Luminescence

Eleven.

Sorry for the late chapter post!

________

Priscilla walked into the room with a neutral expression, and was surprised to see me sitting there.

She immediately registered the fear on my face. Knowing I wanted to be alone with her, she was sure to lock the door behind her as the darkness consumed both of us. A tear rolls down my face once more as flashbacks of Hudson's memory came flooding back.

"Priscilla, I need to tell you something that's been on my mind for a while," I say shakily, finally confronting my fears.

She sits on top of her bed, her eyes closely trained on mine. "Tell me anything you want, Mara. The last thing I will do is judge you."

"Well," I start off. "It's not really on my mind. It's more in my mind than anything." Instead of her giving me a confused look as I had expected, she listens. I respect her a lot for that. "You've heard of Commander G-R72, I know that much."

Priscilla shifts uncomfortably. "Yes, what about him troubles you?"

I sigh, wiping a tear from my eye. "I don't know how you'll understand this Priscilla, but he is in my head. We're connected... mentally."

A moment of silence passes. "You're right. I-I'm not sure if I follow what you're saying, Mara," says Priscilla who sits there expressionless, trying to decipher my words. I knew she was afraid that I had communicated with Hudson, yet she didn't want to show it.

"He can appear in my head physically, anytime he wants to," I explain. "I can hear his voice, see his face and even touch him. I've never been so confused in my life, Priscilla, and I need your help to try and get him out."

Priscilla looks at the ground for a second, thinking to herself about the bond that we share. I fiddle with my thumbs nervously, afraid that she might give up hope on me and kick me out of the base.

"He doesn't know your location, right?" She asks softly. I nod, and a sigh of relief washes over her. "As long as your location stays hidden, we'll be okay for now. But you on the other hand..." she pauses. "He's taking a toll on you, isn't he?"

I nod sadly, recalling how I haven't slept in three nights thanks to him. "He never appears when I'm with somebody. Only when I'm alone."

"Then we'll find people to stay with you. You met Elaine from what I've heard, I'm sure she would love to be your roommate for a short while!" Priscilla exclaims confidently, brightening the mood for only a second. "I assume he appeared in your head just moments ago, didn't he?"

I nod. "He showed me the memory..." I struggle. "The memory where he left the Rebel base."

Priscilla's head hung low in shame. I watched as her face saddened in an instant, as the final image of him flashed before her eyes.

"Priscilla, if I might just say that absolutely none of that was your fault—"

"It was, dear," she interrupts. "It was all my fault that he left. It was my fault that I ignored the other trainees, when I had spent all of my training time with him instead. Hudson was powerful. And if I didn't teach him how to control his powers, then he would surely use it for the wrong reasons. What I didn't see coming was the greed and selflessness that had rooted its way into each of the young mutants' heart. Forget to tame it, and even the kind-hearted will go insane."

I let her words sink in as I watch her get up.

"They were supposed to be the next generation of mutants," Priscilla just barely murmured, sadness evident in her voice. "The ones who were destined to take down the Plague and end the torture of our continent. Yet instead, the sole mutant who lived is torturing the living daylights out of you. Come here," she gently whispered.

Priscilla got up slowly, as I did the same. I felt her warm, comforting arms around my waist. And for the first time in forever, Priscilla made me feel what no other has made me feel in a long time.

In that moment, was one of the first hugs I had received since my parents died.

________

— Three weeks later —

Commander G-R72

About a week ago, Red had sent me into reform just as I expected.

Mara wasn't dead yet. And it was all my conscience's fault.

Reform was simple, yet extremely complicated at the same time. It was a program designed specifically for me. When Red took me in, he saw the conflict between good and evil in my eyes. It was pathetic. I was nothing but evil, yet the man apparently saw something I didn't.

Reform hadn't been used on me in years. But now that Mara was in my life, I needed it more than ever.

I've figured out that Red isn't human. I don't know if he's a mutant. Hell, he could even be an alien. I don't know, and probably will never know—it isn't my place to ask.

Red is powerful. And if something doesn't go his way, he will do everything in his power to try and change it.

I was in my final phase of reform at the moment; in which Red locked me in a prison cell with no food or water for three days. I had gotten used to it. But the first two days was like a living hell.

King Red specially designed his reform to erase any hints of happiness within me. He reminded me of my horrible childhood by telling my backstory, over  and over again until I felt nothing.

Yes, it hurt. But in the end, it made me stay loyal to my side.

It had been three weeks since my last encounter with Mara. And like a pesky fly, she still wouldn't leave my mind despite the numerous pleas for food from my body. Her final words to me still rang in my head like church bells.

"If you really do trust me with your life, than you'll accept my offer."

I couldn't. I knew if I were to leave the Plague, they would send trackers all around the world. And if they ever did find me, I would be putting Mara at risk more than myself.

There is a bond between us. Magical, even. It pulled us together like yin and yang, like Romeo and Juliet or even two peas in a pod. It was there, and very real. When my bare skin touched hers that day, I felt small tingles from even the softest of touches. Seeing her without a mask on for the first time felt unreal.

She is beautiful, if I had to be dreadfully honest. Maybe it's the bond making me feel this way. Either way, she's going to be the death of me.

Literally.

As I sat in the cold, desolate prison cell, I knew I was being watched. The prison cells at the Captiol were some of the most highly-guarded places in the world. They were specifically designed for mutants so that their powers would temporarily be weakened. Since my powers revolve around my brain, I can't think
straight due to the gas they had injected into my cell.

Contacting Mara would be near impossible with the lack of energy I had at the moment. I most likely had a black eye due to the swelling around my vision. My lungs burned like hell, and my stomach was desperately begging for any food source they could get. But as many times in the past that I've done this, I knew I would get through it.

Just a few hours more, and they would release me. Then I will be taken to King Red's lair for inspection and a meeting, to talk about upcoming events that he will need me for, and what tasks I will be performing in the next months.

But I knew one thing for certain—Red wanted Mara dead.

And that order would be my one weakness.