A Howl in the Night

~ The Decision to Live

I stare at the man before me, my fingers tightening over the crown until the tips of my finger turn white. My knees buckle as a sudden weight as strong as an avalanche pounds against my shoulders. I can't tell the reality of it, but in this one moment, it doesn't seem to matter. In my delirium, I try to form his name with my lips.

The man yells something and starts running towards me. I feel my body slip as rocky bottoms shift into an eternal void. The weight drags me into the abyss, burying my vision into the darkness. There is no time to think or even breathe, yet my descent seems to occur in slow motion, my arms flailing without command or control. And all the while I am watching through the lens of a camera, powerless as a glass wall separates me from my body and reality.

Until arms encircle my shoulders, bringing me upwards into an unfathomable warmth. The familiar scent disarms me, and my eyes blink as I start to realize what is happening. He came back. He found me.

I had almost forgotten his face and touch in the face of such alarming discoveries. My heart aches as I am now overwhelmed with this comfort and... reason brought upon by his presence.

Robbed of my willpower, I surrender myself to his embrace while turning my body into his chest. For a few moments I listen to his beating heart, the deep breaths as his shoulders shake. I almost allow myself to smile as his breathing steadies. This is why.

"Hey," he whispers in my ear, tightening his arms around me. "You can't leave me that easily."

I smile weakly, strangely not hating myself for agreeing with him. The warmth from his body seems to permeate into my heart, and my fingers slowly relax over the gilded crown.

After a few seconds I let him slowly release me, looking around the room. It still has retained its spherical shape and steep cliffs, but the scenes that flashed across the rounded walls has vanished. The room appears empty in every sense of the word, and for a few seconds I wonder if any of the past events actually happened. None of it truly seems real.

Griffin and Danae inch towards me, while Jake and Wes stay back to glare at Ray. "What were you two doing here? Where have you been?" Wes loudly asks. He tries to look strong, but we can all see his knees shaking.

I glance at Ray, alarmed to see that his eyes had returned to its normal color. He is shaking his head nervously, muttering to himself.

As the others gather around me, I crumble under the weight of their stares and hug the crown to my chest. I... can't tell them. Even if I know they can help, even if it will make me feel a thousand times better, my lips just won't form the words. Or any words, for that matter.

"Why didn't you help Mona yourself?" Xavier furiously snaps at Ray. He turns away from me and starts marching towards Ray with a dark glare. Ray just stands there, totally frozen, a lone figure against the backdrop of the dark, desolate walls.

"It's okay," I caution him, reaching for his wrist. "It's not his fault."

"How is it not his fault?" Xavier asks, still turned away from me. His wrist twists out of my grasp, fingers slipping around my own.

"He's been through a lot," I say softly, questioning myself as I defend him. Should I just let the others get mad at him? Something prevents me from telling the truth.

The truth will hurt.

We make eye contact again, and he simply stares at me, green eyes devoid of any emotion or truth. The fire within me begs for the unveiling of the facade, the fabric holding us together in the patterns of fate. But then the fire fades as Xavier's warmth snakes through my arm and the comfort reaches me again.