Reversal (Camren/Norminah)

Chapter 40: There is Always Lightning

XL.

On the following word, Lauren's voice echoed everywhere at once. Behind me, against the shell of my right ear, and most importantly somewhere deep in my skull, where it had made it's home long ago. Hearing her raspy voice as shaky as it was, was nothing short of a nightmare.

"Clara?"

Blinking a few times, the woman gazed straight at Lauren, lips curling into a smile. "Finally." She said quietly, her own voice curiously reminiscent of my girlfriend's. "You've finally returned."

"Get them away from her!" Lauren shouted at the brunette, taking a threatening step forward. "Now!"

"That's not how this is going to work." Lucy shook her head. "As I said before, I detest violence. I'd like to have a conversation with you both, that is if you'll agree."

"And what if I won't?"

"If you won't?" She held her hand up, and no more than a second later the man on the right reached over his shoulder for a large weapon that ended in a claw-like, swooping blade that was cerated on it's curve. It swung forward, the inner curve circling the woman's neck dangerously close.

"No!" Lauren began to rush forward, crashing straight into me as I shot from where I was standing off the to side to block her way. "Camila, move."

"If you move, so will that thing." I told her softly, referring to the weapon. "There's a time to rush without thinking into combat, and there's a time to stop and consider the situation. This is one of those times when recklessness is useless."

Lauren took a deep breath, her eyes softening when they met mine and backing up. I turned around, moving my body so she was behind me.

"You detest violence, which means you don't believe in taking lives if they mean something, you made that pretty clear." I told Lucy. "This woman has a family. She has children. You won't take her life without a good reason, so what do you have to say?"

"I have an ultimatum." She said, smiling at me and taking a few paces forward. "Camila, you may be a blank page, but I knew very well that you would hear me out."

"Talk." I demanded. "Now."

"This nurse went back on her word, betraying me, and every other person who suffered from Lauren's escape. So my deal is this. The Runaway will remain here from this moment on, and in exchange, the nurse's life will be spared. She will be allowed to return to her old life, to see her family once more and forget this nightmare." Lucy cleared her throat, the shadow covering her body forming a dark hand that rested on her shoulder. "And Camila? You will be allowed to leave."

"No." Clara spoke from behind her. "Child, you mustn't listen to her. Lucy is nothing but a puppet, there's no doubt she'll have both of you killed."

"Wait." I held up my hand. "What's our other option?"

"You will force my hand." The girl nodded. "The nurse will be killed, as will all your fellow fledglings that are locked in my mirage. The two of you will be lucky to get out of here with your lives."

I watched with a heavy breath as the cleaver shifted even closer to the woman's neck. It was a deal of epically unbalanced proportions, and I had all of ten seconds to make a choice. Luckily, ten seconds was all I needed for my brain to give me a viable answer. Lucy knew I was a human, but she had no idea what I was capable of. She hadn't seen my power.

"I'm not a blank page Lucy." I stated, letting the natural rasp in my voice cut through the rain the way she did. "Lauren made sure to write on me only days after we met. So if you think for one second that you're taking her away from me, then you've madly underestimated our abilities!"