Patient B-2

Chapter Sixty-One: Avalyn

Two days have passed. Two days, and I'm still grappling with how to outmaneuver the headman. With the deal falling through and Jeannette gone, he will likely be on high alert for any signs of deception. It seems he won't settle for anything less than a straightforward solution, the cure. However, I don't know how to give it to him without him testing it first.

I've never felt this stressed before. I could easily say "forget it" and head back to California, deal with it later. But I'm not one to give up easily. I'm determined to see this through, no matter what.

I've always been stubborn, maybe even a bit cocky now. I have this unshakable belief in myself- even without a solid plan at the moment, I'm confident I can figure something out.

I've dedicated the whole day to diving deep into crafting a solid plan. To really focus, I kicked the guys out of my room- I needed the space to brainstorm solo. I told them they should brainstorm on their own and catch me up tonight. My goal is to come up with a solid framework first, and then integrate any good ideas they have later on.

From the noise in the living room, things aren't looking good. Cierien is the only one really focused on finding a solution. Aren is trying, but he's more caught up in coming up with comebacks to Wrath's insults. And Wrath? He's only focused on crafting those insults. They've been bickering for hours now. I have to admit, it would be comical if I weren't so stressed about solving our problem.

I toss my empty notebook onto the bed, leaning back and running my hands through my hair. I'm just as far along in finding a solution as they are- I've got nothing. I need a break, but I haven't even really begun. With the auction approaching in five days, I desperately need a plan.

There's simply no way to take the cure without it turning me back to human, which I suppose could be a last resort. However, there's no guarantee that I could turn back into a vampire after taking it. What if the cure stayed in my body forever, preventing me from ever turning again? This may not have been the life I planned or even wanted initially, but it is now. I want to be with my guys; I don't want to take the cure if I don't have to.

My guys taking the cure isn't even an option. I want them as far away as possible when this goes down. However, I know that's not realistic. While Aren might listen to me, Wrath and Cierien will refuse to stray far. They'll be right there with me when I face this; I can't expect anything different.

That's why I have to incorporate their safety into the plan. They can't be in the headman's way, or he might use them to test the cure, just like Idalia feared. It's another thing to worry about and stress over. If it comes down to it, I will take the cure over them. But that's only as a last resort, like I said.

All I know for certain is that the headman cannot get his hands on the papers that reveal my human DNA. That could somehow be used to our advantage, though I haven't figured out how yet. The most important things to bring will be the doctor's notes proving the cure works, along with the vials. He doesn't need anything else that mentions the cure's partial failures. The only problem is that most of the notes about the cure's success also include information about its failure to fully work on older vampires.

It's not like I can rip any of the pages out without it looking suspicious, and most of the notes are dated. If I were to provide notes from the beginning of my confinement and then a few from the end, that giant gap between them would raise red flags. I have to read through everything insanely carefully, scrutinizing each word to ensure there's nothing that could come back to bite me. If I'm not careful with this, I can kiss my life goodbye.

There are tons of papers. From those short yet agonizing weeks in confinement, the doctors recorded an abundance of information on the cure. The headman will expect that. I'll have to bring as much as possible, and-