In that moment just before he kissed me, I felt a shift inside. His eyes held mine for a few seconds before they rested on my lips. A numbness set in, draining all the swirling emotions inside of me. By the time his mouth touched mine, I felt nothing.

I put a hand up to his chest and pushed him away.

"Don't," I said in a calm, detached voice, my hand still against his chest.

His forehead creased as his eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong?" he asked with a frown. I pulled my hand away from him.

I should have felt nervous or guilty for what I was going to do, but I didn't. For some reason I felt nothing and that made the next step so much easier.

"We shouldn't have kissed," I explained, my tone calm and even.

"Really?" he asked, looking more perplexed.

"Yes," I assured him, shifting a little away from him. His eyes took in the action and his frown deepened.

With no emotions to contend with, I was able to follow my logical thinking from before. To keep my secret I had to keep my distance from him, and that couldn't happen if there was something going on between us. Besides, what would be the purpose in allowing him to get closer to me when in the end I wasn't sure how much time I still had before I became a Hue?

"What happened earlier shouldn't have happened," I stated to him. I didn't blink.

His eyebrows rose slightly with surprise, and then he crossed his arms.

"It shouldn't have happened," I reiterated.

"Why not?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side.

"I'm not interested in you," I lied. It was a good thing I couldn't feel emotions right then, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to lie so well.

"Okay." His eyes narrowed and he rubbed his jaw. "Then why did you kiss me before?" he asked, his hard eyes watching me.

"I got caught up in the moment," I answered with a shrug. I had no way to explain why I was not feeling anything, but I was grateful because it would have been so much harder if I'd felt the guilt of hurting him. His jaw twitched, his anger brewing just beneath the surface.

"I don't believe you," he told me with his features void of any emotion, like a poker face. His eyes searched mine for answers, but there were none. There were no hidden secrets in the depths of my eyes.

"Why is it so unbelievable?" I asked, holding his gaze.

"I felt your response," he replied.

"So what? I kissed you back. That doesn't mean I want more."

If my emotions had returned at that moment I would have been so screwed, because without the veil of nothingness inside me I wouldn't have been able to continue with the lies. He would have been able to see the truth on my face.

He studied me for a moment before he stood up.

"Then I suppose we have nothing more to talk about," he said, his expression reserved.

The first part of keeping him at a distance had been implemented well. Now for the second part.

"I don't need you to take me to school in the mornings, or give me a lift home in the afternoons," I told him.

"Irrespective of how you feel about me, your safety is still my responsibility," he told me in a detached tone. Responsibility. So that was what I was now: a responsibility.

"I'll be perfectly fine."

Why would Mason want to harm me now that I was becoming like him? I doubted it.

"No. You're still in danger."

I considered his response for a moment, trying to figure out an alternative to being in close proximity to him in his car. I could ask if one of the other Archaic could take me instead, but I felt that would just raise more questions for him and it still didn't really help. The other Archaic could also figure it out.

"I'll get a lift to and from school with a friend," I said, trying to find a way get him to agree to what I wanted.

"Like who?"

It was too far out to ask Stacy, but I was sure that if I asked Andrew, who lived a little closer, he would.

"Andrew."

His jaw clenched and his eyes darkened. He didn't like that answer.

"Fine," he said tightly, "just remember, no after-school activities."

He turned around and left me standing alone. The door slammed closed—he had left.

That had gone better than I'd expected.

I went to my room. As soon as I closed my bedroom door, I began to feel my emotions flood through me. I leaned against my door and then slid down to the floor as my heartbreak and guilt overwhelmed me. Feeling awful that I'd done that to him, I dropped my head into my hands. I'd hurt him. There was no way I would have been able to do what I had if I hadn't been in an emotionless state. My emotions were back now, though, and I felt crappy.

Anne was due home any minute and I still had to call Andrew and ask him if he could give me a ride to and from school. Nervously I got my phone and pushed the call button before I could change my mind.

"Hi," he answered after a couple of rings.

"Hey," I greeted back, my insides knotted. I was nervous about how I was going to explain this so that Andrew would help me.

"What's up?" he asked casually.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Would you be able to give me a lift to school and back for a few days?" I asked before I chickened out.

There was a pause.

"Sure," he answered.

I'd expected him to ask more questions or to hesitate slightly but he hadn't.

"Is everything okay?" he asked when I didn't respond straight away.

"Everything's fine."

I wanted to give him an explanation, but I couldn't.

"If something's going on, you can talk to me, you know that," he said.

I bit down on my lip as I felt his words touch the part of me that had felt so alone. He was a good friend, but this wasn't something that was mine to share.

"Yes, I know. Thanks."

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

When I ended the call I heard Anne get home. Supper that night was some leftovers.

Later that evening I was relieved when I finished eating supper and I could escape to my room. The guilt of lying to Jared was eating away at me. Every time I closed my eyes I could see his eyes searching my features to explain why I was acting so differently.

It was the first time I thought about what had come over me. It was like I'd been unable to feel any emotion for the short time I'd talked to Jared. If there had been any doubts of what I was turning into, that would have cemented the idea that I was indeed becoming a Hue.

Physically and mentally tired, I had a shower and got dressed. I slipped into my bed. On my side hugging a pillow tight, I began to think about how long I still had before the change was complete.

I would probably only have a week, maybe more, and I still hadn't made my mind up about what I was going to do to stop myself from becoming a killer. Letting the change take place and becoming something I detested wasn't an option, so it only left me with one choice. There was no way I was going to become like Mason and, as far as I knew, there was only one way I could stop it.

My breath felt heavy in my lungs as I exhaled. It wasn't an easy option to think about. I still needed more time to wrap my mind around what I had to do and I needed to do it before I didn't care anymore. I felt the weight of the world on my small shoulders, and I had to carry this burden alone.