The Evil That Came

Part 19: The Last Kiss

Victoria had spent the last few days away from Greg and Matilda, and the recent days had been a whirlwind—a quiet life shattered by the now-infamous runaway. Isolation gnawed at Victoria. Her days spent alone were a blur compared to the vivid nightmares that left her gasping for air, the silence of the spaceship broken only by her ragged breaths. Thankfully, Greg has obliged her request to be alone. Something was changing within her, and she could feel it—the ebb and flow of a growing power within her. 

A knock on the door startled Victoria from her reverie. It was Greg. His voice muffled through the metal door. 

Greg shifted nervously outside the door. "Victoria, Matilda, and I need to talk with you whenever you are ready. I know this has been a significant change in your life." Greg paused and fiddled with his fingers. I hope you will feel more comfortable talking to us about your feelings soon." Greg chewed on his nails and paced in front of her door before she responded. 

"Okay, I will be out in a few minutes, Greg, and we will talk," Victoria yelled from her room. Greg sighed a sigh of relief. 

Victoria sat on the ship's deck, where she typically sits during a launch. Greg and Matilda turned around to face her in their swivel chairs. The nervous energy was swirling in the air. 

"So, Victoria," Greg said slowly, "there are certain things we need to discuss with you about you turning 16 tomorrow."

Victoria's eyebrows furrowed. "Okay? I'm turning sixteen? Big deal. Why are you all so serious right now?"

Greg, a mixture of sadness and trepidation etched on his face, looked down and took a deep breath. "Victoria," he began slowly, his voice barely a whisper, "there are certain things we need to discuss... about you turning 16 tomorrow." He paused, his eyes locked on hers. "Because it is time for you to receive the last kiss and you are now Queen Vyla, your Puian birthname."

"A Puian queen?" Victoria's jaw dropped, It felt like the old sci-fi movies she and Greg used to watch together had come to life, except the special effects were way less impressive and the plot was way more terrifying. "And I thought my family not being my family was a shocker," she quipped, the weight of the revelation settling on her shoulders.

Greg's face, etched with sadness and determination, continued, "There's more, Victoria. I know, I know. This information is a lot to take in, but after I give you the last kiss, your mother will visit you in your mind. She will reveal herself as she was before she passed and guide you the rest of the way toward your destiny if you choose to rule over Pui. 

Victoria's jaw dropped. "A kiss? Does that mean..." The question trailed off, replaced by a dawning realization.

The last kiss wasn't just affection, Victoria," Matilda, ever the pragmatist, cut in. "It was a way to transfer your mother's DNA, granting the royals control over their subjects." We've managed to isolate her DNA, essentially creating a genetic key. Accepting it unlocks your full potential, but the choice is always yours." Her gaze held a quiet intensity. "It's your birthright but also your burden to bear."

Greg shifted uncomfortably. "We weren't sure how you'd feel about this, Victoria. You see, the last kiss previously involved my DNA intertwined with Hyva's. We separated them, and her pure DNA is now in this vial." He shook the vial gently. "We wanted to give you an option. You can choose if this is the path you want to take." A pause, then a softer tone, "Just remember, your mom loved you very much."

Greg's words hung heavy in the air. Victoria blinked, processing the revelation: a vial containing her mother's pure D.N.A. The thought sparked something in Victoria that she never knew she craved—a longing for a connection. But the warmth of that yearning was instantly smothered by the suffocating weight of the situation. The last kiss, her mother's D.N.A., and the choice to take the vial felt monumental, the weight of her true identity pressing down on her. "A choice, you say?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Victoria's mind raced. One vial promised a connection to her mother—a glimpse into a past she never knew about. The other is a future filled with pain and danger. Would accepting the vial mean embracing her role as Queen Vyla? She glanced at Greg and Matilda, searching for a hint of their true motivations. "What happens if I don't accept it?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Greg's smile faltered. "The consequences of refusing... well, they're uncertain. General Alden is after you... and now probably this vial." 

Victoria clutched the arms of her chair; her knuckles paled. The weight of the decision and the potential ramifications of either path threatened to consume her. Looking at the vial in Greg's hand, she inhaled a shaky breath. "I... I need some time alone," she finally managed, her voice barely a whisper. Greg and Matilda exchanged a worried glance, but both nodded. "Of course, Victoria," Greg said gently. "Take all the time you need." Greg placed the vial in Victoria's hand, and Victoria hurriedly ran off into her room. 

Alone in her room, the walls seemed to press in on her. Victoria's heart was pounding, beads of sweat hanging on her forehead. Tears streamed down her face, blurring the already difficult decision. The word "Escape" started to take root in her mind inching their way to her prefrontal cortex. 

Wiping her tears with a shaky hand, Victoria darted out of her room, her mind set. She looked down the hallway and heard Greg and Matilda's hushed voices in the dining room. In the opposite direction was the pod bay. With every frantic step, a sliver of hope laced her thoughts. Maybe out there, somewhere, she could find answers, a life outside the burden of this newfound royalty and the clutches of  the enigmatic General Alden.

Reaching the pod bay, her breath coming in ragged gasps, Victoria scanned the rows of sleek, metallic escape pods. Her eyes landed on a single, unoccupied one. Ignoring the safety protocols flashing on the console, she punched in a random sequence of coordinates, a desperate prayer for somewhere, anywhere, new.

With trembling fingers, she slammed the access hatch shut and locked it. As the engines roared to life, pressing her back into the seat, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Victoria had no plan, no destination, just a desperate hope for a future free from the choices laid before her. The pod bay's alarm beeped with loud fervor. Causing Greg and Matilda to run to the pod bay. They watched as Victoria used the escape pod and hurtled into the vast unknown, carrying with it a runaway queen, the vial, and a heart heavy with uncertainty. Victoria looked back in her rearview camera and watched as Greg's heart visibly shattered.