I look Monarch straight in the eyes with no fear because if I feel the fear, then I won’t go through with it. “I understand now,” I say to him. “To save the world not everyone can survive.”
I’m not sure if he understands me or not, but I don’t care anymore. The needle plunges into my skin and the purple liquid enters my body. It burns in my veins like liquid fire. I drop like a ton of bricks to my knees, feeling sad, yet satisfied as I wait to fade.
“You stupid bitch!” Gabrielle screams as he races across the room at me. When he reaches me, he doesn’t touch me; instead he picks up the vile beside me. He peers at it, trembling with rage. “What was that?”
I sit down on the ground as a euphoric state overcomes me, reclining against the counter, staring ahead at the wall. The burn in my veins stops and I feel oddly content and at peace as I feel this strange emptying sensation slither through me. “It was the fading.”
“Dammit! What have you done?” Gabrielle chucks the vile across the room, breaking it against the wall. Then he swipes his arm over the table, shattering vials and vials into pieces of glass, losing control of his emotions.
I look down at my arms expecting to see my skin fading, but everything looks normal. I’m not changing into anything, though, then again, will I even look different? What does fading even look like? Will I just vanish within myself and not even realize it?
Everyone watches me as I sit there, unmoving, unchanging… I don’t feel different at all, just more content. Then I hear something that’s not normal, like the tiny beat of a footstep; a small sound forming in my chest. I glance down at it, but see nothing. I can still hear it, though. What’s happening to me?
Gabrielle starts to relax as he takes in the sight of my unchanging. “Well, look at you. All that bravery for nothing… even the fading can’t work on you. You see, you’re the perfect creation and soon you’ll make the Highers the same way.”
Ba-bump… ba-bump… ba-bump…
My heartbeat. Oh my God… I’m becoming a human. And it feels… invigorating because I can fully feel it, fully feel everything. My arms start to shake, tremble, weaken. My muscles deteriorate into the strength of a normal person. I feel my breath struggle a little more, my body stops healing, standing still; the wounds that were sealing themselves together pause and allow blood to trickle out.
Gabrielle’s eyes burn with hatred as he sees it; his cure slipping away. He turns to Aiden with rage in his eyes, ready to throw all of it at someone. “Kill her… she’s no use to me now.”
I crawl back towards Mathew as he says it, feeling helpless. Shards of glass split at my skin. “No, Aiden, don’t… please.”
Aiden ignores me, nodding at Gabrielle and then marching towards me, his eyes cold and his expression hollow. I try to stand as Mathew gets to his feet, ready to protect me, but I fall back down, my legs weak and aching. I glance at Mathew for help, but Monarch rushes forward and pummels him, throwing his weight into him before both of them crash into the wall.
Aiden crouches down in front of me and cocks his head to the side, assessing me for a moment with his pale eyes that used to be honey brown and so beautiful. I miss those eyes.
“I’m sorry, Kayla,” he says in a monotone voice. “I always have, and always will love you. Forever. Please forgive me.” Then he opens his mouth, lets his fangs descend and then digs them into my vulnerable throat.
The sharp tips stab into my skin and straight into my muscles. I feel myself about to split apart, wanting to cry out or beg as hopelessness crushes me down.
Moments later, I feel myself drifting away and can feel the cure for mankind drifting away with me. I struggle to hold on, but the room fades around me as I sink to the ground. Aiden covers himself over me, drinking from my veins. The more gulps he gets, the weaker I become, and I know that soon I’ll be gone. Dead.
And the cure might die with me.
Suddenly, Aiden jerks back, letting out a growl. My eyes widen as I sit up, bleeding out all over myself, watching in horror as Aiden clutches his head and falls to the floor. He screams so loudly it rings in my ears. His body begins to flail as every one of his muscles spasms.
Gabrielle’s expression collapses as he grips onto the table, watching Aiden roll around on the ground, shouting out and begging for help. “What did you do to him?”
I shake my head and press my hand to my bleeding neck as I crawl across the floor, feeling somewhat normal again while Aiden continues to go into a crazy fit of frenzy.
I wonder what’s happening to him. If he’s hurt. If he’ll die. Although Aiden did terrible things, I know it wasn’t by his own choice. He’s connected to the Highers, broken by Monarch. He’s still my friend and I don’t want to see him die.
I don’t know how to help him, though, and my arms are giving out as I lose more and more blood while it also feels like I’m losing something else. My arm gives out on me and I fall flat onto my stomach, listening to my heart beat as glass pokes at my skin from beneath me. Something feels different about me. I almost feel… human. Not just physically, but… well, emotionally. I don’t know how to process this; all the stuff flooding my body at once. Pain. Ache. Hurt. Sadness for Aiden and what he’s going through. Love. Not for Aiden, but maybe for another. Sylas. I don’t know if he’s still alive and it stings.
It starts to grow quiet as I sift through my emotions and then realize Aiden has stilled. When I push myself up enough to look around, I see that Gabrielle and Monarch are standing over him as he lies lifelessly on the ground.
“Is he dead?” Gabrielle asks Monarch.
“Does it really matter?” Monarch replies.
Gabrielle shrugs then shakes his head and starts to turn away when suddenly Aiden’s eyes pop open. I catch my breath, feeling… happy as I take in the honey brown color of his eyes. The way he was before. He’s cured. I can tell by the emotion flooding in his eyes. It’s evidence of the old Aiden… the one that cared about the world, humanity; that cared about everything.
He turns his head and scans the room. “What happened?” he asks in a stupor, gripping his head. His hair has glass in it and his skin has cuts, yet he seems so much happier than before. “Where am I, Kayla?”
“You’re back,” I say, choking on my happiness, but then I gasp as Gabrielle’s pale eyes slide to me. They almost look red.
His fangs slip out from his veins as he snarls. “I’ve had enough of this!” he cries, enraged. Underneath the anger, I see a hint of fear when he looks at me. He no longer can see his cure to perfection.