So basically, this is what I wanted to happen between Allison and Isaac at the beginning of "Illuminated," except this time, they have been together for a bit longer, and kind of have something like an established relationship. Sorry if this is confusing, but I had to put this idea on paper before it flew out of my head.
"Isaac!" I yelled as I pounded my fists on my bedroom door, desperately trying to get in. "Isaac, hold on, we're coming! We—we're almost in, just hold on."
Beside me, my dad had begun trying to kick the door in. I could here Isaac's screams for help just on the other side. We were so close, just a few more kicks.
Dad gave one final blow, and the door swung open, hitting the wall. Isaac was on the floor, shaking and whimpering.
"Isaac?" I cried as I ran towards him, dropping to my knees beside him. I reached out and tried to grab his shoulder, but he flinched and pulled away from my touch. I tried again, and he flinched like before but this time I could get a grip in him, steady him so that my dad could tell him what he needed to do. "He's freezing, Dad he's like ice."
"Isaac," he said gruffly. "Isaac, look at me. Isaac…"
"Dad what's happening to him?" I asked nervously.
"Isaac, come on. Isaac, listen you have to turn." Dad continued, ignoring my question completely.
"No, no, no." Isaac whimpered.
"Look at me." Dad said firmly, as he slapped Isaac's cheek, trying to kick-start the transformation. "You need to trigger it. Come on, trigger!" Dad yelled, still slapping his cheek. "Trigger! Trigger!"
Finally, Isaac's eyes glowed yellow, and the fangs emerged from his gums. He realized what was happening and quickly crawled from his spot on the floor so that his back was against my bed.
"Did you see them?" Isaac whispered, eyes darting around the room as if he was searching for something to hold onto. Something real. His eyes finally met mine and they stayed locked.
"Who?" I asked softly.
"There were five of them. They…wore black. I c—I couldn't—I couldn't see their faces they were—they were covered." He said, his voice shaking as tears ran down his face.
"What do you mean, like masks?"
"I could see his eyes they were… greenish-yellow like a—like a firefly."
I turned to my dad and put a hand on his shoulder. "Can you uh… give us a second? Please?"
He nodded once and stood up, glancing at Isaac one last time before exiting the room.
I cautiously knelt down next to him and placed a hand on his knee. He flinched, but didn't object.
"Isaac?" I whispered. "Isaac, you're okay now. You're safe." He was staring at the empty space behind me, and began shaking his head. His bottom lip quivered as he attempted to hold back tears that would inevitably spill over. I removed my hand from his knee and placed it on his cheek, which was bright red from my father's hand.
"Isaac, look at me. Hey, focus on me okay?" I said in a calm but firm voice. He finally met my gaze, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. "It's okay." I said with a weak smile. I rubbed my thumb over his cheekbone and wiped away the fallen tears.
"I c—I can't fix it." He stammered, his eyes growing impossibly wider. "Allison, you have to help me. I can't fix it. I can't fix it. If I don't fix it he'll—he's gonna hurt me again." He was almost yelling now. But then his voice broke, and he started to whisper again. "I can't—I don't want to—please. You have to—I can't do it alone. I need help. Allison, help me, please."
I nodded and took his hand in mine.
"It was so cold. They made it so cold. It felt like I was back in—" his voice broke and his bottom lip trembled again. His breathing was uneven and shaky, panicky.
I squeezed his hand. "Isaac, it's okay. You're safe now. I'm not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you. I wont let that happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. You're safe, Isaac. Here, with me, you're safe."
His eyes were locked on mine, filled with pain and fear. I just wanted to make it all go away. I needed him to know that no matter what happens, I've got him. And he's got me. Before I could say anything else, his arms were wrapped around me and he was pulling me in for a hug. I hugged back, tight. He pressed his head against my neck and buried himself there. I felt his tears running down my collarbone, but I didn't mind. It was a beautiful thing to see, the guy who was always "on", who always seemed like he knew what he was doing, was finally letting go. Right here, with me on my bedroom floor. Isaac was letting go. This was good, he needed to do this.
I traced circles on his back with my fingertips, and I felt him shudder at the touch and then sigh in relief. He probably hadn't been touched this gently in a really long time. I threaded my fingers through his curls, which were damp with cold sweat and plastered to his neck. He let out a low, almost inaudible moan. Not in a sexual way, just relief that he could finally let his guard down and just be himself. No mask, no false confidence, just raw emotion. In this moment, he was purely Isaac Lahey. Nothing more. Nothing less.
"Thank you." Isaac whispered into my shoulder. "I don't know what—I just—I couldn't—"
"Shhh, it's okay. I understand. You don't have to explain yourself. Not to me, anyway."
He pulled away and I kept my gaze fixed on our hand, intertwined and resting on my knee.
"Allison?" He half-whispered, half-spoke. I looked up and met his gaze.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"You already said that." I said, smiling.
"I know, but I just…need you to know. Thank you."
"I've got you, Isaac. I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere. Unless you want me to."
He quickly shook his head. "I don't. I want you to stay with me."
"Okay. Good."
"Good." He nodded, the smallest hint of a smile playing across his lips.