THE REASON

The Key In Our Veins

The moment Rafe stepped fully into the small house, the casual facade he often wore crumbled away, replaced by an unsettling urgency. Veronica and I reacted instantly, our bodies tensing, our guards rising like shields. Veronica moved swiftly, placing herself directly in front of me, a silent declaration of protection. "Maya, what's going on?" she demanded, her voice tight with suspicion.

"Relax, girls," Rafe said, his right arm extended in a gesture meant to convey calm, though his intense gaze did little to soothe our frayed nerves. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Rafe," Maya interjected, her voice low and firm, a clear warning in her tone, "can you come back in a bit? I need to explain everything to them first, as we agreed."

"There's not much time, Maya," Rafe countered, his words clipped, as if dictated by an unseen clock. He stepped further into the room, casually pulling a chair away from the table and turning it to face us. Veronica's grip on my hand tightened, pulling me further behind her, a primal instinct to retreat.

"Okay, girls, listen," Rafe began, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "Every first-generation bloodline should possess something unique, something like what both of you and Maya have."

"You told him we were first generation?" Veronica exclaimed, her face a mask of fury and betrayal, her distrust of Rafe solidifying.

"Hey, relax," Rafe said, his voice surprisingly deep and commanding, holding a strange authority. "I already harbored suspicions before Josette confirmed it for me. She mentioned how you both worked tirelessly in the infirmary for hours without showing any signs of fatigue, something a normal human couldn't sustain. She suspected you might be lone Cogs." He paused, his gaze sweeping over us. "As for Maya's blood, I discovered it's type X – a universal receptor and universal donor. This is uniquely beneficial to humans, but for Cogs, it could be dangerous, even fatal, and generally has no effect on Supremes."

Intrigued despite my apprehension, I stepped out slightly from behind Veronica. "So… what about ours?" I asked, my curiosity overriding my fear for a moment.

Rafe gave Maya a brief, significant glance before answering. "We don't know. Not yet."

"Listen, girls," Maya added, her voice heavy with a newfound urgency, "Lucia told me… she said that your blood was experimented on during your time in the orphanage. And that within your blood were the answers… the answers to end all this hiding, all this fear of the Supreme Beings. But all the test results… she destroyed them in the fire. Why she never told me…" Her voice trailed off, filled with a mixture of confusion and regret.

"I'll take a small sample of both of your blood," Rafe stated, his gaze direct but not threatening, "and that's all." Veronica remained steadfast, her grip on my hand firm, her distrust unwavering.

Rafe met Veronica's gaze, his own surprisingly earnest. "Look, Veronica, I'm a lone Cog. And the only reason Diego, your father, left me alive was because of my extensive knowledge of the human body and its potential for mutation. I understand your suspicion, but I believe I can help you."

A tense silence stretched between Veronica and me, a silent debate conducted through wary glances. The gravity of the situation, the potential answers Rafe held, warred with our ingrained distrust. Finally, our eyes settled on Maya, her expression a carefully neutral mask, yet a subtle, almost imperceptible nod conveyed a reluctant approval – a calculated risk weighed against the urgency of our need.

"We are running out of time," Rafe reiterated, his voice edged with an impatience that mirrored the frantic beat of my own heart.

"Fine," Veronica conceded at last, the single word clipped and grudging, betraying the internal conflict she still felt.

Rafe’s movements were swift and professional as he took Veronica’s blood sample. When it was my turn, the brief sting of the needle prompted a question I couldn't suppress, a thread of curiosity woven into the fabric of my anxiety. "Was it Maya who told you our names?"

He paused, his gaze flicking towards Maya, a silent inquiry hanging in the air, as if awaiting her sanction to reveal the truth.

"Yes," Maya confirmed, her tone direct and without hesitation, "of course I told him your names."

A nervous energy bubbled within me. "Okay, good. Then I suppose it's not a problem that I told Jace my name," I admitted aloud, the words a hesitant offering into the tense atmosphere.

"You did what?!" Veronica’s voice exploded, her outrage palpable, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"What? Who's Jace?" Maya interjected sharply, her gaze locking onto mine, demanding an explanation.

"It's alright," Rafe stepped in, his tone surprisingly placating. "I know him fairly well. He's a good kid. You both have nothing to worry about. He's also an orphan, just like you two, so perhaps try to ease up a bit, Vera." He then added, a casual aside that carried a significant weight, "And by the way, Jo knows your names, so perhaps cease with the constant defensiveness. She simply hasn't mentioned it out of respect for your boundaries."

"What? How did she know?" Veronica demanded, her suspicion now shifting towards the seemingly empathetic Josette.

"Likely through observation, perhaps a bit of discreet inquiry. She can be rather… observant at times, but beyond that, she’s a fundamentally good…" Maya, who had been standing silently by the door, her patience visibly fraying, finally cut him off.

"Rafe," she said, her voice firm, "if you've obtained the samples, then it's time for you to depart. We will discuss your findings tomorrow."

He offered us a strained, awkward smile. "Alright, I best be on my way then," he said, carefully securing the vials of blood in a small plastic bag before placing it within his satchel. With a final, lingering glance, he left, and Maya swiftly closed and bolted the door behind him. "Both of you need to maintain focus," Maya stated, her gaze stern. "If he returns tomorrow with the answers we came for, then by nightfall, we will be leaving this place."

Veronica nodded her immediate agreement, her desire to escape this unsettling community. But I remained caught in the tangled web of my own thoughts, the unexpected connection with Jace and the perplexing mystery of Ria creating a reluctant yearning to linger. "Emma," Maya prompted, her expression laced with concern, "are you even listening to me?"

"But… but there's still so much we don't understand," I stammered, grasping at reasons to stay. "Perhaps we could find the ans…"

"Emma, no," Maya interrupted, her voice brooking no argument. "If we obtain the information about your blood tomorrow, we leave tomorrow. I told you this before. We cannot afford to remain here any longer than necessary. Whatever transpired in this place… it hints at dangers far greater than anything we currently comprehend, dangers that could jeopardize all of us."

I released a small, defeated sigh, the stark reality of our situation overriding my personal desires. "Fine," I conceded, the instinct for survival ultimately prevailing over the fragile tendrils of connection and curiosity that had begun to take root.

The following morning dawned with a fragile semblance of normalcy in the small, borrowed house. After a quick, silent breakfast, a familiar pull tugged at me – a hesitant curiosity about Jace, a flicker of connection in the isolating landscape of our escape. Veronica, surprisingly, seemed to share a similar inclination, though her motivations appeared rooted in a newfound, almost clinical interest in assisting at the makeshift infirmary. Perhaps the stark reality of survival had awakened a latent sense of purpose within her.

Just as we were about to suggest a joint trip to the infirmary, the buzzing of phone in the living room shattered the quiet. Her conversation was brief and hushed, her brow furrowed in concentration. Hanging up, she turned to me, her gaze direct. "Emma, you'll be coming with me to meet Rafe."

A wave of disappointment washed over me. "Now? Can't you go without me? Veronica and I were planning to head to the infirmary. I could meet you both later."

"No, we're going to see him right away. It's important." Maya's tone brooked no argument, leaving me with the distinct impression that my personal inclinations were secondary to whatever urgency Rafe had conveyed. With a resigned sigh, I followed her out of the house, leaving a slightly disappointed Veronica behind.

As we walked along the dusty path towards Rafe's dwelling, a small, unassuming structure on the outskirts of the community, Maya initiated a conversation, her voice softer than her earlier command. "Look, Emma, I know how you might feel about that Jace kid. It's completely normal to seek connection, especially after everything we've been through. But you must understand, for his sake, for your sake, it won't work. At least not yet."

A wave of awkwardness washed over me. "What? Look, Maya, I know you're just concerned, and I appreciate that. But why don't we talk about something else? Like… did Rafe tell you anything specific we should be worried about?" I deliberately steered the conversation away from my burgeoning feelings, a private space I wasn't yet ready to share fully.

Maya sighed, a hint of weariness in her voice. "Not really. When I initially spoke with him, I inquired about the results of the blood experiments he claimed were destroyed a long time ago. Sensing an opportunity, I offered to provide him with your blood samples. I told him both of you were first generation, just like me – daughters of Diego and Camilla Martinez."

"Wait… what?" I exclaimed, my steps faltering, my mind reeling from the unexpected revelation. She had told Rafe the one thing no one in the town should know for our own safety.

Maya placed a reassuring hand on my arm, her gaze steady. "Relax, Emma. It was a calculated risk. I believe we can work with him. He seems… knowledgeable. Perhaps even sympathetic, in his own way."

By this point, we had reached Rafe's small house. Maya knocked on the weathered wooden door. It opened almost immediately, revealing Rafe standing in the doorway, his expression conveying a sense of urgency. "Quick, come in," he urged, his voice low, as if time were a precious commodity slipping through their fingers. We stepped inside, the weight of unspoken questions.

We followed Rafe into the house, the air inside thick with the scent of chemicals and a faint undercurrent of something metallic. "Come with me," he instructed, his voice carrying a note of contained excitement, leading us through a cluttered living space and into what was clearly a converted garage. The space was now a makeshift laboratory, crammed with an eclectic array of beakers, vials, and humming equipment.

"Alright, Rafe," Maya stated, her impatience evident in her stance, "let's not beat around the bush. Give us what we came for."

"We're waiting for a phone call…" Rafe began, his gaze flicking towards a table laden with scientific instruments. Just then, a shrill ring cut through the hum of the lab equipment. Rafe moved swiftly to answer it, holding the receiver slightly away from his ear so that Maya and I could both hear the voice on the other end.

"Wha—" Maya started to speak, her brow furrowed with anticipation, but Rafe cut her off with a sharp, silencing gesture. "Shhh… listen," he urged, his attention fully focused on the call.

The voice that filled the makeshift lab was undoubtedly Josette's, clear and tinged with a note of awe. "Rafe, the… the substance you gave me to inject Jace worked like a miracle. He's completely healed, as if the fracture was never even there."

Maya's face immediately tightened, an agitated frown creasing her features. "What substance is that, Rafe? You're experimenting with more serums now?" she pressed, her tone sharp with suspicion.

"Oh, Maya, have a seat," Rafe said, gesturing towards a stool with a nervous smile. "There's no serum, not in the traditional sense. It's pure blood… Emma's blood, apparently. Unlike yours, it has absolutely no effect on Cogs, so it's safe to assume it shouldn't affect Supremes either. But to humans… it's nothing short of miraculous. It heals any illness or injury in mere minutes. When I made this unexpected discovery last night, I immediately went to the infirmary to consult with Josette and gave her a small sample to test on Jace."

"What?!" I exclaimed, my mind reeling with a mixture of disbelief and a surge of protective anger. "What if it hadn't worked? What if it had made him worse?" The thought of Jace being harmed because of my blood sent a shiver of fear down my spine.

"I had already conducted preliminary tests on my rabbits," Rafe quickly interjected, his voice placating. "I knew it had to work, and indeed, it does – on both the cogged ones and the normal ones."

Maya's eyes widened in disbelief. "You have cogged rabbits? Are you out of your mind, Rafe?" she asked, her anger rising.

"Well, two, to be precise," he admitted sheepishly. "Out of three hundred and twenty-four rabbits I injected with the cog serum, only two survived."

Maya sighed, a wave of exasperation washing over her. "What about Veronica's blood, Rafe? What did you find out about that?" she asked, shifting the focus back to the other pressing question.

Rafe's expression shifted, a flicker of something akin to awe and apprehension crossing his features. "Well, that's a very interesting question, Maya. Veronica's blood… it might just be the answer Lucia spoke of. I asked Josette to collect a larger sample from her, if possible – about half a vial."

"What? Why half a vial?" Maya and I asked in unison, our voices laced with alarm.

"Because," Rafe explained, his voice dropping to a near whisper, "when I injected her blood into the two normal rabbits… they died. Not quickly, but a complete cellular breakdown. The cogged rabbits didn't survive it either. Even the mature tree in front of my house, where I discarded a small amount… it withered completely within hours. All test subjects… they decomposed from the inside out. Her blood… it's incredibly volatile. So, by logical assumption… her blood could potentially have the same catastrophic effect on a Supreme Being."

Maya and I exchanged a stunned look, the implications of Rafe's words sinking in like a lead weight.

"Yes," Rafe confirmed, his gaze grave. "Her blood could potentially kill a Supreme Being. Veronica… she's the key Lucia spoke of. And this… this is why they're hunting you both so relentlessly. Somehow… the Supremes knew this." His conclusion hung in the air, the weight of its terrifying truth settling heavily upon us. We stared at him in shocked silence, the reality of our unique and dangerous existence crashing down around us.