Morph: Book One

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My blood ran cold.

"W–What!?" I stuttered in surprise. Ezic watched me quietly from where he leaned against the desk. His eyes were hooded, and a dark expression clouded his features. "How long have you known?" I asked. I immediately felt dread shoot down my spine at the thought of my last encounter with Zolar.

Surely he wouldn't just let what happened go?

"His body was never found. Somehow he escaped that night." Ezic began, "I thought it best to keep it from you until something else came up."

"Something came up?" I asked. I couldn't stop the shiver that ran threw me at the thought of Zolar still running around behind the scenes, undoubtedly scheming.

"Yes." Ezic pursed his lips, continuing, "One of Eliks contacts spotted him within Scintillate City."

Something felt off to me about the entire situation. My instincts screamed at me. Zolar was planning something, and whatever it was wasn't good.

"What are we going to do?"

"Nothing." Ezic stated, and I stared up at him, aghast.

"Your plan is to do nothing?" I grit out while jumping to my feet. "Are you suicidal?" Ezic's eyes narrowed at me, but he didn't respond. I shook my head in disbelief. Surely we would not sit here and wait for his next move?

"Your–our lives are at stake, the girls lives are at stake!" I snarled. I balled my fist up and dug my nails into my palms. Something in Ezic seemed to snap then. I watched as a fire ignited behind his eyes. I had to stop myself from retreating a step.

"Don't you think I know that!?" Ezic hissed out. "Everything I do has you and the others best interest in mind!"

"Everything is under control." Ezic stated. I watched as he irritably raked his fingers through his hair. I raised my fist to my mouth and bit down to keep myself from screaming. I was barely keeping my cool.

"He won't let what happened go." I say. I drop my hand and begin to feel myself shake. I knew I couldn't protect the girls in my condition. I was weak, and I couldn't stand it. I felt warm hands grip my shoulders, and only then did I notice that I had zoned out.

"Let me protect you." Ezic whispered. I felt tears painfully prick at my eye. I felt pathetic in my current state, but I couldn't help the tears that burst free upon hearing his words. It was at this moment that I realized I had only ever depended on myself.

"I'm scared," I whisper. Ezic's eyes softened then, and he drew me into his arms. I tensed at first, realizing that this was the first time in days that Ezic showed something other than coldness toward me. I slowly snaked my arms around his waist and relaxed into him.

"I'm sorry." I say, leaning my head against his chest. Silence surrounded us for a moment, and I stood there listening to his heartbeat, letting its rhythm calm me.

"I know." I hear Ezic say in a whisper. I closed my eye, and for a second, I pretended that everything was okay.

~*~

"We got you something." Georgia said, setting a small metal box on the dining room table. Everyone gathered around and stared down at me eagerly. I glanced at the box for a second before reaching forward and slowly opening the lid. I felt a small smile form as I realized what the box held.

Inside was a beautifully embroidered eye patch. The eye patch was blue but seemed to shimmer and change into a darker hue when the light hit just right. I immediately recognized what their inspiration had been. My eye color.

I excitedly removed the bandage from around my eye and drew the patch over my head until it rested perfectly over my left eyelid.

"We figured that you needed something to cheer you up." One of the twins, Susan, whispered as she came up behind me and wrapped me in a bear hug.

"Courtesy from us all." Elik said. He smiled broadly at me. "You were looking like quite the eyesore." He finished. I found myself snickering at the joke. I snuck a slight glance over at Ezic and saw him shake his head in amusement as a small smirk played onto his lips.

"Thank you all." I say. I reached up and touched the patch to ensure it was in place before standing up.

"Come!" Angela drew me out of Susan's arms and pulled me after her toward the girls' bedroom. "Let's let you see how cool you look!"

I laughed lightly and let her guide me out of the dining room. The other girls followed me and closed the door after themselves. Their room was much like Ezic's. A massive window on one wall showed a spectacular view of the city and part of the planet below. The room was smaller than Ezic's, though. Even with enough rooms in the house to fit us all comfortably, the girls still insisted on sharing a room.

I concluded that it was because they spent so much time together in captivity. The thought disturbed me, and I tried not to let my feelings show on my face. I didn't want to spoil the good mood.

Angela led me to their attached bathroom and spun me around before I could catch a glimpse of my reflection. With her help, I slowly backed into the bathroom, and she placed me in front of the mirror. I had to stop myself from laughing.

With the count of three, I spun around, and, for the first time in what seemed like weeks, I saw my reflection. I plastered a wavering smile onto my face and forced myself to be cheerful. But I was anything but.

What I saw staring back at me wasn't me. It was a stranger. The girl in front of me had shoulder-length white hair and blackish skin. The only thing familiar was the fiery blue irises glaring back at me. But even that seemed to be overshadowed.

"You don't like it?" Emily whispered as she came up behind me and peeked around my body to stare into the mirror. My eyes shot to the patch and I felt my smile solidify. The patch matched my eye color perfectly and stood out against my dark skin.

"No, I love it." I say and turn from the mirror and embrace Emily. "Thank you. All of you."