THE CONSEQUENCES OF INFORMATION

1305 HOURS (ESTIMATED)

LOCATION - LAMBORN HEADQUARTERS

I rubbed my hands over my face, inspecting the slight hollow of my cheeks. My hair unravelled from its ponytail and I combed through it with my fingers and then retired it, ignoring the sounds of the water splashing onto the sink edges.

I had just woken up, the last thing I remember being the lamborns knocking me out. The room had been empty and I had pushed myself out of the bed, ignoring the shooting pain still burning through my shoulder.

Everything the man had said echoed in my head and my eyes searched my face for a feature similar to that of Marine's. But there was nothing definite. Though I hardly believed the words of such a man, doubt still flickered in my mind.

The depth of my eyes reflected back to myself, my soul. I shook my head as the thud of the door closing sounded in the room.

"Phye," Eli called out.

I pushed the bathroom door open slightly with my heel, splashing water over my face once more. As I looked up back into the mirror, my breath caught in my chest.

Eli's face, a deadly shade of purple, watched me. His left eye just seemed to be opening up from a swollen shut and his neck sported a long jagged scar.

"Black,'' I breathed. The only thing in his face I could recognize was the unmistakable color of his eyes which still burned green. I turned.

"Eli," I said as I moved to him, my fingers stretching for his face, "what happened."

"How are you," he asked calmly. I took a step back, assessing his injuries.

"The lamborns did it to you," I said.

He pursed his lips but other than that did not flinch. The thoughts ran through my head, I pushed the button - it was his button.

"I hate you."

The words escaped my mouth, the plan already in action before my mind had agreed. Eli's face contorted with confusion. He tilted his head.

"What?"

My resolve hardened and I pushed past him into our room. When I turned back to him, my face was hard.

"I told you what, Black, I don't like you," I said, sitting on my bed and resting my head on the wall, "Leave me alone."

He stared at me, and then came to sit on the edge of my bed.

"Get off, Black," I said, "go."

He raised a brow and crossed his leg, leaning on his hands which rested on the bed behind him.

"No."

I did not look at him, and feigned a sigh.

"What did they do to you."

"Nothing, Black."

"I don't believe you," he said. My eyes met him involuntarily and I could not look away. I jumped off the bed and walked around to him. He tilted his head, waiting for me to speak. I leant forward, planting both my hands on the bed close to his, so that I was only a few centimeters away from his face.

"What don't you understand, Black," I said, "I don't care what happened to you, I do not care what you want and I do not want you here."

Eli's eyes flickered from my hands close to his to my lips and then to my eyes. I saw not one ounce of belief in his eyes, only concern and that frustrated me. With a final glance at my hands, he grabbed my arms, moving even closer to me.

"What don't you understand, Phye," he asked, his tone was soft, "I do not think that even for one second you think I believe you, I do not care what you think and I most certainly am not leaving this room till you tell me what happened to you."

"I will not tell you, anything," I gritted out, spitting the words in his face.

"Will you not," he said, a hint of amusement in his words. I shook my head and tried to shrug off my arm from his grip.

"No, Phye," he said and used the momentum to flip me onto bed, pinning me down with his weight. I struggled immediately and pushed him over toward the floor but his grip on my arm took me with him.

"You will tell me."

"You do realise you are under me."

He looked at my hands which grabbed a fistfull of his shirt.

"I have no problems with that," he said looking surprisingly comfortable, and looked back at me, "Tell me."

"I will not," I yelled.

"You will."

"No."

"Why do you not understand, Black," I yelled, pulling on his shirt and smashing him back onto the floor. He winced and I immediately regretted doing it, only managing to stop the apology during the last second. It was painful to look at the bruises on his face, I looked away.

he reached out and pushed my face back to look at him, "What is it, Phye."

That soft tone he used, caused the rest of my anger to swell and I yelled at him, "I chose you."

He faltered for a second, not understanding the context , "What."

"They told me to pick which one fo you, they should hurt and I picked you."

His face slackened.

"That's it?" he asked. I glared at him, wanting to pull his hair out.

"What do you mean, that's it," I yelled.

"There more," he said, "what's the rest."

I stared at him, confused as to how he could tell and my eyes went to the imaginary cloud of aura around me and I shook my head.

"You can still see my aura," I said. He nodded.

"So, tell me."

"No," I said and got off him. He stood and faced me and opened his mouth to speak as the door of our room opened again.

"Sapphire," Jaz said, coming over to hug me. I didn't let her, she stood there a confused look on her face. We stared at each other for a moment and I only spoke after she tilted her head at me.

"You had the whole school behind you," I said to her, remembering how we had become friends.

"Yes," she said confused.

"Why did you not pick them," I asked.

"Pick them?"

"To be friends with, why me."

"Cause I liked you and not them."

"Well now, you don't," I said , my gaze moving from Eli's face to Jaz's, imaging all those bruises on her delicate face.

She turned to Eli confused.

"She's in a mood and she's hiding something."

"I figured that much," Jaz hissed under her breath. She sucked in her cheeks as she thought something over.

"There is something I need to clear with you," she said.

"What?" I asked, surprised at the turn of topics but glad for it.

"I've cleared it with Ty, now you will listen to me."

I raised a brow, a bit fearful now.

"I know that both of you have some weird instinct that you must protect me at all costs and I am grateful to you for it but I can handle myself, I can fight almost as well as you can," she said.

"So," I asked.

"Stop acting like I can't do anything, stop worrying every two seconds about me, stop acting like this."

I put my hands on my hips and stared back at her, "Jaz."

"Yes."

"I know you can fucking handle yourself," I said, "But that's not the point, you will never come to a point when you will need to handle things yourself."

"Sapphire," Jaz said, " I need to know that you wont kill yourself for me."

"Are you fucking kidding," I said sitting down and resting my hands behind my head, "I will most definitely die for you."

"No."

"Yes," I said, seriously thinking whether she thought I would agree to her request.

"I don't think you should push it," Eli said to Jaz.

"I will push, maybe not now."

"Wait," I said, "Tyler agreed to your request."

"No."

"Then?" I asked, "What do you want from me?"

"He said he would agree if you did."

I looked at Jaz's strawberry blonde curls escaping from her loose bun. We want you, the man's voice echoed in my head. I shook my head at Jaz and shrugged.

"You know," I said, pretending to think and then getting up, "on second thought, do whatever the fuck you wnat, I don't care."

Her mouth opened slightly and she glanced at Eli as if to see if he had heard correctly. Eli shook his head, knowing I hadn't meant a word of that sentence.

"I won't protect you," I said and then turned away, "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep."

She crossed her arms and muttered something before leaving the room. As the door closed behind her, I felt the mattress dip as Eli sat beside me again.

"What do you want this time," I muttered.

"What's special about you."

I stared at the wall speechless, trying to find an appropriate response.

"Fuck you," I said, saying the only words that came to mind.

"What do they want from you," he asked.

I opted for the truth, whispering it, "I don't know."

He sighed, resting his hand on my hip and pushing my body towards him. I allowed it, raising my eyebrow as his eyes met mine.

"You could just have told me that an hour ago," he said. I watched the sympathetic grin and shook my head.

"What exactly-," Eli began to ask but I raised my hand to pause him.

An echo sounded in my head, familiar, like the buzz of telepathy coming to life.

'Sapphire,' the voice was garbled, 'Sapphire, can you hear me.'

I sat up straight, pressing my palms to my head, 'yes, yes.'

'Where are you, Sapph? Is Eli, Jaz and Tyler with you,' Michael asked.

'Yes,' I said nodding earnestly, 'I'm not sure of our location but with Queen sha-."

As I said the rest of her name, the connection stretched and disappeared, leaving only the static of its disappearance in its wake.

'Micheal,' I yelled, the static greeted me. My palms left my head and curled into fists as I jumped off the bed, nearly smashing myself into the wall.

"Sapphire, what is it?"

I looked at him and felt a chill pass through me, "Micheal."

He cocked his head, "What."

"Micheal contacted me," I said, blood draining from my face as the connection of its consequences connected in my mind.

"That's good," he said hesitantly. I nodded slowly and then ran past him. The door slammed behind me as I entered the corridor. Everything looked normal but I could feel the change come.

"Phye," Eli called out.

Jaz and Ty's door opened just as the slight hiss of the glass moved into the earth. I bit my lip. Four lamborns hovered into the glass tube. My body felt cold as I repositioned my body. Eli had moved beside me and Ty to a few metres away from me.

No one spoke.

And then in the silence, the soul-sucking feel of the lamborn found us and the word that left its mouth lingered in the air.

"Pick," it said.

I felt the confused shifting of legs of the two men behind me.

"No," I said.

The lamborns hollow sockets watched me for a moment before it nodded.

"So be it," it said before flying at Ty. He struggled for a moment but weaponless, he could do nothing. I did not turn around to watch.

"Pick," it said again. I shook my head, my voice shaking in my throat.

The next Lamborn went for Eli and between the groans and sounds of fists hitting flesh, I could not prevent myself from turning around to look. I saw but didn't really see as Jaz outline materialized next the door.

"Pick," the lamborn said again. I felt his presence right behind me. I shook my head, as Ty's eyes met mine.

"Don't," he said.

In the corner of sight I could see a lamborn floating toward Jaz. my jaw was clenched so hard, I could feel my teeth fight back on the pressure.

Eli groaned again as the lamborn threw him against the wall. Ty's chest heaved upward as he struggled to breathe. My fingers flexed and my toes curled on the cold floor.

The presence of the lamborn behind me became more persistent and I closed my eyes trying to remember what the lamborn had on him. My thoughts jolted as a delicate scream lashed in the air. My body went limp as the blood began to drip down jaz's face.

"No," she said, her voice hoarse. I shook my head and ignoring her pleading smile turned around and rammed my hand horizontally into the lamborns gut. He winced for a second and I grabbed his sword with my other hand.

"No."

Jaz's heart-wrenching scream pierced my ears as I ran as far away as I could, pressing the edge of the sword to my neck.

The lamborn froze.

"Stop," I said.

Eli groaned again.

"Stop," I yelled, "or I will kill myself, we shall see how happy your Queen shall be with you."

The lamborn regarded me, I pressed the sword in deeper, so that my skin bulged out around it.

"Stop," the lamborn commanded.

"Let them go," I said, knowing that even though the other lamborns had stopped beating them, they were not secure.

"You wouldn't dare," he said, flicking a hand at the lamborns signalling them to carry on.

"I would dare,'' I asked as I pressed down on the dagger, just enough for blood to well up at the surface of my skin.

The lamborn froze, "give me the sword," he said.

"No."

"Give it to me," he said.

"Get out the glass tube with your friends, close it," I said. He nodded and walked backwards, his buddies leaving with him. As the glass rumbled out of the floor and back into place, I hesitantly removed the dagger, only placing it on the floor when I could no longer see the shadows of the lamborns.

I turned around, pressing the hem of my shirt to my neck to control the bleeding.

"What was that," Eli asked with a glare. I looked at him and sighed, not even bothering to explain. As I looked at Jaz and Ty, my eyes went to their intertwined hands.

Ty was wiping the dirt off her face as I walked up to them.

"Jaz," I said. Her grey eyes met mine and she sighed.

"This is what I meant," she said pointing to the flood stain on my shirt, "we will talk."

"Yeah," I said offhandedly

"Ty," I asked, "you alright."

He glared at me and then muttered something, whirled around and walked away. My brows drew together and turned to Jaz.

"Go find out what's wrong with him,'' I said to her, having noticed the bond between the two of them.

She nodded.

"Go to him," I said, "I am fine."

She left and I dropped to the floor. I pulled my hair in an attempt to ease the pain in my head. A wry smile shone past all the fear as the image of Ty and Jaz's intertwined hands came into my mind.

"Phye?"

I looked up at Eli and pursed my lips. He nodded and seeing that there was nothing left to say, settled down on the floor next to the door.

OOMPA LOOMPA