Alex added the audio, too.
“Get back, damnit! It’s too late!” someone yelled.
“You’ll kill yourself!”
“Don’t be an idiot!”
“They’re gone, Cinder! Let it go!”
Joon’s head turned a fraction, glancing back at me, before turning back to the screen. I thrashed on video; pushing and shoving everyone in my way. But they’d kept coming, refusing to let me in. To the VIA, I was an asset, and the damage had already been done. I could survive fire, but a roof collapse would be more difficult to come back from.
“Let me go!” my voice echoed in the arena, and it made my eyes prick. “I have to go back in. Hopper’s still in there! He’s still fucking there!”
More voices shouted, but they couldn’t be heard over my screaming.
“THEN LET ME DIE! LET ME GO! LET ME IN!”
And then agents swarmed, covered from head to toe in fire resistant equipment. They tackled me, held me down, so many that my body couldn’t be seen on camera anymore. It was a crowd of black, while the building continued to burn beside us. And for a few more seconds, I could still hear myself screaming.
When the footage stopped, and Alex made the screen disappear, my knees gave out. I looked down at my palms, my breath ragged, heavy.
“I tried.” My voice cracked, and my hands trembled. “I tried so fucking hard, Joon. I swear.”
Silence.
I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaled, and chanced a look up at him. Had he gotten closer on purpose, or was it another glitch? But I stayed on my knees, begging.
“I’m so sorry,” the words got stuck in my throat. “You warned me to stay away from Alex, because you didn’t want her to get burned… and in the end, it was you. You can hate me; I get it. I’m fine with that. I deserve that. But this?” I gestured to him; the black hood, the scuffed boots.“You don’t deserve it. You didn’t deserve any of this, and I’ll do whatever I can to make it up to you. You want to kill me? Fine, do it. But do it as Hopper—not asGlitch.”
Joon tilted his chin up, his lips pulled into his mouth. And then Alex was there beside me, kneeling, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. His eyes went to her hand; the one that used to have the scar. She held it out to him, an offering.
“He has nightmares, if that makes you feel any better,” Reed drawled, walking toward us with his head tilted back in exasperation. “Fuckinghorribleto take a plane ride with.”
And then, Joon laughed. It wasn’t the same, but that harsh bite had lessened, and it was familiar again.
“Does he still do that thing with the cigarettes?” he smirked.
Alex raised a brow, and my cheeks heated.
Reed snickered. “Yes,the whole damn time. Tapping the fucking box on his knee forhours.I swear I hear it when I sleep.”
“Okay, you seriously need to cut back,” Alex deadpanned.
Joon stepped closer, reaching out his hand, brushing his fingers against hers. “I’ve been telling him that for years, you know. He doesn’t listen.”
My body warmed up, and when Joon’s eyes met mine, it was really him. The easy smile, the way he favored leaning tohis left, and the straight brows that were always raised with entertainment.
“I don’t want to kill you,” he said finally. “Right now, at least.”
Alex grabbed his wrist and pulled him down to our level before snatching his ear like a mother hen. “No killing.”
“Owowowowow,” Joon yelped, then jerked back and slapped at his neck. His eyes went wide, and they started to flicker—purple, to black, and back again. “What the hell?”
We all froze, prepared for another burst of madness. But his face scrunched before going slack.
“Where am I?”
I gave Alex a silent look, and she shook her head with parted lips.
