L.O.V.E.

Chapter 22 - Nathan

'Let me out, Mommy! I promise I won't do it again. Please, let me out!' I beg and I beg long after I hear the basement door shut behind her.

Silence and darkness. I'm all alone in the blackness. My hands are throbbing from all the splinters that got caught in my skin. The box is made of raw wood, but it seems a little smaller, as if it somehow shrank, since the last time I've been here. Now I barely fit and I have to lower my head every time I try to stand.

Mommy says I have to be punished and think of what I've done. I am a bad boy. I made mommy angry. I told her I love her. Again. I wonder how long it will take this time until she lets me out. Days? Weeks? Last time it's been a month.

But then she saved me.

...

She looks straight into my eyes when she lies. I watch closely, absorbed by those beautiful and unique eyes of hers - two different worlds, one more perfect than the other. Does she forget how much I know her? Is she aware that every time she tries to hide something, her left eye twitches slightly, right before the lie escapes her mouth? It's like Earth itself, with all of its mountain chains and forests, suddenly gets shaken by the gentlest earthquake. But then again, it's possible that it's only me that knows this. There's no one who reads her better than I do.

I try to keep myself busy so I can give her the space she needs. It's hard for me to stay away though, yet deep down I know she'll come to me. She always does.

I remember the hatred in her eyes after her parents were taken away. But I couldn't blame her for that. After all, it was my beloved mother who reported them to the authorities. Still, she was the one who heard my screams and followed them to the basement. Nerissa, my savior, my second chance to life. I have never seen my mother after that, and I had learnt my lesson to keep my feelings all to myself ever since.

Soon, the nanites will be ready for their next upgrade. One update and I am closer to fulfil my promise I made her ages ago. She'll finally have a fair chance to find a cure after this. She'll save the world, just like she saved me. My last gift to her before I'll be forced to leave her side. I wonder, how long it will take until the disease fully takes over? I'm not even gone yet and I already miss her like air.

I shake the thought away letting the exhaustion take its toll on me. Today's training was the hardest. With the championship just a few weeks away, everyone has to sweat their pants off. Who would have known those lowlifes are going to disappear like this, leaving us all weak and broken apart? I puff annoyed. I knew something was dodgy about them.

On my way to my car, I raise my eyes to her lab. I said I'd stay away, but that doesn't mean I can't check on her from time to time. The light is on, which means she's still there, working hard and putting us all to shame. I spin on my heels and run in her building, excited to see her, even if it's only for a minute. Yet, as soon as I step inside, a strange feeling is creeping inside me. I know it's late, but as long as someone's still in the Institute, the lights should always be on. I climb two steps at a time, worried to death without having a real reason to. I must have really started to lose my mind.

The emergency lights are gleaming in the glass door retracted on one side. My eyes are busily examining the dark room, however, my mind already knows. Something must have happened and she left in a hurry. When my boots step on the broken glass, my heart seems to have stop beating. This is more of a reason to freak out. I grab my keys and rush outside to the parking lot. She must be at home. She has to.

The streets merge into each other while my thoughts are racing to her. I try to calm myself and focus on the road instead, reassuring myself I have nothing to worry about. Then why do I have this bitter taste in my mouth? Why is my heart beating so fast like it's trying to reach her before me? I tap my forefinger methodically on the steering wheel every time I pass a lamp post. The curfew's near, but I have to make sure she is safe before going home. My foot is stepping on the pedal all the way to the end, until I cannot keep up with the lights anymore.