Shattered

-Chapter 8-

When Ian came to, he was locked in an empty room with two windows and one exit door. Then he remembered what happened. He looked through the window in panic. In the room next door, Marina lay bound in metal. Beside her, Violet stood joyfully. She was turned into one of those...Awful things. Ian started to try to get through to Marina.

"Marina? Can you hear me?"

Violet turned around, looking Ian dead in the eyes, then looked back at Marina. Violet pulled a syringe out from the coat over her new shimmering dress. Violet took a fireball and shoved it into the syringe. She walked to the petrified girl and shoved the needle through her skin. 

"AAAAARGH!"

Marina screamed. Ian could sense the pain and hopelessness in it and couldn't take it.

"MARINA!!!!!!!"

A call out of desperation erupted out of Ian only matched in volume with the sound of his sweat-soaked fists pounding on the windows and the barricaded door. A demon popped on a speaker Ian didn't notice at first. Violet's voices rang through his room of isolation. 

"There's no use in doing that, Ian. Soon enough, she'll reveal the location of the angel you're hiding. And don't think about using your powers here, we're watching you."

Ian's hands stopped glowing, hopelessly falling to his knees. A laugh came from the speaker.

"Do you know what she really thinks of you? She says you're the most clueless of your group of peacemongers, and that, despite your selfish nature, you can never achieve any of your goals."

Tears of agony turned into rage, and his raven black hair started to turn gold from the bottom up. He was preparing to attack. Marina looked on helplessly, struggling to say something.

"STOP!"

Words couldn't stop Ian now. He ran straight into the wall, breaking metal off everywhere. He pounced on top of the demon which was Violet, knocking her out on the dove-gray floor. He looked at Marina, who was finally free from her restraints and didn't speak a word to her until they were out of their prison. 

"Was it true?"

"It was only-"

"WAS IT TRUE???"

Ian shouted. Marina was silent for a moment and then wept.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!!!!"

Marina slapped his hand off of her, then got up and ran to the portal. Ian barely caught up with her, and when he did, they were already at the portal. Ian saw this as an opportunity to make up for him being insensitive.

"You were right about one thing you thought though..."

"Which one?"

"That I'm selfish. Which is why..."

Ian gazed into Marina's eyes with an expression Marina had never seen before.

"I'm doing this."

Ian pulled her face towards his and leaned in for a kiss, but instead earned a slap from Marina.

"Don't toy with me. You and I both know that I'm just a substitute for your long-gone girlfriend."

"What are you talking about?"

"I see the way you look at Violet. Love is blind, but you certainly have eyes for her, and her alone."

"What do you me-"

"YOU LOVE HER!!!!"

Marina yelled as if it was her battle cry. Tears streaked down Marina's dirty face.

"I say 'love' because the feeling is obviously still here. I saw when you were frozen in time when she was on the speaker. And don't tell me that it wasn't her photo in your pocket. She had an identical one in her locker. And that wasn't a surprise, because everyone knew that you are together."

Ian sensed that denying this would prove to be futile. 

"Heh. At least you aren't trying to deny it."

Marina started to walk away, but Ian tugged her arm towards him. 

"Wait. How can I show you that I didn't like her that much?"

Marina sighed.

"You can't change how you felt in the past. But you can try to sort out your emotions, and there is a lot of sorting to do. If you do love her, I'll ask Angelica if you can go try to save her. If you love someone else, anyone else, just be straightforward about it."

Marina took a moment to pause.

"Now stop holding my arm and let me go."

They walked into the forest and ran into the calm laboratory. While they went into their rooms, Ian thought over what happened. The problem was that he loved them both. But what should he do? He made a promise that he would try to figure this out before the sun sets tomorrow. If only it was easy.