Milada woke up to the sound of hushed voices. Her head pounded and, even though, the voices were barely audible, each new sound made her skull ache.

Carefully, she opened her right eye, peeking out at the room. She was in a room she hadn’t seen before, and several flasks and needles were laying on a small bed-table next to her. Despite its glaring differences from Haw Tech, Milada immediately recognized where she was—they’d moved her to the castle’s version of a hospital ward.

Without moving her head, she could recognize the shadows on the floor. One of them was Aaron—her only confidante—and the other person was a smaller, thinner person she hadn’t seen before. A slight breeze brought the fragrance of the stranger’s skin over to Milada, and she let out a small breath of air. Thank gods… the stranger was an Immortalia.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. If she turned off all her senses, she’d be able to listen to the conversation—it wasn’t usually something she did, but Milada believed that in the current circumstances, she wouldn’t get in trouble if she were caught.

“There has to be something you can do,” Aaron whispered. “Have you checked everything, Sari?”

The female sighed. “Aaron, Milada is as important to me as she is to the rest of you, but I don’t have the knowledge of your kind. You guys are created—you defy the very core of our beings. How do you expect me to know how to treat her?”

“I don’t know, my Queen.” Aaron sighed. “I just can’t lose her…”

“And you have my word that we’ll do our very best to help her. I have twenty of the top-scholars in my reign working on finding a cure, but for now, all we can do is wait.”

There was a pause.

“I just…” Aaron started.

“Just what?”

“I just hope it won’t be too late…”

“Is there an actual risk of—”

“It might,” he cut her off. “With her mind so completely gone, it’s almost impossible to say what can happen. It could cure itself, or it could destroy her completely.”

Milada’s inside churned at his words. She returned to her senses and stirred in the bed. “Aaron?” she whimpered.

A second later, his head popped into her line of vision. He was standing at her side, his hand on hers. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She tried to shake her head, but it hurt too much. Instead, her eyes started to water and his face became blurry.

“Oh, gods…” he muttered and sat down on the bed, slowly etching her up to a sitting position. “Don’t cry. Please.”

As if she’d been shot with a lump of energy, she threw her arms around him, holding him close as she sobbed. She felt weak, her body hurt and she feared what was to come.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Aaron muttered, his voice soothing. “We’ll fix everything.”

“I’m…” She sniffed. “I’m s-so scared.”

“I know, but we’ll figure out what it is.”

She nodded and pulled back to look at him. He had always been kind to her—throughout all of their missions together. He was the closest thing to a brother she had—he was family. And she believed him: everything was going to be alright because he would make it.

Milada gave him a weak smile, and then leaned back into her bed. Closing her eyes, she rested, putting all her trust in Aaron.

***

She ran through the slums of New Manhattan. It reminded her of the sewer system in the breeding room, the smell of feces and rotten food making her dizzy. Discarded furniture and other garbage filled the streets.

It was a maze of health-risks.

If only she could find Larina. Then, everything would be okay. The only other created Immortalia was far too valuable to lose. Plus, she was Milada’s best friend. They grounded each other, and now, her anchor had run away.

She stopped and took a deep breath. Somewhere in the air, she could smell the fear hormone that all of Haw Tech’s Immortalias had been injected with. It was a faulty solution, but with Milada’s enhanced senses, she’d be able to sniff out her group when they were in trouble.

A few pedestrians walked on the opposite side of the road, their eyes big as they looked at her attire. In hindsight, it might not have been necessary to bring weapons. However, it was too late to change now.

“I know you’re there, Larina,” she called. “I can sense you.”

Milada waited for a response, but it never came. Instead, the smell of fear intensified.

She looked around the area: apart from the handful of humans, she was alone. She’d acted without authorization when she set after Larina, and any moment now, the small street could be filled with several Haw Tech Officials.

“Please, Larina,” Milada pleaded. She tapped her foot. The smell was everywhere now; her head started to pound, and she felt dizzy. She stumbled, supporting herself on a nearby brick-wall.

As she stood there, she could see in-between a row of dumpsters. Cowering behind a large black sack filled with garbage, Milada could see a shaking Larina.

In the blink of an eye, she was over there, clutching the girl’s hand tight. Larina was younger than Milada by several years, and somehow, Milada felt like she had a responsibility to the younger Immortalia.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Larina shook her head. “I… I can’t breathe.”

Milada moved swiftly in to support the girl. “There, there. Everything will be alright, love.”

“You need to get away.” Larina coughed. “Haw Tech will kill you.”

“Nonsense, Haw Tech gave me life.” Milada arched her neck and looked out from their hiding spot. “We need to get you back—they can help you.”

She stood up and pulled Larina’s hand, but the girl resisted. Her body fell backwards, and she lay still on the ground. Milada kneeled beside Larina and tried to move the body, but to no avail, the body was limp.

“Just…” Larina whispered.

“What?” Milada frowned. “I can’t hear you.” She leaned closer.

“Be careful…”

Those were the last words from Larina’s mouth before her eyes turned away. Then, Milada was torn away as Haw Tech officials began to clear the perimeter. A guard held around her waist, and when she realized what was happening, Milada started to fight off the guard.

It wasn’t until Daniel Hawkins placed a hand on her shoulder that she relaxed. Daniel was the only Official she trusted. She tried to explain, but Daniel interrupted her before she got any word out.

“I know, Milada,” he said. “We’ll take care of it.”

Milada nodded once before resuming to her on-guard appearance. Without moving, she watched as the small road filled with Haw Tech’s people.

“She’s over here,” someone yelled. The dumpsters were pushed away, and Milada could now see Larina’s body. Several lab technicians took samples before they let anyone else near.

Five minutes later, a doctor declared what Milada already had guessed.

Larina was dead. Gone.

And Milada was the last created Immortalia at Haw Tech.

A/N: Please, if you haven't already, go to my profile and vote for the first chapter of "The Lores of Lyra - Rising Star". The end of the competition is near, so please, it'd mean the world to me!