Fifteen ✔

13

     "What do we want to achieve in taking down the Westerners?" Ivory asked, adressing to the crowd.

     "Freedom," Ivris said in a tone that said, "what else?"

     "Yes, clearly, but what else?"

     "Safety. Stability. Equality," Sno said from his spot against the wall.

     "Shut up," Farris mumbled.

     "Don't start that shit with me after we've already calmed down. Keep your damn mouth shut if you're going to be an ass towards me," Sno warned him, a look of calmness settled on his face as he spoke.

     "Boys," Ivory further warned, "I don't care how much bad any of us has done in the past, we all need each other if this plan is going to work."

     "You know, the plan we haven't started planning yet because you two are acting like immature children," I stated, breaking my own streak of silence.

     Neither of them said anything for a moment, Farris was the only one to speak, "I'm not sorry."

     "Of course you're not," Ivris mumbled towards Farris.

     He went silent after that. As a matter of fact, everyone went silent after that.

     "The only way this is going to work is if we can stay calm for once," Jewel said and sent a glare in Farris's direction, "Can we discuss this now?"

     "What can I do?" I asked, wanting to move this along before a fight broke out again.

     "You're our way in passively. We don't wanna go straight to brute force, we'll be just like them if we do that," Ivory answered.

     "That won't work," Sno said, "I trained that boy but he taught himself too. He's not going to let her in."

     "She's Capri's daughter. A close ally to them by genetics."

     "She hasn't been with Capri for a week," Sno spoke confidently, "I say we go running in, guns blazing."

     "We're not doing that for plan A," Ivory announced firmly.

     "So plan B?" He asked, a grin on his face.

     "Maybe, can we stick to thinking about plan A?"

     "I mean, I'm not stopping you. I was just thinking ahead of you, I apologize," he bowed lightly in Ivory's direction before leaning back onto the wall.

     "He keeps giving me more and more reason to hate him," Farris stated.

     "Enough, get out. You're not contributing anything good to this, get out of the room," Tiffany said to Farris from her spot on a couch with Sabrina and Trenton.

     She simply pointed towards the door when Farris went to explain himself. He looked up to Ivory and she nodded. He slowly stood and walked out. Once the door was closed and his footsteps faded away we began speaking.

     "I can get inside," I started, "I can say that I ran away from Jace, which isn't a complete lie, but that I got lost on the way to the Westerners."

     "So there's phase one of plan A," Ivory said, her face nearly as blank as Jewels.

     "I'll stay there for a while, try and convince them to let me see the leader, that is if he doesn't request to see my right away. I'll try and convince him to step down."

     "What if it doesn't work," Nadia asked, "What if he doesn't step down?"

     "We could go 2 different directions here. I ask for him to train me to be a leader or we attack."

     "Both," Sabrina spoke, a grin on her face.

     "I see where she's going with that," Sno nodded his head, "If he trains you, he'd be preoccupied. I put my full focus into training him, so with luck he should be the same. If he's preoccupied, then he wouldn't be looking out to be attacked."

     "His group is the strongest group right now, why would he look out for a battle?" Trenton added in.

     "This can work," Tiffany said, looking over at Ivory for appoval, "This can most definitely work."

     Her face said she was torn between staying peaceful and agreeing with the idea, before long she nodded her head, "If we have to do it this way, then we'll do it. I don't want to risk losing freedom."

     "This war has gone on too long, it ends with this group," Ivris spoke up, she looked at me for a moment before looking away.

     "What do we do after?" I asked.

     "I don't think any of you want me to lead again," Sno stated calmly, "But I'd be happy to train a leader. A young, smart and brave person who can take the Westerners into a different direction than anyone could."

     "I'll do it," Nirav's eyes lit up at the idea of being a leader.

     "We could have more than one," Ivris said, her eyes equally lit up, "We could have a group of leaders. Each time the Westerners have been an issue they've only had one leader. If we have a group of people with the same goal it could be taken in a different direction."

     "I'll gather all people that are your age and whoever decides they want to jump onto this opportunity, Sno will train," Ivory said, settling a potential argument, "Can you do that, Sno?"

     "Yes," He spoke calmly before pushing off the wall and looking around us, "I like Ivris's attitude. And I like how Shepherd didn't hesitate to agree to do it. Konida has bravery and defiance, something that could be great if used properly. Nadia has a positive outlook. I want these four as a basis."

     "Done," Ivory said before I could protest against it.

     "I don't care how many others want to train with me but I want a general idea by the lunch tomorrow. We need to go through with this plan quickly otherwise Konida lie about getting lost won't be believable."

     "I can do that."

     "I say we send out Konida by the end of the week. How will she communicate with us?"

     "With me," Nadia stood up, "I could say I was the one who helped her find her way. I often went out to find food it wouldn't be suspicious if I left occasionally."

     "What about your brother?"

     She looked over at Nirav, "I'll tell them he died in battle and that was why I was gone so long."

     "Great. Plan complete," Sno shrugged and went back to his place on the wall, "Someone go fill in the ass who can hold a grudge for a damn long time."