Inside me there's a fire that burns


The night had gone by quickly with Perry and the Wild Ones sitting around her kitchen table talking about anything and everything. Perry was fascinated with the idea of the Legion of the Black and Andy seemed to be more than happy to tell her everything. They had all come together from different parts of the country over three years before when Andy had only been nineteen-the age Perry was now. He had come from Ohio, Ashley from Missouri, Jake from Pennsylvania, Jinxx from Arizona and CC had been a native to California. They had met at a meeting for a small group that had since died out and together they had formed as the Wild Ones.

Why Wickenburg? She asked and Andy only smiled as some of the guys only laughed and claimed that they were heading to bed. Andy and Perry stayed up though, both smirking at one another as the other four left the room and they were both sitting across from one another. Perry only smiled, asking Andy if he wanted to go sit outside and he only gave her a smile. The two of them were soon sitting out on the roof outside of her room, where Ashley was currently snoring away and hiding their voices from the rest of the house. Andy looked beside him then, seeing Perry sitting there on the roof with her head tilted towards the blackened sky, he was reminded of Moira.
The little sister of his one true love-Moira was the life behind the Legion of the Black.


“How old are you Persephone?” Andy asked, breaking their silent solitude and the girl beside him only smiled as she looked over. Her hair, fire red like the sun setting at night, was curly and constantly falling in her eyes-her blue eyes that were identical to Jinxx’s.

“Nineteen, but I’ll be twenty soon…” She said and Andy could hear the bitterness in her tone. Twenty-meaning she would have to make a hard choice soon-marry a stranger or be sent to a breeding camp. Andy swallowed the lump in his throat-he had seen too many girls being taken off to the camps because they had failed to find someone to marry them.

“Twenty…and is Reese your chosen?” He asked and Perry blushed, thankfully it was too dark out for Andy to notice her crimson tinted cheeks.

“I would like to think so, but it’s complicated.” Perry said and Andy said nothing at first. He cocked his head to one side and then began to tug something out of his breast pocket. Soon enough there was a clicking noise and Perry noticed that Andy had a smoldering stick hanging between his lips.

“How is it complicated?” He asked, his voice thick with smoke and Andy watched as Perry just tucked her hair behind her ear and looked off towards the distant desert.

“His family was taken…his father first and then they came back for the rest of the family. Th-they tried to take his sister, Meg, off in to another room and Reese fought back. They left him for dead, but he wasn’t so he came to our house and I patched him up…we don’t know if he’ll ever be able to get back in to society again because he’s supposed to be dead.” She sounded so sad and suddenly Andy felt his heart stop. Reese…Reese Frazer. Fuck-Robert Frazer had been taken.

“Do you know what happened to his family Persephone?” Andy asked and suddenly Perry was crying. She didn’t know what to do-she didn’t know what to say. Reese would never be able to leave the house again-he would be killed on site if he was ever seen.

“They were taken in to the desert-their screams woke me in the night.” She said through her tears and Andy said nothing as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close. She could cry all she wanted and he would never judge her.


Being on the roof with Persephone made Andy think about all of those who had been left behind back at base camp. The Legion had grown so much over the past year-over five hundred members worldwide and every day they gained more and more followers. The most important follower to Andy was his fiancé Odessa-someone who had been there for him from day one. She and her young sister, Moira, had shown up to the camp one day, weather worn and exhausted. They had traveled across the country front Virginia, seeking safety and sanctuary. Their father had been killed in a Guard raid on their small town and Odessa had fled with her little sister in tow.

Andy had never expected to fall in love-he needed to focus on getting the Legion going and stronger, but then Odessa had fallen in to his lap. She brought out the hope within his soul and as he thought about her Andy felt his entire body grow heavy. She would be devastated when he got back-surely she had heard about the terrible ending to their raid and he hadn’t been able to get back to her to be there. Andy looked to Perry, who had stopped her crying, and he felt his heart go out to the girl. She had no future, she had nothing tying her here besides her family, but she had a passion for something more and Andy knew that they needed her just as much as she needed them.


“I-I’m sorry Persephone. We didn’t know that Bob Frazer had been taken, but I can promise you that we will look for Reese’s family the next time we go to HQ.” Andy said as he locked eyes with her and Perry knew in that instant that he was being sincere.

“Thanks-it’s just been hard. Reese is really on the fence with the idea of the Wild Ones and F.E.A.R. Some days he talk about us just leaving-never looking back, but then other days he’s content to sit in the attic and listen to records all day.” Perry said and Andy’s eyes grew wide. Records? Where would they have gotten records from?

“Persephone what do you mean records?” He asked and Perry only smile shyly as she looked up at the star filled sky. Dawn was approaching-she could tell by how light everything was getting right around the mountains, but they still had some time.

“Well when Reese came to stay with us we had to clear out a room for him, so we went up to the attic and found all of these boxes of my father’s. Records, clothing and just a bunch of stuff from when he was our age…before F.E.A.R.” She was smiling now-obviously this intrigued Andy. He said nothing at first, just flicked his still lit cigarette over the side of the roof and then looked up at the sky.


They both sat there silently staring at the stars-everything was so wide and expansive when you looked at the night sky-until finally Perry spoke up and asked Andy the one question that had been needling away in her brain for the past few hours.


“Andy? Why do they call you the Prophet?” She asked and Persephone noticed that Andy had sucked in a breath and was now looking down at her.


“I had a vision when I was nineteen.” He said quietly, his eyes now looking down at his feet and Perry felt her heart beat speed up. A vision? Was the even possible?

“Wh-what kind of vision?” She asked and Andy only smiled at her, his lips curving in to that soft smirk.

“I woke up one morning with the idea in my head that one day the world would go back to the way it was supposed to be. No more F.E.A.R, no more smothering rules and there would be a great war to set it all in to motion. I knew then that I would be a part of that war and so I packed up my bags and headed west.” Andy explained and Perry felt herself become speechless.

“But you’re only one person…how can one person change the world?” Perry asked, her knees up to her chest and she just sat there with her chin resting there while Andy only smiled and ran a hand through his long black hair.

“People used to change the world all the time Perry. Scientists, engineers, doctors-they’re all just people, but every single day before F.E.A.R took power those people made a difference. I just want my chance…I want to allow them to start making a difference again.” Andy said and Perry felt a chill run up her spine.


Persephone hadn’t known Andy very long, but she could tell that he spoke with everything that was in his heart. He had such a passion glowing in those blue eyes of his that she could understand why people would come from all around to join behind him. It wasn’t just that he spoke well-The Chancellor also spoke well-Andy had a passion that was unrivaled. He had woken from a dream and he had set his sights on making that dream a reality. He had been alone, with no one behind him, but soon enough he had found other’s out there who shared in his dream.

Now they had banded together and were changing things one small step at a time.

Perry sighed as she looked off in to the distance and she could see the shadows begin to creep across the mountains at the edge of her street. They were coming and quickly she pointed off into the distance-Andy had seen them aswell and so quickly and quietly they both climbed over the roof and were soon enough safe behind a locked window and closed curtains. Andy walked with Perry down the hall, stopping outside of a closed door that he could only assume belonged to Maggie. Perry looked up at him, her blues eyes staring right into his own and now he was the one getting chills.


“Perry, I’m going to ask you something and I want you to think about your answer before telling me.” Andy said, his tone hushed and Perry only nodded her head. She needed to sleep, at least for a little bit longer and Andy looked tired as well.

“O-okay.” She said softly and Andy only smiled as he placed his hands on either of her arms and brought her in for a hug. Perry felt warmth grow across her body as they touched, but it wasn’t in a romantic way like it was with Reese. No, Andy felt more like a protector to her…like a brother.

“I want you to come with us tomorrow.” He said simply as they pulled away from one another and Perry felt her jaw drop open. Was he being serious right now? Could she do it? Could Persephone Jones really just disappear in to the night and never look back?

“Um…good night Andy. I’ll see you in the morning…” She smiled at him and Andy only nodded his head as he turned and walked off towards her room.


Persephone said nothing more as she opened the door to her sister’s room and moved to get into the bed. She did have a lot to think about…she had a lot to consider and Perry wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to deny the fact that there was nothing left for her in Wickenburg.

Reese and her family were there…but was that enough to keep Persephone Jones trapped under F.E.A.R’s ever present thumb?

Notes

Will Perry leave her family? Would she actually be able to go with the Wild Ones and leave everything she's ever known and loved behind?

Review<3