ABSOLUTION

Chapter five

At the thought of losing control over my body and mind like that, I panic. "Are you sure the drug won't wear off and I'll wake up being throttled in this thing?" I ask Troy as he straps me in, tugging real hard it almost steals my breath.

He nods.

"How will you get to us in time if something does go wrong?"

"As I said"―he smiles gently―"Isis is an intelligent being on her own. She will monitor all the pods on board, and has the necessary equipment to resuscitate any of you if it is needed."

"But we'll be in space." I swallow at the thought. "What if something goes wrong?" I repeat, my voice cracking toward the end with shear terror.

"Maya," he utters, his tone gentle yet firm as it always is when he has to reassure me of something. "I've never let you down before, have I?"

I raise my eyebrow.

"Okay, your sister doesn't count, honestly who..." He pauses and guides my arms into position, again pulling on the straps, and then sighs. "Your sister... we had to lose her, you know this. You know it's how fate works for her, for the prophecy. As the Chosen one, Ava is only Ava when she has purged herself, and only she can do this in order to become―"

"Shhh," I interrupt, waving him off, sure I heard something. And in Troy's eyes as he stares me down, the deep-set furrow between his brows confirm my suspicions.

He cocks his head to listen more closely.

"What is it? Is there someone outside?" My eyes dart from one side of the hangar to the other, and then peer out into the shadows beyond.

He nods and turns while pulling the straps tight across my rib cage. "Stay here."

I snort in irony, "Obviously." I only have a few moments to start thinking about what it would be like to 'hibernate' on a craft a thousand feet above planet Poseidon. I've only been on Isis once before; it seems so long ago that I sat dazed from a muting spell. I was locked in my own mind on this very ship. There is a big bang and as I look up, Troy is sprinting toward me. His face is smooth and cold, but the hard glare has me startled. I start fidgeting with my belt. Something is horribly wrong.

"No!" he shouts. "You have to leave. Now!"

"Why, what is going on?"

"Stop it!" He pushes me back into the pod, grasps my straps and tightens them more as I struggle to free myself. "Just go! You will be safer there. The siren magic will kill you if you stay. We have been through this."

"Tell me what's going on!" I insist.

"Nothing." His tone gives away the fact that it is indeed something. His jaw pulls tight, his lips a white, thin line as a result of restrained anger. Then I feel it―first the nausea fights its way into my stomach, like I have been punched in the gut and need to puke. The anxiety that hits my stomach makes it feel stark empty, like the vast expanse of space, and spreads its chilling tentacles into my chest, twisting and turning its way into my mind. And then when I look down at my hands, my infection spreads like a flash fire, my veins turn charcoal beneath my skin. "The Shadow Army," I whisper to myself, trying to sober my thoughts in order to grasp what is happening. Because I have been infected with the Shadow curse, I can feel them inside of me; it's a kind of endless hunger that can never be satisfied.

"Close your eyes," he demands, his fists pulling tight at his sides.

"Troy, let me stay. You know you can't do this alone." I open my eyes and stare at the indifference written all over his face.

"One, two, three." He motions for me to take a deep breath and forces the breathing tube into my nostrils, pulling the clear rubber band over my head. It pulls at my hair painfully, making me hiss through my teeth. Behind him, the reflection of a fire against the pools of water illuminates the hidden entrance to the abandoned hangar in the military sector. My skin is a wild fire raging to devour something, anything to fuel its pain. I can feel my chest wanting to explode with the calling of the Shadow army.

My mind flashes back to planet Noxia where the branch cut me and infected me with its Shadowed curse. They want me to join them and are here to collect every last bit of their spilled, infectious disease that runs through my veins. My arms sear with the agony of freedom and for the first time, I can understand how my sister felt each time she resisted the blood-shift. And I feel for Eva, too, who gave in to the unbearable ache that eventually led to her change. I grunt and snarl. I want to give in to the hot mess―it's the only way to make it stop.

Troy slaps me across the face. "No! I won't let you turn, your sister will kill me if you turn!"

I nod. He's right, I have to go. I have to make it into stasis in one piece. I will not become a Shadowed Soul.

"Thank you," I murmur.

He touches my face and stares me down.

And the blood-shift pulls back and lies beneath my resolve. I smile. "We're going to be just fine," I say to him, realizing his effect on the disease. It is true, he is the antidote.

As the pod closes and Troy turns the lever, cold fluid splashes against my legs. Even though the suit is made to withstand harsh conditions, I feel as if the blue liquid is cutting through my skin with a blade made of ice. I'm on the verge of hyperventilating, but Troy shakes his head. His hand comes up to the glass, all the while keeping his eyes on me so I don't focus on anything else but him, and what I need to endure for the last few moments.

The drug is released into my breathing tube, making me want to vomit at the force with which it flows into my lungs. It feels like I'm drowning. I close my eyes and chug down the tears and fear. This is so we can live, this is so I can find my sister and save her. This is for love. I open my eyes and continue to stare at Rion in the pod across from me. I imagine his gorgeous lips, soft and sweet on mine, a memory that guides me into sweet unconsciousness.

(:B_