City of Birds

City of Birds Elisha Reids Elisha Reids Copyright © 2023 Elisha Reids All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-3999-4179-2 All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Authors Note City of Birds is a New Adult, Dystopian, Romance. If you need to read the Trigger Warnings, they are as followed: Mental and physical abuse, descriptions of violence, self-harm, strong language, anxiety, and depressive thoughts. Grandma, you always knew I'd be a writer, even before I knew it myself. Harry, I couldn’t do life without you, I love you. To all the people who suffer in silence, this is for you… The Unity Building, Citadel, Altaras Table of Contents Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Chapter Thirty-Seven Chapter Thirty-Eight Chapter Thirty-Nine Chapter Forty Chapter Forty-One Chapter Forty-Two Chapter Forty-Three Chapter Forty-Four Chapter Forty-Five Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author Elyria Nightingale Fire dances across the sky, the embers rising like shooting stars. Thick, black smoke clouds above like a blanket. If I close my eyes, I can almost hear the screams, but the roar of the flames engulfs the sound. All I can do is watch the city I despise crash and burn because of me… Chapter One Before M y mother always told me I was born a fighter, kicking and screaming as soon as I came into this world. It was probably because some part of my brain already knew I was being brought into a cruel place, dictated by monsters. The only reason I was not born a cynical and atrocious girl, is down to the love and devotion my parents give me and my siblings, bringing us up to be empathetic and kind. Despite this love my parents give me, tonight I’m deceiving them. Holding my breath, I pause as the floorboard creaks against my foot, silently I curse this old house for nearly exposing my movements. The sound of my heartbeat thumps in my ear as if it’s the loudest thing under this roof. My family are long asleep, but I still fear the slightest noise will wake them. Testing the board with my toe again, to my luck it stays quiet, signaling that I can walk on. Slowly I open my twin sisters’ door to retrieve one of Lila’s gowns; she loves to play dress up, even at sixteen — she owns the most beautiful ones out of all of us, using them merely to perform - perform to her friends, showing off and prancing around like she’s better than all of us. If any of us were to be an elite, it would be her. We’re always clashing heads. She’s so caught up in the luxury of Altaras: an air head with no concern for anything that doesn’t directly affect her. Gia is the softer sister; her empathy and selflessness is the water to Lila’s fire – and the one does not exist without the other. The twins are inseparable, even if they are nothing alike. It is the first of the month — a ball night. The first ball I’ll ever attend. Our government the Consulate host balls at Centralis that last all night long, so to conceal my actions from my family, I’m attending later than most. My parents have always been invited to go; however, they have in recent years, been firm in their decision not to go – making that choice for all of us. Without hesitation, I pull her dress from the wardrobe as quietly as I can and soundlessly leave the room, careful not to wake the sleeping girls. Passing the fraying wallpaper and broken floorboard - that will never be fixed – I creep back along the hallway that leads to my room. This house is even older than my grandparents were, and it shows. I step into the gown; it’s a pretty sage green with pearls woven into the bodice and sleeves only just concealing the tops of my shoulders. A perfect dress to blend in with the other fancy gowns soon to litter the rooms of Centralis. Slowly moving down the stairs so as not to wake anyone, I grab my boots and cloak, heels in hand. Walking to the mansion requires suitable footwear and I will never get far in heels high enough to break my ankle. The air is fresher tonight – a sign that winter is coming so I pull my cloak tight around my body as I make my way through the dimly lit maze of houses. The houses here are as old as the trees, some of them crumbling, tiles missing and windows thin as paper. But the houses change as I take the shortcut through the elite estate — the homes are too big, too grand, in a bid to show off their wealth in competition with the other families. It doesn’t take long before Centralis can be seen as I round the corner; it sits above on the hill as soon as you exit the estate. No one occupies the grand mansion. Built solely for the purpose of socialite events like this ball, held during the first day of every month; hosted at Centralis, in the heart of Altaras. It's where the richest people of the city come to exploit their wealth – amongst other things. The elites will be on show: gossiping, drinking, and dancing with everyone, reveling in each other’s presence after hiding away in their mansions. The elites are the wealthiest in the whole of Altaras; their families from the lineage of the first founders of our homeland. They built this