Master stands above me, a control in his hand. I feel like cursing at him, but Avelyn is in the room, and she's much too young to learn those words.

"Xavier, you know that one day you will take over Edit," he reprimands, and an electric shock runs through my body. My eyes screw close and a gasp escapes my lips.

Master starts to hurl insults at me, while Avelyn stands pressed against a wall, her face white.

"No." I have to keep repeating it, or else I'll believe him. I'll have to believe him, and I'll be completely broken and shattered and useless and messed up.

I know that I'm just a tool. I know that once I've completed whatever he wants me too I'll explode into a million tiny pieces, because of the freaking tracker that has about a trillion functions to control me.

Heck, I hate them. Him, in fact.

Yeah, I know that I'm not going to last long on this planet any more, and I should be thankful, but if they're going to hurt Avelyn...she doesn't deserve to be treated like that.

I writhe and choke and sob, and the pain is so intense, so terrible that it sears through my bones and reverberates in my skull, like a million, a thousand flames licking at me.

Stop. Stop. Stop! I start to scream and shout and cry freely now, my heart breaking, my head splitting, and—

Everything vanishes. The pain. The hurt. I shoot to my feet, Dakota pressed against my side. I can see the stains that the tears have left on her face, and quickly I squeeze her hand and stare at her. She responds immediately, tilting her chin a little higher, squeezing my hand shakily. Her gaze flickers back to Amber—Amber, who I should've known from the first time I saw her.

I should've known. When I did find out, it was too late.

I know that he's done it, pressed that stupid chip into her head, agitating her. For the past few years she's been living in a somewhat peaceful but eventful community, and although he tries to manipulate the situations around her, killing her parents, making her lose her sense of touch...she has Chance, and has not even come close to relapsing once.

And so now she's no longer Amber. What the Edit headquarters and Therapy or in other words, Rehabilitation, will see, is that their long-lost Avelyn has returned.

And she's stronger than ever, like he had always wanted her to be. She's been through setbacks and a whole whirlwind, so it's more than obvious that he can draw on her emotions and make her this...monster.

"Dakota," I murmur to her, and, her emotions still raw, she presses closer to me in response. "Remember what I told you. You can be that person who makes the difference. Hear me?"

"You're not going to die." Her lips barely move, but I still hear her. I press a kiss to her head, and say nothing.

Somehow the thought of dying suddenly sounds intimidating. Maybe it's because now I have Dakota, or because I know of the consequences of my death—chaos. I picture Amber—Avelyn—getting dragged back to Edit without Chance, and going through the torture they put me through.

I imagine the tracker being stamped onto her, labeling her as the heir to Edit. I imagine her having Dakota as a younger sister. I imagine a world where everything is smoke and mirrors, ashes and dust.

And everyone knows I'm not going to let that happen.

"Xavier." Amber—Avelyn—says formally, nodding—or rather, just a slight drop of her chin. The stupid man that just manipulated me into thinking Dakota and everyone I loved didn't exist continues to stand there with a stupid smirk on his face.

I stare at her. Is Amber really gone? Dakota shifts slightly, pushing her closer to me. I clear my throat. I've paused too long. "Welcome back, Avelyn," I say, my voice thick.

Avelyn's face holds no emotion as she nods before sticking her chin out at Dakota. "Who's that?"

I reply quickly, "The other Masters' daughter."

Dakota doesn't even tense, but I know her heart is racing inside her right now.

"She's a weakling," Avelyn says disapprovingly.

Dakota still remains frozen. She knows what Avelyn is trying to get from her. Avelyn wants to see how great Dakota really is, and from the looks of it, Avelyn actually looks jealous. My heart swells. Amber must be so afraid right now.

But still, my focus is on Dakota, ready to defend her if needed. I'll do anything and everything for her, because she finally makes me feel as if there's finally something worth fighting for. And I'm never going to let her go.

"I said, you're a weakling!" Avelyn continues to provoke Dakota, who is still staring at Avelyn calmly. Avelyn lets out a laugh, a unbelievable and mocking laugh, "She deaf too?"

If Dakota's not getting angry, I am. I tense up slightly, but not enough to show.

That cruel man places his flithy, disgusting hand that has done so many wrongs on Avelyn's shoulder.

"Avelyn, it is with greatest regrets that I tell you that Xavier has decided to rebel." He says, and I want to run up and smash his face. He doesn't have the right to do all these things. He shouldn't even be alive.

But then again, he was forced to, just like me. He's afraid of death, and he's afraid of imperfections, like all of us are.

We always want to be perfect and flawless, but let's just stop for a second and think about why we have these insecurities.

If someone really cares, they won't even look at your appearance, because what they see is the inside. No one seems to understand that, and look where it has brought us. Sometimes it's too overwhelming, people trying to look their best for who-knows who. I'm lucky Dakota isn't like that, and even wrinkles her nose at the word "perfect".

We're all blessed with something, but only the minority of us realise it. We're all amazing as wonderful in our own way, but no one cares. We can all be strong and brave, and not marionettes or people hiding in the shadows.

We can be who we want to be.

"Rebel?" Avelyn raises an eyebrow, like its the greatest joke on the planet.

Yes. I have, and it's because of you. Isn't that ironic? You come down to the Black Hole and try to save the day, and then when we're about to win you turn against us.

But that's because of me. Not completely, though. If Dakota and you hadn't decided to save that redhead...

Avelyn shakes her head, her face constricting like she's eaten something sour or bitter, like hearing the fact that I've rebeled makes her want to throw up.

Maybe it will. Sometimes I'm so overcome with doubt of myself, of what I'm doing I'm hoping with every step I take that the floorboards—my hope—don't fall through because they have, over and over. I need to learn to trust myself, but sometimes it's so hard, so hard to believe that I can do it because I'm living in a storm, a storm that seems like it has no end.

"You were the one who told me to always stay loyal. You were the one who told me to always stay on Edit's side, no matter what I did. And now? You're a betrayer." Avelyn spits at me.

Is she right? Did I make the wrong decision back then, to become friends with Carmen and rebel against Edit?

Avelyn grabs a gun from the air, and Dakota bites her lip. We both know what's going to happen, and I know that we will both try to dodge the bullet, but this time I think—if we do, she'll never stop firing. Loading it and clicking off the safety as if she's been doing it her whole life, Avelyn raises it to point at me.

Right now I'm starting to wonder why her relapse is so long, instead of panicking. I take a deep breath. I am not scared. Dakota told me that no matter what happens I cannot be afraid of death, because we're doing the right thing.

Dakota curls up closer to me, her hands both wrapped around my neck.

"Xavey," she whispers, burying her head in the crook of my neck.

"Yeah?" I whisper, my hands slowly stroking her back.

"Are you scared?" She draws back her head, and even in the darkness her eyes seem to shine.

"Scared?"

"Are you scared of death?" She gently strokes my jaw. "I know you've been telling me that I should always keep my chin up because I should never let my tiara fall—"

I can almost feel her blush from here.

"And that's why I call you Princess," I smirk, running my fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, I know, but don't you feel afraid that you're going to, I don't know, die?"

"Not when you're around," I press my forehead to hers.

"Promise me that you won't be afraid of death, alright? You know what we're doing is right." I take Dakota's much smaller hands in mine.

"I promise." And then I close the gap between us.

"And you told me the price of betrayal is death." Avelyn says, her voice poison. And then she pulls the trigger.

Hey there! So this is the previous chapter in Xavier's Point Of View. If you don't understand what's going on, here's a summary:

Amber is actually a girl called Avelyn, but she was given a new family and whatnot, and Edit would only be able to locate her if she relapsed (when she's agitated).

Xavier, on the other hand, is frozen at eighteen years old (Dakota as well) until he's completed his mission (or his use). Then, by his "father's" will, he will either be destroyed on the spot or left alive.

The song attached is Doubt by Mary J. Blige. I think it's important for everyone to know that even though you may not believe in yourself, you do have the potential to achieve whatever you want to. And I believe in you guys too, even if you're halfway across the globe.

Remember that life's not about waiting for the storm to pass (even if it seems like you're stuck in it) it's about learning to dance in the rain.

xoxo
-NeverEverGiveUp-