Luminescence

Ten.

"Hello, Mara. Missed me?"

I could hear a hint of humor in his voice, as I quickly check the room for Priscilla but unfortunately couldn't found nothing. Pulling the door open once more, I head out back towards the hall, ignoring Hudson, not wanting anything to do with him.

That was, until he levitated me back into the room, being sure to shut and lock the door behind me.

"Where's Priscilla, you horrible piece of trash!" I shout, trying to break free from his powers yet had no luck. I was locked in a position I couldn't move from. Then, Hudson had the audacity to levitate me over to the chair and sit me like a proper person.

"Priscilla?" Hudson questions, chuckling maniacally. "She is none of my concern at the moment. That sounds like a you problem, Mara."

"Would you stop saying my name in every sentence you say? I get that you're a bad guy and you use it for dramatic effect, but it's getting really annoying," I claim rolling my eyes, and I swore I could've seen him smirk through his mask.

"Mara is a pretty name. I like the way it simply falls off my tongue."

A weird, fiery emotion ignites at the pit of my chest, but I am quick to diminish it. "Well then... don't like it!" I exasperate, completely out of comebacks. I watch as Hudson got up from his chair from his side of the room.

"Now where's the fun in that?"

"You want to know what's fun? Me being able to actually move on my own, and not in some voodoo mind trap that controls all my limbs," I say to him, and in an instant he lets me go. I sink in the chair before I am able to regroup my muscles. Hudson watches me like a hawk. The red, flashing lights from the alarms reflect off of his helmet, and it made me wonder how on Earth he could even see through that thing.

"Earlier, three of your spies were caught roaming the streets of Sector 42. Their disguises were so easily uncovered that even a homeless old woman could manage to do the same in under two minutes. I would ask you where your location is, yet you still recollect nothing about coming into this place."

"So I take it that you weren't able to find our coordinates from the communication devices in time? Jeez, that homeless old woman sure could come in handy when it comes to your guards."

Hudson pauses, clearly surprised with my comeback. He was quick to change the subject. "I will ask you one more time, and one more time only," he growls, as his voice got heavier with each word. "Take my hand, Mara. Rule with the forces of evil and submit to the place you truly belong."

I raise an eyebrow, staring at his mask. "Firstly, why should I take someone's hand if they spend their lifetime hiding behind a piece of metal? I would take it, if they weren't such a coward. Hiding behind a mask is so 5 decades ago."

As two clicks ring throughout my ear, Hudson's metal mask hits the floor with a loud thud.

I hadn't looked at his face yet. I was afraid to, in all honesty. As I stared at his helmet on the ground, I saw his reflection only slightly. What if he looked like a forty year-old man who grew beards for a living?

Suddenly, my eyes met his.

And the first thing that I registered as I gazed at his face, was that Hudson was absolutely, drop dead... handsome. My eyes met his green ones as my breath momentarily hitched. I felt something stir between us—most likely the pathetic bond again. I could've sworn Hudson's angry face momentarily fell, replaced by realization, as he looked at me through his true eyes for the first time, instead from the holes of his mask.