Free Violet Path by Olivia Lodise Page A

important.
    “I’m sorry. I’m getting carried away,” he continued, “I know that you had more stressful situations and you’re not complaining. And I know that you’re going to disagree, but don’t. You accept guilt too easily, and no matter what you do you can’t seem to fit in because of stupid expectations. I should stop. I didn’t mean to say that. Just forget that melodramatic monologue.” Andrew turned away.
    “How did you . . . get the leader position?” I hesitated at first, but he had spoken to me so freely, as if he had known me my entire life. We were having a meaningful conversation, which I had never really had.
    “With David’s help, we first started off training some of the men at Maria and then persuaded them to help us form The Shadows. I got the role because I’ve had military experience and no one else wanted to get their hands dirty. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the power; I wanted to change what was happening with the war. I really can’t complain. But David’s one of the very few who doesn’t isolate me because of what I do. It’s just these stupid traditions that drive me insane. Why are you even listening to me?”
    “Because it’s interesting. What kind of traditions?” I asked.
    “The leader takes on the name of the man he succeeded. I just think it’s ridiculous that we can’t keep our real names, the names our mothers gave us.” As Andrew spoke, his eyes turned black like coal. It frightened me.
    “What’s your original name?” I asked with hesitancy.
    “Maxime.”
    “Can I call you Maxime?” I didn’t want to break any traditions, but I liked how it sounded.
    “Yes, but no one else does. David does when he’s really mad at me.” He chuckled a bit. He hadn’t sounded too sure of letting me call him by his real name, but he had given me permission and that meant a lot to me. Even though we’d met just a short time ago, we had created a connection. He had a deep and complicated soul that shimmered in his eyes, while Lyli’s irises revealed her lack of emotion. I pitied her for having been given the C.I. Pill. Maxime fascinated me because he seemed to have so many layers that needed to be uncovered. I was drawn to him by a few things: our shared hatred for Matthew, but also the fact that he seemed . . . human.
    “Well, Maxime, you are the leader, so why don’t you do something about it? You can change the expectations,” I said.
    “I have done something. I’ve changed expectations, just not the right ones.”
    “What did you do?”
    “I decided not to fight the Long War, and like you, I was exiled. I joined Maria, and together we created The Shadows.”
    “You say that as though it was a dismal choice. You did what was right.”
    “How would you know?” he snapped.
    “Because the Long War isn’t the solution to all problems.”
    Maxime quickly turned around and there was a moment of silence. A cloud that had been blocking the moonlight slithered away and lit up his face. His eyes were green with specks of turquoise around the pupils. I could have sworn that they had changed colors.
    “Do you have any questions?” Maxime broke the silence.
    “Can I get a clean wound dressing every day, please?” I needed a way to look like a boy and flatten my chest. Maxime crinkled his brow in confusion, then nodded. “Thank you. And why did David shoot me?” I figured that if Maxime was in charge, he would know David’s motives.
    “Matthew shot you.”
    “Matthew might not be the friendliest person on this planet, but he didn’t pull the trigger.”
    “That doesn’t make any sense. David said that Matthew shot you.”
    “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any confusion or anything.” I suddenly felt bad for having gotten David into trouble, but I really needed a truthful answer. “Let’s go back,” I finally said.
    Andrew walked me back to my cabin in silence. He held the door open and reminded me of my early class in a couple of hours.