The change was swift.
It knocked the wind out of her lungs, but it was enough momentum for her to slide out of her restrains, for her to reach forward towards Rumiko. She swung her arms upwards, adrenaline pumping through her. And her fist was collided with Claudia's cheek, shifting bone, and snapping flesh.
And Claudia swayed backwards crashing towards the ground just as Amber leaned forward, grappling for the baby. There was a new form of agility in her movements from her animal soul bond, her body stretching further to catch her. But the child slipped from her grasp, Claudia holding her tight as she screamed. Amber's restrains tore at her flesh, flayed her skin.
Amber broke free easily in her panic to reach Rumiko, fingers sliding over her daughter's legs But horror danced through her, heart dropping as Rumiko was ripped from her grasp. The monster was holding her tight. Claudia only screamed; the others stood with mouths gaping wide.
"You! You, and that stupid fucking soul bond!" Claudia snarled, fingers to her face.
Rumiko was wailing now, Claudia's grip crushing her too tightly, little arms bruised. The girls were going crazy, panic palpable in the air. And Amber was on her feet then, bracing herself, arms raised as if they might attack. But with her baby in Claudia's arms, she didn't know what she could do.
God, she'd fucked up. She'd fucked it all up.
"They know! Everyone knows!" Amber bellowed. "Oliver's telling everyone about all of you. It won't be long now before the police arrive. The media will have your names. There are cameras everywhere in this country. You should all run while you still can." She panted, blinking wildly. Claudia was rubbing her nose, blood spewing free. "I'd recognise you Claudia, and he can too. It won't be long before they come for you all. We know where to look."
"You cunt!" Claudia snarled, rage in her eyes. There was blood in her teeth now, and she spat as she spoke. "Body exchange with Oliver? All this time I was so sure you couldn't do it with the animal bond in place. The doctors said you couldn't do it—" She went wild with rage, holding Rumiko up like a doll and Amber's heart jumped into her chest. "You don't give a shit about your baby, do you? DO YOU?"
"I-I can have more," Amber spat out, lips curling hurriedly rushing through her words. She didn't know what tactic to pull. God, she didn't know how to reason with her. "W-who cares? But if you hurt her, this is more than just a kidnapping. You haven't done anything yet, there's still time. There's still a chance—"
"You don't care? YOU DON'T CARE?" Claudia snapped, laughter spilling free. "Burn the box," she hissed to the girl at the side. "Burn the fucking box now." Amber's heart leapt into her throat, horror spiking. Fuck, she shouldn't have said that.
"This is not what we do," one of the girls stammered out. "I can't, not anymore. This is not part of the plan—" She ran, darting out of the room. And the rest stared, limbs twitching as if they'd run too. Claudia seemed to lose it, madness now colouring her eyes.
"BURN THE FUCKING BOX OR I WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE! I'LL DRAG YOU ALL DOWN WITH ME!" She roared, and they obeyed, their bodies knelt as they set Rumiko's box on fire.
It was engulfed too quickly, flames catching on the boxes by the side and Amber's eyes widened as the glow of it reflected on Claudia's face, warm and dancing. Something flammable existed within the contents of the warehouse. Not enough it seemed for an explosion, but enough to catch quickly.
And it seemed to be a surprise for the girls, they shrieked and leapt back. But Claudia remained unmoving, unsurprised. Her face was cold, accepting as she lifted Rumiko over the fire. Claudia seemed like a monster then, standing before the flames.
"Now," she raised Rumiko high, demonic, her face covered in shadows. "What do you think?"
"If you kill her," Amber stuttered out, holding herself back. "That's murder. Think about it, you've got a life ahead of you. You'll be murdering someone on camera—"
"Do you think I care? I've done worse. So many have already died from the fire at the concert." Claudia snapped. "Do you think I give a shit? My family will protect me. They will. They will!"
"Not if you've intentionally murdered a child with your bare hands!" Amber snapped out. "Not if you did this in front of that camera! The internet's forever. You know it, and your followers even if they're here for deranged reasons. They weren't here to become murderers." Her eyes turned to the red blink of the video camera. begging. "And that's not just my child. That's THEIR child. You know how this will go."
"I don't care," Claudia shook her head, hanging Rumiko over the flames. "Give him back to me. GIVE HIM BACK!" She screamed. There were tears in her eyes now, a breakdown as she sobbed over the flames. Face ugly and snot dripping. Rumiko struggled weakly in her grasp, heat rising up. The beams now caught fire, and smoke began to billow, oily and angry. It cloaked her, sparked and boomed around her like the devil. The heat of it burned her face. "He was mine. He IS mine."
"And he's not mine," Amber begged, stepping closer as the flames grew. Her arms were raised, open. "He's his own person. He was never mine in the first place. You can do everything to change that. You can do anything to be there with him. But Rumiko is his daughter. She's his daughter. And he'll see everything that you've done. He'll see it all, and he'll decide for himself. You can't control him, and when you kill her. He'll never love you. So please, give her to me—"
"You were just a fan," Claudia snarled. "You were just a fan like me, how could the world give him to you? HOW COULD IT? I HAD A CHANCE. I HAD A CHANCE TOO! NOT UNTIL YOU CAME. NOT UNTIL YOU ENTERED HIS FUCKING LIFE."
"Just give me the baby," Amber begged, almost on her knees. "Just give her to me. You can have him. You can. The baby, just the baby,"
The walls were collapsing, the boxes catching fire one after another. And the flames were roaring, fire blossoming, rippling with heat. There was no time, and the other girls were gone, rushing straight to the door, to freedom.
"Please!"
"I want him," Claudia demanded, deranged, stepping back as if caught between two worlds. Living and dead. "It was supposed to be me and him tonight. I was going to give him my everything. We could have died together." Her eyes grew wider, a smile, baby sagging in her arms. "I WANT HIM."
"We should go," Amber begged. "This is dangerous for us all—"
"I WANT HIM." In the glow of the fire, she seemed like a monster. "GIVE HIM TO ME."
And Amber allowed it in her desperation, allowed the strange rush of his body, twisting through her mind, transforming into him. She felt him banging against her mind, roaring for her to return to her own body, to the safety of the hotel. She felt them all.
But she kept him out as she changed into him, knowing she'd give it all back the moment she was done. There she feigned a smile, arms out. At that moment it was her and it was him. And she gave Claudia his smile. His love.
She gave her everything.
"Come here," she whispered. "Come here."
And Claudia ran tripping forward, tears warped into a brilliant smile. Her eyes filled with the strangeness of affection, of so much deranged love that it transformed her. A smile so bright it turned ugly features beautiful.
It was at that moment when Amber saw her truly, her love in its entirety.
It happened so quickly. But a beam fell crashing into Claudia's body just before she reached her, the wood cracking. Claudia shrieked and smoke twisted through the air. The flames twisted around her, a violent inferno. It took her whole then, consumed her in a roar. The heat of it singed her face, and Amber screamed, fear rising for her child.
But the baby was tossed forward, freed from Claudia's grasp, and sent flying with the destruction of it all.
Amber released Oliver, tears in her eyes as she reached forward. His body slipped back into her own as she caught Rumiko in her arms, naked with her baby to her chest. The child gurgled with a cry, angry at the impact. Amber knelt, curled onto the floor as oily smoke wafted over her head as she sobbed.
"Baby," she whimpered, arms moving over her child, brushing over sweaty face, tears and snot. She checked her over quickly. Above them, the flames continued. "It's okay, baby. Mommy's going to get you out of here. Mommy loves you so much." The roar of the fire was loud, and she could barely hear herself in its crackle.
Rumiko whimpered, sobbing loudly. Her little body heaved through gasping breaths. Her baby was choking through the ash, hysterical.
"D-don't cry, baby. You need to save your strength so we can go meet your daddies." She was searching for a cloth then, wrapped loosely around her baby's mouth. Rumiko squalled, always a naughty girl. "P-please, please don't cry. I can't do this if you cry, you need to save your breath."
But Rumiko was sobbing hard against her chest, hiccupping through dry sobs that shook her little body. And in return, Amber began to cry, tears blurring her vision. But it was okay, as long as her daughter was against her chest, she wouldn't feel the burn just as bad.
And she couldn't feel the burn, not her Rumiko. She wouldn't allow it, wouldn't allow death to take her this way.
"It's okay," Amber whimpered. Tears grew as she moved on her knees, crawling through the smoke, through the flames. Her palms were burnt, her knees scorched. "It's okay." The flames were loud and angry, a shower of sparks raining down upon her body. Her lungs burned, and she stifled a scream when her hands touched red hot metal, burning down to the bone.
But it didn't matter.
As her world burned a song croaked through her trembling lips, she continued to crawl under the smoke. Her voice croaked as she sang, flesh burning with the flames. But with Rumiko pressed to her chest, shuddering in her arms, growing quiet with her singing, quiet from the smoke. A strange strength like no other pushed her through, adrenaline pumping hard.
And so, she continued to sing as loud as she could through the roar of the flames.
It is you, my love that taught me the darkness will end one day.
And it is you that makes me wonder if the answer now is necessary or by chance and choice.
If the murky road ahead of my vision, needs to be clear at all, if my destiny should be seen.
I shall form my own sandcastle on a beach where waves do not come, and I will live.
In a place where the light is warm and bright.
We will be okay.
*
They were there when her eyes fluttered open to a world of black and grey.
A star hanging over the stretch of silver water, the brightness of it illuminating the land. And it seemed to melt into an orange glow, turned warm with the roar of fire that burned the blues into gold. But it wasn't the fire, not anymore, not when it was the sun began to rise from the depths of the void.
She was outside, and it was dawn.
Tears burned in her eyes, dripping.
"Sunshine," there was a sob by her side voices, as the bed jostled under her. The roar of a siren. Her Oliver's eyes were chocolatey brown and so warm that her tears only grew. She inhaled, an oxygen mask around her face. Everywhere hurt, but her mind didn't care.
"You're okay," her voice croaked out so unlike her own. It was raw, and tasted bloody.
"Of course, I am," he whimpered. "Of course." He was beautiful, sun-kissed with his face etched with words of love.
"I knew you would be. You and Rumiko—" her brows furrowed. "Is she?"
"You saved her," he wept, his tears like stars. "You saved her. She's okay. Everything is going to be fine. We're done."
"How did you find—"
"Your voice," Oliver whispered. "You were singing all the way."
"Rumiko wouldn't stop crying," she exhaled, struggling through the pipes down her throat. "I thought I should sing JieMi's song. T-that little shit only likes that song."
"Save your strength," he pleaded. "Your throat is hurt."
"Are they mad?" she smiled and winced at that. And he hushed her quickly, voice soft and sweet. "They must be," she repeated, voice raw. "I left without warning—"
"Shhh, of course not," Oliver shook his head, the ambulance was bright, and it stung her eyes as they pushed her up. "You saved us. And they're here. They're here right by your side." And they were, she knew they were. "You saved us."
And they were there, her boys. Her Casper, leaning over her with dimples on his cheeks, and love in his eyes. Her MinJae with tears dripping down his face and lilacs all over his head. Her Ezra, glowing, with a glare and wet eyes. Her Hikaru with his palm pressed over his lips to stop a sob, body laced with gold. Her Sieon wailing over her with roses all over his hands. Her JieMi with his eyes so wide and red, and loving.
He'd take her place, take her body for as long as she needed just to rid her off that pain.
But she had to speak, couldn't be sure if Oliver knew. And there was a strange urgency in her voice.
"Did you hear?" she mumbled. "I had rings—"
"Y-yes," Oliver nodded, and raised his hand. "Look, it's here, it's here sunshine. Everyone has it on. I accept."
And she couldn't help it, couldn't help the words that tumbled forth, urgent and quick. "W-will you marry me?"
"Yes, we all will," he promised. "We accept." He pressed his forehead against hers, a smile on his lips. Tears flowed down his face like a waterfall. It dripped on her cheek, warm. "Yes, yes. Yes."
She smiled. "You can be mad at me," she mumbled, eyes closing, "when I wake."