“You realize I could kill you.”
“Yes, I know. A human could kill me. A dog could kill me, under the right circumstances. You’re not as scary as you think you sound.”
Luke shook his head, gritting his teeth and staring at the short girl in front of him. “You’re foolish for coming here, you know. The others are much more... Temperamental... than I am. You should leave before you get killed. Or worse.” The possibility was there.
The girl simply stood there, glaring at him. She was having none of it. “Listen, I don’t care. You think I’d be here if I did?”
Luke was dumbfounded. This girl- this seemingly insane young girl- didn’t care at all about what happened to her. How was someone her age so reckless with her life? He couldn’t stand it. “If you want to go, then go. But don’t come crying to me when you find your blood runs black.”
The girl’s eyes narrowed, and she pulled off her backpack. Luke watched as she dug through the multiple pockets, searching for something. She finally pulled her hand out, holding something small, concealed in a fist. She zipped her backpack and put it back on.
She opened her hand to reveal a pocketknife.
”What blood?”
She flipped out a flat blade and dug it into her forearm, yanking it down to her wrist. The wound gaped open, but no blood spilled. Nothing even oozed. The girl wiped the clean blade on her shirt, and flipped the blade back into the pocketknife. She kept the sliced arm out for Luke to see.
Luke stood where he was, staring at her arm. His jaw dropped as he watched the skin slowly start to pull together and heal. There were so many questions that he had now, but he was too shocked to ask any of them.
“Oi, you okay?”
Luke snapped to attention, staring at the girl wide eyed.
“Why do you look so shocked?”
Luke realized that her arm was down. She held no pocketknife, and there was no sign of any cut on her arm. He shook his head, muttering, “It’s nothing.”
“You saw something.” The girl had phrased it almost as an accusation, staring at the boy in front of her. “You saw something. What did you see? You need to tell me!” Her voice was tinged with the tiniest bit of panic, a new sense of desperation now hidden in her expression.
Luke furrowed his brow, shaking his head slowly. “That’s all you’re here for, isn’t it? You need to know what my vision was. You need to know what your future is.”
The girl hesitated, but replied, “Yes. Please, can you tell me?” Luke took a step closer to the girl, and noticed the tears welling in her eyes. She already knew.
“I don’t have to tell you what you already know will happen,” he said to her.
The girl choked back a sob, confirming what Luke had already been suspicious of. She knew what was coming.
The girl composed herself just enough to utter one more question, though tears were already running down her face. “When is it going to happen?”
“You’ll be dead in a week.”
The girl put a hand over her mouth, muffling herself. This was the look of a broken girl. A girl who knew she only had a few days to live. A girl who knew that she was going to die without having ever truly lived.
Luke tuned away from her, unable to watch her fall apart. He was about to walk away, knowing he couldn’t do anything further.
“Wait.”
Luke stopped short, but kept his back to her. What did she want? She obviously knew enough about him to know that he wouldn’t be of any further use to her. “What do you want?”
The girl hesitated, working up the courage and resolve to ask her question. She finally spoke, voice trembling. “Is it worse than death?”
Luke turned to face her, slightly disturbed. He had a feeling he knew what she was talking about, but he had to make sure. “Is what worse?”
The girl bit her lip, murmuring, “Being like you. Is it worse than death?”
Luke’s eyes widened in a look of shock, horror, and even a bit of fear. She was... serious about this. He turned again, and started walking away. As he walked, he said, “It’s the worst thing you can imagine.” There was no way this girl could go through with it. There was no way he’d let her. He felt tears running down his face, and hastily wiped them away. Her question had brought back memories he’d give anything to forget.
He didn’t want anyone to experience what he had.
But if she was that desperate... Luke stopped walking. Was her fate really death? Or was it something worse? Based off what he saw, he knew it would have to be something like death, equal or worse... So what was really worse? Her fate, or her only escape?
Luke’s thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around to face the girl, who’s voice broke as she pleaded, “I’ve thought this through; I’ve been debating it for months. Please, let me do this. I have to.”
Luke stared at her, and he felt her sorrow, her fear, her desperation; all of it. It tugged at his heartstrings. He steadied himself, and murmured, “You’re sure?”
The girl nodded, unable to speak.
“Then meet me here tomorrow.”
