Primal

Chapter Fourteen

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Chapter Fourteen

 

I dwell in possibility ~Emily Dickinson

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Noor stayed in his arms for a while after she had finished crying, both of them silent until a quick rap on the door brought them back to reality. Zander opened it, and she could feel his judging eyes on them. Aeron was still shirtless, since he had given it to Tilly only a little bit before, and Noor’s face was pressed against his bare skin. She could tell how odd it would look, but Zander would understand. He always understood before. It looked bad, but it truly was bad. She could feel her heart continue to grow, attaching itself to the Felamus; his hands rubbing gently up and down her back as Zander watched on.

 

She heard the door click shut to signal Zander leaving them once again, and Noor sighed into his skin. It was still wet from her tears, glistening under the dull light that shone through the small window. The gentle rays lit up the dust particles that swam through the air, and Noor looked up at Aeron with swollen eyes. “Thank you.” She whispered, the palms of her hands warm against his bruised neck. He was bending down, the world around them spinning in slow motion. The dust particles floated in the air, no longer moving, everything around them still. Her breath caught in her chest as he grew even closer to her, her heart beating frantically.

 

The door opened again just as his lips pressed against hers, the dried cracks on his lips not even bothering her. She knew that her own lips were just the same, if not worse off, and either way they still tasted sweet. Someone was standing in the door, but her back was to the door and Aeron had no intention of breaking away from her. There were hands clawing at Noor’s arms, ripping her away from him. There was some arguing in the distance, and finally they both broke apart. Noor was lying on the ground, staring up at an angry Tilly, her foot grinding into Noor’s stomach with force that her injured leg should not logically have. Zander was trying to hold back Aeron, saying that the two girls should work out their own problems. Noor couldn’t see how this could be considered working out problems, but she fell into the mix of things. Her hands were on Tilly’s leg, pulling it out from underneath her. The redhead’s body collapsed to the ground beside her, and Noor soon found her own body sitting over her.

 

Her hands were pressing Tilly’s rocking shoulder down forcefully, their eyes staring into each other’s with a newfound intensity. “Jealous?” Noor asked simply before standing up and brushing off her legs. Tilly scoffed at her allegation, standing up shakily as well.

 

“No.” Tilly sneered, circling around Noor’s body with a slight limp in her step. “I just don’t like seeing Aeron make such a huge mistake.” Noor could hear Aeron shift uncomfortably on the bed, most likely biting his tongue to stop himself from inserting himself into the conversation.

 

“I’m not a mistake.” Noor muttered, slowly crossing her arms over her chest. Her anger was building, and she glanced back at Aeron for some kind of support or defense. He stayed silent, his eye unblinking as he gazed towards the two females.

 

“I consider someone who killed their own sister a mistake.” The words hit Noor, hurting her more than any physical attack possibly would have. How did she know? How could she have possibly known? The only other one there was…

 

Her eyes landed on Aeron, her body quickly going numb. “You told her?” She whispered, feeling her eyes well up with tears once again. He shook his head swiftly, but she didn’t know Tilly would have possibly known if it weren’t for him. She looked over at Zander, who didn’t look surprised. Had she told him too?  Did he hate her now, and if he didn’t how would he ever view her the same way he once did?

 

“No, no, your dear Felamus over here didn’t spill the beans.” Tilly said, laughing with her words. “I saw it with my own eyes.” She stopped circling, stopping at Noor’s back, her hands resting on her shoulders. She could feel Tilly lean forward, her words whispering into her ears. “I saw you kill her, saw her fall, saw her bleed out. It was so messed up.” Tilly walked out of the room then, grabbing Zander’s arm and pulling him out after her. After they left, Noor fell to her knees.

 

How long had Zander known what she had done? Had he smiled to her face knowing that she killed Yuna? Had he lied to her, acted like he didn’t hate her though he couldn’t stand her? The windows behind them blew open, a bitter breeze flowing into the small room. There was a squeak on the bed as Aeron stood up, and there was soon a blanket draped loosely over her shoulders. The bed squeaked again as he lay down once again, rolling over and falling asleep. Noor pulled the blanket tightly around her once again, curling up on the floor. Tears dripped onto the old floor from her cheeks, but she didn’t make a single sound.

 

“Noor?” Yuna asked, slowly stepping into her sister’s room. “Noor, are you okay?” Noor didn’t answer, trying to convince her twin that she was asleep. Her body was rigid under the blankets, unmoving as her sister stood in the doorway. She felt her body sit by the foot of the bed, her hand resting on Noor’s leg. “Look, I’m sorry that you saw that.” She whispered. “You weren’t supposed to. We were going to tell you. We really were.” Yuna and Zander. Noor never would have even considered the coupling a possibility. After all, Zander had always belonged to her. Or at least, he once belonged to her.

 

Seeing them holding hands, kissing, their arms around one another…

Noor’s heart hurt to even think back at it, the image etched forever into her mind. She was sure that there would never be a time where she felt a larger amount of pain. The love that her and Zander had felt was pure and innocent, lasting for years on end. After all, he was her only access to flying, and she was his only access to a safe hideaway from his parents. How could he ever betray her?

 

Yuna left the room, giving up on trying to realize with her sister, and there were soon voices in the next room over. She sounded upset, but there was a deep male voice trying to calm her down. A sob escaped her chest, and she knew that the words her love was speaking to her sister were ones that once hit her ears as well.

 

Noor would never feel more pain then she did at that very moment when she knew that she had no one left. Yuna had died, and that left her with only Zander. Now that Zander had discovered the truth of his love’s disappearance, she had absolutely no one besides the moody man sleeping soundly on the bed behind her. Nothing in her memory had ever matched the emotions that flooded her then, the blanket wrapped around her as Aeron slept across the room. They say that the dead are never truly gone, but that was the last time she ever saw him.

 

In case you ever wonder what the end of one portion of your life feels like, it feels like nothing. Like you are floating through an abyss, your eyes wide open but with nothing for them to see. Your heart is as empty as the space you move through, and your mind is blank of everything except for pain and regret. When you finally reach a certain point, however, you can see a gentle light in the distance. It starts as a small glimmer, slowly growing as you move closer towards it. Eventually it is blinding, and you can now see the truth that moves around you.

Noor hadn’t gotten to the light yet. She was still floating through the empty air, wandering, searching for that small spark. Eventually she hoped she would reach it, but she couldn’t help but doubt that there ever was an end for her.