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Lies Within The Eyes

As we raced away from the chaos, my grip on Annabella's hand was firm. The cold from the icy mist I had conjured lingered in my hands, biting at our skin as we maneuvered through the ruins of the ghost town. The eerie silence was punctuated only by the occasional distant crash.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp tug backward. I spun around just in time to see Annabella stumble and fall to the ground. Dropping to my knees, I reached out to help her, but before I could ask if she was hurt, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around me in a desperate hug. Her body shook with sobs, each one echoing with fear and confusion.

"It's all just too much," she cried into my shoulder. "I saw Ryan, not too far from here, but something... something felt horribly wrong. It was like a sense of danger was radiating from him. I can't explain it, Ellion. It's like I could feel the threat emanating from him."

She pulled back slightly, her eyes searching mine, filled with distress. "I started running, not even sure where I was going. I felt danger everywhere, from everyone... except in your direction." Her voice was a whisper now, still lingering with fear. "That's how I found you. But then, when all those clones of me showed up, that same feeling of dread came from each of them too."

Feeling other people's emotions or intentions? Does that mean she possesses a unique power like the rest of us? I had so many questions but right now it wasn't the time to dwell on this. If she was able to find her way to me and away from danger, if she could distinguish the real one from the fake clones, we might have a chance of fighting back.

"We can use this, Annie," I said, helping her to her feet. "Your ability, whatever it is, can help us find our friends—the real ones. You could tell who's who, just like you did now."

Annabella's breath was rapid, and she pulled back slightly to look at me, her tear-filled eyes pleading, "I'm scared," she whispered.

"What's my job?" I asked her softly.

"To... protect me?" she replied, her voice a little stronger.

"Exactly, and that's what I'm going to do. No matter what. Now, let's go, we can't stay here for long." I grabbed Annabella's hand and slowly picked her up as a smile escaped her lips.

As we carefully navigated the debris-littered streets of the abandoned neighborhood, the air around us suddenly shimmered with an unexpected glow. Tiny, gleaming balls of light began floating around us. "Stay still." A voice called out from behind, authoritative and clear, "Stay still."

Turning around, we found Alexander standing there with a cautious expression, his shirt marked with burns, though the skin beneath was unscathed. Beside him was Charles, wide-eyed with fear etched on his face, his hands raised, controlling the swirl of light that had encircled us. These were no mere lights; they were volatile explosions created by Charles, ready to ignite at any moment.

I glanced at Annabella, seeking confirmation if they were a threat or not. She gave a small nod and whispered, "They're real." Relieved yet still on edge, I turned back to face them, opening my mouth to speak.

"Shut up, Ellion. I'll do the talking," Alexander cut in sharply, his gaze fixed on us with a seriousness I hadn't often seen in him.

"I know things... lots of things. A lot of the group's secrets, actually." His smirk was one part amusement to two parts menace. "I'm going to ask you something, and if you answer truthfully, I'll listen to what you have to say, and might even believe you."

He first looked at Annabella, a mischievous twinkle in his eye despite the tense situation. "Annabella, remember Max's birthday a few weeks ago? What was your initial plan for his present?"

Annabella's cheeks flushed a deep red, her embarrassment palpable as she glanced at me before muttering, "I-I can't say that here, not in front of Ellion!"

"That's the only way to convince me you are you," Alexander said, his arms crossed.

Annabella was turning red and she quickly covered her face, "You and I were looking into lingerie but I quickly changed my mind!"

"Nice," Charles said softly.

Not a picture I wanted in my head. I'll dread this moment for the rest of my life.

This seemed to convince Alexander though, who quickly turned his attention to me. "And Ellion, tell me your first lines of that poem you wanted to give to Kyriah?"

Oh, screw Alexander. My face heated up at the memory of those scribbled lines. I tried to write a poem for Kyriah on one of our night dates, but I quickly gave up. He must have seen me throw it out and grabbed it. "You're cunning, Alexander. I wrote, 'Your eyes are the stars that light my way, guiding me through night and day.'"

Alexander nodded, seemingly satisfied with our discomfort. He eased up, "Alright, seems like you two are telling the truth."

The volatile lights dissipated into thin air, releasing us from their shimmering cage. Alexander and Annabella quickly came together in a tight, relieved embrace.

I looked at Charles, who was glancing around like a scared puppy. "I'm guessing you guys ran into Davos?"

Charles' face darkened at the mention. "You mean the freak that can multiply and shift his face into ours? Yeah, we did."

Alexander's demeanor shifted as he recounted their encounter. "I saw what looked like Charles walking alone when I approached him. After a while talking, he attacked me and tried to stab me with a sharp piece of wood, but it broke when it made contact with my skin. It seemed he forgot about my dermal skin. I fought back but then I was surrounded by clones of Charles. They all attacked me at once; it was... intense, but I managed to hold them off, thanks to this." He patted his arm, indicating his impenetrable skin.

"You would've been overrun if I didn't find you," Charles suddenly said. "He was fighting back, but there were too many to count. It was surreal seeing so many clones of me. I knew it had to be Davos, so I blew them all up."

"Yeah, you did, without any care for me." Alexander scoffed at Charles, signaling his burned shirt.

"I knew you were going to be fine. A little knockback wasn't going to hurt you," Charles replied.

"And how did you guys know the other one was the real one?" I asked them, noticing Charles' pale skin turning red as he turned to give Alexander a threatening look.

Alexander chuckled. "Charles and I have known each other for many years. It was easy for me to know it was him." He replied with a sneer.

It was clear they had both been through a similar ordeal as Annabella and I, testing each other's identities through shared secrets.

"Alright, let's stick together now," Charles said firmly. "It's safer if we group up, especially since we know Davos is trying to trick us."

"Where were you guys heading, anyway?" Alexander asked me and Annabella.

I hesitated, my gaze shifting briefly to the rubble-strewn path ahead. "The closest crash sounded in that direction. I thought we might check it out." The words were partly true. Indeed, there had been sounds—crashes, and thuds echoing unsettlingly in the distance. But more than anything, I was guided by a silent calculation, a desperate hope. I remembered where Kyriah had been standing in the room just before the explosion. Based on where I had landed and the force of the blast, I had a hunch about where she might have ended up. I kept this detail to myself, not wanting to reveal just how personal this search was.

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Alexander nodded, seemingly satisfied with my explanation. After a few moments of walking in cautious silence, he asked, "What exactly are Davos' powers again? We should know what we're up against if we run into him."

I drew in a deep breath, my mind replaying the chaotic scenes of my previous encounters with Davos. "He's dangerous," I started, my voice low. "Last time I fought him, he used Mateos' cloning ability to create duplicates of himself. He can also alter his appearance—that's how he's been fooling all of us. And... he has this thing with magnetic fields. He can repel or pull anything he's touched—it's like he imprints on objects, making them controllable by him."

As the words left my mouth, a new, chilling thought dawned on me, stopping me dead in my tracks. Turning sharply to Alexander, my eyes wide with sudden fear, I asked urgently, "Were you touched by any of the Charles clones during your fight?"

Alexander paused, his expression turning contemplative as he considered the question. The hesitation in Alexander's response was all the confirmation I needed. "Alex, you need to stay back—a few feet at least," I urged, trying to mask the rising panic in my voice. "Davos could use you like a puppet on strings, pulling you towards anything or even use you to bring something down on us."

Alexander scoffed lightly, brushing off my concern with a wave of his hand and a confident, somewhat dismissive smile. "You're exaggerating, Ellion. It's not like he's going to throw a house at us."

I shook my head, frustration flaring up as I stepped protectively in front of Charles and Annabella. "You don't understand the extent of his power, Alex. We can't take any risks." My hands instinctively found the shoulders of Charles and Annabella, guiding them back as we slowly retreated.

Just as Alexander was about to step forward, his foot hovering inches above the ground, his body suddenly jerked violently. It was as if an invisible force had seized him. In a split second, he was flung upward, soaring through the air with a startled shout.

My eyes widened in horror, and Annabella gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. We all watched, helpless, as Alexander's body stiffened unnaturally, floating high above us next to the figure of Mateos—or Davos imposing as Mateos.

Mateos, perched menacingly atop a small building, looked down at us with a sinister grin, Alexander still held stiff and motionless in the air beside him, as if holding him in place with an unseen string. "You know, Ellion, you take the fun out of everything." Mateos taunted, his voice echoing off the broken concrete and twisted metal of our surroundings. He gestured casually towards a street lined with small, decrepit houses. "I was going to let you walk a bit further, see if you'd make it under all those houses I was planning to drop on you. But just like you ruined Fabian's plan by exposing him, you also ruined mine."

His smirk widened, a glint of evil pleasure in his eyes as he continued, "I now see why Fabian took such an interest in you." The cold, malicious intent in his voice sent chills down my spine.

Anger flared up within me, my voice sharp as I shot back, "That wasn't the real Fabian. You killed him, just like you did to Mateos!" My fists clenched at my sides, "Stop wearing his face. Show us who you really are!"

Laughter spilled from Davos, cold and mocking. "But I am Mateos. And Fabian is his real self, too. When I kill, I replace them—evolve them into something better. Each of my clones is unique; they have their own thoughts, their own motivations, their own reasons for their actions. They're not controlled by me; they are their own individuals."

He leaned forward slightly, his tone turning contemplative. "The friendship you cherished with Fabian? That was thanks to the new Fabian, not the old one."

Then, his voice dropped to a sinister whisper, "That's why I was commanded not to kill you, Ellion. But the others? They are fair game." With those chilling words, Mateos leaped from the building. As he descended, Alexander was violently flung down to the ground, used by Mateos as a mere platform to cushion his landing. Alexander hit the ground with a thud, the impact absorbed by his unbreakable skin, leaving him unharmed but shaken.

Standing over Alexander, Mateos smirked, "I know that didn't hurt you. But don't worry, I'll find a way." His gaze then swept over us, his expression one of cold determination, promising more torment.

Mateos and I locked eyes, the air between us charged with anticipation and threat. I weighed my options. Every instinct screamed at me to charge forward and free Alexander from his grasp, but the potential risk to Annabella and Charles held me back. Mateos was unpredictable and dangerous, likely harboring more hidden tricks I hadn't yet seen.

Breaking the tense standoff, Mateos smirked and declared, "Fine, I'll make the first move then." With those words, he charged towards us, his form blurring with speed. As he ran, a small, shimmering light began to radiate from his body, intensifying until it burst into dozens of clones, each a mirror image of Mateos, sprinting with the same ferocious velocity toward us.

"Annie, get back!" I shouted, motioning frantically towards her. "Don't let them touch you—no matter what!"

Annabella stepped back as I conjured a pyramid-shaped ice barrier around her. Charles stood beside me, his breath quick and nervous. Focusing, I coated the ground before us with a layer of frost and an ice wall, hoping to slow them down. The clones reacted quickly, leaping over the icy ground and slamming their hands against my ice wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Shards of ice rained down around us when suddenly an orange light glimmered in a line surrounding the clones. The next moment, they exploded, the shockwave sending me and Charles tumbling backward.

The explosion's force ripped through the air, the ground beneath us trembling as debris and ice shards flew in every direction. I landed hard, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. Charles crashed beside me, rolling to his feet with a wince. My ears rang from the blast, the world around me spinning in a disorienting blur. My ice barrier managed to hold on, shielding Annabella from the worst of the blast.

We got up quickly, brushing off the dirt on us and ignoring the pain in our bodies. Charles' volatile explosion had taken out plenty of the clones, but we were quickly surrounded by the ones remaining. The fight erupted instantly, the Mateos clones swarming us. Their movements were chaotic and uncoordinated, often causing them to bump into one another.

I spun, weaving through them, my hands extended to unleash blasts of frost. Ice formed rapidly under my touch, encasing the clones. With solid kicks, I shattered them into pieces, watching the fragments turn to light and vanish into the air. Another clone lunged, and I ducked, feeling the rush of air as a fist missed my head. Twisting, I sent a sharp spike of ice shooting up from the ground, impaling the clone through the chest. It too disintegrated into light.

I moved back and forth, my breath coming in harsh pants as I summoned walls of ice to block their strikes, spikes to impale them, and sheets of frost to trip them up. The sound of shattering ice filled the air, yet for everyone I took down, it seemed another was ready to take its place.

Ducking another swing, I grabbed the clone's arm, directing its momentum to crash into another clone approaching from behind. Both staggered, and I used the opportunity to freeze their feet to the ground, leaving them immobilized.

As I anchored the feet of several Mateos clones in blocks of ice, a sharp crack echoed to my left, drawing my attention toward Annabella. I saw three clones had breached the icy defenses, their relentless assault creating fissures and holes, the shield visibly damaged and weakened in several places.

Heart pounding, I tried to dash towards them to reinforce the barrier or create a new layer of protection with my ice. But as I moved, more clones of Mateos materialized, cutting off my path. "Charles! Don't let them touch Annie!" I yelled to Charles, who was handling the clones more easily as he exploded them before they could reach him. However, he was breathing heavily; it seemed to produce the volatile balls took a lot of energy.

"But, Annabella might get hurt!" Charles yelled back, his voice strained with exhaustion.

"Now, Charles, before they reach her!" I knew she might get hurt, but it was better than being controlled by Davos. She could take the hit, I hoped... I really hoped.

Charles' face twisted in hesitation but still, he conjured his small, orange, volatile balls around the clones outside the ice shield surrounding Annabella. As the small energies exploded, the ice shield also broke, sending Annabella flying back. The force of the blast was immense, shattering the remaining ice and causing debris to rain down around us.

I watched in horror as Annabella was thrown through the air, her body tumbling before hitting the ground with a heavy thud. She lay still for a moment, and my heart nearly stopped. Then, with a groan, she began to move, pushing herself up on trembling arms.

Charles ran to Annabella as the clones all converged on me. In desperation, I erected a towering ice barrier around myself for a moment's respite.

"I have to find the real one and stop this!" I shouted from inside the icy fortress.

"Who said the real one is among us?" the Mateos clones all said in unison, their voices melding into an echo. They all placed their hands on my ice barrier, which slowly began to shatter, scattering like glass under a hammer's blow. They lunged at me like a flood, and I fought back fiercely. One after another, the clones met their end, turning into dissipating light upon defeat. But with each exertion, my energy waned, my breaths became labored, and my movements slower.

A few meters away from me, explosions rumbled through the air, indicating that Charles was still fighting back.

My eyes frantically searched for Annabella amid the chaos until they landed on a horrifying sight—one of the Mateos clones had Annabella in his grasp, her body limp and battered. Not far from her, Charles was kneeling on the ground, encircled by a multitude of clones.

In a chilling, synchronized chorus, the Mateos clones taunted me, "Who are you going to save?"

Panic surged through me as I frantically scanned the scene, my mind racing with the grim calculus of whom to save first. Charles' powers were undoubtedly valuable; Mateos capturing him could mean an unimaginable escalation of his already formidable abilities. Yet, Mateos did not know about Annabella's recently uncovered power—or was sensing others' emotions even a power? Was her ability something Mateos would target? I couldn't be sure, but above all, I could not let Davos become stronger than he already was.

As these thoughts tangled in my mind, I saw Mateos' murderous intent coming into action—the clones encircling Charles grabbed sharp objects from the ground and jumped to deliver a fatal blow. Instinct and adrenaline kicked in. I had to do something—now!