I surface up, my eyes fluttering. My head feels groggy and I'm staring at my ceiling. I hear a buzzing, like the ceiling it vibrating. I wince and blink my eyes, trying to bring the blood back to my brain. I don't remember much. Of my day or week. Just the basics. But then it clicks. Everything clicks.
"Cooper." I say, trying to sit up. It's nighttime out, probably early dawn, and Cooper is no where to be found. I reach in my pocket to pull out my phone. I dial Cassidy's number, and the phone rings. I grimace as it rings, feeling my wounds.
"Cassidy, I need-" But I am cut off, sensing something wrong. There's rustling and growling in the background, followed by some squeals. Cassidy breathes heavy into the phone, like she's hiding. She whispers into the phone. It's hoarse and raspy, like she's been beat,
"Grace. It-it's happening. It's happening again. For the last time. This is it." Her words scare me to death, and I race out of the house, wounds and all. I have to get to them. As I run to who knows where, I ask,
"Where are you guys?" It's a while before she answers, and she squeals,
"The lacrosse field." How'd they get to the lacrosse field? I hope they're okay. I hope Isaac's okay.
Thunder roars and lightning flashes in the sky. Everything is black and tense. It reminds me of the night I was void and put Hayden into a coma...The night my life changed. The night everyone's lives changed.
I run as fast as I can to the school, hoping it's not too late. I am bone tired by the time I get to the lacrosse field. I pant as I reach the grassy field, but fear catches my breath when I see what's in front of me.
Everyone is hiding behind the bleachers, scared to the last nerve. Well, except Stiles, Lydia, Allison, and Cooper. They're standing in a line, in front of the main attraction. The sight I can't bear to look at. The wind howls and as my hair whips in my face, a tear rolls down my cheek. This can't be happening. I lift my head up higher, clenching my jaw, mad as anyone could ever be. Hayden slips into my head again, her thought she purposely sends to me seeping into my brain like blood to a band aid.
Your true love? Now my minion. Five's a party. A void party.
I swallow a hard, choking air bubble down my throat, and another tear rolls down my cheek. I know I look mad on the outside, fearless if you must, but on the inside, i'm buzzing with questions, having a panic attack. How is this happening?
Blue lightning bolts sizzle around him, the color of his eyes. They look like a cage, or energy zooming around him. His arms are stretched out in power, like any second he's going to zoom into the sky. His veins are popping out of his neck and arms, like little highways to hell. He groans and howls and I can hear it all the way from here. He looks awful. He looks controlled. Like he's in the middle of transferring from free to a slave.
She can't do this.
This is the last straw. I'm done.
I walk to him, fierce look in my eyes. My body is stiff, and the louder he groans, trying to fight this darkness. I breaks my heart, but I have to fight emotions right now. That's what she wants. I stop in front of him, the power from the surges of vibrant aqua darkness blinding me. I have to squint my eyes. I hear the others behind the bleachers gasp, and move around. THe four minions standing don't take their eyes away from the minion-in-making. I wonder why he's going through a different process of becoming a minion?
I stand firm, my fists clenched by my side, feet shoulder-width apart. I open my mouth, and gain enough of my voice to boldly choke out to the boy tangled in the lightning bolts,
"Isaac!" He moves his eyes down to me, his head still facing the black skies. He groans and chokes,
"Go!" I shake my head, wanting to cry. I step forward. I hear someone scream,
"Grace, no!" I look to my left, stone faced. Liam stands next to the bleachers, glossy eyed and long face. I tilt my head at him and a tear rolls down my cheek, dripping down my jawline. I shake my head and send him a message through our minds,
I'm sorry.
I then do something I know will hurt me. It will kill me. For good. No Barum, or Liam, or potion, or herb can heal me. I put my life on the line, knowing I'll hurt myself forever. But it's for Isaac. It's for the boy with the blue eyes, the leather jackets, my first date. It's for the boy with the fangs, it's for the one and only werewolf I'll truly have feelings for.
It's for the only boy I've ever loved.
Truly Loved.
I stick my arm in the lightning bolts covering Isaac, and grab his arm. It stings, it burns, it's death defying. Letters and memories race through my brain like roaming data. My eyes burn as they shoot open, and I see his face, shaking. My body goes into shock, and electricity flows through me. bad electricity.
I see his face. A flashback. The night of the first full moon. When I saw him in the alleyway. His glowing eyes that kept me up at night, the suspicious mixed with comfort that he was outside my window protecting me every night, and the fangs. Oh, the fangs that haunted me, yet made me fall for him even more. I thought I lost him, but I never did. I thought I found Liam, but I never did. I hear Hayden chuckle in the back of my mind as I focus on the image of his fangs stuck in my head.
Before I fall to the ground, I see Isaac, alive and well. He has tears in his grey eyes as he tries to catch me from fallin to the ground. I thought his eyes were blue? I guess all the color drained when I took his arm, saving him. I wanted to save him, for he saved me and my soul the day I met him. He's crying,
"No, no, no. Not her. why does it have to be her? " He says, talking about me. He presses his forehead to mine, and lays me gently on the ground. His face is getting fuzzy, and the sky doesn't look so black anymore. I'm throbbing and buzzing, literally buzzing.
"I never got to prove to you how much I love you." He says, choking and spitting tears. I smile, and he chokes, sobbing. I whisper,
"Show me now." He smiles through tears and nods his head. he breathes, catching his breath from the tears and leans in, kissing me. It's hard and soft and clear and a mess all at the same time.It's proof. We disconnect and I smile, as Isaac cries again. I just nod my head, not having any words to say.
Before I go away, before it all ends, I can only think of one thing to say. One question that has been nagging at me since day one. the one thing I need before this ends. I look at Isaac, opening my eyes the biggest I can, but it's not that much. I feel everything draining out of me, and I'm losing all feeling in my limbs and chest. I look at Isaac and rasply choke out, a little blood coming out,
"Isaac?" He nods, wanting to do anything for me right now. I gain all my voice and ask one last question. "What are we?" Isaac smiles, and then loses it, crying and red faced. He holds me in his arms and reassures, saying the sweetest thing anyone could ever say to me,
"In love."
She won.
She got what she wanted.
She wanted me gone.
She got what she longed for.
It's all hers.
**
In love.
