Ambrosia

Allison looked around to them in utter disbelief. She had no words to say and she didn't feel it would be very appropriate to only mutter in her confusion. Watching everyone's eyes follow her own, she looked down, not wanting this.

Just look away, she kept thinking, This attention is not what I'm seeking. Go away.

Cove looked to everyone and then back at Allison. He pursed his lips as he observed her behavior once more, then looking to Tom and Jamie. He narrowed his eyes at them, lifting his face a bit higher, trying to give them the message to leave the small room they sat in. They had decided to take another subway train, but this one had small rooms with benches to sit on. Tom nodded, leaving, Jamie following, but he did obviously not want to leave. Cove then looked to Claire.

"Please, if I could have a moment alone with Allison, I might be able to get her to speak once more. Maybe she's nervous because there are so many people around her," he had explained.

"Of course, I'll leave," Claire nodded as she then quickly got up from where she was, leaving quickly, closing the door behind her. Cove then looked to see the door shut. He quickly got up to lock it, and then closed the shades on the windows of both the door, and the train itself. The sounds of the running wheels against the tracks had a small rhythmic hum to it.

...I can't say anything, Allison shook her head, her lips tightened.

"Allison, it's okay to speak, you're alone with me now. Please, I need to know what's wrong," Cove looked into her eyes with a serious expression.

Allison's breathing seemed to pick up as she watched his golden eyes, backing up against the wall from her bench. Cove only came closer though, trying to observe her. This made her mouth gape open in apprehension, attempting to speak, but she still could not.

"What are you doing? Can't you even make a small sound?"

She shook her head though, looking more ashamed as she wrapped her arms around herself. She sighed silently, breathing more calmly.

"Whisper?"

Allison blinked, wondering if she could. She opened her mouth as she let out a long hiss, trying to speak, only to then be welcomed by unexpected coughs as she flung backwards again, holding her hands to her mouth, covering her cough. Cove immediately removed her hands when she had stopped though, still staring.

"Allison... I need to know what's going on in your mind... what you saw..." Cove watched her expression stay very solemn, "Remember, I was trained to be a ranger--a Tantalus hunter. I am trained to deal with people who cannot speak. I have a way of looking through your memory, but that is not something that I wish to seek so low to. So please, try to speak."

I can't... she shook her head, Cove, I can't...

Cove put his hand to her forehead, closing his eyes. Immediately Allison gasped though, her hands flailing backwards as she slammed her head against the wall, seeing flashes of light as memories struck back into her eyes. She fell to the floor, breathing heavily as she looked up to Cove with a fearsome position, crawling backwards, her eyes so widened--it was unnatural.

"Allison, you need to stay calm! It won't hurt at all, just let me look through your memories, I need to know what you saw!"

How did he do that... how did he do that... she shook her head, sitting on the other side of the bench, staring at him defensively.

Cove looked over at her and once again let his hand rise to reach for her forehead, but she immediately swatted it away, "S-Stop it!" she suddenly cried, as though her voice suddenly appeared once more. She huffed in surprise when she heard her voice, cupping her mouth.

Cove nodded, letting his hand then rest on his lap as he smiled faintly, "Allison, I'm trying to help you... so please..."

"Cove, it's not so simple that I can just talk about it!" she frowned, her eyes seeming to fall, looking away.

"I know it's a hard subject to invade, but I need to know what you saw... it could be helpful. We all thought you got infected... your wound was exposed to Tantalus blood... we need to know if it caused something to trigger!"

"It didn't. I didn't see anything," she lied coolly, crossing her arms, "I don't remember seeing anything. Everything was black. That's it."

"...Are you positive? You seemed rather frightened when you woke up... the look in your eyes..." his seriousness had softened when he had spoke of her eyes. He seemed to suddenly looked worried again, "Allison, I know you saw something... no one has sudden fear in their eyes like that unless they saw something considerably traumatizing."

"I. Didn't. See. Anything," she spoke coldly, getting up to leave the room. She tried to slide the door open, but it didn't budge. Trying again, she grunted slightly, trying to pull on it as hard as she could.

Cove smirked lightly, "It's locked, you know."

Allison saw that the keyhole had been flipped sideways. She then saw Cove holding the key. She crossed her arms, "Unlock it."

"Maybe I don't want to," he laughed.

"Seriously, Cove, I want to see Jamie."

"Why?" Cove suddenly got himself up, taking a few steps forward, "To tell him what you saw?"

"To get out of here," she spat in his face, moving to the other side of the room, looking to the window. She looked more softened again, as if suddenly dazing as she looked through the blinds.

Cove frowned slightly, seeming more serious again, "Allison, honestly... why do you seem to favor him over me? Do you like him?"

"...Like him? Of course I do! He's my best friend," Allison seemed to go a bit pink in the face.

"Not what I meant," he shook his head, stepping forward to her again, "In all honesty, tell me, what do you feel about him?"

Allison backed up again, unsure what he was getting at as she leaned against the wall again, averting her eyes as she sighed, "...I... I don't know, okay? I'm confused about it..."

Cove nodded as he then stood just in front of her. He watched her for a moment and then let his hand push against the wall, seeming to hover over her. His expression softened and his voice seemed much calmer.

"...Well then, in all honesty, what do you feel about me?" he then asked.

Allison's eyes widened slightly, her entire face seeming to flush. She looked away again, not saying anything for a long moment. Her heart started to pick up speed again and she felt as though she was going pale, but she had only grown redder.

"...I-I just met you not even a week ago--"

"Remember, you were out cold for a week," he interrupted her, chuckling slightly.

"I-I know... but I myself... have not known or talked to you..." she let her hands tighten around the steel wall of the train, as if trying to find a way to escape his overpowering stance in front of her. She had not felt like this for a long time, unsure what these emotions were. She felt a tightened knot in her stomach of malice. She felt so much nervousness, so much pain, and it stung at her throat. As if she was trying to call for his help, but wanted him to stay away at the same time. She felt a need to do something, something that had involved him, but at the same time; she had wanted him to leave her alone. If he had left her, she'd only feel worse in her mind, she thought. She was confused, her throat clenching up as she swallowed nervously. Her lips trembled as she looked down. She felt as though she needed him, at the same time hating him.

Stay away from me... she thought, But don't leave... I don't know what will happen... I hate you right now... but I still want to see you... she was so confused by this, I haven't even known you for that long... why are you doing this to me!?

"Allison, are you alright," he whispered as he watched her.

"I..." she wasn't sure what to say, "Yes..."

"I just want to help you," his face grew closer, making her look up to him. He stopped though, their faces had been very close, staring at each other, but he had also restrained himself from passing half a foot, as though respecting her space. Allison's heart fluttered swiftly as her lips quivered more. Her knees seemed to weaken as she fell backwards against the wall much more, sliding down a bit. In a panicked rush, she had her knees shoot back up, suddenly far closer to his face than she wanted. Her nose almost hitting his. She felt her mind begin to fail to even think. She only stared into his eyes, unsure what to say, what to do, or if she should move. Cove smiled faintly though, his smile seeming to make her redden more. His other arm moved up, around her and rested against her warm cheek, moving her hair away from her bright blue eyes. She swallowed once more, watching him, as if a deer in the headlights.

"Please... do not think wrong of me when I finish this..." he spoke very lowly as he closed his eyes, moving closer.

Finish what? she thought to herself, but suddenly she felt her head pushed back against the wall, her lips pressed against his. He had kissed her as gently as possible, and she immediately felt herself feeling more pained, as though this was what she wanted, but it only caused her more guilt. She kissed him back softly, her arms seeming to drape around him involuntarily. Cove smiled into the kiss as he continued to let his own lips move against hers, continuing to kiss her, as she began to breathe a bit heavier in loss of breath. When cove parted his lips to breathe for only a second, he deepened the kiss a bit, moving his lower lip between her own two, gaping his mouth slightly, to allow it to grow much more passionate. She responded by kissing back more roughly as well, her hand sliding up his neck as it pushed against his long, black hair.

As Cove kissed her, he could see everything. Everything she ever dreamed, wanted, and what she was thinking. He could see flashes of memories and scenes of many places she had been to. Watching her memories in his own head, he began to observe one particular one that seemed to come of interest to him.

As the leaves fell from the trees, the autumn weather seemed to grow chillier with each minute. Allison sat on the porch of her home in Cleveland, Ohio, only 13 years old, watching the cars pass by. Her mother and father had been at work, and her siblings, Erin and Ethan had been at a friend’s house. She had mostly been alone for her life, sighing as she watched the sunset against the crimson leaves that had covered the streets.

Where Allison sat, she felt very safe. She always knew when lock-down was, and she followed the procedures every time. As she sat there, the wind against her hair, she noticed that a black car had parked across the street. The black tinted windows made it hard for her to see who it was, so she narrowed her eyes, watching. She was unsure who it was, feeling a bit more nervous as her hand tightened around the step she sat on. The car had been stopped for five minutes no one had come out. She grew more nervous, feeling watched as she kept her eyes fixed on that car window.

Her hair began to stick up from her neck as her body tensed up, her hands clutching the steps so tightly, it scraped against her fingers. Her swallowing became much more panicked as she began to breathe a bit heavier."The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout..."

The sound of this voice was very hush, as though coming from behind a building or down the street. Her eyes were still fixed to the black car though, and she couldn't bring herself to move and run inside. She continued to watch, her fingers shaking."And the itsy bitsy Allison went up the spout again..."

Allison stood up right then, seeing that as the sun reflected on the window of the car, no one was in it. Her breathing worsened as she turned around, ready to open the door, but a tall man stood before her, his long blond hair covering most of his face. He smiled at her, kneeling down.

"Hello, little girl..." he laughed, "You're coming with me,plague."

Allison's eyes widened more as she let out a long shriek, but he then grabbed her, covering her mouth. He jumped off of the porch and began running quickly, much faster than she had ever seen a human run. She continued to yell for her stifled scream, but it was too quiet for anyone afar to hear. As he ran, he then threw her against a barbed wire fence, and she yelped in pain, falling to the ground, her arms covered in large scratches, some bleeding.

"You think you're so lucky to be alive, don't you?" the man watched her as she was seething in pain, "You don't know pain, do you?"

"...W-who are you..." she muttered, trying to relax herself from the pain.

"Me? You don't know who I am?" he chuckled.

"Jason!" someone yelled suddenly. The man turned to see that a man with pale blue eyes, white skin, and dark brown hair appeared, walking beside him, "Is this the girl?"

"Ah, James, yes it is," Jason laughed.

"She's so small and frail.. just the way I like it," James laughed.

"Remember thatI will be the one who kills her though..." Jason gave him a disapproving look.

"Of course, of course," James nodded.

"W-why are you going to kill me!?" Allison stared at them, horrified.

"Because, Allison, you're the daughter of the plague! Shouldn't we kill the one person who is the world’s only chance of finding a cure for Ambrosia? I believe we should," Jason laughed, and before Allison could respond, he pulled a knife from his pocket, slashing against her chest, blood pouring heavily. James then slashed at her arms, cutting into her skin with his long nails, blood trails following behind. Allison gasped in the pain as she screamed heavily, trying to pull away.

"HELP ME! PLEASE--SOMEONE--HELP--ME!" she kept screaming, Jason and James only laughing. Suddenly, Jason then pushed his knife forward, heading for her neck--

He then pulled away from her, staring at her with a pained expression. Cove didn't know what to say as he stared into her bewildered eyes. He looked to her chest, from the low-cut shirt she wore, and plainly saw the wound across her upper chest, a dark scar being marked there. His hand moved towards it, tracing across it, shaking his head.

"...I had no idea you've been through so much pain... I'm... I'm so sorry..." he had no idea what to say.

Allison watched him move his hand across the scar, wondering how he had known. She watched him for a moment, unsure what to say.

"As... As we kissed, it grew deep into your worst memories... and I saw... a particular one where you got this scar," he sighed, looking more ashamed, "I never would have assumed he's always tortured you like this... that bastard..."

"...Cove..." she looked more confused, "You... you didn't... you really saw...?"

Cove nodded.