Burning Ashes (Sequel to Willow House)

Chapter One: Everything's Different.

Ash's P.O.V Cont-

CHAPTER ONE: EVERYTHINGS DIFFERENT.

It was inevitable. By the time I arrived at her door, she was too fast for me to stop. I saw her look at me as I cried for her to stop. Her raven hair following like a dress around her face as she swirled. I saw the tear stains on her face and the whisper of ‘I’m sorry’ on her lips. Then she ran, and I was not fast enough. As I followed her, ran to catch her, she didn’t stop. The light seemed to blind me as the window became closer and closer. But she didn’t hesitate. I’d told her before to not do it. So why must she do it now? I had swung my arms to catch her feeble body but she didn’t seem to notice my efforts. She just… Jumped. I remember the fragile glass shattering as her weight burst through it. The shards that followed her weightless body looked like diamonds, but they reminded me more like beautiful daggers. I almost followed her but my hands stopped me from throwing myself over the edge. However, this meant I had to watch. Had to be haunted by that gruesome image. I heard myself screaming at her, screaming for her to live. Screaming things I couldn’t understand anymore. It wouldn’t do anything to help, but I just had to hope. I watch her seem to rush down to the pebbled drive of Willow House. There was a car in the driveway and she hit that before she hit the ground. I was still screaming. I tried to hoist myself over the smashed glass that dug into my palms, causing me to bleed. I couldn’t see her face; it was hidden by her hair. I could see though, her wrist twisted in an awkward position. It must be broken. She must be alive, she must live! I was almost over the edge, ignoring the shooting pain that erupted from my sore hands, when I was hauled back over again. “No! Ash! No!” The words reminded me of how Cassie had told me to stop, to stop when I was so far in showing her I was right for her. But these words were shouted at me, not murmured to me as I cradled her body close. Her body I may never see again. 

I escaped the grasp of who ever held me and ran through the house, down the stairs, every painful step brought memories. Memories that made me miss her even more. No! Don’t give up yet! I listened to myself and carried on running, barging the doors to Willow wide open. The driver, Carl, ironically Cassie’s social worker, was stood his face hard, showing no care for the body that lay strewn on the floor before him. Liam sat on his knees, his back to me, and his arms dangling helplessly at his sides. He looked utterly defeated. But I wasn’t. Yet. I dived to the floor beside her head, my feet sending pebbles scattered everywhere. I looked up at Liam’s face as I clutched her face in my hands. I rested it on my lap and found that Liam didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just stared at her face. Someone had called the ambulance. I heard its sirens approaching in the distance. Someone was thinking straight, someone was making the real effort to save her. I couldn’t stop the tears that began rolling down my cheeks. One dripped on her face, I rubbed it gently, removing it without hurting her anymore. I rubbed more painfully at my own eyes. The blood from my palms followed as I rubbed, diluting the red liquid as it dripped over my face. Great, now I looked like I was crying blood. 

I tried to wipe away the mess on my face as the ambulance sped into the drive. The driver slammed on the brakes and just missed us cradled on the drive. The paramedics ran out to collect the body. Wait, I can’t talk like that! No! They won’t take her away from me! I was being selfish and stupid as I clutched to her body. Her limp, lifeless body. It was Liam who forced me to let go as he took her into his arms and loaded her onto the ambulance with the paramedics. I realized it was the best thing I could have possible done, let go, she wasn’t going to miraculously survive in my arms. I jumped into the back as they tried to lock me out. I couldn’t leave her. Liam held her hand and it seemed like that he was about to break. The agonizingly long journey from Willow to the hospital was enough to kill me. Not able to touch her, not able to comfort her, yet watch him hold what I wished so badly was mine. All my brain could do was re-watch the horrifying image of Cassie jumping, falling and… Well, only time will tell if I would lose everything I cared about. It was all too familiar, like I had seen it before… But then, I had. The memories became one, mixed images of Cassie and my mother merged together. The recent and the old, a mix of all I held dear, I couldn’t lose her the same way I lost mum. No way was I going to let that happen.