A/N

Hey guys! Sorry, I know I haven't updated in a hot minute, exam season is fast approaching and I'm crumbling under the weight of assignments so I don't have as much free time to write these days. Thank you for being patient with me and for sticking around <3

Hope you're taking of yourself and drinking enough water! And good luck to my fellow uni students, we've got this.







"Here." Lupita said, handing out a cup of steaming herbal tea to (Y/n) who sat huddled on her bed rolled up in a plaid. "Careful, it's very hot."

(Y/n) accepted it with a quiet nod, way too exhausted to muster an answer. This night had been tiring to say the least, so many things had happened and (Y/n) didn't even know where to start. She had found Grey, had also learnt the truth about her family and Grey's reasons for leaving. But she had also had to run away from a trio of Infected, had to fight for her life against Jasper and had to run away again to escape from the Infected ball.

And although (Y/n) was happy that she had finally found her sister, her relief and any positive emotion concerning her encounter with Grey were squashed by the cold dread that lingered in the pit of her stomach, tendrils of it climbing all the way up her spine.

She didn't know how to explain it but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that something dark and twisted was lurking around a corner ready to pounce on her any minute.

Maybe it was due to her encounter with Jasper, the way he had held onto her so desperately and how helpless she had been in pushing him off. Or the way Tobias had punched Jasper square in the face and screamed for her to run like her life depended on it.

Neither her nor Lupita had said a word during their long run back home, and now that they were finally back to safety none of them knew exactly what to talk about. But (Y/n) could see in the slight shaking of Lupita's hand that this had affected her too.

If anyone's life was at risk when it came to Jasper, it was Lupita's after all.

"You must be exhausted, right?" Lupita said with an empathetic smile tinged with concern. "We can talk about everything that happened tomorrow, okay? Or we can talk about it now if you prefer."

(Y/n) nodded absentmindedly, taking a slow sip of her tea, the tension falling from her shoulders as the warmth of the beverage filled her senses. It kind of reminded (Y/n) of the tea her mother used to brew when (Y/n) was a child and had a rough day or troubles sleeping. A blend of chamomile, lavender and raw honey.

"Thank you." (Y/n) said, gazing down at her mug and tracing its rim with her fingers.

Lupita sat down beside her and took some of the plaid to cover her legs as well, huddling closer to (Y/n) until she could lean her head on (Y/n)'s shoulder.

"It's nothing." She said, "Are you... okay, though? You seem pretty shaken up." Lupita finished with a concerned glance.

(Y/n) pondered silently for a moment, she was so tired that she couldn't even think clearly or make out whether she was alright or not. She had gone through so many emotions tonight that she had no idea how to sum it all up. She had been happy, then sad, then filled with adrenaline, then frustrated and scared... It was hard to tell what remained of this bundle. But one thing that remained clear as day was the fear nestled in her chest, digging its claws into her heart and lungs.

Everything's fine. (Y/n) tried to reassure herself. She didn't want to worry Lupita or add onto her already rough evening, but there was nothing she could do to stop the tears gathered at the back of her throat from rising to her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just tired." She explained, hastily wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her jumper. "I need to sleep. I just need to sleep."

Lupita observed her silently, before nodding her head and taking (Y/n)'s mug from her hands. She placed it down on the bedside table and gently led (Y/n)'s head down on the pillow.

"How are you doing though?" (Y/n) sniffled, looking up at Lupita through her blurry vision. "You had a rough night too and-"

"I'm fine." Lupita said with a gentle smile, brushing her knuckles over (Y/n)'s tear-stained cheek and placing a gentle peck on her lips. "I'm alright, I promise. We can sleep and enjoy tomorrow's day off, okay? But now you obviously need to rest."

(Y/n) swallowed back the bundle of tears in her throat, nodding her head in sad resignation. She was indeed exhausted and in need of rest, if only to process everything that had happened during the evening. But she didn't want to be alone right now.

If she did, she feared the kind of thoughts that would crawl through her brain.

Thoughts of Jasper's arms around her, caging her in and stifling her movements. Thoughts of him smiling down at her enamored whilst she screamed and cried for him to let her go. Thoughts of him turning on Lupita and hurting her or worse...

(Y/n) didn't think she'd be able to sleep with these kinds of images.

So when Lupita stood up from (Y/n)'s bed, (Y/n) shifted under the covers and called her name.

"Lupita?" She said, throwing Lupita an hesitant yet imploring look. "Can we sleep together tonight? I'm sorry but I really don't feel like being alone right now." She finished with a shudder, another lonely tear escaping her eye.

She needed to feel Lupita close, to feel her warmth and hear the strong beat of her heart. She needed to know that they had both made it out of this hellish ball safe and sound. That the dread she felt was only just that: a feeling, and not some kind of foreboding prophecy.

Lupita and her had never slept in the same bed before, nor had they ever shared a room, and (Y/n) didn't want to make her girlfriend uncomfortable with her request. But she just felt so scared and anxious... Being alone in the darkness of her room was the very last thing she wanted right now.

"It's okay if you don't-"

"No, I want to." Lupita cut her off with a firm nod, features softening in a tender smile. Silently she padded her way back to (Y/n)'s bed, gently lifting the covers to crawl in bed as (Y/n) scooted back to make room for her. "I didn't want to be alone either." She confessed, pecking the tip of (Y/n)'s nose.

(Y/n) heaved a sigh of relief, snuggling deeper under the covers and closer to Lupita who opened her arms for her.

"Thank you." She whispered in a quiet voice, "Thank you for being here."

Lupita shifted beside (Y/n) to wrap her arms around her. "It's alright. We both had a stressful evening. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I refused such an adorable request from you, anyways?" She finished with a playful tone, kissing (Y/n)'s temple.

This earned (Y/n) an amused chuckle, Lupita's presence and words slowly lifting off the pressure on her chest.

"We never used this word before, to label our relationship, I mean." (Y/n) continued, a soft smile on her lips. "I like it."

"Me referring to you as my girlfriend?" Lupita repeated with a smile that was both amused and loving.

"Yes, you referring to me as your girlfriend." (Y/n) confirmed, looking up at her with a genuine smile. "I like it."

Comfortable silence settled between the two of them, exhaustion catching up to (Y/n) as she started drifting off to sleep in Lupita's warm embrace.

"I like it too." Lupita finally whispered with a light smile. "Very much."

That was the last thing (Y/n) heard before she fell asleep with her mind finally at ease. Maybe she should have given more credit to her gut feeling though, because this was only the peace before the storm.

And unfortunately for (Y/n) her cherished sense of freedom wouldn't last for much longer.































































Penelope heaved an exasperated sigh as she followed behind Jasper down a dark corridor she recognised all too well, considerably slowed down by her high heels and shorter legs.

Gosh, she was hating every minute of this goddamn evening.

"Jasper, where are you going?" She asked, frustration laced in her tone as impatience simmered under her skin. She had no idea where Jasper was going with this or what was playing in his head but she was sick and tired of following him around like a headless chicken. "I know you're a workaholic but please this is a party, not an occasion for you to lock yourself up in your office and work. Plus, what do you make of (Y/-"

"I'm not going to work." Jasper answered as the two of them halted in front of his office. He fished out the key from the inside pocket of his suit, twisting it in the lock and stepping in the dimly lit room. "I need to fill in an Uninfected suspicion report."

Penelope frowned, sending him an incredulous look.

"What?"

Jasper shot her a calculated glance, looking more serious than she had ever seen him. Which was saying something considering Jasper had always been the cool, level headed kind. Right now though, he looked more invested than ever, shuffling through piles of papers to find an Uninfected suspicion form.

"I think (Y/n) is Uninfected."

His words rang through Penelope's mind like a distant echo, the rest of the world tilting to a quiet stillness around her, as if making room for her to process what had just been said. But no matter how many times she turned and twisted the revelation in her head, there was no making sense of it.

"What?" She repeated, confusion written all over her features.

That couldn't be possible, surely if her beautiful Darling was Uninfected Penelope would have caught up on it, right? Penelope couldn't be that blind.

"I think (Y/n) is Uninfected." Jasper confirmed, fishing out a pen from his desk and uncapping it, ready to start filling in the form.

Penelope watched with building apprehension as Jasper started writing (Y/n)'s name down on the paper. She took a step closer, trying to gaze over his shoulder and garner his attention.

"No, I heard you. But what do you mean by that?"

This wasn't looking good, at all. Penelope knew the Uninfected suspicion process by heart. First Jasper filled in this form and sent it to the medical authorities, then they'd arrest (Y/n) for a blood test, and if the test came back positive she'd be sent to the Uninfected Camp and she'd remain there to be taken in by an Infected. And to an extent this would make Penelope getting her Darling all to herself easier, but Penelope was no mayor's son.

She wasn't Jasper.

And if (Y/n) ended up in the US, Penelope knew what would happen. Jasper would step up as (Y/n)'s lover and he'd get her, even if Penelope did it first. Because as the mayor's son, Jasper bathed in many privileges, one of them granting him a priority pass to choose whoever he wanted at the Uninfected Shelter. Even if said Uninfected had already been named as someone else's Darling.

So if (Y/n) was truly Uninfected, Jasper filling in that form really wasn't good for Penelope. Which is why Penelope needed to know exactly what led him to this conclusion. And stop him from taking her Darling away from her.

"She's not a registered citizen," Jasper started, his penmanship swift and determined as he continued filling in the blanks. "And she's too weak. Too weak to be Infected."

Fuck. This didn't sound good.

"This... Does sound suspicious but," Penelope said, swallowing thickly as she rummaged her mind for any argument that could deter Jasper from proceeding with his plan. "What if she's not, though?"

Jasper heaved a satisfied sigh as he signed the form, marking the finality of his decision.

"Well, if she's not, the test will show it and she'll be free to go back home." He said with a smile, eyes lovingly gazing at the paper in his hand like it was (Y/n) herself, or his ticket at finally having her in his arms. "All in all, there's no harm in checking, right?"

Asshole.

Penelope bit down on the inside of her cheek, barely able to contain the frustration tickling at her skin. She couldn't take the chance, couldn't risk Jasper getting what he wanted. Not when what he wanted was (Y/n).

She had to stop him, and she knew just how too.

"She'll hate you." Penelope interjected, satisfied to see she had hit the nail right on the head when Jasper finally turned to face her, baby blue eyes looking as incredulous as ever.

"What?" He said, fear riddling his previously determined features.

"She'll hate you if she's really Uninfected, and gets caged in the Uninfected Shelter." Penelope repeated.

Jasper pondered over her words for a few quiet beats, a conflicted frown creasing his brows. There was many things he could bear, but his sweet Darling hating him wasn't one of them. The simple thought of it enough to make him sick to his stomach and have his chest tightening with panic.

But still... Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity for him to finally get close to (Y/n)? She wouldn't let him close the gap between them in spite of his many although clumsy attempts. If the test came back positive and he got her custody, as he was sure he would, she'd have no choice but to hear him out. And yes, she wouldn't like it at first, but she'd come to understand.

She'd come to love him too... Right?

Plus, as a member of the government and future mayor, Jasper couldn't let a poor helpless Uninfected roam free in an Infected city. It just wouldn't be morally right.

Jasper shook his head in denial, tightening his hold on the paper in his hands. "It's not like she'll be in there for long, I don't want her to-"

"She'll still hate you, Jasper." Penelope continued, pacing around deliberately slowly, like a fox circling its prey. "Uninfected don't think like we do, they don't see things the way we do either. She'll think of you as a captor, as a threat to her freedom and integrity."

Penelope had to contain the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as Jasper's features spiraled into doubt. It was clear her words were having the intended effect on him.

"Do you really want that?"

She didn't have to say anything more, she knew Jasper's Obsessive introspection would do the rest for her. The answer to her question was evident, an Obsessive's worst nightmare was their Darling disliking or hating them. So in Jasper's mind, there would be no doubt that reporting (Y/n) as Uninfected wasn't a good idea if it led to her hating him.

"I-I know that she'll struggle to understand it at first." Jasper defended, and Penelope didn't know whether he was talking to her or debating with himself anymore. "But she'll come around eventually. She'll see that I did this for her and not against her. She'll see that we're meant to be and that this was for the best... Right?"

Penelope sat down on Jasper's desk, leaning over to whisper in his ear, her empathetic tone laced with something darker, more sinister. Something that Jasper, amongst his fear riddled mind, couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I told you, Uninfected don't think like we do." Penelope repeated, putting on a compassionate smile as she looked down at her best friend. "There's no telling if she'll ever forgive you. Is this really worth her hating you for the rest of your life, Jasper?"

No, of course this wasn't worth it. Nothing was worth taking the risk of (Y/n) hating him.

Jasper's eyes lingered on the form in his hands, before he silently crumbled it in his fists and threw it in the bin next to his desk.

"You're right." He admitted defeatedly, "It's not."

Penelope closed her eyes and sighed quietly, thanking the gods above for making this conversation work in her favour.

Who cared if (Y/n) was Uninfected? Penelope would make her hers either way, Infected or not. She was confident she'd be able to make this happen.

Jasper on the other hand, would have to find another way to finally get through (Y/n)'s fear of him. And Penelope couldn't imagine this ever happening.

But then again, maybe Penelope was underestimating Jasper and just how far he was willing to go to make his Darling acknowledge him.