SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 90- The Prices We Pay

 I feel myself falling into a dark void, my heart pounding as I flail, and suddenly I hit the water. Choking for air, I sit up, unable to see but realizing that it's knee-deep. Slowly, the area around my body starts to illuminate and I realize that it's not water; I'm sitting in a pool of blood. Terrified, I scream as I stand up and kick around, looking at my coated arms in horror.

"I apologize for the mess," I suddenly hear a voice in the darkness "I was wondering if you would come to see me."

"Lucius?" I ask, looking around the void. Suddenly, the blood beneath my feet begins to drain, and my skin becomes clean. As I look around, I see a light in the distance coming closer, and an unfamiliar figure shows himself. He's shirtless, tall, and skinny, with minor muscle tone. On his shoulder is a tattoo of a snake that extends down his side. His long brunette hair is pulled back in a braid.

"Welcome to my little slice of solidarity," he says sarcastically, holding out his arms.

"So, this is what you're original body looked like," I state bluntly.

"And this isn't quite yours," he says, studying me "I take it you changed here too,"

"You know what I used to look like?" I ask, surprised.

"I know that you know we kept tabs on all of you, can you really be shocked by this?" he asks, cocking his head to the side.

"Point made." I shrug, looking around "So, a black void filled with blood. Why was I expecting anything different?" I ask mockingly.

"We're predictable creatures, aren't we?" he sighs, stepping closer "The Gate is a reflection of our innermost self, and as a result, it grows to change with us. I'm guessing that when you and Shade became one, yours became something new," he explains, and I remember my original flower field versus the dark violet sky.

"You're right about it changing, but you're wrong about humans being predictable creatures," I state, glaring at him.

"Oh?" he asks, intrigued.

"Lucius, you are the most frustrating, hard-to-read, morally complicated people I have ever met," I explain, trying to keep my cool "Do you understand what you have mentally put me through? Abusing me all for my blood, and then falling in love with me? You threw everything away to save my life when you knew that I would have been reborn anyway, but what did I ever do to make you feel this way? How did you go from some bloodthirsty animal preying on me to someone who would sacrifice their life to save mine?" I plead, begging for answers.

"I've already told you," he sighs "You made me feel like myself again, and it's something I've been so desperately trying to get back to for a long time."

"That doesn't mean I deserved to have my heart torn apart like this!" I cry "It's not fair to me that you can say all of those things after acting that way, it's ripping my brain apart and I just can't-" I try to calm myself down, but I can barely breathe.

"Shade, I-"

"Breeze," I growl "My name is Breeze," I state bluntly. He seems to take a moment before he knows what to say.

"Breeze," he begins calmly "I've had a lot of time to think, and I'm sorry for everything I've put your mind through. Forcing you to drink my blood was a hard decision for me, and I know now that it was wrong. I know that confessing my feelings for you made you more confused than ever, I should have considered your feelings before telling you. That was selfish and shortsighted." he explains, and I can hear the pain in his voice.

"Your apology doesn't change the fact that my mind is tearing itself apart now," I say, looking at him with a mix of hatred and guilt "Do you know why I'm here?" I ask solemnly, and he bows his head and takes a deep breath.