The Changed (Completed)

XIV

The name bounces around the emptiness, it bounces around my head. I'm scared. I'm really scared. I repeat it to myself, trying to jog my memory but it's so cold. It's so cold I can't think.

My feet are numb, not just from the chill, but from standing still for so long. I'm too afraid to move. I don't know where I am. Every movement is like the extra stair you forgot about that makes your stomach drop, every step is a potential cliff. And I do not want to go cliff diving, not today. Unless I've been before. Have I been before? Dammit.

Creeeeek. The sound of metal on metal comes from my right. A bright strip of light scorches my eyes. I cry out in pain falling into the black water. I scrambled to my feet, my eyes burning. I squint, barely able to make out a silhouette in the doorway. It looks like a man but I can't be too sure.

"Hey!" I shout. He doesn't move. He just stands there. "Where the hell am I!" Nothing. The shadow doesn't even flinch. "Answer me you son of a bitch! You stupid piece of shit!" The water sloshes around me as I splash closer.

The door begins to shut. I cry out, trying to catch my racing breath. "No! No! You can't leave me in here! Where is she!" My sister... my sister. My head is light, I'm going to pass out. My heart hammers in my ears. "My sister!" I'm screaming at him, trying to get to the door, but the water holds me back, I'm running in slow motion. "Give me my sister! Please don't leave me!"

Slam.

Avanali..Margo.

---------------------------

Margo~

The last six hours were the hardest hours of my life.

I'll admit, I've never been good at working out. I was always picked last in gym and never participated in any sort of sport. So training for six hours straight was a foreign form of torture to me. Hell on Earth.

Though, Tristan was kind, kinder than he should have been. Especially when I sprawled out in defeat at least four times. There wasn't any kind of aches or pains; thanks to my beta profile. It was just sheer exhaustion. I guess he understood.

I now sat beside him, sipping my water bottle. It trickled down my throat, nice and cold. I was in such a daze that I almost choked as Ophelia swung open the training room doors and marched over to Tristan and I.

"What the hell!" She shouted as Tristan patted my back to aide my coughing fit.

"What's going on?" He asked her. She shook her head angrily, opened her mouth, and then shook her head some more as if the problem was so big she just couldn't even talk about it.

"Let's just say Mrs. Doe told me Shane wasn't allowed visitation rights for more than an hour because he puts the facility in danger. Like what the actual heck. How does he put the facility in danger?" As she continued her rant Tristan whispered, "Shane is Ophelia's brother. He wasn't infected and since Ophelia's parents died when she was little, he's her guardian."

I nodded, mouthing an oh.

"Shane!" Ophelia screeched as a tall muscular boy entered. His blonde hair was cropped on the sides and he had dark eyes. Ophelia jumped into his arms and he swung her around. "Hey Ophie." He smiled, planting a kiss on the top of her head. I didn't have any siblings of my own but I'd always wanted some. Especially after watching the way Wesley took care of Avanali. I wanted someone to take care of me.

Shane spotted me, he grinned. "Hey, I'm Shane."

I smiled. "Margo." He stared at me for a moment before averting his eyes to Tristan. "How have you been?" He asked him. "I haven't seen you in weeks."

Tristan shrugged. "I don't get out much." His tone seemed so different from the Tristan who had hugged me when I cried.

Shane must have taken notice. "Let's go grab lunch, Ophie." To my surprise, he winked at me. "Nice meeting you Margo."

I stuttered, thrown off guard. "Uh...yeah, you too."

Once they left, I watched Tristan curiously. He smiled at me, returning to his usual self.

"Do you not like him or something?" I questioned.

Tristan raised his dark eyebrows. "What makes you say that?"

I shrugged. "You changed. When he spoke to you, I mean."

Tristan sighed, staring at the floor. "It's not about like and dislike. It was about like and dislike in high school when you were deciding who to sit with at lunch. Now it's about trust and loyalty."

I thought about what he said for a moment. "So you don't trust Shane, but you trust Ophelia?"

He grinned. "Ophelia and I have been through a lot together. Of course I trust her."

I nodded. "What about me, you don't treat me like you treat Shane, but you haven't known me long enough to trust me either."

He stared at me for a moment. I blushed, maybe I overstepped my bounds. After an extremely long minute, he looked back down at the floor. "You're right. Maybe it's because of the gamma thing... but I feel like I should trust you."

He looked back at me and I gave him a tiny smile. "Yeah... I feel like I should trust you too."

HEY EVERYONE! HERE IS THE LONG AWAITED "LONG AND INTENSE" CHAPTER I PROMISED.  I really hope you like it as much as I do. Unfortunately I'm back at rank 116. Ugh. But we can get it back to the top 100. I have faith in us. Share and vote! I love you guys so much and you inspire me to keep writing. I'll be doing shout outs next chapter so share this story with two friends and leave a comment saying done. Thanks for everything. XOXO ~N.K