Eternal

When I woke up, I was back in my old cell. What? Seriously!?

They thought they could lock us up again!? No, I won’t stand this! From the looks of it, there seemed to be others starting to wake as well. Jaime peered at me, quietly raising an eyebrow to ask if I was okay. I nodded, saying that I was.

Looking around, I saw that the cells area had been illuminated a bit more. Instead of the normal three torches, there were lanterns hanging up. The dirt seemed to be less…abundant. There was a distinct cleanliness to it.

It wasn’t so much a cell as a…living area.

But, there were still the bars. There was still the restraints of those cruel locks. Glancing into my own “living quarters” I discovered that I had been coming the only inhabitant. A tear glistened in my eye as I thought of Lynn. She had wandered off. We could never find her again. Pushing aside the thoughts, I attempted to not count the losses.

My sister, Sparrow. My friend, Lynn. They were both gone. Who knows? My mom and Toltek might as well be dead too.

“Jynx? You okay?” GG asked me. I looked at her through the little window. Nodding I rubbed my arms. The cold had seemed to disappear. Luna blinked awake. Annabelle was the only one not stirring. Her breaths looked shallow and labored. I hope Alex was taking care of her.

Oh wait, our Masters.

What do we do? What do we say? I don’t know what to even be anymore! We were back to where we came from. Can we even be whole again? Escaping had been surprisingly easy. The door was unlocked. The night hounds were with their owners in conference or someplace upstairs. All we did was cross the ice flows and climb the beach, heading north to a steep incline where we then headed to the forest. It wasn’t that difficult.

Did they want to see us die?

No, they still “cared” enough about us to chase us. But were we just a prize to them or were we the ones they cared for? It was so hard to tell. Although the aching in my heart seemed to point in one direction.

“Death is near. Draw far away, goodbye, my dears.” Blue whispered quietly. I huddled into the far corner. Blue had a good sense of who was approaching.

Many heavy footfalls littered the corridor outside. They stopped at the door. We all froze up, stiffness in our blood as the lock clicked and the figures walked in. Chris, Balz, Ghost, Alan, Oli, Austin, Jack, Alex, and Lily all approached us. Everyone carried a load in their arms. Despite the clear lighting, I kept my eyes trained at the floor as Austin approached my cell.

Everyone was approached by their old masters. What was I to think? What was I to say? It was so quiet and no one wanted to break the silence. As if some silent cue, one by one, the vampires settled down. Some crossed their legs, hunched over in mournful thought. Austin knelt quietly.

Jack and Alex (either stupid or blooddrunk, but most likely just being stupid) actually entered the cell. Luna cowered over Annabelle’s body, ready to protect her friend. Luna was quiet, reserved, but you know, I think she wouldn’t hesitate to take on two fully grown vampires.

And I think she would win.

I had a feeling this would take an interesting turn.

“Jynx?” Austin asked softly. I looked up to him, folding my arms over my chest. His golden eyes met mine. The pools of amber swallowed me whole and made me soften up. He had a way of making me feel so warm on the inside that it was like Heaven’s fire was filling my veins. It wasn’t Hell which would burn me alive, but Heaven which made me feel light, like I had a pair of shiny wings.

I stared at him silently.

He took a deep breath, laying the bundle on the floor in front of him. He moved back a few inches, as if telling me he wasn’t going to approach any further. My sight was trained on the bundle.

“I’m sorry. No, I’m beyond sorry. I can’t express what I’ve done to you. What I let happen with Sparrow. If I had known, I would’ve done anything in the world, anything in Heaven or Hell to stop it, to never let it happen. If only I hadn’t been so blind. If only I had been…better.” He choked up. I looked back to him. A translucent tear clung to his lower eyelid. I crawled forward so I was at the bars that separated us.

“Why?” I asked the question that he wouldn’t be able to answer.

“I don’t know.” He responded truthfully. He didn’t try to lie and say he couldn’t have done anything about it. He didn’t try to explain something he didn’t know. He told me the blunt, honest truth.

“I don’t either.” I whispered back. I reached out and gently touched his cheek and he looked back up to me. I pulled my hand back past the bars to my side. His shaky hands lay lightly on the bundle.

“It’s a b-blanket and I found a b-bracelet in the trunk under my bed. It was my m-mothers.” He sniffled out.

“If the bracelet was your mom’s you should keep it-“

“No, no. You remind me of her. Please, take it.” He said. I nodded, refusing to speak anymore. I ran my hand over the blanket, careful not to bump against the cold metal bars too much. The blanket was soft and silky. I could feel the bump of the bracelet underneath.

“Oh, and the door is unlocked. You’re not an animal. You don’t have to be locked up anymore. We’re keeping the corridor one locked because of the night hounds, but just knock if you...” Austin trailed off as I got up and went straight to the door. I tested it, pulling it open on oiled hinges. Without warning, I walked over and pulled him up and into a hug.

“Thank you.” I whispered. Okay, okay, it might seem pretty insane, right?

I mean, the guy kidnapped me. He took me as basically his slaved. He uses me as a food source and acts in such a way that it’s like he loved me, but he might now. I was kept on a constant state of confusion for the months I was here. I endured emotional pain like never before.

But now, I was giving him a hug.

Why?

Because.

That was the answer. Because. There’s no words. Just feelings. Because he cared enough to go back and save me. Because he had the thoughts to try and make things better. Because.

And for that, he deserved a second chance.

His arms held me tighter before gently pushing me back. He looked down at me with a gentle but firm expression.

“Hey, I’m cold and you need warmth. I shouldn’t be the person you should be hugging.” He chuckled and picked up the package. I took it and he kissed my cheek before I traipsed back into the cell.

I left the door open.

Notes