Vision Quest

Four

———— Eryx
I can hear crying... from Mara's room. Panic and confusion fill me. What is going on? Is she okay? I question whether or not going in there is a good idea. She might get mad, and a mad Mara is very scary.
"What if its important?" I mutter to myself.

I make my way to her room. She is crying. It's a painful sound. It hurts me. I bring my hand up to the door. I sigh ready for whatever may happen and knock.

———— Mara
There's a small knock at the door. I quickly wipe my eyes and stand up.
"Come in." I say. The door opens to reveal Eryx, who looks scared. His eyes wander around the room carefully. "You okay?" I ask slowly. He looks at me.

"Were you crying?" He asks. He heard me...
"I- uh-" I say not knowing what to say. He heard me. I look down trying to not meet his eyes.
"Mara look at me." He says taking a step forward. I want to step back and keep looking down, but something about it makes me look up into his worried eyes. All the emotions hiding in his ice blue eyes almost send chills down my spines.

"Its's okay to not be okay." He says stepping even a little closer. "I want to help." He says now less than a foot away from me.
"You wouldn't get it." I say. He reaches out and grabs my hand.
"Then I'll listen." I look into his eyes trying to see if he's really being genuine. In them I can see determination, fear, worry, and more things hiding to deep that I can't understand. "Mara, I'm here for you." He says. I look down as a tear rolls down my cheek.

He grabs my other hand.
"Mara." he says softly. I look up at him and just fall into his arms. I cry harder and he wraps his arms around me tightly. I burry my face into his shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm right here." He says. I feel like I shouldn't be doing this, letting my true feeling out to someone, but at the same time I feel so safe.
"I'm right here." He whispers again.

I feel like time has stopped and it's filled with whatever this is.

I want to pull away but I can't. He makes the pain go away.

I push away all the emotions and make myself pull away. His eyes run across mine.
"You alright?" He says his voice deep with concern.
"I- yes? No? I don't even know?" I say looking down.

I see his shoes. They're so close to mine. I look up to see if we really are close. We are. I back up a bit.

"Thank you." I say.
"You still haven't said what's wrong?" He says.
"Everything." I say looking down. He lifts my chin with his finger.
"Mara talk to me." He says. I look into his eyes.
"I- I can't." I mutter. "I'm scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Everything, nothing." He looks at me intensely.
"Okay. Well if you need someone to talk to, I'm here. I'll always be here." He says looking down at me. I can't figure out what to say so I just nod. He gives me a soft smile.

"I should probably finish packing." I say.
"Yeah okay. I'll go." He says. He starts to walk to the door. I want to call out to him and ask him to stay, for him to sit and for me to tell him everything that is bothering me, but I push that down to.

He stops at the door and looks at me. I bite back the "wait". He walks out shutting the door behind him.

———— Eryx
"Come in." She says. I open the door not sure of what I'm going to see. I look around. "You ok?" She says. What? Why is she asking me if I'm ok?

"Were you crying?" I ask.
"I- uh-" She looks down.
"Mara look at me." I say taking a step closer. She looks up into my eyes. I can see the pain hidden away in her eyes. "Its's ok to not be ok." I take another step. "I want to help."
"You wouldn't get it." She says. I reach out and grab her hand.
"Then I'll listen." She looks into my eyes as if she's searching for something. "Mara, I'm here for you." She looks down and I can see the tear rolling down her cheek. I grab her other hand.

"Mara." I say softly. She looks at me. I am about to hug her when she falls into my arms. I hug her tightly as she starts crying harder. She has her face buried into my shoulder.

"It's ok. I'm right here." I say. I don't k ow what I'm doing. I don't even know if I'm helping. I want her to feel ok. She does so much for us.
"I'm right here." I whisper.

We're surrounded by silence, but it's peaceful.

She pulls away. I look into her eyes. Did I do something wrong?
"You alright?" I ask.
"I- yes? No? I don't even know?" She looks down. She steps back making me realize how close we were standing only moments before.

"Thank you." She says.
"You still haven't said what's wrong?"
"Everything." She says looking down. I lift her face up.
"Mara talk to me." I say as she looks into my eyes.
"I- I can't." She mutters so quiet I could almost not hear. "I'm scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Everything, nothing." I look at her. I'm probably being annoying.
"Ok. Well if you need someone to talk to, I'm here. I'll always be here." I look down at her as she just nods. I give her a soft smile.

"I should probably finish packing."
"Yeah ok. I'll go." I say going to the door. I want to stay but I won't, she doesn't want me to.

I get to the door and look back at her one more time hoping she gives me "wait" or something. She doesn't, which I don't blame her for.

I walk back to my room.

Pax is sitting there waiting for me.
"Tell me." He says. I sit down and just talk. He nods.
"I don't get it, did I do something wrong? I was just trying to help." I say.
"No Eryx. You helped her a lot." Pax says.
"What? Why would she basically ask me to go?"
"Because she's not used to people asking her." He says. "I've grown up with her, and I read emotions." He adds. "She likes to pretend that everything is ok, but she hides a lot of pain. You say and cared, that was weird to her. You did help." Pax says calming a lot of my worry.
"Oh." I say not sure what to say or feel. He gives me a reassuring smile.

(A.n: ok so ik this chapter doesn't have much but more will come later on. lmk what you guys think