Not Dead

That's right bitches, I'm alive. Life... Well, life got a little hectic. I'll be making a post over on my new blog about it soon. Look forward to it. Or not.

June, July, and August: The Weight Of Living (Pt I)

There's an albatross around your neck,

The house was always quiet. After a few days of Skye not talking to me - no matter what I tried - I fell into a routine. Wake up, shower, eat some cereal, wake up Alice and try to get some food in her, go to work, come home, ask Alice how her day was, path around, go complete a Job if I needed to, work out, play with Alaska and Alice, feed Alaska and Alice, lay awake in my bed until exhaustion washed over me. Rinse and repeat.

All the things you've said,

And the things you've done,

"He sure is taking his sweet time getting over his first kill," M rolled her eyes as I swirled the milk in my bowl with my spoon.

"He's..." I trailed off, trying to find the right word. "He's new to this. He got thrown in to this life and I'm willing to bet that he was just a normal kid before all of this. Not everyone was desensitized to real-live violence like I was."

"Well still, it's been, like, two weeks," the demon rolled her eyes again. "He's probably afraid that you hate him or something."

"Well if he wants to shut himself off and deal with this completely by himself, that's fucking fine by me," I growled as I stood up from the table.

"Geez, touchy," M grumbled as she faded out, transporting herself somewhere else.

Can you carry it with no regrets?

Can you stand the person you've become?

I took a deep breath before knocking on Skye's door. "Hey," I called softly, staring at the ground.

No response.

"I just wanted to let you know that I bought some fireworks..."

No response. I sighed and leaned against the door.

"It's supposed to be nice out. And they're the really obnoxious ones from PA. Lucia and my guy hooked me up good."

No response. I slid down to a sitting position, willing myself not to cry.

"I, uh..." I choked around whatever words I was trying to say.

Still no response.

Oh there's a light

"God damnit, Skye," I sighed and lightly hit my head against the door. "Just let me fucking help. Let me talk you through this. Let me help you with your other."

No response. I heard the quiet sound of him flopping down on to the bed.

"Just... please Skye. Please let me in."

Your Albatross, let it go, let it go,

"I don't hate you, I don't... I just want to at least fucking see you, you idiot. Please?"

Silence.

"I swear to god, I'll break this door down," I threatened through tears.

Nothing.

"Well... You know where to find me when you wanna talk," I sighed before walking down the hall to my room.

Your albatross shoot it down, shoot it down

I curled up in a ball on my bed, staring out at the night. It was pitch-black and cloudy and I wanted nothing more than to dissolve in to it. I was so damn useless and helpless all at the same time. I wanted to help him, but he needed to let me in - I knew I couldn't force it.

My heart ached dully in my chest, and I longed for the ability to not feel.

When you just can't shake

The heavy weight of living

I invited Opal over to watch my one-woman pyrotechnic show. I had thrown myself into researching to keep myself busy and it was about to pay off. I hoped. Opal plopped down on the deck with Alice in her lap. Alaska was in the house, probably hiding under one of the desks or in Skye's room. She hates loud noises.

"Alright, I think it's dark enough now!" I smiled and lit the thick, braided fuse with my lighter before dashing back next to Opal and plopping my ass down on the concrete.

The outermost layer of fireworks hissed and shot up in near-unison. They exploded into blue star-bursts, and each spark shot out into white fizzles. The next layer consisted of ten red whistlers that exploded in a fountain. The last layer was my particular favourite - and it took a long ass time to jerry-rig. Twenty roman candles arranged in a circle around the single biggest fountain firework that I could find. And by find I mean that I know a guy whose good with explosions and paid him a nice amount for a firework twice the size of my thigh.

"HELL YES!" I yelled as the Romans started to shoot out fireballs in sync. I couldn't help myself from cackling crazily as the fuse for the giant firework hissed. I saw Opal give me a worrried look before she covered Alice's ears.

The firework exploded with a bright flash, illuminating everything around. I grinned as I watched the giant flare shoot up into the sky before it exploded with a resounding BANG and splitting off into arcs that slowly trailed to the ground. Cleanup was going to be a bitch, but I didn't care. At the moment I was just praying that the neighbours wouldn't call the cops.

Stepping forward out into the day

Shrugging off the dust and memory

"Hey Tori, you should go to college with me," Opal said, sprawled out on my bed.

"Yeah I get enough of the general public at work," I rolled my eyes.

"Come on Tori. It'll be fun! You need to get out of the house anyway."

"No."

"Come on, you need to talk to people that aren't me or your boss," Opal nudged me with her foot.

"No. I'm... You know I can't deal with people. And there's the fact that I'm scarred out the ass. And I'd have to make a whole new identity and getting those papers done is a pain in the ass and..." I looked at Opal's eager face and sighed in defeat. "I'll call my guy up tomorrow."

"YES!" She shot up from the bed and punched the air. Then she lost her balance and fell over into my lap.

"Girl, you are a mess," I laughed as I brushed the hair out of her face.

"Yeah but I've assigned myself to be your mess - so deal with it."

Though it's soaring still above your head

It is out of sight and none shall see

"This was a horrible idea," I hissed at Opal.

"Oh come on!" she chirped, grabbing my hand and dragging me forward, "It'll be fun!"

"I'd have more fun sharpening my knives," I muttered under my breath.

"If you don't put on a smile I'll use you to sharpen your own knives," Opal smiled. It freaked me out when she made such happy threats.

She dragged me from class to class. She tried to make it a point to talk to everyone while I sat in a corner and tried to become invisible. My plan was working fairly well until the next day when we did one of those stupid "get-to-know-you" activites where you had to say three interesting things about yourself.

"My name is Opal. My hobby is dying my hair," she smiled, gesturing to her bubblegum pastel pink hair. Yes, her icon is an accurate representation of her.

"I've had ten near death experiences."

Five of which may or may not have been kind of my fault.

"Aaaand, I've been classically trained in opera singing."

And she never lets me forget it. Then, she gestured to me.

I sighed and looked around the room. "Hello. My name is Kali, uh with a K." I scratched the back of my neck. What the hell could I say? I kill people for a job? "I've been to Germany, Lichtenstein, Austria, France, Norway... Um, am I forgetting any countries?" I mumbled to myself.

"You forgot Finland, Russia and Italy, lovely," Opal supplied.

I gave her a small smile before continuing. "Yes, those as well. I've been teaching myself how to use throwing knives." Properly of course, I've been meaning to increase my accuracy. "Lastly, the only meal I can cook is french toast."

I looked around the classroom with a raised eyebrow. There was a beat of silence before the next person began speaking.

Oh there's a light

Opal and I were sitting in the cafeteria with some of the friends that she had amassed, I was doodling in my notebook, not really caring for the conversation.

Suddenly there was a loud BANG. I shot up from my seat, one of my knives in my hand. It had been someone knocking over a metal cart. I sighed and slumped back down into my seat.

"Damn, that was an interesting reaction to the clumsy janitor," one of the guys chuckled.

I raised my eyebrows at him and glared. He didn't back down. "I've been through some shit."

"I'd say," someone else laughed. "Were you in a gang or something?"

"Guys, you shouldn't as-"

"No it's totally fine," I cut Opal off, giving the two guys an icy smile. One was about 6, 3 with short blonde hair and dark eyes. He was pale enough to give me a run for my money. The other was around 6, 5 with dark skin and an easy smile.

Your albatross, let it go, let it go,

"Oh so Princess Bubble gum knows all your secrets?" the blond smiled.

"Not all of them," I shrugged. Casually I shrugged off my over-sized hoodie. I was wearing a black tank-top underneath. Needless to say, the whole table minus Opal starred at my scars. I was slightly uncomfortable with the harsh scrutiny, but the fear and awe in their eyes was intoxicating.

"What happened?"

"I got attacked by a mainiac who thought he was a superhuman being," I smirked.

"Yeah, okay." someone scoffed. I simply shrugged and pulled my hoodie back on. I muttered something about going to buy food as I stood up. I didn't miss the blond getting up as well and falling into stop with me.

"So, is that why you don't talk to any of us except Bubblegum?" he asked me. I rolled my eyes as I looked over the food in the hotbox. It wasn't the best, but it was a decent price for college food. "Come on Kalika," he laughed.

"Original," I scoffed. He started to reach for my shoulder and I easily grabbed his wrist. "Don't touch me without my permission."

"May I touch you?" he rolled his eyes.

"No." I tried to hide my smile.

"Ah well, I tried," he shrugged.

I grabbed the chicken tenders and some fries before walking over to the coolers that held drinks. "There was an attempt at contact, yeah."

Your albatross shoot it down, shoot it down

"Geez, warm up some Ice Queen," the blond chuckled.

"Back the hell off, Blondie," I smirked.

"Hmmm... No I don't think I will." He grabbed my food and the drink that I had just grabbed. "I'm paying for these."

"Eh," I shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

"I'm Daniel by the way."

"Cool. I don't exactly care."

He just laughed and walked off to pay for the food. I rolled my eyes and followed him.

When you just can't shake

The heavy weight of living

"Hey Bubblegum, Ice Queen. Wanna hang out later?"

I groaned. It had been a week and Daniel had decided that making me social was his new pet project, or something. Of course, Opal had jumped onto that idea and threw her support behind it.

"I have to work," I mumbled, rubbing my head. Slendy hadn't been too happy that I'd been slacking as of late.

"I thought you only worked weekends?" Daniel asked.

"Someone got sick. It's not your fucking concern," I growled.

"Kali," Opal said in a warning tone.

"Actually my shift starts soon so I'm leaving now." I picked up my bag and walked down the hallway. I called the elevator down and stepped inside. I mashed the door closed button and pathed home as soon as the doors closed.

When you just can't seem to shake

The weight of living

I sighed and walked up the stairs and sat against Skye's closed door.

"I don't know why I thought that going to college was a good idea."

"I mean, I'm not fit to fucking deal with people."

I hit my head against the door in frustration.

"All of them don't know what's out there. I hate this. I hate having to keep all of myself hidden from people."

"Anyway, I have to go on assignment now. I stocked the fridge yesterday so that's that."

I sighed and stood up.

When you just can't seem to shake

The weight of living

"Thank you."

It was a quiet reply, and those two words broke my heart with how broken they sounded.

"Anytime."

The weight of living

Laura Palmer (The Return Of Skye, Part I)

Walking out into the dark
Cutting out a different path
Lead by your beating heart

I was walking aimlessly through the path, trying to find Skye again. I'd try this at least once a week, if not more, since Skye disappeared. I'd keep popping up in Europe, since that was the only clue that I had from his vague note and blog post, but it was always a different country. Russia, Finland, Norway, France, Austria, Lichtenstein... 

This time I ended up in Italy. I had taken to carrying around euros (as well as my weapons) so I decided to walk around a little bit. Maybe I had gotten it right this time. Maybe I could focus on a person and not a place and end up where I wanted. Maybe... 

All the people of the town

Cast their eyes right to the ground

In matters of the heart

I walked through the dark streets silently, searching against all hope for some kind of sign. Many of the people looked at me oddly, and admittedly my attire would cause most people to give a second glance. Black leather jacket and gloves, nearly the colour of the starless sky above me, white tank top, cutoff jean shorts. Not-so-obvious shoulder holsters holding my revolver and the 9mm. My newly acquired Ruger SR22 was tucked into the hidden pocket in my jacket. My pocket knife was in my right back pocket, and the Balisong was in my left. My sheathed Karambit was on my right hip and my throwing knives were sheathed on my left leg. 

Authority figures never bothered me, they were either intimidated by my personal arsenal or the look in my eyes. Curious mobsters, assassins, and common criminals often approached me cautiously. 

"Ehi ragazza!" I heard a male call. I kept walking.

Sometimes they approached without caution. 

"Malvivente! Bella Criminale!" 

I exhaled sharply and turned around slowly. My command of the Italian language was poor, but I knew exactly what to say in this situation. "Vaffanculo!"

"Questa bella ragazza, un criminale e volgare." He chuckled before continuing. "Very few women are like that anymore." His dark eyes looked at me with amusement, the weak street lights cast an almost ethereal glow onto his auburn hair.

The night was all you had 

You ran into the night from all you had 

"And how exactly did you deduce that I was American?" I sighed, fed up of this guy and the fact that all of Europe seemed to be bilingual.

"You curse come un americano," he scoffed. 

"Look, did you want something Signore or can I be on my way?" I rolled my eyes and rested my hand on my Karambit's handle, threading my index finger through the brass-knuckle-esque hole. 

"Well any gentleman should help when a lady is lost. Espeically when la signora è bellissima e il posto è pericoloso." 

Found yourself a path upon the ground

You ran into the night; you can't be found

I gave a bark of laughter and the man raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

"Do you really think I'd have any issues with how many weapons I have on me?" I gestured to my traveling arsenal with my eyebrow raised at the auburn-haired man.

His dark eyes appraised me and he nodded - although if it was in agreement, approval, or something else I couldn't place.

"Still bella, you should be careful when looking for a fight."

"Hey I'm not looking for a fight; I'm looking for my..." I paused, not really sure what to call Skye. 

But This is your heart

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

"Well he is a lucky man to have the love of such a donna letale."

"Wait a minute there pasta-face. No one said anything about love." I glared at him.

"Even a blind man can tell when a woman loves a man, the man is missing, and she is missing him." The man chuckled.

"Regardless, you can leave me alone now." I turned to walk away and caught him shrugging out of the corner of my eye. 

Pumps through your veins

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

"Maybe if you stop looking he will find you bella. That is a trick that often works for lost objects yes? So why not people?"

"It's a bit more complicated than a lost item..." I muttered darkly. 

Summer evening breezes blew

Drawing voices deep from you

Lead by your beating heart

As much as it annoyed me, the words of that Italian man wouldn't leave my mind. So I stopped searching through the path. I stopped myself from scanning crowds and cars in some kind of desperate hope that I'd spot him. Matt gave me more hours to help me stay busy. Opal talked to me about graduation being soon, and prom, and boys. She dragged me out to get my nails done with her. She introduced me to her friends. She and I took Alaska for walks and went out to see movies with Alice. She always knew somehow when I was in a bad place because her bright blue car would pull into the driveway and she'd declare that we were going to go do something, no arguments.

I have her to thank for my continuing sobriety and mental stability. I also have her to thank for these fake nails that make every-day life inconvenient as hell...

What a year and what a night

What terrifying final sights

Put out your beating heart

One evening, my phone rang. I jumped slightly, no one usually called me. I took one look at the caller ID and nearly cried. 

"Hello? Skye?" 

"Hey Tori..." he trailed off. He sounded horrible, numb. I knew that something had happened.

"Are you alright?" I couldn't help but ask. I just wanted - needed - to hear him talk.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay..." I heard him sigh and the static that comes with movement. "You think you could come pick me up?" 

"Of course, if you don't mind traveling though the path with me. Do you know where you are?"

"Yeah... I'm in Germany. The nearest street is... hold on it's too dark to read the sign from this far away..."

"Take all the time you need," I reassured him as I started to gather my traveling arsenal. If we ran into issues before I could path the both of us out I wanted to be prepared. Skye didn't sound at all like he could fight. 

"It's Ch...Chi..Chicago..kai....?" I heard him stumble over the name.

The night was all you had 

You ran into the night from all you had 

"Chicagokai." I had taken German as a language elective and a lot of the pronunciation stuck with me. Thank god, because if he was in France we would be screwed. At least he was somewhere I could ask directions.

"Yeah. There... I'll be by the water. There's water..."

"I'll be right there okay? Just hold on a few minutes. I promise."

I hauled ass into the path. The denziens screeched from the hasty intrusion but I didn't care. I barked at them to shut up and they did. 

Found yourself a path upon the ground

You ran into the night; you can't be found

"Skye?" I yelled as I came out of the path. I had no clue where in Germany I was. It looked to be some kind of park-type space in the middle of a warehouse district. 

"E-entschuldigen Sie! Sir?" I called out to a passing man. 

"Ja?" he sighed, obviously wary of myself and all of my weapons. Or the American accent.

"Wo bin ich?" I asked, needing to know where I was and how far away from Skye.

"Speicherstadt. Ah, Grasbrookpark. Straße heißt, dass Hübenerstraße." So far my guesses had been pretty spot-on. Warehouse district, park... some road...

"Welcher Weg ist Chicagokai?" I asked him, figuring this would be my last question. He seemed irked at my stopping him. 

"Süden. Dreihundert Meter." South. About a two-minute walk if I did some trespassing.

"Vielen Dank!" I thanked him as I started jogging in the direction the man had pointed. I heard him mutter something about verdammt amerikanischen but I didn't care too much. I was too focused on finding Skye to care about people assuming I was a lost tourist.

But This is your heart

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

I skidded to a halt when I found him, sitting with his back to a post by the water.

"Skye?" I asked softly. He was covered in blood. His clothes, his face, his hair.

"I just killed someone." No emotion, just words. He was in shock.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I sat down beside him and pulled him into me. I didn't care that the blood was getting on my clothes and my skin. He was stiff at first, not realizing what I had done. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around me and nestled his head into the spot where my shoulder met my neck. I rubbed his back and hummed softly. I felt his tears drip onto my skin so I ran my fingers though his hair.

Pumps through your veins

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

"You're alright now." I whispered. "I'm here darling, nothings going to hurt you. I'm here."'

Eventually his tears stopped falling. He moved his head so we were both kneeling face-to-face.

But This is your heart

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

"I...I'm ready to go home now." His voice was thick from crying.

I brushed the hair back from his forehead and slowly, gently, placed a kiss there. Skye leaned contentedly into me, wrapping his arms around me again. "Let's go." I whispered.

Pumps through your veins

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

The days since then have been... I don't know how to describe them. Skye was quiet at first, quieter than when he first arrived at my house. It unnerved me for the first day but then I realized why. He had a lot to think on, and his Alter was probably being too loud for his liking. 

He retreated back into the room that he had initially claimed and stayed there most of the time. He still came out for meals and to occasionally watch TV with me, but at night was when I felt most alone. I would lay in bed facing the other side, resisting the temptation to go to his room. 

This is your racing heart

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

Never before has emotional pain been so physical.

Pumps through your veins

Can you feel it? Can you feel it?

Broken Crown

Please note that autocorrect is a bitch. 

Thing have been... Eventful since my last post. Also that recolection post? i just needed to get that out of my head. So much has happened and i can't really cover it all in one post. 

First things first. The reason I haven't been online at all is because my last mission went slightly awry. I got into a fist fight and got a concussion. I passed out, they got away, and father gave me hell for it. 

Light hurts, noise hurts, being awake hurts, moving makes me dizzy and food makes me nauseous.  I have trouble remembering words and my ears are always ringing. I've been sleeping so much, because that's the only thing that helps. 

There's this girl, Opal. She was being stalked by the Dog. She's a bit of a ditz and she's energetic as anything. I'll make a more detailed post on this later, but she came into my work, she has a blog which I'll link to when I can use a computer again, and she's been helping me with Alice and Alaska while I'm out of commission. She's good with them. Neither of us can really cook, but we get by. 

I also visited Lucia a while back. I know a few of you will wanna hear about that, if just for nostalgia. 

I still miss Skye terribly. I hate that he hasn't emailed me. I hate that he hasn't updated his blog. I hate clinging to the hope that he's alive when it's so possible that he's dead and I'll never know. 

But, for now, I'll keep doing what I have been. Taking everything one day, one step, one breath at a time; hoping that the next will be better. 

Recollection: Only Place I Call Home

"We were finally changing
It's our luck, we're a little too late"

We laid in content silence, me curled against him and him with his arm around me. So much had happened since I started running, since I found him again. So much joy, and so much loss. He'd gotten taller, a bit more refined but he would always be rough around the edges. I was sandpaper that could smooth, yes, but too much would wear me down. We had always been a balancing act, but we lived in tandem, a prefect dance in unison. And now, in union.

He knew why I had made this decision. They would be leaving soon and I would be going to Antithesis. There was a chance that we'd never meet again, there was a chance that he wouldn't survive. There was a chance that I wouldn't either. The smoke from his cigarette wafted around the room. He claimed that he only did this afterwards, but I knew that he smoked once every few weeks because of stress. I snatched it from him and instead of putting it out like usual, I took a long drag and blew the smoke in his face. He just chuckled and pulled me back down, asking if I was trying to start something. I responded by informing him that I don't start things that I can't finish.

Our peace was disturbed by a knock, a tap, on the door to the bedroom. Naomi yelled at him that they were leaving within the hour and he still had to get his things together. He sighed and pulled me to him, holding me tightly, before getting up. Mechanically I followed suit, pulling on, buttoning, straightening. My eyes were fixed on the ground. I felt so much in that moment, content, love, warmth, shame, confusion, loss...

"Hey."

"Don't go." The words flew from my mouth before I could stop them.

"You know I have to girl, someone needs to keep Naomi and Andrew from killing each other in their sibling fights."

"But... you can stay with us. I'm sure..."

I was silenced as his thumb gently brushed my cheek, taking with it a tear. He was gentle, something he only was with me. I knew him, who he really was not who he pretended to be.

"You won't get rid of me that easily, girl." He chuckled before continuing, "Besides, I'm bad for you remember?"

"Yeah, bad for my stress levels. I'd be less worried if you'd come with me."

"You have your path and I have mine. I'm sure you'll see me again." He shrugged as he grabbed his bag.

He exited the room and I trailed after, leaving all the warmth and the glow behind.

"Really you two? Tori, you just got back on your feet - literally! And you two go and-!"

"Don't."

One word from him, one glance, silenced her. I felt her look at my face, really look at it, and make a small sound.

We drove to the airport. I went one way, they went the other. I didn't look back, I didn't dare stop. I held together my already shattered heart as the plane lifted from the air and tried to place it back together. the world's most complicated jigsaw puzzle in my hands, I landed in Pittsburgh. The unsolvable conundrum in my life I followed the tracks. With already sore legs I climbed. I lay on the couch, immobile, placing piece after minuscule piece back where it belonged. Securing an already fragile glass heart with duct-tape and gorilla glue, praying to a god that didn't exist that this would be the last time I did this.

All I Ask Of You

"She's asleep... Finally," I sighed and sat down on the bed next to Skye. Alice was a handful. Being a child of the cold aside, she was like any other kid - full if way too much energy. It had been about a week since Roy showed up and left Alice with us. I hadn't talked to him much, but he had looked horrible. I didn't mind taking Alice in at all. Except...

"I'm sorry Tori, you probably didn't want to spend your day off like this..." Skye mumbled. 

"I don't mind, really," I smiled slightly and bent down to take off my socks. "Besides, I like having people in the house. It reminds me that I'm not alone..."

I heard Skye move around and ten felt him timidly massaging my shoulders. He had gotten more comfortable with physical contact since we started dating, but he was adverse to accidentally going over any lines. "Yeah but you're tense... And I know you haven't been sleeping well."

I turned around to see that be was giving me a pointed - albeit worried - look. "I never sleep well," I shrugged and leaned forward, trying to see his eyes better. "What's this about?"

"Well... I... T-the thing I-is...." He mumbled, avoiding my eyes. 

My stomach sank. "Do you not want Alice in the house?" I asked him quietly, eyes and voice never wavering. He shook is head no. "What is it then?"

"I-I can't keep p-putting this much stress on you. You were so busy before with your job and missions and now you have to take care if her too and you're gonna burn yourself out because you're too stubborn to admit that you're past the point of what you can handle!" 

Silence. His eyes were churning with upset, sadness, and guilt. Mine were steel doors, crashing shut. 

"Obviously you would not have brought this topic up unless you had a suggestion," I stared at him, eyes and voice cold and emotionless. This was my wall. Shut down so you don't lash out.

"I think... that it would be best if I left for a while..."

I stared at him. I couldn't form a response. A part of me wanted to yell at him to leave, leave like everyone else did, leave before he died too. Another part of me wanted to cling onto him, beg him to stay, to not leave me.

I chose a third option.

"Whatever you think is best," I shrugged, voice monotone. I laid down under the covers and turned away from him. "I can't believe I let myself think that you gave a damn about me anyway..."

Suddenly the covers were ripped off of me and I was pinned on my back. I looked up coolly at Skye, who had tears starting to from. "Don't you dare think that I don't care about you!" He pressed me more firmly into the mattress and my eyes widened. "I'm only thinking about this because you run yourself ragged! You never ask for help and you never wanna lean on me or anyone because you're too used to being alone! You're not alone so just let me in because I love you and I'll never stop loving you!"

"..." I opened my mouth, but no sounds came out. His emotions had spilled over, and the drops were hitting my cheeks.

I'll be the first to admit that my being bad with words has led me to doing some stupid shit. But what I did next? No regrets at all.

I leaned up in his now-slackened grip and lightly pecked him on the lips. "Then don't leave me," I whispered. My voice sounded broken and tired and shocked, but that's because I was. I moved back to see that his lips held a shaky smile.

"I won't." Gently, he laid down beside me and drew me into him. I held on to him contentedly, humming a song.

"What are you humming?" he asked quietly as he rubbed circled into my back. I told him and he gave a small laugh, shaking his head. We fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. We know that things won't be prefect, but at least we have each other...

Love me, that's all I ask of you

Recollection: I've Become What I Fear The Most

Saturday, June 23, 2012; 6:30AM, EST

Antithesis

One month. One month of sitting in the dark and thinking. One month of barely speaking to the other in the apartment. One month of knowing what my decision would be and trying to convince myself otherwise. One month. One decision. So many possible outcomes. Everything leading up to this day. Everything that's happened since almost a year ago. Everything came down to one month, one decision, and fifty plus possible outcomes. 

My thoughts were reeling. Still so much indecision, so many un-thought of possibilites. So many "what if's" plagued my mind. One month of solid thinking, and I still wavered on my decision.

It's for the best of everyone

It could get you killed

It's to protect them.

It's part of his plan you know

I'd rather them be safe than not. And if I have to do this for them, I'll do it.

... Your funeral

A decision had been reached.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as he faded away. I knew he wouldn't be talking with me for a while.

The sound of a dish or mug breaking. Ceramic shattering against tile. A chill in the air. The decision had been made, no going back on it. 

I stood up and stepped out of my room. My walk and posture showed confidence that I didn't have.

Confidence is ignorance.

His last message to me as a runner.

Everyone stood by Lucia, sure that He was here for her, or Devin, or both.

"You can put the weapons down." My voice - scratchy from not being used - startled them.

"Tori, what are you..?" Lucia's confusion turned to understanding. "You don't need to do this."

"I do. You're not the only people I'll need to protect," I gave her a smile. "So, best to get started now."

"Tori, you're insane," Sammi sighed and shook her head at me, but her words were half-hearted. They all knew that whatever I'd been thinking about this past month was of the utmost importance. They all knew that they couldn't sway me from this decision. They dispersed, leaving me with Him and the remnants of a mug that had once held tea.

such a selfless child

His many, many tendrils filled the room. Even in here, His height was enormous. My neck craned so I could look him in the face. Thee was no fear anymore, no indecision. Only a steeled determination to protect those I love.

so willing

He stepped closer. Just one step. I can't tell you what His "voice" sounds like. Wolf describes it as a song, but to me it was just like reading from a passage, or just knowing the words.

such a noble child blinded by love

He was closer, three feet, tendrils surrounded me.

your terms are agreed to

closer. The touch of them was... curious. Smooth. Hot. Sparking with electricity. Hard like polished wood. They were all around me, consuming me. The briefest flare of pain from that long-since healed scar.

Nothing. Blackness. No sound. No sight. Nothing at all.

Sounds came back first. Conversation, low and muted but nearby. The sound of the mug being swept up. The hum of the central heating and air. The soft sound of either Diaram or Kako padding around.

Feelings came back next. Face on carpet, hand on the tiled floor of the kitchen. My shirt sitting uncomfortably on the scar (if it was still just a scar) on my lower back.

I sat up, slightly confused, until the memories filtered back into my mind. I shuddered at the remembered feeling of tendrlis-on-skin and pushed it to the back of my mind. I looked around. Lucia, Wolf, and Fell were talking. Diesel had just finished sweeping and went about mopping up the tea. Sammi was making cookies again. It was as if nothing was different, as if they had simply let me come to in my own time. For that I was grateful.

None of them gave me weird looks. None of them asked what had happened. Four of them knew already, and Lucia had no desire to. Wolf gave me a nod, Fell gave me a smile. Diesel patted me on the head and Sammi offered me some cookie dough (which I gladly accepted). Lucia smiled her thanks, hand resting contentedly on her stomach, and that was the end of it.