Raven (20 page)

I saw myself by the lake, holding a red cube in one hand, my other reaching toward the sky. I heard myself utter something low, something I could not repeat but knew like my own name. My face was fixed, there was not a soul in sight.

I screamed.

Everything went dark as I felt my body go limp. My body fell limp to the floor.

LITTLE HELPER

Edgar

I woke alone in Elle’s room, something that felt foreign to me.

“
Elle?” My voice was still hoarse from sleep.
“Elle?”
I asked again. I had grown so used to waking with Elle at my side that it alarmed me. I sat up, throwing the covers off the bed, burying Isabelle inside them. She protested with one sharp
‘caw.’

I stood, walking to the door with heavy steps. Something was wrong. I felt it. Throwing the door open, I stormed out into the hall and bounded down the stairs. Sam opened the door to my room, having heard the commotion.

“
Edgar, what’s wrong?” He knew, but probably felt he should say something to get my attention.

I turned to face him, halfway down the stairs. “Sam, where is she? Do you hear her?”

Sam drew a shirt over his head. I had given him and Margriete my room, tired of seeing them passing out on my couch. “Yeah, I hear her. Take a deep breath, Edgar. She’s just sleeping.”

I looked around the hall with frantic eyes.
“Where?”

“
Well, not in the hall, obviously.” Sam smiled, running his hand down his chest and smoothing his shirt. He made his way down the stairs, passing me. I followed, annoyed that he wouldn’t just say it and tell me where she was.

His gait was superior as I followed him into the library. We both slowed our pace as we saw vines of clematis growing up the stacks of books and leading us in through the door to the greenhouse. With caution, we entered the room, seeing that every inch was layered in thick foliage and flowers.

“
What the—”
I stopped just inside the door, looking around as Sam walked down one of the aisles. He reached out and touched a flower. The flower seemed to nip at him. It was then that I saw a dirty foot peeking out from behind a table, just inside the door and to the right. I lunged toward it, dropping to the ground and crawling up to her. She was laying on her side, curled in a fetal position.

“
Elle,”
I gasped, shaking her. I stood up. “Sam, over here!”

I heard him round the tables, rushing to where we were and kneeling to the ground.

“
Elle?” I shook her gently. She moved, dropping something that was held tightly against her chest. The object made a clanking crystal sound as it hit the dirty cement. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound, dirt covering her face and in her hair.

“
Elle, are you alright?” Sam brushed the hair from her face.

She smiled as she looked up at me. “Hi, Edgar.” Relief washed over me—she was fine.

“
Elle, what happened?” I motioned toward the room.

She rolled over, revealing the object that had made the sound. She saw it the same time I did, her brow furrowed as she reached toward it, taking it in her grasp. She sat up, bringing the object to her face. I watched her, also inspecting the object. It was a ruby cube, clear, solid, and void of any imperfections.

“
What is that?” I asked. Her sleepy eyes met mine.

“
I—” She began to talk but stopped herself as though trying to remember.

Sam spoke, probing her mind. “It’s the prophecy, or rather, what’s left of it.”

My eyes grew wide. “That is the prophecy? What happened to it?”

Elle was dumbfounded, so Sam continued to fill me in. “It has fulfilled itself. I mean, not the future, obviously. But it has fulfilled its task here. It has changed into its final stage.”

“
What do you mean its
final stage?”
I was lost, why hadn’t I known about this?

“
From what I can gather from Elle’s thoughts, and what the prophecy revealed to her, it seems that this cube is the key to it all. This cube will be able to spread her power across the entire Earth. She came down here last night, and they did this.” He motioned to the plants in the room. “And by dong so, the prophecy learned how to spread her powers. It is now the tool she needs to make it all happen.”

I was shocked as he said it. I hadn’t known any of this, but I was relieved to hear it. I had worried about how she was going to accomplish such a huge feat in such a short amount of time. I knew she would grow powerful, but just how much I was uncertain. With this, though, she would be able to channel her talents, spread her power like a lighthouse in a storm.

Elle hugged the cube to her chest, her dirty hands smearing fingerprints all across it. I hooked my arm under Elle’s legs and behind her back, hoisting her off the ground and holding her against my chest. She began to hum, as though lulling a small child.

“
Is she alright?” I asked Sam.

Sam lifted one brow. “Yes, I think she’s just tired. That, and she’s likely loosing it. She has a lot on her shoulders. I don’t blame her. Some rest should do the trick.”

I walked her from the room. “I’ll take her to bed.” Elle seemed to wake from her trance.

“
Wait!
No.
I’m not tired.” She wiggled from my arms, to stand on her own two feet. She held the cube between her hands. “I have a lot to do—
we do.
I don’t want to sleep anymore.

I nodded with concern. “If you say so.”

She smiled, reaching up and placing her hand on the nape of my neck. She stood on her toes and kissed me on the cheek.

Her lips were warm, and I could smell the dirt on her skin. “How about a shower?” I felt the dirt on her hands fall and roll under my shirt, tickling down my back. She giggled.

“
Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

She looked at herself, realizing how much of a mess she was. She tried to rub he dirt from her knees but it only made it worse. I watched as the floor of the library absorbed the dirt that had fallen from her, disappearing to leave it once again clean.

“
I’ll be right back.” She turned with the cube still in her hand, skipping from the room and making her way up the stairs, the trail of dirt slowly disappearing behind her.

“
Sam, did you know about this?” I turned away from the door to the hall.

Sam shook his head. “Nope, not even me.”

“
Do you think this could change things? Reduce the risks?” I folded my hands across my chest.

“
Maybe.”

Hearing him agree with me made my body loosen up. “Well, that’s good. Takes a load off
my
mind.”

Sam chuckled. “Mine too.” He lifted one brow, looking at my head. He was referring to the fact that he wouldn’t have to hear me worry about it anymore.

I laughed in return, allowing myself the rare pleasure of relaxing. I looked down at the clothes I had been sleeping in, suddenly embarrassed.

Sam laughed again, glancing at my boxers before looking away.

An awkward feeling filled the room. I turned to leave. Sam laughed louder behind me, angering me slightly. I kept my arms crossed against my chest, squandering my desire to attack. I exhaled as I reached the stairs, climbing with an added energy. Things were going to be fine—things had to be.

DEPARTURE

Estella

I walked up behind Edgar, running my hands up his back as he stood, packing a few of my things into a bag. I didn’t want to pack, but I didn’t even have to ask—Edgar did it for me anyway. The red cube sat on the bedside table, still as a stone. I felt Edgar’s muscles flex, his attention still on the satchel before him. I had changed into an outfit fit for winter, with tall laced hiking boots and a warm v-neck sweater.

“
Edgar?” I asked.

He stopped, no longer able to avoid talking to me. “Yes?” I heard his voice waver.

I gripped his shoulders, firmly turning him around.

He turned with reluctance, his eyes avoiding mine. As he moved out of the way of the bag, I saw for the first time what he was packing. I stared for a moment, trying to make sense of it all. There were a few journals shoved deep inside, their dates too hard to read but I was certain they were journals that were important to him as well as me. On top of the journals was a change of clothes, likely the things he figured I couldn’t live without for the next few days.

“
Thanks for doing that, Edgar.” I tried to get him to look at me but his eyes continued to avoid mine.

“
I’m sorry I have to take all this.” He motioned to the house around us.

I laughed. “Edgar, it doesn’t matter. Why are you so scared? It’s only a few days. Then I’ll be back.”

He frowned, fidgeting with his hands. “I know.”

I tried to be the strong one as I touched my hands to his arms. I felt his energy seep into my skin, and it knocked the wind from my lungs. He was so frightened that it chilled my whole body, making me more afraid than before. I shut my eyes, trying to calm myself.

“
I saw the future, Edgar. Have faith in that.” He looked at me as I opened my eyes.

“
Faith? That hardly makes me feel better.”

I slid my hands under his shirt, splaying my fingers across his back. I smiled. “Well, you have to believe in something. You are an angel, after all.”

I saw his mouth begin to curl, though I know he was trying as hard as he could to remain sullen. “I believe in you,” he reassured me, knowing that I was just as scared. He wrapped me in his arm, pulling me against his chest.

I breathed in his scent: lilac. I exhaled. There was nothing that could replace the way his body felt, though the absence of the heat I once loved was gone. The physical pressure of his touch made me want to stay here forever, forget everything and just live. There were things to be done, though, or it was all for nothing.

He kissed the top of my head. “Elle, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.” His voice wavered.

I looked up at his face, resting my chin on his chest. “About what?”

He backed up and sat on the bed, his hands resting on either side of my hips as I stood before him. He thought for a moment, his eyes dark and black. “I’ve always left you under sudden circumstances, never like this. A long goodbye does not suit me.” He leaned his head against my stomach.

I placed my hands on his head, running my fingers through his hair. “It’s better this way, Edgar. This way we can say our good-byes in a proper way.”

He looked up at me with an angered face—not anger toward me, but something else. “It’s not goodbye,” he protested. “I refuse to say that to you. I’ve been so afraid of losing you, and I am ashamed of the way I’ve been acting. I fear I’ve wasted the time we had together.”

I laughed. “I know that. I realize now why you were acting so stubborn.” I bent down, putting my face close to his. As always, I felt our soul stitch us together and pull me in. His breathing stopped.

“
Elle, do you know how much I love you?” His words found their way into my heart, touching it gently.

I nuzzled my nose against his. “I know.” His eyes were a deep black as he tried to pull away from me.

“
Elle, don’t.” I saw the struggle in his face.

I took one step back, letting go. Since the day he came home, there had been a distance between us. I still longed for the intensity we once had.

He sat up straight, his eyes looking away from me and to the ground. He looked nervous and bothered. The wings on his back extended across my bed. I watched as they rose and then fell in gentle waves, as though he were breathing, though he wasn’t.

I turned away from him, walking to the wall across the room where my paintings hung. My jaw was tight, as it had been for the past few weeks. I looked at the one painting of myself.

I used to see this girl as someone that was happy and carefree, but now that I knew better, I saw something far darker. What I saw was someone that struggled with her confidence day by day. She was someone that was tormented in the same way Edgar had been. I over-drove my emotions in the hopes of achieving my idea of true happiness, but was that even possible? What would have happened if I had let go of all my responsibilities and just lived? Would we even be here?

I turned away from the wall, annoyed with myself. My eyes locked with Edgar’s and I realized he was still here. I needed to stop pretending he was gone. His face was impassive, as though he were no more than a statue. I licked my lips, watching him as he watched me walk back toward him. When I reached him, I saw in his eyes something I’d missed. I thought back to the first day we met, back to the day when I didn’t know who he was, and the way his eyes had both frightened and amazed me.

My fingers touched his collar bone, tracing back and around his neck. I was remembering his outline, and the way I worshiped every inch of it. He put one hand on my waist, the ring on his finger burning through my shirt and stinging my skin. It was the only part of him that still glowed with life. I lowered my face until our eyes were level with each other, my breath passing my parted lips. He leaned toward me but I mirrored his movements, leaning away from him. I was too drawn by his gaze to lose it just yet. I saw calm and unity locked inside those eyes, something the world held little of these days.