Chapter XXV

MICHELLE EYED LUCINDA AS the witch stepped out the front door. She glared at the back of her head, her long red hair swaying at her waist, when a sudden sharp pain hit her in the chest causing her to double over with her hands on her knees.

"You alright, Michelle?" Panting from the spike in adrenaline, she glanced over to find Rufus staring at her with a raised brow as he sat beside his sleeping brother.

She gave him an uneasy grin and nodded, but couldn't audibly respond through the pain. Stumbling back, she let out a quick, "I'll be back in a minute," before turning around and stumbling far away from the hut, her friends, and the ring protecting her from the creatures of the center.

Another jabbed pierced her, knocking the breath from her. She braced herself against a tree and rubbed her chest directly above her heart as she winced and furrowed her brow. "We had a deal!" she called into her mind, her inner voice alarmed in a panic. "You're supposed to be gone! You said if I got David here then you would leave me alone." She paused and listened intently to the voice inside her head. "What? No, I never agreed to killing him!"

Unexpectedly, an intense pain ripped throughout her body and she lurched over, an arm pressed tightly to her stomach. A burning sensation filled her throat and her hand flew to her mouth as blood splattered her pasty skin in one cough. She spewed the remaining blood from her mouth and swiftly wiped what painted her hand onto her pants. Through gritted teeth, she spat between breaths, "Leave ... me ... alone—"

"My, my!" Michelle narrowed her eyes, hearing the annoying Scottish accent. Slowly pushing herself upright, she twirled around to find Lucinda who grinned at her wickedly. "Something bothering you, Michelle? Or should I say ... someone?"

"Where's Joey?" Michelle barked. "What did you do to her?"

Lucinda waved a dismissive hand through the air. "Oh, she's fine. The other boy is with her and David." She gave a pouty lip. "You really should learn to trust me. You used to."

"I know what you're planning to do to her," Michelle interrupted harshly as she took an aggressive step forward.

Lucinda gave her a clear pretend expression of shock. "Oh? And just what would that be?"

Michelle's voice lowered but her anger rose. "You know." She paused, and Lucinda smirked as she stepped back. "I heard you. When you used to talk to yourself at night believing everyone was asleep." She snickered and tapped her left ear. "Guess you forgot. People usually do. I won't let you lay a finger on her." Her shoulder purposefully smacked Lucinda's injured arm as she walked by, and Lucinda cringed.

"Wow! That really scared me," Lucinda laughed. "You play the act of being fearless well. I better reconsider, but we better ask how Madilyn feels about that threat."

Michelle stopped in her tracks, feeling the blood drain from her face. "Do not speak her name!" she exploded, twirling around to face the witch.

Lucinda arched a brow. "Whether you want to admit it or not, Michelle, that body is no longer only yours. The sooner you realize that, the sooner my girl and I can finish what we started."

Lucinda's words hit Michelle full force and her eyes widened. "It was you."

Lucinda stood tall with her chin high. "I have no idea what your—"

"You set her free!" Michelle growled, another pain hitting her stomach with full force.

Lucinda snickered. "I may have figured out a spell."

Michelle, in a burst of rage, shouted and yanked off her bow from around her shoulders before she reached back to grab an arrow only to have her hand stop before it met the shaft. No longer feeling in control of her arm, she gritted her teeth as she continued to push through the invisible grip to her arrows.

"Yeah, as I said. You're body is no longer your own." Lucinda took a couple steps forward. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? That I just let you hear my conversation?"

It was all finally starting to make sense. "You were talking to her," Michelle said.

"I've been around you and Madilyn since you were wee lasses." Lucinda crossed her arms. "Fortunately for me, Madilyn and I share a bond that you and I couldn't quite achieve."

"Because you're the one who talked Claire into doing what she did!" Michelle yelled, her arm still frozen in the air.

"It was the only way to save Madilyn," Lucinda responded in a deadpan voice that almost seemed to have a slightly affect on her.

"What Claire did wasn't right!" Michelle hissed, her arm finally loosening as it dropped back down to her side.

"You would've rather just let her die?"

"She's a monster, Lucinda!" Michelle exploded. "She isn't the same person she was back then! If I had known then what she would've become then yes!" Her words hit her hard and she calmed as her heart sank. Her voice came out soft as she admitted, "Yes, I would've let her die."

She turned to leave when Lucinda called out, "You're afraid of her."

Michelle swallowed a lump in her throat. "Right now, the only one I'm afraid of is you and your intentions with Joey. I can handle Madilyn." She turned back around, and Lucinda arched a brow. "I know you only want the girl to get back at Claire."

Lucinda glared at her. "My intentions were purely to heal David so you would get out of my life."

"Then why save David and not Timothy?" The question left her tongue before she even realized what she had said.

Lucinda rolled her eyes. "Not this again—"

"You could've saved him," Michelle screamed, taking a step forward.

Lucinda shrugged and nodded. "Could have." A grin tugged at her lips. "But why would I save someone that Claire is just going to suck dry anyway?"

"Because he was our friend!"

Lucinda giggled maliciously. "I've killed a lot of friends."

Michelle swallowed a lump in her throat. "You didn't let me die." Lucinda's smile wavered and she looked away. "You do still care about some people."

Lucinda snorted. "You don't know what you're talking about. You were just a test subject."

Michelle took a step closer. "No, you could've left me to die like Timothy, but you didn't. You knew how dangerous it was, for me and for you, but you still tried anyway." Her eyes softened and she nodded. "Because you cared."

"Cared! Past tense!" Lucinda exploded. "We may have had a connection years ago, but that has long died out!" She lunged forward, her nose touching Michelle's, but Michelle never flinched. Through gritted teeth, she spat, "I suggest that when that boy wakes ... you better be on your way before I show you just how much I truly hate you."

She stormed past Michelle, and Michelle called out tenderly, "Why are you still here, Lucinda?" She slowly turned around to find Lucinda stood still.

"Because I want the girl."

Michelle smirked. "If that was true then you wouldn't still be in the Dome. It's because you're trapped here."

Lucinda growled and stomped a foot. "That snake!" She twirled around to face Michelle. "Do you know how hard it is to fight when she has everything she's ever created after you?" She let out a quick sigh and stood up straight. "Luckily, I've been able to create new spells to keep myself protected."

"You deserve death," Michelle spat.

"Why do I deserve to die for warning Claire of the danger that would happen if she went through with her experiment?" Lucinda huffed. "You used to agree with me that it was a bad idea."

Michelle rolled her eyes. "I've agreed with you for years, Lucinda, but we can't change the past. Let it go!"

Lucinda threw a hand behind her. "You've seen what it's doing to her. How eventually it will change her." Michelle's expression softened. "Are you ever going to tell her the truth about who she is?"

"I can never tell her," Michelle quickly responded.

"But what if she doesn't make it?" Lucinda's sly grin returned. "You could really let her die never knowing the truth?"

"The mission isn't to kill her," Michelle corrected. "You know that."

"But if?" Lucinda taunted.

"If she dies then so what?" Michelle shrugged as her words came out heartless. "I'd rather let her die than have her ever find out the truth."

"And you're really willing to risk your freedom for this girl?"

Michelle gazed at her intently. She knew Lucinda was baiting her along because that's what the witch did, but even knowing that, she still felt the urge to answer. "It ... will ... destroy her." She shook her head. "And that's one thing I won't do to her."

Lucinda slowly stalked forward. "One way or another, Michelle, if she—"

"When she!"

Lucinda held up her hand and continued, "if she survives ... what do you think will happen to her in the second and third Domes? The closer she gets to Claire, eventually, the truth will come out."

"Then let her figure it out on her own time!" Michelle shouted, sternly. "Let her piece the puzzle together! She isn't my responsibility!" She paused, releasing a quick puff of air, and calmed herself as her voice lowered. "To ... to tell her who she is—what she is—would kill her. And you see how broken she already is."

For a long time, Michelle and Lucinda stared at one another before the witch declared, "I'd be doing the world a favor by killing her."

Michelle balled her hands into fists. "You touch her, and I will kill you." Lucinda smirked. "You know I want to be free from Claire, and that means Joey is mine! I won't have you screwing things up for me and my friends."

"Ah!" Lucinda clasped her hands together. "But have you thought about what you're going to do when you get to that moment and realize you just can't do it?"

"I can do it!" Michelle argued, her fist tightening around her bow.

"Really?" Lucinda said with a chuckle. "Because it sure looks like you're willing to do anything to protect her."

"Yeah, because I want to complete my mission," Michelle defended. "And I can't do that with her dead."

"Joey ... deserves ... to die!" Lucinda shouted, her voice shaking with her anger. "Your mission—"

"Is a mission that you almost screwed up because you couldn't keep your feelings in check!" Michelle yelled, jabbing a finger at her. "We've been training for this moment for a very long time, and I'd like to see it through."

"Don't play the innocent," Lucinda spewed. "You couldn't bare to watch her grow up on the monitors just the same as I couldn't. Seeing the look in Claire's eyes, the look that we deserved!" She laid a hand on her chest. "It should've been me! Not some child!"

"Your blood wasn't enough!" Michelle said, speaking slowly like she was trying to talk to some three-year-old. "And because of that, Claire had to change plans. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but you know what? It didn't work out for me either."

Lucinda let out a disturbing cackle. "Well, we'll see how Claire reacts when her precious savior is gone!"

Michelle jerked her head towards Lucinda and snarled. "That's not happening! Claire told me to watch out for you, kill you if you got in my way."

"Could you really do that?" Lucinda asked, stepping a little closer. "Kill an old friend? You play the brave leader, but when it came down to it, could you really kill another human being?" Michelle's anger wavered. "If that were true, I think I would've already been dead once I was no longer of any service, and yet here I stand. Now, Madilyn ..." She wagged a finger. "She knew how to get the job done. Never once hesitated."

"I will ... protect Joey," Michelle whispered ferociously, glaring into Lucinda's emerald eyes.

Lucinda leaned forward and whispered into Michelle's ear. "But can you protect her from yourself?" With those final words, she strode away leaving Michelle again alone outside the ring of protection.