Glass

Anger

The electric room is a little bit like a miniature maze. There's tons of wires strung across the room, and there are shelves filled with strange devices and electronic gizmos that I don't recognize. I weave my way past a set of switches and panels, and cross a few shelves before going down a row that looks sort-of-slightly-maybe cleared out. I sit down on the wired floor and lean against a metal shelf.

I don't know what to do.

I can't talk to Vanessa, but it's not like I trust her. I wouldn't talk to her even if I could. I rub my face and bury my head into my knees. I can't trust Lu now. I can't trust anything he says. I don't think he wants to hurt me, but he isn't going to tell me the truth.

And his lips are touching mine.

Everything inside me feels warm as I close my eyes too, focusing on the feeling of melting into him. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. Something wet slips down my cheek.

I shake the memory out of my head. No! Don't think about that!

I love you, Kanna.

I groan and pull my knees even closer. Why is this happening to me?

"Kanna, sit up. We don't have much time."

I snap my head up to see Vanessa standing over me. A quick scan of my surroundings tells me that I'm back in the white space.

Vanessa kneels down to my eye level. "Look, I know you don't trust me, but it looks like Lu let his guard down and isn't focusing on blocking me from reaching you. I'm guessing that means that something big happened, so listen closely while he's still hit by the shock. Kanna, you're dead."

"I know."

Vanessa looks taken aback for a moment.

"I'm dead and I'm in hell and Lu's a liar. Any other wonderful information you'd like to share?" I snap.

"Oh..." She stares at me, then shakes herself out of her shock. "Actually, yes, I do. You need to get to Toby."

I frown at her. "Toby's dead."

She sighs in frustration. "I meant his body, you need to find his body."

"Why?"

"There are two communications devices hidden on him. They'll let you talk to me. And listen, there's something else Kanna. Something you need to know about Lu."

I narrow my eyes, hesitating. Then finally, I give in. "Okay. What is it?"

"Lu kill..."

"Vanessa!"

We both turn to see Lu standing a few feet away, seething with rage. And suddenly, I'm back in the electric room, and Vanessa and Lu are gone.

I stand up and scramble around the shelf, but stop as I bump into Lu. I backpedal as I see the anger raging in his eyes.

"What were you doing with the witch?" His voice is quiet.

I take another step back. "Nothing, Lu come on..."

"Don't lie to me, Kanna." He reaches forward and grabs my arm.

I freeze and take a slow breath. "I'm not lying, Lu." Stay calm, Kanna. Stay calm.

"You see, I don't believe you." He pulls me towards him and I stumble forwards.

I try to rip my arm out of his grasp, but he just tightens his fingers. I glare at him and step up, staring directly into his eyes.

His bright, green eyes.

His soft eyes.

And suddenly, the anger drifts out of me, and I relax a little. I take a deep breath.

"I love you, Lu." I blink a couple times, keeping the tears at bay. "I'm pissed at you, and I hate you, but..." I watch as the rage immediately slips off his face. His grip on me loosens. "I love you."

I can't stop thinking about our kiss.

I can't stop thinking about sitting outside the ocean zone, listening to him tell his story and watching him cry.

Because that couldn't have been fake.

Those moments just had to be real.

"... and even though I don't know what's going on, and I don't know who to trust, and I don't know what to think, there is one thing that I do know." I move even closer to him, our chests barely touching. "I love you."

Lu stares at me. It seems like for minutes, we just stand there, looking into each other's eyes, neither one moving or speaking or even blinking.

And then, slowly, he lowers his head and touches his lips to mine.

And it feels like, in this exact moment, everything that's happened doesn't matter anymore.

It feels free. 

Author's Note:

Hey, guys! Thanks for reading! What do you think about Vanessa right now? What do you think about Kanna's choice? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

As always, don't forget to comment and vote!