Addy's POV

Months had passed and snow had begun to stick to the ground. I was never one for the cold weather but it didn't seem to bother me as much this year. Cara and Simon sat across from me making eyes at each other while I enjoyed my hot chocolate in the towns cafe. The last few months had been weird for me, like I was missing a huge chunk of my life. There were also several times where the hair on my arms would stand up. It felt as though I had a ghost of a person watching over me. Cara's hand brought me back into focus.

"Earth to Addy????" Simon gave me a concerned look as my eyes shifted back and forth between them.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?" I set my mug on the table and pulled my beanie more on my head.

"We were talking about the Winter Formal. But like it's no big deal... even if it is..." I could hear the sarcasm laced over her words. I never shared her excitement for dances. I always went to them of course. Simon pulled his arm from around Cara and stood.

"Addy let's go for a walk." Cara had a look flash across her face but it softened quickly.

Simon took my arm and looped it through his. The cold bitter air that hit my face as we walked out the door was refreshing. I took a deep breath in as I tilted my head backwards.

"What's going on with you?" I shrugged at his question, "You've been like this for months. Spaced out. Not really here." He was right. It was almost December and I had been moving through life like I was on auto pilot.

"I don't know what's going on with me." I was being honest with him, "It's like I am missing something. Yet, I have no idea what it is." He stopped and faced me before rubbing his arms up both sides of my arms.

"You know that Cara and I are always going to be here for you."

I scoffed a little more harshly than intended, "Yeah, because every time we hang out you both really seem to be concerned about me when you both laugh and treat me like a third wheel to your epic high school romance." I had no idea where this out burst was coming from but I couldn't go back now.

"We aren't trying to do that to you Addy."

"Well great job." I pushed past him and began to walk home in the snow fall. I could tell he was watching me walk away. Determining if he should come after me. I was slightly disappointed when I heard the door to the Cafe open and close. Guess I wasn't worth chasing after.

"ADDY!" Cara ran up to be and forced me to stop walking. She wiped off the tears that were freezing to my cheeks, "Honey...."

I pressed myself into her letting her arms secure me with warmth. I missed my best friend.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." I sobbed falling apart completely in her arms, "I miss you..."

"I never left Addy. You know you can always talk to me."

"But you have left. You only care about Simon, I have downgraded to third wheel status lately." She pulled away from me shaking her head.

"I care about you more than you know, Addy. You are my best friend. I knew something was up with you. I knew you would come to me when you were ready." She wiped more of my tears away, "Come back to the cafe. You need another hot chocolate with extra whip."

I followed her back to the cafe and sat down where I was originally as Cara ordered me another hot chocolate. Simon was silent as he scrolled through his phone, he was trying not to pry.

Cara came back to the table and placed the blue mug in front of me, "Now talk to us. What is going on?"

I sighed and held the mug between the palm of my hands to rewarm them.  I didn't know how to explain it to them without sounding completely crazy.

"I don't really know how to explain it, but it feels like the beginning of school or the memories of it just aren't sitting right. Like they are somehow blurred to obscure something I am forgetting." By the look on both of their faces I knew that I hadn't made any sense.

"In simpler terms, I feel like a piece of me is missing and I can't pinpoint what has been lost. I feel like I have been on autopilot and constantly numb." I tried reexplaining it.

"Is it the same way you felt when your parents were getting divorced?" Cara had been there for me during my parents divorce. It felt similar in the sense of the numbness I felt as my parents marriage fell apart before my very eyes, "Maybe you should talk to your mom about seeing your therapist again."

Simon looked like he wanted to ask questions about this time of my life, but refrained knowing it probably wasn't a good time. 

"Maybe." I mumbled staring at the whip cream as it slowly melted and pooled over the edge. I took my finger and quickly scooped it up.

"Well, let's just drop it for now and enjoy our hot chocolate. We can talk about it more later, just the two of us, okay?" I nodded at Cara's words but still didn't feel any better. 

I took a sip from the top of the mug, praying it would make the numbness fade.

~

The empty desk by the window bothered me in our biology class. It irritated me even more on Monday's when the memory of it had faded, only to punch me in the brain when I saw it. I wasn't sure why it bugged me so much.

"You seem to have so much beef with that desk." Simon stated pulling out his notebook from his backpack, "Is it that time of the month?" He whispered.

"You know people can still hear you even when you whisper! and no, I'm not. That desk just gives me chills." I set my work out in front of me and sunk deeper into my seat. I glanced at the desk again only to further scowl at it. I think I hated that it was empty. Even though it had been empty all year.

The teacher walked in and began to write notes on the board. All of the sudden an unfamiliar student rushed in, scrambling all her things. His chalk halted, "Ah yes, the transfer. Mr. Kelp informed me you would be starting my class. Take a seat get ready to write notes."

"You're not going to ask me to introduce myself for anything." she said sarcastically, a little surprised by the informal welcome.

"Honestly I don't care what your name is. Sit and write the notes." Her red hair, which was slightly curly, bounced as she walked.

I hated her when she walked in. I hated her even more as she sat down in my empty desk. I watched her set her stuff up in full fury. I snapped my pencil in half getting Cara to grab my arm.

"What's with you?"

I stood from my desk making my chair fall to the floor. Mr. Devins turned to face me, "I need to go for a walk."

The new girl made eye contact with me before I left. I thought I may have seen a smirk on her face.

I rushed to the washroom down the new wing hallway and gripped onto either side of the middle sink. I was shaking. I don't know why I'm shaking. I clenched my teeth together and stared at myself in the mirror. What is going on with you?

It's like I am losing my mind.

~

Cara and I were building a snowman as Simon watched her front yard. We were both silent. No one had mentioned my little out burst. Which I was honestly surprised about.

"So..." Here we go, "what's going on?" Cara asked as she lifted her newly shaped ball of snow onto the top of the snowman.

"I don't know what happened. I did not get a good vibe from that new chick..." I spit out aggressively patted snow to keep the balls together, "When she sat in the desk, that desk, and I just got really furious."

"You know what you need?" she told me with a smile.

"What?"

"Well one, stop beating our snowman to death. Two, either to get drunk or laid or both." I shook my head with a small laugh, "I missed that smile of yours."

"I hope it stays." I told her.

Grayson's POV

I blinked my eyes a few times trying to get my eyes to focus. I pulled against my arm restraints but it was just a waste of energy. My body was weakened, there wasn't an ounce of strength left. My muscles quivered as Amya gripped my cheeks in her fingers.

"Open your eyes Grayson." she patted my face a couple of times to bring me to consciousness.

Her figure became clear as I ripped my head out of her hand. I was breathless, unable to fight against her mind tricks. The tubes pumping the purple killer through my veins, was making it hard to withstand her powers but I was still holding on.

"I have to say, I am impressed." Dr. Carson walked behind Amya with his hands held behind his back, "With the amount of Pentila we are pumping through your body would have killed one of your kind by now. I have concluded that 'royals' within your species are much stronger than the lower classes." My eyebrows knitted together. How could he conclude that?

"Others of our kind have come to Earth for refuge from the war." Amya said trailing her fingers up my naked torso.

"H-h-how M-m-man-y?" I slurred still breathless.

"From the ones I found, twenty-eight. Most of them are dead now from the experiments. There are more of us coming." Amya said to me.

"M-y p-par-ents?"

"Aw, does someone have mommy and daddy issues? Grow up." Amya laughed as she stood in front of me, "I think he needs to be electrocuted some more Dr. Carson. I know I can break him."

"Maybe later tonight. We have other business to attend to. Take him to his cell."

The guards came forward ripping the tubes from my arms. I winced at the sharp pain. Unclipping my hands and feet from the wall my body just slumped to the ground before they dragged me off to my cell. The door slid open and Paul tossed me inside. I just laid on the floor enjoy the cool concrete against my heated skin.

Months of torture I had endured. Months of Amya trying to break through my walls. To get control of me. To turn me into a weapon. I pushed myself onto my elbows and slowly pulled myself to the shitty cot in the corner.

Shifting onto my back I slowly closed my eyes. I promise Adalyn. She will be safe from her.

I reached out with my mind to see her figure sleeping in her bed. Her face was holding an expression of fear and sadness. A night terror. She'd been having them a lot lately. I transported my subconscious to her room. I walked over her the side of her bed and sat down ever so softly. Brushing her face out of her face she seemed to relax slightly to my touch. I missed her so much. I wanted to be here, in this very room with her, physically. If I was I would wrap my arms around her and tell her she was safe from the monsters in her dreams.

I had been doing this since the day I left her. She could sense my presence but couldn't remember that it was me. I had seen her go through this state of sadness that tore me apart to witness. Checking in on her was the only thing keeping me strong. I would not let Amya know about her.

I transported back to my body. I didn't have any strength to stay longer.

I drifted off to sleep. Thinking of her beautiful hazel eyes.

~

Food being thrown in the room woke me from my rest. I pushed myself to my feet and took the food knowing I needed sustenance. I chewed the horribly processed meat missing the taste of Beth's cooking. Amya came through the door holding what looked like a glass of milk and a cup full of vitamins.

"I thought the whole point of this was to get me weak so you could poke in my brain for information. Not give me vitamins to promote health."

She smiled. "We can't have your brain collapsing now can we?" She forced my arm to raise and take the vitamins. I downed them with a stupid grin before sitting back on my cot.

"What do you have in store for me this time?" My fake enthusiasm was evident but she didn't care.

"Well, the electroshock isn't doing a lot of damage because our bodies absorb power. I was thinking about testing your body for how long you can handle below freezing water."

"Sounds fun. Could use a bath too, since I kind of haven't had one in two months." I chuckled.

"Ah, the sense of humour stands strong." She flicked her head in my direction. Paul and Paul 2.0 came forward grabbing my arms to drag me to the torture bath.

We walked a slow pace as Amya led the way. A bunch of people in lab coats gave me dirty looks as I passed. One of them stopped.

"Grayson?" The women that stopped was Jennifer, the first human scientist I had met when I arrived to this planet, "My you have grown into quite the handsome young man."

I spit in her direction. "Stay the hell away from me."

The guards continued to walk me forward. Her face seemed wounded by my reaction towards her. How is she surprised?

Amya unlocked lab 213 with her wrist. Dr. Carson was already present filling syringes with Penila or what I still like the call the purple liquid of death.

"Bring him to the table and hold him down."

I struggled against them slightly. I didn't want anymore of that shit in my body. They slammed me against the table knocking the wind out of me. I forced my body against their arms as Dr. Carson approached. He jammed the needle into my arm. A tear trickled out the corner of my eye.

"Take him to the ice bath." He ordered.

I could already feel my body react to the Penila in my system, it was like liquid fire travelling though my veins. My vision began to blur slightly as they carried me to this dome shaped structure. I sucked in a sharp breath as I was submerged into the icy liquid. Goosebumps covered my arms immediately. I watched Dr. Carson pull the dome shut until I was left trapped in the dark. I began to chatter my teeth, shivering against the sudden drop in temperature.

I knew I had to keep my guard up as I could feel Amya poke at my brain. Fighting against her efforts the water began to feel warmer against my skin. My teeth stopped chattering as I submerged farther into my mind.

"What's happening in there?"

"He's actually relaxing. He's fighting the serum even more now. He's gone into a hypnosis state." I heard Amya say, surprised at the reaction I was experiencing.

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know doctor." She replied.

The voices faded away as Addy came into view. Simon and Cara sat across from her in that little cafe on Second Street. Addy seemed distracted as she watched the snow fall. I loved how the light reflected off her hair and how she smelled. She looked beautiful without her even trying.

With a snap she was gone. I returned to the darkness.

"I have something." Amya exclaimed in victory.

"What is it Amya?"

"I am going to Canada."

No. No no no. I tried to move my arms, move anything at all but I was frozen.

Adalyn was in danger. And in this state, there was nothing I could do to save her.