𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄. ( michael langdon )

the pilgrim and his saint.

chapter II.
" the pilgrim and his saint "

SIXTEEN YEARS OF BREATHING. sixteen whole years of breath that entered and left my body. within my sixteen years , i had never seen someone so intriguing. i stood there in stillness , holding his gaze. he looked welcoming. warm. he looked like my mercutio. his presence had an effect on not only me , but my mother as well. within seconds of being outside , she lost all consciousness and fainted right below my feet. i lost any sense of urgency to collapse right on the ground with her , to make sure she was alright. my attention was to him. where did he come from? and why was he the most arresting being to lay eyes on? the trance i was in was broken abruptly by zoe , who shook me in such a violent manner.

"earth to parker! we need to get cordelia inside." she seethed through her teeth. my eyes immediately left his face , looking down at my comatose mother.

the two girls had rushed over to her aid and i dropped to my knees , trying to hoist her limp-less body into my arms. she felt cold. like an ongoing blizzard. since my hands were touching her , her emotions emitted onto me. there was fear. paranoia. disturbance. out of instinct , i shoved her off of me. her feelings were too strong. it earned me concerned looks from myrtle and zoe , along with our newfound company. "im sorry," i said, "i-i didn't mean t—"

"just help us get her back into hawthorne." zoe's tone told me she was annoyed.

the four of us began lifting her up , with light stumbles and trips as we made our way back into the academy. during the struggle , i turned my back to see the boy still standing there. still looking at me. his posture was polite as he didn't budge not once to assist us. myrtle noticed this , scolding the young man. "us ladies could use a hand if you haven't noticed!" she yelled.

he stood in his position for at least a few seconds , letting out a sigh and breaking pose , walking over to us. i jolted my head back around , hoping he would go on the other side of where zoe and myrtle were. it would save me from embarrassment as i already felt my cheeks heating up. i watched his shadow as he edged closer and closer. ending up right next to me. he was a few inches taller than me , something i observed out of the corner of my eye. i moved over a little to not be in close contact of him. but he inched closer. he grabbed a hold onto one of my mother's arms , taking his other to cling onto her torso. we waddled our way towards the entrance , greeted by the familiar faces of behold and john henry. they looked astonish to see us carrying my mother. behold ran to find ariel, shouting his name all throughout the school. john henry guided us through hawthorne. he walked in front of us trying to pace himself so that we weren't far behind. we were able to lie her down on one of their couches that looked excruciatingly uncomfortable.

"what the hell happened?" john henry asked. his eyes went to the boy. "was this your doing?"

"no. it must've been the heat," said the boy , a look of frustration on his face.

myrtle nodded her head in agreement. "yes. the heat and your chancellor's nuisance wore my sweet cordelia down. we must let her rest until she comes to."

   john henry and the boy vanished , seeking out ariel and the rest of their council. i remained calm , sitting beside my mother while everyone else crowded around us. it wasn't ideal , but it was nice to be in the company of my sisters. familiar and unfamiliar. the two girls from earlier stood side by side , staring at me like i were a foreign substance. zoe stared at them in awe , walking over to one of them and embracing her. their hug was long. full of passion and warmth. that feeling flooded me completely and a smile was plastered on my face. they had finally let go of each other , as the girl turned to look over at me once again. "im guessing you're one of our replacements?"