"You stay with her," Jared instructed to his mom when he left to answer the front door. I stared blankly ahead as Catherine remained in the kitchen with me. She gave me a friendly smile, but I didn't smile back.

Faint voices could be heard coming from outside the kitchen. A few minutes later, Jared walked into the kitchen. I could see from the indecision on his face—he was unsure of how to handle me.

"They're waiting for us," he informed me. I rose to my feet and followed Jared as he led the way to the living room, making sure not to touch him.

I walked into a room full of Archaic, not feeling my usual nervousness. They were all sitting in their usual seats. Jared pulled up a chair for me and I sat down. I felt their eyes on me as Jared stood next to me. Catherine walked past me and sat down in her usual spot, the single chair next to a non-smiling Jennifer.

So many Archaic in one room would normally be daunting, but with no emotions I simply felt indifferent. I looked at all of them directly, waiting for the conversation to start. They all seemed to be watching me with fascination, but I remained stone-like under their eyes.

Tyler and Danny watched me closely, their eyes sharp, missing nothing. They'd seen what I was changing into and they had seen what I was capable of but, unlike Jared, they didn't trust me.

Catherine was the first to speak.

"When Ava was attacked by Mason, we had no idea why. It looks like he attacked her with the intention of changing her."

Everyone was silent, their eyes still fixed on me.

"What exactly is she changing into?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes not leaving me.

"A Hue," Jared answered as he stood by my side.

"A Hue," Jennifer said angrily as she stood up. Jared stepped protectively in front of me. His hands opened toward her, determined to protect me.

"Don't even think about it," he warned with an underlying note of ruthless power. He wasn't afraid of her. "I told you all before, no one lays a finger on her," he calmly reminded her.

I watched Jennifer shake her head in disbelief, but she sat back down. She wasn't strong enough to take Jared on. He was a Descendant. Even though Jennifer wasn't a threat anymore, Jared remained in front of me.

"I know we all hate the Hue, and rightly so. We've all been affected by them and I understand that," Jared said. They all nodded their heads in agreement. "But Ava hasn't done anything to anyone. She hasn't chosen this."

Wide eyes now studied me. I still felt nothing as I held their gazes.

"She doesn't want to become a Hue. She knows that once she loses her emotions, she will become like Mason," he informed them. I picked up the emotion in his voice when he spoke the words. Like Mason.

"What happens if we can't find a way to stop it?" Jennifer asked the question that I was sure everyone wanted the answer to.

Jared turned to look at me. I lifted my eyes to meet his and stared blankly back at him.

"I'll make sure she doesn't change totally," he whispered. He turned back to look at the others.

"What does that mean?" Sarah asked quietly with a frown.

"It means that if we can't find a way to stop Ava from completing the change, I'll end it for her. I promised her I won't let her turn into one of them," he revealed. Nathaniel nodded his head while the others seemed to be still taking it all in.

"How long do you think we have?" Tyler asked in a contemplative voice as he rubbed his chin.

"I don't know," Jared answered honestly with a shrug of his shoulders. "Maybe a week, maybe less."

They looked around among themselves. They understood what a dire situation this was, because the chances of them finding a way to save me were very slim. I could see from their faces that they didn't believe they would find a way to save me.

"How can we trust that you'll do what needs to be done when the time comes?" asked Jennifer. "We can see you care for her. How do we know you will be able to do it?"

Everyone turned and watched Jared's response to the question.

"It's because I care for her that you can trust me to do what needs to be done. I don't want her to become one of them," he answered them. They didn't question him further.

I continued to sit there in silence. Neve was the next one to ask a question that everyone wanted to ask. "Why is she acting so strangely?"

Jared turned back to look at me. I watched his eyes soften as his eyes met mine. There was no flutter or pull inside of me as my eyes held his.

"It's part of the change. She has these emotionless episodes where she feels nothing. She's experiencing these daily and each time they last longer," explained Jared.

"So let's stop wasting time and let's discuss what we came here to discuss." It was Catherine who now took command of the meeting. "We need to find out if there has been a case of a human surviving an attack by a Hue. It's the only way we will be able to figure out if there is a way to save her before she runs out of time."

Everyone nodded in agreement, understanding what needed to be done and how urgent it was.

"We would have heard if there had been a human who'd survived an attack," Nathaniel said, voicing what I thought a lot of them were thinking.

"We can't just write her off," Jared said fiercely. "I can't do nothing and let her die."

I watched with detachment as they all looked at each other. I could tell from their expressions that they thought it was hopeless, but they would follow Jared's instructions.

"I want Tyler and Danny to start contacting the other Archaic groups and ask around. Maybe someone knows something," Jared instructed. Tyler and Danny nodded in agreement. "I want everyone questioned."

"We'll meet back here tomorrow," he said, dismissing the group. I sat and watched them filter out of the room. A few sympathetic glances were thrown my way. They knew I was as good as dead.

Jared stood in front of me. He bent down so his eyes were level with mine.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes sweeping over me. I nodded.

"Are you hungry?" I shook my head in response.

"You need to call Anne, your grandmother, so that she knows you're still okay. Can you do that?" he asked.

"Yes." He handed me my phone.

I dialed her number and she answered after the fourth ring.

"Hi, sweetheart," she greeted me, sounding cheerful. It grated on my nerves.

"Hi, Anne." I tried to sound like my usual self, but it wasn't easy to sound like I was happy to hear her voice when the truth was I didn't care.

"Are you good?" she asked.

"Yes. How are you enjoying your weekend?"

"It's been great. We've spent most of our time catching up on the last few years," she told me. She sounded so happy and carefree. I could tell just by her voice she was having a good time.

"I'm glad you're having fun. I'm tired, so I'll call you again in the morning." I kept my voice light.

"Okay, sweetheart. Sleep well, and I love you."

"Love you too," I replied automatically before I disconnected the call.

"Let's go upstairs," Jared instructed gently. He didn't try to touch me. I followed him out of the living room and upstairs to his bedroom. When we entered his bedroom, he turned and closed his door. I stood there and stared at him blankly.

"Are you tired?" he asked softly.

"Yes," I replied stiffly.

He walked out of the room and a couple minutes later he returned with my toothbrush and hairbrush, which had been left in the guest bedroom for me.

He gave them to me and said, "You can use my bathroom."

I walked into his bathroom and closed the door. I could hear him linger outside the door. After brushing my teeth and my hair, I walked back into his room to find him standing beside the bed.

"You can sleep in my bed," he offered as he pulled his comforter down and indicated for me to climb in. I just stood there, watching him.

"I'm going to sit in the chair," he explained. I didn't move. "I can't leave you alone."

I wasn't sure why he couldn't leave me alone. I shrugged and climbed into the bed. He pulled the comforter over me before I lay down on my back with the comforter pulled up to my chest. I smoothed the cover with my hands and lay with my arms straight beside me. He disappeared into the bathroom and a few minutes later he walked out wearing just pajama pants.

I closed my eyes. I was tired. I heard him move around the room. There was a click when he turned off the lights and then I heard him walk to the chair and sit down. Moments later, I fell asleep.