Is it an earthquake? No, it’s just Tally shaking me silly. “Come on,” she urges me out of bed.

“Where are we going?”

“The mad scientist has agreed to the experiment,” she says excitedly.

“And Barry?”

“He reluctantly conceded. Exact words: I don’t want to change. You do. I want you. I always have and always will. While this isn’t my choice, you’re my choice. So…”

“So…” I echo.

“So, let’s go!”

I still feel tired, but Tally isn’t one to practice patience. I let her drag me from the room, wearing yesterday’s clothes. The fashion police are evidently out to lunch.

The living room is empty. “Where is everyone?”

“Matthew’s helping tweak the augmentation process,” she explains. “Making it safer.”

I snort derisively. “He’s a regular philanthropist, that one. Why aren’t you with them?”

“Ryan’s off refueling in his own way.”

I stop in my tracks, pulling her to a halt beside me in the hallway.

“Relax, Emotionator,” she muses. “There’s a hospital a few blocks from here.” She tugs me into the elevator. “Kiley and Declan are doing what they do.” She waggles her brow. “I didn’t want to watch. Barry did.”

That all tracks. She pushes me into the seat once we’ve reached Tayte’s office.

“Look, Sheyla, we’ve finally found someone who rushes through things faster than you.”

“I’m the madness behind her methods,” she claims.

Tayte holds an open palm to me. I suspiciously retrieve the stone. “How can I be sure this isn’t a marble?”

“Hold it up to the light. You’ll see reflective colors indicating the element in the stone. That one will be gray with black flecks. It’s difficult to describe. You’ll just have to wait until daylight. It works best in the sun.”

“I can go outside?”

“You can go anywhere inside a mile radius,” he reminds me. “Further at your sole discretion.”

“Such freedom.”

“Are you ready to begin? I imagine this won’t take long since you’re familiar with her emotions.”

“She has a special way of sharing how she feels,” I agree.

“Hurry,” she insists.

I place the departure stone in my right front pocket, away from Brody, eyeing Tally warily. Why is she in such a hurry? Is she afraid she’ll change her mind? “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she attests.

Tayte was right. Climbing her feelings tree is easy. I know where every branch is. I follow her life thread to the root, twisting it until I’m nearly tripping over the length. The more I pull, the longer it seems. There’s no end. No dividing line to snag. I can’t even find the beginning. I select a hypothetical starting point, hoping to determine the length by using it as a guide, but my discovery is disturbing. There’s no beginning. There’s no end. In essence, the thread is an infinite loop. Like her life, it goes on forever. There’s no division for her humanity because nothing human is left.

“What’s wrong?” Tayte frets.

Tally’s immediately alarmed. House fire accosts my nostrils.

“It’s just a continual loop. There’s no place to separate it.”

“Well, just cut it anywhere!” she orders.

“I can’t do that. There’d be nothing left of you. This is all there is.”

“No,” she argues. “Try harder!”

“Tally, there’s nothing she can do,” Tayte backs me up. “With Sumairs, there’s humanity at the base of the magic. You lose your humanity in the transition.”

“No,” she whispers. “Give me some of yours.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“What?” I balk.

“Give me some of your humanity. You’re losing it, anyway. Give it to someone who legitimately wants it.”

“I’m not giving you my humanity. That’s ridiculous.”

“You’re selfish,” she seethes.

I stare blanks.

I get she’s disappointed this experiment bombed, but to suggest I give her my humanity? That’s beyond lunacy. I can’t believe she expects I’ll do that, being it’s the single thing I’ve been trying to preserve, for good reason. Even if I hand it over, her renewed human life will be short-lived, taken away moments later in the wake of my incendiary transition.

Turns out, I won’t have to explain that to her, as her lie catches up with her when Barry breaches the office door. Red is the color of the day. It’s a toss up for bull run red or bloodshed red. Neither is particularly appealing, in my opinion. The smell? Straight bonfire. No deviation.

“What are you doing?” he barks.

Tally turns sideways in the chair and stink-eyes him.

“How dare you!” he snaps at her.

“How dare you!” she volleys. “Ever hear of a thing called knocking?”

Tayte slides out from behind his desk, evacuating the room posthaste. Unfortunately, I’m not as fast. Before I can escape, Tally and Barry block the door.

“I didn’t realize it was a private party,” he shoots back.

“Yep,” she clips. “You weren’t invited.”

“Technically, you were,” I point out.

“Stow it, Sparky.”

“Leave her out of this,” he defends me.

“Someone’s got his Hulk on,” she notes.

“I have every right to be angry,” he rebuts.

“Just not at her, right? No one ever gets mad at poor, innocent Blaze Baby.”

“She’s sorry,” he returns sharply. “That’s the difference between the two of you. Though, she does need to stop listening to everything you say like you’re a fountain of wisdom.”

Okay, so apparently, I haven’t reached max capacity in the hard lessons department. Obviously, Tally lied. Barry didn’t concede to anything. He’s right. I knew better. My bad. Point to Tally. Or Barry. Whoever.

“Aren’t you rushing things just a teensy little bit?” he says teensy but extends his long arms out as far as he can to measure the distance. I’m not entirely sure if he’s purposely exaggerating for emphasis or confused about the meaning of the word. Considering the current climate, best not to seek clarification. I clamp my jaw to keep from asking. Not now, curiosity. Not now.

“Aren’t you dragging your heels?”

“Not at all,” he fires back.

It was quick. Again, I don’t offer any vocal authentications. Neutrality is safest.

“You act like I just decided today what I want. I’ve discussed this with you at length.”

They love each other. I get the basic weight of their love and its balance. I’ve been an accomplice in Tally unfairly tipping the scales. Guilt forms a familiar lump in my throat, choking me. I reach for Brody, needing the ground cover.

“You’re impulsive,” he accuses.

“And?”

“Waiting won’t hurt anything. You have nothing but time.”

She shrugs.

“You’re bored, so you want a change. Do you even understand the impact of this change?”

“I do,” she confirms.

“And how many people it affects?”

“It’s none of your business,” she argues.

“None of my business?” He looks like she sucker punched him right in the gut. I’ve seen that gut up close. Touched it even. More likely to destroy her hand, but the sentiment isn’t lost on me. “I’m not asking you to change who you are. I wouldn’t do that. I like who you are…mostly…I just worry about you and have a right to do that.”

“Aren’t I lucky? You like me,” she snipes, placing her hands on her hips. “You need to worry more about yourself.”

“How do you propose I do that? With you, it’s the Tally Show on repeat twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week!”

“If you don’t like the show, change the channel!”

Why does she constantly agitate him? What would he do if he got super mad? Is she prepared to handle the consequences of that kind of anger?

“I actually like you a lot.”

She scoffs. “You have a funny way of showing it.”

“Things are too serious right now for your shenanigans,” he chastises her.

Shenanigans. That’s a funny word. Their argument reminds me of fighting with Derry. Dodged a bullet there. Good job, me. If I hadn’t lost Brody, would our arguments have gotten heated like this? I’m thinking not. Derry and I were heavy on the heat. Like getting sunspot blinded from staring at it too long. Brody…what I felt…what I feel for him is a slow burn that warms me through.

“If this works, she’ll change you, too.”

“Excuse me?!” he bellows, bonfire blazing again.

Would it stop the fight if I admitted how our experiment failed? Probably not. Would it incite a cooldown? Doubtful. Barry would just get madder at her for demanding my humanity.

“I mean, if that’s what you wanted,” she backpedals.

“I’m sure what I wanted was right at the top of your give-a-care list.”

“Unlike you, I’m not making you do anything you don’t want to,” she keeps digging her hole. Wish I could crawl in that sucker and get away from here.

“Why wouldn’t you at least talk to me?”

“Ah, were you gonna come hold my hand?” she chides.

“You didn’t give me a chance!” he rages on.

If they migrated just a smidge to the left, I could squeeze through there.

“What was your game plan? Were you hitching a ride on the human train and disappearing without a goodbye?”

“You’re a mind-reader now?” she punts.

“I don’t have to be a mind-reader to see what’s on your mind, Tally,” he blocks. “You. The only one ever on your mind is you.”

“For good reason.”

“I won’t keep competing for you.” His fire is petering out. “I shouldn’t have to. If this is what you want, I’m done chasing you. I won’t do it anymore.”

“That’s my fault?!” she shouts. “I didn’t ask you to chase me.”

“No, you couldn’t be bothered to ask me to do anything. Telling is more your style.”

“This is my life,” she reminds him.

“Well, when you figure out whether or not you want me to be part of it, fill me in.”

“If you’re jumping to conclusions, you deserve where you land.”

“If you listened when I talked, I’d do it more.” His shoulders are dropping. He’s all fought out. “You want to leave?”

“I’m not leaving,” she proclaims. “Do you want me to go?”

“Until this exact minute, I didn’t want you to leave, no.”

Her stance changes. Someone won the game. I’m just not sure who.

“I should leave,” she tuts.

“Do what you want, Tally. You’re doing what you want, no matter what I say.”

She throws her hands in the air and stomps her way out of the office, leaving me in the awkward aftermath of their argument.

“You’ll regret this,” he mutters, trailing along behind her.

Regrets? I have epically big ones. “I love you. Sorry I waited too long to realize it,” I whisper, kissing Brody before tucking him safely into my pocket. Yeah, epically big ones.