Chapter V

SPRINGING UPWARDS WITH A shout, Joey dug her nails into the soft material underneath her. A sting zipped through her right arm and she winced before frantically glancing around. Beads of sweat dripped from her brow and her whole body shook violently. Panting, she jumped as someone knelt down beside her, but her brain was too disoriented to register who they were. She raised a hand, intending to defend herself, when her wrist was grabbed and she cried out as it burned. The pain brought her back to reality and she found that the person detaining her was a friend. "David?" she breathed out softly.

"Did you hear me? You need to calm down before you make these wider." He roughly let go of her wrist, and she cradled her arm.

Staring into his blue eyes, she took in a few breaths. Her pulse slowly settled, and she took a minute to gaze around finding herself in the comforts of her own home. She brushed her fingertips against the fabric beneath her and recognized it as the sofa in the middle of the living room. Turning her attention back towards David, she asked, "How did we get here?"

David stood and slid a keycard off the rickety wooden coffee table into his hands. "You should probably find a better place to keep this. Anyone could pick your pocket." He gripped her shoulder and twisted her towards him, rewrapping a bandage that had begun to slip down her arm. "Next time let me finish tying, will ya?" She grimaced at the sting as he pulled the fabric into a tight knot around her bicep.

She swiveled her bottom on the couch, placing her feet on the floor as David reached for a new bandage that lay on the coffee table. She stared at him as he gently grabbed her hand and flipped it over to reveal the nasty glass covered wound. She suddenly felt nauseous staring at the oozing wound, and she quickly averted her gaze bracing herself for the tiny pricks as the glass was pulled free. She winced with each tug of her skin, but she wouldn't look down at the progress in fear of vomiting her dinner.

Instead, she stared at the filthy stained gray carpet, her brow furrowing, as her mind replayed the events in her head. It was then she realized how quiet and agitated David had been. Her suspicions grew when he didn't ask one question about how she got hurt. Tears pricked her eyes, and she understood. Gulping, she squeezed her knee with her free hand. "You saw," she said blankly, keeping her head turned away from him.

A few agonizing seconds passed before a whispered reply came in a short, "Yeah." Slowly shifting her gaze, she peeked at him from the corner of her eye, and he cleared his throat. "So, uh, all those times you moved ..." He paused, pulling out another piece of glass with a pair of tweezers he must've found in the medical bag under the bathroom sink. "It's because you're hiding, isn't it?" He let out a snort. "It all makes sense now. Why you had a break down on the way to Marietta's. Why you're afraid of Walser."

Finally making eye contact, her shoulders slumped. "David, I—"

"You don't have to explain," he interrupted.

Her heart shattered hearing the hurt in his voice, and a tear trickled down her cheek. She sniffed trying to keep the rest from spilling over. "How long was I out?"

David shrugged. "About fifteen minutes." He patted her wrist with a wet cloth and she cringed with a hiss, trying to keep from withdrawing her hand. When he had finished wiping away the blood and dirt, he tied another roll of bandages around her wrist. He then stood up and plopped down on the sofa beside her with a loud sigh.

She wiped her nose with her shoulder sleeve. "I guess I passed out from the adrenaline." She chuckled uneasy, trying to brush everything off, and she stood to face him. "Thanks for the help."

David jumped up to meet her eye to eye as he was about only an inch taller. "Joey, I saw what happened. Are you still going to try to deny it?"

"I just killed a man," she stated sternly, her words sounding heartless, but they finally begun to sink in. "Did you see that?" Swallowing the lump in her throat, she held onto the courage to continue. "Or maybe once you saw what I was you were rooting for me to be the dead one."

David's brow furrowed. "I would never think that."

"Why?" She shrugged and her hands smacked her thighs. "You just told me at the diner that you'd turned someone in before. But what? Since I was your friend you thought differently?"

"I was lying." He gave a deadpan look. As her brow creased, he continued, "What you couldn't see from your seat was all the glances we were getting from the others in the diner. I was trying to protect you." He threw a hand towards the door. "I didn't want you to be picked up by some soldier because you got too chatty."

Her shoulders slumped. "So you'd rather let me hate you then for you to see me get dragged away ..." She snorted and whispered, "I'm such a jerk."

A grin tugged at David's lips. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything."

His response made his grin contagious. "So, why'd you come back?"

"We got to our apartment and Ella went inside, but I couldn't. I had this feeling that something was wrong. I wanted to make sure you were alright." He paused and lowered his voice. "I just couldn't process what I was seeing before it was too late."

She glanced down at his blank and white sneaker, and asked the question that had been weighing on her. "Do you ... hate me now?"

She felt his soft hands on her shoulder and she raised her chin. "No, Joey, it's just ..." He sighed through his nose. "Is there a reason you didn't trust me enough to tell me?"

Her mouth opened as she tried to form words, but she couldn't think of anything to say other then, "I ... barely knew you."

She looked down at her bandaged wrist as the vivid flashbacks of the Agcorp official came to mind and a new panic arose. "I have to get out of here," she whispered. A second later, she lifted her gaze as a new fear filled her chest. "Agcorp knows about me." She flung a hand towards the door. "They could be busting down that door at any minute. I have to get out of here before they lock down the city and I can't find my family." She pushed past him and stomped towards the hall at the back wall when David's voice halted her.

"Where will you go? Agcorp will have your name plastered all over the screens. You'll get caught."

Without turning to face him, she replied, "My dad used to tell me about the camps outside the walls. He told me if it ever came down to it that I must find a way to live in the camps rather then the Domes."

"What? Joey, are you crazy? The virus is out there! What are you going to do if you get Ignisha?"

Slowly, she turned around and gave an uneasy smile. "My Toxicoma is higher then yours. Some people with abilities are immune."

"Some!," David took a step forward. "But not all. What about your mom and Jamie? Their Toxicoma isn't as high. Are you really willing to risk their lives?"

Tears welled in Joey's eyes and she couldn't help but explode, "Then what am I supposed to do?! I can't be sent to the Domes!" Feeling her anxiety rise, she dropped to the floor on her knees and panted heavily with her hands wrapped around her ears. Seconds later, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from the side. "What about the Underground?" She heard David's muffled voice. "They're supposed to help people like you, right?"

She uncovered her ears, but couldn't put her arms down with David's in the way. "The Underground screwed up," she whimpered. "They can't help me anymore."

"But, Joey, you can't go to the camps. I know it's what your dad said to do, but he hasn't been around for years. He doesn't know how bad it's gotten."

An unexpected spark of anger flooded her emotions, and she shoved David's arms away. Twirling around to meet his gaze, she asked, "You want to know why my dad was taken by Agcorp?" She went silent for a moment, trying to hold back the flood gates from bursting with vivid images of that day. "Because of me, okay? Because I failed to control myself." She closed her eyes and squeezed herself in a hug. "I'm the reason he's gone." A hand rested on her shoulder, but she swiftly swiped it away. "Don't you get it? I'm the reason he's gone! I couldn't control my anger! I'm dangerous, David."

He snickered. "We're all dangerous to some degree."

"You're not understanding!" she said hastily in anger. She jumped to her feet and twirled towards the hall when David reached up and gripped her hand.

Standing, he stared at her. "I'm sorry," he said softly. Silence filled the air for several seconds before he continued, "Being able to create daggers out of nothing ..." He trailed off and her expression relaxed from the sudden subject changed. "Were you ... born with the ability?"

She replied with a simple shake of her head and glanced down at her hand as she balled it into a fist. "It came out of nowhere," she whispered. "I was young, but I just got so ... angry." Her eyes made their way back to his, and she lowered her fist relaxing her scrunched brow. "My dad tried to teach me how to control it. I wasn't allowed to leave the house until I did; except for school. But having an ability, Dad didn't want to leave me defenseless and so he taught me how to fight." She chuckled lowly. "Mom never liked it. I often heard them arguing through these thin walls." She tapped the wall beside her with a knuckle. "She wanted me to forget I ever had an ability in hopes that it would fade away, and after Dad was taken ..." She shrugged. "That's what I did. I stopped using them, and started telling her the ability had gone away."

"And she actually believed that?" he interrupted, disbelief on his face.

"Well, it was somewhat true," she defended. "After the accident, I stopped training, and I never summoned them again." Her chest squeezed. "Until today." She raised her hands and looked at them as she continued, "But I still can't control them. I find them trying to force their way out every time I get angry."

David's eyes shifted from her to the carpet to her. "Please don't tell anyone why I left," she said barely above a whisper, and he returned his stare. "I don't want our friends to know the truth about me."

David gaze her a confused look. "I'd never tell anyone. I wouldn't risk putting your name out there. Do you think I want Agcorp to come after you?"

Sighing, she glanced down at her bandaged bicep, staring at the thin line of blood appearing on the white material, and she closed her eyes. "I killed that man," she said, softly. "They're just going to send more."

David frantically shook his head. "No. No, we're gonna get you outta here." He gripped her hand and dragged her towards the door, but Joey only pulled against him.

"David, what are you doing?" She slipped free from his grasp, and he twisted his neck around to face her.

"I'm getting you outta here," he replied, turning to face her completely. "Didn't you hear me?"

"No, I mean ..." She placed her hands on her head before dropping them to her sides. "You're not coming with me, David."

"Why not?" he asked, giving her a perplexed look.

Joey was taken back by his words. "Why not?" she repeated. "Well, for one, you have a family here in the Slums that need you, and two, it's way too dangerous. I won't let you risk your life just for me. Plus—" She cut herself off and lowered her voice to a mere whisper. "Plus, I told you already how easily I lose control. I don't want to ..." She trailed off and gulped.

"What? Accidentally stab me or something?" he asked with a snicker, but she wasn't as amused. "There's nothing to worry about, Joey. Plus, I think people with abilities are kinda cool actually."

Joey rolled her eyes, and mumbled, "Wish you'd tell Heather that."

"I'm serious!" He playfully punched her good arm. "You're just a normal girl with a little something extra to make you extra special."

She couldn't stifle her laugh. David peered into her eyes smiling, and she returned the stare. The thought of never seeing him again brought tears to her eyes and a lump formed in her throat. She was going to miss this, miss him. He was a great friend, and she hadn't had a friend like him since Vincent.

David let out a long sigh though his nose and he lowered his head. "Joey ..." He paused, seeming to fumble over his words. "There's something I need to show you. Something I didn't trust you with either."

Her heart felt like it dropped to the floor as she listened to his last sentence, and the color of his irises strangely glowed until they beamed a neon blue. Shocked, she gasped and took a step backwards, bumping her legs against the coffee table. She watched as his appearance changed from head to toe before her eyes. His brown hair became frosted with blonde, his peachy skin tone paled, his lips turned from neutral to light blue, and a vapor poured off his body like you'd see when opening a freezer door.

"You're not the only one keeping secrets." He raised a hand and in his palm grew a solid ball of ice. "I would say you have no idea how lonely it's been, but I think you do."

She closed her mouth, realizing it was still open, as her expression changed from shock to compassion. All along, David had been hiding just the same as she had.

He chuckled and lowered his hand. The ball of ice melted and the water raced up his arm to his elbow before disappearing. "At least your ability doesn't change your appearance. Yours is a little easier to conceal. Losing control ..." He shook his head. "Not an option."

"But ... but you ..." Her tongue struggled to find the words as her eyes traced his body. "You thought—or acted—like you thought I was crazy at Marietta's."

He crossed his arms and smirked. "Because that's exactly what I was doing. Acting."

She furrowed her brow angrily. "Well, your acting hurt."

"I'm sorry," he responded, thrusting his hands on his hip. "I mean, you saw what happened to Thorn, right?"

"But you ... The way you acted with Heather—"

"I already told you that was all a lie," he explained, aggravation filling his tone. "Heather and I have been friends all our lives. She feels deeply that people with abilities should turn themselves in to help save the rest of us. I've always sided with her. I can't have her thinking something's up."

Joey furrowed her brow. "She would never turn you in," she assured. "I mean, like you said, you're her best friend. Surely, that's more important, right?"

David stared at her blankly. "I don't know what she would've done, okay?"

Joey glanced past his shoulder towards the door as her heart began to pound more heavily. "Mr. Magnus ... came to me earlier." She returned her gaze to find his puzzled glare. "He told me Agcorp had been keeping tabs on me." Her eyes shifted to the carpet.

"But why would he do that?" David asked. "He works for Agcorp." She shrugged, the question peaking her interest.

David clenched his jaw, and Joey quickly scanned him from head to toe. "You look so different," she said softly. "How do you change your appearance like that?"

David raised his hands as he shrugged, flipping his hands from front to back. "I have no clue. Guess it just came with the ability, and thank goodness it did. I would've been captured a long time ago if I was stuck like this." Lowering his hands, his voice softened, "Some people aren't as lucky. We'll make it through this, but we have to go no—"

Glass shattered from a nearby window, and shards flew through the air. Joey lifted her arm to shield her face, and when the flying glass settled, she twirled around towards the only window in the living room to find another Agcorp official, dressed the same as the first, had swung into the apartment on a rope. She flinched and shouted as the door was kicked in, and another window breaking sounded from what had to be her moms bedroom. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as her eyes darted between the men.

David quickly stepped in front of her, his arm outstretched telling her to stay behind him. He spread his fingers and lines of electric blue raced through his veins into his palm where a sword made entirely from ice filled his grip, and he aimed it at the two men who marched towards them.

Joey couldn't keep herself from cowering behind him as she panted in fear from her quickened heart rate. Slamming her eyes shut, she swallowed her fear. She knew she still needed to help defend herself and David. Letting a burst of energy fill her palms, her daggers appeared, their orange glow illuminating David's back, and the energy in her palms felt warm and inviting.

She swung her head right as another man stomped through the hallway, and another filed in through the door behind the first. Four men now stood in front of them, and in sync they reached into their pockets pulling out a ring—identical to the other officials—and slipped it on. A metal sword immediately formed in their knuckled grasp. Joey gulped. She barely survived one of these guys.

"There will be no escaping," the four said in unison, which caused Joey to jump in startlement.

"Okay," David said, drawing out his word. "Not creepy at all."

"David," she whispered, tugging on his bicep. "What are we going to do? They're too strong and we're outnumbered."

He didn't turn to face her, but she could still hear his snort. "Luckily for you, I've had quite a lot of practice with a sword." Craning his neck around, he gave a wink before advancing on the two men at the door.

"David!" Joey stretched out her hand, her eyes widening at his stupidity.

She watched, her knees wobbling, as he swung his sword skillfully at the two men, and the third man who came through the window made his way towards three in combat. Each man moved swiftly with their blades, trying to take down the ice boy, and to her amazement, he averted every blow. David was a lot stronger than he looked as he kicked one man in the chest, sending him flying into the wall jiggling some loose pictures.

Avoiding another swing, David ducked and hovered a hand over the carpet. Instantly, blue raced through his veins and a bright pulse shot into the floor forming a patch of ice under one of the officials feet. His feet slipped out from underneath him and he flipped backwards, crashing into the coat rack.

Joey yelped as her attention was drawn towards the fourth man that stomped towards her from the hallway, his sword raised. "You should've listened to us, Joey," he shouted through gritted teeth. "We might've spared your little friend over there, seeing how he has an ability, but now ..." The man gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. "Now, he's going to die."

Feeling anger boil in her blood, she gritted her teeth and grasped the unseen leather hilts of her daggers. She allowed her rage to fuel her as she raced the man in the hall. "I already killed your friend."

The official snickered. "That was child's play." He ready himself in a defensive pose. "Let's see how you do against a real warrior."

She raised her dagger in a strike position and shouted as she advanced on him. Thrusting her hand downward towards the mans chest, he easily pushed her arm aside with a swipe, twisting her around, and she felt a shoe slam against her back. She was launched forward, crashed into the rickety coffee table, and the force from the blow was strong enough to break it into several pieces. Her daggers vanished as her fingers unclasped, and she winced barely able to slowly pushed herself up. Quickly scanning her torso, she was surprised to find not a single piece of wood protruding from her skin.

Someone gripped her hair in their giant fist and tugged her upright. She screamed and clawed at the hand, stumbling to regain her feet, and her nails dug into the burly hand that clasped her hair but he didn't flinch.

"Let her go!"

The voice caught her attention, and she glanced over towards David to find him on his back with his sword lying against both palms as he pushed against one of the men trying to force his blade on David.

"Time to watch him die," the man holding her by the hair said.

"Okay, okay, please!" Joey begged, keeping her frail fingers wrapped around his fist trying to break loose. "I'll go with you. I promise, just let him live." David grunted as the man's force overpowered him, and his own blade edged closer to his throat. "Please!" She yanked on her hair seeing if it would slip free. "Please, don't kill him!"

The man snarled. "You're fond of him, aren't you?" He released a grumbling laugh. "Well, that changes things."

Her eyes met one of the other men as he stepped over to David. He no longer held his sword, but instead yanked what looked like a syringe out of a different pocket in his suit coat.

The man who kept David busy, lifted his sword throwing a punch across David's cheek, and in the blink of an eye, the man with the syringe bent down and jabbed it into David's neck. He yelped, a hand flying to the spot of the injection, but after a few short seconds, his hands lowered to the ground, and his sword dispersing into water. Tears filled her eyes as she watched his head roll limp to the side and the ice boy vanished revealing the David's olive tone.

"David!" she squealed. Grabbing a piece of her hair directly above her scalp, she continued to tug. "What did you do to him?"

"You should've come when you had the chance, Joey," the man holding her said, and through gritted teeth, he spat in a low voice, "After this fiasco ... everyone you know is going to pay."

A sharp jab met her neck along with the cold sting of liquid being forced into her veins. Her body grew limp fast, unable to fight back, as the world around her blackened.