It takes me the rest of the month to realize that Sabia was right. Being around your ex, rather more exes, is excruciatingly difficult. I thought we could be civilized enough as to attempt to be friends, but time has proven me wrong. The thought that Athan and Rylan are going to join forces and attack me is constant. 

I clear my mind in the training with a small dancing routine. In an hour, I'm supposed to head out to Howl Falls with Kyran, Eileene and Athan to strike our revenge for burning down the Resistance Headquarters. It's funny how time seems to fly. One minute I'm being turned into a hybrid; another moment I'm preparing for the biggest fight of my life. 

As the song finishes, I grab a sword from the bucket and practice my battle stances. According to Rylan, I need to work on putting more pressure on the leg I step out with and also work on quickening my reactions. I hear his voice in my head as I swing a the air. Meanwhile my wolf necklace bounces up and down my chest. 

The leather tightens in my grip and my swords draws around an arc from one side of my waist to the other. The music in my head takes over and I switch out my sword for a stage fighting stick. In synchronized movements, my combat training is all of sudden another one of my dance routines. 

Sabia once told me that my mother had a hard passion for dance and would've done it her entire life if possible. Dancing is in my blood. I feel one with myself whenever I'm dancing. The rush it gives me, I just wish it could always be like that. A few graceful leaps into the air, and sweat is pouring down my skin. 

I only stop for break when my legs can no longer handle the pressure and I collapse onto the mats that form a protective barrier behind me. I burst out into laughter. It just reminds me of all the dance parties Keanna and I had back in high school. We loved having dance offs against one another. She was the epitome of grace while I'm all sharp and quick movements that make me one of those hip hop dancers.  

In a way, dancing is how I've coped for the past week with the loss of everything. I may not be able to fix all of my regrets of the past, but dancing sure does make every transition into the future easier. That's probably why I still find myself dancing a half hour before my departure. It's what will make me most at ease with this revenge plot. 

"Wow," I hear Grace's voice say from the doorway. I whirl around in a sudden halt to meet her shadow peering out from the doorway into the hallway. "You're a phenomenal dancer, Betrys. Hasn't anyone ever told you that before?"  

I shrug. "I don't usually dance in public. It's just a hobby that helps me cope. Whenever a huge change comes around the corner, I dance and I feel alright." I start cleaning up all the props I used in my little scene. 

"The humans have a great dance program," Grace says with a smile. Her usual dark outfits are now traded out for a long, ocean blue dress. She steps out into the open and makes her way over to me. "Maybe you should come check it out someday." 

"I wish could agree," I say in a cheery voice equal to Keanna's voice of sugar and sweets, "but you know that goes against the laws of my kind to go through this life inconspicuously from the humans."

Tears in her eyes, she brings me in for a hug goodbye. It stings a little given this almost feels like a remake to Keanna and I's parting. I don't know what to say, so I just let her keep on hugging me. "I just wish this wouldn't be the last time we'll be seeing each other." 

"Hey," I say softly, lifting her face up by her chin to come in contact with my eyes. "Don't think of this as goodbye, think of this as a hello to a new opportunity. We'll see each other again. In another life, Grace. In another life." 

"In another life," she echoes. With that, she pulls back, solemnly prying into my eyes and turns away as she fades into darkness. Knowing I only have ten minutes left in this facility, I start out towards the elevator so I won't be late for boarding the helicopter, another form of transportation I've never ridden on. 

A solemn tune plays through the speakers as the glass case slowly descends to the ground floor as the other vampires make their way to dinner rush. The vampire standing outside the elevator acknowledges my presence as step out onto the floor. In no time, I'm caught in the crowd of vampires. 

With loud grunts and ignorance, I force my way through the crowd, no time to be polite and say excuse. The sooner I'm in the helicopter the better. Leaving here is all I've thought about for the past week. Hopefully everything will go back to normal after today. 

I can go back to sleeping in my own bed at home and listening to Sabia's story. I can go back to being jealous of Kyran and Eileene's relationship. I tell Sabia about the one hell of an adventure I had. No more pain. No more regret. 

I make my last stop. The Mess Hall. I say farewell to every heartbreak that transpired because I was here. I bid au revoir to every mistake that happened here. I say sayonara to every tear that was shed. I cleanse myself of all mourning. So long, hall of heartbreak.

I keep on walking. I break into a dash to the door, my freedom. There's no stopping me anymore. I'm forever homebound. Nothing will hold me back. So, with that, I push open the door, and breathe the air that feels like home already. 

In the middle of the parking lot, the helicopter is landed, emitting a loud, ear-shattering roar. I watch as Athan is crawling on. I don't see Eileene and Kyran anywhere. I'm assuming they're were the first to board the helicopter. With each step I take towards the helicopter, the louder the roar becomes. 

It's a miracle that I'm not deaf betimes I'm at the door. Down on both his knees, Athan helps me get into what Sabia would probably call a death machine. Just as I predicted, Kyran and Eileene are already seated, Eileene asleep on his shoulder. Upon seeing me, Kyran's chest rises in heaving sigh. 

Inside, the motor seems at ease, so that gives me a sense a relief. My eardrums won't be bursting anytime soon. I take a seat in way back, far away from the others. For the next five minutes, there's nothing but utter silence. No conversation. No eye contact. Everyone keeps to themselves. 

Then Rylan boards the helicopter dressed like a pilot. I'm the first one his eyes go to when he turns around to speak to us. Kyran nudges Eileene awake, who lets out a snort. "We're off to Howl Falls. This a last call to retrieve any misplaced items, because when we leave, there's no turning back." No one speaks, so he turns around and closes the door. As soon as he's in his seat, the helicopter is lifting off the ground. 

Frantic, I look for something to hold onto to. I find nothing. I don't even spot any seatbelts. I'm sent into a sudden frenzy of silent panic as I grit my teeth and stare down at my combat boots, wide with horror. I grip onto the seat and calm myself down by staring out the window behind me. 

From a distance, I notice how the facility is fading into a cloud of dust the farther away we get. Soon, there's nothing left of it. The month of horror is now over. I never have to endure pain like that again. I see small clusters of neighborhoods below, along with forests, lakes and rivers. My stomach suddenly becomes queasy, so I turn away to face the front. 

"So," I ask out of the blue, frustrated with the awkward silence that lingers among all of us. The only one to look at me is my brother who looks worn and sullen. "What's the plan? How are we getting revenge on the Elders?"

"We destroy the fences," Kyran say with a swift sigh. He kisses Eileene on the forward as she once again drifts off into her own form of a dream land. "Without the dome, the Elders are vulnerable." 

"How are we supposed to do that," Athan interjects. He appears bored and rolls his eyes whenever he gets the chance. I bite down on my lower lip. Everyone hates me now. Not even returning home will change that. "Only the tech group has access to disengage and reengage the  fences." He inhales sharply after a second. "Which I know because I'm a member of the tech group." 

"I'm really sorry." The words come out of my mouth so natural, it's queer. I never was the best at doling out my apologies, but whenever I do apologize, by heavens I sure as heck mean it. "I know words are not enough to make me worthy of forgiveness, but I made a mistake and fell for Llwyd's games. If you can find even an centimeter in your heart of forgiveness, I would be forever grateful."

"B," Kyran says, his voice soft and abounding in affection, "you're my sister; of course I forgive you. We're siblings, so we're in this together forever and always, or not at all." A smile creeps up on my face, hearing that.  

"Okay." The moment is ruined as Rylan looks over his shoulder at us and interrupts. "We're just above Howl Falls. I'm going to land, so just brace for impact." He doesn't need to repeat himself. In a split second, I'm in the seat next to Eileene, latching onto my brother for protection. 

A scream escapes my lungs as the rush passes through the entire helicopter. We aren't in the middle of panic for longer than a minute when the motor returns to its steady setting. I'm left panting, horror plastering through my brain. It's only then that I decide that I'd prefer to never set foot in a helicopter again in my life. 

Athan is the first of the group to get up. He goes to the door and slides it open. Tossing the rope ladder out the door, he disappears into the distance. Kyran follows him, then Keanna. I'm the last one to exit the helicopter. 

I stare at the large below with horror. I haven't realized this until now, but I'm tremendously afraid of heights. I can only hear the shaking of my skin while bracing myself. I don't make my decision until I hear Athan's voice from below. "Come down." 

With the stretch of my arms, I let myself fall out of the plane stomach first. The wind whips through my short locks. One last rush to add into the scrapbook that is my brain. Lucky for me, I don't die because Athan catches me in his arms. He rolls his eyes, amused. "You're crazy, Beatrice." 

I look around. We're in the Rogue Village, from what it appears. With that crooked shacks and the towering, small tenements made into apartments are an easy giveaway as they give the place a dreary appeal. No one wonder Keanna didn't enjoy it here. The place is the exact definition of misery.  

Eileene brings out two spray cans from her cinch-sack hanging off the back of her shoulder. With a few vigorous shakes, she marks the grass with a red "R" and a black "X" over it. I'm assuming that's the Resistance's symbol. Satisfied with her work, she returns the cans to her cinch-sack. "We're safe to move on." 

Moving westwards, we trek through the tall fields of grass that conceal the iron fences the farther away we are. The grass towers over us, a good way to camouflage us from the security cameras probably set out everywhere. Eileene lightens the mood by humming the tune to This Town. I join in with her, no hesitation needed.  

After twenty minutes, we finally are in front of the fence. I personally have never seen the fence up close, but now that I have, I can say that after the magnificent build up, the actual viewing is underwhelming. It's an old piece of junk. I can't even begin to fathom how the fence has stood intact for over a century. 

"Do you want us to stay outside," Eileene asks Athan. 

"No," Athan answers, his voice sharp and curt. He pauses to shake his head solemnly. He then swallows some air. "I think it's best that we all go inside. It the safest that way." 

To the left, the security shack stands. As we make our way as group to the door, I begin to notice that like the cubicles back at the facility, access is granted via retina scans. The robotic voice announces its approval after scanning Athan's eye. The door slides open. I'm quite astonished by what stands in front of my eyes. 

The walls are made up of old computers that display different areas of Howl Falls. My eyes train on the computer displaying an aerial view of my house. In the window, I see Sabia cleaning the dishes like she always does after dinnertime. I squeeze my eyes shut with a slight smile. 

"Which one controls the dome over the fence," Eileene goes on to ask. She look arounds at the security cameras, some of which display different angles of the fence from all areas. She doesn't need to ask as Kyran has already slid into a chair in front of the only computer that doesn't display one the security cameras. 

The computer is a white screen with a bunch of words lined up into sentences. My jaw drops as I see who wrote the words. After seeing the letter, Athan, Eileene and Kyran also emit a shocked gasp. Just, wow. 

The sound of a gun goes off nearby as the door is busted down with a loud crash. The bullets lodges itself into one of the top computer screens. The screen fades to a black and cracks. I don't have a minute to process who it could be, I just look to see who stands in the doorway. Lowell. 

A malicious smirk on her face, a metallic gun propped between her knuckles, she makes a big entrance. "So you read the email, didn't you?" A cackle escapes her cracked lip. I look below me. Athan is huddled up in a ball under the dark table, a finger placed in the middle of his lips. "I guess I couldn't keep up the facade for long when it came to y'all. I built up an army to bring the Moon Clan to its knee. 

"You should be cowering, little babies. You know you're defenseless against me, and I, the most powerful vampire in the world, am an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. You won't stand chance." 

"We'll see about that." Stepping out, one leg bent under pressure, he provides a protective barrier in front of his face. It's not that he's a coward, it's more on the fact that in battle, the Moon Clan usually starts fighting at the face in human form. 

"Kyran," Eileene says. Her voice is almost pleading. Her face is turning white as she's already sorrowing with premature tears. Lips quavering, the last syllable escapes her mouth quicker than her usual carefully thought out words. "Don't." 

Kyran doesn't turn back to look at Eileene, he only looks at me with a look of apology. I just lower my gaze, silent and devoid of words as my palm covers my dry lips. Our glorified moment is interrupted with a sound of irritation and fustration.

"Tick tock. Time's up." 

Kyran, don't. The words echo through my brain as the shotgun goes off. The sound rings through my eardrums constantly even after the gun goes off. The silver bullet flies through the air and meets Kyran chest. A tear in his shirt reveals his chest hair, brown just like his hair. He falls to the ground, struggling to find air in raspy heaves. 

I nearly choke on my breathe after seeing the scene. I freeze in time unlike Eileene who went hysterical the moment she heard the gun go off. She is already by Kyran's side.  From afar, I see Kyran's white shirt soaked red by his blood. 

What I don't notice is that Lowell decides to creep up behind Eileene. The air is taken over by the sound of gunfire as Lowell delivers two shots to Eileene from behind, who is on her knees. In middle of a scream, Eileene falls on top of her lover, a pool blood exiting her mouth like a waterfall. 

No, I keep on telling myself. This can't be happening. They can't be dead. They just can't. I don't have time to think out a concise plan. My body is replaced with a coat of white fur and my legs take up at full speed, although only to be meant by the shadowy presence of two of Lowell's minions. 

There, I decide to turn around and face the great almighty Lowell. I hurl myself onto her and we tumble into the grass, her on top of me. The shadows towers over me, and a black nothing soon makes it impossible for me to see anything that's going on. I can only really on feeling and hearing. 

All I know that after a loud roar into the open, a pain, sharp and excruciating, enters my stomach. After that, everything's a black void of black nothingness.

~

Hey guys. Super sad. I can't believe Project Hybrid is almost over. One more chapter to go and then a hopeful sequel. 

Here's today gif: 

If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

X Shay