"Seth," Lavender looked at Seth. "You know where to get a gun, right?"
"Of course," Seth smirked.
"What do you need a gun for?" Roman asked.
"If I end up choosing evil, I might wanna shoot someone. I see mass shootings have worked well over the last 100 years. You also got Trump and covid so I think your last whore was worth everything," Lavender said.
"She was," Seth grinned. "She's ending her time with a bang. Fuck, I'm gonna miss her."
"This is why you have to choose me, sweetheart. The humans have suffered enough in this round," Roman said.
"They can never suffer enough," Seth said.

Lavender smirked and pointed at the door.

"Seth, get me a gun," Lavender said.
"On it," Seth said.
"It's not safe," Roman said.
"Roman, go with him to make sure he brings bullets too," Lavender said.
"Angel dust!" Roman hissed. "How I wish I had Seth's vocabulary right now."
"I'll see you later, boys," Lavender said. "And bring me back a double cheese burger."

Roman and Seth walked past her and opened the front door.

"This is your fault," Seth said.
"How is it my fault?" Roman asked. "She figured out the command thing on her own."
"I wish they would start creating dumber versions of the whores," Seth said.

Lavender waited around an hour before Seth and Roman returned with a gun, bullets and a double cheese burger.

"Seth didn't pay for the gun," Roman said.
"Shut up!" Seth growled.
"I still can't lie," Roman said.
"Did you kill the seller?" Lavender asked.
"See, she doesn't care," Seth said. "No, Roman wouldn't let me kill him so I only knocked him out."

Lavender took the gun and loaded it.

"Thank you," Lavender said. "Stay here."
"Where are you going?" Roman asked.
"To make my choice," Lavender said.
"She's gonna kill someone to show she chooses me," Seth said.
"No, but I might kill myself," Lavender said.

The two men stared in disbelief. It sank in a few seconds later. They ran towards her to stop her. She bolted out of the apartment and stopped right outside. An invisible force was holding them back.

"Fuck!" Seth yelled. "Let us out!"
"Enjoy the burger," Lavender said.
"Lavender. Sweetheart. Talk to us," Roman said.
"I tried talking for 29 years. Your answer was always the same. I'm taking my fate into my own hands," Lavender said.

She turned and walked away. She picked up her phone while walking and dialed Drew's number.

"Hello?" He asked.
"I choose you," she answered.
"Lavender?" He asked.
"Text me your address and I'll be right over," she said.

She hung up and waited. She wasn't sure if he'd actually text his address. He knew there was a chance he would die. Not even a minute later a text came through with his address. She stopped a cab and drove to Drew's house. He was waiting for her in the open door. She walked up to him, grabbed his t-shirt, pulled him down for a kiss while pushing him back into his house.

"I choose you, Drew," she said.
"I'm happy," he said. "So how do we do this?"

She showed him the gun and he looked scared. She placed is on a table and looked at him again.

"If you die, I'm gonna kill myself," she said.
"Why?" He asked.
"I don't wanna live in a world without you," she sniffled. "I'm about to cause so many people their lives and I need you there for me to handle the guilt. I can't do it alone. I can't do it without you."
"Come here," he said.

He pulled her into his arms, kissed her, and lifted her up. He carried her into the bedroom and placed her down on the bed. He took his time undressing the both of them and kissing her all over her body. He kept going until she stopped him. He knew this was it. He either slept with her now or he broke all ties with her.

"You can still walk away," she said. "You don't have to do this."
"But I want to," he said. "You've turned my head since day one. I can't get you out of my mind no matter how hard I try. It's you, Lavender. It's always been you. I don't want anyone else."

He rolled on top of her and gently pushed inside her. He took his time with her, rocking his hips slowly, kissing and touching, listening to her and trying his hardest to make it a good experience for her.

"Drew!" She whimpered. "Please!"

He picked up the pace slowly. Her walls were caving in. He kept going for another couple of minutes, and then she broke in the right way. She arched her back and cried out. He followed her over the edge and held still. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, waiting to figure out if this was the end or not.

"You're still alive?" She asked.
"I think so," he answered.

She giggled lightheartedly. Suddenly he knew there was nothing to fear anymore. He raised his head and his facial expression turned into one of surprise.

"Wow," he said.
"What is it?" She asked.
"You've changed," he said.
"Changed how?" She asked.

He got out of bed and pulled her up from it. He moved her to the wall mirror so she could see herself. Her silver hair had turned into a light brown color. Her lavender eyes had become light green.

"You're human," he said. "And still so incredibly beautiful."
"I'm human?" She asked in a whisper.

She moved her hands up to touch her face and run her fingers through her hair. Her smile slowly grew until it couldn't get any bigger.

"I'm human," she said.

She spun around in his arms and hugged him.

"I'm human, Drew," she said.
"Welcome to earth," he joked.
"Shit!" She said. "Roman and Seth."
"I'll drive you home," he said.

They got dressed in record speed, got out in his car and drove to her apartment. They walked into the living room. She stopped and listened. Everything was quiet.

"They're gone," she said. "I made my choice so they couldn't stay. They went back to where they came from. In 70 years a new hybrid will be created and they will try again. I never meant anything to them personally. It's all a game to them. They don't care about me or any of the other women. They only care about winning."
"And they both lost," he said.
"I can't stay here. I can't breathe inside these walls," she said.

She started to hyperventilate. He put his arms around her and helped her outside so she could get some fresh air.

"It's okay, Lavender. You don't have to go back inside. You can stay with me for as long as you want," he said.
"Really?" She asked.
"Of course. You had such a cruel destiny hanging above your head and you chose to give it the middle finger and choose me instead. How fucking happy do you think I feel right now? I don't think anyone has ever been this happy before," he said.
"I can't explain how I know, but I know you won't be one to die because of my choice. I can feel it inside," she said.
"Is it weird that I feel proud too?" He asked.

She looked at him and broke out in a smile.

"You won," she said.
"I won," he smirked. "Do you want me to go back inside and get something for you?"
"Grab a fresh set of underwear for tomorrow," she said.
"You got it," he grinned.

He walked back inside the apartment. She turned and looked out at the world in front of her. He came back out a couple of minutes later.

"I grabbed a dress too. Just in case," he said.
"I don't think billions have died," she said. "Look outside. If so many people had died, there would be some around here too. There's no sound of ambulances. There's no crying or screaming. The world moves on as always."
"So they lied to you," he said.
"More like they left out an important detail. Roman can't lie so he purposely decided not to touch the when part of it all. Billions will die but not today. Over the next 100 years while I'm here, or for as much time as I get. I bet your ass they will try their hardest to convince the next one to pick the day she turns 18," she said.
"Living until you're 130 is way overrated anyway," he said.

He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her up against his side.

"Which reminds me," he said. "When is your birthday?"
"Why?" She asked.
"I wanna take you out and buy you a present. Turning 30 is a big deal to us humans," he said.
"13 days from now," she said.
"Wow, that soon?" He said. "Do you have any wishes?"
"I already got the two wishes I had," she said. "I wanted you and I wanted to become human."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Guess I'll have to wing it somehow," he said.
"I didn't get that double cheese burger though," she said. "Can we get double cheese burgers for my birthday?"
"You're easy to please," he laughed. "You can have all the burgers you want."