Ill Appearances

Chapter 25: Carmen

By the time I heard Mara's voice call out to me, I had been walking in complete silence for nearly an hour. The halls were empty, with only the sound of my footsteps to be heard.

"Carmen!" Mara called again.

I didn't turn around. I figured I was just delirious from having expended so much energy. I most definitely had not anticipated that I'd be at this for so long...

Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me. All at once, Mara's calm aura and feeling of relief crashed into me. Only then did I realize that I wasn't hallucinating. I twisted around in her embrace, hugging her back tightly.

"You're okay," she breathed. "I'm so glad..."

"I could say the same for you," I mumbled. "I thought I saw you all in those horrible chairs!"

"That doesn't matter now," she said. "The good thing is that we're all safe. We need to get back to Aaron, Mason, and Andy so we can find Castar and Pablo."

I nodded. "That sounds good."
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The moment Andy's eyes met mine, it felt like I was being pulled forward by a magnetic force.

His arms wrapped around me in a tight hug. He then pulled back to look into my eyes again.

"You're safe," I breathed.

Seemingly not being able to help himself, he pressed his lips to mine. "I was so worried about you," he murmured.

"I'm not sure what would've happened if I'd gotten all the way up," I said quietly, "but Mara told me it was a trap."

"I'm just glad you're okay," he whispered, leaning in to kiss me again.

Suddenly, Mara cleared her throat. "As much as I'd love to let you two continue, I should say that Mason is starting to wake up."

I turned toward the couch.

"Carmen?" Mason asked groggily.

I rushed over to hug him. "How are you feeling? Mara explained to me what happened on our way here."

He sighed. "I'm pretty sore," he grumbled. "I honestly didn't think that would've taken so much out of me..."

I pulled him into a hug."You're okay now," I murmured, "and that's all that matters."

"Are you well enough to stand?" Aaron asked. "Once we make a plan, we should get moving again."

Mason nodded. "I'm okay." He stood a bit unsteadily.

"Finding Pablo and Uncle Castar is our main priority," Andy said. "We've managed to destroy the machine, so I think it's best we leave after we've found them."

"That's what I was thinking," Mara agreed. "We need a solid plan to end Tío's research altogether. As much as I hate to say it, we have to let him go today."

I scowled. "Why don't we split up? Some of us can find Castar and Pablo, and the rest will go track down Mara's uncle."

"That's practically suicide!" Mara exclaimed. "He knows we're here and that we're angry enough to strike. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to bait us into trying to fight him."

Andy put a hand on my shoulder. "Mara's right. I can't even begin to understand the stress you've been under, but we really can't go after him right now."

I turned to him, burying my face in his chest. "I hate that I can't do anything. After all the things we've faced today, I can't even make things right..."

"Making things right doesn't necessarily mean charging head-on into a fight with Mara's uncle," Mason said. "I know how you feel, but it's not about our feelings right now. We want to keep everyone that we still have safe."