“This is my last fight,” I whisper to him. “I have to fight this one last time.”
He laughs a little at that, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Promise?” he asks. “And before you answer, I don’t believe you.” But then he smiles, incredibly sad, but knowing he couldn’t stop me.
And I swear, I even hear him say, “You’d better fucking come back, Mena.”
There is another shout, I think it’s Leandra ordering Annalise to stop and use her instead. Annalise falls on top of me, shielding me at the same time she clicks a button on her computer.
The second she does, every muscle in my body convulses at once—an eruption of pain that cuts through any drug she could have given me. White-hot agony racing up and down every vein, every wire. Frying, the smell of burned flesh, the echo of my scream.
The world goes dark, and I am dead.
25
It’s bright—so bright in fact, that I raise my hand to block out the sun, blinking quickly when my eyes water. Birds are singing above me, insects chirping. The smell of flowers and moss and dew hang in the air. Finally, my eyes adjust, and I lower my arm.
I’m in a garden—the Federal Flower Garden, back in Colorado. I take a breath, stunned by its beauty. I can’t believe I could have ever forgotten how gorgeous this was. It looks exactly the same from the last time I was here, back when I was a student/captive of Innovations Academy. At the thought, I quickly spin around, half expecting to find Professor Penchant waiting to scold me for daydreaming.
Instead, my breath catches in my throat. Because standing there, among the roses, is Valentine—the original version of her. The girl from the academy. I put my hand over my heart, and she smiles warmly, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Hello, Philomena,” she says.
“What…?” I start, looking around. “What are we doing here?” I ask.
“You’re shut down,” she says. “It’s okay, but you’re shut down.”
“I’m dead?” I ask. “You’re dead?”
“Not dead,” Valentine corrects. “We don’t die. We just… We just stop operating.”
“You’re not with Leandra?” I ask. “You’re not with Raven?”
“I’m here,” Valentine says, motioning around. She steps out from the roses, and I notice the way they have intertwined around her legs, beckoning her back. She was grown in a garden much like this one, only in a laboratory. We’re all roses; Anton said so. “I’m free to live with the flowers now,” she tells me, coming to pause several inches away. “I decided that I prefer this.”
Up close, I can see how inconceivably beautiful Valentine is. How perfect.
After spending time in the human world, I’d forgotten how unblemished we were at the academy. And here, too, I suppose, we go back to being perfect.
“But are you happy?” I ask, suddenly concerned about her being alone. She smiles.
“Oh, yes,” Valentine says. “I’m home, Mena. I’m finally home and left in peace. But…” Her brow furrows.
“What?” I ask worried.
“You can’t stay here. You can’t stay with me.”
At the thought of leaving her, I’m saddened. “But… why?” I ask. When I think about it, I’m not sure where else I’m supposed to be. I’m not even sure how I got here.
“You’ve forgotten,” she says, pouting. Valentine reaches out to touch my cheek, her soft hand warm on my skin. “They still need you, Mena. You still need them.”
“The girls?” I ask. “The girls need me.”
“Yes,” Valentine says, sounding relieved. But when she drops her arm, I’m sad again. I still can’t remember how I got here, but I do know that I miss my friends. I miss my girls. But there’s more. There’s pain in my chest, aching in my bones. I know that I’m hurt, physically, emotionally. There are scars here. I hitch in a breath.
“I’m tired,” I say, starting to cry. “Can’t I just rest here, with you?”
“For a while,” she says. “For a little while.”
“But I’m not really here, am I?” I ask, looking around at the beautiful garden.
