Nessie had to stop herself from pulling James back, her wounds had been healed, but her clothes were bloodied and shredded where the beast had slashed her. She didn't want James to get hurt, but knew he nad no choice but to do this.

"I love you, t-too" she said softly, surprised at how true those words were, in how sort a time,

Kyron nodded and said "Nice,,, to meet you Nessie." he tried his best to not sound like an ass. She obviously had some social anxiety or something considering her massive stuttering... try not to bring that up to her. He motioned over to the cage, "You gone already? How was your round?"

When he looked back over, he saw that Nyx was being torn to shreds, and his eyes shot open. Alex was already there trying to save her and knock back the guards as best he could. Kyron had half a mind to jump in the fray himself, the sight of death again... it didnt bode well, especially if he could make a difference with it. But soon enough it was over, and Nyx wouldnt look at anyone as Alex helped her walk. "Damn" he breathed. After looking down and hearing what she had asked, he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close, leading her out of the room and back to the more familiar halls of the facility. Gently taking her shoulders, he turned her so she looked at him, his eyes filled with gentle concern as he asked "You alright?"

Nessie glanaced back at Kyron, shrugged, "I t-t-thought that g-going first I w-would be easier, I g-got s-scratched some, b-but burst inti f-flames and s-set it in f-fire" she bli ked then shrugged as he led Carol out. A bit rude, but she could u dsrstandd

Caroline shuddered once they were out of sight. "That was... That was horrible. I thought..." All of a sudden her arms were around Kyron, and her lips met his. When she pulled away she realized she was crying, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "That could have been any one of us. How can we live like this?" Finally she gave up trying to hold her tears back and buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

The kiss took Kyron by surprise, but soon enough he welcomed it, holding her close as their lips were pressed against one anothers. Soon after they broke the kiss, she began to question how they could live this way. This time, he had not cocky response, no way to try and cheer her up as she stood there sobbing into his chest. All he could do was hold her as she cried. It was the sad truth, but as of now, not even Kyron knew what to do. He sighed and gently kissed the top of her head, saying "We need to show that bastard that he cant just keep us around like his personal play things... we need to beat him at his own game, and to do that, we need to make sure we have one anothers backs..."

James stepped into the broken cage, his hands were shaking and his heart was beating rapidly, he took one last moment to look at Nessie before he turned and readied himself, "Do your worst." As the creature was released James locked eyes with it and a silent whisper Echoed through his mind the memories of slaughtering his entire family started attacking him and James froze in terror, he was about to break his promise...He was going to have to kill again. The creature took this moment to jump and attempt to tackle James but he was already behind it.

James blasted it with a cannon of pressurized air flinging it into one of the remaining walls. As the creature reeled from the hit James started floating off the ground, the wind in t cage started spinning making a cyclone to keep the creature in, "I PROMISED I WOULD NEVER KILL AGAIN!!!" Electricity started sparking in the air in the midst of the cyclone, "I KILLED EVERYONE THAT MATTERED TO ME...AND I SWORE I WOULDN'T KILL!!!"

Sparks of lightning started coming off of James and the wind was blowing his hair wildly. The creature jumped and tried to take a bite out of James. But James ducked slightly and blasted it with a bolt of lightning throwing it hard against the wall, "I HATE MY ELPIS HALF!!!" Two of the creatures legs were broken, "You want to see it torn to shreds?" James eyes filled with hate, "FINE!!!"

James used his Elpis to pull in water and soak the floor, the creature tried to stand only to have two more of it legs broken by James who had moved in a blink. As it stood there in the water James let out a roar of hate and pain pulling every bit of pain from inside him he made the biggest lightning bolt he had ever even seen strike the center of the cage floor. The creature looked like a man in an electric chair, sparking wildly and roaring as it tried to get away, but James refused stop as every bit of pain was poured into the poor creature, "AHHHHHHH" James let out a roar as the creature started to swell and after a few seconds it exploded and covered James in its blood.

James landed and the raging storm stopped as he sunk to one knee, James looked up at Nessie, but right then in that moment soaked in blood with the same eyes he had when he had killed his own family...He looked nothing like James. Hope barked and tried to get behind Nessie in terror, "There...You got what you wanted...I found that dark thing inside me...I broke my promise." As he climbed out of the cage he refused to look at Nessie or Hope as he covered his face so no one could see him sobbing into his hands.

Caroline looked up at him and laughed through her tears. "You're such a thug, you know that?" She lifted herself a bit so she could give him a real kiss. "But you're my thug now I guess, so I'll just have to deal with it." She backed away a step and took his hand. "Let's go back to your room. I don't think I want to be around anyone else right now."

---

Alex did as she asked and chilled her shoulder, numbing the area. He shushed her as she started to cry and petted her hair, trying to calm her down. "Rest for now, alright? There will be plenty of time for lamentation when you're healthy again. For now just let me take care of you." He leaned down and kissed her forehead again, humming her a lullaby.

She closed her eyes and leaned against him, she didn't want to feel like this to be broken and unable to move. She wanted to wrap herself around him and kiss him all night but instead she was stuck in agony and he had to watch. She silently cried ad laid there against him, "I don't want to feel this way, there has to be a way." She practically whispered. "I'm scared to fall asleep." She whined.

Nessie watched in terror, as James fought. "S-stop!" She shouted, but she wasn't heard. Tears formed, but she refused to let them fall. When James finished, when he stared at her, she stood frozen. She patted Hopes head, and somehow found the strength to go to him. She wrapped her arms around him tight, refusing to let go. She didn't care what he did, she was going to bring him back to her. "Sssshhh" she hugged him tight, locking her arms so he couldn't try and break free.

"Its okay, its going to be okay" Stutter gone once more, she desperately tried to sooth him, to bring him back. "Its okay, its okay. You're safe, its over, don't let it win, don't!" Her voice started to break as emotion filled it. "James, james, james, please! Please! come back to me"

Seeing her smile made his heart feel a little less heavy, and he found himself smiling. He kissed her back tenderly, then chuckled a little at her comment. Her thug huh? You know, he really didnt mind that title, not one bit. "Of course" he said to her smiling as he once more wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked down the halls back to his room. Once in there, he was tempted to just flop down onto his bed, but realizing some of the blood on his shirt was still wet, he realized he would ruin the sheets. He removed the shirt and tossed it in the wash bin, checking in his mirror at the cut that Caroline had healed. Hardly even a scar was left behind. "You're improving" he said with a smile as he turned back toward her, Looking around he realized... maybe he shouldve unpacked...

Alex pushed back his tears and smiled down at her. "Don't worry, I'll still be here when you wake up. You'll be back on your feet in no time, I promise." Suddenly exhaustion came over him like a tidal wave and he couldn't stay upright anymore. He carefully lay himself next to her and kept stroking her hair. "You'll be alright."

---

Caroline sat on the bed this time, but couldn't stay sitting and fell backwards onto the mattress. "well, that works too." She muttered sardonically, turning on her side to watch Kyron. "Are you jealous that your girlfriend managed to escape without a scratch?"

James looked into her eyes and what she would be looking back into were what looked like the eyes of a dead man. His once bright electric blue eyes now cold and gray, he was covered in blood and his face was soaked with blood and tears, "I am a monster..." Hope backed away growling and whining in terror, "Run while you can...Get as far away from me as possible..." James looked down "Take Hope and get as far away as you can." James was shaking in terror as he stood there wishing he could die.

She moved herself closer and laid herself against him, feeling his warmth on the only okay side she had, her body bandaged from her wrists up her chest and neck while he shoulder bulged in a brace. She finally cried herself in a deep sleep.

Kyron couldnt help but laugh as she said this, looking over at her with a raised eyebrow as he put on a sleeveless shirt and walked over to flop down next to her, propping himself up on one arm to look at her with a joking smirk. "Are you jealous that your boyfriend had two fights today, and still whopped ass in the second one even with a broken rib?" he said in response to her. As he lay there, he went on to kick off his shoes, contemplating if he should shower that night or in the morning, He then yawned and stretched, letting his arm fall over her, then he pulled her to him, wrapping her up in his embrace as he groaned in comical exhaustion.

Nessie shook her head, stubbornly. "Never!" She shouted, brought the volume down "I'm not going to leave you!" She said desperately, kissing his face, his lips, not caring about the blood "not now damn it! You're mine, and I'm not going to let you getaway!"

The tears overwhelmed her, but she still tried to bring him back, to vanish the darkness away. She forced him to look up, and didn't look away from his eyes. "I need you! You c-come back to me! I'm not afraid to die, and I'll die happily for you! Come back James! Don't let the darkness win, don't make me lose you. I couldn't cope! I'll never give up on you" she broke down then, unable to continue. She sobbed harder, shaking until she couldn't tell who was shaking harder, her or James "puh-puh-puh-puh-please! I love you!"

Forest had been floating, practically empty, devoid of life for who knows how long. But that wasn't true, it wasn't her fate really. She had been stuck in a coma, yes, unfortunately something medical had happened to her and she had been stuck there, sitting in an empty dreamland forever.

Sometimes she would see images, hear things as they constantly tried and tried to bring her back and make her speak, live. It had never worked though, when she had tried to speak her body had stopped her, when she tried to move, to give whoever a squeeze of a hand she couldn't. It was horrid, and she was stuck living it, the everlasting beep of whatever machine they had hooked up to her, the eery screech as her life gave out and they had to revive her so often.

They often whispered words of luck and praise as they marveled at her ability to last through it all. Maybe her genetics? Maybe it is her powers? Maybe this is something natural to her?...Good luck dear... These were murmured to her everyday, she had a small feeling that the good lucks were from Luna, the Elpis trainer had visited her everyday so they would be able to train in spirit. Luna even gave her explanations and examples of everything that had been going on with the others and how she was training them. Forest wished she could've nodded, she wished to be able to give a sign of great thanks to her tutor and to tell her hi like she did every morning or evening.

When Luna wasn't there Forest was alone, though she heard the rhythmic beeping of the machines and the hushed conversations of the doctors they were never enough. They didn't understand her anymore then a fly could understand a spider. It was still nice to know she was alive though, those beeps kept her going, those conversations made her need to survive. It was her own will that made them stop and think before they pulled the plug. She was surprised they even thought she was worth it.

It was a blessing the day they finally did her test again, they had to check her pupils, that meant she had just a moment or two to open her eyes, find her senses and look out into the world. It was always magical and if her body could function enough to cry she would. She wished to scream at them, the doctors that examined her body, tell them that she was fine that she could see them, that she could hear them, that she could feel them as they tapped her. But it was too late, she had been once again enclosed in darkness, they had moved on to check her vitals.

Forest had now started to panic, she felt so alive, it was different from the last few times, she knew she could do it. She was at the bottom and all she had to do was push herself up, to open her mouth, to tell them that she was there, to say not to give up on her. Now was her chance, this was it. She moved through her own darkness, doubting herself wouldn't work, couldn't work in this situation. Though she felt as if every part of her body was glued together, unable to fight she knew deep inside that she could. With a final push through the darkness she forcefully opened her mouth and gasped, the noise must have drew the attention she was searching for because she heard the shuffle of feet as a doctor examined her now parted lips.

The monitors and machines went wild as Forest's heart started to beat rapidly, she was doing it! She was almost there and she knew it. Drawing in a large and highly noted breath she held up her left arm and felt around. "I-I..." A strong and steady hand met Forest's, this time she gripped it and made sure to not let go, she wouldn't leave, not again. As her eyes fluttered open she was practically blinded, her eyes were just as delicate as a newborn's, she would have to adjust carefully.

Looking around she saw the hand she gripped, it was delicate and strong, as she looked up she found the body attached to this hand, this arm, it lead to Luna. "H-Hi." Forest managed, a tear, an actual salty tear fell from her eye and trailed down her face. Luna smiled and nodded as she straightened and went serious. "Hello Forest, we have a lot of training to do if you ever hope to catch up with the others."

Caroline pretended to push away from him, but even if she had been trying she was too weak. "Oh, you're going to get it. As soon as I can stand by myself we're going to settle this." She reached up and cupped his face in her hand, smiling. "Thank you though. I'm not sure what I would have done if you hadn't been there today." She leaned her head into his chest, humming contentedly.

Kyron chuckled at her joke attempt to push away, glad that she was back to making jokes after what had happened. He loved the feeling of her hands, soft against his skin. "I wouldnt have been anywhere else but there. I mean that" he said to her as she leaned her head against his chest. As they lay there, Kyron couldnt help but feel his eyelids getting heavy. Such a long day made him exhausted, and plus the warmth from Caroline added to it. "Mmm" he he said "I havent been this tired since fuck knows when"

Caroline's own eyes were starting to close, but she still spoke in a bright voice. "Go to sleep then. I promise I won't do anything uncouth while you're vulnerable." She raised herself in his arms until they were face to face. "I'm sure one night won't cause too much trouble." She kissed him softly and smiled. "Good night."