It takes me a couple seconds to adjust to the dim light coming from the corner of the room. Sitting up, I realize there are no restraints in this room. My first thought is that there's no pain from my shoulder and as I twist to see it, I realize there's no scar either. It's as if I never got shot.
The hell?
I get up from the chair and look around, realizing I'm not in Athanatos anymore. A sinking feeling rises in my gut as I realize that I'm back at my house all those years ago. The night my parents died. I walk towards the window, looking inside I see a small family.
"Reyna! Reyna! Up!" The small girl cries as she chases her, a wide smile on her face. The older girl laughs as she sends a small burst of cold air towards her sister, using the distraction to hide behind her father's legs.
"Mommy!" The younger girl runs to her mother, raising her arms to try to make a little wave of water.
"Not like that Kitty Cat. Feel the water, acknowledge its power and let it course through you." She flicks her wrist, sending small jets of water towards her husband and older daughter. A shriek of delight escapes the young girl's lips as she does the same, watching it hit their father. "See Kira? You got it!" She laugh again and runs off to chase her sister again. Leaving her parents alone.
"Thalia Finnegan. She needs to be found. She needs to protect Kira." The woman says quietly to he husband.
"We'll find her before The Sir does. He's behind it all, behind the Elxi, behind the War. If he finds her first, we're dead." He runs a hand through his this blonde hair, wrapping another arm around his wife. Their small moment of peace is cut short when the door slams open, guards quickly filling the small place.
"HANDS ON YOUR HEAD. ON YOUR KNEES NOW!" The main guard yells. A wave of water and dirt crash down onto the Elxi, drowning them but not before a shot is fired. The woman falls limply to the ground as she clutches her stomach in pain. Her daughters run out into the open, the younger one breaking free of her sister's grasp.
"Mommy!" Her voice is high, showing the terror inside.
"G-Go Kira... I love you, baby girl. I love you both s-so much." A sob escapes the woman as her bloody hands hold her daughter one last time.
"That's the girl. Take her out." Through the chaos of the dirt wall, the woman hears six so important words. She twists so she covers her daughter's body, shielding her from the bullets flying towards her. The small girl's screams get louder as her mother's body goes limp on top of her.
"Reyna! Get your sister!" The man's voice is strong, demanding something from his older daughter. She hesitates at first but runs to her sister, yanking her from their mother's dead body.
"Dad!" The older girl screams as his wall crashes down as he sees his wife's body.
"Go! Take care of her Reyna!" He turns to look at his beloved daughters and says something the younger one will always remember. "I love you both. Remember, emotions are weakness." He knows his older daughter already knows that, he was mostly talking to his youngest. Its crucial to keep your emotions in check as a Shifter.
The older girl pulls her sister out of their small house as the guard drops a small bomb near their parent's bodies. A scream escapes her as the power of the explosion throws them off the ground. When she lifts her head again, small burns cover her body, but her younger sister is clean. Her brown eyes are wide in terror as she looks up from the small ditch they were thrown into. Her screams are silenced by her older sister's hands on her mouth, desperately trying to calm her to keep them both safe.
"Sing to me like Mommy." The younger one asks quietly, as tears run down her face. Her sister doesn't hesitate this time, she starts singing the lullaby their mother sang to them as her sister collapses and passes out beside her. Tears stream down her face as she holds onto a single object her father gave her yesterday. "Find her'" He had said. She looks down at the small paper, covered in blood, with a single name on it: Thalia Finnegan. Despite the circumstances, the girl feels anger in her, her parents think her sister is more powerful then her. Only a six year old.
"No Reyna." She whispers to herself as she holds her sister. "Prove them wrong."
A sob escapes my lips as I crumble to the ground. I just relived the worst day of my life, but saw the parts I didn't notice as a small girl. My vision clouds with tears as I look around, watching Reyna hold the paper and my house burn to the ground. I force myself to stand but almost fall back down when I see who walks towards my. My mother.
"Mom?" MY voice is raspy from crying.
"Oh Kira, baby girl." She bends down to look my in the eye. "You've done so good. Just trust them now. Follow them and they will be good to you."
"No Mom. What are you saying?" Tears stream down my face as realization hits. They're using my mother to make me think what they want me to. "I love you Mom. But this isn't you." With every ounce of strength I have left in me, I turn away from my mother, blinking hard to keep any more tears from falling. Thoughts of Leo and Xavier and Thomas cloud my memory as I struggle to hold onto the good parts. Laughing about something stupid Thomas said during our night shifts. Teaching Leo how to Shift Water for the first time. Fighting with Xavier under the bright sun. A soft goodbye kiss and a promise that we will meet again.
A crash behind me makes me turn around as I watch the two girls run further into the woods and the scene in front of me disappear. My surroundings turn darker, the darkness eventually swallowing me.
I jolt up, well as far up as the restraints allow me to. My breaths come out jagged as I turn away from Mason and a young nurse. Blood and tears mix in my mouth, leaving it with a metallic, salty taste as I spit over the side of the bed. Glancing down, I see blood surrounding my wrists and ankles from where the restraints have cut into me.
"Well." Mason barks out a laugh. "Wasn't that sentimental?" He walks towards me and forces me to look at him. He holds up a familiar vile. The same one he injected me with earlier. "This is PS-52. It lets you relive the worst days of your life... Which I say are very depressing for you." Another short laugh comes from him as he sticks the vile back into his pocket. "Addison. Clean her up so she can see Parker.
"Y-Yes Doctor." Her voice is small as the door slams shut behind me. As soon as it shuts, she rushes over to me and unlocks the restraints. I try to get up but she pushes me down with more force than I thought she had. Her bright red hair is pulled back in a bun, contrasting with the navy scrubs she wears as a nurse. Her eyes are a dark blue, looking at me with a worried expression.
"Listen to me." She says holding my gaze. "What they do here is awful. It's terrible. But if you listen to me and do exactly as I say I can get you out of the testing. I'm trying to help you. But you have to trust me okay?"
She's your best bet. The small voice in my head says. "Okay." I say.
"Good. I'm Addison. Call me Ad though." She gets off of me and grabs a small towel dipped in water. "I'm just gonna clean you up okay?"
"Okay Ad." I pause for a second to sit up before continuing. "The name's Kira."
"Nice to meet you Kira." She slowly dabs at my wrists and ankles, wiping the blood off.
"Ad. I need to get out of here." I wince as she pours some alcohol on the cuts. "I need to-"
"I'm going to help you." She says firmly. "I have a friend who works up in technology. Once we get you out of testing I'll take you to see him. 'Cuz here's the thing. If you want to get out of here, you need to believe every word your mother told you. You need to act as if your helping us okay? Parker, he's gonna tell you the awful things that the Shifters have done and how he's trying to protect the city and shit. And you have to nod along and say 'Okay, I'll do whatever it takes.' So then you will be free, but be under your nurse's watch. Which is me."
"Okay. Got it." I nod as she hands me a pair of clean clothes once she finishes cleaning the blood off of me.
"Change quickly when I go get Mason." She's about to leave when I grab her hand.
"Thank you." I whisper.
A smile crosses her face as she grabs my hand and says "No one deserves to be in this hell." She lets go and shuts the door behind her as I quickly strip down and into the new clothes: Blue jeans and a whit tank top with a dark green on top. I run my good hand through my hair, trying to get the knots out before Ad and Mason return. The door opens again as Ad steps back in, quickly shutting the door behind her.
"Mason's on his way." She cracks a smile when she notices my failed attempts at getting the knots out of my hair. "Here." Holding up a comb, she nods to the chair.
A small grin makes its way onto my face as I sit and let her get the knots out. "Braids?"
"Yes please."
Her fingers delicately work through my hair, twisting it into a braid, finishing just as Mason walks in.
"Well..." Mason glances over me. "You clean up well don't you?"
I answer with my signature glare, feeling much stronger now that I have a start of a plan and an idea to get out.
"Anyways lets go." Mason tries to grab my arm but Ad gets there first, looping her arm through mine and pulling my to the front. I keep my arms at my side, glancing around to try to get a sense of understanding of where I am.
"Remember what I said." Ad breathes as she glances at me.
"Agreed." I pull back when she knocks on a door. Parker opens the door and dismisses her as two Elxi grab my arms and pull me in. I try to fight it but a groan escapes me as my shoulder starts throbbing again.
"Ms. Blanchard. How are you?" He gestures towards a chair and sits across from me.
I sit at the end and say, "I'm fine."
"Look, I'll make this brief. Help us and you can go free."
I stay silent, pushing the "no" to the back of my mind.
"Shifters have been terrorizing Athanatos for so long..."
I stay quiet as he continues explaining how evil shifters are and how he intends to save the city.
"So. Will you help me?"
I force my lips into a small smile and say "Of course."
"Good." He smiles back as he presses a button on his desk and calls for Ad.
She walks in after a minute and smirks softly at me as Parker leads us out.
"We'll contact you when we require your assistance." He says as the door shuts.
Ad leads me out of the quarantined area and into the elevator. As soon as the doors shut she laughs.
"That was by far the biggest lie I've ever told." I laugh along.
"Now for the work. Let's get you to talk to your friends."
I smirk at her and turn to the doors as they open.
I will see them again. I tell myself as I follow Ad out of the elevator.
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There's the next chapter! Tell me what you think :)
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