The Last Atonian

Epilogue:

Yulia huddled in the back of her cell, arms chained behind her, and a slave's collar once more around her neck. Her indigo hair flowed over her face, concealing her tears from sight. How could this have happened? How had he found her and forced her to spread the disease?

Sobs shook the Atonian's tiny frame. Guilt and horror spread through her at what she'd done. Melody ... Suzan, Don, Xander ... Veerna ... she'd put them all at risk. Now they were going to die, because Yulia was too weak to do anything about it.

She curled up even further, sniffing, miserable. She hadn't eaten anything since the night before, and her stomach growled achingly. It was getting to the point that it actually hurt when it growled. Yulia whimpered pathetically.

The guard outside her cell turned to her and snarled at her. "Keep your mouth shut."

Yulia didn't answer, instead shying away. She didn't want him to strike her, which he'd done often enough. Satisfied that his threat had been taken to heart, he turned and faced front again. The words only made tears stream down Yulia's face even faster. She should have just died. It would have been better than this eternal torture.

She had no idea how long she laid there, curled up in a ball, when an out-of-place sound caught her attention. Footsteps, approaching, before the guards were due to switch off. It made Yulia raise her head and listen, her manacles clanking. The guard swung around to snap at her again when there was a dull thud, and he collapsed against the laser bars of Yulia's cell. There was a horrific zapping sound and the smell of burning flesh before his body was shoved over.

Another man stood there, one of the other guards. Yulia stared up at him, utterly confused. Why had he attacked the man? What was even more surprising was when the guard spoke in a gentle voice. "It's okay, kid. Easy. It's only me."

"You—you beat me," Yulia whimpered.

The guard stepped closer, illuminating his face. Except ... his face was changing. His tanned skin was growing paler, turning white, his hair flowed out and turned bleached white, and he got shorter, slimmer. Then it wasn't a man standing in front of Yulia—it was a woman. A very familiar woman.

"Did you miss me?" Veerna Vold said with that familiar, cheeky grin.

To be continued ...