Fluorescence: The Complete Tetralogy (89 page)

“Brian!” Alice hugged him and he choked again, still trying
to catch his breath. “I’m sorry.” She released him and helped
support his weight as he gasped. The charred markings on his face faded away.

“Holy shit!” he said, swallowing hard. Panting. “Holy… freaking shit.”

“You died!” The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Brian looked me in the eye. “I know,” he said, a bone chilling darkness in his pupils. “I know.” He brought a knee up toward his body and rested his arm on it. “What happened?”

“Take deep breaths, man,” I said, patting him on the back. “It’s gonna be okay now.”

“How the hell?” He looked up at Kareena and then at Alice and Solus. “How? Oh, God, my head.” He leaned over and groaned. “Ugh. My head. It hurts so—”

“Can’t you heal it?” Alice asked, taking his hand into hers. “Brian?”

“Uh, I don’t know. I haven’t gotten a headache since—”

“No,” Kareena interrupted.

I looked up at her. Her eyes were full of dread.

“He-he doesn’t have it anymore,” she said, her voice breaking.

“What!?” Alice shrieked.

“It’s gone,” Kareena repeated. “It’s… not inside him.”

“Then… how did he…” Alice’s mouth hung open.

“My heart!” Brian raised his voice. “Oh, shit. My heart—”

“Prism,” a tiny voice announced.

We all looked at Solus.

“What?” Brian asked, bringing him closer. “What do you mean?”

Solus pressed a flattened hand onto the center of Brian’s chest.

“Prism. Here,” he said, smiling.

Brian’s brow furrowed. “My… heart?”

Solus nodded, his lips parting into an excited, toothy grin.

“I have the… Prism… in my heart?”

Solus shook his head in disagreement and pressed his hand again. “Prism. Life.”

Brian cracked an appreciative smile. Solus’ reply took his breath away.

Hell, it took all of our breaths away.

So the Prism really were like souls. Just like Kareena had
told us. A life force. Energy in its purest form.

“So, is his fluorescence gone for good?” I asked Solus.

He nodded.

“Guess I’m going to have to be more careful from now on, huh?” Brian said with a little chuckle.

“Shit, man.” I scoffed and jokingly punched him in the
shoulder. “Don’t go getting yourself killed now that I’ve started
liking your crazy ass.” Then I brushed my other hand across
my face to sweep away the tear of joy that had nearly escaped
. “Lucky bastard.”

Brian grinned.

Chapter 30

“
D
avid!” Kareena yelped and I swerved to face her. She stared off into the distance at something I couldn’t see.

“What is it?”

“The Prism,” she said, pointing. “They’re here.”

Solus was already looking up at something I couldn’t see.

T
he familiar prismatic orb of light appeared nearby,
hovering a few feet above the ground.

“They said they can help us now,” Kareena interpreted. “But they need Solus.”

Solus walked toward the sparkling orb.

“No.” Brian blocked him with his arm. “Wait. How do we know this won’t hurt him?”

“What do they want Solus to do?” Alice asked, coming up beside Brian.

Kareena listened for a moment. “They’re asking if
you remember how they used the orb to magnify my abilities so you guys could see how the rest of the people on Earth were infected.”

Brian and Alice nodded.

“Well…” Kareena paused. “They said they want to use Solus’ newly developed light to cast a projection of his DNA.
Like a cloud or dusting of his fluorescent, um, genetic pattern.”
She looked at me. “They said it should cure you, too.”

“Did you hear that, Solus?” Lucy said, excitedly. “You’re going to help people!”

Solus smiled, then turned toward his parents and blinked
a few times.

“Help people,” he said softly, an eager look in his eyes.

I held my breath as the tiny words came out of his tiny
mouth. I didn’t know if Lucy had been teaching him to speak
behind my back, or if he had picked things up from listening to all of us, but hearing him talk filled me with joy.

Alice toppled down to her knees and clutched his face
between her hands.

“
Oh, he’s perfect, Brian! Solus is going to save the world. Just like he saved you.” Her lip quivered and she strained to
smile amidst the tears welling in her eyes. “Promise me he’ll be safe, please?” She looked up at the radiant ball of energy.

“They said they’ll protect the children,” Kareena announced. “That they already promised once before and want to assure you everyone will still be safe.”

“Okay. Then I think he should do it, Brian.” She looked up at him for approval. “If it could help the Earth in any way, he should try.”

Brian hesitated at first, mulling over the idea in his head before replying. “Yeah. Alright. I guess that’s probably the best thing we can do right now.” Brian nudged Solus gently. “Go ahead, Solus. Let’s help people.”

Solus walked toward the glowing orb and lifted his hand. A pulse of bluish-green energy bolted through his arm, igniting the ball with teal light. Glints of blue, green, teal, and white light sparkled around him and a mist of metallic
dust
shot up to the sky, raining down as colorful sparkles of energy.
Glittering colors spiraled out of the Prism orb and Solus watched, mystified by the bright light escaping his fingers.

With a subtle nod, as if someone were speaking to him, he lowered his hand from the orb and turned to us. He stepped away and peered up at his parents for approval.

Alice knelt down to brush her dainty fingers across his che
ek. “You’re a very good boy, Solus,” she said, smiling with
her eyes.

“Did it work?” I asked.

Kareena’s gaze shot toward me and she squinted at my chest.

“Well? Did it work or not?”

“Yes. It did,” she said.

I took a breath.

“I can’t see the corruption anymore,” she added. “Only pure yellow light. Like it was in the very beginning.”

“Then it worked!” A huge weight lifted from my shoulders
and relief rushed through me.

“Does that mean
everyone
is cured?” Kareena asked the glowing ball of rainbow light. The light pulsed a few times and then faded away.

She bit her lip and burst into a smile. Then a frown. She lowered her face and covered it with her hands.

“Is everything okay?” I brushed my hand against hers. “Kareena? Is your dad—”

Her hands parted from her face and her shimmering, teary
eyes blinked at me. A sniffle. Then a bittersweet grin and short, shuddering breaths. “Yes,” she said, coughing on her tears. “They said he’d be okay.”

“Good. That’s really good news,” I replied and then turned
away, my happiness for her overshadowed by the darker truth
. “I suppose if everything is okay now, we don’t really need to stick together anymore. Right?”

“What!?” she yelped. “What do you mean? Where are you going?”

“I don’t know yet, but you don’t want me here. I knew this day would come and it has.”

“David, don’t talk like that, please.” She caressed my arm
. “We’ve been through so much together.”

“I heard what you said earlier. Your true feelings for Brian.”

“Oh.” She exhaled. “Um, I’m sorry about that, David. I don’t know what came over me. I just lost my mind and, I mean, I did like Brian before, but you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“That quickly? You were literally professing your love for him five minutes ago and then, poof, you’re done? You
expect me to believe that? I saw the look on your face. The tone of your voice. You were shaking, Kareena. Shaking with
fear, hate, pain. You were shaking because your heart had been broken. You lost your shit for a little while and you and Alice were about to—”

“Look, I know, okay! I don’t know what the hell happened to me, but I’m okay now. He’s back, and I’m glad he
is, but… I’ve realized that we just aren’t right for each other.”

“Is it because his fluorescence is gone?” I asked. “Is it because you’re worried that without it, you’ll get your
migraines back if you get close to him? You were willing to fight for him every second of the day, even attack the mother of
his child over his dead body, but now you’re done? Just like that.” I snapped my fingers. “Instant change of heart.”

“No. That’s not it.” She shrugged and rubbed her arms with her hands. “I don’t feel right. I feel… empty. Alice is right, I wouldn’t want Solus.”

“But you want Lucy?”

Her lip quivered.

“The one guy you’ve been in love with for years suddenly drops dead, you’re crushed and brought to tears by it, and then he suddenly comes back to life and you decide to relinquish him in the blink of an eye.”

She looked away, trembling like a frightened animal.

Part of me wanted to feel sorry for her, but the other part of me knew the reality behind her feelings.

“You’re confused, Kareena. I get it. And you have the right to live your own life the way you want to, but regardless of your feelings for Brian then or now, you didn’t have to treat me like shit all this time.” I gestured toward Lucy. “You—you didn’t have to treat
her
like shit. You act like you hate kids, but you’re nothing but a child yourself. You want everyone to do everything for you. You think you’re entitled to something the rest of us aren’t. Well, you’re not, and you never will be.”

Kareena took my hand and pressed it between hers. “No, that’s not it. I’ve changed… I swear, something’s changed
.
Really
.”

“Yeah. Your mind.”

She gasped and staggered back, glancing at Lucy, then the others, embarrassed.

“I mean it, Kareena. You’re no good for me—for us. We need someone we can trust. Someone who can love
us
and not just themselves.”

Her cheeks turned red.

“Fine,” she murmured. “Then…” She stamped a foot on the ground. “Then send me home!”

My heart crashed. She’d pissed me off, yes, but… if she went home, I’d… never see her again.

I didn’t need to see her again.

Did I?

I shook my head, fighting back the irrational feelings brewing inside.

“Okay.” I turned to Brian and Alice. “She’s going home. Alright?”

“Oh… um…” Brian started, confused. “Okay. I guess. Kareena?”

“Well?” She gestured for me to get on with it. “I’ll figure something out and I’ll be fine. Hurry up.”

“Okay. Okay.” I closed my eyes and tried to invoke a mental picture of Kareena’s house. The vivid image had been
branded in my memories since it was the last thing I saw before being tased.

Elegant white columns on both sides of the glass and wood
front door. A huge stairwell peeking into the foyer. Beautiful hardwood floors beneath my feet.

A burst of yellow light bolted down my arm and shot into the air, splitting a hole open in front of us. The spinning
streaks of white light whipped wildly around in a circle.

“Goodbye, Brian.” Kareena swallowed hard. “Goodbye, Alice.” Her eyes met mine for a fleeting moment before she sprinted through the light and disappeared.

I waited. Somehow thinking she’d pop back through to say something to me, but she didn’t.

So, I closed the portal.

“What are you guys gonna do?”

“We don’t really know,” Brian replied with a shrug. “Whatever it takes to have a normal life, I guess.”

Alice entwined her fingers with his. “We have Solus. And
we’re not going to let anyone take him away from us.”

“You know, it’s worth it,” I said, motioning toward their
son. His mystical, different-colored irises looked back at me. “Took me too long to realize it, but my little girl’s the only
one who keeps me going some days. She’s my world, and if I hadn’t been such a dumbass when I was younger, I’d have learned that a lot sooner. You guys are good together. You’ll
be good for him, too. Just take care of yourselves, Brian, Alice. It’s going to get rough, but you have to stick together through it.” I smiled at Solus. “Be good, okay? And don’t worry.
I’ll look after Lucy for you.”

I ruffled his hair. He smiled with his eyes.

“Are you going home?” Brian asked.

“Something like that,” I said with a smirk. “Lucy. Come here.” She romped over and I grabbed her hand.

I concentrated on my light and conjured a new portal to
the only other place I could visualize with all of my heart and
soul. Flashing sparks danced before us and I flexed my fingers in anticipation.

Lucy and I stepped through and were carried by a vortex of crisp, cool air. Flying. Falling. Drifting through
light. Our hands parted just as we touched down on solid ground. Soft, damp earth beneath my shoes.

Lucy let out a squeal of happiness and kicked at the lush
wave rolling toward her feet. She ran around in a little circle
,
flailing her arms in the air while splashing at the water’s edge.

She was a perfect little girl in every way. Happy. Loving. Kind. Full of joy. Something I hadn’t been for a very, very long time.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath of salty sea air. Crisp. Warm. The sun shone down on my skin and I dropped my head back, savoring warm, golden light. Maybe I hadn’t spent my entire childhood in Hawaii, but I’d wanted nothing more than to go back to my birthplace—to taste the
sweet island air that teased me in my dreams. I belonged here and Lucy would feel at home here, too.

White light ripped open behind me and I covered my eyes.

All by himself, Solus popped through the portal.

“Solus?” Lucy grinned from ear to ear. “Are you coming, too?”

He smiled sweetly but shook his head.