Shifters

Chapter 14

THEA

I choked on the air I was in the middle of breathing.

Will was alive.

They hadn't killed him.

They lied.

But he was still just a pawn like the rest of us. Would it have been better if he died? Any wrong move we made would result in his death.

The scientists had planned it all perfectly. They knew I wouldn't be able to let Will die again. That's why they made me the leader. They could control me and I would control the group.

Edmont left without another word. The others were talking, but I couldn't hear because there was a ringing in my ears. Luke stood and helped Ivy up. He and James helped her out of the room. Something was off about her, but I was too dazed to notice.

The new girl followed me as I dragged myself from my chair and followed the group. She was talking to me in a cheerful voice. I ignored her. She didn't understand what was going on. I didn't want to talk. I just wanted to be alone and cry.

When I reached my room, Luke was already there. As soon as I stepped inside, he was right next to me, his arm around my shoulder.

"Thea," he said softly. "It's okay. You don't need to cry. Will is alive. We'll see him soon."

"But is that really a good thing?" I choked. "If we make the slightest mistake on this "mission" he'll be killed and he won't come back."

"That's still a better chance of him living than if he was already dead."

"No, really," I tried to laugh, but ended up with a terrible coughing fit. Luke pulled me over to my bed and we sat down.

"Thea, you need to focus on the good. It's the only way to get through this kind of thing. If there's a chance that things will be okay, you have to concentrate on that spark, even if you can't quite see it. If Will's alive, then there's a chance we can save him. You're the leader. You can do this."

I sure hoped so.