Chapter 18: The Way Her Cold Felt Warm
Aria woke up tangled in heat and cold. Not the kind that bit, but the kind that slid along skin like silk dipped in snow. Selene's arm was slung across her waist, her breath soft against Aria's neck, and their legs were a mess of thigh and hip beneath the half - kicked - off blanket. The gallery around them was quiet except for the slow hum of the storm outside.
She didn't move right away.
It was stupid, but she didn't want to ruin it. This weird, fragile pocket of peace in the middle of a city crumbling to pieces.
Selene's hand flexed slightly in her sleep, fingers tracings against Aria's stomach like they were still reaching for something in a dream.
Aria turned her head just enough to see her.
Silver - blonde hair. Forest green eyes barely fluttering beneath pale lids. And skin that still felt too cold to belong to someone human. But Selene was breathing. Alive. Real.
And holding her like she meant it.
Aria's heart did this awkward little flutter, like her body didn't quite know what to do with tenderness anymore.
"Are you watching me sleep?" Selene's voice came out rough and low, barely above a whisper.
Aria froze. "No."
Selene opened one eye and smirked. "You so are."
"Shut up," Aria muttered, blushing furiously and trying to roll away.
Selene didn't let her.
"You can stare as long as you want," she murmured. "You just have to let me do the same."
Aria snorted into the pillow. "That's creepy."
"You like creepy."
"Only when it doesn't talk."
Selene laughed, the sound still raspy with sleep. "Noted."
They stayed curled together a little longer before Aria sighed and pulled herself upright. The room around them had changed only in light — the storm clouds had thinned, letting in a sickly pale sun that cast fractured gold through the cracked skylight above them.
The gallery was still half - shadowed. Paintings hung crooked on the walls, colors fading, corners curling. A layer of dust clung to every forgotten surface. Aria wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders and padded barefoot across the floor to the window.
Outside, a yellow school bus sat in the middle of the street. Engine still faintly humming. Headlights blinking like a heartbeat trying to remember how.
There were no people.
Just the bus.
And the silence.
It didn't feel like morning. It felt like the world had paused to decide if it still wanted to keep going.
Selene joined her a moment later, holding out a half - smashed protein bar like it was gourmet. Aria took it with a quiet thanks.
"You didn't sleep much," Selene said.
Aria bit off a piece and didn't answer right away. She stared at the bus instead. "There were kids in that before," she murmured. "I think I saw it yesterday."
Selene didn't ask what happened to them.
Neither of them wanted to imagine the answer.
"Something feels wrong," Aria said finally. "Not just out there. In me. Like I'm… off."
Selene leaned against the wall beside her. "You are."
"Wow. Thanks."
"I meant you're different," Selene corrected. "You're waking up."
"From what? A coma? A hundred - year nap?" Aria scoffed lightly. "Because that might actually explain why none of what you're saying makes sense. Why I don't remember anything."
Selene didn't answer right away.
Then, quieter, more careful —"You don't remember me."
It wasn't a question. Just a soft, bruised fact laid bare between them.
Aria turned toward her, arms folded tight across her chest. "Should I?"
Selene didn't meet her eyes. "You should remember dying."
The silence that followed was heavy. Aria's body tensed like she'd been slapped.
"Dying?" Her voice caught in her throat. "You think that's supposed to trigger some lost memory? Like oh — right — I remember that time I died."
Selene's jaw clenched, but she didn't snap. "You used everything you had to protect the people you loved. Every ounce of your power. You created a barrier so they wouldn't rush in and try to save you. So they wouldn't die with you."
Aria stared at her, confused, overwhelmed. "People I loved?"
"You gave everything," Selene continued, voice thin. "You held the altered roamers back until your body gave out. Even when your skin started to tear from the energy, you didn't stop."
"Why?"
"Because if you didn't, we would've died."
Aria's throat felt tight. "Who's we?"
Selene's eyes flickered up to hers. "Me. And the others. The ones who survived because you stood between them and something engineered to destroy."
Aria took a shaky breath. "Engineered?"
Selene nodded. "The Council created them. They experimented with Harmonia's blood. And Artemis's. Thought they could build better soldiers. Smarter. Faster. Deadlier."
Aria murmured the words like they belonged to someone else's mouth. "Altered roamers."
Selene leaned closer. "They weren't like the rest. They calculated. They laughed when they hurt people. You didn't want anyone else to see what you saw. So you fought them alone."
"I don't remember any of this," Aria whispered. "I don't remember you."
"You're not supposed to," Selene said gently. "The goddess of love made a deal. She gave your soul a reset. She thought you deserved peace, even if it meant I'd be the only one who remembered."
Aria studied her for a long time, confusion and instinct warring in her chest. "Then why do I feel like I can trust you?"
Selene didn't smile. "Because you always did. Even before."
Aria's voice came out soft. "You said I loved people. That I gave everything. Were you… one of them?"
Selene swallowed hard. "I was the first one you tried to send away."
The words knocked something loose in Aria's chest.
"You told me to run. But I didn't."
"Why not?"
"Because loving you meant staying, even when it hurt."
Aria didn't know what to say to that. She turned away and sank onto a paint - stained bench, arms draped over her knees. "So what am I supposed to do now? Sit around and wait for it all to come back? Because I feel like I'm glitching through someone else's life."
"No," Selene said, kneeling beside her. "You're supposed to live this one. Whether you remember the last or not."
Aria looked at her warily. "And if I'm not who I used to be?"
"Then I'll learn who you are now," Selene said simply.
"You're not giving up, are you?"
"I did that once," Selene said. "I won't do it again."
Aria blinked fast, suddenly too aware of how close Selene was, how steady her voice sounded even when her eyes looked broken.
"I don't know why this feels real," Aria said quietly. "None of this should make sense."
"You don't have to understand it," Selene replied. "You just have to feel it."
Their hands brushed. Aria didn't move away.
Outside, the sky had gone still. The city quieted like it was listening in.
And though Aria couldn't name it, couldn't remember it, some part of her soul finally stopped running.
Selene stayed close beside her while she tapped open her phone. Her fingers hovered for a second. Then she typed.
Jules, don't come looking for me. You need to stay safe. You and Niko. This thing — it's changing fast. And I don't know who we can trust anymore.
She stared at the blinking cursor.
Then added: If I don't make it back… thank you. For being the only one who stayed. I love you. Please survive.
She hit send.
And then let the phone drop into her lap.
The lights in the gallery flickered.
Aria and Selene both looked up.
The hum of the school bus outside died. The engine cut out with a final shudder. The silence that followed was different this time.
Not peaceful.
Ominous.
The power across the city was failing.
And something was waking with it.
Aria felt it deep under her skin, like a door cracking open.
But she didn't run.
Not this time.
Selene was still holding her hand. Cold. Steady.
And somehow, despite the chaos rising outside —
That cold felt warm.
They walked a few more steps before Aria finally spoke, her voice soft. "You always this calm during the end of the world?"
Selene gave a low hum. "Only when you're next to me."
Aria rolled her eyes, but she didn't let go of her hand.
They moved through the building's ruined side exit and stepped into the ashen street. The silence was eerie. No wind. No birds. Just the soft crunch of debris under their boots.
"Alright," Aria said, glancing around. "If we're gonna scavenge, we need to be smart about it. Big stores are probably already stripped clean or crawling with roamers."
Selene glanced at her. "So, we're skipping the obvious spots."
"Yeah. There's a hardware place a few blocks west. Small, but tucked behind a mechanic shop. People usually overlook it."
"Anything useful there?"
"Tools. Maybe some water filters if we're lucky. There's also a Korean deli near Ninth. They imported stuff — vacuum - packed meals. Weird snacks too."
Selene smiled faintly. "Weird snacks might save our lives."
"Exactly."
They turned the corner, staying close to the walls. Ash drifted like snow, catching in Aria's lashes.
"What about after that?" Selene asked. "We keep moving?"
Aria hesitated. "Let's loop back before dusk. No point getting trapped out here. We check that corner market after the deli, then head back to the hotel. Sleep in shifts."
Selene nodded. "You lead. I'll cover."
They walked a few more steps before Aria added, "We'll hit the pharmacy tomorrow morning. Early, before the sun rises. It's risky, but there might still be meds left in the back storage."
Selene tilted her head, watching her. "You've done this before."
Aria shrugged. "Not this exact thing. But… surviving? Yeah."
There was a beat of silence, then Selene said, "You don't have to do it alone this time."
Aria looked at her. Really looked.
And for once, she believed that maybe — just maybe — she wouldn't have to.