It took Vida a moment to process what was happening. Garrett’s words bounced around in her head for a moment before they seemed to hit something solid and stuck to it. “Safe?” She shook her head at that word. The warmth of Garrett’s hands spread through her own letting her know, yet again, that this was real. He was really in front of her, she was really here, and everything that happened was real. “No, no.” She shook her head even more in response. “This cannot be real. No. I have work today. I can’t be here.” She gripped Garrett’s hands looking up at him desperately. 

As she looked at him she remembered more of the night before. In the van there had been someone. As she stared at him the images of last night started to compile in her mind until she had them all in place like a puzzle. “You were in the van, but you weren't like the others.” Her heart started to race. He was one of the ones that kidnapped her. Now he wanted to make her believe that it wasn't a kidnapping. “You’re a… a…” [i]monster too.[/i] She wanted to say it, but she couldn't. If she was afraid if she voiced those words that she would actually be a monster. Fear gripped her and her body responded. 

Her skin started to tingle, it was a familiar feeling. Last night in the van she had felt it. Her skin felt like it was moving. She became even more confused and frightened by the response of her skin. Then she felt something else. A pain spread through her hands where she was touching Garrett. Her body had triggered its defense. The cells on her hands had started to degenerate causing Garrett’s to do so as well. Vida pulled her hands away quickly and took a few steps back. She looked down at her hands. Parts of her hands were blackened as if her skin had died. It hurt to move her hands and when she flexed her fingers the skin cracked like it was dried leaf. It didn’t last long though as she watched her hands start to heal themselves to their natural state.

She heard Garrett’s painful protests as he examined his hands. She looked over to Garrett’s hands to find them in the same state that hers were in, but his weren’t healing like hers. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.” She took a few more steps away from him. 

Garrett didn’t seem angry with what she had done to him. He actually smiled a little through the pain. “No worries, this.. happens, you know?” He moved his fingers wincing as he did. “I’ll just have Doc fix me up. So there isn’t anythi-“ 

Without anymore to say she turned and ran from the room. She ran up some stairs and ended up in what looked like a recreational room at a camp. She scanned the area quickly before finding two small rooms in the corner. Quickly she made her way to them and locked herself in one of the rooms. Once she was inside she noticed that the room she was in was actually a small restroom. She looked around for a moment and without many options decided to sit on the toilet to think about what just happened. 

Her body had just tried to kill someone. Would she have been able to if she had continued? “No.” She shook her head. She wouldn’t ever kill anyone. Not only that, but it hurt her too. She looked at her hands again. They were fine. Would his hands be fine too? She pulled her feet up onto the toilet too. She rested her head on her knees and ran her hands through her hair on her scalp. There had to be some way to fix herself. She wanted to be normal, not a…