Code (Rewritten)

III

For a moment everything was still. My mind went quiet as I continued to stare down at the dusted floor of soot. I felt nothing. My body felt completely free and light as if a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. Then the motion of Jacklyn made me turn my head. I looked at her and she looked straight at me. I saw fear; I saw gratitude; and I thought I saw amazement.

My heart dropped and I felt bad. My emotions that were locked behind chains had broke and they flooded me. Flowed out of me it seemed like. But what the stars was it? I knew something came out of me. I felt it.

What had I done?

I took a step towards my already cowering sister with my hand reaching out slowly, but she flinched back. A pain pinched my heart and I stopped in my tracks, bringing my hand to my chest. I didn't know what I did but I didn't want it to happen to Jacklyn.

"Jacklyn?" I whispered low. I slowly made my way closer to the floor, closer to the small girl. I didn't want to scare her, especially anymore than she already was. I just had to make sure she knew that I was still me, that I wasn't going to hurt her.

On my knees I motioned to myself. "Hey, Lynnie, it's me." I kept my focus on trying to get Lynn to see that I was alright but the thought that seemed to be on my mind was I hoped I wasn't on mom, but most likely I was. I looked into Jacklyn's eyes, slowly reaching my hand out to her. And the closer in got to her the more relaxed she seemed to get. Good. Her other emotions appeared to drift away from her face and eyes and they were replaced with a trusting curious expression. She looked awed for some reason.

“See.” My hand touched her shoulder gently. “It's okay. I'm–” but she cut me off pointing to my face.

"Your eyes," she said in a whisper. “They’re… glowing.”

"What?" I backed away from her, dazed in what she just said before I stood up and walked to the bathroom. The rooms’ light flickered on and my head went immediately to the mirror to my reflection, but I jerked back, startled. My eyes were glowing gold.

My eyebrows perked up in shock. I stepped closer to the glass and leaned over the metal counter. My face was a few inches away from the mirror as I stared into a pair of eyes that looked back into mine. They were familiar yet so foreign. The eyes were gold, glowing, and they looked like the color inside was moving like trapped water with nowhere to go. I suddenly felt my breathing quicken in that moment and for the next few ones as well. I was confused. Curious. Admiring them too, but what the actual heavens above was going on?

"What did you do?" Jacklyn's voice startled me. I turned to her and looked down to a child who looked so lost. She looked almost as confused as me.

I turned back to the mirror and leaned over it, my hands supporting me on the counter. "I have no idea, Jacklyn." And that was the truth. I blinked hard and looked back at my eyes, wondering if they’d go back to their original color.

Nope, still gold.

Whatever was going on I knew it couldn't have been Changing from Code. At least not yet. I wasn't 16. I couldn't have been the. What did it have to be then?

I sighed, being defeated in my thoughts, and turned back to Lynn. "Jacklyn, I'm still the same, okay? Don't be afraid.” I told her getting down on to a knee and to her height. I placed my hands on her shoulders and looked square at her. “I don't know what’s going on, but you have to trust me that I still won't do anything to hurt you, okay? I am still going to protect you.”

I watched Jacklyn's eyes stare into mine, contemplating as if she was searching for truth. After a moment she blinked as if she found what she needed to and she nodded, understanding. I gave her a grateful smile and a gentle squeeze of her shoulders. "I trust you," she said and she reached out her hand to my face and cupped my cheek sweetly. "I know you won't hurt me."