Rouge

by Isabella Modra

  Be strong, Hunter. Never lose faith in yourself, for when there is nothing else, there is always faith to cling onto.

  - M

  P.S I copied this tape after finding it in the lab. I don’t know what it means yet, but I will leave more messages for you soon. I promise.’

  After reading the letter again several more times, Hunter felt the fire course through her skin more warmer and richer than it ever had before. All the encouraging words her mother had said about the ‘curse’ soaked into her like water in a sponge. She’d never received anything so personal from her mother, more so than even the necklace. Despite the fact that her mother knew nothing about the effects of Ravenadium and its possessive power, it still gave her hope for her future. What it did not do, however, was banish her doubts about Joshua.

  So she ran upstairs to the study where the computer monitor – thankfully – still read floppy discs. Eager to start it up, she tapped her foot in anxiousness and injected the disc. After a few more moments, a black window appeared on the screen.

  Joshua sat before the camera in a dark room. He would have been in his early twenties, and his usually controlled hair was hanging in disarray over his face. It was so dark that his features were shadowed, the only light coming from the glowing golden bulbs swinging from the ceiling. Sweat dripped from his chin and forehead, and he looked terribly sick, but that didn’t stop him from grinning. She had never seen him look so excited.

  “I’ve finally completed a formula from the chemicals in Liz’s blood samples and the minerals from this volcanic substance. I might very well hold the key, right here in this test tube, to creating Liz’s powers. It won’t be as strong, because I don’t have the exact solution of the Feucotetanus drug thanks to those goddamn Swedes. But what’s science without a little experimenting?”

  Hunter watched Joshua hold up a tiny tube of blue solution for the camera, then inject it into a small syringe. Her heart pounded and her hands became instantly clammy. What is he doing?

  Joshua’s right hand was shaking. He held the syringe up into the light and a few drips of blue liquid squirted out of the needle.

  “No no no!” she exclaimed aloud. “Joshua what are you doing?”

  But it had already been done, a long long time ago. She watched in complete horror as Joshua forced the solution directly into the vein. His face flinched in pain as the barrel emptied into his arm. She stared so close at the screen that she was sure she could see the vein in his arm turn a violent shade of electric blue.

  Joshua pulled the needle out of his skin and covered it with a cotton bud. He smiled at the camera and said, “it’s done.”

  The screen went black again.

  Hunter could not believe what she’d just seen. Had Joshua actually just tried to give himself her powers? Or better yet, had it worked? No way. We would both know if Joshua could walk through fire, especially since this happened nineteen years ago. So then what did that solution do to his body?

  Hunter went back to the letter, but all it said was that he’d changed. That he became obsessed over her. It related none of his strange behavior to the possibility of powers.

  Had Joshua done the right calculations, or had something gone wrong? Hot flushes and bursts of anger were her first signs of the fire erupting, but Joshua was never hot. In fact, he was quite the opposite.

  Oh my God.

  The opposite.

  Hunter yanked the floppy disc from the computer, leapt from her chair and ran back downstairs into her bedroom. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she caught sight of the snow globes stacked on the window sills, shelves and other various places. To her, they had always been just another trinket of his. Now, they stood out as if they had suddenly sprouted legs and danced the Tango.

  Ice-cold fear enveloped Hunter as ideas and answers started forming in her mind. She was in such a panic that she couldn’t bring herself to remain another minute in the empty apartment. Not knowing what else to do, Hunter packed a heap of clothes into her overnight bag and hurriedly took her cash from a marked page in her tattered Peter Pan book. Then, she fled from the apartment without a single look back.

  twenty- nine

  “Hunter?” Eli blinked in surprise when she knocked on his door twenty minutes later. “What are you... um...”

  “Can I stay here?” she asked, not meeting his eyes. “I have nowhere else to go.”

  Eli stepped aside without hesitation. “You don’t even have to ask.”

  “Thanks.”

  Eli took her bag and they went upstairs to his bedroom.

  “No one home?” she asked.

  “Dad and Melissa are out for the weekend. They get back Tuesday.” He dropped her bag beside his bed, which was made neatly, and turned to her. He wore a gray sloppy-Joe and jeans, appearing fresher than usual. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she nodded, even though he was more than likely able to see through her lies. There was so much to tell him. He didn’t know half of the shit going on in her life. How hurt will he be when I tell him what I can do? That the fire on his bed was because of me, that I saved Miss Smart, that Joshua is crazy and infected by my powers. I can’t tell him, he’ll never forgive me.

  Eli watched her carefully for a long moment before pulling her into his arms. She buried her head against his chest, feeling the guilt slowly seep away. Eli had a gift too; he could make her feel like she was completely normal even when life was hell.

  “Whatever it is, you can tell me when you’re ready,” he said. Hunter thought of Jack, how he’d said the exact same thing the other morning. Did Jack know? There was so much to think about, and so much worry swirling in her mind that she was getting a headache. She moaned against Eli’s chest, and he pulled away.

  “Come on,” he tugged at her hand. “I’ll make you some tea and we can watch a movie.”

  “You don’t have anything on tonight?”

  “Just a bit of study,” he said, “but that can wait.”

  Hunter sighed happily, weaved her fingers into his and let him take her downstairs. Something in the green of his eyes softened her heart.

  Sure enough, after a night with Eli, Hunter felt considerably better. She still thought of Joshua’s mad scientist tendencies and of Jack and of Miss Smart, who didn’t seem to be getting any better. Not to mention the letter and video left behind by her mother. But Eli numbed the pain and anxiousness. She never wanted to leave him.

  Hunter yawned against Eli’s shoulder, her eyes drooping shut. Suddenly she was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open. The movie was lost to her, but the feel of Eli’s arms around her felt like home.

  “Sleep time?” he asked softly and switched off the television.

  “Yeah,” she mumbled as he helped her to her feet. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”

  “It’s probably emotional strain. Come on, you can have the guest bedroom across from my room.”

  Eli half carried her, half dragged her up the stairs. The quiet house was oddly comforting, and Hunter liked the feel of Eli carrying her. Even if he was nerdy and shy, sometimes she saw a different side of him, a stronger side. Right now, he was this dominant, protective boyfriend who cared so much, he even tucked her in and took off her shoes. She watched him, some deep part of her wishing he would lay down beside her. His curved arms gently pulled the quilt up over her body and his delicate hands brushed her cheek. She felt small, looking up at his broad shoulders and strong features. His eyes gleamed behind his glasses.

  “Goodnight Hunter,” he whispered and kissed the top of her forehead with the lightness of a feather. “Sleep well.”

  “Wait,” she mumbled, catching his hand. “Stay with me... for just a bit. Please.”

  As her eyes drooped shut, Eli walked around the bed and moved in beside her. His body fit perfectly against hers, like two pieces of a puzzle. It was peaceful knowing he lay beside her. The chaos in her life seemed distant, as though it had been locked in a box for the night. She knew she’d
have to face it tomorrow, but for now she was happy to listen to the softness of Eli’s breathing, knowing she was safe.

  Light poured into her room the next morning, so Hunter woke up and decided to take a shower. She felt fresher than usual, having slept soundly. After retrieving her bag from Eli’s bedroom, she crossed to the bathroom and opened the door to a sight that nearly knocked her breathless.

  “Jesus, shit!” she yelled.

  “Hunter-”

  “Jack! What the hell are you... put some clothes on!” she shouted.

  Jack stood before the mirror with only a white towel wrapped around his waist, his dark hair dripping wet and a toothbrush in his hand. His body wasn’t weightlifter-toned, but definitely not scrawny. Dark skin, rippled muscles and big, powerfully built arms were all bared before Hunter as though to tempt her. Scolding herself for not taking notice of the fact that Jack was actually quite handsome, Hunter had to hold her breath for a few seconds to stop the fire from flaming like a blow torch and shooting from every part of her body.

  She was about to open her mouth and shout at him when suddenly she realized it was her fault for not knocking in the first place.

  “I was just showering,” he muttered and spat into the basin. “What are you doing here anyway?”

  Her awkwardly embarrassed expression tensed immediately into a glare. There was a smirk on his lips that made the fire buzz angrily inside her, as though the fact that he stood before her half naked scored him points on the nerd tally board. Now that she thought about it, Jack and Eli were nowhere near her impression of nerds.

  “I was... you can just.... Urgh! I can’t concentrate with you standing there like that, I’ll just shower later.”

  Jack chuckled at her even after she slammed the door in his smug face.

  Hunter hurried downstairs into the kitchen where Eli stood cooking breakfast.

  “What is Jack doing here?” She sat herself down at the bench with a huff.

  Eli turned, a pan in his hands, and slapped toast onto a plate for her. He was grinning. “What’s it to you?”

  “Sorry,” she sighed. “I just wasn’t expecting to walk into the bathroom and find a naked man there.”

  “He was naked?”

  “No! Almost.”

  “He comes over after soccer to use my shower.”

  Hunter suddenly remembered. “Right, you told me that at school a while ago.”

  “Yeah, I probably should have mentioned that last night, but I expected you to sleep in a little longer.”

  She picked at her toast and looked up at him, trying to hide a smile. “I kind of wish I did.”

  “Well he’ll be gone soon anyway. You won’t have to talk to him for much longer.”

  Oh, I highly doubt that, she thought miserably. Avoiding Jack was like avoiding overpopulation in China.

  “What’s your beef with him anyway?” he asked. “Did you want butter on your toast?”

  “Yeah,” she said and took a piece from his plate. “We don’t have a beef, but after the fire he just sort of... stuck to me. He thinks we’re friends.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “Well...” She had no reasonable explanation as to why she was so irked by Jack without telling Eli that his friend had seen her walk into a burning building and come out with an unconscious teacher several minutes later. So she said nothing more.

  There was running footsteps and Jack came round the corner, his hair still damp but fully clothed.

  “Thanks for the shower,” he said as he grabbed some bread and threw it in the toaster. “Is that bacon?”

  “No, I don’t touch bacon. It’s an omelet and it’s not for you,” said Eli and shoved him away from the plate.

  “Hey, I’m a hungry athlete. Besides, Hunter’s already eaten.”

  Hunter rolled her eyes at him as he picked a slice out of the pan and gasped, throwing it onto a plate. “Ouch, that’s hot.”

  Hunter frowned at him, her heart beating erratically. Did that mean anything, or was it just ironic? She stole a glance at Eli, who was pouring her coffee.

  “Hunter? Do you like milk?”

  “Yes please,” she said. “Just a bit.”

  “Sugar?”

  “One.”

  “Oh shit.” Eli placed an empty tin back on the kitchen bench. “We’re out of sugar. I’ll be back, I think Melissa left a bag of groceries in the laundry.”

  The second Eli left the kitchen, Jack leaned over the bench, his face just a breath from hers. “You seem a little tense this morning,” he said, his brown eyes blazing. “Want to talk about what happened with the fire yet?”

  Hunter clenched her jaw tight. Last week he’d encouraged her to wait until she was ready - which she was very far from - and now suddenly he was throwing her secret around in the air with Eli in the next room. “Do you mind not speaking so loudly?” she hissed. “This is between us, remember?”

  He looked delighted by that. “Really, he doesn’t know?”

  “Know what?”

  He picked up his plate of eggs and toast and walked around the bench into the living room. As he sat himself down, his goofy smile widened. “That you’re pretty damn fire resistant.”

  Hunter followed him into the lounge room and hissed at him to be quiet. “Seriously Jack, if you don’t keep your voice down, I will literally shove my breakfast and the plate down your throat.”

  He searched for the remote and didn’t meet her gaze. “You’re still one great big mystery to me Hunter. But I’m not scared of you.”

  “What does-”

  “Did you say one or two sugars, Hunter?” asked Eli as he came back into the room. She backed away from Jack, who had found the right button and switched the television to the local morning news. He sat down on the couch comfortably.

  “One please,” she replied, wiping the tension from her face. She moved around the couch to join him in the kitchen when Jack’s hollow voice stopped her.

  “Oh no,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  Jack said nothing, but turned up the volume on the television. The three of them watched the screen where a reporter stood before the downtown hospital, her face grave. She wore a deep purple trench coat and her blonde hair billowed around her face. It was dark, which meant the report was from last night. The caption below the screen read ‘FIRE SURVIVOR KILLED BY COLD’. Hunter’s stomach had already convulsed before the blonde reporter opened her mouth.

  “I’m here at New York Downtown Hospital where a recovering fire victim tragically died in her sleep last night. The local physics teacher was lucky to survive a fire explosion that occurred in her own laboratory on Tuesday evening. She suffered third degree burns, but was on the road to recovery when, just an hour ago, she was found dead in her hospital bed. Doctors say the cause of death was unknown.”

  A male nurse in a pale green scrubs uniform appeared on screen. He spoke into the microphone hovering below his chin. “It’s very rare that a patient dies of a sudden chill, and I’ve never seen such symptoms before in all my years of practice. It’s possible that the victim might have caught Cold Agglutinin Disease caused by a malfunctioning immune system. The patient suffered injuries to her lungs in the fire, but we have no further explanation as of yet.”

  The blonde reporter appeared again. “It’s a tragic mystery how a recovering patient died in her sleep, and a great loss for the family and friends of this brave young woman.”

  The news room switched to a commercial break. Jack raised the remote and turned the television off. The silence in the room was so thick, it became suffocating. Both Eli and Jack turned to Hunter, who didn’t know what to think or do. She looked down at Jack, whose smirk had vanished, his face now pale. Eli’s eyes filled with sympathy and Hunter wanted to break down but felt as if her eyes were stiff and empty.

  “I need a minute,” she said thickly, and ran upstairs to the bathroom before either of them could stop her. She heard Jack tell Eli to give her some space, and th
en she was on the landing and in the bathroom. Locking the door tightly, Hunter turned to face the mirror. She didn’t realize she was actually crying until she saw the black lines running down her cheeks.

  “Dead?” she whispered to her reflection. Ignoring the pounding of her heart, the nauseous sense building in her stomach and the heat in her hands threatening to break through the skin, Hunter wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “No. She can’t be,” she muttered, shaking her wrists and pacing back and forth. “I only saw her yesterday… she was going to get better…” The memory of her frail teacher coughing up blood into her hands brought more tears to her eyes. Her death made no sense. Killed by the cold? If anything, she would have died from smoke poisoning, not this. Not the cold.

  In her pain and anger, Hunter thrust her fist into the mirror and was surprised when the glass shattered, leaving a web of cracks on the frame. She didn’t even think about what Melissa might say when she saw it, nor did she register the pain in her hand as hot blood began to trickle from a deep gash in her knuckles.

  Hunter slid down the wall onto the cold tiles and buried her head in her hands. There, she cried harder than she’d ever cried in her life. Miss Smart was the only person - besides Joshua - with whom she’d been able to share her secret. In the short time she had known her, Miss Smart had become a friend. And in the last few days, she confided in her more so than even Joshua. She was the closest thing Hunter ever had to a mother.

  Miss Smart regarded her with such gratitude for saving her life. And for what? To die a week later?

  Her thoughts whirled. She felt as though she were going crazy. How many more people had to die at her hands? How long would this last?

  Then Hunter remembered her mother’s words. Be strong Hunter. Never lose faith in yourself, for when there is nothing else, there is always faith to cling onto.