Immortalia

Chapter 19 - A Real Kiss

Chapter 19 – A Real Kiss

Aurora needed to get away. She didn’t like the darkness around her. She was suffocating. Desperate for air, she focused on her counting—on her routine. As so many times before, she knew that as long as she followed the routine, she’d be okay.

Ten, nine, eight…

Ten, nine, eight…

Ten, nine, eight…

It didn’t work. Maybe it was her breathing—she remembered that her breathing had to be controlled. But how do you control breathing when it seemed as if there was no air to breathe? Her lungs ached, and she had to do something—anything.

Ten, nine, eight...

Seven, six, five…

She thought about her hallucinations. There was something about them, something pivotal that she’d missed. She needed to remember, but she also had to escape.

Four, three, two…

Taking a deep breath, she resisted the urge to cough. The air was wrong here, almost as if it had been polluted. Her throat hurt, and she wanted to scratch at the skin, hoping to relieve some of the pain. She couldn’t panic, though. Panic was the enemy of her routine.

Two... Two…

Almost there. Almost. At her last breath, she realized something: she wasn’t supposed to hallucinate any longer.

One!

Her lungs expanded with air, and she could breathe. Now would be a terrific time to panic. Opening her eyes, she stared into the eyes of a woman she didn’t recognize. The eyes were the color of burnt-out ember. Wisdom and knowledge seemed to flow from the eyes. Wavy long, brown hair framed the face. The woman looked as confused as Aurora felt inside.

She’s beautiful, she thought. Then she noticed the flat surface. Was it a painting? No. It was a mirror. Aurora blinked once to be sure before she raised her arm, and saw the mirror doing the same.

“I feel so silly,” she said. Aurora frowned. The words had come from her mouth, but she hadn’t said them. She focused on the reflection, trying not to panic. The voice continued, “My name is Shani Reed. I know you’re listening—I’m making sure this is a memory of mine.” The woman smiled. “You must have a lot of questions, and I can only give you a few of the answers.”

Aurora tried to speak, but she had no control over her mouth. She didn’t like this hallucination—because that’s all it was, right?

“When Haw Tech performed their initial experiments on me, I didn’t reveal the complete truth. They knew about my eyes, how I couldn’t control the fire.” The reflection looked sad. “Such a destructive power and I knew it would be the end of me.”

Aurora saw the woman’s eyes turn a bright green before her surroundings changed. This time, she watched herself talking with Lina the day she heard about Haw Tech. A voice resounded inside her head. “I had these visions of the future, as well. I knew you’d be the perfect person to continue my hopes and dreams.”

Her surroundings shifted back again to the mirror. The woman—Aurora figured she must be Shani Reed—smiled at her.

“A part of me is inside you. You’re the oldest enslaved Immortalia, and your body was the only one that could bear the responsibility. Your soul-line is pure and I apologize for taking advantage of your weakened body in such a way.”

But how? I don’t understand, Aurora thought.

“I know it doesn’t make any sense to you now, but I’ve placed something to help you piece it all together. I’ve realized that I have to die in order to make sure that my plan to free the Immortalias is successful. This of course saddens me, but it is a responsibility I have to bear to save my people.” The reflection smiled a sad smile. “I know that Aaron will help you to the best of his ability.”