The Proposed Prophecies

Liv heard Joann’s voice and the sound of the door to the cell opening. “Sometimes you have to do what is best for you and for your own survival. Even if it means going against everything you thought was right.” Joann’s words sounded close by. Liv felt a slight touch on her arm. She got up and felt Joann’s soft hands, which reminded her of the way she had held the gun before she shot Jake..

Liv pulled her arm back but felt Joann’s body warm closer and her other hand gently touching her hair. “What do you want?” Liv started backing up but the end of the cell prevented her from moving any further. “When I first arrived at Amy’s house in Miami, I couldn’t even talk to you. It was crazy how I was unable to read your thoughts. So frustrating but exciting at the same time,” said Joann. Liv felt her move one step closer again. Liv realized that she had never given any consideration to how Joann had felt or what she had been thinking. Jake had said before how hard it was for an Alter to not to be able to read someone’s mind but she had never felt any indication of frustration at this from Joann, until now.

“Why are you here, Joann? Did you come to kill me?” Joann laughed.

“Not at all. I just wanted to see you. All I want is to hear are your thoughts, to know what you think, just for a second.” Liv felt Joann’s hand move from her hair to her cheek, down to her lips. “Do you want to know what I think?” Liv whispered as she envisioned shooting Joann right between her eyes. She realized Joann’s closeness could help her to escape. “Tell me.” Joann said and Liv tried to touch Joann’s face but she felt something move across her eyes. It was like some type of googles or glasses. Joann pulled back slightly. Liv realized she must be wearing some type of night vision glasses. It was more than impossible to see in the dark and there was no other way for Joann or the guards to move around so easily without something like these glasses.

“I am thinking about how the hell I managed to misjudge you so easily,” Liv said, with an anger she tried to push aside. She must remain calm, as this was her only chance of escaping. She felt Joann move closer again. Her breathing sounded heavier and faster. Liv moved her head to the side as last thing she wanted was for Joann to come any closer than she already was. She felt Joann’s hand brushing her hair to the side and her lips on her neck, moving to her ear. “Alters can fake anything.” Liv felt Joann’s whisper. She knew that Joann must have at least one gun somewhere on her belt. She moved her head back and let Joann kiss her slowly.

She pretended to feel excitement while she attempted to search for the gun. She moved her arms over Joann’s waist while Joann’s kisses became faster.

Liv moved her hand more to the right on Joann’s waist and finally felt the gun. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to get it out without Joann noticing but there was no other option but to try. She slowly started pulling when Joann grabbed her hand and stopped kissing her. Liv felt Joann’s other hand on her chin, squeezing it. “What do you think you are doing?” Joann said, with anger in her voice. Liv would either fight or she would be killed.

“Sometimes you have to do what is best for you and for your own survival.” Liv repeated Joann’s earlier words and punched her in her face. She wasn’t sure where exactly she hit Joann but it must have been close to her eyes as she fell, partially hitting the goggles as they fell off her face. Her hand felt the pain once she made her move but there was no time to even cry about it. Joann cursed. “You stupid little hybrid.” Liv touched the metal borders of the cell, trying to find the exit. She knew the door must have been somewhere in the direction of where she had first heard Joann’s voice. She moved quickly. All she wanted was to get out. There was a gun shut. “Just because I don’t see you, it doesn’t mean that I don’t hear you Joann yelled, pulling the trigger three more times. One bullet sounded very close as Liv kept moving.

“You can’t escape. Alters will catch you either way,” Joann said and Liv suddenly felt the door to the exit. She pulled open the door. All she could do was move in a straight line. There was nothing she could see but the water was disappearing under her feet. She remembered the first day she was brought in and the guard just went walking in a straight line after the last step.

She kept running and Joann fired two more times. Liv could hear her boots approaching. Suddenly she tripped over the stairs and she knew that this was the way out. She touched the curved wall and ran up the stairs until she saw the light. She was almost on the last step and spotted the elevator in the back of the hall but her hand was grabbed by Joann who pulled her back and held her arm against her face. “Nice try,” she said. But Liv didn’t want to go back to cell and she decided to fight, even if it meant being killed. She bit Joann’s arm and pushed her back. Joann tripped and started falling backwards into the darkness. Liv wanted to run but she looked back and saw Joann’s gun laying on the stairs. She grabbed it and ran towards the elevators. All she could think of as she ran was how she would get Becky and Carmen from the third floor and from there move up to the sixth floor to get Ashley and Tommy. She didn’t even know how many more bullets were left in the gun but she could use it against the Alters as a threat.

As she approached the elevators, she noticed that someone was travelling down. The numbers lowered, and she aimed the gun at the elevator door. She imagined it would be Eve and she would be able to kill her right there, right at that time. There would be no hesitation pulling the trigger. Her heart beat and adrenaline rushed through her, making her heartbeat heavy and fast. The elevator had almost reached the bottom. She put her finger on the trigger and exhaled, waiting to fire at any time. Suddenly the sliding door opened.

“Liv?” It was Evan. Her anger became agony. He looked like any other Alter, with a gun in the holder and his hands held a tray with food. He had been the one coming into the cell each day.

“Tell me one reason why I should not blow your head off” she asked him while her hands shook from weakness and the weight of the gun. Footage of her life sprang before her, as if her life was about to end. She remembered the first day that she met him, the beach where he had grabbed her hand and examined her mark on her wrist, the overdue bills, Tiffany, Evan waking from this apartment building with Eve, Eve urging him to get into the car as the rain pelted stronger, and his eyes always staring in silence. She remembered how she had never known how to read his body language. Jake’s words about Evan being Eve’s son. Memories swirled around her head, resurfacing. Her body was denying all her strength and she couldn’t hold the gun any longer. She let her body fall onto the ground, leaving the past behind.