No matter how many tis Penny repeated her mories of the past, and no matter how many tis she described them — whether in detail or vaguely — there were simply no words to perfectly describe her heart. No words could ever justify the pain she had to carry from one lifeti to the next.
And when pain beca overwhelming, it wore the skin of anger.
"You wanted the truth? Then there you go. I will kill you, Atlas Bennet. A thousand tis wouldn’t be enough. Just like how I begged you, you’ll beg as many tis as you want, and I won’t listen. Go and leave this place, but I’m not letting go of this seat."
Penny’s eyes glinted before she peeled them from Atlas, keeping her gaze steady ahead. Atlas, on the other hand, didn’t say a word — he couldn’t.
Even now, the First Brother she spoke of sounded like a complete stranger. But that suppressed anger in her voice? It sounded familiar sohow. And, in its own strange way, it made sense: her indifference when she stepped foot in the Bennet Mansion, her determination to leave, her lack of expectation from anyone, and the distance she had for everyone. A wall that felt like an impossible wall to break or climb over.
Her deanor as a child, which she carried until recently — as if she had to protect sothing, no matter what — sohow made sense. If she put it that way, then there was no wonder Penny kept everyone at arm’s length: close enough to share a laugh with her, but too far to reach her completely. It was only because of Zoren that Penny herself started breaking down that wall. But even then, it was just enough for them to see each other over it.
She didn’t need to say every detail about her first life.
Atlas understood. He understood now why Slater couldn’t stop groveling at her feet. They didn’t deserve the title of being a brother; they didn’t deserve her.
Slowly, Atlas cast his eyes down while standing in the sa spot. His hands balled into tight fists as his jaw clenched. His emotions were jumbled, and his mind was continuously processing and breaking apart. The weight in his heart grew heavier with every breath, as if telling himself he didn’t deserve to breathe.
After a minute, he lifted his eyes to her again. Penny still hadn’t looked back, nor had she said another word. Her brow twitched when she noticed Atlas sitting down in the co-pilot seat.
Arching a brow, she mocked, "What? Changing your mind now?"
"No," he breathed out heavily, turning his head to her while wearing the headphones. He tapped the mic a few tis. "Can you hear ?"
"Hah." She scoffed and looked away. "What is it now, Atlas? If you think you can talk out of it before I crash this plane, then you better have co up with sothing brilliant. Otherwise, we’re just watching us nosedive."
Atlas leaned back, no longer buckling the seat. "Let’s make a deal."
"A deal?" Penny puffed her cheek. "What? How much do you think their lives cost?"
"None."
"Wow..." Her mouth fell open, blinking, turning to him. "What does that an before I feel this awe completely? Don’t tell it’s because their lives are priceless. Because if that’s the answer, then it’s not ’wow’ anymore."
"That’s one point, but if you crash this plane and survive, you’ll be thrown in prison."
"Then I just have to make sure no one survives?"
"Penny, is prison fun?" he returned calmly. When she glanced at him, he shrugged. "I’m sure it’s not. It’s small, it slls bad, and you have to deal with troubleso people."
"Deal with troubleso people..." Penny laughed. "Yeah, right. I dealt with most of them. Almost killed one because one of them wanted to move up my execution. Hehe."
"..."
"Atlas, have you been in a fight?"
"A brawl, no."
"I’ve been in one — in many. Every single day in there. It’s a good thing Dad and Mom’s genes are good. I lost count of how many tis I thought I lost my beauty until my face healed. Though, I lost a tooth or two permanently, which sucks a little," she quipped. "But you know, in a way, it’s addicting. The fight. Every punch, kick, scratch, and all sorts of assault you get and give back. It only hurts at first, but your body will eventually itch for it."
Atlas didn’t answer this ti, just gazing at her side profile. She might not have intended to tell him and was simply being funny, but it just showed how prison could twist soone’s point of view. Many others would repent while incarcerated, and their ti serving would offer plenty of self-reflection.
But in so cases, like Penny, they would just grow worse and worse until they couldn’t recognize themselves in the mirror. It clarified her actions — as if she were a thug whenever she was drunk.
"I agree with you." After a while, Atlas spoke again in the sa calm tone.
"Agree with on what?"
"That a thousand deaths isn’t enough." He shrugged. "However, prison isn’t fun, nor is killing other people just to kill one. Another point is that there’s no certainty that we’d live again if we crash or if we can get rebirth a thousand tis for you to kill ."
Slowly, Atlas, who was still maintaining his composure, turned to face her squarely. "If you want to kill , then that’s fine. However, going to prison for it is not."
"What in the world are you talking about?" Penny laughed, but seeing the determined look on his face made her brows knit. "I don’t think I’m following."
"What I’m saying is, if you’re going to kill , then we need to make sure you’ll get away with it."
"We?"
"Yes, we," he nodded, his tone and expression unchanged. "You already went to prison once, don’t go back in there. You don’t belong in there. So, I’m going to help you concoct the perfect cri. Sothing that couldn’t and wouldn’t be traced back to you."
Atlas paused, looking her dead in the eye as he added, "I’ll help you plan my murder."
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