16.
chapter sixteen
the anomaly

I was still wrapped in Ash's embrace when a sharp knock jerked the house into a panicked frenzy. I instinctively pulled back, untangling myself from the boy.

"Stay here," I mumbled, audible enough only for him to hear. But then Ash grabbed my wrist, his grip weak but pleading.

"Serena, don't."

I shook my head, trying to put on a braver demeanor, even if I most certainly didn't feel like it. My heart raced in anticipation. This didn't feel good.

Gently walking to the front door, I reached for the handle. My fingers trembled on the cool steel before I heard a voice from the other side. "It's Gary. Open up!"

Turning back to Ash, I noted he looked unsure himself. Even if his expression didn't betray much, his stiff posture did anyway.

Drawing in a sharp breath, I twisted open the lock. Fortunately, it was indeed Gary. But unfortunately, his usual carefree smirk was replaced by a thin line of grim smile. Stepping aside, I let him in and locked the door.

"I have something to tell," he declared, looking around the room for any possible prying eyes. When he didn't find any, his eyes ran over me, and he sighed in relief. But his solace was short-lived.

As soon as he spotted the weakened Ash slouched over on the couch, the smile was wiped clean. His gaze lingered on the bandage a little longer before he spoke. "You look like hell."

"Thanks," Ash said flatly, trying to straighten up. But he eventually gave in to a coughing fit, leading my panic and worry to skyrocket. As if sensing the feelings, he shot me a thin smile—that did nothing to abate my concern—before urging his friend, "Spill the tea, Gary."

Gary hesitated but admitted in a low tone, something I didn’t wish was so serious. "The Void have retreated for now. They've found a possibly lethal anomaly in your blood when they drew the night before."

"Anomaly?" I enquired, panic surging through my veins.

"How’d you find that?" Ash propped up. Gary's gaze flickered between the two of us before he let out a resigned sigh.

"Don't ask me how I found that. It's mundane, really. Apparently, Gladion was passing by the storehouse where you were shackled and heard your name, so he might have done some dirty stooping to gather intel."

The low, guttural growl that left Ash's lips at the mention of this new person didn't go unnoticed. But I decided to keep my mouth shut for a while.

A frown creased his forehead as he turned to look at me, his bravado fading. Something else lurked in his gaze. Something unrecognizable. "As for you, Serena, I don't know what exactly this anomaly is. All I do know is it is lethal to anyone who touches it."

My mind reeled, the sticky substance on my hands suddenly growing warmer. "That doesn't make sense," I pointed out, spreading my palms. "I only just dressed him up."

Gary's face contorted into a confused muse before he spoke up urgently. "Maybe that's because you're Ash's soulmate. I have no clue, really—"

"Then what do you propose we do?" Ash cut in, frustration overtaking his exhaustion. "Just sit here and do nothing? I've already put enough people in danger as is!"

The mahogany-haired boy exhaled, running a hand through his hair in annoyance. Ash was still growling lowly, so I perched myself on the armrest of the couch, gently placing a hand above his uninjured one. It twitched before he balled it into a fist.

"Whatever it is, man," Gary stated, "we need to test your blood, and quick. If we can't find out what they want, we can at least stay a step ahead."

His words hung in the air like a somber message for war. My eyes slid to Ash. He definitely was very good at masking his emotions, but his body wasn't—the way his jaws were set told me he was just as tense about it all as Gary appeared to be.

"I..." Gary started awkwardly, motioning toward the door. "Better get going. I don't wish to have Goh and Clemont worried. Oh, and Paul told me that Carrothead told him that your friend Dusk showed signs of waking up. If it's any solace."

I offered the mahogany-haired boy a small smile before he reached for the handle. His concerned browns once more sought Ash and the band-aid on his arm.

"Take care, you both," he whispered, his gaze lowering before the door shut closed behind him. I sprung off the couch arm to lock the door, but I couldn't quite remove my hand from the knob, even after securing it. I couldn't help but feel that Ash was more than he was letting on. Even now.

"Ash," I started, hoping to find a bit more than being set aside. "Who is... Gladion?"

"Nobody," he growled lowly, leaning against the couch and placing his uninjured arm over his face so that I couldn't see his eyes.

Bitter feelings surfaced on my tongue, and I didn't swallow them. Not again. Even if my voice was all but a quiet melody. "I bet you'd say that for me too."

The boy stiffened. Or so I caught from the corner of my eye. The cool knob now felt scorching. A heartbeat later, he stammered, "W-why would you think that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" A laugh, humorless and signifying the heaviness of my chest, escaped my lips. Shaking my head, I felt my loose hair cling to my face, framing each side out of his view. "I'm always in the dark to be protected because I'm a fragile girl who can't stand up for herself. That's what I've been hearing."

The silence stretched endlessly, like the ribbon that had settled into all my artsy senses for days, weeks even. A sob threatened to escape my tightened chest, but I swallowed it down.

There was a shift, then a groan, and then came the chill warmth of his breath against my bare shoulders. "It isn't what you think," he affirmed, his hand reaching for mine, hesitant but deliberate. The tremor in his exhale betrayed his stubbornness.

"Then spill," I retorted, not giving in easily. "Because all I see is someone who's shutting me out of his secrets, not including me in his world when he means the entire universe to me." I blinked back furious tears, the hurt from our previous unsettled conversation surfacing back in huge tidal waves. My voice cracked. "I asked you this once, but I'll ask again. Am I not enough?"

"Why don't you understand?" he countered. This time, his hand gripped mine weakly. "I never wanted to involve you in any of this!"

"I told you I chose this. To be with you. Why, you." I snapped at him, the chord holding back all the frustration suddenly snapping in two. Shoot, if I cared. "Do you indirectly mean to tell me you don't want me as your soulmate?"

Ash gulped, his eyes narrowing. The next thing I knew, his lips crashed against mine, pleading. My head jerked back a little, but his uninjured hand slithered up my arm to secure my face in place. There was no hesitation, no deliberate softness this time. Rather, a wild ardor that seemed to have taken control of Ash's body.

I gasped for breath, feeling his familiar warmth course through his affections. Notwithstanding how much I wanted to resist him was the urge to forget the night and melt into him.

When we broke apart due to alarmingly depleting oxygen levels, Ash didn't waste a moment in pressing his forehead against mine.

"Never say that," he scowled softly, his breath pinching my cheeks like a rush of serotonin. "You're my everything, even if I don't realize it just yet."

"Then what of all the secrets you—you hold?" I managed, tugging at his shirt. He let out a raspy sigh, his eyes still shut. A heartbeat passed, and I felt his throb in fear against my chest.

"I'm scared, Serena." His voice was raw and vulnerable, one that had my chest aching. I wanted to reach out, pull him flush against me and provide comfort, but we were as close as physically possible already. "I'm scared for you."