Ill Appearances

Chapter 21: Mara

"Long time no see, Mariella."

Those words spoken by a honey-sweet voice met my ears like a song.

The girl in the doorway was petite with long and dark hair that had been stained an icy blue at the ends. She looked at me with kind eyes that had once been a beautiful chocolate brown but were now like the pale blue of a winter sky. The side effects of experimentation were noticeable on her but were not as outstanding as Eli's. Her smile was gentle and nostalgic. It was at that moment that I realized how much I had missed it. In the two years since I'd seen her, she'd grown so much. It wasn't just a physical change, but also a mental change. I could tell by the way she moved that she'd matured a great deal.

"How do you know he'll be okay?" I asked.

"In your distressed state," she replied, "I don't think you'll be able to feel that his aura is steady."

"If you don't mind me asking," Carmen said quietly, "who are you?"

"My name is Rosaria Hatsume," she responded. "It's nice to meet you all." She smiled at Mason. "And to see that you're doing so well, Mason. I'm sorry about what happened before."

"Whatever," Mason grumbled. "It's my fault anyway. I shouldn't have acted the way I did..."

She chuckled. "It's fine. Anyway, you all must get going. Master is trying his hardest to force you into a setback."

I frowned. "If you're here with us, shouldn't your chip be going off?"

She shook her head. "It was disabled some time ago. I'm assuming it's about the time when you fried yours. A few hours ago, I was overcome with great pain. When I woke up, I was with Blanche. She told me what had happened to you. I wanted to go see you, but she told me to stay. A bit later, she became very distressed. That's how I knew you were here."

I sighed. "Mei must have alerted her. In any case, thank you for coming."

Castar made his way over to us. "I managed to get a flash drive of some of the data. The rest was destroyed."

I stood. "Andy and Mason, could you guys get Pablo?"

They nodded.

"We'll be going then," Rosaria said. "I know a way that will lead you out to the main road."

We followed her out into the hallway.

Not even a second after we'd exited, the sound of a gunshot rang out.

Rosaria flicked her hand in the direction of the sound.

The bullet fell to the ground, now covered in a block of ice.

"I should've known," Rosaria mumbled. "Mari, take everyone to the bottom level. I'll make sure no one follows you."

My eyes widened. "This is exactly what Eli did! Why won't either of you come with us?!"

She shook her head. "It's not the time for us yet. Eli told you, didn't he? The next time you see us, we'll be free of this place. Now go."

I frowned. "Fine. But please, keep your promise."

She nodded, smiling gently. "I'll see you later, okay?"

I forced myself to turn away and begin to lead everyone toward the stairs.

"Are you sure it's okay that we're leaving her by herself?" Carmen asked.

"She'll be able to handle herself," I replied. "Right now, we need to make sure her efforts don't go to waste."