“Demetrius." My breath fogs out in front of my face as it laces with the arctic air.
“There it is,” my dad mumbles, staring at something near the shoreline just in front of his feet, a blur of colors and shapes.
I focus like I’ve been taught to do and the colors and shapes alter into two figures that rise up from the ground, clutching onto each other for dear life.
“Oh my God.” My heart stops at the sight I’ve seen before. Many times. In fact, pretty much every time I pass out.
I throw my hand over my mouth and start to back away. This is what my father erased to create a new path for the world. This is what was going to happen? Alex and I were going to die to save the world. I painfully understand now, what this means and what it means if I choose the right path.
I watch in torment as Alex brushes the vision form of me’s hair from my face. “It’ll be okay,” he whispers softly.
“How do you know?” she says, tears streaming from her eyes.
“Because I do.” Then he kisses her with so much passion that it electrifies the air. He keeps kissing her, his hands traveling all over her body as she grips onto his shoulders, fully welcoming the kiss, yet she’s scared. The electricity intensifies and then finally Alex pulls back and hugs her against him tightly, whispering something in her ear that makes her skin drain of color. But then she says something else that looks like it means everything to her. And as she buries her face into his chest, a light brightening around the two of them, she appears content.
I shield my eyes, trying to see what’s happening. I’ve never gotten past this part in my dreams, but deep down I know why. It’s the same reason why when Alex looked in the future mirror, he only saw light.
Because it’s the end for both of us.
“This is what happens right before the portal is about to open… the two of them stop it from happening, by sacrificing their own lives?” my father whispers under his breath as the light dims away. The sun shines brightly from the sky and the snow is melted, the land soaked with the afterglow. The Death Walkers, Stephan, and Demetrius are gone and ash is scattered across the ground and floating through the air. Everything is burned except for Alex and the vision form of me sprawled on the grass, our fingers intertwined as we lay side by side, dead.
My father shakes his head, tears rolling down his cheek. “I’m so sorry for letting this happen to you.” He steps toward our bodies, crouches down, and reaches for us, preparing to erase us like I did to myself on the shore.
I start to sob uncontrollably. “This is what I have to put back,” I choke. “I have to let this happen. Let Alex and me die, so that the world doesn’t freeze over and everyone dies.”
It’s the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. Either I can walk away and let the world head to its frozen death or sacrifice Alex and mine’s life so everyone can live. How can I do it? How can I kill Alex and myself?
“I can’t do this,” I whisper through my tears.
But as my father’s hand hovers above Alex, I realize what kind of person I am, a life changing moment that will define me forever.
My hand trembles as I reach for my father. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper then place my hand on his shoulder. He vanishes with a flicker and I collapse to the grass and cry until all the energy drains out of me. Then I curl up into a ball and for once, wish I was still emotionally numb.
Chapter 32
I wake up at the house, slamming to the floor, but don’t open my eyes, even when everyone rushes to me. I can’t do it—can’t face him, so instead I let him carry me to the sofa, pretending I’m unconscious, while Alex stokes my back.
I hate to hear him worried like he is, but opening my eyes means I’ll have to explain what happened. I’ll have to tell Alex that we are going to die in the close future and that what I changed back was our deaths.
I’m not sure how much time goes by, maybe hours, as I stay that motionless, listening to them worry, knowing that eventually I’ll have to officially wake up and tell them what I did.
“Gemma.” Alex’s breath feathers against my ear as he leans down and in desperation, whispers, “For the love of God, please just wake up.”
His plea tears at my heart and I decide it’s time. Opening my eyes, I sit up and he leans back to give me room.
“Oh, thank God.” Aislin presses her hand to her heart, relief sweeping across her face as she sinks down on the coffee table. “You’re okay, right?” She’s been crying, eyes red and swollen.
I can’t look Alex in the eye so I focus on Laylen and Aislin. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“What happened?” Alex asks, trying to catch my eye. “Did you change it or did something… bad happen?” He thinks I’m upset because my dad turned out to be evil. Part of me wishes that was the case.
I smash my trembling lips together, sucking back the tears, and manage to nod my head once.
He hooks his finger under my chin and forces me to look at him. “What’s wrong? I can tell something’s bothering you.”
“I stopped him from changing the world’s future.” I release an uneven exhale. “So now it’s back to what it was supposed to begin with before my father messed with it.”
“So everything’s good.” Alex is deciding whether he should be happy or not. “The world’s not going to end? In ice? My father’s not going to get what he wants.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and suck in a deep breath. “That’s not all.”
He’s hesitant. “What else happened?”
Knowing I should tell him first, I open my eyes and ask Aislin and Laylen, “Can you two give us a second? I need to talk to Alex alone.”
They give me lost looks at they get up and do what I ask. Laylen looks like I’ve wounded him, probably because he thinks I’m keeping secrets from him.
After the room is cleared, I turn to Alex and gather every ounce of courage I possess. “What I had to erase… what I had to allow to happen… what was originally supposed to happen is that… we… we sacrifice ourselves and die, killing the star with us.”
He doesn’t utter a word. The clock ticking. The wind howling. And I can hear Aislin and Laylen upstairs talking.
“So we say we love each other,” he says with indifference. “And then we die and that’s that.”
I nod, unable to speak.
More silence goes by and then Alex abruptly gets to his feet. “I can’t do this,” he mutters and then storms out of the room and out of the house, slamming the front door behind him and it rattle the entire house.