‹ Prequel: Move
Risk
Beauty and the Beast
My eyes widened at the sight of his fall. I would have barged right in there if it wouldn't have spread the disease even more.
I moved away from the window. People inside the room began running faster over to Riley. My head was burning from the pain.
"Come on, Alyssa. Come on." I mumbled to myself as I circled the room.
I walked back over to the window.
"Peter can phase." I said. "If Peter can phase, I can phase."
I pressed my palms against the cold window. My hands slowly moved through the glass. Anxiously, I moved my entire body through the glass.
I landed on the ground below me. My feet urged me towards Riley. I stopped myself, first. I looked down at my hand.
"Come on." I urged myself.
My hand slowly disappeared in midair. The rest of my body and clothing quickly disappeared also.
Riley's voice came into my mind.
They're taking me. Ow!
My invisible feet ran underneath me as I held the tears back. I dove through bags of bodies that loomed over me. Rows of them covered my view of Riley. All I could do was follow the voice in my head and his sweet scent that was mixed, with what I thought was blood.
I turned another corner of bodies. A man came charging at me. I stared at him. He swept past my arm.
"Really, Alyssa?" I mumbled. "You're invisible, idiot."
My legs spun me around to see what the man was charging at.
Him and several other men were circling around something. That something was Riley. The men picked him up. Another man came around a bend with a table that had cuffs on the sides.
I ran over to them without thinking. My feet got me to him in a second.
My arms shot out at the men. They fell to the floor. The other men looked at my direction to see where the blow came from. I pushed them out of my way.
More men began charging at me. I looked down at myself. I wasn't invisble anymore. I looked back up at the men. Some of them came charging at me with guns. They looked rediculous in their white suits. They looked like fat astronauts.
Their movement cleared the area more for me. The bed came into view behind them. Several men set Riley on the bed. Riley wasn't moving. He wasn't in my head anymore either.
Adrenaline and anger filled my entire body. I looked at Riley. I creased my forehead.
A surge of energy began coming out of me when the men grabbed my arms. Pain shot through me as the energy streamed out.
Heat waves exploded out of me. The men flew off of me and tumbled into the bags of bodies. I lifted my head, trying to reduce the pain the heat was creating.
I screamed in agony. My head fell down. The heat was excrutiating.
My eyes focused on Riley. He moved his head slightly. The men around him moved away from the heat. The heat waves circled around me and towards the people around me.
Riley lifted his head and looked at me. His hand shot to his forehead from the light coming from me. He shifted away from me slightly. We weren't close. I realized he was hurt. His head plopped down to the bed.
Alyssa, get us out of here. Riley's voice told me.
"Okay." I mumbled to myself.
I heard Riley's moan as I tried to reduce the adrenaline. The men and bodies around me were in flames. The heat began returning to my body. I focused on saving Riley. The heat stopped. The pain stopped. I looked at Riley.
My lungs swelled up. My feet pushed me over to Riley. I crouched over him looking at him.
His eyes were closed again. His hand looked mangled and he had a large gash in his forehead. Riley's side was torn open by the ribcage. I touched his cheek slightly.
"Riley?" I said quietly. "Riley, come on, love. We have to go."
Grab a body.
I turned around ,without removing my hand from his face, and looked for a body that wasn't burning in flames. I pointed my hand towards a pile of bags. My fingers closed in my palm. The body came flying over to me. I caught it by the arm. I shuddered at the thought of it being a human. It dangled above the ground by a few inches. My other hand was still on Riley.
"How do we get out of here?" I asked him.
The same way you came in, but through the roof.
I looked at his closed eyes. "You want me to jump through the roof? Are you crazy? That's how you got torn down."
Let anything phase through you.
I sighed. My free arm moved from his face to his good side. I lifted him gently off of the table and over my shoulder. He gave a moan outside of my head. I held the bagged body slightly more off of the ground.
I shrugged. This wouldn't be the easiest thing.
My knees bent. I leaped towards the tall ceiling. We began sort of flying through the air. The ceiling was coming closer. None of the people below payed any attention to us.
The ceiling and us collided. I closed my eyes. We continued flying through the air. We didn't hit anything. I opened my eyes. We were outside hoovering above pavement. I set my feet down on the ground.
I looked over my shoulder at Riley. He was still partially unconscious.
Bravo. His voice said. Get us home.
"How?" I said. His face was close to mine.
Eve.
"Eve?" I said confused.
"Yes, Eve." Another voice said.
I turned to it. Eve began walking over to me. I raised an eyebrow.
The pollution and dust circled around us. I looked at her in the eyes. She was an inch or so shorter than me. It wasn't short, though.
"Thanks for the warning." I muttered. "Get us out of here."
Eve moved closer to me. She looked at the bag. I held tighter onto Riley's arm. Eve touched my arm that was holding the bag. I looked at her. She closed her eyes.
In an instant, we were in my basement. Jack came running over to me. I dropped the body on the floor. He looked at me curiously. I quickly ran up the stairs, through the living room and hallway, and up to our room.
Riley moaned again. I walked over to the bed. My arms carefully let go of Riley and lay him down on the blanket. I sat next to him on his right side. My fingers groped at his shirt. With one quick motion, I tore it off and flung it to the floor.
The wound in his side was large. He must have landed hard. His left wrist was bent at an odd angle. I leaned over him, carefully, and looked at it. It was certainly broken.
Riley's eyes slowly opened. He looked up at me with sad eyes. With the sad eyes, a grin swept over his face.
"Hello, love." Riley said.
I smiled in awe at his bravery. "Hi."
Riley scrunched his forehead. "Cut it, did I." It wasn't a question.
I nodded. "You should see your side."
"Why can't I?" He said curling over to look at it. I tried to stop him. Riley quickly fell back on the pillow in pain.
I frowned. "That's why."
"Ah." He said glancing at me.
I leaned on my arm and moved closer to him.
"Can you heal them?" I asked unsure.
Riley raised an eyebrow. "With a little help from my beauty."
"Well, Mr. Beast, I'll be sure to help my beauty." I said with a smirk.
He chuckled. "Beauty and the beast."
I looked at his side. "Except we are both beasts."
Riley raised his eyebrow again. "We're both beauties too."
I smiled.
"If you could just hold my hand," Riley said, "preferably my good one, I could heal fully without losing my powers."
I creased my forehead. "I thought you said you'd just age again."
"Well, I would, but I would also not be able to heal again."
"Ah." I said.
My hand reached towards his good hand. His hand lifted a little. I intertwined my fingers with his and held on tight.
Riley smiled at me and closed his eyes. I looked at his forehead. Slowly, the gash began closing. I looked at his hand. It too slowly began healing. The bend in the wrist twisting back to it's original formation. Riley creased his bloody forehead as he tried to heal his side.
I realized he was having difficulty. I moved my other hand away from the bed and towards the gash. With two fingers, I pinched the skin around the wound together. Riley winced. The skin began conjoining with the other skin. I took in a deep breath and let go of it.
Riley opened his eyes. They were sparkling.
"Thank you, love." He said with a smile.
"Anytime."
I moved away from the window. People inside the room began running faster over to Riley. My head was burning from the pain.
"Come on, Alyssa. Come on." I mumbled to myself as I circled the room.
I walked back over to the window.
"Peter can phase." I said. "If Peter can phase, I can phase."
I pressed my palms against the cold window. My hands slowly moved through the glass. Anxiously, I moved my entire body through the glass.
I landed on the ground below me. My feet urged me towards Riley. I stopped myself, first. I looked down at my hand.
"Come on." I urged myself.
My hand slowly disappeared in midair. The rest of my body and clothing quickly disappeared also.
Riley's voice came into my mind.
They're taking me. Ow!
My invisible feet ran underneath me as I held the tears back. I dove through bags of bodies that loomed over me. Rows of them covered my view of Riley. All I could do was follow the voice in my head and his sweet scent that was mixed, with what I thought was blood.
I turned another corner of bodies. A man came charging at me. I stared at him. He swept past my arm.
"Really, Alyssa?" I mumbled. "You're invisible, idiot."
My legs spun me around to see what the man was charging at.
Him and several other men were circling around something. That something was Riley. The men picked him up. Another man came around a bend with a table that had cuffs on the sides.
I ran over to them without thinking. My feet got me to him in a second.
My arms shot out at the men. They fell to the floor. The other men looked at my direction to see where the blow came from. I pushed them out of my way.
More men began charging at me. I looked down at myself. I wasn't invisble anymore. I looked back up at the men. Some of them came charging at me with guns. They looked rediculous in their white suits. They looked like fat astronauts.
Their movement cleared the area more for me. The bed came into view behind them. Several men set Riley on the bed. Riley wasn't moving. He wasn't in my head anymore either.
Adrenaline and anger filled my entire body. I looked at Riley. I creased my forehead.
A surge of energy began coming out of me when the men grabbed my arms. Pain shot through me as the energy streamed out.
Heat waves exploded out of me. The men flew off of me and tumbled into the bags of bodies. I lifted my head, trying to reduce the pain the heat was creating.
I screamed in agony. My head fell down. The heat was excrutiating.
My eyes focused on Riley. He moved his head slightly. The men around him moved away from the heat. The heat waves circled around me and towards the people around me.
Riley lifted his head and looked at me. His hand shot to his forehead from the light coming from me. He shifted away from me slightly. We weren't close. I realized he was hurt. His head plopped down to the bed.
Alyssa, get us out of here. Riley's voice told me.
"Okay." I mumbled to myself.
I heard Riley's moan as I tried to reduce the adrenaline. The men and bodies around me were in flames. The heat began returning to my body. I focused on saving Riley. The heat stopped. The pain stopped. I looked at Riley.
My lungs swelled up. My feet pushed me over to Riley. I crouched over him looking at him.
His eyes were closed again. His hand looked mangled and he had a large gash in his forehead. Riley's side was torn open by the ribcage. I touched his cheek slightly.
"Riley?" I said quietly. "Riley, come on, love. We have to go."
Grab a body.
I turned around ,without removing my hand from his face, and looked for a body that wasn't burning in flames. I pointed my hand towards a pile of bags. My fingers closed in my palm. The body came flying over to me. I caught it by the arm. I shuddered at the thought of it being a human. It dangled above the ground by a few inches. My other hand was still on Riley.
"How do we get out of here?" I asked him.
The same way you came in, but through the roof.
I looked at his closed eyes. "You want me to jump through the roof? Are you crazy? That's how you got torn down."
Let anything phase through you.
I sighed. My free arm moved from his face to his good side. I lifted him gently off of the table and over my shoulder. He gave a moan outside of my head. I held the bagged body slightly more off of the ground.
I shrugged. This wouldn't be the easiest thing.
My knees bent. I leaped towards the tall ceiling. We began sort of flying through the air. The ceiling was coming closer. None of the people below payed any attention to us.
The ceiling and us collided. I closed my eyes. We continued flying through the air. We didn't hit anything. I opened my eyes. We were outside hoovering above pavement. I set my feet down on the ground.
I looked over my shoulder at Riley. He was still partially unconscious.
Bravo. His voice said. Get us home.
"How?" I said. His face was close to mine.
Eve.
"Eve?" I said confused.
"Yes, Eve." Another voice said.
I turned to it. Eve began walking over to me. I raised an eyebrow.
The pollution and dust circled around us. I looked at her in the eyes. She was an inch or so shorter than me. It wasn't short, though.
"Thanks for the warning." I muttered. "Get us out of here."
Eve moved closer to me. She looked at the bag. I held tighter onto Riley's arm. Eve touched my arm that was holding the bag. I looked at her. She closed her eyes.
In an instant, we were in my basement. Jack came running over to me. I dropped the body on the floor. He looked at me curiously. I quickly ran up the stairs, through the living room and hallway, and up to our room.
Riley moaned again. I walked over to the bed. My arms carefully let go of Riley and lay him down on the blanket. I sat next to him on his right side. My fingers groped at his shirt. With one quick motion, I tore it off and flung it to the floor.
The wound in his side was large. He must have landed hard. His left wrist was bent at an odd angle. I leaned over him, carefully, and looked at it. It was certainly broken.
Riley's eyes slowly opened. He looked up at me with sad eyes. With the sad eyes, a grin swept over his face.
"Hello, love." Riley said.
I smiled in awe at his bravery. "Hi."
Riley scrunched his forehead. "Cut it, did I." It wasn't a question.
I nodded. "You should see your side."
"Why can't I?" He said curling over to look at it. I tried to stop him. Riley quickly fell back on the pillow in pain.
I frowned. "That's why."
"Ah." He said glancing at me.
I leaned on my arm and moved closer to him.
"Can you heal them?" I asked unsure.
Riley raised an eyebrow. "With a little help from my beauty."
"Well, Mr. Beast, I'll be sure to help my beauty." I said with a smirk.
He chuckled. "Beauty and the beast."
I looked at his side. "Except we are both beasts."
Riley raised his eyebrow again. "We're both beauties too."
I smiled.
"If you could just hold my hand," Riley said, "preferably my good one, I could heal fully without losing my powers."
I creased my forehead. "I thought you said you'd just age again."
"Well, I would, but I would also not be able to heal again."
"Ah." I said.
My hand reached towards his good hand. His hand lifted a little. I intertwined my fingers with his and held on tight.
Riley smiled at me and closed his eyes. I looked at his forehead. Slowly, the gash began closing. I looked at his hand. It too slowly began healing. The bend in the wrist twisting back to it's original formation. Riley creased his bloody forehead as he tried to heal his side.
I realized he was having difficulty. I moved my other hand away from the bed and towards the gash. With two fingers, I pinched the skin around the wound together. Riley winced. The skin began conjoining with the other skin. I took in a deep breath and let go of it.
Riley opened his eyes. They were sparkling.
"Thank you, love." He said with a smile.
"Anytime."