PART THREE
the moment of truth
TRUE POSITIVE
It was supposed to be the moment she's been waiting for. Alina has spent years and years dreaming of it, but when the time came, she stood frozen at the edge of the Shadow Fold, her heart racing.
It will be nothing like she imagined.
There wasn't any time for careful experiments or sneaking into it during the night shifts. There wasn't even a plan – it all happened so quickly, in one moment he was standing here and in another-
She could hear the others in the distance, frantically preparing the skiff, yelling at each other, panicking.
Alina couldn't panic.
She was not allowed to fear, not now.
Part of her knew that if she were to enter the Unsea now, unprepared, her secret could be out in a blink of an eye, a secret that she fought for years to protect... And yet, she would sacrifice it to become a savior.
She had no other choice, not really.
Slowly, so slowly, Alina reached out and caressed the darkness. She felt her old scars tingle in response. Maybe, just maybe, she could make it quick? In and out, before anyone notices...
"Alina! Stop, you idiot, don't you dare-"
For one, blissful breath, there will only be darkness.
AN: So i liked how this not-really-a-chapter aka chapter 8 separated the two arcs... And here we are, with another sneak peek, even worse than the first one. But! I actually already have some of the next chapter actual-chapter written, so - it's a progress.