In an attempt to steady her trembling hands, Adrienne gripped the rim of the porcelain sink, her eyes glued to the bloody carnage beneath her. She had overdone it; she knew that, but by this much? Phasing Quinlan and herself shouldn't have wreaked this much havoc on her body. It was getting worse. And fast.

"I'm running out of time."

The air left her lungs as the helplessness of her impending fate crept even deeper into her bones. Deeper than it had ever been before. Why did she let it get this bad?

She chuckled lightly, but the sound was empty. Hollow. "It's because I'm a glutton for punishment."

A week … a week was all it took for her to push herself well beyond her means. It was astounding how it had taken such a short amount of time to get her to this point. But in all honesty, what else was she to expect? Her powers weren't designed for such frequent use.

But what other choice was there to be had? Strigoi now littered the streets in hordes; it was near impossible to maneuver without the need of her abilities. Her powers had given the group an edge. An edge they had lacked until she had arrived.

She had to use her powers. There was no other choice in the matter. If she hadn't used her powers all those times, she and other members of their little Frankenstein group would be dead now. But still … all it had done was make her weak. A liability.

Her jaw twitched. It was sickening to think of herself in those terms. The last thing she wanted—no—needed to be was dead weight. Everyone had a part to play. So they all had to be at the top of their game, including her.

The tips of her fingers whitened as she tightened her grip around the edges of the counter. Her foolishness was infuriating! She had known better, was even taught better, but she pushed herself anyway. And now … now she was paying for it.

She clenched her jaw before slowly lifting her gaze to the mirror that hung just above the sink. It was there, in the stark contrast of her reflection, that she saw the ramification of her recent actions.

An audible curse fell from her lips. It was worse than she had imagined. For no longer did she look like a normal, healthy human being of only twenty-five. No. She looked more like a woman near death. Her eyes were sunken, and her skin was dull and lifeless, but all of that was merely window dressing for the blood that lined her lips.

Her tongue slid absently across her bottom lip, in a subconscious attempt to rid herself of the only evidence that could give her away. And though the taste of blood was familiar to her, it still took a bit of effort not to let it overwhelm her.

Dark eyes went alight with anger. "Why now? Why—" she bit down on her bottom lip then. Desperate to hold back the one question she swore she would never ask.

Why me?

Those words were like acid to her. An acid that only people with a lack of accountability would spit. Her whole body shook at the very prospect of having even uttered a fraction of that question. Every inch of her felt like it was on a razor's edge. And she hated it. Fear might have been a familiar emotion to her, but it was an unwelcome one.

There was no place for fear in a Chosen's life. That was what Ezra had once told her. And he was right. Fear had no place in her life. She gave up the right to feel fear a long time ago.

The tender flesh of her lip slid from her teeth, bruised and bloodied from her abuse. "All power comes at a price," she murmured, "And this is mine."

Her words were blunt but true. She had come too far to turn back now. They all had. Her vague fear of death meant nothing when compared to the actual death of thousands.

"Coughing up blood is a small price to pay, I guess." She glanced back down at the sink. "At least when compared to the alternative."

The vice-like grip she had on the sink loosened as the fight began to leave her. There was nothing she could do now. The only option left was to trudge onward into a future she wasn't even sure she wanted to be a part of anymore. She couldn't give up. Not now. Not ever.

Another drawn-out sigh left her as she pushed off from the sink. An action she soon came to regret when the room began to spin. She grabbed hold of the countertop, steadying herself. Was this what she was going to have to contend with for the rest of her days? Coughing up blood was bad enough, but vertigo as well!

She groaned at the possibility and reached to turn on the tap, but stalled for a moment, committing the gore to memory. In hopes that it would serve as a reminder to be more mindful in the future. She couldn't afford another slip-up.

Only when each detail stood stark in her memory, did she relent and turn on the water. Her gaze was empty as she watched all remnants of her illness fade away. It was unnerving how the sink looked no different from when she had first entered the bathroom. It was as if nothing had happened at all.

How unnerving, she thought with a twinge of bitterness.

With a gentle shake of her head, she forced the impending thoughts back into the recesses of her mind, refusing to entertain them any longer than she already had. Such dark thoughts served no purpose other than to halt her actions.

Adrienne cupped her palms beneath the faucet, filling them to the brim with water before lifting them to her lips. She downed the water in a single gulp, hoping it would soothe the ache in her throat. It did. And for that, she was immensely grateful.

Once more, she filled her palms with water, but this time she took only one shallow sip and swished it about her cheeks. She allowed the water to soak into every crevice of her mouth before spitting the blood-infused liquid back into the sink.

The remaining water fell from her palms as she moved to ghost her hands along the feverish flesh of her cheeks. A groan fell from her lips as a newfound relief flooded her being. She had no idea that her face had gotten so hot throughout this endeavor. Just another symptom to add to her growing list, she supposed.

For a moment, she just stood there with her head lolled back and hands sprawled across her cheeks. Simply basking in what little relief she could find in this God-forsaken place. She knew that this small amount of peace was only temporary. A slight reprieve before the horrors of the outside world invaded her mind once more.

This peaceful numbness was familiar, welcome, and far better than the acute awareness she seemed to possess when it came to the world around her. A deep breath left her as she mentally prepared herself for the world that lay just beyond this room. A cold, dark, world that seemed to only hold death and gore now.

It was times like these that she thought most especially of her family. How it had been far too long since she had last heard from them. But she had to trust that they were safe. She also had to trust that Eric and the others were safe as well. Being as she hadn't heard from them since before she had come to New York.

She let out a shaky breath, "I wonder if they are fairing any better?"

The urge to reach out to them was profound, but attempting any form of contact was dangerous. It was impossible to know where the Master had ears and where he didn't. And besides, even if she did know, it would be horrifically selfish to put them at such a risk.

Her hands fell from her face as her dark gaze leveled with her reflection. It was time to return to the real world, though she dreaded it immensely. Her gaze fell once more to her now spotless, yet chapped, lips.

With a slight hum, her right forefinger came up to touch her bottom lip. The pad of her finger slid haphazardly across the neglected flesh, smoothing out the pieces that stood up. Adrienne couldn't help but think of all the times she took advantage of having chapstick whenever she pleased.

A set of knuckles rapped gently against the bathroom door, "Adrienne? "

Adrienne jumped at the sound as her gaze shot towards the door, giving it the deadliest glare she could muster. Her mouth opened to tell whoever it was that she'd be out in a moment but stopped when a familiar sensation shot down her spine. It was Quinlan. But how did she not sense his presence until just now?

Usually, she could sense him from yards away, but this time she didn't know it was him until he was practically right up on her.

The corners of her mouth quirked up, mildly humored by the thought that she had grown so used to the Born's presence that she no longer took notice of it.

"Are you alright?" he inquired further.

Adrienne cocked a brow at that. Was it just her imagination, or did Quinlan sound almost concerned about her wellbeing? Dumbstruck by the vampire's seeming concerns, she could only utter a "Yeah," as her gaze quickly swept across the sink, "I'm fine. "

Before she could think better of it, she reached for the handle of the door. But instead of opening it, she squeezed the bronze-colored handle and spared the mirror one final glance. What shown back was less than adequate, but there was nothing more she could do about her appearance. She would just have to learn to embrace this new ramshackle look that came with the end of the world.

She slowly shook her head at her half-hearted attempt at humor and forced a smile to spread across her features. It was lackluster at best, but she had to admit that it still looked rather genuine considering their current situation. Hopefully, it would be enough to dampen Quinlan's concerns.