Starcrossed

Chapter 25

Luna

 Consciousness came  back to Luna  in slow  waves, her eyes struggling to open. She felt as if she were drifting through something soft, and she wasn't entirely sure if she wanted the feeling to go. But every time her eyelids drooped shut, she felt it again.

 That faint sensation rattling her arm, then her whole body. The persistent yet faraway buzzing in her ears. She turned over, aggravated. She wanted it to stop. She was so, so tired.

 It was no use. Luna's slight movement had already begun to awaken her muscles, and her eyes opened again, a bit wider than the last time. She could see...restraints? A twinge of fear disturbed Luna's relaxed state. She forced her eyes to stay open.

 Once she did, she was unnerved to find unfamiliar faces staring back at her. Two boys around her age and two younger girls were standing around her, looking concerned. One of the boys had his hand on her arm and was shaking it frantically, although she could barely feel it. Another was undoing the restraints that held her to the table. She wondered who they all were. They didn't look like surgeons, and she wondered briefly if this should concern her.

 Suddenly a familiar face pushed into view. It was Carson, looking panicked, a small needle in his hand. He visibly relaxed a bit when he saw her eyes open, but still turned to the older boys. "Do you think she'll need it?" he asked them, although to Luna it all sounded sort of jumbled. The taller boy nodded.

 "Don't worry," Carson's jumbled voice said again. "I'm pretty sure you won't feel this." Then he jabbed the needle into her arm.

 Luna gasped suddenly as feeling burst back into her previously numb, fuzzy limbs. The blurriness faded from her vision in an instant, and before she had a moment to process what had just happened to her, Carson engulfed her in a tight hug.  Luna, although feeling a bit overwhelmed, relaxed into it.

 Someone cleared their throat, and Carson pulled away from the hug awkwardly. One of the boys- the taller one- looked over at him. "Look, man, I know you're happy to see her, but we've really gotta go. Reunion time is later."

 Carson nodded. "You're right, let's get her out of here while we still have the chance," he said. "Luna, we don't have time to explain what's going on right now, but I promise I'll explain everything to you once this is all over. Right now, though, we're going to get you out. Just like I promised."

 He reached out and took her hand, pulling her up off the operating table. Luna took a moment to steady herself before looking back up at everyone else and nodding. They looked back, an almost awestruck expression on their faces. She wondered why. But now was not the time to consider it.

 The group slipped out of the room and quietly made their way down the hall. "So what's the plan?" Luna whispered. The three boys shared a look. Carson cleared his throat nervously.

 "Actually...this is kind of all we had time to come up with," he admitted. "I assume Jett is still out there making a scene, but no matter how much of a distraction she's creating, we still won't be able to walk right past the front desk. I'm sure it'll be okay, though. We'll figure something out."

 Luna wasn't so sure.  "Carson..." she said softly, "if...if this all goes wrong in the end...if I don't make it out of here...please know that it meant everything to me that you tried. That you came so far and did so much. Just...thank you."

 Carson turned back to her and pulled her to him again, and this time, no one objected. "You're going to make it out," he whispered. "You are. You have to. I wouldn't leave here without you."

 When he let go of her, tears were brimming in Luna's eyes. "Thank you," she whispered again, not for a second breaking eye contact. Then, she leaned in and gave Carson a small kiss. In a moment it was over, and she pulled away with a small, yet sad smile. "It's not the time, I know," she said softly. "But I'm not sure if I'll get another chance."

 "You will," Carson whispered back. "We're going to get you out of here, I promise." He smiled at her,  but it was unconvincing. "Now let's do this."

 They made their way down the hall until finally they began to hear yelling- courtesy of this "Jett" girl, Luna assumed, the one she'd been told was making a scene. One of the younger girls ran up ahead, peering around a corner. For a moment, no one moved or made a sound. Then, the girl came running back.

 "Jett is out there kicking and screaming, and they've got two men trying to restrain her," she reported. "I didn't see Dresda."

 "Wait- Dresda?" Luna choked out. "You-you mean Mom? She's here? Oh my God, I haven't seen my mom in four years. I can't believe it. She's really here?"

 "Yes, but unfortunately, we have no clue as to where she is at the moment," said the shorter boy. "Crap, what are we even supposed to do? There's no way we can just walk past Jett and those guards."

 "I have a few ideas for you."

 Five heads turned in an instant to look behind them. Dr. Elm stood there, smiling down at them in a way that chilled Luna to the core. "Unfortunately I'm afraid I can't let you leave. Especially not you, Luna." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It shocks me that you'd make such a selfish choice, my dear, knowing that the fate of New Delta rests in your hands. What have I been telling you this whole time? The cure lies within you. It would be so incredibly self-centered of you to leave now. This city needs you."

 Anger surged up in Luna his manipulative words, and she locked eyes with the horrible man. "If you wanted an antidote so badly, you should have found it four years ago," she snarled, and in one fluid movement, brought her right fist up hard into his stomach.

 Dr. Elm cried out, and Luna took his moment of weakness to pull out of his grasp. "You're going to regret that, my dear," he hissed, and lunged toward her.

 Luna dodged out of the way, her mind racing to find a solution. A few feet away, she saw one of the boys lean over and whisper something into the ears of the two younger girls, who ran off. The boys advanced toward Dr. Elm. Luna took another step back.

 "You're sick," she told him, her shaking voice laced with disgust. She shook her head. "I know what you did. All the lives you've ruined. But I won't be one of them any more. You'll have to find a cure somewhere else." Luna tried to sound strong, but she was panicking internally. Why weren't any of the guys doing anything?

 Suddenly, a woman's scream pierced the air, and something flashed into Luna's field of vision. Dr. Elm fell to the ground, and the woman who had been screaming landed on top of him, pinning him to the cold floor.

 "Don't you ever  touch my daughter again."