Octavius (WATTYS 2016)

part two | six | reunite

What they say is true: when you watch your life flash before your eyes, time stands still. You become stuck between the beats of your heart and the spaces between each tick of the clock. Movement becomes simply a memory and for a moment, everything is silent and surreal. 

But suddenly everything comes rushing forward, time returning to itself like a blink of one great eye, and you see your hands gripping the steering wheel and jerking it to the side, hearing the blare of a car horn scream at you like some crazed banshee. You want to squeeze your eyes shut and pray but adrenaline is pumping through your veins so fast that you can't bear to even think about blinking. Your foot slams against the breaks as you wait to collide with some mountain waiting in the dark of the night. 

But then, once again, everything is still, but time is moving, the clock has remembered to stretch and circle around and around the face of its seconds and minutes. 

And you finally breath, realizing the tears that are falling down your face. 

My chest rises and falls like waves during a storm, and I choke out a sob of utter relief. I quickly take off my seat belt and move into the back seat, where Xander is looking up at me with wide blue eyes. 

"Oh, my baby." I choke out, and I take him out of his car seat, pulling him to my chest and rocking softly back and forth. 

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I love you I love you." I stumble out, my speech clumsy. I kiss him on top of his head a million times, holding his little form close in my chest. 

"We're okay." I whisper into the air and sigh, relaxing back into the leather seat. "We're alive." My breathing is back to normal as soon as my head returns to reality. 

I open up my mind-link, and immediately contact Octavius: "Octavius, please, are you there?" 

He responds almost immediately: "Alessandra, thank God you're okay, where the hell are you?" 

"I'm on the side of a highway somewhere, I'm okay, but please come and get me." 

"I'm on my way right now. Stay where you are, don't move Alessandra." 

"I won't. I love you." 

He doesn't respond, and I don't ask for one. Guilt is running through me and I lightly bang my head against the seat. I'm being so selfish, so goddamn selfish. 

I wait in the backseat, Xander pressed into my chest, and I feel his breathing deepen, asleep. 

My eyes are heavy with exhaustion but I have never been so awake, my eyes watching as each car approaches, hoping that it is Octavius. 

Finally, a pair of powerful headlights appears and slows in front of my parked car. I watch, holding my breath as the driver's door opens, and a tall and muscular form steps out. And even inside the car, I can smell the burning cinnamon. Octavius. 

I quickly exit the car, still clutching Xander in my arms. And then I can finally see his face, filled with relief, happiness, anger, and disbelief. But I don't care what expression is on his lips, I am just so fucking happy that he's here. I see Klaude next to him, and he walks forwards, a knowing look in his eyes, and he reaches his arms out. 

"I'll take Xander to the car, you and Octavius need to talk." His voice is serious, which is completely foreign for Klaude, but I just nod, handing Xander to him gently. And then once Klaude is in the car, I turn back to Octavius.