Hailey's eyes fluttered open.
A crowd of humans surrounded her, watching with worry filled eyes. Her body felt cold and stiff. Slowly, she rose to her feet, rubbing her neck and looking around. The man closest to the front spoke to her, calmly, gauging her tone and reactions to him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I believe so. Thank you, but why are you all watching me?"
"You were passed out. We tried waking you, but you wouldn't. Many of us thought you a corpse," He admitted. "Glad you're alive. Paramedics are on their way here."
"What for? I'm fine," She said. Her tone came off as ungrateful, something she noticed very quickly. Pausing a moment, she shut her eyes, cupping her hands in front of her and bowing slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm not in the best of moods. Forget about me."
Before he replied, Hailey took off through the air, wind gathering around her and carrying her high above, soaring back towards the mountains. She could hear the stunned gasps from behind, but ignored them.
Last night felt like a blur, but the image and actions were planted firmly in her brain. The thing that troubled her most was what she saw.
Truthfully, she cared very little about sleeping with someone other than Carlos. She gave into him more so for his pleasure versus hers. She could rule that a possibility for anything she did with him. She would force a smile, make herself pretty, but her heart was never truly into it. Lately, that feeling had continued to grow, to the point of her thoughts clouding and filling her mind with him.
Of all people, she had to meet him. That day at the mall traumatized her, truthfully, but it also spurred her. She felt something awakened inside, something she never felt for any other man.
In truth, Takabi was an enemy. That was a fact. Any wants for him were immediately crushed by the realization of how their first meeting went, as well as he has the original. Hailey would be plagued with her desires, and there'd be no chance of starting anew.
She was doomed to live in Nana's shadow. Not just as his choice, but as a whole being. She could never be her original self, and the acceptance of that fact left her heart shattered. It was unfair.
Though, unfair usually is the life of one who deserves it.
----------------------------------
Hailey's bare feet touched the cabin's wood porch. The cold left no impact on her as she opened the door and shut it behind her, shaking the snow from her hair and shoulders. Carlos turned to her in the kitchen, eyes immediately filling full of anger. Surprisingly, he kept a straight face and calm voice when he spoke to her, gaze locked on her back as Hailey approached the fridge.
"Where were you," He asked quickly. "You left your phone here and didn't come back last night."
"I'm well aware," She said coldly, swiping a carton of milk and drinking straight from the source. Carlos waited for her to finish, eyeing her closely when she capped the milk carton and put it back on the counter. "What? Do I need to tell you where I'm going all the damn time?"
"Watch your attitude. I'm not any random dude you can talk to."
His tone didn't phase her. She just tried her best to ignore him, and moved towards her room. Carlos reached for her, "Hey, don't walk away from me!"
She snapped her gaze at him, air rushing forward and blowing him back into the kitchen wall. He slumped to the floor, eyes wide with shock. That shock turned to a burning anger, and he jumped to his feet, rushing at her and ready to put her down.
Girston came in then, quickly catching and stepping between the two, taking Carlos' fist to the chest without so much as a flinch. "Enough. I was only gone for a night."
"Yeah, so was she." He retorted, turning around and moving back into the kitchen. Girston looked between the two, sighing loudly, before he settled his eyes on Hailey. "Can you come with me?" She nodded, watching his back as he moved deeper into the cabin. Hailey looked at Carlos, hate and spite in her eyes, before she followed Girston to the back rooms.
Entering the chamber, Girston closed and locked the door, Hailey's brown eyes settling on the growing spawn in the blue liquid tube. She placed her hand on the glass, watching the child's subtle reaction to her presence.
"He's growing well," Girston said finally. "Better than I expected, truthfully."
"That's good to hear. I needed some good news."
The faint smile he was holding slowly gave way. His eyes darkened as he watched the tube. Slowly, he clenched his fists, taking a deep breath. Hailey looked up at him, raising an eyebrow towards his sudden change in atmosphere. Neither said anything for a while, the cold of the outside air creeping into the room.
"I… I've done some awful things lately," He began. "This. This may be the worst."
Hailey didn't reply. She could tell he had more to say, and more he did. However, what he was going to tell her was something she didn't expect. "This child… While it may be yours, it certainly isn't Carlos'."
Her heart skipped a beat. She had suspicions, but assumed it was just her mind. "I… had that idea but thought I was crazy. So if not him, then who?"
He shook his head. "Not now. There's something else we have to do." He moved around the tube, opening the cabinets in the back of the room, producing a thin folder full of papers. Coming back and handing it to her, Hailey quickly scanned over the data sheets. "You're leaving the Kult tonight."
She stopped cold, slowly looking up at him. "What… Why are you kicking me out?!"
"This isn't a life you need to be burdened with. The evils inside, they lurk and worm into your soul, make you do things you normally wouldn't." He looked at his fingers, darkness once again seeping off his skin. "My time is running short because I… I did really dumb things."
"Is it because of them," Hailey asked.
He nodded.
She bit her lip, placing the files on the table next to her. "You said you renounced them as your own blood. You cut ties with them, twisted their actions and made them seem so evil."
There was a pause, and Girston spoke, his voice shaking, uncertain. "I'm aware. I don't know what brought any of this about, or why I'm doing things like this now. I can't say for sure if it's guilt or regret, but I know that things are going to only get worse, and before they do, if I can save one person, I'll die happy."
"You're not going to die."
"I am," He replied coldly. "My body will live, but my soul will not. I've stained my purity with too much evil. I ran my course." His eyes shut, and taking a deep breath, he looked at the child in the tube. "Tonight you go, and take this child with you. You have enough money to go into hiding, right?"
She nodded slowly, numbly.
"Good. When Carlos is asleep, then you move."
"Girston… Is this really the last time I'll see you?"
He nodded. "I'm sorry, Hailey."
Slowly, she shook her head. "No. I'm grateful you're doing what you think is right for me. You're kind, and cared for me like a daughter. This last act, I'll keep it in my heart for the rest of my days." The two shared a smile, looking at the child in the liquid, blissfully unaware of Carlos' ear against the outside door. Rage boiled deep inside, but he would remain calm. He wouldn't act, not until that night.