Thalia walked up the stairs to the platform where they were supposed to meet that morning. Theo was back home now after being away for weeks. Normally, they would have arrived together; however, after the warning Dante had given her the day before, she wasn't going to risk being late—not even for her little brother.
When she reached the top of the steps, she saw Valerie and Alexander sitting on the benches next to the boarding platform. Thalia went over and sat next to Valerie, who was still reading the book from yesterday. Thalia leaned over to see the title; it was "IT ENDS WITH US," written in all capital letters. Thalia thought it was a bit odd for Valerie to be reading a romance novel.
Valerie was dressed like a glamorous doctor from one of those old magazines that Theo used to hide in his bottom drawer. She wore a white lab coat over tight black pants and a red turtleneck, which made her look like a cross between a doctor and a model. Thalia had expected her to be reading something related to medicine or perhaps fashion.
Alexander sat behind them, rolling four small marbles between his fingers. Thalia thought she saw one of the marbles flicker with electricity as it rolled. She half-expected him to be asleep, given that his hat was pulled down over his eyes. Today, he wore a blue suit and a pair of wingtip leather dress shoes. Thalia hated to admit it, but Alexander definitely had an old-fashioned yet classic style.
Fifteen minutes passed, and Thalia began to think she had made a mistake by arriving so early. Just then, Tyler strolled up the stairs. He wasn't wearing a tracksuit this time; instead, he sported a green sports jacket, and a pair of black jeans rolled up at the bottom to showcase his high-top shoes. Thalia was genuinely surprised, as he usually wore some form of tracksuit. Seeing him in semi-normal clothes was quite a shock.
Ten minutes after Tyler arrived, her brother finally came running up the stairs, his brown hair a mess as if he had just rolled out of bed. Theo wasn't alone—Dante followed closely behind him. Dante had his hands in his pockets as he slowly climbed the stairs.
"My head hurts so much," Dante groaned, plopping down next to her and holding his head. Thalia could smell his cologne, which had an earthy, charcoal scent reminiscent of one of those fancy incense. She leaned in a bit closer to take a better whiff and also caught the sweet aroma of a woman's perfume.
Thalia wondered whose lavender perfume was lingering on Dante's black fitted Under Armour shirt. She thought he was divorced, and her irritation began to manifest physically, causing the air around her to crackle with static.
"Ow! What was that?" Tyler exclaimed, rubbing his arm and looking around for the source of the sting. Thalia took a few deep breaths to settle her powers; all that training from the vice-captain had not been in vain.
If she had still been at the institute and her emotions had flared out of control, the weather would have shifted, potentially bringing down a small storm. However, she was much more in control now. That didn't mean, though, that she could easily let go of her curiosity; she still wondered whose perfume had been on his clothes.
A bell chimed three times. "Monorail A6 now arriving."
Thalia and the others rose from their seats as the train pulled into the station. Dante was the first to board the rail. He walked straight to the blue doors separating the rail cars, swiped his wristband, and the door opened to reveal a long room filled with white sofas.
"This must be first class," Thalia thought. She had never been in first class before, and neither had Theo or Tyler. They began looking around while Tyler rummaged through the mini-fridge next to the table in the middle of the room.
"Whoa, sis, this is crazy, right? Who would have thought all of this would be on the same rail we rode to school every day?" Theo exclaimed, pressing a button that caused the walls behind the sofas to open, revealing huge windows. They could see other passengers swiping their identification bands to board the train.
"Hey, don't go around touching things, or you'll make us look like kids! Although I have to admit, this is pretty cool," Thalia said as she walked over to sit on the sofa closest to the window.
"Alright, everyone, sit down and be quiet for a moment," Dante commanded. He opened a pill bottle and poured two pills into his hand.
"Hey, Winfreed, throw me a soda."
Tyler opened the fridge and tossed a soda to Dante. He cracked it open, popped some pills into his mouth, and took a sip.
Valerie and the vice-captain sat beside Theo on the couch across from Thalia. Everyone settled in and got comfortable.
"I'm going to be blunt and upfront about this because I'm not great at sugarcoating. It will no longer be a game when we exit this train and enter District City 9. Everything that happens from here on out needs to be treated as if it is a matter of life and death. Honestly, every decision we make will affect the lives of our teammates and civilians."
Silence fell over the group as they absorbed this information. Meanwhile, Valerie continued reading her book while Alexander lay on the sofa with his head in her lap.
"So I don't know if you remember the rules I laid out to be a member of this unit. However, there are two rules I will refresh you on. The first being all of my orders in the field are absolute. I don't care if I ask you to kill someone without cause. I expect it to be done without hesitation. I want you all to remember that there is always a reason for our actions, even if they are hard to grasp in the moment." Dante paused like he was waiting for questions.
Theo raises his hand. "I understand the necessity of taking a life. I am not a child but I am still adverse to doing it without cause."
Dante sighed. "I'm going to share with you what my captain told me when I first joined the Legends."
Everyone leaned in, gazing at Dante with rapt attention.
"Taking a life should never be easy, and it is meant to be hard every single time. However, it is not without purpose. I learned that lesson the hard way." Dante's eyes turned red, but Thalia couldn't tell if it was from anger or sadness.
His light purple aura and killing intent began to flare up around him.
"Every time you hesitate in the field, an innocent life could be sacrificed—all because we weren't able to bear the burden. There are two types of burdens in this job: the first is the atrocity of taking a life, and the second is the relief and anxiety that wash over you when we save a life. Neither comes without consequences, and each brings its own share of stress. However, I want you to dig deep within yourself and consider what you are doing on my team and whether or not this job is truly right for you."
Thalia glanced at her brother, half-expecting him to protest. Instead, he simply nodded and leaned back in his seat, maintaining a calm and collected expression. Thalia couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
Dante's purple aura faded along with his intense killing intent. "There is one more thing I need to mention. If we get separated for any reason, my only order is for you to survive. I no longer expect you to carry out the mission; instead, I want you to prioritize your own safety. Over the past three weeks, we have worked to increase your chances of survival, so I have high expectations for you both."
His words gave Thalia butterflies in her stomach. The fact that Dante, who had always been so cold, showed this side of himself made her feel much more confident about their mission today.