Fluorescence: The Complete Tetralogy

by P. Anastasia

  “What about it?”

  “The corrupted light—it’s gone!”

  Solus.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Solus touched me last night and his light started glowing. I don’t know what he did, but it knocked me out cold.”

  “Did he heal you?” She set her plate on the coffee table and stood. “Do you feel—wait—it’s still there. I can see it. It’s just smaller. Maybe it’s in remission?”

  “Judas told me Solus carries Healer DNA, but he also said Solus couldn’t stop the corruption from… taking me.”

  “Anything that buys us more time is better than nothing, right?”

  “I guess, but we can’t go around letting Solus touch every person in the world. That’s too risky for us all.”

  “My dad. Can he touch my dad? Maybe it will slow the progression of the disease until we can find a cure.”

  “Maybe. I don’t know if that’s the safest idea right now, though.”

  “Why not? You know damn well you’d do anything for Lucy, but now that I’m asking for one tiny little favor, you’re gonna shut me down just like that?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “I think it is, David. I think you just don’t want to—” She sucked in a breath and her eyes widened. “What do you want!?” she shrieked, squeezing her eyes closed.

  Everyone came rushing in from the kitchen. My bangle grew warm and emitted iridescent, colored light.

  “Bring the child,” an ethereal voice reverberated through my head. “We will help you.”

  Prism.

  A dazzling portal of light appeared before us.

  The decision was instant. “I’m going,” I said, turning to Brian and Alice. “Kareena?”

  She was holding her head in her hands.

  “Kareena?” I pressed a hand onto her shoulder. “Let’s go.”

  She looked up at me, squinting. “My head… Ugh.” She groaned.

  “I know. I’m sorry, but we need to hurry. The Prism may be able to help your dad.”

  My words seemed to give her strength. She straightened up and wiped a fresh tear from the corner of her eye.

  Brian and Alice went through first, Solus’ hands in theirs. Then I ushered Kareena through and turned to Jane, who was staring toward the portal with huge eyes.

  “Can you see it?” I asked.

  “No… Where did they all go?”

  “All you need to know is we’ll be in good hands, Jane. Thank you for what you’ve done for us.”

  She smiled for half a second before her expression curved back into one of worry.

  I took Lucy by the hand and pulled her through with me.

  Chapter 27

  We were transported to the white room—the one with the enormous window looking out over Earth and the glowing white orb floating in the center.

  “The Saviors, though few remain, are coming for you,” the Prism announced in their fluttery, echo-like voice. “They want the Solus Child.”

  “We know,” Brian said. “Judas—I mean the translator—went back to them in the middle of the night. He said he wouldn’t hurt Solus while he was with us, but I don’t know what he told the others when he got back.”

  “Your bracelets have been altered to harness the ability to create portals,” the Prism added. “This is a valuable asset.”

  “Only two of us can do it, though,” I said. “Does that mean we’ll always be the only two with the ability?”

  “Yes. We are unable to manipulate energy in such ways. The Saviors have always been creators. They thrive on experiments and the study of energy use and binding. This is how they created a Variant and this is how they changed all of you.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucy walk over to Solus and sit in front of the huge window to watch Earth.

  “So the Saviors are scientists?” I approached the glowing orb. “Judas said something about separating from you—the Prism—but having to take physical bodies in order to do that. Why?”

  “The Saviors believe their fluorescence is more viable than ours and less vulnerable to discrepancies and weakness. However, the onset of the virus proved them wrong, and that we were stronger as a single entity. When you separate a life force into various parts of its whole, it is easier to understand how the dissection could cause vulnerability.”

  “What do they want to do with Solus?” Brian asked. “Take him apart or…”

  “They will study his inherited immunity in an attempt to create a vaccine which can be distributed among the remaining Saviors. But time is short and they have become desperate now with very few survivors left. It is not like their race to understand death. This desperation has made them reckless and dangerous, and we believe they may have hastily infected more humans with the light after the virus mutated.”

  “What!?” I looked back at the others. “Doesn’t that mean more people will die?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “They’re not getting Solus,” Alice snapped. “No way. We’ll fight back… somehow. They’re going to have to go through me first.”

  “They’re going to have to go through all of us,” I added.

  “We know Solus slowed the progression of your infection, David,” the Prism said. “His Healer light combined with his mother’s Starter DNA made it possible to share a small portion of his energy with you. This is not enough to stop the virus from spreading or from taking others.”

  “Could you help us?” Alice asked. “If we stayed here, would you be able to use Solus to find a cure?”

  “We have been watching him closely since the moment we retrieved him from the Saviors,” the Prism started, “but we have been unable to formulate a solution that will resist evolutions of the virus on your planet. His genetic makeup defies logic. He is the child of two humans who have fluorescence intertwined with their DNA, and yet he has partially acquired Savior abilities. We cannot explain this, nor comprehend how he has been able to resist the outbreak altogether.”

  “If we can’t stop it,” Kareena spoke up, “will we all… die?”

  “That is likely.”

  She tried to resist frowning and turned away. I didn’t need to see her face to hear her angst manifest as shuddering breaths.

  “We’ll find a way to help your dad,” I said, trying to be optimistic. I reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she pulled away. I didn’t want to see her in pain, and if I could have done something to help her dad, I would have, but I was dying, too. Maybe Solus had slowed down the progression of the corrupted light, but in reality—I didn’t have much time left. I didn’t know how much time I had to be with Lucy or how she’d cope when—

  The floor quaked and I teetered, fighting to catch my balance.

  Kareena shrieked and stumbled into me.

  “What was that!?” Brian shouted, taking Alice and Solus by the hand.

  I lunged for Lucy and scooped her into my arms just as the floor rumbled again.

  “The Saviors,” the Prism echoed.

  A thunderous boom pierced my ears and a blast of white light flashed against the window. A fiery wave of yellow-orange sparks tore through it, fracturing the material into a mosaic of flaming red cracks.

  “Guys!” Kareena darted toward me and grabbed onto my arm. “Make a portal and get us the hell out of here, David! Hurry!”

  “I…I can’t!”

  “What do you mean, you can’t? Why not?” Her eyes kept darting between the fracturing window and me. “You have the bracelet!”

  “Yeah, I know! But I haven’t tested it since Judas fixed it. I don’t even know if it’s safe—”

  “We’re about to die!”

  Ripples of light the color of molten lava skittered across the window, leaving behind a trail of jagged, singed, smoldering lines.

  If that window shattered, we’d all die. Instantly.

  Alice attempted to conjure a portal, but her li
ght kept flickering in and out. Solus reached up to help her channel her power.

  Something ripped Lucy out of my grasp. I lunged forward, flailing and reaching for her. The ground disappeared from beneath my feet and blinding white light swallowed me up.

  I fell, tumbling, drifting through nothingness. Unable to breathe. Suffocating as my body spun, freefalling. I couldn’t tell which way was up. Which way I was—

  I hit the ground hard and let out a gruff moan of pain. My jaw and ribs ached from impact and my head spun from the disorientating fall. I opened my eyes and groaned, blinking several times to try to bring the room into focus.

  “Where…?” I came onto my forearms and pushed myself up off the ground. Standing hurt. My stomach throbbed with sickness. Every time I took a breath, I strained to bring in enough air. Like breathing through a straw…

  Where am I?

  I heard someone struggling and turned.

  Alice! She was face down on the ground with her hair fanned out around her.

  “Alice!” I bent down and touched her.

  “No!” she yelped, cringing.

  “It’s me, David!” I could hardly speak as my vocal cords tightened.

  She craned her neck up to look at me and relief washed over her face.

  “Oh. Thank God.” She lifted her arm toward me and I helped pull her to her feet. “Th-Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Save your breath.” I wheezed.

  She nodded.

  We were in a giant white auditorium of some kind. Exactly like the room where we’d met the Saviors before, except there were no Saviors there to greet us with their ugly faces.

  Not yet…

  “Solus!” Alice strained to get the name out of her mouth.

  My chest hurt. We weren’t going to last long in this atmosphere. Too little oxygen. Every breath stung like needles sticking my insides.

  “Cowards!” Alice cried, toppling to her knees. All of her weight against me made me stumble.

  I knelt beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “Please… Alice,” I said, my voice raspy. “Save your breath. We’ll… find him.”

  She whimpered and looked up at me with dismay on her face. Frightened, deep black pupils shimmered in her sky-blue eyes.

  “We will,” I mouthed and squeezed her reassuringly.

  She was too scared to respond, but nodded a little, and I saw gratitude in her watery eyes.

  I had to protect her. For Brian’s and for Solus’ sake. Alice was an innocent bystander—a necessary soldier in a war she’d never chosen to fight. The very same war I, too, had never chosen to be a part of.

  She came to her feet and we walked together through endless white. Nothing in front or behind. Nothing to the sides. Just white and more white. It was disorientating after a few minutes.

  Bright light.

  Hard floor beneath our feet.

  White in every direction.

  Everything looked the same and we couldn’t tell if we were covering any distance or walking in circles.

  She stayed close to me, too weak and afraid to let go. The place was making me drowsy, though I tried to hide it from her. Every step was like walking through three feet of mud. Every breath was like my lungs taking in water. I kept calm, willing myself to stay quiet and move slowly so my heartbeat wouldn’t quicken, causing more oxygen to be used.

  We kept walking.

  And walking.

  And walking…

  Endless white. More endless white.

  Alice’s fingers loosened around my arm and she slid down my side to the ground, collapsing onto her hands and knees.

  “Alice,” I whispered hoarsely. “You have to… stay strong… for Solus.” Every word pierced my ribs with sharp pain.

  “I… can’t.”

  The weight got to me, and I gave in, dropping down to sit beside her on the glossy white floor. I put my hands in my lap and hung my head down.

  “I’m… sorry,” I said, glancing over at her as she resituated herself and pulled her knees up to her chest. Tears drizzled down her face.

  She turned her face toward me. Her damp cheeks were red and her eyes were barely able to stay open.

  “I’m… so…” She sighed. “Tired.”

  I was, too.

  We were suffocating…

  I wanted to close my eyes and lay myself down on the ice-cold floor right then and there.

  And go to sleep.

  And never wake up.

  Chapter 28

  “I’m… sorry I was such an asshole in the beginning,” I wheezed.

  “It’s okay,” Alice whispered. “You were protecting… your daughter. Brian would have done the same.”

  I swallowed. My mouth was so dry.

  All I could think about was how Alice had attacked me back when we had first met and I was fighting with Brian. She latched onto my neck and wouldn’t let go. Her fluorescence burned into me like wild lightning, bringing me to my knees even though she was just a petite young girl. I never would have thought that a tiny frame could pack such a punch.

  They had taught me a lot of things. Like how two people can love each other even while their entire world crumbles around them. How when things aren’t going your way and you feel powerless, you can still find the strength to care for someone other than yourself.

  I stared off into the endless white.

  Were all of the Saviors dead or had they isolated us as punishment?

  A deep sense of dread sunk in. We were going to die.

  The reality crept through my bones, a riveting, painful revelation that my next few breaths would be my last.

  Alice leaned on my arm and exhaled slowly, her bodyweight pressing into me as she let go.

  “Alice.” I caught her as she fell against me. Her eyes closed. “Alice.” I shook her gently, but she didn’t respond. Panic set in and my heart began to race. The thumping in my chest made me gasp for air, but each inhalation did nothing to satisfy the need for oxygen. An invisible force pushed against me, making my body heavy and difficult to move. Just supporting Alice in my lap was laborious.

  No.

  Lucy…

  I dropped my head back and sucked in a breath, staring up into the infinite white. Breathing didn’t soothe the pain in my lungs. Invisible hands choked the air from me and I couldn’t stop them.

  I exhaled and fell. My mind drifted into the abyss.

  . . .

  “David. David, wake up!” Someone’s hands were on my shoulders.

  I opened my eyes and squinted. Soft blue light radiated from nearby.

  “David. Are you okay?” Brian leaned over me. “Come on, man. Get up.”

  “Ugh.” My stomach churned. I rolled onto my side and tried to swallow, but couldn’t. So much acid burned my throat. Spots in my vision.

  Lightheadedness. Things spinning in and out of focus.

  A stomach spasm and…

  I threw up.

  Pain shot through me as I retched.

  Oddly enough, I was thankful. Throwing up was better than being dead.

  Brian kept me from toppling over as I regained my composure and scooted away from the vomit.

  “You’re alright now,” he comforted, patting my back. “You’ll be okay.” He spoke in a much friendlier voice than I had grown accustomed to.

  I coughed a few times. Hard. And then took in some deep breaths. My face was on fire. Sweat dripped into my eyes and I wiped my brow with the back of my hand.

  “Thanks.” I looked around. Alice was sitting, too, cheeks flush and an uneasy look on her face like she’d start heaving any second now. “Is… she okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah. She should be.”

  “What happened?” I came to my feet beside Brian and rubbed my neck. A headache throbbed in the back of my skull.

  “Judas screwed with your bracelet—altered it so it couldn’t block out an abduction att
empt.”

  “Shit.”

  Why hadn’t I thought about that?

  “But we got you two back.” He reached into the small backpack slung over his shoulder, dug out a bottle of water, and handed it to me. “The Prism had to create an even more powerful portal so we could go through and rescue you. They couldn’t disable the changes made to your bracelets, but by crossing back through the light, we were able to cloak ourselves again temporarily. Now, if the Saviors want to start something, they’re going to have to do it on our turf.”

  I dumped water onto my palm and splashed it at my face first, and then I opened my mouth toward the sky and poured some in.

  My face came back down. “Solus?”

  “He’s with me,” Kareena said, her voice coming from behind. I craned my neck to look at her. “The Prism got him back.”

  “And Lu—”

  “Yes. I have her, too.”

  I caught a glimpse of Lucy standing beside Solus.

  I heaved a breath of relief and swallowed again, still tasting acid and remnants of an upset stomach. I grimaced and took another swig of water to wash it down.

  “Thanks,” I said, capping the half-empty bottle before handing it back. “Where are we?”

  “I don’t know,” Brian replied. “We haven’t had time to look around.”

  We were on a rooftop—the highest one in the area, by the look of it. I staggered toward the edge, where a large satellite dish stood erect, and gazed out over the unfamiliar city.

  “Be careful,” Kareena warned. “Lucy!”

  I jerked my head toward the sound of tiny feet nearing and flung out my arms to catch my daughter before she passed, nearly falling to her death. She barreled into me and I lifted her off her feet and into my arms.

  “Be careful, Lucy,” I scolded. “You could fall.” I took a step away and watched the horizon. Brilliant hues of dusk stretched upward, tainting the sky with shades of violet, magenta, and fiery orange.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “I don’t know.” There were no discerning landmarks in the distance and the buildings surrounding us looked like any other skyscrapers. California? Chicago, maybe? From way up high, everything looked the same. Cars. People.