like that." He said. "She came to you cause she knows you're a fucking asshat that would believe literally anything she tells you." Ethan said. 

"Wouldn't you believe it if she told you? You know Glory always makes do on her threats."

"Why didn't you say anything about it? We could have done something about it. I could have helped, you know I could have-"

"She-" 

"Allow me to make a guess... she told you she'd hurt her if you told anyone?" 

When Ralph didn't counter that, Ethan shook his head. "How could you be so foolish? So easily swayed?"

Ralph shot him a look of disbelief. "She's my sister, Ethan, do you think I would toy with her life like that?" 

I blinked rapidly, trying my best swallow the lump in my throat, to think straight and find a loop hole through this, but nothing came up. Absolutely nothing. 

Glory had thought of a great way to put a pause to our mission, to delay us, to take up our time... 

Time!

"Ralph, listen... Glory isn't going to hurt Michelle, okay? she promised not to hurt anyone Ethan cared about."

"Yet here we are." Ralph said. "Here I am pointing a gun at one person Ethan cares about, and who's the cause of that? Glory..." He said, his grip tightening on the gun, his index finger hovering over the trigger.

"Put down the fucking Gun, Ralph." Ethan warned. 

Ralph still looking unsure, didn't move the gun, his stance still ever firm. The silence in the large room as decisions were being made inwardly, had my stomach churning... something terrible was about to happen, I could just feel it. 

"Ralph, I won't warn you again-"

"If I don't pull this trigger, Michelle dies, my only family." He said, looking frustrated. "I don't know what else to do." 

"Calm the fuck down and let's figure it out together." Ethan urged, his grip on his gun also tightening. 

Was he going to shoot if Ralph makes the wrong move? I can't let that happen... no no, I can't.

Ralph's eyes moved towards Ethan's direction, lingered for a bit before coming back to my direction. The look in his eyes told me he had finally made his decision. "I'm sorry." 

What happened next was a blur of gunshots. I shut my eyes tightly, expecting the pains that were supposed to follow. But nothing came, no pain, just silence. 

it was so silent that when the fall which was supposed to be a dull thud came, it sounded like a bomb had went off. 

My eyes still shut tightly, my heart beat a mess of itself, had my body shaking in fear... I could already feel tears building in my eyes. Scared, I was so scared to open them, afraid of what I'd see. Afraid of what I'd have to face after I opened them. 

A cold chill ran through my body, causing goosebumps around my skin. 

Slowly, I lifted my eyelids, my eyes focusing on Ralph's body laying lifelessly on the ground. I almost doubled over. The tears came falling down my cheeks. 

"No..." was all that was able to escape my lips as my legs dragged me down the altar, over to where his body laid. 

My knees failed me, as I dropped to the ground right beside him, my vision clouded with my tears. "Ralph?" I shook him, ignoring the way the blood seeped from his shirt to the ground. "No no no..." I broke down in tears., checking for any sign of a pulse on his wrist. My hands were shaking furiously, but still I felt nothing. "Ralph..." 

The sound of the gun dropping from Ethan's grip to the cold hard ground, had me drawing my attention back to him. "Why the hell did you shoot him?!" I couldn't help but yell. "How could you shoot him? What the hell were you thinking, Ethan?! You killed him!" My breathing came out short, the tears claiming a home to my cheeks as I cried, unable to think... to even do anything.

My chest ached, the thoughts of not being able to do anything to help Ralph, to bring him back, had me breaking over and over again, each time it surfaced. 

I didn't even notice Ethan leaving my side until he came back with the Core. "We have to leave." 

His voice held no emotions. This made me look up at him in shock. "Are you kidding me? How can we leave without him?"

"He's dead, Ivy. We'll be dead too, if we don't lea-" 

I shot up from my position, pushing him against his chest with all the strength I had in me. "Stop! just stop it! What in the world is wrong with you? You just shot him, you just killed Ralph, don't you fucking see what you've done?" 

He swallowed. "We got what we came here for. We don't have enough time left, Ivy-" 

"Do I look like I care?! Ralph is--" The sob that escaped me didn't allow me complete that statement. 

I didn't sign up for this. This wasn't supposed to happen... Ralph wasn't supposed to die. Not like this...

"He shot at you, if I hadn't intervened, you would have been dead." 

"We could have talked to him, make him understand-" 

"He made up his mind, Ivy, there was nothing we could have said to change his mind. He ha--" He stopped, finding his breath, his eyes struggling to focus on anything. "There's no point--" He stopped again, when his voice began to shake unsteadily. Swallowing, he spoke. "We have to leave... We have to get everyone out of here." 

How to respond to his statement, failed me. All I knew was that I wanted to go... go out, away... away to where was not here. So I ran, ran past him, past the lifeless Robots, and out the direction we passed through. I could still hear yells and the sounds of bullets ricocheting around me. 

"Ivy! Ivy!" It was Caramel who rushed towards me. "What happened!" She yelled over the noise around us. "Did you get the Core? Where's Ralph and Ethan?" 

"Ralph didn't- Ralph didn't make it out... I'm s-sorry" I fought through my tears, my bones weak. 

I felt Caramel's disdain at what I had just said, but it was quick to vanish from her whole posture. "Okay- okay, where is Ethan?" 

"Here." His voice resounded from behind us.

"Oh thank goodness you got the Core." She said, relief slipping through her words. 

"Gather everyone, we need to get out of here." 

The sounds of footsteps rushing towards us, had our eyes going over to that direction. 

Fiona and some of the other guys who had gone on different wings came rushing over. Fiona's eyes were red with tears, and you could see them rushing down her cheeks. "This is everyone left, The Robots are here, there's not much time before they storm the building." She said. 

"Where's Edith?" Ethan asked. 

Fiona hesitated. 

God no... please no. 

"Fiona, where's Edith?" He asked again, unable to hide the frustration in his voice. 

"She got-- She got surrounded... couldn't- she couldn't-" 

Ethan's jaw clenched, his face shielding the emotions that fought to claw their way out from him, as he nodded in understanding, tossing the Core over to Fiona. "Get that to Roman immediately, have him get it to Dean, Caramel, get everyone out of here now." 

Immediately, she and Fiona got to work, as everyone went through the direction they ran towards. 

"Ivy, go with them-" 

"What about you?" 

The look he gave me, told me he wasn't coming with. But--

He came closer to me, pulling my body to his as he held on to me tightly. "Make sure Dean destroys that Core. When the portal opens, you get the hell out, do you hear me?" 

I shook my head, pulling away from him. "What are you saying?" I asked, my gaze meeting his. "What the hell are you saying?" Tears began to build up in my eyes again. "This wasn't the plan-- You know this wasn't what the plan... Where are you going? What are you going to do Ethan?" 

"Listen to me Ivy. I need you to go with them... we don't have much time here." 

"Are you gonna be there?" 

He hesitated. 

"Ethan?"

"I will.. I'll be there... I promise." 

"What are you gonna do?" 

"Someone's gotta make sure they don't track you guys... I'll be there soon... just go before you miss them." 

I nodded. "I'll see you?" 

"Yeah... now hurry, please." 

With one last look at him to assure myself he wasn't just saying that to make me leave, I ran off towards the direction Fiona, Caramel and the others had run through, as my heart looked for ways to break the news to Malcolm. 

___

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I was definitely not ready to face this chapter. It hurt a lot, writing it. But I still want to hear your thoughts on it. 

What do you think of this Chapter? 

We have just two chapters left before the first book ends, are you already missing them just like I am? Or you hate me now?

Till the next update, see ya!