Everything came crashing down when Aeron layed her eyes on her brother again. The tears she had worked so hard to hold back burst forward as she dropped to her knees before him, sobbing. Senka was right there with her, holding one arm across her as they cried together. It was cold, they were tired, and there was about to be an explosion behind them, but they could only focus on the loss they had experienced. Anger, sadness, relief, and fear all pulsed through Aeron's figure at once, tears forever surfacing from an endless pool of sorrow behind her eyes. They both curled around William's body, as if huddling for warmth even though there was no warmth to be found. If someone was looking at them from a distance, it would look as though Will was comforting them, the three figures huddled tightly together.
Before either of them could say a word, the building behind them began to collapse. Hoardes of fire and smoke bellowed through the crumbling walls, the giant boom of the explosives following close behind. The entire building was up in flames as the two girls watched, tears still fresh in their eyes.
Beneath all the grief, Aeron could feel the weight lifting off of her shoulders from her accomplishment. Ivan was finally dead, the comp was gone, and her mother was out there somewhere. If not for the tragedy she was feeling, she would have been overjoyed. Maybe in another universe, she was jumping up and down, hugging her friend and brother as they all cheered from their success, wearing giant grins as they laughed from the catharsis of the comp being vanquished. Unfortunately, however, this was not her reality. And, despite being isolated her entire life, there had never been a time where she felt more alone.
Yes, Senka was there, but she was not doing any better. Arguably, her and William had a friendship that outweighed him and Aeron. Yes, they were close, but Will and Sen were practically inseparable, always touching in some way, laughing together, or just sitting in comfortable silence as Aeron sat across from them. It never bothered her that they were closer, she could see how happy they were, and her brother deserved all the happiness he could get. She knew at the end of the day that he loved her. They were family, after all. And yet again the only family she had was taken from her, by the same man that insisted he was helping her.
The two didn't know how long they layed there grieving, and they didn't really care. The sun was slowly reaching the horizon by the time they came back to earth, the sky darkening and the air somehow getting colder. They needed to find shelter, but neither of them particularly wanted to move. Aeron came to the silent conclusion that the tree would provide enough shelter for the night.
"We need to sleep." Aeron broke the long silence. Senka nodded gently, she couldn't find her voice. "Do you need help?" Aeron offered assistance to the fairy. They had discovered that although Aeron can get by on convincing herself she'd slept, Senka was better off actually sleeping. Senka nodded again, allowing Aeron to interlace their hands and bring her into a relaxed state, her eyes closing and resting her head on the tree behind her. Aeron still hated being this close to the comp, so she planned to keep herself awake. Once more making sure the fairy was sleeping soundly, Aeron stood, setting off toward the rubble of what used to be her 'home.'
YOU ARE READING
Winter's Burn
General Fiction"Her amber eyes turned almost black as the shadows overtook her thin frame. Tree branches became spindly hands wrapping their serpentine fingers around his body, vines twisting and knotting to pin him to the ground. He could have sworn he saw her le...
