I open the door on the last day of his first life.

He lies facing away from the door, away from me. He makes no move to get up.

"I've decided," he says in a cool voice that I can't decipher the feelings from.

"Decided what?" I sit in the chair by his feet and wait for the five words I've been hoping for since he arrived.

"I'm ready to be awakened." The world resumes spinning on its axis and I close my eyes, treasuring the moment. I could see him crystal clear in my head, the two of us together as the decades passed. Forever as a quantified statement. I'd never lose him.

I lean across his bed to stroke his hair. Even the room feels warmer now, as if some of the ice between us has melted.

"I'll get Galina." I pull my shoes on, almost putting them on the wrong feet in my excited hurry. I turn back to look at him one last time as the door closes, unable to resist. I think for a moment that it's a pity those beautiful blue eyes will turn red, but I shake it off. Forever, I tell myself. I cannot help my smile.

The hallways to Galina's office never seemed so long. I hurried, my dress swishing as I walked. I knock softly and then enter. Seated behind her desk, Galina doesn't even bother looking up as I enter and bow my head, waiting to be acknowledged.

"What."

"He's ready, ma'am."

"Now we decide to be polite?"

"I'm sorry, Galina." She snorts at this and closes her book.

"Very well. You delivered on your half of the bargain I suppose." She shifts in her chair, swinging her legs up to rest on her desk. "Bring your pet."

I curtsy for good measure, freezing in place as I hear a scream. Galina's boots slam to the floor with a clunk and she rises to her full intimidating height.

The door swings open suddenly, banging against the bookshelves bracketing the doorframe. Bruce appears in the doorway, stumbling and cradling his wrist. I open my mouth to ask what he's doing here, but before I can, Bruce falls to his knees and reveals a too-familiar dark-haired figure.

"You lying bastard! This isn't the exit!" Christian brushes his hair out of his eyes, comically freezing in place as he notices me and Galina staring at him slack-jawed.

Galina is the first to recover, yelling in Russian and striking me so hard I fall to my hands and knees. She narrows her eyes at Bruce and Christian, assessing the situation.

Bruce, ever the brilliant scientist, turns to me slightly and shows me his wrist. The second I see the burned flesh, I dive forward. Bruce and I hit the floor in the same instant Christian lets out a roar. A fireball rips from his hands and catches Galina in the chest.

Galina is not as young nor as foolish as Ivan, and instead of screaming she hits the floor and rolls around to beat the flames out. Christian glances between Galina and Bruce before his gaze lands on me. He opens his mouth to say something, but I never find out what it is. I was too locked in his gaze to notice Galina standing up and running at him. She catches him with a full-body tackle, slamming him into the floorboards.

"No!" I cry and pull her off him before I know what I'm doing. Galina's eyes narrow and she flings me backwards into the same bookshelf the door slammed into. I now understand the meaning of "seeing stars" as lights pop in my vision.

Through the stars dancing across my vision, I see that Christian has managed to crawl away and is seated on the carpeted floor holding a fireball as Galina towers over him. Still dizzy, I decide it's safer to crawl. As I crawl past Bruce, I notice blood dripping from his neck. Clever Christian, feeding to replenish his strength. I had given him enough blood that he wasn't uncomfortable, but it certainly didn't compare to the high he must be riding from Bruce's fresh blood.

Christian's fireball catches Galina in the legs this time, and she is not as quick to fall to the ground as last time. The smell of burnt flesh is awful and I watch as Christian gags, then reaches out to touch the carpet next to Galina. The carpet lights instantly, the flames licking at her hair and her skin.

Using the bookshelf for support to stand, I pull Christian up to a standing position. I lean over Galina, who impressively is not dead yet, and snap her neck. Dizzy from the hit and the smell of charred flesh, I close my eyes for a moment to let the stars fade from my vision. When I opened them again, he was gone.