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Iris~~

Is this L's whole team or are there more? If it's only them, there's enough of us to overtake them. That is if the Order bothers to come inside.

After being motioned to take a seat, Jonas and I do so. Afreen and Anya dig into the food on their plates while L goes to grab food from the buffet.

I drag my nail against the bottom of my little finger. I never expected to see her again. She's older than me by two years, and like me was in the orphanage since she was born. Her parents are alive, somewhere. They left her pictures and notes telling her about themselves and why they had to give her up. L never shared with us the reason or why they didn't name her. She told us that her father was a baker and her mother a florist. Her dad's ancestors were from Taiwan before the borders were closed, and her mom's China. I wonder if she's tried to find them in the time since our home was burnt to the ground.

Anya and Afreen say nothing, only watch us as they eat.

L returns and sets a plate in front of me and takes a seat beside me with her own plate. She brought nothing for Jonas.

I just ate, and my stomach is twisting in knots from the situation, but I make myself take a bite of a roll.

"How did you capture him?" L asks.

Jonas crosses his arms, letting out a snort as he looks away, the picture of haughtiness.

I lean back in my seat. "I found him on the side of the road, his car broken down. His servants had gone off to try to get reception to call a tow truck." I rake my eyes over him. "I still think it was too easy."

Jonas cuts me a look. "How do you know I didn't want to be captured?"

I prop my elbow on the table and rest my cheek against my fist, angled toward him. "He did put up a fight, I'll give him that. Though it was a bit pathetic."

He raises an eyebrow, and I know he only chooses to do it to mess with me. "If I hadn't put up a fight that would have been suspicious." He mimics me by dragging his eyes over me, and I feel myself shiver. "Don't you think?" he says when he meets my eyes.

Anya gags, and Afreen mutters something about getting us a room.

Jonas examines the edges of his nails. "The Society is tired of playing defense. We're ready for a change of pace."

L sets her plate to the side and leans her elbows on the table. "You're alone, Iris?"

I trace my finger along the rim of my plate. "Yes."

Her gaze drops to my Marked arm. "Show them."

"Show us what?" Anya asks, sitting forward.

"She was supposed to die a couple weeks ago. Apparently, it was a misprint."

"That's a thing?" Afreen asks Jonas.

Jonas gives him a bored look, settling back in his seat. "We certainly don't try to make a habit out of it."

"Go on," L urges, motioning with her fork. "Let us see it."

I bit my lip and push up my sleeve, revealing one of the nude bandages Jonas gave me after I woke up in the hospital.

Jonas wraps his hand around my left arm, pinning it to the table. "Don't."

L reaches for her gun, but a look from me stops her.

I face Jonas. "Let go."

"Remove your hand from her," Afreen says, "or I'll make you."

"It's fine," I say. "I've got this. Preeminence"—I place my free hand over his—"I thought we went over this." I dig my fingers between his hand and my arm. "You're not in charge right now."

His eyes seem to darken, and he opens his mouth—

"Did you two really run off to a room and forget about us?" Jay-yeon.

"I wouldn't . . ." Erik's voice trails off, and Jay-yeon swears.

The three rebels shove their chairs back and stand, guns raised, and Jonas grabs me, dragging me to the ground. I bite back a cry as I feel my wound pulling and stretching.

He covers me with his body, and the first gun goes off.

From my perspective, Jay-yeon and Erik are upside down, but they both have guns that are out and raised as they scramble for cover.

Jay-yeon and L.

A family reunion.

His arms propping him up, Jonas stares down at me, his eyes wide. I feel his heartbeat against my chest. "My phone's in my left pocket. Text the Order."

I slip my hand in his pocket, his gaze burning into my face, and as I fumble for his phone, I feel the muscles of his leg through the material of his pants.

I drag his phone out, and he tells me his password. His most recent message is from a group chat with his cousins telling us to hurry up. As the gunfire continues, I quickly type out a message, alerting the rest of the Order to our situation.

Jonas passes me one of his guns.

Jay-yeon's ducked behind a table. "Hey, L."

Two bullets hit a column right past him.

"It's been a long time," he continues. "Why don't we sit down and talk like family?"

Erik's found a spot behind a drained fish tank.

L laughs, and I don't know whether she's still on the other side of the table or if the rebels have moved elsewhere for more cover. "We're not family. And apparently Iris isn't either."

The retorts that threaten to come out right now. . .

Jay-yeon fires at them before ducking back down. "That's a bit harsh, L. What did Iris ever do to you?"

I grip my gun. I want to tell L that she needs to leave, that back up will be here any moment because I can't see L tortured. I just can't.

Last time I was faced against my former family, I could barely bring myself to shoot out the tires of Y's and Eun-seob's car when they were chasing Erik, Vienna, and I in the mountains. I don't know Afreen or Anya, but could I shoot them? L I know I couldn't, but could I bring myself to incapacitate any of them?

I lock eyes with Jonas.

If it meant saving our lives, I think could.

Doors across the dining room fly open, and I catch a glimpse of a kitchen as Enzo, Tobias, August, and Riley rush in. Seconds later, the rest of the Order come through the lobby doors.

Jonas drags me toward the table pulling me under the tablecloth. Once underneath, I sit up, running my hands over my face to push back my hair.

"We can't just hide."

"You'll be killed."

"She was family." What must she think of Jay-yeon being with Society? Or had she already found out the truth that he was the elusive Zeta, Seong-ho.

"You were just shot. Please—"

The gunshots cease, and the tablecloth is lifted. Instinct has me driving my foot into the face that appears.

Bently curses, grabbing at his face.

I stare at him, my mouth opening and closing. "I'm—"

"They're gone." Blood drips from his nostrils.

"Sorry?"

Shaking his head, he lets the tablecloth fall back into place.

They're gone. That means they escaped.

I grimace. "Is Bently going to kill me?"

"Probably." Jonas crawls forward and lifts the tablecloth.

"That was a joke, right?"

"Probably."

The dining room is a mess. Tables are overturned. Plates are smashed. There's even food on the walls. The walls also bear bullet holes.

"How did they escape?" Jonas asks.

With the back of his hand, Jay-yeon swipes sweat off his forehead and something that looks like mashed potatoes. "They got to the kitchens, and once in there, there was enough cover that they were able to get out.

Eli plops into a chair that has been dragged far away from any table from which it might have come and makes a disgusted sneer at the dining room as if it represents the entire population of rebels in Elleany.

I push down my sleeve. "I'm going to check on the concierge. Can some of you see if the staff and other guests are safe?" I haven't seen any but there must some. Hopefully they've been hidden.

August gives Jonas an incredulous look. "She's giving us orders now?"

"Just go."

He gives a clipped bow. "Preeminence." He heads for the kitchen, Enzo at his side.

As I head for the lobby, Jonas asks his cousins, "Where's Brydan?"

"The car," I hear Sebastian say before I'm out the doors and into the empty lobby.

"Hello?"

A door behind the front desk cracks open.

"It's safe."

The concierge pokes his head out. "Are you from the Society?"

I inch toward him. "Something like that."

He opens the door wider.

"I'm Iris."

He looks me over, hands gripping the door and banister. "Todd."

I give him what I hope is a comforting smile.

"You knew the rebel."

"I did. We've crossed paths. I'm sorry for the commotion we caused. Please let your staff and guests know it's safe."

Jonas comes into the lobby and after asking for a pen and paper, he writes a phone number on it and hands it to Todd. "Once you've assessed the damages, call this number."

Todd reaches for the paper with a shaky hand. "Thank you, Preeminence."





Contest:

There were so many amazing entries. All of them were. I couldn't judge both the reviews and descriptions together because it was way too hard to choose, so I am having two winners--one for each. I will announce the review winner in the next update. But I want to thank each and every one of you. I was smiling and blushing reading each one.

The winner of the description for Expiration Date is

GubbleGum

Here is her entry:

It is a common thought that knowing your fate would make your life easier; you could go about as you please and discard the word "consequences" from your vocabulary. You would be happy and carefree when your last moments arrive, because you would have spent your entire life awaiting your death, accepting it and never fearing it.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

In Mikaela Bender's "Expiration Date," a strong-willed 19 year old named Iris is doomed by the Mark on her wrist, a permanent reminder of the day she will die. With a troubled past and a non-existent future, Iris summons the strength to greet her final day with a smile until her life is saved by a mysterious stranger, and in that moment her life transforms into an act of defiance against the Society. In this action-packed Science Fiction book, Iris must escape the wrath of the ruthless Society, whilst being tangled in a love triangle with their leaders. Watch as her heart develops feelings that betray her mind, and as an invisible force tempts her to discover the secrets that lie beneath the floor. Nothing is as you thought it was.

This description is now Expired.

Let me tell you why I love this. It reads like a query letter or the description on the jacket cover of a book. It just gave me all these feels and smiles. And I like the last sentence a lot.

So thank you for this. It blew me away.

If you haven't entered yet but still wish to do so, the entry won't be counted for the contest, but I would still love to read it!


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