Virus 3 - The Final Chapter

27th August 2042

My Mum sees me in the front seat and collapses to her knees, instantly beginning to cry of happiness. My father rubs her back, a wide smile across his face. Luis stops the car, and gets out without addressing me. I got out, my Father running over to me.

"Harper." He said just before wrapping his arms around me. I closed my eyes, digging my face into his neck. I felt another pair of arms go around me, followed by the sounds of sobbing and I knew it was Mum.

"You look so different." Mum said through her cries.

"Where's Noah?" I hear Willow ask. I pulled away from my Dad, looking over at Max talking to his parents. Willow had the exact reaction my Mum did when she saw me. She fell to her knees, crying out, except this time it was in pain. Beau dropped down to her, wrapping his arms around her as they sobbed together.

"Dad." Dylan said next to me. Mum and Dad left me and moved onto Dylan. I took a deep breath, looking away from the Macintosh family. I look over to Antoinette who was talking to a limp Joe, explain Lou's death.

"I heard what happened." Sam said from behind me. I turned, unable to stop myself before diving into his arms, beginning to cry. "He's just mad; he'll come to his senses soon."

"What if he doesn't?" I whimpered into his chest.

"Samuel!" Mum cried, and Sam pulled away walking over to Mum. I stood there by myself, wiping the tears from my face. I loved Luis, and he loved me, yet he won't be with me. I'm too hard to love, too hard to cater for. I looked over to Luis, who stood back while his parents hugged Amelia. I had to get away from him before I did something crazy, like scream and burst into tears.

"I'm going up to the house." I said. My family stared at me weirdly as I walked away from them and past Luis, trying not to look at him. I got into my house, breathing with relief. I walked upstairs into my room, which I had surprisingly missed. I looked into the mirror at my reflection.

They didn't have mirrors in Columbus, so I never really saw myself. My cheeks were sunken in from barely eating, my collar bones sticking out and my arms boney. My hair was like a boys, cut unevenly at the ends. I unzip my leather vest, taking it off to show my bare skin. I turn to look at my back, the rotations of the moon starting at the tip of my neck and going down my spine, ending just before my pants line.

This tattoo took 9 hours. I sat it all at once, trying to prove my strength. I have the fire symbol of Columbus on my right shoulder, and I have a small code on my wrist. It was the code of my chip, I don't know why I got it, I think I just got it to remind me to be good because the code is the only thing keeping me alive.

Tattoos were a big thing at Columbus. It defined who you were as a resident. Jake's back was made up of many different tattoos to hide the scars from when he was whipped at his last group. His arms were covered in different kinds of weapons, all being weapons he's killed Lurkers with. His chest had a wolf on it, because his little brother who was killed when he was young's' name was Wolfe.

Avery on the other hand, was spotless. She didn't need tattoos to prove she was strong, she just needed her words. We were all scared of her because of what she said, not her actions. Which was even more terrifying.

"Tattoos?" Mother said as she walked in behind me. I quickly covered my chest, turning back towards her. She picked up my vest, handing it to me. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing." I shook my head.

"Nothing?" She scoffed as I put my shirt back on. "Your hair is short, it looks like you haven't eaten a proper meal in weeks, and you have these – things all over your body."

"Mum it was to fit in." I said. She bit her lip, nodding as her eyes teared up.

"They ruined my daughter." She said, trying not to cry again. "You were so beautiful."

"Mum please -"

"You can't be beautiful with your bones showing like that." She said. I crossed my arms insecurely. "You look like a dead person."

"I don't need this from you." I snapped.

"You need to be told Harper." She said. "If this is the body you want, there's something wrong with you."

"You think I want to look like this?" I yelled. She looked taken aback from my sudden outburst, but I couldn't help it. "You think I want to look ugly?"

"Harper -"

"You think I want to wake up and see this ink slapped on my body? You think I enjoy starving myself to make sure I was unrecognisable to my siblings? You think I want to look at Luis and not see the same adoring, loving stare he used to give me. He was attracted to the curvy, long haired pretty Harper who was nice and didn't look like a fucking skeleton." I yelled.

"Harper calm down -"

"He broke up with me Mum." I interrupted, sitting down on my bed. "He said I was too difficult to make happy." I put my head in my hands, giving in to the sadness. I began to cry, my mother sitting next to me and putting her hand on my back. I sat up, looking at her. "Why can't I be happy Mum?" I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"You are happy." She said, pushing back my short hair.

"Then why doesn't he want me?" I whimpered. She took a deep breath, pulling me into her arms where I remained for an hour.