❝i won't ever forget you
and maybe that is the only forever
the two of us together were ever
meant to have❞
ｓ. ｌ. ｇｒａｙ
___
ＡＮＤＲＥＷ is right.
I can't do it. He's lied to me, manipulated me, drugged me and locked me up, snarled at and hurt me so many times over these last few months, and yet, even when I have the advantage in the situation, I can't do it. I can't retaliate, because deep down, all I feel when I look at Andrew is concern.
It's weak. It's pathetic.
I take in a deep breath and start to pull away. This is useless. I should be helping Morga—
"What are you doing?" Andrew suddenly interrupts. He grabs a hold of my burning hand, keeping it close to his face. "Finish the job."
"Stop it, we've already established I'm weak, haven't we?" I sigh. "Let go." I try again to pull away. Andrew tightens his grip around my arm. I stare at him in confusion.
"Do it," he insists. It almost sounds like a plea. "You've won, haven't you? You were right, weren't you? I'm the bad guy here. So finish off the job."
"Andrew, I'm not going to hurt you. Just let go." I struggle against Andrew's grip, but he keeps pulling me back to him.
"Why?! Other people here have died on this ship for much less. There were four other people on board before. We killed them just to get to this island. My father is in the other room holding a gun to that woman. You know her, don't you? You don't even know what else he's done. What else... we've done... Do you think I still deserve to live after all that?!"
"Andrew..." In spite of myself, I stop struggling and I take a proper look at him.
Anguish. That's one of the indescribable emotions in his eyes. He isn't acting. Everything he says, he's being serious.
"Please, just do it. I'm becoming him, I'm becoming a monster. I used to wonder why people avoided me when I was younger, but they must have known all along. You probably did too."
"Andrew, you're not a monster. If you want to change, it's never too late—"
Andrew chuckles with a sardonic smile that contrasts the tears welling in his eyes. "If I wanted to change, then I would've stopped him from trying to lure you out with that explosion at the parade."
I stiffen.
"All for a stupid necklace..." he murmurs. "It's too late now."
Andrew's confession is enough to bring me back to my senses. Forcefully, I prise his fingers off my wrist and stand up abruptly. That's when I notice the blisters forming in his palms. He'd burnt himself holding on to me.
I sigh again.
"You should get that treated," I say brusquely. I need to remind myself to stop caring. This isn't what I came here for. At least, the lack of gun shots provides me some with assurance that Morgana is faring okay. I begin to walk out the room towards the room Morgana and the mayor were only to be lurched backwards when the entire airship jerks in a sudden, violent motion that knocks everyone off their feet.
Turbulence? I wonder for a fraction of a section, before I hear a resounding boom. No, turbulence isn't usually followed by an explosion.
I grip onto the walls to help me get back on my feet, and I notice Andrew doing the same.
"What's going on?" he asks, eyebrows furrowing.
"That's what I'd like to know too," I mutter to myself. Ignoring Andrew, I rush out into the room where Morgana and Mayor Masters were to find their positions have been reversed. Morgana has managed to free herself from her restraints, holding Richard Masters to the ground with his arms tied behind his back.
"I—" I stop myself when I notice the situation. "I guess you don't need my help anymore."
Morgana turns to face me, looking unsettlingly unsurprised. "The distraction was helpful," she comments. "What's the situation? Is this part of your plan."
I grimace. "I don't think so. I'll check."
"Father!" Andrew exclaims when he enters the room, running towards the pair on the ground. "What did you do to him?"
"He's not dead, don't worry," Morgana replies calmly. "Just unconscious. He'll wake up within a few minutes." Then to me, she says, "Emma."
I nod, turning away and activating my ear-comm. "Anyone have any idea what's going on down there? I'm in one of the airships and I think we just got attacked."
"I couldn't stop them," Markus replies from the other end of the line. "It was two of the people in the robot suits. We were trying to deactivate their suits and we thought they'd regained some control of their minds like the others, but then they went berserk and started to attack the airships."
Willow joins in the link. "Emma, are you alright? I'm coming up there to get you."
"No, it'll be too dangerous," I reply. "The ship is no longer stationary, it'll be difficult for you to safely teleport aboard — especially when you've haven't properly seen inside."
"But—" The rest of Willow's protest is cut off when the airship suddenly jolts again, throwing us all to one side of the room. The comm goes silent, replaced with a crackly static noise.
I take it off and look up to confirm that everyone is okay, noting Mayor Masters stirring awake. "We need to get out of here," I say.
"What's happening...?" Masters says drowsily as he regains consciousness. The moment his eyes land on me, he comes to full alert. "What is she doing here?!" he demands angrily. "Andrew, what is the meaning of this?"
Masters begins to scramble to his feet. Andrew reaches out to him, "Dad—"
"No matter, I suppose it makes my role easier," Masters replies, brushing off his son.
How could anyone remain so self-absorbed in this situation?
Morgana delivers a quick tap to a point in his neck and Richard Masters drops to the ground, unconscious once again. "We need him alive to take into questioning," she explains.
I nod nervously. "Is there any way to manually control this airship?"
"There's a control room through that door," Morgana replies. "But what's your plan?"
"This airship is going to crash, isn't it?" Andrew realises.
All of a sudden, an alarm starts blaring and the lights switch to a glaring shade of red, answering Andrew's question. Nevertheless, I reply, "Not necessarily. If we manage to get a hang of the controls we might be able to get it to land safely."
"That's impossible," Andrew replies. "At our angle, this speed and distance? No. There's no way we can make it safely to the ground without causing more damage."
Morgana paces to a nearby window to look out at the dusky evening sky. "He's right," she says.
"Except if you have any other suggestions, we're running out of time and we have to try something," I reply.
Andrew is quiet for a moment. "Where's the most abandoned area on this island?"
I furrow my brows. "Right now? Probably the main school there uphill. We were trying to evacuate everyone towards the shores, but why—"
Before I can say anything more, Andrew pushes past me, grabbing a set of keys hanging on the wall and dashing into the control room.
Like an incessant fly that keeps coming back the moment you think you've brushed it away, Richard Masters chooses this moment to wake up.
"What's going on?" he says. "Where's Andrew?"
I pay him no attention, racing across the room to try at the door of the control room, only to realise he's locked it. I bang loudly against the door. "Andrew! What do you think you're doing? We need to get out of here! The ship's going to crash."
"He's in there?!" Masters says.
"We're flying above a crowded area. If the ship crashes, what happens to all the people beneath us?" Andrew's voice drops a tone. "I can't have any more deaths on my hands, Lucy."
Neither can I.
Moments later, the ringing stops, though the warning lights are still flashing.
I make another desperate, violent attempt to open the door. If I wasn't afraid of igniting the rapidly smoke-filled air by using my powers, I'd have melted the door down already. "Do you even know how to navigate this!" I shout. "Get out of there! If you stay, you'll die. Let me do it."
"Die?!" Masters screeches. "Andrew get out of there this instant, you hear me? This is no time for playing hero! I didn't bring you up like thi—"
I turn around in time to see Morgana knock out Masters once more.
"I'll handle him. You sort that one out," Morgana says, rubbing her wrists as she casts a look down at the incapacitated mayor.
"Andrew..." My voice trails off. I lean against the door, not knowing what to say.
"Do you want to know why I couldn't change?" Andrew says in a quieter voice. "This is the most he's ever cared. I think... this is the only way he's ever loved me."
"That's not—" I stop, knowing that the only way I could end that sentence was a lie. "That's— just, Andrew, please get out of there. Let me do it instead, okay? I'm fireproof. I can fly. I'm more likely to survive."
"Exactly. That's why you have to take my dad and that woman away, so that they can survive with you. I can stabilise the ship for long enough for you to escape, so go."
"No." I bang my fist against the door. I feel my cheeks start to get wet, hot tears involuntarily spilling from my eyes. "I'm not letting you do this," I say, racking my head for a reason to get him out. "You—" I choke up, "You never took me to a high school party. Remember? You promised."
On the other side of the door, I sense Andrew hesitate. "I remember... I've always been an awful friend, haven't I?" He pauses. "This time round, make better friends, okay?"
There's an air of resolution to Andrew's tone but I refuse to accept it. "No," I repeat. "No!" I clasp my hand to my mouth to stop myself from crying out loud.
I feel a gentle hand rest on my shoulder, and realise it must be Morgana. She looks at me with sympathy, but her gaze quickly trails off to take in the rest of our surroundings. The room is getting foggier by the second, filled with the sickening stench of engine smoke.
"You're running out of time," Andrew says softly. Suddenly, he's the one repeating my line. "Please, get out of here."
Conflicted, I look to Morgana and Mayor Masters laid unconscious on the floor. I turn back to face the door, wiping my cheeks. "I'll go," I decide. "But I'm coming back for you, you hear me? So you have to stay alive."
Andrew is quiet for several seconds before finally saying, "Okay." After another moment, he quietly adds, "Goodbye, L... Emma."
"Don't say goodbye," I say, scurrying towards Mayor Masters to help Morgana get him up. "It makes it seem like I'll never see you again."
I wrangle Masters limp arm over my shoulder, all the while wishing he was the one I'm leaving behind not Andrew. But Morgana was right, he needed to be interrogated, unless we'd never get to the bottom of what happened here tonight.
"Is there an escape hatch or pod or..."
"I checked the ship status," Morgana replies. "The escape pod is too close to the area that was damaged by the explosion, but we should be able to get out through the emergency exit at the lower end of the airship."
"Is it far from here?"
"Less than a minute, it's just down the hallway."
I nod, reaching out so my fingers brush the door Andrew has locked himself behind. "I'm coming back for you," I repeat.
"I know," he replies — but I can always tell when Andrew is lying. In a solemn, somewhat ironic tone, he adds, "Laters, Luce."
Our final goodbye echoes one we've said so casually for over ten years. It's almost bittersweet. I pull my hand away from the door, clenching my fingers into a fist, nails digging into my palm.
Morgana leads the way to the emergency exit, pushing a button to open it, letting the evening sky and a huge gust of hot wind inwards. We manoeuvre round so Morgana is at my other side, with an arm wrapped round my waist. I look down to the ground below us. It is still a considerable distance away despite the aircraft's quickening descent.
I look to Morgana for confirmation. In unison, we take a step forward. And then we jump.
Flames shoot from the soles of my feet, conducted by the specialised shoes that came with the suit I'm wearing. The weight of two extra people is too much for me to fly properly, but I should at least be able to slow down our fall.
We crash to the ground seconds later, rolling in the grassy field below until we come to a stop. We're coughing, gasping for the air we deprived our lungs off while we held our breaths.
Richard Masters lays yet unconscious to my left, and further on my right, Morgana lays curled on the ground, chest heaving. My eyes dart to the skies to find the ship. I watch in horror as it dots across the sky, leaving a trail of smoke as it crashes into the Dauntley building in the distance.
BOOOOOM!
The thundering sound of the explosion is followed by a bright white light as the ship is engulfed in fire.
I sit up abruptly. Maybe I can still—
BADOOOM!
There is another explosion. The wing of the DA the airship crashed into crumbles into rubble. The flames around the ship grow larger.
I sink to the ground in defeat. It's too late.
It's too late.
A tear streaks down my face as I watch the building light up in flames.
I didn't say goodbye.
"Adios, Addy," I whisper. Futilely. He's gone. He can't hear it now. He can't whine about how he doesn't like that name, all while biting down a pleased smile. He's gone. Andrew is gone.
I shakily lift by stained red hands to cover my face. The sound of silent sobs fills the air and it takes me a moment to realise they are mine. Once again, the story ends the way it always starts.
With a fire. Followed by death.