Lockdown

episode 11

Fate, the universe's way of making sure each and every piece of their master puzzle falls into place. It was the second semester of junior year, a simple random generation of a teacher's seating chart that landed them next to each other. It was the spark that ignited the flame.

And it was that flame that was flickering in the dim school, each soft gust of wind threatening to blow it out and extinguish the small fire they had left. So as she walked down the hall, tired hands wrapped around the handles, weak legs pushing them forward, she thought back to the very first time she'd glanced at the desk next to her, and saw him.

Warm light illuminating the chestnut strands of his brown hair, icy blue eyes staring back at her whilst a smile danced on his lips. She'd pulled her gaze away, in a disappointing realization that he was one of those high school boys, one that would break her heart if she gave him the chance. So she'd promised herself she wouldn't give him that chance.

But fate had a different plan for the two of them, one full of love, joy and laughs, one filled with tears, pain and death. No great love comes without a price and no battle comes without scars.

Emma knew that they'd never be the same, if they could even make it out of this school alive. They were never, again, going to be the light hearted high schoolers that exchanged playful banter in class and flirty glances in the hall. They were going to be darker, tougher, and have hearts almost too heavy to bear.

But she tried not to think about it. Instead she thought of how sweet survival would taste; how safety would be wrapped around her shoulders like a soft quilt. She thought about her parents, and how they would embrace her as if she was a child again. She thought about all she would have once she survived, not all that she was leaving behind in this place.

Felix's mind was elsewhere, focused instead on the throbbing sensation that sprouted from the torn skin across his back. He kept his attention on staying awake, on preventing his vision from blurring. Each identical locker that passed by was something to count, something to hold his attention. He couldn't let himself slip from the cold grip of reality, no matter how warm and soft the darkness seemed. Leaving reality meant leaving her, and that was something he couldn't do.

A soft squeal escaped the wheelchair as it came to a sudden stop. Eyebrows pulling together in confusion, Felix turned to look up, over his shoulder at Emma. Her eyes were narrowed, her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she stared at something in the near distance.

Fear coursed through him for a moment as the possibility occurred to him that the monster was back, and he had, yet again, failed to spot it. But as he studied her face, he knew it wasn't terror that consumed her; he knew that expression all too well. It was, instead, the look of thought, the look of an idea.

"What is it?" Felix whispered in curiosity as Emma's eyes jumped down to his.

She pursed her lips in thought for a moment, a slight clench of her jaw indicating that she had made a decision. "That's the chemistry room. We had classes there last year" Emma responded calmly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Felix's eyes narrowed as he failed to see the connection, the wheels in his mind spinning to piece together what she was talking about. "So?" he questioned, watching the smallest hint of a smirk pull at Emma's lips.

"So, I've got an errand to run" Emma smirked as her eyes shifted across the hall to the parallel chemical closet. Eyes growing wide, Felix caught onto what she was hinting at. Without another word, Emma pushed him forward, allowing her excitement to power a light jog.

Within moments, they were standing in front of the old wooden door. Reaching forward, Felix wrapped his hand around the chilling, metal handle, giving it a weak push. It released a click of resistance, a disappointed sigh escaping him. "It's locked" Felix muttered defeatedly, looking up to gage the emotion on Emma's face.