The Young Elites

No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.

You cannot have love without fear. The two coexist

Some hate us, think us outlaws to hang at the gallows.
Some fear us, think us demons to burn at the stake.
Some worship us, think us children of the gods.
But all know us.
—Unknown source on the Young Elites

I realized the problem was that I didn’t want to tell a hero’s journey; I wanted to tell a villain’s

She’d found him. And she pulled him back to the surface. A miracle, a power from the gods. Magic, people would call it now, the gift of the Young Elites

They spent such long days in the forest with Lucent. She closes her eyes and thinks back five years. The accident. Tristan’s death. Lucent’s banishment. Maeve’s discovery.

Lucent would track the deer; Maeve would deliver the killing shots. Lucent would scowl; Maeve would tease. Lucent would kneel to pledge her loyalty to the crown; Maeve would help her to her feet. Lucent would shy away from her kisses; Maeve would pull her back

Tomorrow, I will take on all of these things. I will be unstoppable.

But tonight, we stay where we are, holding on, lost in the dark

I throw my head back and laugh with him, because I am his daughter and he is my father, and he is not ashamed of me. He loves me wholly, the way it should have been.

I hold the vision for as long as I can. I would have held it forever, happy to lose myself in it for the rest of my life

Mi Adelinetta,” she whispers in my ear. “Do you remember how we used to lie in the long grass, counting the stars as they emerged in the evening sky?” I nod against her shoulder. “Do you remember how we used to dance in Mother’s old bedchamber? Do you remember how we used to hide in the closet and pretend we lived far, far away?” Her voice starts to tremble. “Do you remember how I sat up with you late into the night, binding your broken finger as best as I could? Do you remember?”

I nod, biting back my tears. Yes.

“You are not alone.” She tightens her embrace. “All my life, I have tried to protect you.”

And then I realize that all I ever wanted, kindness with no strings attached, had only ever come from Violetta. I do not know why I never saw it. In all this world, only she has done things for me, bad or good, with no thought of her own gain. We are sisters. Despite all we’ve been through, all that we have held against each other, we are sisters until death comes for us.