Ghost Guardian

Chapter 8

437 words

I see him, alone. He's singing quietly to himself.

"In the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet. For just a moment. A yellow sky. When I was 17, a hurricane destroyed my town, I didn't drown. I couldn't seem to die."

No matter how much I deny it, I still care about him, and I don't want him to get hurt. But he's going to hurt himself. And there's nothing I can do about it.

"I wrote my way out. Wrote everything down far as I could see. I wrote my way out. I looked up and the town had it's eyes on me. They passed a plate around. Total strangers. Moved to kindness. By my story. Raised enough for me to book passage on a ship that was New York bound."

I'm not surprised. People can't help but fall for him. Can't help but love him. Can't help but want the best for him.

"I wrote my way out of hell! I wrote my way to revolution! I was louder than the crack of the bell! I wrote Eliza love letters until she fell!" He sings more aggressively.

I'm crying at this point. No matter how much I deny it, I was jealous of Eliza, still am. I want him. I want my little lion back.

"I wrote about the Constitution and defended it well! And in the face of ignorance and resistance, I wrote financial systems into existence! And when my prayers to God were met with indifference, I picked up a pen, I wrote my own deliverance!" He's pacing now.

He pauses.

"In the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet, a yellow sky. I was 12 when my mother died. She was holding me. We were sick and she was holding me. I couldn't seem to die." He sings, almost inaudibly.

"The friend who would tell me not to do it is in the ground."

"Or you could let it go." I sing through my tears, knowing he's talking about me.

"The enemies I've made won't have anything on me now."

"You could let it go!" I sing, hoping he'll hear me, knowing it won't.

"I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory!"

"You could let it go!"

"This is the eye of the hurricane! This is the only way I can protect my legacy!"

"Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it, wait!" I sing aggressively, trying to get him to hear me.

"The Reynolds Pamphlet."

"No!" I scream. "Alex! Why would you do this?" I'm on the ground, begging for him to stop. I watch as he publishes it, crying the whole time.

A/N

This one hurt so much to write. I almost cried. I'm writing this during ELA and I can't cry. Oof. Poor John is struggling with his feelings. Gods, and I thought dying would get rid of them. F*ck this. Welp, that's it for today! Bye! Love y'all!

-Asher