The Gifted (ONC 2023)

Epilogue

Everything hurt. Her skin still felt as if it was on fire, and every breath she drew was painful. But none of those sensations could compete with the overwhelming emptiness deep inside her. He was gone. Even before she opened her eyes and heard the quiet sobbing nearby, she knew. Where yesterday she could feel a comforting warmth of his presence, now was only cold emptiness.

Aleks didn't want to wake up. She wished she could stay between dreams and reality forever, so she wouldn't have to face the world without Toni. But whimpers and sobs continued over a steady beeping of medical equipment, and Aleks realised she was not the only one suffering.

She gently squeezed the fingers wrapped around her hand.

"Oluś? Are you awake?" Grażyna asked; her voice was a mixture of relief and deep sorrow.

"Yes," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. She opened her eyes, and adjusting her eyes to bright white hospital lights took a while.

"How are you feeling, love?"

"Like shit."

Grażyna made a strangled noise between laughing and crying and grabbed a glass from the side table. "Here, have some water."

Aleks raised her hand to take it but noticed it was wrapped in thick bandages, making holding anything impossible.

"Don't worry about it. I'll hold it for you." Grażyna put a plastic straw to her lips, and a cold liquid filled her parched mouth. "Not too fast. It'll make you sick."

"How long...?"

"Three days."

"God."

"Oleńko..." Grażyna started, her voice breaking already. "Antoś..."

"I know, Mum." Tears rolled down her face. "I know."

The silence was only interrupted by sobs and loud nose-blowing sounds. There was nothing to say, as no words would make them feel better right now, so they sat there, Grażyna holding Aleks' bandaged fingers gently in her hands, stroking gently.

"How... how am I alive?" Aleks asked after a while when her mother's sobs subsided. "I refused to leave him. I was sure I would die with him."

"No one knows." Grażyna dabbed her eyes with an already drenched handkerchief. "Regan thinks he pushed you away at the last moment. You went off flying out of that building when he... exploded."

Aleks closed her eyes. "It's not fair."

"I know, love. But I'm glad you're here with me now. I don't know what I would do if I lost both of you...." She shook her head and blew her nose loudly.

"Mum, why don't you grab some coffee at the cafeteria? You look like you need it."

"Don't worry about me. I don't need anything."

"Maybe you don't, but I could eat some jelly. I think I deserve some sugar," Aleks insisted.

"Oh, of course, love! I'll be right back."

When the doors closed and the steps receded down the hallway, Aleks finally let out a loud, body-shaking sob. She tried to keep it together with her mother, God knows she suffered enough, but she couldn't hold it inside anymore. Her very soul felt broken now, incomplete. They had always been together, from birth till now, even if sometimes a distance separated them, she always felt another heart beating in the same rhythm as hers somewhere, so she was never truly alone.

And now that heart has stopped, and there was only silence.

It felt like someone had just ripped a part of her soul, and now there was a huge hole she wouldn't ever be able to fix. She didn't know how other people did it. How could they live knowing they were wholly and utterly alone in this cruel world?

Aleks took a deep rasping breath, trying to calm herself. Her mother would be back soon, and she didn't want to get caught being a sobbing mess. Because then, Grażyna would join her, and the weeping would never stop. Instead of focusing on her pain, she turned her thoughts towards more pressing matters.

Tommy Palmer and the Rioters.

She still couldn't wrap her head around how easily he fooled everyone in GSO. He was one of the first agents and was a shining paragon for recruits. And all this time, he was plotting how to use the agency to further his agenda, probably using their research and discoveries in his own sick experiments.

Aleks rested her head on a pillow. She had a feeling they still missed some puzzle pieces here. What bothered her the most was why Tommy got back to GSO HQ specifically to get her. She wished they could let him prattle his evil villain monologue a bit longer, as he was clearly enjoying listening to his own voice. Maybe they could get more answers from him. She had her suspicions. If she were to guess, he was possibly looking for leverage to keep Toni in line if things went south for him. It made sense, considering he just dropped her in the cage. Her mouth quirked in a shade of a smile. She bet he didn't expect she would end up freeing all the prisoners.

Her smile faltered quickly. Even though they managed to free the kidnapped people, the cost of that success was horrible. As she was unconscious for the last few days, she had no idea what was happening in GSO, but she was certain it was in an uproar after what happened. Things would have to change if they wanted to stop Rioters, especially as they were led by someone as crafty and remorseless as Tommy.

She didn't have time to wallow in misery, not when Toni's murderer was running free, determined to continue with his sick agenda. Now that they knew what drove him, thwarting his attempts to bring GSO and the government down would be easier. But the agency would have to change too. Tommy's stunt showed how vulnerable they were and that the consequences of their negligence were devastating. She imagined that dealing with it wouldn't be easy, but she was determined to put all her effort into making the agency work. It was even more evident to her now that they needed a counterweight to stop the Rioters from turning the world into a chaos of war.

She turned her head to look at the window. It was a lovely day, the sun was shining, and the trees on the other side of the road were covered with red, brown, and golden leaves. The world was moving forward, and she would need to do the same, even though the thought of going through life alone scared her to death.

Don't worry, sis. I'll always be here for you.

Aleks jumped on her bed and looked around frantically. Toni's voice sounded so real she could swear he was sitting beside her. But it was just her mind playing tricks on her.

I wouldn't say beside you, but... Toni's voice repeated in her head. Well... I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere.

The End

Author's note: 

Thank you so much for reading The Gifted! Don't be shy and let me know what you think about it, as I love reading comments ^_^

I had a blast writing it, and it's my first novella that I also managed to finish within the ONC timeline, even though when I started, I doubted I could do it. 

Yet here we are, folks. The novella is finished a day before the deadline (crazy, I know), and I kept it under 40k (unlike last year xD). 

If you enjoyed the story, I've got good news for you. You will meet Aleks again soon, as I plan to start writing a full-blown novel set in the world of the Gifted, featuring Aleks as one of the main protagonists and taking place sometime after the events of this novella. So, stay tuned because that will be a crazy ride. More awesome and weird gifts, more miserable misfit characters and more evil maniacs trying to take over the world.