Songs for this chapter: Hero by David Kushner, The Scientist by Coldplay
Avaren;
The moment her limp body settles in my arms, my heart shatters.
Completely.
….Because it passes a message I am not willing… and never will be willing to accept.
Her blood soaks through my clothes. Hot in some places, and cold in others.
There's much of it, and it's appalling. No one should lose so much blood.
Holding her feels wet, and clammy… and wrong…
My breathing loses its rhythm instantly as my fingers press lightly into her delicate skin.
Calisí is not supposed to feel like this in my arms. She… she feels like she's here but somehow faraway…
I tighten my hold on her body as panic starts clawing through my chest like an animal trying to escape.
"You can't be here!" Selthia says sharply somewhere beside me, but I barely hear her.
My fingers tremble against Calisí's face as I push damp strands of hair away from her skin.
