Author's note: This story was inspired by the idea of lying to someone to comfort them at their last hour. I originally planned to write this as a short story, but after seeing how the first chapter turned out, it was so dramatic that I didn't want to touch it without deep consideration. What better "beginning" to put here? 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQVj8XR80G 維尼
"You are okay," I said, holding Serenity's hand. "You are perfectly fine, Seri." 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡIozuatIuUG 維尼
Serenity shook her head. "Stop lying, Kiera," she insisted. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡmM6GqzkjEa 維尼
"You are okay," I said. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡAY6wn6lIrF 維尼
"Stop. Stop lying. I'm not," Serenity maintained.8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwSupFdcoa 維尼
"You will see the sun again," I said, stroking her raven black hair. "You will feel its warmth against your face. Just like before." 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQyEylYYhQ 維尼
Serenity gestured to the cold, white hallway we were in, lit by harsh daylight white LEDs. "You know this is the end. I'm never going to make it back home," she whispered. "Just let me go." 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcfWNXRU8G 維尼
"No!" I screamed. "You will feel the wind in your hair. You will feel the sand beneath your feet!" I spoke faster, more urgently. "You are making it. We're going to find our way home. We're going to escape. Just watch. You're almost there!" 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3REfmRLyH8 維尼
"Stop lying, Kiera," Serenity repeated, hushing me. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡud3ynjNnb2 維尼
"No. No, Seri. No," I pushed, willing her to hold on, if only for a little while longer. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHDaElMY5q 維尼
"I know, Keira. They're coming for you, next." 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYVE0rMGdb 維尼
I suppressed the tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. "Seri, no. You're going to see the ocean again. Serenity, you will see the sky, all of it, again." 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAmIetF7Ck 維尼
"Don't lie. I know it's the end." Serenity started crying, coughing as she struggled to breathe. "Kiera, you have to live for me." 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQAAECWdsN 維尼
"No. You are getting out of here!" 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQQgwpz06A 維尼
"Stop," Serenity said with as much gusto as she could muster, which wasn’t a lot, but it was enough. "I will not see you there tomorrow. Don't let me see you up there tomorrow. You will see the sun. You will feel the wind in your golden hair, feel the sand with your feet, and see the sky with those pretty green eyes. You will, won't you? For us?" 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8jPc3P6Ua 維尼
Tears overflowed in my eyes, gushing down my face. "No, don't go!" 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCYD4Gl5W9 維尼
"Don't let me see you where I'm going tomorrow," Serenity insisted. "You have to live for both of us. And remember, I will always love you." And with that, the light in her crystal clear blue eyes faded. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmBG69YTTJ 維尼
"NO!" I screamed. "No, please no, Serenity, NO!" I buried my face in her feather soft hair, crying my eyes out. This could not be it. This wasn't it. Not Serenity, my love, my life. This couldn’t be it. I wouldn't accept it. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjto0jgMuL 維尼
But it was it. Whether or not I accepted it, Serenity was gone. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2thQA3vSL 維尼
"I love you," I whispered fiercely. I kissed her cold lips for the last time, and got up, knowing the master would be here any minute. If he already killed two of my series, I would be next. And I had to live for her, Series Seven Number Two, whom we called Serenity. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXeD0rqR7R 維尼
I went to Serenity's pod, emptied it of all its contents, and did the same for mine. I packed everything important into a backpack and was gone by the time the first rays of dawn streaked the sky in the morning. 8964 copyright protection519ＰＥＮＡＮＡ285mZocelo 維尼
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