"Charlotte? Charlotte can you hear me?" James called, lifting her from the floor and cradling her to his chest.
Her forehead was covered in a cold sweat, though beneath the sheen of perspiration it felt as if her skin was on fire. Her eyes had rolled back in her head, her teeth clenched and her body rigid. Tears streamed down her cheeks and he had sensed her alteration before he had even reached her side, but where it was going, who it was after he had no idea.
"What's wrong with her?" Annakiya asked, kneeling beside him, wide-eyed and fearful.
James gritted his jaw but didn't answer. Nobody else knew the pain Charlotte's power could cause her, though it had been so long since he had known it to physically hurt her.
"Kiya you can't be here. She's too dangerous like this," he breathed finally, lifting Charlotte from the floor and placing her back on her bed.
"I'm not leaving when she's like this," she said, her tone defiant.
He sighed, throwing her an exasperated look, knowing he should be grateful. She had had the good sense to come for him immediately, scattering her own bedclothes across the floor in the process. He scarcely wanted to think what would have happened if some of the other girls had been made to share a room with Charlotte. At least Kiya knew to look out for her.
"You don't know what she's capable of," James growled, but Annakiya just flashed him an as-if look and turned her attention back to Charlotte.
"James, what's happening to her? She can't be sick..."
"It's her alteration. I don't know what's causing it to act like this now, but I know when she's like this she can't see friend from foe. You should move back". Kiya gazed at him for a moment, before retreating to the other side of the small bedroom.
It was a tiny box of a room, decorated plainly in grey and brown, with a bunk bed on one side and a dresser on the other side. A door led to a small washroom, but really it offered Annakiya little space from Charlotte and her rampaging alteration.
"What about you?" Annakiya breathed.
"I'll be okay," he sighed. "She won't hurt me".
He tried to sound confident, though he felt anything but. He could hardly remember the last time he had helped her with her alteration. He could barely recall how it felt to let her see him so vulnerable, to feel the crushing weight of her power bearing down upon him. "Just think happy thoughts".
"Happy thoughts," Annakiya mumbled beneath her breath, her voice trembling.
James smoothed back Charlotte's hair frowning as he watched her, her face screwed up with pain. "Charlotte, can you hear me?" he whispered, hoping against hope she would respond. "Charlotte you have to pull your alteration back. You are stronger than it".
He didn't need to know what would happen to them if Charlotte attacked somebody in the compound. They were having enough trouble proving that they weren't a threat without a midnight confrontation.
Charlotte whimpered, arching her back. "Pull it back – fight it," he pleaded, bringing his lips close to her ear. Her muscles trembled with tension, her hands twisting into the sheets.
He took a deep breath, focusing on her, focusing on the pain she was feeling. He imagined her relaxing, her face calming down as if she were only sleeping. He imagined that she couldn't feel the pain her powers were causing her. He had seen their backlash before. He had seen her crumble, drained of colour. He had seen her brought to the brink, trying to control them, but for months now nothing had tested her control like whatever was tempting her now.
He watched her body slacken, not of its own accord but of his. He watched as her face relaxed, her eyelids fluttering and tears drying against her cheek as his alteration fought to suppress the effects of her own power. It was hard to control her, to mask her feelings, to offer her relief, but he couldn't watch her in pain. He could never bear to see her hurt, to see her in danger. He would do anything to protect her, even if it was only from herself.
"Charlotte? Can you hear me?" he asked, taking her hand and entwining his fingers with hers. Her face was ashen-grey, her hair spread about her head like a dark halo. She was mumbling to herself, words he couldn't catch.
He gritted his teeth, catching her shoulders and shaking her to no avail. He needed to snap her out of it. Whatever had drawn her alterations out, whatever had upset her so much, he needed to break its power over her. He needed to bring her back, before she did something stupid, something she couldn't take back.
"Charlotte," he snapped. "I know you can hear me. You can't do this. This is not right". Her face screwed up as she whimpered. "Come back to me, Charlotte".
Very slowly her eyelids began to flicker more violently, her blue eyes squinting to see against the light that filled her room. "James," she groaned, reaching towards him.
"I'm here," he reassured her, taking her hand and pressing her fingers to his lips.
"What happened?" she gasped, her hands trembling as she fought to sit up in the bed. James gazed at her as she turned to face him, tears filling her eyes as she traced her fingers across her temple. He lifted his hand following the path she had made, erasing the pain he knew she was in, the pain she always felt after denying her alteration.
"Annakiya woke me. She said you were screaming," he breathed.
"You frightened me," Annakiya offered from the wall.
Charlotte exhaled, offering Annakiya an apologetic smile.
James pressed his lips together, searching Charlotte's face. "Ki, could you get Charlotte water... from the canteen?" he asked, glancing back at his friend. Annakiya frowned at him and rolled her eyes. He knew she could tell he was trying to get rid of her, but she didn't object. He watched her until she had left the room, closing the door behind her, before he turned back to Charlotte.
"I couldn't wake you. You were rigid as a board. I think your alteration..."
"There's somebody out there," Charlotte breathed, shaking her head.
"Charlotte, what are you talking about?" he sighed. "There are so many people moving about the compound, so many people we don't know. It could have been anybody".
"I mean there's somebody new out there – somebody bad," she whispered, chewing on her nails.
"Somebody bad?"
"Yes," she groaned. "He's afraid of us. He wants to destroy us".
"He's afraid of us?" James frowned. "Well of course he is Charlotte. They all are. That is the whole reason we are still here".
"You aren't listening to me," she growled. "He is here to destroy us. He came here to destroy us".
"I should get Harris," James said after a moment, smoothing back her hair. Charlotte swatted his hand away and scowled at him.
"I don't need Harris, James. I'm not injured. I am trying to explain that..."
"... that there is somebody new here that doesn't like us," he nodded. "Charlotte, Ethan has gone over this a dozen times – none of them trust us, and you've said it yourself that they are afraid of us. This just caught you by surprise when you were asleep".
Charlotte gazed at him with bright blue eyes and scrunched up her mouth. "He was new".
"So? Charlotte, people are coming and going here all the time".
"We're not," she snapped.
"They can't keep us here forever. They know that – we know that," he said in what he hoped was a kind, understanding tone.
"If this guy had his way, none of us would ever leave - he would kill us all," she whispered.
James stared at her for a moment and forced a smile. "That doesn't mean we will let him. Nothing they can do will be able to destroy us Charlotte. We just have to give them time to see that fighting against us is not in their best interests".
"How much more time can we give them?"
James frowned at her question. "As much as they need," he said in a stern voice.
"Yeah, and look how well that worked for us the last time," she growled, pulling out of his grip. James grimaced at her, biting his teeth together to stop himself for saying something he shouldn't. They all understood what waiting had cost them the last time, when they should have been fighting against their captors. They had all lost friends. They had all suffered.
James rubbed his scared chest out of habit, feeling the deep dent left after his former headmaster had tried to kill him. If he hadn't tried to heal the gunshot wound himself before he had passed out, he would never have survived.
He glanced up, surprised to see Charlotte's watery gaze fixed on his fingers, on the place the wound lay. "I'm sorry," she mouthed, reaching towards him and pulling him close. "I didn't mean it".
"Charlotte..." he sighed, returning her hug. "I know you didn't mean it. I would take it back too if I could, but what's done is done". He slid his hands down along her arms, his thumb resting on the raised scars on the inside of her right forearm, but he couldn't bring himself to look at them. He wanted nothing more than to undo the choices he had made, the pain he had caused, but that was not how things worked. "We have to make our choices now with far more caution that we did before. They don't trust us and they want more reason not to trust us. You have to control your alteration. You can't leave it loose like that".
"I didn't... I couldn't... I tried to bring it back, but it was too strong," she breathed. "I had control but the fear was... too great... too captivating".
"Did you attack?"
"No! No – I just... looked... from a distance," she breathed. James sighed, relieved in that much at least. "It just... I've never felt such a force before. It was... it hurt so much".
"Why? You had control right? I know you haven't used your alteration in a while but..." he trailed off.
"I had control, I just..." He could see she was having trouble processing what had happened, that whatever it was had overwhelmed her.
He slipped his hand around her neck and pulled her towards him, kissing her and sighing. "Do you think this is more than the normal... concern these people have for us? Do you think we should be worried?"
She gazed at him for a moment, her eyes wide. He could see whatever had happened had frightened her, but he needed her to stay calm, to remain rational.
Finally she shook her head. "No, whatever it was... was probably just... nothing".
"Are you sure?" he asked, already knowing she was saying what she thought he wanted to hear.
"I probably just overreacted. It's late and I'm probably overtired. Everything seems worse during the night anyway right?"
"Right," he nodded, but she still looked terrified, her hands shaking where she had balled them into fists. "I know it frightened you Charlotte, but your alteration... does that," he breathed. "Everything will seem better in the morning".
She didn't respond but stared at him as if she didn't believe anything he was saying. "Do you want Annakiya to help? She could erase the memory of what your alteration found out there. It would be like it never happened".
Charlotte frowned at him before shaking her head. "It's okay. I'll be fine in the morning... I'd rather hold... on to it".
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"I'm sure," she said, with a watery smile.
James exhaled and pressed his lips to her forehead. "It will fade," he promised.
She nodded as he pulled back slightly, enough to try and read the shadows that were passing over her eyes. She seemed to know what he was trying to do and instead slid her hands around his neck, closing the gap that had appeared between them. She began to run her fingers through his hair and he watched as her usual blush started to climb her slender neck. He half-grinned at her, but she was gazing at him with an intensity that caught him off guard.
"Are you trying to distract me?" he breathed, tightening his arms around her waist.
"Maybe," she sighed, her eyes fixed on his lips, her fingers tightening in his hair. "Or maybe you are distracting me".
James smiled at her words. She ran her nose along his, her eyelashes brushing his cheeks. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and gazed at his mouth. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking, her lips hovering just above his. She smelt liked honey and vanilla, her cool breath mingling with his.
She closed the remaining distance between them, her lips parting as they met his.
James slid his hands up her back, drawing her tight against him. She kissed his cheek, his jaw, his neck, trailing kisses to his ear, where she paused, her breath cool against his skin. "You will see tomorrow what I mean James. You will see how much he hates us and then you will wish I had killed him tonight".
Leaning back, she met his gaze, her blue eyes searching his.
"Then I will apologise tomorrow," he replied in a stern voice, as Annakiya returned.
To his surprise she smiled, though it did little to disguise her unease. "Tomorrow it is," she murmured, placing a gentle kiss against his lips. "Goodnight James".
Thanks as always for reading! I would love if you could take a few seconds to vote and leave a comment if possible! Hope you are enjoying it x Sorcha