The S-Gene (Book 1: Amelia) - COMPLETE

A/N: One last Noah POV chapter!

***

They were fucked.

No, that wasn’t quite right.

He was fucked.

She could still be fine. He would make sure she was fine.

Noah kept the severity of the situation from Amelia. Not because he didn’t trust her, but because he didn’t see the point in stressing her out more than she already was. No, that was a lie. It was because she wouldn’t approve of his solution.

His solution was to get her out… at his expense.

And being left behind wouldn’t… be great for him. The clock was ticking on his freedom. They knew she made a wish and it hardly mattered how much Amelia and he spun it; they weren’t going to buy it.

At some point, they would look into the necklace.

Most Djinns kept their lamp intact, a lot didn’t know they could do anything about it. There was no manual, no guide. You were on your own. He didn’t know if it were different for new Djinns that were born this way. Most Djinns were centuries old, before any of this.

Regardless, they would narrow it down enough.

Then, he would never be free.

It held no importance that he currently had a master. They would force her to make her wishes, and if she didn’t they would get rid of her. As if something so small would stand in their way.

They were more explicit with their words when they were with him than they were with her.

She held a little more importance. Though they could always harvest what they needed from her. They could keep her down and get what they wanted anyway. There were ways to make her compliant.

Noah refused to wait until they got to that point. She was lucky enough at that moment. She had cooperated - sort of. She had played the game and made a contract. It had been enough…

But not for long. Especially not with wishes on the line.

At least he had his backup plan. That hadn’t included the first wish she made. What a waste. It wouldn’t have been a waste if at least he had been there to take care of the skinwalker… It also sped up the timeline a lot.

All he had left to do was locate the spots where he was the strongest. It was no easy feat. The fluctuation in his power was random at best and for brief moments in time. There was no doubt that it was because these locations were reserved for testing purposes. There were no other reasons why they would remove the power dampener.

Testing what?

He didn’t want to know.

There had been a lot of things he had ignored over the years. Too many things. Until Amelia came along. This was their plan all along. He was not causing any disturbance, so they didn’t mind keeping him while they searched…

And then maybe they’d get lucky and get his lamp.

Now he could see that it was no coincidence they put Amelia as his neighbor. They had hoped she would get him out of his shell, that he would be overcome with feelings and he would willingly give her all the power.

Then, they would probably bribe her and get her to give them the lamp.

It was a great plan. The best.

Amelia wasn’t a fan of the situation, she was wary of supernatural creatures. It was perfect because it wouldn’t take much to convince her to betray one of them. Or at least so they thought.

It led him to wonder… the stalking, the kidnapper, that vampire that scared the shit out of her. Was it all on purpose? So she’d keep harboring her hatred so that she would feel so cornered that she would run out of options?

He wouldn’t put it past them.

It wasn’t all that wrong. They weren’t very wrong with their assumptions. Plus they had it right; he did give her all the power.

Except she didn’t turn on him. Not yet anyway. She knew and she didn’t say a word. Noah didn’t think she would either. Her hatred of them was stronger than anything else. Not that he doubted the way she felt about him.

Or maybe his judgment was clouded by his feelings. Maybe.

She had him, hook, sink and line.

Noah often felt out of touch with humans, far apart from them. These moments with her? It was like he was human as if everything he felt was real and normal. He could have gotten used to that.

He lost faith in finding anything for himself. He didn’t think it was possible to trust. But he trusted her. He hadn’t been living before this place, and he played house here. She had a shot at a real life.

His fate was to be someone’s servant. He could accept it, even if the thought of what Genecorp might do with that kind of power was terrifying. Noah would continue serving, and belonging to someone.

Just not to her.

Yet, he would press on knowing that he could her out of there. That for once had managed to get the upper hand on them. He changed the contract. They knew he did. He lied about what he did to it.

They were so exhilarated to believe he had fallen for her, completely blind to the truth, that they did his bidding for him. They hurried to have her sign it, to move things along. It was perfect.

He said he would take care of her on the other side, and he would. A blood-binding contract. If he died, the two wishes would come to fruition anyway. So they could kill him, and it worked for him.

If Noah helped her escape, it would be easier for Genecorp to allow him to fulfill the contract than it would be to drag her back or kill her. Either way, Amelia would come out of this normal and free.

It was all that mattered to him.

The binding had cost him a piece of his soul, but it was worth it. The bond that tied a master and his servant always plagued him. He hated it, he forsake it. Yet, it was the only thing that saved her.

For once, he was grateful.

There were enough wishes for him to do what he wished.

What was best for her.

Until the moment she was torn from him, he would enjoy every little moment, every second. Like now. She was in a deep sleep, tucked against his side, getting some well-deserved rest.

Her body heat, her scent, the smooth feel of her skin. He had to engrave it in his head because it would be his fuel to survive the next century or so. Hopefully, Genecorp would fall eventually and he would move on from this hell.

The hell that used to be his heaven…

Until he knew what heaven actually felt like.

She could rest. She would need it. He would lay here awake, creating the mental map in his head. He would find the spot where he could have her wishes granted. He would trick her into it if he had to - it didn’t matter.

Her safety, and her freedom; they were his only priorities.

***

A few days passed by.

Always the same.

They would be taken somewhere separately. They would be asked questions. Genecorp would lay down traps. Then, they would be returned to the same little loft. They couldn’t talk, they couldn’t have any privacy.

A peck on the forehead. These were the contacts he could have with her. But, he would make the most of his outings. He would count the steps, feel the strength and memorize it all.

It was what kept him going.

That and her smile.

“Noah, are you alright?”

Amelia was sitting in front of him, pushing around the food on her plate. She wasn’t eating a lot. He couldn’t blame her. Nothing Genecorp ever did inspired a lot of trust.

“Yeah, I was thinking.”

“Oh.”

She understood - he never had to say much, and Amelia understood him. He had watched others make fools of themselves but now he understood. Someone who was there with him because of who he was not what he was.

Yes, their conversations had to be limited regarding topics, but she never tried to make a wish. She didn’t ask about it. She wasn’t trying to use him. Centuries of abuse render it difficult to not believe it would happen but -

Every moment, she proved him wrong.

Hopefully, she would be happy.

Hopefully, she would forget about him and never look back. Anyways, if she managed to get out of this, Genecorp wouldn’t make it easy for her to locate them again. That was another thing, another reason for staying behind.

He would be the bargaining chip. Sure, she would be human. But, she knew a lot. She might make waves… they might get rid of her. They might do a lot of unspeakable things - maybe study her… in a lab.

If he was left behind, he could offer a deal, one he would hope they would accept. Unlimited access to him as long as they left her alone.

“Noah… don’t…. Don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

He froze, his fork almost slipping from his grip. It was like she was in his head. “No, I was- only thinking.” Yes, thinking about a plan she wouldn’t like.

At this point, Noah knew of two spots they could go that he was 99.9% certain he could use his powers. It wasn’t 100% but he could never be 100%. There were limits to the tests he could do without being noticed.

It was the best they had.

Genecorp had already kept them here long enough, and he knew the window of opportunity was closing. They would either use more drastic measures or they would be separated, ruining his plan…

Or they would be returned with the others, and then he would not have access to his full powers. He had to act sooner rather than later.

There were parts of him that wanted to delay this moment.

That way, he’d have memories, something to hold on to while his life turned to shit. But he couldn’t.

“I- I actually - I thought we could ask them for some alone time.”

Amelia quirked an eyebrow, her head leaning to the left. “We are alone.”

Yes ‘alone’.

“I was thinking we could ask them if we could be less supervised.”

The best lies had a hint of truth. If he wanted to get his way, if he wanted to execute his plan, he had to drop some truths. He knew that Genecorp knew… that they knew. No point in pretending.

If he so blatantly lied, they would get suspicious and that wouldn’t help him. So far, they had kept them apart whenever they were outside of this place. He needed them to be together.

“Noah…”

Sorry, Amelia.

“It’s been… crazy. I want… a moment with you. It’s not the best but…”

“I don’t think they would let us…”

Oh, he wasn’t stupid enough to think they would ever give them a moment of privacy but he had to play the part. Now he had to lay it on thick because Amelia was confused.

“I know a lot of this fucking sucks. I wish things were different. I wish we were somewhere else. I wish - a lot of things.” How ironic for him to use the word wish so much. “But what happened… it made me realize that everywhere is dangerous. Any moment could be the last moment we have together and…”

His throat bobbled as he swallowed - this was getting a little too close to the truth for him to mask his emotions. “Fuck everything happening around us. I wanna cherish every moment we have. I waited centuries for this and - I wanna make the most of it. Fuck everything else.”

He did wish he could mean every part of it. He didn’t want all their moments to be observed, hence why they had stayed mostly apart. But Genecorp needed to buy it. He had the universal carrier pull on his side. They should know enough to think it could cause him to be reckless.

And if he had her in his trap, then, she could be convinced.

All lies.

It hurt him, it split his heart open to lie to her. But he had to do what was best for her. A normal life. A safe, normal life.

“When he took me…” she started as she got up from her chair. “I thought - I was never leaving that place.” She bit on her bottom lip. “I thought I’d never see you again.” She was also saying the truth. “It’s fucking weird, but okay,” she ended with a chuckle. “I wanna go back to our little cocoon. Even if it’s not real.”

His feelings for her.

That was real.

He wanted to say it, but he couldn’t.

They controlled so much of their freedom, and their relationship. He could touch what he wanted, he couldn’t speak the words bursting out of his chest. He couldn’t do a damn thing. All he could do was save her.

“Alright, I’ll ask them today. You should too. I think they like you better.”

He saw in her eyes the words that she actually wanted to say, but she held them back. Because she thought he had a plan. For them both.

“Yeah, I will.”

I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Amelia.

Maybe these lies would help her hate him.

Just maybe.

***

“Please follow me.”

It had worked. Not that he didn’t expect it to work. It would be pointless for them to drop the facade and say they had to stay locked up. Plus, their request hadn’t been unreasonable.

At the end of the day, if they could get them to procreate, everyone was a winner - in Genecorp’s mind. They wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to see their bond become stronger and lead to a child.

He wouldn’t let that happen.

As the woman stood in front of the open door, her arm gesturing to the hallway, he felt Amelia’s hand slip into his. Good. The warier she looked, the more believable it was. Then again, the fact that she had no idea what was about to happen, helped.

He couldn’t tell her because she would stop him.

But now it meant that he would not be able to say goodbye to her. Maybe he would have a second before she was free. Maybe he would be able to look at her face one more time and remember every detail of it.

Maybe he’d be lucky enough to get one last kiss.

They followed the girl, Amelia behind him as he held on to her hand, ready to dash at any moment. He had to wait. This was a gamble in itself. What way would they lead them? Would it work? Would it be a path he hadn’t explored?

Sometimes, when they questioned him they took him a certain way, other times, they took other paths. Would they purposefully avoid it? Did they know what he had been up to? Had they read him like an open book?

He tried to close his eyes for a brief second, hoping it would slow down his racing heartbeat. His fingers were clammy and numb as he increased his grip on Amelia’s hand. Please.

Noah could hear the woman’s footsteps, but they sounded so far away. There was a buzzing in his ears as his eyes watched every upcoming corner, every pathway they came across.

They weren’t leading them the way he needed.

He didn’t know what the final distance was but if they kept heading that way, there would be somewhere he had never been before. No, no, no. He couldn’t let that happen.

Fuck it! It was time to be reckless.

Noah used his free hand to strike the woman in front, knocking her to the ground. He didn’t even wait for her to process what was happening that he yanked on Amelia’s arm, forcing her to hop over the woman.

“Wait-what…”

He didn’t let her finish before he began running as fast as he could, hoping he would lead them down the right way. Come on. He needed one corner, one wish, one moment. He could do it.

“We have runaways,” he heard the girl say in her com as they put distance between them.

“NOAH, where are we going?”

“Please, trust me.”

He couldn’t say more than that, he didn’t have the time.

“STOP!”

Fuck, that was a new voice.

Noah turned his head enough to see some guards heading their way, with one being faster than the others. He could outrun him quite easily, but he knew that Amelia didn’t have his stamina.

He’d have to push it, push them.

“Come on.”

Noah forced them to cut the corners too sharply - they were both bumping into walls, and he knew she would have bruises from this. She kept screaming his name, as she did her best to follow along.

I’m sorry.

He didn’t have time. After.

No, he wouldn’t time after either.

No time for explanations, no time for goodbyes.

It didn’t matter.

Her safety was all that mattered.

Noah held his breath as he saw the guard getting closer, too close. They wouldn’t harm her, she was valuable, but they could subdue him. That would make it a whole lot easier for them.

Something shiny caught the corner of his eyes and his blood froze. Knife. He knew it was meant for him, it had to be. The knife was dipped into something. He turned to the side to protect Amelia, and allow her to escape.

She couldn’t be punished for his sins.

Noah waited for the jab, but it never came.

Amelia was tucked against him as the man released the knife, forcing it to hit hard against the floor. What the fuck? No, he didn’t have time to think. He grabbed Amelia’s hand, using the opportunity to keep running.

They were close.

So close.

He dragged her along, feeling her heavier and heavier as he pulled on her arm. The adrenaline spiking through his blood messed with his depth perception and he ended up slamming into a wall as he tried to come to a stop.

At least it was him getting injured and not her.

“Okay, here, here we’re good.”

“Noah.”

“I’m sorry Ames, I wanted to explain it but…”

His face went numb as his eyes landed on her. Amelia’s head was bent forward as she was staring at her stomach. And the pool of blood that formed on her shirt. A lot, lot lot lot of blood. Too much blood.

But how… no…

She got in front of the knife.

Amelia got in front of the knife.

That was why the guard dropped it. He had fucked up. You injure the Djinn, not the universal carrier. Oh, no. He felt his legs wobble as he closed the gap between them, grabbing her.

So much blood. Where did she get stabbed?

What did he do? WHAT DID HE DO?

“Noah…” her voice was raspy but barely audible.

“It’ll be alright,” he said, his voice trembling with each word he uttered.

Noah wrapped his arms around her, tucking her against his body as he dragged them into a corner wall. This place. It would be enough. It would be enough. If he was here, and he hurried, he could get the wishes done before they figured out what he was trying to do.

For now, they thought they were attempting to run away.

“Amelia, listen to me,” he whispered in her ear. “I need you to make a wish, you need to wish to be healed, okay, and then we’ll get you out of here.”

There was a pain in the back of his throat that made it impossible to swallow his saliva. His body was trembling, sweat dripping down the line of his spine. Did he even sweat? He didn’t know he did.

His eyes were searching the hallway as he heard their footsteps. They were getting closer and they were running out of time. Fuck. “Come on, Ames.”

He didn’t need many words, he didn’t need her to make a full sentence. A few words would be enough. He had twisted words before, so he could definitely get away with it. It would work, it had to work.

It was getting harder to ignore the warm blood soaking through his clothes - her blood.

Noah nearly jumped up when he felt her cold hand on his face, cupping his cheek. She was awake, she could make her wish. His heart was thundering in his chest, the sound of his heartbeat deafening him as the pounding in his ears got louder and louder.

He dared to glance down at her, watching as her eyes fluttered open. It was one wound, how did they get her so badly?

“N-noah,” she repeated.

Enough of his name, more words. He needed more words.

“Ames… please.”

They were there, they were right there. He had seconds to free her, seconds, nothing more. He didn’t even know if he would get her to do both wishes, but at this point, he didn’t care. He wanted her to live and nothing more.

Everything else could wait, everything else could be fixed.

The tears he hadn’t realized he was shedding were dripping on her face and he shook her body. “Please.”

“Hu-man.”

She was already human, that wouldn’t work. Maybe it was the blood loss confusing her and her wish. “What? No, Amelia, you have to wish to not be a carrier.”

He could hear the sound of his heart breaking as he waited for her to speak the words. They would hurt him for this. But she would live. She had to live. He had lost so much, he had to give up everything.

He never had anything until he had her.

Noah refused to watch her die. Not Amelia.

“I-I wish- you,” she coughed up. “Were hu-human.”

No, no, no, no.