The Unseen

Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

 

When a branch cracked, I whirled around, catching sight of him in his human form leaning against a tree. 

"Did I scare you?" he chuckled, stepping forward slightly and crossing his arms. Though I would never admit it to him, he looked truly intimidating. Even in his human form, he was so much larger than I ever remembered him being.

"No," I lied.

"Are you ready to die?"

"Definitely not."

"Nikkia, you have to realize I'm going to win." He winked, but his fake arrogance was so transparent. I knew now the true Quinn was broken, abandoned, and torn. I knew because I was partly to blame for that. "Face it,  I'm stronger. You only have speed. Of course I will win. Everyone knows strength beats speed any day."

My eyes narrowed as I tried my best to put on my own false confidence. "Not this time."

Quinn let out a roar of laughter, doubling over. Once he was finished, he straightened, smiling. "Oh, really? You're so ignorant, Nik, it's funny."

"I think I realized it was funny to you a couple minutes ago," I said dryly, tiring of this pointless bickering.

He smirked. "Ah. So it was."

Keeping my word to Rashal, I tried to plead with him. "Come to your senses, Quinn. Fighting isn't going to solve anything." But, in truth, that was a lie. If one of us died, everything would go back to the way it was. And once the police found one of our bodies, the secret would be out, even though it wouldn't matter anymore since whoever it was would be dead. The Wolf kills Nikkia Lane, or, though I doubted it, The Unseen kills Quinn Mallden. I didn't want to kill him.

I would have turned him in, also, if he didn't know who I was. He could have told them I was Nikkia Lane and then the secret would be out. I would be in danger of all villains, if there were any besides The Wolf, which I guessed there were. The Wolf couldn't have been the only one besides me with these powers...right?

It wasn't just the fact that he knew my name either...I didn't think I could live with the guilt of sentencing Quinn to jail. Even though he tried to kill people, including those I loved and myself, was it really my right to decide his fate?

Quinn shook his head. "We're fighting, Nik. Then everything is done. Neither of us will feel pain."

"That's a lie, Quinn," I argued. "You love me, and you would always feel agony that you killed the one you loved. And me, I'd live with regret of killing someone. Someone who could have been a good friend. That would always be with me."

He snorted, obviously disinterested in my reasoning. "Give it up, Nikkia. So, when you die, I'm going to be pained about it. Perhaps the feeling will die. Even if it doesn't, I'll be glad I killed the one thing that messed up my life. I will continue to feel pain if you don't die, so for me there is really no good way out."

I shook my head. "Listen to me, Wolfy." He smiled at that. "I didn't mess up your life! You chose to turn bad! I'm sorry you blame me, but you have to realize it's your own fault. You could have told me you loved me. I might have given you a chance!"

"You might have," he said softly, the smile fading. "But if you hadn't, we would be in this exact same position. You can't use what could have been as your excuse."

"There was a chance, Quinn. And that's all that matters." I sighed. He stared at me, his eyes mixed with love and dark hate. How could one have such strongly differing feelings about the same person? "How did you turn into The Wolf...how did you develop your powers?" I began to lead him off track, hoping to be able to sympathize with him, perhaps.