💥𝒢𝑜𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒲𝒾𝓈𝒹𝑜𝓂💥 [𝒳-𝑀𝑒𝓃]

Chapter 27: The Hopeless and the Forgiven

"I think the hardest thing in life is to forgive. Hate is self destructive. If you hate somebody, you're hurting the person you hate, you're hurting yourself. It's healing, actually, it's a real healing... forgiveness."

- Louis Zamperini

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Elizabeth Grace's POV

Come on. I can do this. I can do this.

I continue searching—pushing my powers. This should now be the easiest person on earth for me to connect with. Searching so far below ground, however, makes this a bit tricky.

Finally, it appears I am successful. I find myself projected into a cemented cell. Windows look down on it. A few feet from where I am standing, it seems my mental projection has awakened a sleeping Erik Lehnsherr. He looks a bit confused as his eyes fall on me before he nearly jumps to his feet.

"Elizabeth?"

"Erik."

"It is you..."

"Yes. I..."

My voice breaks as my heart cracks further. So much has happened within the past few hours... days... months... This is the one person on earth that doesn't require me to wear a mask or pretend like I am the person everyone wants me to be... because he truly knows the broken child he's looking at.

"What's wrong?"

"It seems I can hide nothing from you."

"I know you too well for that, little one. What's wrong?"

"I... I... I'm just... I'm sorry."

"Little one..."

"I've been angry at you for a long time. I can't... I-"

"Shhh. Shhhh. Tell me what has happened."

"Sean... Sean's dead."

"Banshee?"

"Yeah. They- They experimented on him. He... I felt..."

"Shhh," he hushes me to calm me now sobbing. "Breathe. It's alright now."

"But Sean-"

"Is gone, and you did not kill him nor can you bring him back."

"I-I-I-"

"Shhhhh."

He sits back down on his mat that he sleeps on. He pats the place beside him. I come and sit next to him. Usually, Erik would hold me or embrace me when I was frightened or upset when I was younger. Being only a mental projection, while this isn't impossible, it's extremely hard.