Luminescence

Twenty-three.

"Come on Elaine, you really didn't have to do this," I say yet a smile still shows on my face.

As I walk through the halls, I noticed soldier eyes wandering directly towards me as Elaine and I walked side by side. What did they want from me?

"Ignore them," Elaine whispers grabbing my hand. "Those thirsty fishes will do anything to get a bit of attention in their boring lives."

"Did you really just replace the b-word with 'fishes'? I question, letting out a small laugh.

"Did you really just replace the word bitch with 'b-word'?" Elaine gives me a ridiculed look. "And I thought my shortcuts were bad..."

I pout angrily, as she laughs in my face. We finally reached the entertainment room, where Priscilla sat on one of the couches with a cake next to her.

"Surprise!" Priscilla shouts. My heart melted, I didn't think that this woman could get any more wholesome than she already was. "I had my best friend in the cafeteria make a cake for you! I really hope you like vanilla, because—"

She couldn't say any more as I cut her off with a hug. "Thank you so much, Priscilla. For everything." I release her. "And you too, Elaine." I nod and she smiles back.

And with that, we did everything from eating cake, to making ourselves a million Shirley Temples with the sodas and food we found at the bar. We talked, a lot actually, about topics like past lovers, funny yet embarrassing stories and just life.

Elaine which I had learned, had a past battle with depression. After her parents left her to join the Plague, she felt so empty inside that she almost considered giving up. That was, until a Rebel guard found her on the side of the road. She was taken into care, and trained into a soldier. She found new friends, and more importantly a new home.

She has also dated a few guys around the base, but as she told us they were short-lived. There was this one time where she told us she was making out with a guy in the janitors closet. Then a janitor walked in, which just happened to be one of her exes. That surely got a laugh out of Priscilla and I.

As we sit on the couch with our stomachs full of cake and soda, I realized how much fun I just had with these two people. Sure, there are probably things out there that I've never seen that are more fun. But when you've been living in a junkyard for your entire life, this was prime entertainment.

I didn't know it then, but everything that had just happened got my mind off the Hudson situation completely. It felt so good to take a break from the commotion happening, especially in ruthless times like these.

"Alright guys," Elaine says getting up from her spot. "My shift starts at 9 o'clock tonight, so I'm going to go shower. Gotta refill those tanks!" She winks before exiting the room.

Priscilla and I both wave goodbye as the door shuts automatically behind her, and I knew this conversation was about to get serious.

"I think I changed him," I say softly to Priscilla as I softly look down to the floor. "Last night on the battlefield, Hudson attempted to turn me evil by reminding me of my past. It make me so angry that I pulled my sword out and... I cut his arm open slightly."

"Is he alright?" Priscilla questions, placing a hand on top of mine.

I nod. "Priscilla, I found out what my powers are last night." I state, and her eyes widen like this was the biggest news of the century. "I healed Hudson's cut. It was like magic. Golden wisps came out of my fingers and closed the wound like it was never even there."

"You have the gift of life," she breathes out, and placing her hand on top of mine. "Mara, I don't think you know how rare that power is for a mutant to have. The only other known healer known to man lived long ago, at the dawn of mutants. What happened next?"

I left out the hug part, because that would've been way too awkward to talk about with Hudson's grandmother.

"After I healed him, he thanked me. And from the action movies I've seen, the villain never says thank you. He then offered me his hand. He wanted to run away with me so that the Plague or Rebels could never find us. I declined, of course because I need to fight for our people. But I can't help but feel I've made the wrong decision, Priscilla. I feel useless sitting around in this base all day," I grumble.

Priscilla takes time to think about her next words carefully. "Mara, you are anything but useless. I wish you could read the minds of the soldiers throughout here. They look up to you. You're the first spark of hope that some of these people have had in years, and that's something you should be very proud of. Without you, the Rebels would have fallen already."

I look up to Priscilla's gleaming blue eyes, as I give her a smile thanking her for the reassurance in a sense.

"And whatever is going on between you and Hudson," she says with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Don't let me interfere."

My cheeks turn a faint shade of pink. "Priscilla, you know there's nothing going on between us—"

"Honey, I knew it from the moment you told me about the bond between you two. From the day you first discovered it, it has only pulled you closer together. Mara, you've changed him. Now, all we can do is wait before he finally gives up that wretched commander position and runs into your arms. Trust me, he's my grandson. I know him better than anyone else on this planet."

I give her a nod, before we both stand up giving each other one more short hug before we walk back to our bedrooms.

Maybe she was right. Maybe one day he would be the one to surrender his position in the Plague. But thinking of that only made me fear death more. Because the Plague was after us. And I knew the label on that ship the day my parents died was after me too.

They were after both of us, and we had to stop them.

_________

20:03

The small numbers on my alarm clock were one of the two things that illuminated my room that night. The blinds in my room couldn't prevent the hallway lights from spewing into my room, and I could occasionally see a person passing by late at night.

Elaine was still on refueling duties, and I wondered when she would be back. Normally her shift lasted for up to 4 hours, which was crazy long. How many ships did she have to refuel?

As I curled up in bed, I felt as if part of me were missing. Hudson must've cut off the bond between us, because I felt empty.

My eyes shut peacefully, until the sound of a body collapsing fills my ears, making me almost jump out of bed in fright.

I debated whether I should turn or not. Was there a monster in my room? Or was it just Hudson? Either way, I wanted to see neither option at the moment. I swallowed my fear, as I turn around in bed, sitting up to see a horrifying image. One that I will never be able to get out of my head.

Hudson was laying on the ground with some of the worst injuries I had ever seen in my life.

________

Poor Hudson :(