Swan Song || The Lost Boys - & The One Who Found Them...

Chapter VIII ~ ᚹ ( Wunjo ) Part II - [Un]fulfilled Desires & A Fiery Dawn

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It wouldn't take long for the tension of the last few minutes to dissolve completely & for things to return to normal again, or rather as normal as they could be under such peculiar circumstances. Ever since Dwayne had taken my hand into his own the flow of time had ceased, our still reticent hearts finally beating to the rhythm of a peaceful & silent night. Meanwhile it had become awfully cold inside the room; most likely because I was now at my calmest & thus relaxing more & more, even feeling a little tired. But this moment right here was much too precious to be traded for sleep, more than ever now that our current encounter was being overshadowed by a lot of anguish & uncertainty regarding the future.
He was just as aware of this moment's frailty as I was, I could clearly see it in his eyes, & I wondered if his thoughts were somewhat similar to mine; if he too was able to perceive the intensity of this 'connection' as I dared to call it, moreover, how all of this made him feel...

My much too chatty mind was just about to devour me when Dwayne lightly tugged on my hand, his thumb brushing over every single finger as if he already knew that I was yet again succumbing to my worries. I blushed, lowering my eyes toward the floor without so much as an intention & smiling away my bashfulness. Not that I really succeeded, it just wasn't possible in his presence...

" Are you ready? ", he asked me with a voice smooth as velvet, squeezing my fingers ever so gently.

Tucking some of my long hazelnut hair behind my ear I nodded.

" I am... "

" I hope you are not afraid of heights. "

" Why should that ma-- " but I didn't make it to the end of my question, suddenly feeling a strong arm slither around my waist & finding myself all scooped up bridal style by Dwayne a mere moment later. Dressing himself in ominous silence he immediately ascended with me in his arms, pulling me closer once the two of us passed through the small window in the ceiling.

For some reason I closed my eyes, a strong gust blowing right into my face when we arrived outside.

The smell of old, musty brick filled my lungs with every breath I drew, accompanied by a whiff of salt-flavoured sea air that gently caressed my face & animated me to sneak a peek, my eyes drifting open after a brief moment of hesitation.
It was an overall cloudy night; neither moon nor star illuminated the sky & no matter where I looked I didn't see any street lamps, let alone a house; the only source of light to give the world around me its contours was a lighthouse in the far distance, presumably at least a good hour away from us.
I peered down once the cone of light from the lighthouse swept in our direction, gasping for breath when I realized that we were standing on what appeared to be the platform of an old observation tower, at least 70 feet in height, perhaps more; it was hard to tell due to the darkness around us. At the tower's feet multiple other & mostly smaller buildings were scattered all over the area in a pretty wide radius, the rooftops demolished & partially nonexistent, leading me to the conclusion that none of them had seen a human soul in a rather long time.

My head started spinning the longer I gazed into the abyss & I flung both arms around Dwayne's neck, literally pulling myself into his chest. How I despised my absolutely irrational fear of heights...

I noticed Dwayne's arms tighten around my frame as a response, an action on his part that bestowed a strong feeling of security upon me, despite my skyrocketing anxiety. The light cone from the lighthouse was currently drifting in the opposite direction which made it difficult to see much of Dwayne's face, but much like before I could almost feel his gaze on me, that constant 'pins & needles' sensation in the centre of my forehead admittedly freaking me out to some extent.