until I am once again standing on the hexagonal platform.
Water drips onto the white path as I make my way forward and the floor creates small splits in front of me in response, flexing into a grate system and blowing warm air upward. By the time I reach the dressing hall I am mostly dry. I pull down a pair of spandex shorts and a gray tank top from a rack, put them on, and move to the next stall where I grab a clean training jumpsuit. My lungs expand, breathing in a renewed sense of relief as the darkness inside of me recedes and my mind takes control once more. I turn toward the exit doors and stop in my tracks. Eleven’s silhouette comes into view, casually leaning against the curved wall.
Judging by the self-satisfied expression plastered on his face, I am pretty sure he has been standing there for quite some time. I bury my apprehension behind a façade of indifference and make my way forward. My heart begins to race. For a split second I think Eleven will just let me pass, but I am recoiling from his touch before his hand reaches me. His smug look intensifies at my reaction, curving the ends of his lips into an unpleasant grin. My legs lock in place, consciously making an effort to stay grounded. Eleven bites down, emphasizing his angular jaw and muscled neck. His fingers find their way to me and my throat contracts, pressing against my vocal cords with a force so feral I think it will choke me.
Eleven’s purple eyes begin to transform, along with every feature on his face. His cheekbones rise, his hair grows, his purple eyes lighten until they are the perfect hue of blue.
"What is it about you?” His voice isn’t his. I know it and yet I can’t help my own reaction at the sound of his voice. Seven. Looking at me, talking to me, and yet not being him. “What could he possibly see in you, I wonder.”
I lean back, anger flaring inside of me. I hold onto it, finding the strength I need to shake out of Eleven’s grasp, and the illusion fades. "Let me pass."
"I wonder if he knows the effect he has on you. Knowing him the way I do, he probably construes your behavior in all the wrong ways.”
My nostrils flare and he smiles at the obvious rage he has ignited. "What do you want?"
Eleven continues as if I hadn’t spoken. "I wonder what you would do for him. How far you would be willing to go. It is admirable really, your own restraint in spite of the depth of emotion he causes in you. Still, everyone has a limit. Everyone breaks sooner or later. Everyone has a weakness. He might not be yours, not yet anyway, but I think I have already found a way around that.”
My heart sinks as I consider his statement. "What in the world did I ever do to warrant your desire to hurt me? Why can’t you just let me be?" I can barely conceal the shakiness in my voice.
Eleven leans back, relaxing every muscle against the wall, and closes his eyes toward the ceiling. “It has nothing to do with you personally. You must understand that I really couldn’t care any less if you were someone else. But Seven’s fascination with you makes you the perfect target. You are his weakness, or at least you will be, when the time is right.”
“You disgust me.”
Eleven’s eyes snap back to me, vivid and full of resolve. “I am not the one you should be disgusted with.”
I rush past him, clutching my training suit against my chest. My wobbly legs carry me half way to the living quarters, before they stop mid-stride. I look at the white training outfit, now wrinkled inside my hands, and step into it with shaky limbs. My world spins around me and I have to place my hand against the smooth wall to steady myself. The revulsion coursing through me rises up to my throat and I am grateful I haven’t eaten anything yet. At least Eleven didn’t take things as far as the first time, when I experienced firsthand the magnitude of his ability to change the reality of the world around me. I
Water drips onto the white path as I make my way forward and the floor creates small splits in front of me in response, flexing into a grate system and blowing warm air upward. By the time I reach the dressing hall I am mostly dry. I pull down a pair of spandex shorts and a gray tank top from a rack, put them on, and move to the next stall where I grab a clean training jumpsuit. My lungs expand, breathing in a renewed sense of relief as the darkness inside of me recedes and my mind takes control once more. I turn toward the exit doors and stop in my tracks. Eleven’s silhouette comes into view, casually leaning against the curved wall.
Judging by the self-satisfied expression plastered on his face, I am pretty sure he has been standing there for quite some time. I bury my apprehension behind a façade of indifference and make my way forward. My heart begins to race. For a split second I think Eleven will just let me pass, but I am recoiling from his touch before his hand reaches me. His smug look intensifies at my reaction, curving the ends of his lips into an unpleasant grin. My legs lock in place, consciously making an effort to stay grounded. Eleven bites down, emphasizing his angular jaw and muscled neck. His fingers find their way to me and my throat contracts, pressing against my vocal cords with a force so feral I think it will choke me.
Eleven’s purple eyes begin to transform, along with every feature on his face. His cheekbones rise, his hair grows, his purple eyes lighten until they are the perfect hue of blue.
"What is it about you?” His voice isn’t his. I know it and yet I can’t help my own reaction at the sound of his voice. Seven. Looking at me, talking to me, and yet not being him. “What could he possibly see in you, I wonder.”
I lean back, anger flaring inside of me. I hold onto it, finding the strength I need to shake out of Eleven’s grasp, and the illusion fades. "Let me pass."
"I wonder if he knows the effect he has on you. Knowing him the way I do, he probably construes your behavior in all the wrong ways.”
My nostrils flare and he smiles at the obvious rage he has ignited. "What do you want?"
Eleven continues as if I hadn’t spoken. "I wonder what you would do for him. How far you would be willing to go. It is admirable really, your own restraint in spite of the depth of emotion he causes in you. Still, everyone has a limit. Everyone breaks sooner or later. Everyone has a weakness. He might not be yours, not yet anyway, but I think I have already found a way around that.”
My heart sinks as I consider his statement. "What in the world did I ever do to warrant your desire to hurt me? Why can’t you just let me be?" I can barely conceal the shakiness in my voice.
Eleven leans back, relaxing every muscle against the wall, and closes his eyes toward the ceiling. “It has nothing to do with you personally. You must understand that I really couldn’t care any less if you were someone else. But Seven’s fascination with you makes you the perfect target. You are his weakness, or at least you will be, when the time is right.”
“You disgust me.”
Eleven’s eyes snap back to me, vivid and full of resolve. “I am not the one you should be disgusted with.”
I rush past him, clutching my training suit against my chest. My wobbly legs carry me half way to the living quarters, before they stop mid-stride. I look at the white training outfit, now wrinkled inside my hands, and step into it with shaky limbs. My world spins around me and I have to place my hand against the smooth wall to steady myself. The revulsion coursing through me rises up to my throat and I am grateful I haven’t eaten anything yet. At least Eleven didn’t take things as far as the first time, when I experienced firsthand the magnitude of his ability to change the reality of the world around me. I
Similar Books
