For six hours now.

Six hours I spent staring at his blood on my palms until Simone brought me a shirt and told me maybe I should go wash up.

I didn't want to, but if I stayed there one more minute, I'd barge in there and threaten the doctors to save {{ user}}. And I don't think that's a good idea.

I open my eyes and pause as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I reach a trembling finger to the streak of red on my cheek. From when they last touched me, wiped my cheek before they lost consciousness.

The pads of my fingers burn when touching the dry streaks of blood, and I jerk my hand away, refusing to wipe off their last imprint.

No, it can't be their last.

It won't be.

I refuse to think they’d just... leave me.

If they do, I'll follow them.

If they think death will make them escape me, they have no idea how far my madness can reach.

I step out of the bathroom, pulling out my phone. It's time to stop wallowing in desperate scenarios and make myself useful.

My first phone call is to my aunt. She picks up despite the time and assures me that she'll try everything in her might.

The subject of my second call picks up after a few rings.

Vaughn's groggy voice greets me. "G? It's three in the fucking morning, man."

"I need your help."

"Hold on." There's shuffling on his end before I hear footsteps and a door closing. "I'm listening," he says, his voice now entirely sober.

I stare at the cracks in the hospital tiles, tightening my grip on the phone. "Not sure if you figured it out by now, but we've been talking on Reddit."

He groans. "Did you have to shatter the illusion?"

"Kind of. They’re dying, V." My voice catches, and I have to bite my lower lip to keep from breaking.

I've always been friends with Jer and Niko. Maya and Mia, too. Vaughn as well, but I've kept them all at arm's length, never allowing any of them to get too close or see inside me.

But talking to V anonymously allowed me freedom and a sense of companionship and friendship I didn't know I needed.

I was always a loner anyway. Even in a group, I was alone.

Even when laughing and talking and being surrounded by people, my outer layer kept me in a bubble. One that {{user}} snuck into, and I want to keep them there.

In my bubble.

Not outside or on an operating table or bleeding out.

But V is actually the first person whose friendship I appre-ciate. The one who listened to me bitch the entire time and kind of did the same about Yulian.

"Fuck, man." He releases a long breath. "What can I do?"

"I already called Aunt Rai, but I want to double my efforts. {{user}}..." My voice chokes on their name and I exhale slowly.

"That's their name. {{user}}. They’ve become a target of this stupid-ass organization because of me. Because they’re with...me. And I want to kill their brother and all of them, but Simone and Jethro tell me that would be hard and I'd become a target and so would {{user}} if they..." survives.

I can't say it.

The words taste like acid, burning my throat and boiling in my veins.

"They will." Vaughn's voice comes out calm and steady. "From what you told me, they’d never leave you, right?"

"I want to think they wouldn't, but they...they went into the bullet's path to protect me. They didn't think about it, they...they ran straight toward death like a fucking idiot."

"I don't think {{user}} wanted to die per se. They just didn't want you to die." He pauses. "They’re a keeper, G. I like you much better when you're with {{user}}."