••••

Loveth shakes underneath me for a bit, and when she finally comes down from her high, I kiss her softly and lovingly on the lips.

"Thank you, Nick," she tells me after a few moments of tender kissing. "I know you only did that to make me feel better, and I appreciate it."

Now, why did she have to go and ruin a good moment like that? I wonder.

"Dammit, Loveth," I exclaim. "If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't have. I wanted that as much as you did, and if I hear one more—" She cuts me off with a laugh and a kiss, followed by the biggest hug she's ever given me….….

…..

Loveth has to change her shirt because it was drenched in my seed, but we get cleaned up and dressed as fast as we can, then I drive us home. I know everyone is going to start getting worried about us if we don't get home soon.

On the drive home, I tell my sister the same story I'd told Tina, explaining my powers but saying nothing about Vage. I'm not sure why I continue to keep her a secret, but something inside me tightens every time I consider letting that name pass my lips. It feels like a line I'm not ready to cross, as though once spoken aloud, she would no longer belong to just me.

I explain how the switches work, how intent matters more than words, and how the effects feel different depending on proximity. I also tell her carefully how physical contact between the two of us changes everything. I don't fully understand why yet, only that when I'm touching her, the power sharpens, as if something dormant inside me wakes up and aligns itself. She listens quietly, absorbing every word with her hand resting against mine as though grounding herself.

She did not interrupt while I was talking, nor did she doubt me. That alone makes the confession more easier than I had expected.

When we pull into the driveway, the house looks the same as it always has, with warm lights glowing through the windows, everything familiar and safe, but I know that whatever sense of normalcy it once held is gone. We step inside together.

Tina meets us at the door and greets my sister with a warm smile, as though nothing in the world is wrong. The smell of food and wine hangs in the air, it was comforting and surreal all at once.

Loveth leans over toward me and whispers accusingly, "You didn't tell me you have a girlfriend."

Before I can respond, Tina hears her anyway. "He's not my boyfriend. We're just REALLY good friends," she said, emphasizing the really.

I wince internally. I wish she hadn't emphasized really quite so much. Stephanie had said nearly the exact words to me once, almost verbatim, and I can't help wondering what that says about my luck with women lately. Or maybe it says something about me.

Tina's expression shifts, the warmth fading as something heavier settles in her eyes. "Your dad showed up a while ago," she said. "It wasn't pretty."

"I know," I tell her. The words come out flat, already spent. She doesn't seem surprised.

"I kind of wondered if you had something to do with it," she said thoughtfully. "The way he handed her everything, and yet seemed so angry about it… I thought you might have had a hand in it." She pauses, then adds more softly, "Your mom is taking it pretty hard. She says she always knew he was cheating, but she did not ever think he would let her leave the marriage with this much. Still… I think she will be able to move on pretty quickly."

There was no accusation in her voice, just concern. She's so sweet, I thought…

We move farther into the house and find Mom and Nancy sharing a glass of wine at the table. Whatever storm had passed earlier had left behind a fragile calm. They greet us with smiles and hugs, and I realize Tina was right: Mom looks stronger and steadier than I expected.

When someone fills a glass for me, I pick it up and raise a toast, "To Christmas Eve," I said, then added, "and new beginnings."

The others echo the toast, glasses clinking softly before we drink.

The night stretches on longer than it should. Laughter returns in small, careful bursts, as if everyone is afraid of pushing too hard. Eventually, the wine takes its toll. One by one, the women grow unsteady, words slurring, movements slowing. I end up carrying each of them to bed.

Mom doesn't bother me with any more kisses this time; I think she's too far gone. Tina tries to pull me down beside her mom, clinging to my shirt and attempting to kiss me before I can disentangle myself. I manage to pull away gently. I'm not comfortable doing anything with my sister here now, not after everything. Tina is snoring before I even reach the door.

When I tuck Loveth in, she thanks me again. She gives me a quick, shy kiss and murmurs, "Maybe next time, maybe next time…" before drifting off to sleep.

I barely remember reaching my own room. I collapse onto the bed fully clothed, immediately I got in, exhaustion was dragging me under before I can even think.

Vage came to take me as usual.

I wake in the blue room, the faint sensation of dizziness still clinging to me. I'm slightly drunk, disoriented, and immediately aware that something is different. The familiar presence isn't there everything was not the way it usually is.

I don't even bother pleading with her to see me. What's the point? It had never helped before, and I'm tired of asking questions that don't get answered. The white light bathes me in its glow, warm and invasive, and I lie there silently until it finishes.

When I was not immediately sent back to my room, unease prickles along my spine. I sit up, scanning the space, wondering if she was going to appear after all.

Instead, a section of the floor rises smoothly, forming a pillar. Something materializes on top of it. I stand and approach cautiously, curiosity battling with dread.

Before I can touch it, a voice fills the room. The voice was flat, mechanical, and utterly unfamiliar.

It isn't Vage's voice.

Fear slams into me. Have they killed her after all? The thought comes unbidden, sharp and terrifying. No, I tell myself. They're a peaceful race. At least, that's what she said. Maybe they sent her away.

"THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST TREATMENT WITH THE WHITE LIGHT," the voice announces. "TAKE THE OBJECT ON THE PEDESTAL AND PRESS IT AGAINST YOUR ARM," The voice said flatly.

I hesitate only a moment before obeying. Trust has been drilled into me by repetition, by necessity. I cling to the belief that they don't want me harmed. Or maybe I just don't have the strength to resist anymore.

There was a sharp prick when I pressed the object against my arm, it was barely noticeable at first. Few seconds later, fire floods my veins.

Liquid agony spreads outward from the injection point, racing through my arm. My veins stand out beneath my skin as the pain intensifies, crawling, burning. I cry out silently, my mind screaming questions no one answers. What have they done to me?

"DO NOT BE ALARMED. THE PAIN WILL BE BAD, BUT YOU WILL SURVIVE."

The voice continues, uncaring.

It isn't Vage. When she did this, she spoke to me herself. The pain worsens, spreading to my fingertips, creeping up toward my shoulder. I wonder distantly if I'll die when the pain reaches my heart, or if I'll be forced to endure the pain until it reaches my brain.

"YOU WILL NEED TO USE YOUR ABILITY SOON. THE DEMONS HAVE SENT A SCOUT SHIP AHEAD OF THEIR FLEET. IT ARRIVES IN TWO DAYS," the voice rang out coldly.

I collapse onto the floor, curling inward as the agony becomes unbearable. I did not die when the pain reached my heart. Unfortunately, death would be too merciful at this point.

"YOU MUST STOP THE SCOUTS BEFORE THEY CAN SET UP A FOOTHOLD ON YOUR PLANET. IF YOU FAIL, THE HUMAN RACE WILL BECOME EXTINCT WHEN THE REST OF THEIR FLEET ARRIVES," the voice warned.

The pain slows as it crawls up my neck, but when it reaches my groin, something new ignites. The pain was sharper and crueler to my brother, which made me cry out incoherently, with my body convulsing.

"THE HUMAN RACE NEEDS YOU. I NEED YOU. AND YOUR NEW CHILDREN NEED YOU. I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN WHEN I'M ABLE. VAGE."

Her name hits harder than the pain.

The agony finally reaches my toes and my head at the same time, overwhelmed by everything, my thoughts dissolve. And my awareness shatters.

And then there was nothing.

Sweet oblivion takes me.

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