I don't remember falling, but the next thing I know, I'm on the floor, leaning against the tub. I'm gasping for air I cannot seem to get, my eyes wide from fear and disbelief. Electrike's words rang in my head like an alarm, repeating and moulding itself into a part of my mind.

I can see my inner demon- the key to my undeniable doom- staring at me from the mirror, lips moving to form the same two words over and over again. 'I'm sorry.'

"You're using me." I cringed inwardly at the bluntness of my words and the stabbing pain in my chest when realisation sunk in. "The bruises. You did them, didn't you?"

'The reason I've been silent is because, while you're awake, I'm resting and vice versa. There's no other way to spare you from the full throttle of transformation than to activate it when you're unconscious.' The blue eyes cast downwards, to look at his intertwined fingers. 'I didn't think it'd leave any physical evidence until I caught you poking at the bruises today.'

"What do you mean? Why did you do this to me? What did I do to deserve this?" I cried, my head falling onto my hands. My eyes were squeezed shut and, for once after a long time, I wished I hadn't obtained my powers. For once, I wish the cure worked.

'The procedure is nearly complete. It's the only reason I don't need to rejuvenate today and that our powers have been in supreme control.' The voice barely wavered, although a slight hint of guilt was clear even if I didn't look at his shameless face. 'I've been preparing your body for the transition into the Ultime's form and that has been draining enough energy to keep our powers at bay. I'm sorry it's you, Kendall. I really am. But neither of us has a choice. I don't want this as much as you do.'

I rocked back and forth, keening and clutching at my hair. "I'm going to die."

'You should have told him.'

I looked up at the mirror, confused, until I saw James' face by the now open bathroom door. Drained of color and gaping, all the brunette did was stare at Electrike, whose head hug low, avoiding eye contact with either of us.

I shakily stood, using the floor to heave myself up. James' hands were cold against my forearms, where they were wrapped as my lover kept me on my feet and his eyes were focused on the mirror, not breaking contact even when I tilted my head to stare at him.

"You… You knew too?" I squirmed, attempting to get out of the boy's death grip while the pain of betrayal seared through my veins. "James!"

His head snapped towards me and he stiffened. "I- Come on, we'll talk on the way to the café, I'll tell you everything. I promise," he rambled, releasing my forearms to grab my hand as he dragged me out. From the corner of my eye, I saw Electrike slowly fading before I stepped out of the bathroom, albeit reluctantly.

The electric blue eyes sizzled before the image left the surface, leaving no trace of a separate being having resided in it to have to conversation with me. Any evidence that Electrike had shown himself in my reflection was gone, along with his guilty face and mumbled apologies.

Numb, dumbstruck, stupefied. Everything became a blur, even when I felt hands disrobing me & the feel of a cleaner cotton shirt and jeans touched my skin. My mind was reeling, empty spaces being filled with information I have gathered as well as my own hypothesis.

After all this while, Alexander was right. There is no cure. There is no way to lift the curse cast upon us by the hands of a scientist who wished to defy the natural standards of life. The only solution is to get rid of the problem. Permanently.

And if this was what the older Diamond had planned, then he knew he was sentencing me to my death the second he placed me on the operating table. And James knew, too.

I don't know what's worse. Knowing I've been sentenced to death without my consent or that James kept yet another huge secret from me, even after all the bittersweet promises of opening up when he asked me to prom.

"Kendall." I blinked at the sound of my name and looked up from the clothed chest in front of me. James' lower lip was caught between his teeth, chewed on, and his eyebrows furrowed from worry. I barely felt his palms cupping my cheeks, fingers brushing as soft as a feather. "The bruises…?"

I sneered. "Shouldn't you know? It's all for the transition into the Ultime," I replied snappishly, curling my fingers into fists to stop from shoving my boyfriend away. My eyes stung and I knew tears were threatening to spill. "I thought we agreed not to keep secrets anymore."

"How long?"

I sighed and sagged my shoulders. "A week. I didn't think it was anything serious until Electrike told me." My head was tilted up, forcing me to look into James' guilt-filled eyes. As furious as I was, a part of me still softened at the look on the brunet's face. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

His hands slid from my face and were wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him. "It's okay, love," he whispered, pressing a kiss on my hairline. "I'm sorry I kept the Ultime thing a secret. I didn't know how to break it to you. It seemed so surreal, impossible to be true."

With a deep breath to quell the urges I had to blast my boyfriend out of the window, I retold the information Electrike shared with me just moments before, all the while keeping an eye on the taller boy's reaction. From guilt to disbelief to worry. By the time everything was out, James had his face buried in the crook of my neck with a death grip for a hug.

"I'm not going to lose you."

I cocked my eyebrows and frowned. "Did you hear nothing? If the conditions for the Ultime is met, my soul is going to be ripped from my body. I'd be dead." I elbowed his ribs, ignoring the pained grunt and wince I felt on my skin. "Don't change the subject. You knew about this and you kept it a secret."

His hands slid to my lower back and he moved back, allowing me to look at his face. A light dust of pink spread across his cheeks as shame filled his features. "Well," he said, pausing to stare at me before averting his eyes again. "The illustrations seemed impossible to be true and, I guess, I was hoping that somehow, Alexander miscalculated his readings. And maybe you won't turn into a being made of nothing but water and electric currents."

At my surprised squeak, James smiled. "Come on, I'll show you the notes Allie gave to me after we get something to eat."

After dragging me out of my own house and splurging on a rather expensive meal, James brought me back to his, walking at a slow pace as we held hands and took in our darkened surroundings. Other than the occasional small chatter we indulged in, the only sound that drifted by us were the rustle of leaves being pushed by the wind and the bustling of human bodies as working adults made their way home after a long, tiring day.

"You're not off the hook yet, you know," I warned the boy next to me, my eyes looking forward, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. "Even if I did overreact."

"Oh, shut up." James' hand released mine, and the next thing I knew, it's swung onto my butt, a resounding smack echoing into my ears. I turned a light shade of red and gasped, jumping from contact, before I glared at my boyfriend. He smiled innocently and patted the aching area gently before walking ahead of me.

Grumbling and pouting, I trudged along, ignoring the ache stinging under my jeans.

I don't know how long I spent silently seething and going through reasons I should apologise for freaking out over James keeping a secret from me. The next thing I knew, I'm in the Diamond's household. The smell of burnt eggs wafted from the kitchen, along with a shrill voice going, "Oh God, don't burn! Nooooo!"

I glanced at the brunette, whose back was to me as he sorted the copious amounts of shoes on the floor into something that would resemble a neat pile. Toeing off my own footwear, I peeked my head into the kitchen.

Only to choke on the abrupt laughter that threatened to escape.

The teenage girl with long blonde hair, swept into a ponytail, glared at the stove, where black smoke was rising from the small pan balanced on it. Little jolts of white light danced around the kitchen feverously. If they had a voice, they'd all be laughing at the scene Allie made.

James brushed past me and settled down at the kitchen counter, his face resting on his fisted hands. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having to clean this mess up later?" he smirks.

His words made Allie jump a mile high, clearly unaware that the inhabitant of the mansion had returned. She turned towards us and smiled sheepishly. "I'm hungry," she said blatantly as though it was enough of an explanation. When James did a little sweep of his arm with an arched brow, the little blonde sighed. "Shane was supposed to be back a while ago with food, but clearly, he isn't. I don't know the address to this place to call a pizza and neither do I have the cash on me. So I tried to fry some eggs."

James and I both eyed the black smoke seeping out of the closed trash bin before we raised our faces back to her.

"Okay, maybe I used the whole carton."

We shook our heads with a grin. How exactly did she manage to feed herself back at Alexander's, I'll never know. Probably had a maid helping her do that stuff.

"I didn't do it on purpose. I'm just worried about Shane," she mumbled, rubbing her arm awkwardly as her face turned a bright shade of pink. "The sparks have been going insane for the past few hours. It's never been this bad."

"It's alright, Allie. I think those eggs were about to expire, anyway," James said dismissively, walking past me to raid the fridge. "What's up with Shane?"

"He's gone home to 'check in' with Dad." Allie grunted and tossed the latest batch of charred eggs into the trash. "But, it's been nearly 12 hours since I last heard from him."

James emerged from the fridge with an open carton of milk in his hand. "Have you tried calling him? Maybe he's buried under seven hundred layers of paper and hasn't resurfaced." Despite the playfulness of his words, his brows furrowed, giving away the truth of his feelings. Even he was worried about Shane's sudden silence.

The petite blonde sighed. "I did. Twenty times. He didn't pick up."

I frowned. All four of us have been on good terms, I didn't see a reason for Shane to up and leave. Especially without Allie in tow. Something felt wrong here and, for some reason, I had a feeling it's linked to the whole Ultime ordeal. I looked up and studied the teen in front of me; she wasn't lying. Bright, white sparks were coming out from all parts of her body, sizzling into the air before disappearing. She seemed more restless than James was, and he was part of the experiment in search of a cure.

I jerked when I remembered what I was initially here for. Clearing my throat, I said, "Hey, this is probably a bad time but James told me there were papers about the Ultime. Can I… Can I see them?"

I watched as Allie's eyes got comically bigger for a fraction of a second before she glared at James. I watched the brunet flinch and shrug, cowering slightly under his sister's fierce gaze. "Electrike told him, not me," James protested defensively.

"But, James-"

"Just show him the notes, Allie. Please."

She took a deep breath and walked out of the kitchen. The two of us remained silent until we heard her footsteps going up the stairs, then James walked towards me and pulled me into a tight hug. His breath tickled the tip of my ear.

"I promise I'll find a way to stop this," he whispered, placing a soft kiss on the side of my head. "I love you too much to let you go."

I pulled back and looked at him- really looked at him; the dark circles under his eyes, the tensed jaw, the slight wrinkles on his forehead. He's filled out his clothes a bit more than the last time I remembered, thankfully, and the paleness of his skin is slowly being replaced by tanned skin again. I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently against his. "Despite everything that's happened," I murmured, letting our puffs of breaths mingle. "I love you too. Just as much and stronger than before."

He moved and pecked my forehead. "After this is over, we're going to spend all of our waking moments together, I promise."

His fingers grazed the back of my neck and I smiled. He chuckled lowly and shook his head.

"That's incredibly cheesy and is making me feel weird. Stop it."

We leapt apart from one another and stared at the direction of the voice, only to see Allie with a smirk on her face. She leaned against the entrance of the kitchen with her arms crossed, a small stack of papers hugged against her chest. She held the notes to me and nodded. "Here's everything you need about the Ultime. Just … Keep an open mind, okay? Some of the descriptions are horribly gruesome."

I gripped it tight. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll try."

A/N: Ugh it's been 84 years since I updated. I'm so sorry guys. A lot happened since the last update & I was slowly losing my motivation to write. HOWEVER, you have winterschild11 to thank for this chapter. Her consistent urging for me to update eventually made me gain back the confidence to write again.

I initially stopped writing because the Kames fandom just seemed to … die down. It didn't bother me regarding the views but I was genuinely scared people were losing interest. I think my fear got the best of me, combined with the troubles I faced, and I just lost it & completely quit.

I'm back to finish this story up, that's for sure. But I'm not so sure if I want to continue writing Kames. Maybe I will but I'm definitely going to focus on more fiction stuff. I'll still be on Twitter but my stories will most likely be on my wattpad, with my own characters.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!

The next chapter will most likely jump to Prom Night! Get your suits and dresses ready, people. It's going to be a night to remember.