Free Minds

Chapter 95.

   Like clockwork, my eyes began to move around Mr. Sacury's lab in a frantic search. I know I'm supposed to be mad at Dorian, but thoughts of the worst possible thing happening to him subdued my anger.

   What if these blinding lights were just used as a diversion to come in and hurt one of us and Dorian was the unlucky one?

   Fortunately, my search did not last long. I was surprised to see Dorian huddled at one of the four corners of the room in the same balled up position I was in not too long ago with his head in his hands.

   Breathing out a relieved sigh, I rushed toward him. I didn't let the fact that his back was turned toward all of us stop me from getting on my knees to rest a hand on his shoulder.

   The coldness that transferred from his body to my palm made me shiver, but my touch stayed put as I managed to choke out, "I thought you were– Are you okay, Dorian?"

"Beth," His voice came out muffled since his head was still buried in his hands. "Please."

   Not sure what to make of that response, I rose to my feet so that I could occupy the little space that stood between Dorian and the wall to cower and face him.

"Beth, I'm okay, I promise."

   And yet his hands never left his face even as he said that.

"Dorian–"

"I'm fine, Beth, just calm down."

"Then why won't you say that to my face?"

   Suddenly, this situation was starting to feel very familiar. Simply because it was. It really, really, was.

   I stared at Dorian once again as he continued mumbling lies that he was fine, just like he'd done after one of the cameras we were testing on our first motel's roof exploded in his face–which he'd also lied about.

   The blinding red flash that arose before the explosion was clear as day in my memory. Come to think of it, it shared a striking resemblance with what we were made to suffer through in this room. And if after what happened on the roof, Dorian was not fine...

   Dorian's reassurances hitched in his throat the moment my hands clasped over his.

   Rav, who now seemed more adjusted to the impact of the lights, was making fast strides toward us, "Beth, you heard him. Dorian said he's fine. Just give him a minute."

   Unlike Rav had done successfully after the roof incident, I didn't allow myself to be lied to this time. Without waiting for him to get us, I pried Dorian's hands from his face, noticing that he didn't even put up a fight. His head was still hunched before me though, requiring me to raise his head with my palms to face me.

   I had feared the worst while doing all this, silently praying that if anything, the damage ended up similar to the one on the roof, since he healed pretty quickly from that one at least.

   When his tentative face stared back at me, however, I was a hundred percent positive that absolutely no thought could have prepared me for what I was seeing now. Without meaning to, my hands slipped off his face to shield the choked gasp escaping my mouth.

   Those beautiful green irises I'd gotten so lost in time and time again were nowhere to be found.

   Right now, I was looking into watery, icy grey eyes with blue and violet specks surrounding the pupil area. Beneath both eyes were what looked like a cluster of stars that glittered and formed the shapes of crescent moons lying on its back. The shapes were made imperfect, however, by the not so straight lines of stars which seemed to flow from them.

   I used to think Dorian was beautiful, but this... with this, I was looking at out of this world beauty.

   Literally.

   And that's when the reality of the situation sunk in.

   I'm not quite sure of what my face contorted into, but that was what made Dorian drag me into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I could feel my neck getting wet with what felt colder and thicker than normal tears as he whispered. "I wanted to tell you, Beth, I really did. But I was–"

   His words were cut short by my sudden jerk away from him. It wasn't easy getting back on my feet due to this overwhelming revelation intent on weighing me down. When I eventually did though, I made sure to use the remaining strength I had to go anywhere else he wasn't.

   This stupid room, however, made it impossible to get rid of him. That and the fact that he won't stop following me, being present at every turn.

"Beth! Beth, please!" Dorian had managed to get hold of my hand and just wouldn't take the hint that I was this close to punching him in the face if he didn't let go. "I can expla–"

"You know, my problem isn't that you didn't tell me earlier, because I get it, we were in no way friends," This time I faced him seething. "What hurts is that despite everything that has happened between us since then, you clearly had no intention of ever telling me the truth!"

"That–"

   I held up a dismissive hand, feeling the hot fury within me finally spreading all over. "I don't think I can handle any more lies. Just stop it!"

"I never lied about anything," Dorian replied with a tone that clearly showed he didn't believe himself.

"I don't know what you'd call it, but when someone who's not human–an alien–" I hated how I hesitated after saying that word, "when an alien like you parades around earth pretending to be human, it's lying!"

"Maybe I had a reason to lie." He stared at the floor as his hold on me loosened.

"I don't doubt that," I shook my head with a quieter voice. "Which is why I'm not expecting everyone else in Zavlon to have known. But after everything, I just thought... I thought I wasn't like everyone else."

"You know you're not."

   That should've made me feel better, but the sincerity in his words made me feel a thousand times more betrayed, because despite the fact that he thought that, he could still be deceitful all this time. The sting that came with his betrayal was the worst feeling in the world.

   Especially because of the triggered rage that followed soon after.

   Yanking his hand out of mine, I said to him in a much harsher and higher pitch than I intended, "And to think you came at me hard for not telling you about my NeuroSkel when we were barely even acquaintances. Your hypocrisy is just...ugh!"

"I know, I know. I regretted those words the second they escaped me, Beth. I'm sor–"

"Don't apologise!" I snapped. "And don't think I don't see what you're doing. Distracting me won't make me forget how much of a liar you are."

"Beth–"

"A scheming, no good..."

"You–"

"... two-faced, backstabbing lia–"

"IF I'D TOLD YOU THE TRUTH, YOU WOULD'VE FORGOTTEN ME!"

   And with that, he crumpled to the floor with a new kind of despair I couldn't have seen coming.

A/N: Another chapter, another shocker 🫣! Dorian, AN ALIEN! I wish I could see the surprise on your faces right now!

Thanks SO much for reading! Please, please don't forget to vote and comment! I think this chapter definitely deserves a tap of that star at the top or bottom of the screen!