DIVISION 52 - BOOK I

CHAPTER XXV

– M A K A Y L A –

I wasn't sure exactly how many near death experiences it took to get me to make up my mind about something. Perhaps it was the shot to the stomach that did it... Or maybe it was in the back of my mind when my organs were almost snatched in Sector 52.

Either way, when I slowly opened my eyes to an unfamiliar but very sterile room, I knew that I would no longer play the hapless royal from Sector 1. I'm not that person anymore. I would learn how to survive damn it. If I wasn't a liability it would give Alex less to worry about and probably keep us both further from our death beds...

Besides, I wouldn't live past the end of the week if things didn't change.

I tried to lift myself up on the bed. Searing pain exploded out of my abdomen and I hissed. Maybe I'll give it a few hours.

Then a glass door slid open and she stood there.

The warrior herself with her trademark red cloak and golden eyes now stared at me as if I were a spectre. A few seconds passed and it seemed like neither of us knew what to do. I tore my eyes away from her to look around the room. Then I cleared my throat.

"I like what you've done with the place." I said in a raspy voice. "Very Sector 1-esque."

She remained silent, watching me as if I might vanish if she blinked. So I met her eyes again and tried a smile. She frowned.

I rolled my eyes. "Jesus, Alex can you drop the mute act. I'm fine." I demanded.

She exhaled heavily. Then she finally moved to my side.

"Well, I think we both know how this conversation goes anyway..." She muttered.

"You ask me how I'm feeling—" I smirked.

"—You tell me you're fine and that you're not remotely in any pain...", she continued without missing a beat.

"You tell me I'm lying and suggest some ridiculous notion that I go back to my father's loving and safe arms—"

"I'll have to stop you right there." She interrupted and finally smiled. I saw the familiar mischief return to those eyes. "I'm sorry to shatter the crystalline perfection you have of me but I'm a lot more selfish than that." She moved closer until only a few inches separated our faces.

"You're not going anywhere." She breathed.

Heat flashed through me and the heart monitor hideously betrayed me with frantic beeping. Alex's eyes flicked over to it and she grinned widely. "Oh, the temptation..." she murmured. I could feel the red spreading across my face knowing what she meant.

"You don't play fair." I accused.

Her eyes went back to mine and flashed down to my lips for a second. Then she stood back up and smirked down at me.

"And that, Makayla Xavier, is why I am such fun to be around." She walked backwards and plunked herself down into a plush white chair. Her eyes never left mine. "So... how are you feeling." she drawled with humour dripping from those features.

I snorted and rolled carefully onto my side so she couldn't see my smile.

"Ah. Clearly in the denial phase. Demonstrating passive body language and lack of social ability." She listed off as if she was taking my therapy session.

"Lack of social ability?" I said incredulously. "Your social ability couldn't be more fucked, Alex." I couldn't help the laugh that escaped after I said this.

"On the contrary. I think that depends heavily on whom I speak to." she retorted.

I smirked and rolled back to face her. Her eyes missed nothing and I was sure she caught the small wince of my face when I moved. She didn't comment on it.