Armen's point of view-

  "We're going into lockdown. This is not a drill."

That was all I could hear blaring from the intercom, screaming rising as students panicked and rushed to hide. I could barely see Drake's passed out body through my tears. I did not move away from him, sitting on the tile with his body in my lap, cradled in my arms. I made sure his head was sideways so he did not choke on the foam and saliva in his mouth, slowly running onto the floor. He still shook but less violently, a fever burning his skin. I shook him in hopes that he would regain consciousness, but he remained limp and out cold in my grasp.
As I stared at my brother's body, potentially dying in front of me, listening to the distant voices blaring from panicked and irresponsible students, I realized something. If Drake dies now, where will my life take me? It will never be the same, that is a definite, but how drastic would it change? I'd be broken. My bond with my father would be broken. This town... Would they kill us? It is not like it matters. All I know, is that Drake is the only good thing to come out of this life. I am not losing him!
I could not leave him. I could not leave him like that, especially if the police came. I gasped with the realization of that fact. The police will come. They'll arrest Drake, and knowing that Drake will only be an abomination to them, an unholy monster created not by God but by a "devil's follower", they will kill him. They will kill Drake.
I tried to stand, struggling to pull Drake up with me since he was heavier than my out weight. Once I was finally on my shaking leg, I held him to my chest, trying hard not to drop him. I had to get to dad. He'll know what to do!
I ran down the hall, nearly slipping and toppling over on multiple occasions. As I ran past the office, I could hear gasps from the principles and secretaries, but I paid no attention to them. They don't care... They don't care about me, they don't care about Drake, so why should I care about them?
I kicked open the door and ran out outside, not a single student in sight. When I turned the corner of the wall surrounding the campus, colliding into a foreign body that was pushed back just as mine was. Drake's unconscious body fell onto my stomach as I hit the ground, the wind being knocked out from my lungs. I gasped and coughed until oxygen flooded back into my system, counting to gasp from my lungs clenching, my sobbing continuing. As I sat up, I wiped the tears out of my eyes in order to see, immediately met with the image of a man.
He sat up, a groan vibrating his throat as he rubbed his head in pain. He was pale with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that only reached to the nape of his neck. His beard was short yet scruffy, a grey jacket trimmed in black over his green shirt. He also had a pair of worn blue jeans, fingerless green gloves, and old looking grey boots.

  "Ow..." I listened as he groaned.

I paid little attention to him, only caring for Drake. He is all that matters. As I struggled to pick up Drake once more, the man gasped before speaking, alarm filling his tone. Even with that alarm, his voice was smooth and controlled, hidden secrets behind his locked pink lips.

  "I'm so- Wait. You're..?" The madman's child. Yeah, I've heard it all before.

Curse him, curse this entire god forsaken town! There is no God here! No God would allow such wickedness, would he? I was so full of fear and anger, blinded to anything aside from saving my brother's draining life. Everything had finally boiled over inside of me.
He stood tall before me once we both got to our feet, emerald green eyes staring at me with...ha. No. No one has ever looked at me like that. Within those orbs, I could have sworn that I saw concern. Don't kid yourself Armen. No one cares. It's not concern for you, it's fear of you and your brother.

  "What happened to him?! I... I could get you to the hospital!"

Hospital? No hospital is going to help. They will probably just stick a scalpel in his neck and call it an accident. I will not take that risk. I held Drake closer to my chest, baring my teeth as he reached out to take him. No one touches him!

I snapped. "Get away from him!"

I tried to run around him, but as I got passed, I was yanked back by something that suddenly wrapped around my upper arm. It nearly knocked me over a second time. I turned my head sharply as I yanked my arm out of his grasp, nearly dropping Drake in the process but he remained in my arms, motionless aside from heavy breathing and a slight continuous quiver that had no ceasing.

I screamed, tears running down my burning face. "Get away! I need to get to my dad!"

His hand found its way wrapped around my arm once more, holding me back from taking off. His eyes were rather friendly and smile gentle, to my surprise, but I have been deceived by kind eyes and a bright smile before.

  "I'm an ex-cop, it's my job to protect people, no matter who or what they are. Now, if you're going where I think you're going, you might not make it in time. Do you understand that?" His voice slowly took a more aggressive form but remained with the feeling of good intentions.

I nodded, looking back down to Drake resting eyes, his mouth slightly hanging open with saliva staining the side of his face from the his earlier convulsions. I hoped that all of that foam was now gone and not clogging up his throat, preventing him from breathing properly.
I looked back to the blonde, older man. Of course every voice in the back of my mind screamed stranger danger, but my most frontal thoughts drowned those out, and my frontal thoughts were a scrambled mess. Why did he even want to help? Why should I trust him?...To save Drake's life, that's why. He was right about one thing, with Drake's condition slowly getting worse and knowing that I was not strong enough and lacked enough stamina to make it while carrying him...it would most likely be too late by the time I made it home. It was time that was wasting away standing there to think. We had to get back home, fast.

  "O-okay... Just, please...don't hurt him."

He nodded with his lips perked into a smile, emerald green eyes bright, as if to say "you can trust me". Can I? I did not have much of a choice anymore, time slowly ticking away. The man went around me, quickly running over to parking lot in front of an old building, a grocery store to be exact. It was just next door to the school...so if he was at the grocery store, why was he just wandering around?
We came up to an old, beat up green car next to a few other cars and trucks. There was not much traffic here, and since it was such a small town, people often did not use cars, preferring to walk instead. I suppose that it was luck that someone finally decided not to be lazy that day. The man opened up the back door, and I quickly got in, resting the lower half of Drake's body on the seat so that he was laying down, his knees bent from hitting the wall and his head on my lap. I kept shaking him, hoping that he would come back but he should no signs of coming to. I just want to get him home.
The man quickly got in the front seat, putting his keys in and igniting the ignition, looking through the rear view mirror as I sputtered out directions.

  "We live outside of town! Do you know where to go?"

  "The old two story by the river? Yeah, I've seen it. Don't worry, I know where I'm going."

The car pulled out from the parking lot with a jolt, tires screeching against the pavement. My body jumped as the man drove with carelessness and erratic turns and speeds. He seemed in a hurry and was definitely going the right way. Did he actually care? No one has ever really cared about me. No, this isn't about me! This is about Drake!
His body was burning up, so I felt obligated to remove his jacket so he would be at least slightly more comfortable. I removed his black jacket, which fell onto the floor.
We hit a speed bump, my body flying up and nearly hitting the ceiling since I did not have on a seat belt. I had to reach out and tightly grab Drake to keep him from falling onto the floor.

  "Aren't you worried you're going to break your car?"

He readjusted the mirror, hiding a tiny grin that I could tell was trying to appear across his lips. He seemed to be getting a kick out of driving recklessly. "Meh. It's just a rental."

I was so anxious, so scared. A street of red ran down from his right nostril that I tried to wipe away, but it was only replaced by more blood. My tears fell onto Drake's face as I kept poking at him, feeling his heart beating as I put my hand against his chest, feeling the racing vibrations that was far above average speed. Suddenly, there was no pulse. My body became frozen, filled with more fear than I could handle. I felt like I was going to pass out, but I knew that I could not afford to.

I shook him in a violent manner, screaming at the top of my lungs. "Drake? Drake! Come one, don't you dare die! Drake!"

We were both lunged forward as the man at the wheel slammed his foot against the brakes. I could hear the tires screech as they ripped grass and soil out from the earth, the vehicle nearly flipping over from the sudden deceleration. When I looked up, I gazed over my left shoulder to see the familiar setting of my front yard, leading up to the porch and my old home.
I would say home sweet home, but not under the conditions I've been through in it and not under these particular circumstances.
I pulled at the handle of the door repeatedly, not caring if it broke and not caring that it was obviously on child lock. The man quickly opened his door, stepping out to open my own. I got out and pulled Drake with me, the blonde picking him up out of my arms and holding the hybrid against his own chest. I had never seen someone run so fast to our front door. They usually run the other way.
He lifted up his leg as he reached the door, attempting to kick it down before I stopped and opened the door normally, well, kind of normally, as it swung opened and slammed into the wall.

  "Dad!"

Of course, I could hear running coming up the steps to the basement. As the door swung open, there no luminescent neon green light pouring from behind it like I was used to. Just the faint glow of regular white light. Herobrine burst forward from the underground dwelling, lab coat lifting behind him from the surprising speed he managed to get to before stopping.

  "Armen? What are you-" He was cut off by his own gasp, eyes enlarged as he saw the man and Drake's condition.

I forced myself to speak. "Dad, help! I-I don't know what... H-He didn't have a pulse!"

I had never seen him move more fast, sprinting faster than the other day when Drake was prepared to leave his testing chamber for the first time. For the first time in forever, I could have sworn that I saw fear in those glistening silver orbs. As he yelled at us to tell him what happened, he ran up and took Drake's limp form out of the man's arms, giving the blonde little acknowledgment.
Another red streak ran down Drake's face, a thin line of thick crimson trailing from his right nostril. Dad was definitely going to hate getting blood on the floor... and hate it even more if years of research and testing suddenly died on him. Come on dad! For once do something!
He spun on his heels, immediately knowing that something was wrong with Drake as he sprinted back to the basement. A small trail of blood was left behind, tiny droplets soaking into the oak wood floorboards. I followed Herobrine as he rushed down the steps, holding Drake against his chest. I had never seen him looked so panicked. On our way downstairs, I heard nothing behind me, allowing me to assume that the blonde had remained upstairs, possibly leaving with preference of not getting involved any further. I would not blame him. I felt bad for not thanking him for his help, but my mind was so cluttered with anxiety that I had not thought about when I should have.
Once I was at the bottom of the steps, I slipped on the metal of the floor. My head collided with the hard material, a ringing filling my ears as my already blurred vision became nothing but an array of colorful blobs. My eyes cracked open, tears running down the bridge of my nose. Slowly my vision began to settle once more, hearing fluttering papers and glass falling to the floor. Dad was in the middle of the room, moving everything off of the middle island to rest Drake's body on top. I could see that my brother was growing more pale, another red streak running down from the corner of his lip.
Dad reached beneath the island, grabbing a box and taking out a portable defibrillator. I swear, with all the medical supplies here, he would make an amazing doctor, you know, if he were not so cold hearted and cynical. Then again, when your whole career has been dedicated to creating artificial life, I suppose it is necessary to fill your workplace with items meant for saving lives.
Dad pulled up Drake's shirt, stretching it as he yanked it off. I could hear the fabric tearing, watching him stuff it beneath Drake's head as if to use it as a pillow, then he placed three suction cups on his torso. I found myself mesmerized by a faint purple glow emitted through the black skin of Drake's chest.
Immediately after being connected, monitors around the room flashed on, showing wavelengths in a variety of colors. Many of them were flat lining.
Suddenly, I heard a loud zap of the defibrillators staring up, watching as Drake's chest jolted upward when they came down onto his skin. I could not see the details of his body, such as if he had started breathing again, but after the second shock to his body, the monitors showed signs of hope. Beeping sounds filled the room, slow and steady, the flatlined waved lengths beginning to hop up and down.
I pushed myself off of the ground, running up to the island to be inspect Drake myself, tears once again returning to my burning eyes. Before I could reach him, my father pushed me away.

  "Get back upstairs, Armen! He's still incredibly unstable and I don't need you distracting me! Go!"

I gulped, my body quivering in his cold, harsh gaze glazed with fear. I did not want to anger him, but I also did not want to leave Drake. I looked to Drake one last time as my dad hurried around the table, once again screaming at me to leave. This time, I complied but rather reluctantly. Instead of completely leaving, I peered down from the top of the steps where I could see the entire lab all at once, knowing that Herobrine would not notice me since all of his attention was on Drake.
I watched him scurry, taking Drake over to the testing chamber and forcing that odd mask over his face, the same one he wore while inside of that tube. I watched Herobrine put more wires on him, sticking him with needles like IV, then pull levers and push buttons. Then, I saw him stick that black box to the back of his neck, myself cringing as I imagined the needles piercing through the back of Drake's neck, lodging into nerves. I did not want to imagine him in pain, tears continuing to run from my eyes.
The lab seemed to flash in red light, another layer of repetitive beeping sounds joining the rhythm of the monitors.
With Drake in the right position, my dad pulled one last lever, glass beginning to rise in the circumference around my half brother. Once the glass was secure from bottom to top, it filled with liquid, the light within the tank giving it a bright neon glow. I felt myself beginning to calm down as I watched Drake float there, imagining that this was that first time I had entered this lab and seen him. The memories calmed me...until a bright flash burst from within the testing chamber.
Dad had pulled yet another lever, one that must have activated that black box, since Drake's back arched and head fell back as if he were being shocked in his confinement. I could see the pain distort his face, his unconscious body holding back a scream muffled by his oxygen mask.
I could not take watching all of that any longer. A mess of tears and fear, I bolted up the rest of the steps, leaving the laboratory as I was told.

???'s point of view-

After the boys and who I assumed was their father had gone downstairs into the basement, I had to step out. It was not because I was scared or screamish, but it put a slight stress upon me. I almost had a kid die of me... it has been a long time since I've been in a situation like that. A hybrid or not, a child or teen does not deserve to die so young.
I yanked out the cigarette between my lips, blowing out a puff of smoke that danced in the cool air. With little care of getting burned by the embers of the butt of the cigarette, I twirled it around between my right middle and pointer finger, the action taking my mind off of the events prior.
I turned my head and looked back to the door, a few drops of red on the porch from the unconscious boy's bleeding nose. What happened to the kid? Medical issues? I understood why the younger looking boy did not want to take him to the hospital, knowing how strict and cruel this town is, especially to Herobrine and his work.
I sighed and tossed my cigarette down, stomping on it to put it out before kicking the rolled up paper out onto the dirt. My back pressed against the wall as I looked up, the image of the raven haired boy's panicked face and the near lifeless form of his companion in his arms. If felt good to help them, to be of assistance after so long of not helping to save a life. It made me proud. After all, my last few cases as a cop ended at a dead end...
I only wish that the boys are okay.
After deciding that I was no longer needed around here, I walked off of the porch, hands in my pockets as I walked back over to the old car. Upon the grass was a trail of red splotches, my eyes spotting the trail of red leading to the back seat. Crap. I can't take this car back to the rental place with blood stains in it.
With a huff, I pulled the door open, looking at the stains on the leather seat and green carpet. It was not too much I suppose, but it would not be good to let it sit and soak into the fabrics. I went to reach up into the front seat in order to get a can of leather cleaning spray and a rag from the front console, but something caught my eye. A thick pile of black fabric.
My brow lowered in curiosity, reaching down and grabbing the soft fabric. My eyes examined it as I lifted it up, recognizing it as the hybrid's jacket. I had not even noticed that he was not wearing it while I was carrying him. Of course I could not just keep it, especially since it seemed that it would be a bit small. My shoulders slipped as I once again let out a shallow sigh. I might as well give it back.
I turned around, closing the door to my car with a loud slam. I went back to the porch, lifting up my arm before a gasp left my mouth, the door opening wide before me. The raven haired stood there, jumping when he looked up and saw me. I smiled, knowing that a lot of troubles were on his mind.

  "Oh." He spoke. "What are you still doing here old man?" I knew that he was joking but I couldn't not help but to feel just a bit offended.

I growled, my eyes narrowing. "I'm not old! I'm 28!"

He gave a weak smile and a single, weakened giggle. "It's just a joke...anyway, you can go now, you know? Thank you for your help."

I looked down at the clothing in my hand, holding it out. He looked down at it, his cyan eyes tainted red staring down at it, his mouth slightly opened. His small, trembling hand reached out slowly, his fingers tightening around the jacket with his knuckles turning white and pink face becoming a deeper red. Tears accumulated in his eyes, falling from underneath his right eyelid, then the left.
I was hardly prepared for when he rammed himself into me, his arms tightened around my abdomen in a tight embrace. I felt his body shiver and his tears soaking into my shirt, his fingers clawing painfully into my back. I cringed in pain, but knowing that he was going through a rough time, I put one hand on his back and the other behind his head.

  "Hey kid. Your, um...brother, right? He's going to be okay. Stay hopeful."

The kid pulled away from me, letting out a small chuckle as he looked at the jacket resting in his arms. "Why are you not like everyone else? Why are you not scared or...hateful towards us?"

The question caught me off guard. Not only did I not expect it, but I did not know how, or if I was even was supposed to give feedback. I looked away as I thought, swallowing a hard feeling in my throat.

"I know what it's like to be hated over something you have no control over. No one deserves to be hated unless they deserve it, and you boys don't look like you deserve it."

A weak smile lifted in his cheeks as he wiped away his tears, struggling to speak as he kept letting out hiccups. "I-I...I've never s-seen you here before."

I waved my hand in a gesture. "Well, I'm not really from around here, at least not anymore. Just on vacation for a short while, but I've been here long enough to know about your dad and how he's a scientist! Anyhow, what's your name and your brother's, if you don't mind me asking?"

His smile grew just a little more. "I'm Armen and...my brother is Drake, at least I call him that. What about you?"

My ears perked up when I heard the click of a door, my attention drawn away from Armen before I answered. My head lifted, seeing the door to what appeared to be the basement open up, the brunette in a white lab coat stepping out. He was gently panting with sweat cascading down his face from increased stress of nearly losing his boy. I still had no clue how to refer to the hybrid's relationship with these two. Family? Friends? Creator and created? Oh well.
I was in wonder over his strange silver eyes, bright just like Armen's but with far less joy and hope. These eyes were more complex to figure out, an emotionless gaze for the most part. Although, occasionally they would show a spark of emotion. Right now, it was frustration.

  "Armen, what happened at the school?! How did he end up like that?!" My stomach twisted and blood boiled as he screamed. I understood that he was upset, but I had always hated it when a voice was raised in negativity.

I listened with open ears, curious to know the story as well. "R-Ray, he...Drake was protecting me, a-and then... I-I don't know what happened! Ray started floating with this p-purple light around him a-and...Drake teleported! A-and he broke one of the boy's a-arms! I stopped him but...he collapsed and began foaming at the mouth!"

Herobrine shook his head, one hand cupping his forehead. "That explains it. I should have known that he was not ready to go out yet. This is my fault."

I wanted to ask questions, but I knew that I had no say in this. None of this concerned me, and while I felt like burden standing there and listening in to personal information, I was intrigued by the circumstances leading to where I was now. Armen asked what Herobrine meant by what he had said.

After a split moment of hesitation, the scientist gave his reply. "I have been running test of him to strengthen his physical matter and to get both his Ender and human side to equality match. I thought I had perfected it, but it appears that I was wrong. The DNA of both Enderman and human were never meant to be sustained in one body... His cells were weakened and began breaking when he unleashed what is called his 'mana', something creatures such as Enderman hold. In his particular case, a mutant Enderman that I created a few years back, capable of telekinesis."

I remembered that case. A mutated Enderman was found in a forest, ripping trees from the ground with telekinetic abilities, tossing trees around. It killed three of my men...

  You're the one responsible for that...

He huffed and turned away from his son. "His human half could not sustain it... His body was tearing itself apart, in a sense."

  "He's going to be okay...right?"

Once again, his father was hesitant. "He is stable for now, but...I can not make any promises."

Both of their expressions turned disconsolate. We all grew silent for a few moments, Herobrine looking to the ground with his expression shifting to discomfort. He was shaking and sweating, obviously from stress. I could see the Adam's apple in his throat moving as he repeatedly swallowed, a buildup of saliva in his mouth or struggling to breathe. I saw him eyeing the blood trail on the floor, his body slightly jolting as if a shiver had run down his spine.

  "What? Clean freak?" I said it mainly to brighten the mood, my rather insulting humor getting the better of me.

He growled, gazing to me with eyes full of hate. Armen laughed it off. "Sorta. He has OCD. It's close enough!"

Herobrine's arms crossed over his chest, his harsh gaze failing to lift. "Now, why are you still here? Leave."

  "Dad!" His boy defeated me.

  "Well, allow me to introduce myself, after all, I did help to save your boy's life." I held out my hand, although in the back on my mind, I was aware that I was not going to get a handshake back. "I'm Grayson Crown. An ex-marshal to the Ruby shire police force, but don't worry, I don't plan on turning you three in."

After another awkward silence, I put my hands back into my pockets and sighed. I knew his last name, and for some reason, it reminded me of an old case. It was not one I was related to personally, and happened in a completely different town about four of five years ago before I quit the force. It was a teenage boy suspected of killing his mother before suddenly disappearing.

  "And your Herobrine Jackson...pardon me, but...would you happen to be related to Collin Jackson?"

His facial expression turned, growing more angered, then confused. He shook his head. "Not that I know of. Relative perhaps. I haven't spoken with family for years now."

I nodded. It was a case left unsolved, one that had the whole town where the boy lived paranoid. I was not able to take the case, but it was one of those cases that I could not forget, seeing the evidence photographs of the crime scene. Remembering that brutal imagery.
Herobrine's arm went around his stomach, his head looking down, his face hiding pain, most likely another side affect from the stress. I looked away and sighed, gazing to Armen as he hissed and grabbed his head like he was getting a headache. I could tell that the stress was becoming heavy with both of them.

  "Sorry for bothering you with it. Unsolved cases just tend to scratch at my mind. Anyway, the police will probably be here, and they'll want your boys, especially if Drake really did assault a kid. Your boy down there is looking at execution."

Herobrine huffed, his shoulders lifting and falling, the near emotionless eyes letting worry seep through. "I've considered that. I do doubt that we'll win in a court battle..." His face kept twisting, his body growing jittery. "The mayor and I have a history; a bit of an...arrangement, per say. Perhaps he can help this endeavor."

I let out a heavy breathe, scratching at my beard. "Well, I'll try to help you, but...I suppose I'll be going. See you guys soon and... I wish you luck with everything. Take care."

I could hear Armen mumbling, as if wanting me to stay. I looked over my shoulder, giving him a smile, wanting to let him know that not everyone was against him; that not everyone saw him and his family as monsters.

Armen's point of view-

I watched as Grayson left, a feeling dread crawling over me once more. I did not want him to leave, but he has a life, something better to do than dealing with a broken family and their bizarre issues. Still, I was a nice change to find someone who did not treat us like outcasts; like filthy monsters.
My head was pounding, rather from usual circumstances or from crying so much, I had no clue. Either way, it was pounding against my skull.

  "Armen." I listened to my dad. "Clean all of this up. I'll get you a pill for your headache in just a bit. I have to go do something quickly."

I expected him to go back down into the basement, but instead, he went upstairs. I quickly ran to the kitchen to do as I was told, not wanting him to be anymore upset with me than I supposed that he already was. I grabbed a mop laying in the small pantry and underneath the sink to grab a bottle of bleach, but I lifted it up, it felt too light. It was nearly empty so I decided to go up and ask dad if we possibly had anymore, thinking that we had to have some extra considering his...condition.
I walked quietly up the stairs, the floorboards creaking but not too loudly considering my light weight. About half way up, I stopped with my ears perked, an unsettling noise hitting my ears. Hurling and gasping. I gulped and continued upward a bit slower than before, looking up into my dad's bedroom where the bathroom door was left open. There, I saw my dad on his knees, his back hunched and a hand over his stomach as he vomited into the toilet. He stopped, gasping with his face turned ran and tears on his face.
I ducked as he stood up and flushed, hoping that he did not see me. I listened to what sounded like a drawer opening up before the floorboards squeaked, shifting into a brief tapping on the bathroom floor tile. After a moment of remaining completely still in my position, I poked my head up once more, this time seeing him by the bathroom medicine cabinet. I gasped, seeing a tiny silver object in his hand; a key.
He placed it into the small lock on the mirror, twisting it until there was a small click. He opened it up with an irritating squeaking at the hinges, reaching in and pulling out something with a bit of vibrancy. It was a small bottle, it's contents rattling as he screwed off the white cap and tipped it, allowing a few small objects to fall into his hand. He set the bottle down, allowing me to see just what it was. An orange prescription bottle with a white label around it. I never knew he was on medication.
He turned on the faucet and took the cup Drake and I had put our toothbrushes in, dumping out the brushes and filling the cup with water. He placed the pills into his mouth then swallowed them down with liquid, his head looking down as he continued to gasp.
I did not want him to know that I had seen, thinking that something bad would happen if he did. I tried to get back downstairs as quietly as I could before hearing the springs on his mattress go down. Did he just collapse? Well, I suppose I'm going to have to deal with this headache then. As I prepared to clean up the trail of blood on the floor, I looked out of the window to see Grayson in his car, watching as it turned and drove away back into the direction of town. I looked at the jacket that I had placed onto the counter earlier, taking it and letting out a sigh as I looked to the lab door that was still left open. I would not hurt to check on Drake, right?
I walked down into the lab, my eyes sore but I tried to remain stronger than I had been before. He is going to be fine. He is going to be okay.
Immediately when the vat came into view, my eyes had locked onto Drake floating within it. His body was frail, ribs showing beneath his thin Enderman skin on the right side of his chest. That bright light like magic continued to glow within him, pulsing slightly like a slow beating heart. Within the liquid, I could see transparent clouds of red fading into the green around his resting face. He looked a lot more peaceful than before, to my great relief. My feet took me around the middle island until I was standing right in front of the chamber, looking at Drake's real name on the silver plate.

  D9ak8... ha. I still hated that objectifying name.

  "I'm sorry, Drake. I should have known better than to drag you into that. I should have waited until you were ready. I didn't know that...I'm sorry."

I clenched the jacket tighter in my fist until my knuckles turned white. I pressed my teeth together until they felt like they would pop out from my gums. Armen, stay strong! I stood there, holding the jacket to my chest as I tried to resist shedding anymore tears. Why am I always such a cry baby?

  I'm sorry.