The Skylar Experiment : Beginnings

Chapter Forty-One - Happy Ending

I LURCHED UP, coughing and gasping and panting. My body constricted, and it was all so painful as blasts of sensations rushed through me. I gasped my throat raw. Something incredibly warm enveloped me. 

A thumb wiped the top of my cheek, and then I ran into his eyes, wide and glowing.

"Hi," Luc greeted softly. 

The cold had subsided a little, although my head throbbed and I was dizzy. The metallic taste lingered on my palate but the blood clogging my throat was gone. I inhaled again, and it felt like surfacing from water after long minutes without oxygen.

I was alive.

"Hi..." 

We were alone on the roof, the Wanderer nowhere in sight. Luc was cradling me against his chest. My shirt was still damp, but my stomach was whole again. 

"What did I miss?" My voice rang parched, strangely detached.

"You almost died." His breathing was deep and regular, pressing lightly when his chest rose. "I thought you wouldn't wake up."

"I went unconscious?"

Luc looked at me with those luminous eyes, two blazing stars. I'd never seen them this close. "I've been trying to snap you out of it. I... didn't know if it was too late."

"I'm here," I forced out, swallowing. "Just felt like napping."

He laughed, and the sound soothed me down. I tilted my chin to see him. His face was bloodied and worn.

"They're all dead? The Wanderers?" I chanced.

He nodded, sending a wave of glee through me. "The few still out there will either flee or will be found. It's finally over."

I realized how long and hard I yearned to hear those words and they hit me with the power of a truck. It was over. I'd never have to deal with any of this for the rest of my life. No one else would die. The nightmare had ended.

The nightmare had ended.

A tear rolled down, and next thing I knew, more tears kept coming and I couldn't stop them. Wet, ruddy sobs burst through me in rising tides, completely rushing over the pins and needles across my body. 

I didn't know how much time passed until I sat up in front of him through slow, labored movements, still hyperventilating. After the relief was coming the shock, the remnant impression of claws up my ribs and the putrid breath. 

"Are the others okay?"

He nodded. "Everyone's good. My phone wouldn't stop ringing while I was busy, and I remember thinking there wasn't a more ill-timed call in the world until I checked. It was Tony saying you didn't make it to him. Searched the whole damn school. You just had to go as far away as possible."

"I hid in a closet at first. Chem lab's going to be missing a few supplies in the morning."

"Come again?"

I made a noise as a shiver spasmed through me. "I tried defending myself," I explained and shrunk back. "I was just buying time. You... You were right."

"As usual."

Ah, ever the mouthy arrogant. But he did heal my fatal injuries, so I'll let it slide just this once. "I do have a few screws loose. What in the Sam Hill was I thinking?" My voice went shrill. "You guys approved this plan? If you came a second later, I'd be in the clouds right now!"

He had to look away to chuckle. "At least it worked. It was crazy enough to just work."

On all accounts, he was right, and I was far too rattled to be pissed about it or even pretend to. This was surreal, us sitting and conversing over a botched suicide mission. We'd made it, though. I stared at the wrist Luc was holding like it was an automatic gesture, and then the exhaustion welled. 

"How are you so perky? I want to call my mom and see a therapist."

His fingers inched up, calm and steady. They brushed my skin until they found the scar under the sleeve, wiping his index across. "You should be proud for fighting like that. Hell, I never knew any human who could just do this. Are you really a scout or a secret agent?"

I attempted a grin but it squeezed more tears out of me. "No, I never was a scout."

The corner of his lips tilted up. "Figured you were conning me back there. Lying is bad, you know?"

"You could take your own advice, one of these days."

Placing both of my arms between us, Luc straightened. "You know I had to. Now, there's only one thing left to do."

Our eyes locked. As I contemplated, I couldn't shake off the distant memory of him calling my name before I zoned out. He'd gone against the grain to keep me safe. I saw the important parts of him, not the illusion in the school halls. I've seen things that defied the limits of perceived reality. 

And Luc, he was different. Even among his kind, I just knew. 

But as he gazed back, I could also see in real time this piece of him fly out of my grasp.

"How am I supposed to act like nothing ever happened?" I whispered. What would become of him, and what if their situation changed and I'll forever have no idea? 

His fingers lifted off my forearms, one by one. His brows pinched. "You will get up. Greg will drop you and Ethan off to your homes. Then, you'll get a lot of rest and catch up with your friends. You've earned that."

"You're not driving me back?"

Luc jerked his chin over my shoulder. I twisted around to the sight of broken glass and skid marks. A sprawling puddle tarnished the ground over by the guardrail. "We have to leave the place as we found it. Well, everything except for the door."

I squinted in the night's shade, apprehension drawing my nerves taut. That was all the blood I'd lost, dark and vast. It was a wonder I could sit on my own. My blood pooled right there. The claws and the veined arm... it was like my organs were about to be ripped from me.

I went lightheaded, ready to wilt again.

He caught my lolling head and guided my fuzzy stare back to him. I wasn't sure why but the gentle touch undid the fresh, careful grip I'd gained over myself. I inhaled on a faint sob. 

"This is what's best for everybody," he reminded me. His eyes flickered. "People get hurt around us all the time. It's not worth it. You and I, we agreed." I started to flee, but his palm didn't let me. "Hey... don't ruin this."

"Sorry, I didn't get that memo it was a happy night."

"For a moment, I really believed there was nothing I could do but find you dead. I scoured every hall and classroom thinking it was inevitable. That's a reason to cheer up, right?"

Hearing that come out of him... it did funny tricks to my pulse. Maybe the bar was that low with us: being glad that the other isn't lying in a mess of blood and guts. I tightened the strap on my breath until it was next to normal. 

"I'm glad you're okay, too."

I was not prepared for his shallow inhale. He edged closer. A thumb traced my cheekbone with the lightness of a leaf, and here I sat, leaning into his mesmerizing gaze, dwelling over who was really ruining the moment. 

I shut my lids to soak in the hum of his palm. I know we agreed, but...

"You'll manage the same as Emma always has."

I reopened my eyes at the abrupt firmness of his tone. 

I said nothing as his hands slid over his thighs. My sore fingers groped at the cold from his void. I didn't need him anymore, but to bury what we accomplished only for time to fade it was so unfair. Was it that easy for him to make me a stranger? 

He unfolded his legs, stretching his arms overhead. 

"I'll see you in Bio on monday," he stated. "Don't get into more trouble, Sunshine."

  ✩