Stinging and burning. That's all I feel inside me. My instincts scream for an internal cleansing. Every breath I take is like trying to climb a mountain. My lungs are on fire. Beside me, Diesel is struggling just as much as I am.
I barely comprehend the sound of a nearby shutting door. All I concentrate on is the utter pain I endure with each and every breath. It's only when footsteps near me that I roll over from my fetal position on the cold, hard floor.
Towering over me, a man stares down at me with narrowed eyes. He is absolutely unaffected by the gas. My vision slowly begins to blur with the struggle. Right before I go too out of focus, I see a dark shadow on the man's jawline.
Wait, that's not a shadow. It's a bruise- No, it's a scar.
It's Torgny. It's him. We've gone through all this trouble to find this crazed man. Unfortunately, he has found us.
With gathered energy, I turn to Diesel and my hand extends out towards his crumpled form.
Torgny steps closer, "Nice to finally meet you Diesel Summers. Agnar told me so much about you and your little girlfriend here. It's too bad you poisoned my agent, Syraj, with your philosophies."
He takes another step, purposely stepping on my hand. I hardly feel the pain through the torture and terror already inside me.
The enemy settles his eyes onto me, and I see cold darkness in their depths, "Hm... Olivia. Olivia Linn Davis is your full name. You are a very peculiar girl. A griffin shapeshifter. It's too bad I have no use for you. My scientists could've used your DNA as a bass for my formula. Whatever."
I see him pull something from his hip, and it takes concentration for my blurry eyes to recognize that it's a pistol he holds. My throat tries to swallow some saliva, but it feels as if razors are lining my throat. Torgny gives his pistol a flat emotionless look then he returns his attention to us. We're defenseless in our state.
"I'll be blunt. Who's going to volunteer first?" Torngy's voice is full of venom and mocking.
Diesel rasps beside me, and my heart splits to pieces when Torngy points his pistol at the boy I love so much.
Torgny sneers, "Diesel, the pointless pegacorn with no horn. I see you're willing to die for this pathetic excuse for a girl. Your love for her will mean nothing once you die. No one will care either. You are-"
By now I've been able to grow my fingernails into talons. Right as Torngy cocks the pistol's hammer, I reach out with my free hand and rake my talons down his calve. He jumps away howling and bleeding which ends with him stumbling into the wall. I start to cry as I force myself into an upright position. The pain tears through my lungs. With all my might, I pull Diesel's arm, but all he can do is lie flat on the floor. His hand is limp in my palm.
From the corner of my eye, Torngy starts at me, "You freak of mankind"
I see the barrel of the gun. It's so close. Weeks ago I was shot in the back, but this time I know I won't survive, especially a shot to the head.
At least I'll die with Diesel beside me.
Suddenly, a crashing comes from the opposite end of the hall. The door from the upper deck tumbles down the stairs like a rabid animal in a fit. Not long after that someone follows.
My heart rises in hope when I see Ash bouncing down the stairs with a triumphant grin plastered to his face.
Torgny raises his gun towards my friend. Ash sees this and grabs the unattached door as a shield. Gun fire rings out, and bullets ricochet off the metal and lodge into the nearby walls. Torgny keeps shooting until his clip runs out of bullets. At this moment of weakness, I gather my strength and once again drag my talons across his leg. Ash knows I'm giving him an opening and opportunity.
Like a superhero Ash runs straight at Torgny. My friend grabs ahold of the malevolent person and throws him to the floor with an intensity that I never knew Ash possessed. Torgny hits the floor with a loud thud. Ash grabs his pistol and throws it a safe distance away. Magically, Ash pulls a pair of handcuffs out and puts them on Torgny.
"What did you do to my friends?" Ash screams at him from the top of his lungs.
Knowing the threat has passed, I lie back down. My eyes stare unmoving at the ceiling.
This gas must only be harmful to shapeshifters. Ash and Torgny have no reaction.
Ash's face comes into my sight, "Olivia? Diesel? Are you guys okay? Please say something!"
"Ash... it's in the air..." I cringe as I manage to voice the words.
Diesel chokes out, "Take her, Ash."
Before I can stop him, Ash seems to understand and scoops me up. I lock eyes with Diesel as Ash carries me away.
"No! Get Diesel." My voice sounds like a whisper.
Seconds later I find us above deck. Ash sets me down gently and he quickly returns below deck.
I breath in the sweet, cool air. The pain inside me amazingly eases with each breath. I then gasp in greater gulps of air greedily. Like water to a flame, the burning goes away. I breath so quickly that I begin to go lightheaded.
A few seconds later Ash pulls Diesel from the depths of the yacht. Being heavier than me, Diesel couldn't be carried out. His eyes hang half closed. and he's limp as well.
I go straight to Diesel's side, "Listen to me. Just take deep breaths."
He does as I tell him to, and it doesn't take long for him to realize the relief fresh air brings. Before long Diesel is able to sit up, but not without having a little trouble.
"What happened to you guys?" Ash asks stunned by our weak state.
I answer hoarsely, "Torgny locked us in and filled the hall with some type of gas. I think it only affects shifters."
"It's scary to see you guys like that." He says shakily.
"What do you mean?"
Ash grins, "You two are shifters. It's unsettling to see strong people fall."
I finally stand and wobble as I do so, "Thank you, Ash. If you hadn't come in time we would both be dead. You-"
"Save that for later." He turns away, but I see that pleasing glimmer in his eyes.
I start to wonder how he even got on the boat and how he unhinged that steel door earlier.
Nearby, I hear wingbeats reverberate through the air, and I turn towards the sound. Moments later a white cougar with wings lands on the deck. I run towards my sister.
"You shouldn't be here, Felicity. Go back!" I command hastily.
She hisses back, "We lost connection with you and Diesel. I had to come for you."
I hug her even though she's in her mythical form. The memory of Torngy's pistol aimed at Diesel flashes in and out of my mind.
Abruptly, Diesel starts from behind me, "Wait, where's Garret?"
I turn back around. He's right. Neither Garret nor Syraj have shown up yet. Fear for them blooms inside me.
"Mr. Wilks will be here with his yacht any second. We don't have much time left. He alerted the coast guard already. If this boat isn't sinking by the time they arrive and we haven't left..."
Our plan was to throw everyone off the boat then sink the vessel. Meanwhile, the professor would call the officials so they could arrive on the scene soon after we leave. This would ensure that the men on this vessel would be detained.
Right on time, Mr. Wilks pulls up with his own yacht. The men from Torgny's yacht are still in the water below. Quickly, Ash heads below and brings Torngy out. At first, I expect my defeated enemy to say something but he keeps his mouth shut.
"I'm going to go find Syraj and Garret." Ash informs us as he disappears once again.
Felicity starts to follow, but I grab her wing telling her about the harmful gas.
By now Diesel has recovered enough to stand. Since none of us go below deck, we decide to inflate the emergency raft for those in the water. When the yacht starts to sink, they'll have no where to go, and we're definitely not letting them onto the professor's yacht. The coast guard will handle them.
Long after we inflate the raft and set it into the water, including Torngy, we have yet to hear from anyone who's below deck.
Diesel starts to get impatient, "I'm going below deck to find them-"
"No, you can't do that." I stand in his path.
He pauses, "Then I'll hold my breath."
"Diesel, listen to me. There's already enough people down there. The coastguard will be here in a matter of seconds and we haven't the time-"
Something hard slams into my back. The surprise sends me sprawling forward and onto my knees. Glaring behind me, I turn around and spot a familiar evil face thirty feet away. Beside me on the deck, a red and white life saver ring mocks me.
Did he literally throw a life saver at me?
Felicity is by my side in a heartbeat. Her sharp teeth are bared in a snarl. Those soft cat ears are flattened against her head.
Red, whose real name is Agnar Larson, smirks like a playground bully ready to steal some kid's lunch money.
Diesel's hands clench into fists. It's only been days since Red- Agnar- held my boyfriend captive. The hatred between those two has only increased.
Red steps forward, "Diesel. I thought you ran back home. You're not as weak as I thought you were. I like a challenge.
I stare him down, "You've already been defeated."
There's no telling where he has been this whole time. None of us spotted Agnar before now. Maybe this was part of his plan. The man could have something up his sleeve.
My body morphs into its griffin self. Feathers cover my upper half and golden fur covers my lower half. Wings spread from my shoulders. Beside me, I see Diesel who has already shifted into a dark pegacorn. To my opposite side, Felicity stands her ground. I had hoped she wouldn't join the fight, but Felicity won't be backing down. My sister has always been insistent when it comes to dangerous situations such as this. There's no time for me tell her to back down.
In this one split second moment, I realize that I am just like Garret. I tell my sibling to avoid the danger even when the sibling is persistent.
Agnar Larson stares us down. My right foot takes a step forward. I lock eyes with Agnar. Then I see his eye color which is crimson.
I pause, "You have red eyes... only one person has red eyes."
Agnar's face starts changing until it morphs and contorts to Syraj's face. This is the same face Syraj told me was his true and original appearance. If it wasn't for those piercing scarlet eyes, Syraj would appear to be an average man of Asian decent.
Diesel hisses, "You were Agnar the whole time."
"No, wait. Agnar didn't have red eyes when we fought in the lab." I whisper to Diesel.
Diesl turns to me saying in a hushed voice, "He could've had contacts in. Plus, you didn't meet Syraj until after you freed me."
This can't be. I truly trusted Syraj. With my life too. My anger starts to burn and boil inside me from the betrayal. It doesn't help that this is the second time a friend has turned against me.
How dare Syraj trick and stab us in the back!
I charge towards my once trusted friend. Fury fuels me, and it blinds me with its ferocity. In my maddened state, I don't see the blade in Syraj's right hand. Right before I reach Syraj, Felicity appears out of nowhere, knocking me off balance and causing me to avoid the knife.
Felicity tells me hastily, "Wait, Olivia! You and Diesel saw Agnar at the harbor while Syraj was on the professor's yacht. Syraj and Agnar are two separate people. This is a trick to mess with your mind."
I straighten up. My sister was right. Syraj was with both her and Mr. Wilks when we left the dock. Agnar was at the harbor just a few minutes later when Diesel and I took watch. It proved the two were not the same person. Once again Felicity's intelligence has proved itself.
"You trickster!" I round on Agnar, not Syraj.
He laughs hysterically. While doing this his face changes once more, this time dark hair and brown eyes replace the face from before. Then I realize who he's shifting into.
"Stop it!" Diesel growls, running forth and kicking the knife from the man's hand.
Agnar chuckles with an all too familiar voice, "Huh? You don't like seeing yourself in the mirror, Diesel?"
If Diesel wasn't in his mythical form, I probably would've found no differences between this doppelganger and my real Diesel.
I'm not sure if Agnar Larson has been a synthetic shifter this whole time without us realizing it or if he recently underwent the process.
Didn't Syraj say he lost his personal memories when he went through the process? Agnar still remembers us from before. Agnar must have been a synthetic shifter this entire time! Apparently, Syraj had no idea of this too or he would've told us.
"Why are you toying with us?" I question our enemy.
Agnar changes back into his normal appearance and snarls, "Why not? You've taken out all the crew. Why shouldn't I have my share of fun-"
Without letting him finish, Felicity races toward Agnar and flips him over the railing before I can even tell her to stop. Stunned, I stay where I am while.
Did I just witnessed my little sister throw a grown man overboard all by herself?
"I was tired of his jabbering. He'll find the life raft with the others on it." Felicity cracks a smile.
Right at this exact moment, Syraj- the real and faithful Syraj- and Garret stumble up and out of the doorway we came out of earlier. Garret's face is pale, and it's clear that he's being affected by the gas below.
"We have to get out of here, now!" Syraj yells, and I have no opportunity to tell him what just occurred.
Diesel, who has shifted back to a human, runs over to his brother, "Where's Ash?"
Garret squints, "Ash? What do you mean? He's up here, right?"
Diesel whirls around to race down the stairs but Syraj blocks him.
Syraj growls, "You can't go down there."
"Why?" Diesel stand his ground determined.
Garret comes up to his brother, "We ran into trouble and could never get into the engine room. There was only one way to sink the ship. It'll blow any second-"
"Ash is down there!" Diesel screams.
Diesel tries shoving by them, but the two grab him and pull him away from the entrance. Their combined strength is enough to hold him back as he struggles to free.
Felicity and I stare at the scenario in fear. With quick words, I tell Felicity to go back to the professor's yacht. She turns to fly back over, and I easily see that my sister's on the verge of crying.
There is no warning. A loud booming noise fills the inside of the ship. The vessel rocks from side to side until finally the whole yacht jolts forward. A whooshing sound starts emanating from the open doorway. Then like a fire breathing dragon, fire explodes from the entryway. Flames shoot into the air, roaring.
The sight of fire stuns me. My muscles lock into place, and there is no way for me to move.
Diesel continues to pull against the two older boys. Finally he relaxes and collapses to the deck. Sobs wrack his body, but there is nothing I can do for him in my fixated state.
I can't believe it. Ash... he's gone.