Chapter Ten

John

"How could he just separate us like that?" Six exclaims once I close the door. She starts pacing around the room, continuously running her hands through her golden mess of curly hair. "I mean, how come the others aren't separated?"

"I know how you feel, if not I feel worse," I say, stopping her in mid-pace with a hug from behind, "because I know I won't be there to hold you tight when it happens again." I turn her around so that she's facing me, and I can see the total look of worry reflected in her eyes. I haven't seen Six worry like this so much before. With this look in her eyes, the tough girl that saved my ass in countless occasions melts away.

"I just…I have a bad—a very bad—feeling about this, John," Six says. I cup her cheek with my hand and press my lips against hers comfortingly. It seems like it's been forever when I pull away. I let my forehead touch hers and whisper, "As long as I'm around, nothing, no one, not even Setrákus will ever hurt you."

"But you won't be there, John," Six says with a sad frown.

"There are always ways for me to see you, Six. You just have to believe me. I will always be in your dreams," I say, somewhat giving Six a clue. I'm planning on sending her a dream message every night starting tomorrow. Call me even an overly attached boyfriend, I don't care. I love Six, and I will always love her.

I did not notice that we are near the foot of the bed until Six pushes me and I fall on my back with her on my chest. She chuckles slightly, and a strand of hair falls in front of her face. Six blows it away childishly, which I find cute of her. I smile and brush that pesky strand of hair away, putting it behind her ear. God, she looks beautiful. Prettier than anyone else in the universe, with that soft look in her eyes and the slight blush that fills her cheeks when I kiss her soft lips. As the kisses become intense, I roll to my side and pull myself over Six without letting her feel my weight. Six's hands trace the plains on my chest, all the way down to the hem of my shirt. She tugs at it, so I break our kiss for two seconds just to take it off. I throw my shirt away and press my lips once again on Six's, this time hungrily. My lips graze her jaw line, to the hollow behind her ear and down to her neck. I can feel Six shiver in response when I lightly kiss her collarbone.

Six and I haven't gotten this intense in a while. I have to say that I've miss this. And besides, tonight will be the last night I'll have her beside me, so I'd better make the best of it.

I detach my lips from Six's collarbone and look her in the eyes. The anxiety is still there though. I lightly kiss her forehead and whisper, "I love you." The worry and the fear that filled her eyes wash away when she whispers back to me, "I love you more." I smile and bend my head towards hers, our lips glues to each other once more.

When I wake up, it is morning—the very thing I'm dreading.

Six has her head on my left arm like a pillow, her breaths tickling my skin. My other arm is draped over her thin waist. She's still asleep. Six looks younger when she's asleep, without those worry lines and other blemishes that hide her true beauty. Right now, she looks like a young adult, her face relaxed and gorgeous. It would be a shame to wake her up, but sadly, she just did.

"Why are you looking at me?" she whispers groggily after closing her eyes again.

"You're just so beautiful," I say, lightly kissing down the side of her face.

"And since when were you this cheesy, John?"

"Is it wrong of me to marvel at my girlfriend?" I ask her, smiling when I feel her shiver.

"Great, John. Now I have to pee," Six complains, throwing my arm off her waist and rolling to her side so that she can pull herself over me. I grunt slightly when her elbow hits my ribs. "I don't want to go," Six says. I sigh and say, "Me neither."

"But it's for the world's sake, so put some clothes on."

In no time at all, we are ready to leave. But I wasn't ready to say good-bye.

"I want a motorcycle, Cole, not a monster truck," Six says just before Crayton, Malcolm and Cole leave for car shopping. "Isn't riding a motorcycle almost giving away your identity?" I ask, helping Six repack her things.

"Not if I wear a helmet and act like a boyish badass," she replies with small smile, but in her eyes I see that she isn't ready to leave too.

While Crayton and the others are out, we are silent. No one had the heart to talk, especially Six and me. Ella also looks nervous. She is constantly lifting things up and down with her mind or spewing ten doppelgangers per second and making them disappear a minute later. For an eleven-year-old, she certainly does not act her age. I can tell the others are worried as well. Sam keeps on fidgeting, checking and rechecking the list of items he intends to bring. Meredith and Nine are outside, practice-fighting. Marina, with a plastic bag and towel in her hand, places the Healing Stones on the towel. She wraps the stones with it, places it in the plastic bag and stuffs it in her backpack.

When Cole, Crayton and Malcolm return, Crayton says, "We have to leave. We have an entire planet to protect."

The motorcycle Cole got is cherry red and very new. Six thanks Cole silently and throws her heavier bag inside the SUV Crayton and Malcolm are going to take. Something makes noise in the bag when it hits the back seat, so I'm assuming it must be filled with weapons. Afterwards she puts her other bag, the one with her clothes, near the front wheel of her motorcycle.

The Chimæras are loaded in each vehicle as well as the others. They're ready. But I'm not.

Six brushes the dirt off her black skinny jeans as she stands up from beside the motorcycle. Her eyes are slightly red, suggesting she was crying. She looked really badass and beautiful. Under the leather jacket I didn't know she owns is a gray tee. She's also wearing the Converse she used when we went to Manhattan. It pains me to see her in tears, and even more when I know that I won't be there to protect her. I approach her and pull her in a tight embrace. "Everything will be fine, Six. I promise," I say, feeling her tears wet my shirt. Six looks at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. I wipe those away with my thumb and kiss her softly. "I love you, and I will see you tonight," I whisper, my forehead touching hers.

"I know. I love you too. Be safe, John," she says, and Six kisses me one last time before she leaves.

I watch as she slings the straps of her backpack through her arms, swings her right leg over the motorcycle and starts the engine. Six looks back at me once, and after managing a small smile, she puts her helmet on and takes off, with Crayton and Malcolm's SUV in her wake. I watch her until she becomes a small dot in the distance, even with my enhanced vision. After that, I walk to the pickup truck where Nine, Meredith and the group of Chimæras are. Bernie Kosar is one of them, and he barks at me from the back of the truck. I'll keep you company, John. Six will be fine, he says to me, and the other Chimæras chime in. I hop on the truck bed and, as Nine starts the engine, can't help but wish Six is beside me.