If Stars Align - an Aurora Cycle one shot book

Creatures In The Night

TYLER:

She walks toward me, and I'm surrounded by it all; plants and minds and cells and the charcoal uniforms, staring into those blue eyes that I once loved.

"Join me." She says monotonously, and I have to blink back my tears. "Join us. It's so warm here Ty, come and see for yourself."

But it's not her anymore. Her smirk is gone, her tattoos are replaced with vines, her eyes are blue and she's not her.

I know this.

And yet somehow that makes it a thousand times harder. Harder to walk away, harder to kill her, though I know I have to. The pain clouds my gaze and I can't think straight.

I know this.

But still, I manage. Still run my fingers across the scar on my eyebrow, still shudder when I remember it was her who gave it to me. But this isn't her.

I walk forward a few paces so that I'm only centimetres away. "Kiss goodbye?" I ask, my voice cold as my blue eyes meet hers.

She nods at me, and for a second we're back on Cohen IV, staring across the bar at each other, knowing exactly where we're going with no intention to stop.

It's not the same. There's no wonder or lust or innocence about this. It's serious and grown-up and it fucking hurts.

She presses her lips to mine in a barely-there kiss, and I raise the crystal blade, slamming it into her neck.

I see her wither in front of me, collapse to the ground.

And as she takes her final breaths, chest heaving, she whispers something that most would not hear, in a voice that is hers for the last time I'll ever know:

"Goodbye, Tyler."

...

I wake up covered in sweat, breathing heavy. Looking around the room, I see the plants that Saedii is so very fond of, and I spiral back into memories of my dream.

I'm too terrified to do anything. To move, to speak. Scared of the tendrils of green and blue and purple that haunt me even in my softest slumber.

Too scared to tell others for fear it may hurt them too.

...

SAEDII:

It has never been easy with Tyler.

What I feel for him is far deeper than he can ever reciprocate. I love him with the heat of a trillion suns, with the ferocity of the bravest lion. He is land in a dangerous sea, shelter in a horrific storm.

I know of Catherine, of course. He told me it all, the innocence of their love, the pain of his loss.

It hurts that I am not his only love, kills me inside that he looked at her the way he looks at me, but there is nothing I can do.

I do not tell him this.

I lie next to him, watching his chest rise and fall through his shirt, a rhythm that I begin to imitate.

Just as I am about to fall asleep, he jolts awake, breathing heavy and laboured.

This is a frequent occurrence, and I remember Scarlett's words:

"Don't touch him until he gets out of the spiral. He'll flinch away and might hurt you. Once he's calmed down, ask him to tell you what happened."

So I wait.

It seems like hours, and I can hear the Enemy Within whispering in my ear all that time.

He's thinking about her. He shouldn't be. He's your be'shmai.

I push the thoughts away. Selfishness has no place in a world where others struggle, and the Enemy Within does not control my actions. I ignore it the way I should have all that time ago.

Finally, he turns to face me, flinching a little when he realises I am awake.

"Did I wake you up?" He asks tenderly, as if it was an inconvenience.

"I woke of my own accord. Though, is it really waking if you are not asleep in the first place?"

"Saedii..." he mumbles groggily. "You need to rest."

"And I will," I whisper back "once you are alright, which you are very clearly not."

I gesture towards his shivering body.

"Is it alright if I touch you?" I ask. "I mean...not...just Scarlett said you might not..."

He pulls me to his chest, and it feels strangely comforting to not do all the protecting. I feel safe in his arms, like the world could go by and I might not even notice.

"Stop overthinking it." He mumbles into my hair, and that wave of comfort and safety washes over me once again.

I hate to pull away from him, but there's something he needs to know.

I feel around in my drawer, looking for the object I want to show him.

I finally find it, and flip the light switch on my bedside lamp.

"Here," I say tenderly, passing it to him.

He rubs his eyes a little and then looks at it properly.

"Does this..." he trails off, and I nod my head. "I'm expecting."

He slams his lips to mine with so much joy and love, and I feel myself smile for the first time in so many years. The kiss is magic, and the thrill of it all makes me feel like a blushing little girl again.

And in that moment, I swear we could be infinite.

...

a/n. 

Sorta stole the last line from Perks Of Being A Wallflower but I just love it so muchhh.

what'd you all think?

This was my first time trying to write Saedii (and Saelyr) but I figured her writing style would be similar to Kal's with the way they describe things.

Apologies if that line about the suns is a Kal quote, it just kinda slipped out and I went with it.

I'll see you all soon,

<3 Aly