Eternal

I watched quietly from outside my cell. GG sat to my left. We quietly chatted, silently muttering back and forth about nothing.

“That’s a beautiful bracelet you have there.” She pointed out. I blushed and twisted it around my pale left wrist.

“Thank you. Austin gave it to me.” I smiled lightly. The black ribbon had a single blue orb with two little black onyx stones on either side of it. She touched the blue gem with a delicate finger.

“Where’d he get it?”

“Something about his mother, I think. I didn’t ask too much. He said he found it and wanted me to have it.” I shrugged. She smiled and nodded. I heard another shuddery cough come from Annabelle in the corner. Luna sat by her side, looking down at her with worry.

“Is Annabelle okay?” Grey-Girl questioned. Blue looked up, shaking her head, taking an interest in our conversation.

“Still sleeping.” Luna murmured from across the room. Grey-Girl just nodded.

“She’s going to be asleep awhile. I think she’s sick.” Jaime added. Al’Wy’En grumbled at my right. Technically, the Night Hounds weren’t supposed to be down here, but since Al was a ‘special case’, he got to be down here. He didn’t have the vicious demeanor like the others and didn’t thirst for blood like the rest of the pack, so he was pretty calm around me.

Annabelle coughed again.

I stroked the smooth, cold fur of the black hound next to me. His red eye blinked, simple orbs of fire that whispered on and off. The mist scooted through the air, hiding within the rest of the lights quickly enough.

Al’Wy’En whined and put his head on my lap. His icy breath tickled my legs. I stroked his muscled neck. He whined again and I sighed.

“Quiet, Al. It’s alright.” I soothed. He snorted and fell silent.

“Where’s Misty?” I asked GG. There was a familiar lack of the abundant energy in the room. Misty was constantly bouncing around. We all wondered why the walls hadn’t fallen down yet.

“Upstairs, I think. Balz had taken her out. I guess they haven’t returned.” GG sighed. There was quiet murmurs as the boys talked in the corner. Blue played with a string, twisting it into a maze of zagged lines and ragged shapes. She was entertained and that was the key.

As the quietness covered the next half hour, I realized something. The deadliness had crept upon us like wolves under a new moon in the dark forest. We were all waiting for that cough to break the silence. It seemed that even though Annabelle was passed out, she could always keep the silence broken up.

Thing is, the cough never came.

Al’Wy’En perked up. With a few sniffs, he howled loudly, barking enough to warn everyone of the danger. Within a blink of the eye, everyone was on their feet. The door burst open with three figures rushing in. Austin came to my side. Chris was on high alert, his face twisted into a snarl. Al’Wy’En bounded over to stay by my side.

“What happened?” Alex asked. I quieted Al’Wy’En until he whined and nudged against my shoulder. The tall wolf-creature easily reached my chest.

“I don’t know, Al’Wy’En just started barking.” Grey-Girl responded. Chris squeezed her shoulder. Alex instantly went over to Annabelle.

“She wasn’t coughing. Is she okay?” Tony asked suddenly. Alex leaned down. We all took a step forward, trying to see one of our best friends.

“She’s pale….too pale.” Alex murmured.

“Come on, let’s get her warmed up. She’s probably just cold. Set her by the fire. Get her some cloaks and blankets.” Austin suggested. I leaned into his shoulder, nodding.

“Okay, okay.” Alex whispered worriedly. Ever since we had been retrieved and taken back to Castle Vulcan, Annabelle hadn’t woken up. She was constantly just on the border between sleep and reality, but never really conscious enough to do more than eat a few bites and then pass out again. Luna never left her side since then.

The man gently scooped his girl up into his arms, cradling her limp body against his. Her blonde hair seemed to be dulled. It lost the luster it once held. Her mouth was parted in a desperate crack for breath. Her chest rose and fell, but just barely. It was so shallow you might mistake it for her clothes just moving against her cold skin. Alex looked so worried, it was like she was about to walk into the forest again.

We all watched in solemn procession as she was taken up and out of our sight. Luna huddled in the corner, tears streaking her face. Blue came and sat next to her. They played a game called Cat’s Cradle until Luna’s tears stopped falling. The entire time, she didn’t make a sound. She didn’t sob or bawl out. She just let the tears fall for her cellmate.



One Day Later…

I woke up to screaming.

Loud, deafening screaming. I bolted upright, looking around in a dizzy haze. No, it wasn’t Blue, Misty, or Grey-Girl. It was the last person I had expected.

The quietest girl in the room was shrieking her head off. Luna was sobbing and curled up into a ball on her side on the floor. Her hair was a mess. She stumbled to her feet, clutching her stomach as if she was about to fall apart if she breathed another breath.

“GOD! NO! NO! NO! NOT HER! NOT HER!” She screamed over and over. Her door was slammed closed. She stumbled, catching herself on the bars of the door. The knuckles on both frail hands were white from how hard she was gripping them.

It was like a wild animal trapped in a cage, howling to be let out. Tears splashed to the floor. It was like she was in physical pain so excruciating that it felt like hellfire was lit in her veins.

“LUNA!” We all screamed and rushed out of the door. As soon as she saw us, we she backed into the corner, yelling at us to let her go. She kept yelling to for us to save her.

Save her.

Save her.

But who?

Luna’s howling increased as Jack ran down the steps and threw open the door, not caring that it slammed back into the stone wall. We all backed up, letting him get through the door.

Jack managed to pry Luna away from the bars. She collapsed into his chest, hands gripping his shirt tightly as her tears quickly stained his black top. He rubbed her back and buried his face in her mangled hair. He looked like he had been crying too.

“Shh….shh….it’s going to be okay, Lunes.” He whispered, his voice cracking each time.

“God, no, not her.” Misty whispered, tears falling out of her eyes as the pieces clicked in her mind. Luna sobbed into Jack’s shirt, more and more noises emitted from deep inside of her.

“She’s gone….she’s gone…she’s gone.” Luna kept on crying. Jack held her closer to him. We all backed away to give them privacy. Alex walked down the steps, his entire face red from the grief that drained him of everything. He just walked over to Jack and hugged Luna, crying into her hair.

And that’s when I connected it.

She’s gone…

She’s gone…

Annabelle Warson is gone…

She’s dead and gone and never coming back. She’s gone.

Annabelle died.

And that’s when we all started to cry. We all retreated to the corners of our mind, sobbing like we felt the pain as well. She’s gone, she’s gone….that’s all we could think. We’ll never see her kind smile or mischievous eyes again.

The only reason Luna talked was because she had Annabelle there with her. Luna didn’t do anything without Annabelle at her side. Luna protected Annabelle when she was sick. Annabelle took care of Luna when we revolted. There was no Yin without Yang, no Moon without the Stars, no Cloud without the Sky.

One couldn’t exist without the other.

That’s why Luna felt the pain when Annabelle died. They were so connected, the pain was real between them. So as I looked through a curtain of tears, I saw Luna hunched into a ball in Jack’s arms, Alex sobbing on her shoulder.

And this is when I knew our world was falling apart.

Notes

Annabelle is dead :'(

Oh no, what will happen to Luna? What will happen to Alex? What about the others? Will anything be the same anymore?

Thank you everyone for reading. Keep leaving comments, subscribing, and rating! Love you all and stay beautiful!