Pocketville Lost Diamonds: VOLUME 2

Chapter 24: the ghost

The green storm disappeared, and the darkness of the underwater cavern hit the princess’ eyes like a sword.

The minuscule pearl, now empty, was immoble in the centre of the giant space, a couple of meters from her.

Air suddenly missed from her limbs, replaced by a freezing feeling of death.

The princess fought to move her paws, who still refused to obey and, when she eventually did it, realized to have a very low energy inside her body: it seemed to be lost with tears.

She grabbed the ball and made the biggest effort to go back to the surface.

When she broke it, she coughed out all that deadly liquid and begna swimming to the border, where William was waiting.

- Ava!

The dog helped her to climb on the rocks and get back to the safe ground, observing the cat fighting to breathe.

- You… saw… it? - asked the princess, shaking like a leaf.
She was holding the Dream Casket into her paw, just like it was the most precious treasure.
- Yes, yes, I did. - nodded him. He licked her cheeks, helping her to expel the rest of fluid and pain.

After a long time, during the one the cave silence was broken by the poor cat’s desperate coughs, she fell on his furry chest, exhausted. She started sobbing.

- M-my… grandmothers…
- I know, I know.

- Talia killed them both! She murdered my mother too!

- Ava…
- Eva knew it but ever said anything… and… and she…

- ...she tried to save you. All she did… was… for you.

- Yes!

Ava hid her snout into his fur and closed her eyes.

She still couldn’t metabolize what she saw inside the pool. Her heart, still so weak and tired, wasn’t able to welcome those truths inside, and her mind refused to realize them.

A part of her was broken forever, just like glass.
It was like her castle had been destroyed by a hurricane, the tempest inside the Casket, and now she was exposed for the first time to the real world.
All the shadows all around her were threats, ready to hurt her. 

William hugged her tight, then softly licked her head.
- I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. - whispered. His voice was broken too -I’m here, okay? I’m here, you’re not alone.
- I’m cold…
- I’m here, sweetie.

The feeling of being powerless, to not be able to protect her was terrifying him.

It was like being back to childhood, during their beautiful afternoons spent together.
He really wished to be able to give her back her careless days, when nothing had happened yet and her smile wasn’t tired.
There was no difference from back then to now: crowns, uniforms, rules, etiquettes… nothing was there to impose a distance between them in that moment, their protective bubbles of titles were broken and nothing had any right to bring them back.
Princess or not, the cat he was holding wasn’t different from the kitten of seventeen years before.

His feelings weren’t different.

- Ava, I…

-What a lovely scene!
Ava and William looked up to the ceiling, where two eyes were staring at them from above.

Violet was upside down on a stalactite, hanging like a dead bat. Her scarf was disappeared, her looking was much less childish now.
She had a big, terrifying smile done by big sharp teeth.