CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: ~Avery: My heart thundered in my ears as I ran quietly through the halls, praying to every deity out there to help me avoid detection. The slick hospital-like flooring contradicted sharply with the literal torches near each doorway and I tried to not totally lose my footing as I moved. Between the darkness around long stretches of hallway, and the possibly slippery floor, I had to trust my gut to get me out of this. If I could even hear my gut around the sound of my blood pumping. Another corner became more clear up ahead and I slowed my approach, listening as carefully as I could. Jack was still out there. I’d heard some very far off cursing a few minutes back and I couldn’t tell if I was getting further or closer

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE:~Avery:The blinding light of the outside world had me needing to shield my eyes. While the hospital lighting down here had been a shock, this natural light and the heat from the sun was something else entirely. I squinted, shading my eyes, and checked the area quickly. No real threats. Sadness came over me that I tried to will away - I had hoped that I’d regain some normal feeling over my magic once I got out here - but it was the same. A deep empty hole where my magic had been.There was a forest out there and I thanked anyone up there listening for the coverage. The only challenging part was the vast expanse of grass between me and those trees. I ignored my aching body and quickly ran across the distance, keeping my head on a swivel for anyone else who could be out here. Holding my breath, my heart pounding, I pushed my muscles to the brink and - made it. Just behind the first tree I paused. Waiting for someone to yell out that they’d seen movement… But nothing

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE:~Avery: The woman in front of me was her, I knew it in an instant. My gut sank. My heart broke. My spirit dissolved. All of them, Tyler and his older brother, and now her, had reasons to hate me. Reasons to track me down like this, to kill me. I’d have done the same thing if someone had done that to my parents… I had taken away their parents. Come to think of it, I killed mine too. In a way. While I know Tyler could have died without me stopping his dad, that doesn’t change what I did. All of my running over the years. It was for me. Not just because I didn’t want to get caught. Not just because I was a danger to anyone who tried to lock me up. But because I was running from this. From facing the consequences of my actions. I was a murderer. A family destroyer. I felt sick. I leaned on one hand, pressing into the concrete floor, suppressing the urge to vomit. I breathed deeply, something between hyperventilation and dry heaving. After a few moments I looked

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN:~Avery:I opened my eyes, my body aching and my spirit broken. Depression gripped me tightly, suffocating any remnants of hope. Nightmares swirled in my mind, replaying the deaths I had caused, tormenting me relentlessly. I struggled to stay awake, but sleep seduced me once more. I’d had depressive episodes before, but this was something else. I was sucked back in to repeat the same cycle over and over.Something pulled me out early this time.As my eyes adjusted to the dim light surrounding me, I noticed a vaguely familiar figure poking me with a long stick. Recognition dawned upon me—it was Tyler, my former foster brother. He was as thin and dead-eyed as he had been as a kid. I tried to find my voice, to apologize, to say anything, but before the words could escape my lips, Tyler's older brother stormed into the room.His face bore a smug satisfaction, reveling in the knowledge he had acquired. "Well, I have to admit I’m surprised he was here bothering with you,

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: ~Avery: The guards of the mysterious man began to rub blankets and jackets all over me, as if they were trying to collect my scent. Their rough handling made my skin crawl, and I shivered under their cold gazes. They yanked on my arm, and one held me in place as the other pulled out a knife. “Hssss!” I sounded as they cut along my arm. “What the h**l?!” They didn’t say a word as they held me in place. A tube came out, and it looked like they were collecting my blood. I fought and tried pulling away from the one holding me in place but he didn’t budge. I felt pathetically weak. The second one who was collecting the blood then grabbed a jacket into the woun