Chapter 7
Ash's POV
In a flash of bright light, I found myself back at the lab, squinting into the overhead lamps as Norm opened my pod. The lab was completely empty, most of the lights turned off to preserve energy. Norm and I were alone. He stared down at me—and I up at him—before finally I sat up and got out, squeezing past him. As I headed for the door, he followed before stopping in the middle of the lab.
"What was that all about, Ash?" I stopped completely, leaning against the door frame a little. I couldn't bear to look at Norm, so I turned my head slightly, just enough to see his tall and thin figure out of the corner of my eye.
Silence.
"Ash," Norm repeated. "I won't take you back until you tell me what was going on back there."
"Maybe I don't want to go back," I breathed, still not looking at him. Suddenly, I heard a crash and whirled around to see Norm flinging books off the desk nearest to him.
"Then what the hell are you on Pandora for?" he shouted. I could feel a lump forming in my throat. "Why are you here, Ash?"
The tears came, sitting on the edge of my eyes.
"Because I thought I could get away from him!" I slid down against the door, sitting on the cold floor, leaning against the wall. "How would I have known he was here? I thought if I left earth I'd forget about Jake… but now that I'm here, so is he! No matter what I do, no matter where I go, he's always with me!" I was sobbing now, choking out my words.
Norm stood, watching me. His face showed great concern, and regret for pushing me past my limits. Slowly, he came and sat down next to me, putting his arms around me in a hug. "What happened, Ash?" I leaned against him, crying into his chest.
"I fell in love with him," I sobbed. "And then he broke my heart."
And then—as painful as it was—I started explaining my history with Jake. How I'd met him and saved his life. How fate had brought us together again at the Welcome Home campaign. How after that night, we'd began seeing each other. And then, the most painful part of it all, how he'd told me he loved me.
Flash.