The Elements Trilogy: The Secondaries

Chapter 35: Ice

I kicked open the door to the dance with my foot, and started shoving my way through the crowd. Derek's feet smashed some guy on the head, and he turned to tell at me, but I just continued on pushing through the crowd.

My eyes scanned the room for Dr. Logan. Instead, they landed on Skylar being yanked around by Evalynn, and my heart lurched. She hadn't looked at me directly since we kissed at the dance, and I didn't know what that meant. She was the one that continued the kiss, but I was the one that had frozen her cheek.

The flashing lights and pounding music of a song that sounded suspiciously like a German version of Starships by Nicki Minaj made Derek clutch his head and groan again.

"Dude," I said. "I know you've got yellow fever, and you're sick, but could you cut back on the moaning?"

Derek weakly held up his middle finger to me. "Shuddup." He whispered.

I chuckled and hoisted Derek up higher. Suddenly, Evalynn appeared by my side with Skylar in tow. Before I could think or speak anything, Evalynn reached up and raked her nails down my cheek, drawing blood.

"Son of a bitch!" I stumbled backwards, tightly holding onto Derek. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Look!" Eva ignored my cry of pain, and pointed to my cheek. "Look Skylar! It's healing! They've got the accelerated healing too! Do you think it'll cure Derek?"

Skylar looked uncomfortable. "I don't know, Evalynn. Remember when you got bit by that sidewinder? The healing did nothing then. It's useless against poisons, it's probably useless against viruses too. I think it's just for physical harm."

"I'll show you physical harm!" I snarled at Evalynn, but I was incapable of reaching her with over six feet of sick Derek in my arms.

Diamond, and Evie shoved their way over to us, Dr. Logan in tow. "Is he sick?" Dr. Logan demanded.

I nodded. "He was coughing up blood earlier, and he can't walk. He's really weak."

Dr. Logan's face was viscous. "So you decided to bring a boy with yellow fever here to a crowded area, full of people?!" He shouted over the music. "It's contagious! Get him out of here! Take him to the infirmary!"

My stomach twisted as I glanced around at all the people we could be infecting with yellow fever.

"Shit," Derek murmured quietly.

I immediately turned, and started shoving my way back out of the crowded dance room. One glance behind me, told me that everyone else was following me. But Tony and David seemed to be lost among the crowd.

I felt someone touch my elbow, and I looked down expecting to see Evalynn walking near Derek. But it was Skylar.

"Hi." I said softly, a smile creeping onto my face.

She didn't say anything.

I sighed. "I'm sorry if kissing-"

"Is it a bad time to tell you that I love you?" She blurted out. We made it out the double doors and were standing in the hallway, waiting for everyone else to come outside too.

"Is it a bad time to tell you I love you too?" I grinned down at her.

She grinned back up at me, and started to say something else, but I interrupted her. "I love everything about you. Well, almost everything."

Her smile immediately vanished. "Almost everything?" Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms over her chest. I knew I better act quick.

"Yeah, it's your name. I can't stand it."

"My...my what?" She seemed stunned.

"Yeah, your name. Specifically your last name."

"Whats wrong with my last name?!" She sputtered angrily.

"I don't know. It doesn't suit you. You should change it." I continued. By now, everyone made it out of the dance room, and Dr. Logan was motioning for me to come with him.

"Change it?! To what?!" Her eyes were blazing, and staring relentlessly into mine.

"Anderson." I smirked. Then I turned, and walked away from her, after Dr. Logan and Evalynn.

*** Skylar's POV

"Anderson." Harry smirked. Then he turned away and walked after Dr. Logan and Evalynn.

I felt my jaw drop. Had Harry just-

"Skylar, come on!" Evie said. "We have to go back and find David and Tony. We need to tell them whats going on!"

I ignored her. "Did you just...DID YOU JUST PROPOSE TO ME?!" I bellowed after Harry. "DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME! ARE YOU LAUGHING?! GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"Skylar!" Evie interrupted me again. "Let's go! Let's worry about your stupid boyfriend later!" She grabbed my arm and led me back into the dance again. But this time, it was different. The lights were on. The music was off. Everyone was standing still. Too still.

"Umm...what's going on?" Diamond asked uneasily.

I slipped my hand inside my jacket pocket and felt the bottle of white out that was my sword in disguise. It always made me feel better.

"I don't know," I said. "But does everyone have their weapons?"

Evie and Diamond nodded grimly. I took a half-step forward, and the floor underneath creaked and groaned like a dying goat. Every person's head in the room swiveled, simultaneously to stare at me.

I stifled a scream. Everyone's eyes were completely black, their pupils blown so wide, it completely covered up the colored parts of their eyes. "Nobody move," I hissed out of the corner of my mouth.

Evie and Diamond simply twitched their heads in agreement. That was when disaster struck. Disaster in the form of Antonio Juan Sparks.

"¿Qué coño pasa con sus ojos?!" He howled, shoving past everyone, eyes closed, hand around David's wrist, dragging him along. He stumbled into Evie, who smacked him on the head.

"Be quiet!" She hissed.

Tony snatched up Diamond in his arms, and stood protectively in front of her, as the black eyed people all took a step toward us. Evie whimpered.

"We are The Cloned Forces." Over 300 voices spoke in unison, all different octaves. Some high, some deep. Some smooth, and some rough, all with the same menacing tone. "You are The Inhuman Eight."

"What do they mean?" Tony squeaked.

"We are The Cloned Forces. You are The Inhuman Eight." The so called Cloned Forces took a step forward, as if one body.

"Skylar..." Evie's voice was nearing hysteria. "Skylar, what do we do?!"

My brain churned out two thoughts. One) Every intern in this building except us was a clone. And every clone could be used as a slave to fight a kill us. Bryner must have activated them when she remembered us. Two) We needed to get the hell out of here.

"Run!" I shouted.