A Girl Who Does Bad Things

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Wait!" He cried out.
He didn't need to, it wasn't like I was going anywhere. I pulled the goblin star from his cloak, but still kept him pinned to the wall with one knee. I could see I was hurting him, but Fitz's voice was surprisingly calm.
"Thank you." He whispered, gazing at the battle behind me.
How could he be so peaceful? It just didn't feel right. "What do you want?"
He opens his mouth and I stop him, "Besides me to run along to your side and pretend to be someone I'm not."
His mouth closes immediately and I can tell he is searching for something to make me stay with him. I've almost got my knee back to the ground when he blurts out, "Dinosaurs!"
I narrow my eyes at him with disgust, "Dinosaurs?"
"Dinosaurs," he breathlessly repeats, "The first time I met you I asked you if you thought the dinosuar skeletons were what dinosaurs actually looked like."
I couldn't believe it, his delusions were worsening. Bu I'm intrigued and slightly out of breath. I have time to listen. "And?"
"And you said no."
I lowered my knee now fully to the ground and Fitz wheezed a little with the sudden flow of air. "Obviously." I mumble. The skeletons in human museums are far off from the actually creatures the Neverseen had shown me.
"You didn't turn me away that day, you came."
"Came where?"
"You came with me to the Lost Cities. Look I understand remembering some of your relationships is hard, but I'm not asking that. I'm asking you to remember the dinosaurs."
"The dinosaurs?" I repeat, uncertain.
He nods wildly and I know I should have run off. But there was something so familiar about him, something that drew me in. It wasn't anything romantic, just something platonic.
"And what happened after I came. To the Lost Cities I mean."
"We were friends. I showed you Everglen, you bottled an unmapped star, had like a dozen tribunals," Fitz was laughing but his tone was growing softer, "A-And we kissed."
"I think I would remember kissing you." I couldn't stop my mouth fast enough and his smile perked up.
"But you did. You have to believe me. You have to try, just imagine for a second that it was real. Wouldn't you do it for us? For me? Won't you at least try?"
My mind was already diving into itself. I whispered the word, dinosaurs to myself as I searched. I have no idea what happened after that. I felt like I was in one of those sensory deprivation tanks I had heard about. Everything was fuzzy and ringing. I was trying, I was trying for Fitz. I guess some part of me just wanted so badly for it to be true that my mind was already bent on trying. But I could feel the walls going up, swallowing my consciousness.
Someone's arms wrapped around me, I saw a bright flash of light, felt a bottle being out of my lips. I squirmed as something hot slithered down my throat like a snake. I could feel the liquid boiling through my body. A headache burst out and the ringing grew. I was completely blind now, but I think it was because my eyes were squeezed shut.
Suddenly my body dropped and I was caught. I could see a few pairs of eyes, teals, periwinkles, ice blues.
"C'mon Soph" I heard someone whisper. It was Keefe.
I closed my eyes again and listened as the ringing grew. Wet blood dripped form my eardrums, but I was so numb I couldn't feel it. I could only feel the head ache, the fiery pain eating up my mind like a wildfire.
So much fire.....
Memories burning....
Away.