It came quickly and suddenly. One moment Grey was kneeling in front of her, a concerned expression covering his face, the next it was black. The darkness was surrounding her and it was as if it was squeezing the breath out of her lungs. Gasping for breath, Arder fumbled around in the darkness. "Hello?" She called out, "Is anyone there?"Then the all too familiar man emerged from the shadows, and slowly the room began to light up around him. She was lying on a cold, wet stone slab in the middle of a cave. Water dripped off the rock ceiling and landed on her forehead."Cyrus?" She asked, seeing him move towards her."We need to get you out of here," his low voice whispered. The few strands of light shined through the ceiling, revealing his face every time he stepped under one. Everything was happening so quickly, and she didn't even know where she was."Where is here?" she asked, getting off the concrete slab she woke up on. The room reeked of something rotting and it was much too dark
She was still falling.Arder had no idea how long she had been unconscious, maybe seconds, maybe hours, but all she knew was the darkness that surrounded her.Then there was light. Just a circle of brightness, slowly expanding to her right. Then an arm reached from the light and grabbed hold of Arder's wrist. "Hello?" Arder calked out, however nothing could be heard over the howling wind that continued on even as she stopped falling.Arder looked to the light and the hand holding her suspended in the air and made a decision. Whatever was at the end of this fall gave her a dark, terrible feeling. She was going somewhere awful, and this hand and the person it belonged to was her only hope. Arder grabbed on to the wrist of her saviour and they began to pull her into the light. It's going to be okay now, Arder told herself. Whatever it was that gave her such a horrible feeling about what was at the end of this fall, gave her a hopeful feeling about her saviour. Arder finally reached
There she was. Grey stood at the window to the cafe, looking inside at the girl behind the register. He had been standing there for a few minutes, but still hadn't managed to convince himself to go inside. It had been months since Grey was gifted this second chance where he could continue his life as a human, yet he still didn't know if he should talk to Arder.He was terrified that he would ruin her life more than he had already. Most of all, he was petrified that the girl he knew didn't want to see him again, even though this version of the girl that was inside wouldn't be able to remember him to make that choice. He alone had to decide if it was the right choice to walk back into her life again. He knew who she was and he loved her, and yet she couldn't remember any of it. Was it worth starting over? Grey shook his head. He was being an idiot. Of course it was worth it. His real fear, what terrified him beyond belief, was the possibility that she might not even want to know him.
The cold winter wind rushed through the broken window of the abandoned house. The girl in the shadows shivered, backing further away from the shattered glass. The breeze blew her hair into her eyes, and she quickly pushed it away. Her red hair was like a fire burning in the darkness, a beacon glowing brightly for her hunter to find.She looked over her shoulder for the millionth time, feeling paranoid. He could be anywhere — lurking in a dark corner, waiting behind a closed door, silently standing behind her — and she wouldn't even know it. He was too quiet. Too good at this horrible game.She stepped into the light cast by the moon, quickly climbed out the window, and landed on the side of the deserted street. The old factory loomed in the distance like a far-off memory of her old life, and she shivered again. This time though, it was not because of the cold night; the tainted memory was what caused goosebumps to form on her pale arms.Something warm then slid over her shoulders and s
Three Months EarlierIt was late in the night as Arder Santiago trudged up the hill to the entrance of the town graveyard. The grass was covered in a film of frost and the trees were all devoid of greenery. The only sounds were that of the frozen grass beneath her feet, her own breathing, and the growing winds causing the branches of the old oak tree in the graveyard to creak back and forth.At the top of the hill was a wrought iron fence surrounding the graves. Arder pushed open the gate and walked towards the back of the yard, just under the tree.Arder pulled off her coat and laid it beside her grandmother's grave and sat down. There was no grass on the ground in front of the grave, just upturned dirt. The tree's branches rustled above her as the wind picked up and Arder pulled the hood of her sweater over her head to block some of the cold. Instead of looking to the stone that bared her grandmother's name, Arder looked to the moon. She looked up at the bright light in the night as
Sophie didn't say a word as she pulled out the red first aid kit she kept under the sink. The room was a small cramped space with old tiled counters and a rusted old sink, the only thing remotely new being the oven. Everything else was at least ten years old. "Are you mad at me?" Arder asked. She jumped up onto the small counter space, careful not to hit her head on the cupboard above. "Of course I'm not mad. I just worry about you," Sophie said, dropping the small kit next to Arder. She reached up and opened the single cupboard, as only one could fit in the small kitchen. Sophie took down one of the mugs and filled it with water from the dispenser."I'm fine Soph. I just can't believe that car almost hit me." She took the mug from Sophie's hands and gulped down the drink. "Thanks," she said, dropping the mug into the basin.Sophie pulled out the rubbing alcohol and a small packet from the first aid kit. She ripped open the small package, revealing mini pieces of tissue. Uncapping th
Forced to go to high school for the first time, Grey had to wake up exceptionally early. He leaned against the brick wall in front of the school, waiting for the girl. The other students laughed and talked as they pushed their ways inside. Wishing he could just go home and give up, he pulled his jacket closer around himself. It was almost winter, and the freshly-cut grass was covered in a sheet of frost. As more time passed, the more the number of people outside began to dwindle. When they had all entered the building, Grey wondered if she was even going to show up. She didn't seem like the type to skip school, he thought, though he knew judging people on their appearances often backfired. The bell signalling the start of classes rang throughout the courtyard, and Grey got up to leave. Taking a final look down the street before he left, he was surprised when he saw someone. A girl was jogging down the street towards him, her red curls bouncing as she ran. Realizing it was her, Grey s
The factory was a mess, papers scattered across the floors and glass shards littered around the rooms. The white paint had almost chipped off completely, and many of the doors had been taken off their hinges. Strangely enough, the main lighting still worked. No one had paid the electricity bills, so Arder didn't understand how this was possible."I haven't been here since my ninth birthday," Arder said."Is this his office?" Grey asked, standing in the now doorless entryway. The room didn't look different inside. It still had Cyrus' tall mahogany bookshelves, all filled to the brim with books and notebooks. His old scratched up desk was left opened with files and pens pouring out of it. The only notable difference was the empty spot where his desktop use to sit.Arder nodded, taking a seat on one of the two oddly coloured sofas. They were both a bright orange colour that didn't match anything else in the room, yet they still seemed to fit in with the atmosphere."My mom use to drop me