Abnormal {Book 1: Completed, Book 2: Ongoing}

Chapter 4

Adrius's POV

9/2: I've been having more and more nightmares lately. I don't know how to make them stop.

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I'm walking through a corridor filled with closed doors and no windows. I'm nearing the end of a hallway when someone materializes before me. 

It's a girl.

Her laughing brown eyes are exactly the same as I remembered, and her hair flows down her back like strands of silk. The corners of her full lips rise up into a teasing smile, and steps towards me, arms outstretched.

I stare at her, unable to believe my own eyes. Lyanna circles her arms around my waist as I stand unmoving, frozen in place. "Did you miss me?" She asks, pulling me closer, her eyes shining.

I reach out a hand to stroke her cheek. "Is it...is it really you?" I whisper unbelievingly.

"Of course it's me!" She giggles delightedly, and her laughter sounds like silver bells tinkling.

One of her hands slips to the back of my neck to pull my face closer, and our lips meet halfway, our kiss deepening as she hooks her thumb in my belt. 

After a few moments of utter bliss, she released me, our lips breaking apart. I'm slightly out of breath, but she seems unfazed. She presses her mouth against the base of my throat, whispering against my skin. "You have no idea what I've planned." Then she lifts her face from my neck and meets my gaze.

A chill creeps up my spine, and I stiffen, trying to pull away from her, but she rests her palm against my cheek and guides my attention back to her face. "Adrius, listen to me. I'm trying to tell you something."

I force myself to smile despite my uneasiness. I'm being too paranoid. Lyanna would never hurt me. Ever. 

Right?

"I'm sorry. I just..." I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "What were you saying?"

"I have so many plans for us, Adrius." She gives me a sweet smile. "We've already decided how you can use your powers to not only your advantage, but to our advantage. We've done so much research over the past couple of months, and you won't believe what we found. I was part of the experiments, too, you know."

"What...what are you talking about? Who's we? Why..." I'm starting to panic. Lyanna is acting strange. Really strange.

"I'm getting to it. There's no need to be nervous. We're on your side." 

"'We'?" I echo. "Lyanna, you have to explain what you're trying to say. Who are you working with?"

"Me." No. No. NO. It can't be. But I know that voice. I know who it is.

It's the President.

I can't believe this. This can't be real. This can't be happening. This can't...

I feel the cold metal of a gun barrel press against my chest. My gun barrel. Lyanna must have slipped it out of my weapon's belt when I was distracted.

"I'm sorry, love," Lyanna says, her head tilting to the side tauntingly. "But aren't you impressed by my acting skills? I am." I don't respond. I have nothing left to say. My throat is dry, and my heart is thumping painfully against my chest. I feel like it's about to burst. 

"How...how could you..." I finally choke out, my vision blurring. With anger. With betrayal.

With heartbreak.

"You really had no idea, didn't you? Back at HQ?" She laughs. "TCD will never be able to beat us. What can a group of kids do against a whole military?" She cackles and pushes the gun harder against my chest.

I whirl towards the President, eyes blazing with fury. "You brainwashed her. This isn't the real her. She would never do this to me. How dare..."

I'm so overcome with anger that I can't even think straight. I try to lunge past Lyanna towards the President, but she pulls her own gun out of her belt and uses the butt of it to knock me backwards. Her voice lowers dangerously. "You move one more step towards him, and you die."

"I'd rather die than see you like this."

She throws her head back and laughs. "You want to play games with me?"

"Stop. Lyanna, I don't know what you're..." I glare at her, and she tosses me the gun.

She just smiles and stares at me. Suddenly, I feel a strange presence in my head, trying to invade my thoughts. A command rings through my mind. Don't move. My limbs seem to be frozen in place, and I start hyperventilating. "Lyanna," I gasp. "Please..."

Pick up the gun. I obey, my fingers shaking as it grasps the hard metal. 

"Now, I'll give you two choices, Adrius," Lyanna says in a sweet tone. "You can fire the gun either towards yourself, or towards the President. But---" She points a finger at me. "If you chose to shoot the president...you'll kill me instead, because I'm his shield. I'll protect him with my own life." She releases her hold on my mind, and I slump forwards, the gun sliding out of my grip. It clatters to the floor, and I snatch it up again immediately.

"Two choices," Lyanna says in a singsong voice. 

I grit my teeth and turn off the safety. Then I inch my body towards the left, so that Lyanna's body isn't able to fully cover the president's.

Using my left hand, I turn the gun towards myself, pointing it against my head. "Goodbye, Lyanna," I say in a broken voice. "I wish it didn't have to end like this."

She says nothing.

In the last millisecond before I pull the trigger, I turn the gun towards the President, and aiming for his side, I fire.

And I miss.

The bullet hits Lyanna square in chest, and she collapses to the ground, blood pooling underneath her. Her shirt is soaked in red. So much red. Red everywhere.

I rush towards her, falling to my knees beside her and pressing a finger to her neck. She's still breathing.

I pull her head into my lap as tears fall freely down my face. "Lyanna...I'm sorry...please...you have to stay alive...please..."

I'm sobbing as she slips her hand into mine, squeezing it weakly. "You were...you were right..." she murmured. 

"About...what?" I stroke her hair with my free hand.

"That wasn't...the real...me..." She coughs, and bits of blood come out of her mouth. I wipe them away gently with my fingertips, my throat constricting with grief.

"Stay with me, Lyanna, you have to..."

"No. He...controlled me...I couldn't..." She trails off, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Lyanna! No, Lyanna, please..."

"Th..thank you..." She whispers. "You made...the right...choice. Now I can be...free..."

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I bolt upright in my bed, gasping for breath. I reach up slowly to touch my cheek.

It comes away wet with tears.