For the Sake of Breathing

Chapter Sixteen

Part Three

The Lifeless Valley
1300 hours

The scent wafts up again. I close my eyes, deeply inhaling it, and allow myself to be smothered in it. She has been here. I follow the lovely smell of fire and starlight through the streets. It isn't long before I see her. Her long black hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and her green-blue eyes are fixed on the door of a store. I'd seen her three times before in the eleven weeks since I gave her adoptive family all lethal injections. As I approach her, I notice that she's grown stronger and tanner.
Her scent is so strong now that I am drowning in it, and I am delighted. I admire something that can smell so delicious and yet remind me that it is, indefinitely, dangerous.
There are very recent traces of Aven on and around her. I recoil at his scent. I hate it. I hate that it smells good.
I am directly behind her. She's grown a little taller, and her face has become a little less childish. She finally turns around, and our eyes meet. Recognition lights up like the flame she smells of in her eyes. She stumbles away from me, and I burst out laughing. Her jaw is tight, and there is pain in her gaze. I can smell her blood pumping in veins. She's recently eaten some cereal with sugar and honey. Her fear-scent is a faint tinge in the air. She's backing towards the store. I breathe in, and know instantly she is tracing over my brother's scent trail. Not that she can smell it, I just know she is. I move around the bench, and stride over the cement towards her.
She mouths the word "no", and breaks into a run.
She should definitely know better, after all, I have longer legs. I sprint after her, and grab her arm. She tries to rip herself free, but my grip is too tight. I smirk at her. "Hello, little Emica," I greet.
"Ivan," she gasps, and her pupils are like moons.
"You still smell as good as I remember."
She visibly shudders.
"How's my little brother?" I inquire, amused by her terrified expression.
"Leave us alone! Just leave. Us. Alone."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," I reply, and frown sympathetically at her.
"Let go of me." The strength in her tone is degrading, just as I thought it would. I have that effect on people.
"I'll only let go of you if you aren't going to run. And I can smell adrenaline, so you'd best not plan on running if I release you," I inform her, simpering.
Lips trembling, eyes lowering, she nods to me in an utter silence.
I let go of her arm, and smile at her. Unlike my attitude towards her sister, I actually do not feel the strong desire to dig my dagger into her stomach and watch her bleed to death. Perhaps it has to do with her scent. "He's been taking good care of you," I observe, smelling her cleanliness and well-fed stomach. Her hair is sleek and shining in the sun. Her eyes are wide, and I realize I recognize something in her eyes that I recognize in Aven's: A total lack of innocence.
I know I caused this, and I don't feel even the mildest effects of guilt. I was merely ensuring that Emica and Kaylo would not meet. I appear to be successful so far, for I do not smell the wench anywhere.
Her eyes glisten with potential tears. "Yes, yes he has."
"How kind of him."
She does not respond, for no one wants to speak to the person who has caused them so much pain, unless they are willing to forgive. I do not want her to forgive me. I desire a bloodbath, in which I will die, and die satisfied.
Her eyes flicker to something beyond me. I catch a whiff of Aven. I turn around, and see my little brother for the first time in years.
It's like looking into a mirror that's been slightly altered. I grin at him. His expression is neither angry or fearful. Just pitying. How dare he pity me? I narrow my eyes at him. "Hello, Aven."
"Hello, Ivan."
"You've grown," I take note of.
"A lot of time has passed since I was fourteen," he replies, jaw tight. His green eyes flicker to Emica. "What are you doing here?"
"I often ask myself that same question. Why do you think we're all here?" I sigh, cleaning my fingernails boredly.
Aven shakes his head. "What are you doing with Emica over there?"
Emica steps around me, and they gape at each other. There is something in the way they look at each other: Peaceful, comfortable, and reassured. They find themselves in each other.
Emica's fear-scent has faded.
A grin spreads across my face. She trusts him, and he makes her feel safe. He's always had that effect on people. He gives everyone a sense of hope. I've never understood why, especially since they should never trust him. As long as I am around, that faith will surely come to a crashing halt. And considering I am not quite done yet, I will still be around for a while.
I draw my dagger.
Aven cringes at the sight of it, no doubt remembering the last time he saw it. "You can't kill her," he explains quickly, "She isn't at the end yet."
"I wasn't planning on killing her," I laugh, and grab her arm. She spins on her feet, and glares into my eyes. Something burns there. Her eyes are as fiery as she smells. She's different from Kaylo, for Kaylo's eyes become icy and cold when she's angry.
"Then what are you going to use that dagger for?" Aven asks, voice firm but eerily calm.
I give him a disgusted look. "This."
Then I send my dagger into the chest of a guard.
Emica gasps, and the guard crumples, convulses once, and then goes limp. I face my little brother, and am duly disappointed when all I see is confusion and blankness on his face.
"Now why'd you do that?" Aven murmurs, gazing down at the body.
I inhale. There is a gasoline tank across the street. Someone is smoking.
I retrieve my dagger from the guard's heart, and take aim. I wrap an arm around Emica. For some reason, the air around her is sweltering, and heat swells from her in waves.
Someone screams, most likely having seen the body.
Soon everyone is beginning to glance our way.
"Run," I hiss in Emica's ear.
She emits a bit of fear-scent, and I swear to God her hand must be on fire. I groan, and rip my hand away. "Run!" I repeat.
She, flustered, stumbles away from me, and then starts racing away.
A crowd is headed my way.
Aven moves after Emica, and I pull back my arm. I fix my eyes on that burning cigarette. My arm shoots forward, and the dagger sails free, gaining momentum. It catches the cigarette, and the man who was smoking blinks in shock and puzzlement.
It collides with the gas tank. The gas tank is surrounded by barrels of gunpowder.
I start running.
The blast is powerful to knock me off my feet.
I rise from the pavement, and there are several more explosions. I glance back, only once.
The entire area is engulfed in flames. Someone is on fire and screaming. Everyone else is dead or dying.
Police sirens sound in the distance. I face forward, and smirk to myself.
It's a great exit, if I do say so myself.
I burn the blood off of the blade of my dagger, and return it to its usual place in the inside pocket of my jacket.
Kaylo said she was sick of fire, so of course this went down in flames.
Hello, world, I'm not done with you yet.