The Nemesis Syndrome

9. Eliza

              

Everything was so wrong. The Circle was one thing, but this- the Unknown After- it was wrong and terrifying and bad.

She looked down at her hands, the glint of silver by her little finger; Leo hadn't seen her pick back up the scalpel, and she was glad. Not that she even knew what she was going to do with it- now Leo was awake, there was no way she could overpower him.

No way she would want to, even if she was furious with him.

The alarm stopped, and there was silence. Not even the people she knew were outside were talking, and it made her feel so cold.

'Eliza?' His voice was barely a whisper, like he was scared the door would be broken down because of any noise by them.

'What?'

'Come here.'

She blinked at him slowly. 'Why?'

'Come and stand behind me.'

A snort escaped her. 'Bit late, isn't it? To protect me. Since you're the reason I'm here in the first place.' There was no venom in her voice- though she was angry at him, she was more scared of the silence behind the door. So has his lips turned into a scowl, she jumped off the bed, tucking the small blade down by her side as she stood with her back against the wall.

'I'm not protecting you.' He said finally. 'You are weaker than me. You can't do anything.'

'And you can?' He was just as injured...which was odd, since she had not done anything to him.

'Do you ever not argue?'

'Yes.' A pause. 'But not with someone who tried to kill me.' From where she was stood, she saw his jaw tighten. He hated her. Eliza didn't think that was possible. Not when souls were involved... 'Leo-'

'Quiet.' A snapped order.

'But-'

'Eliza, be. Quiet.'

It was only then she realised he was staring at the wall; no longer black, it was flickering whites and greys, faster and faster until it lit up completely, and a man's face came into view. He was old, the man, his hair almost silver, his eyes dark, but his face unnaturally smooth, as if every wrinkled and not just been ironed out of existence, but been banned from even being thought about.

'Ah...' The man said softly. 'The alarm was not wrong. You are both awake. Excellent.'

'What are we doing here?' Leo asked. He moved a pace to the side, slowly, carefully, as if bored- but it was to block Eliza from view.

'That's the question, isn't it, boy? After all, the Circle is Law and the law is that one must die. However... with you two, there is a small problem.'

Leo glanced at her. 'Well, sir. Since I want to go home, I'll be happy to rectify that and kill the girl. Again.'

The temptation to throw the scalpel at him grew with every second. Contradictions, he was full of them.

But the man on the screen only chuckled, making her blood turn to ice. 'But that is the problem, boy. Soulmate Nemesis. They- you are all so rare. No one has every understood it, but neither of you can live while the other is alive. Not really. And neither of you can die by the others hands. Interesting, isn't it?'

'Then kill her yourself.' Leo sounded bored, like they were talking about the weather. This was her soulmate? A boy who was...acted as if he was incapable of love?

'Oh...I don't think so. After all.' The man smiled. 'You are so rare we would much rather study you than let either of you go.'

It was then she saw Leo stiffen, then turn to her again, his eyes wide. She knew they would match her own, for those worse terrified her more than death did.

'No.' She said suddenly, shifting to the side to glower at the man. Leo's scowl furthered as he shifted with her, trying to hide her from view once more. But she was expecting it; she took a step forward so she was stood by his side. 'I'm sorry but we have families. We fought, and it's not our faults that we have that problem. So you let us go home or-'

'Or what?' There was a smirk on his face, and she hated it. 'You're not in the position to make threats, girl.'

Her hand clenched around the scalpel. 'Really?' She couldn't hurt Leo, even if he annoyed her, so that was out of the question. She would never use him like that anyway...but herself? Eliza had often been told she had ideas that would get her killed one day. Maybe today was that day. She raised the scalpel to her throat, letting the sharp blade push into her skin. 'You let us go, or I will not hesitate to stop you from having your little study.'

'Eliza.' She ignored the gentle warning from the boy next to her.

'Let you go or you will kill yourself? That's not the best threat I've heard, girl.'

'It's not for me.' I need to protect my sister. She remembered those words. And the image of them both on the streets. 'Let Leo go. He won, therefore he is free. Let him go.'

'Eliza.' She wasn't quite sure what his tone meant that time.

But it didn't matter. The man only laughed. 'This has gone on long enough.' He said, his eyes sliding to his left, speaking to someone they could not see. 'Do it.'

He smiled once more before the screen flickered and turned off.

'Eliza-'

'Don't say a word, Leo.' She snapped. 'Don't you dare make me feel stupid for trying.'

'I wasn't going...' He stopped. 'Can you hear that?'

There was a low hiss coming from the ceiling. She looked up in time to see small vents opening up, green vapour seeping through them.

'Doors.' Leo barked at her. She was a step behind him as they rushed to the doors, trying to open them.

They were locked tight, but that didn't stop Leo as he pounded his fists onto them. He only stopped as she placed her hand on his arm.

'Listen.' She whispered.

From behind the doors were gentle murmurs, shuffling of feet. The guards that had been so silent they had been forgotten about.

'What do they want with us?' She whispered, watching the vapour sink lower and lover.

'I don't think we want to know.' Leo muttered.

The vapour crept below Leo's face. She saw him try to hold his breath and fail, gasping in air- and dropping to the floor.

'Leo?' she knelt beside him. 'Leo? Wake up? I have a lot of shouting I want to do. At you. Wake up.'

But her shaking did nothing at all, and only seconds later, she breathed in the vapour too.

And then she knew nothing.