The Darkest Souls

The Twenty-Fifth Chapter: Veracity

I laid still, pressed into the dirt ground. I felt a cool breeze of air pass over my body as the rain started to fall. I felt my soul slipping from my body.

"Good bye Michael," I muttered quietly. I imagined it was just us. I imagined nobody else was watching me die. "I have thoroughly enjoyed being around you lately. I am glad we met."

I heard Michael suck back a breath. "You can't die Lacey," he insisted.

"Isn't that what everyone says to everyone else who dies?" I asked, "That's a bit stereotypical don't you think?"

Michael grimaced. "No it isn't Lacey. Though, yes, it IS stereotypical. Not everyone says it to everyone though. Or at least I don't... typically that's said when somebody cares about somebody else," he responded.

I snorted. "You care about me?" I asked.

"I already said I did, Lacey," Michael sighed.

I felt my cheeks blush. "Oh," I stated, "I thought you were joking."

"Joking? Gosh Lacey, you really don't pick up on anything do you?" Michael replied in amusement.

"No, I suppose not," I said airily.

I felt Michael's hand thread through my hair and hold my head. It made me feel more at peace with him beside me. It also made the pain a thousand times worse. I tried to hold in my tears, but my body burned badly with pain. How much pain could one human handle...

I heard more movement beside me and I craned my neck to see who it was. "Vana," I murmured.

"I-I'm sorry, Lacey," Vana cried. Tears streamed down her face.

"Don't be," I said. "I don't mind dying, Vana. Take care of Jackson. He isn't here right now is he?"

"He isn't... Would you like me to get him?" Vana asked.

"No, no... I don't want him to experience seeing me die for real. He's gone through enough already," I said slowly. My exhaustion was controlling and wore me out.

"Okay, Dear," Vana agreed. "Lacey..." she started.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"If it's the only good deed I do. I'm going to end my life saving you."

"What!?" I asked again with more severity.

Vana grimaced. "I'm going to save you, Lacey. Just hold on okay?"

My eyes widened. "No, Vana. There isn't any possible way..." I said as nervousness crept through me.

"Yes," Vana replied, "There is."

"How?" I asked weakly.

"You... when you were hospitalized. That's when it happened. Tests were run on you secretly. Against your own knowledge. It was all run by World. Certain people were selected. People who would be involved in your life a lot. They were in tests. It was made to where they were able to handle both light and dark. They're like you. They just... cannot handle things as strongly, and to be safe had to only use their original dominate power to be safe. Some others got a hold of our method, State specifically. I don't know to whom they tested, just some of their highest ranked soldiers I suspect. Thank goodness we didn't make a large quantity of the serum. Basically, Dear, I can save you. I was one of the tested," Vana replied.

I felt more tears stream down my face. "You knew... I was there... in the hospital? The whole time?" I asked. I felt sick at the recent information. That must have been what Will was testing me for earlier... a way to recreate my genetic advancements into others. For his own people. For himself...