Transfusion

Chapter 23

"You're in luck. I'm free today, so we can go practice if you want."

Elias walked into the kitchen, taking a bite out of an apple, while I poured myself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It was a shock to see him up so early, usually when it was Sunday, he was never up before noon.

My immediate response was to agree because I really did want to practice. After yesterday, I felt like I made a lot of progress and I wanted to focus on that, but then I remembered my non-date.

"I can't today, sorry. I'm doing something with Leon." I felt bad for declining, even though I was the one who was eager to practice. 

Elias didn't say anything at first, instead bouncing the apple up lightly in his hand before catching it. Though his expression didn't change, I could have sworn I saw his jaw tighten.

He let out an exasperated breath as if he were about to say something, "You know he-." Thinking better of whatever he was about to say, he stalked out of the room without looking at me, "Have fun."

----

My lunch  with Leon did not go at all how I expected. 

Unfortunately, today wasn't one of his good days, and I bit back bitter disappointment when I saw how distracted he was. Part of me felt horrible for thinking this way because he was a Pacesetter. His job was hard enough without having to spend extra time with me, and his dedication to the Collective was more important. It was just that I missed having him as a friend and being able to talk to him.

This definitely wasn't a date, and we weren't alone. Reina tagged along with us and I tried not to mind because I knew it wasn't Reina's fault. She came with us, as she had to pick up a package from a seedy post office across town, and Leon didn't want her to go alone because of the danger. 

After Reina finished her errand, we decided to grab a bite to eat at the local sandwich shop. Though the day wasn't going as planned, the weather was nice with sunshine streaming down from azure blue skies. 

The part of the city we were walking through was chalk full of little shops and chain food restaurants, and people sat under umbrella covered tables outside, while they enjoyed their food. 

As we walked, I noticed that Reina always chose to walk next to me even though the space next to Leon was much less crowded.

When I found a empty table near a small park, Reina and Leon left to order food and I sat at the table waiting. As I watched Leon and Reina interact and talk from behind them and saw the warm smile on Leon's face as he leaned closer to her, it finally clicked. Our pacesetter was in love with Reina.

In hindsight, I should have realized back on night one when Leon hit Elias when Reina was hurt. It was true Leon cared about everyone in the collective, but usually he could keep his cool; that night had been out of character. All the details aligned, the way he praised her and gave her all his attention.

I let that fact settle inside me, and I thought I would feel blindsided and pathetic for not realizing it until now, but in reality, I didn't feel upset or jealous that he liked someone else. I didn't feel anything. Laughter bubbled up from my throat, my first thought after this revelation was actually whether Elias knew about this. 

Elias. 

It was like a flood gate opened  in my head, and all my suppressed feeling for the raven haired male poured in, no longer able to hide behind the idea of Leon and the puppy love I had for him.

Somehow, Elias had snuck into my heart, without my permission or knowledge, and now he was all that I could think about.

I wish he were here right now, because I know he's the only one who could cheer me up and make me laugh when I'm down over the fact that Leon and I barely got to speak all morning.

 While taking in the view around me and thinking that I should have spent this time practicing with Elias, a flash of steel in the distance caught my eye. 

A sense of dread filled me, and I got up to investigate.

I thought I'd seen that flash over by a nook between two buildings and I cautiously made my way over. If this person was carrying a weapon, I needed to take care of this before the public became alarmed. No doubt, it was related to us, I wouldn't have been surprised if this person had been following us.

Out from the shadow of the building, a blade sliced the air toward me, as I approached.

The attack was so sudden and forceful, I barely had enough time to raise my arms to block the blade, and felt a stinging pain as the metal made contact with my flesh. 

Sucking in a breath, I stumbled backward and fell as the man continued attempting to slash me with his knife, this time aiming toward my face. With no other option, I willed myself to pull from deep within me and waited for the world around me to freeze. 

It did and it didn't. 

I was positive that it was working because from across the alley, the leaves of a tree had stopped swaying, and the sounds of chattering people had all ceased. 

The man in front of me continued to move.

Confused, I let the bearded man push me against the wall, before I began to struggle feebly. Keeping control of my abilities became increasingly difficult as my heart pounded with fear. I was barely able to block his incoming knife with the palm of my hand before it could slash at my neck. 

His movements were slower, so the jagged cut on my palm wasn't too deep but blood still slid down my hand rapidly leaking onto my clothes.

That wasn't my biggest problem. The biggest problem was the fact that my attacker seemed to be immune to my ability. Not wanting to give up, I used the last burst of my strength to reach out for more power in order to fortify the freeze, until I was out of breath and my vision began to blur.

"Don't waste your energy." the bearded man spoke with a thick accent, and his lips curled up in a mock smile. His cold eyes watched me with fascination, but his expression was ill at ease, as if he were scoffing at my efforts. "That little power of yours won't work on me; not with your blood running through my veins."

My body grew rigid at his words, and my hold over time shattered like a large rock displaced into a calm pool of water.

As soon as my freeze frame ended, the man was able to move properly again, and he gripped me in a choke hold. Even in my weakened state, I didn't hesitate to kick out with my legs, catching him in the knee, loosening his hold around my neck. 

With great effort, I escaped his grasp, but he recovered quickly, striking me in the stomach. Bent over in pain, he was able to wrestle me to the ground and restrain my limbs.

"What do you want from me?" I rasped. I was about two seconds from passing out but I knew I had to stay concious if I wanted a chance to escape.

"The twins are ready to see you-"
Before he could finish, the man above me was tackled to the side. I heard shouting, and recognized Leon as the one who had tackled the man. Currently, they were fighting on the ground next to me, and I wanted to move out of their way, but my body didn't seem to respond to commands.

"Oh my god, Ashlinn!"

I was staring up at Reina as she looked at me in horror when she saw my injuries.

"Oh god there's so much blood!"

That was the last thing I heard before, darkness descended upon my eyes.