Fallen Star

Fallen Star Chapter 6

"Guess you really did it this time
Left yourself in your war path

Lost your balance on a tightrope
Lost your mind trying to get it back

Wasn't it beautiful
When you believed in everything
And everybody believed in you?"

-Innocent

Jane stared into the dancing flames, feeling the heat of them against her fingers, her cheeks and her nose. She sat forward, resting her elbows on her knees, listening to the crackle of the embers. Erik sat next to her on a lawn chair. Jane lifted her eyes, and looked out over the blackness beyond. The town behind her glowed, fading out the sky, but far above that hung the deepest stars. She tipped her head back, and watched the smoke curl upward and vanish. She had always loved sitting on the roof—it was like a giant front porch and a backyard at the same time. But now, all she could think of was a pencil drawing in a book, and the firelight shining in a pair of warm eyes, and the sound of a deep, hearty laugh.

"Are you all right?" Erik asked. Jane sighed and rubbed her hands together.

"I don't know," she confessed. Then she shrugged one shoulder. "I mean, I'm thrilled with the progress we're making on the Cube—it's the most fascinating thing I've ever had the chance to look at. But I..." She trailed off, and held out her hands palms up. "I feel like I'm waiting for something. Or that I should be doing something that I'm not. Or I'm missing something."

Erik scooted his chair closer.

"He told you he'd come back," he soothed. "He will."

Jane glanced over at her friend's rugged face. He gazed back at her steadily, and gave her a small smile. Her brow tightened.

"He can't, Erik," she murmured. "Fenris said the bridge broke, remember?"

"Ah, Fenris," Erik sighed, leaning back and folding his arms. Jane hung her head, feeling her stomach muscles clamp as a soft breeze brushed through her hair.

"I don't know what to do about him."

"He's not eating?" Erik asked.

"He's not eating anything!" Jane cried, sitting up and slapping her hands down on her thighs. "I'm at a complete loss. I make three meals every day for him, set them down on that table, and then throw away whole plates of food because he won't even try it. I've seen him take a few sips of water once in a while, but other than that..." She shook her head and flopped back in the chair. "I don't know what to do. It's been a week and a half—how long does he expect to survive without eating?"

"I've heard a person can go quite a while," Erik said.

"Not when he's injured," Jane countered. She bit her lip. "And not when he's been bleeding."

Erik paused.

"Why do you think he won't eat?"

Jane hesitated, then shook her head again.

"Not sure. At first I thought was because he was in too much pain. I know he got hurt somewhere in his midsection, but I might as well try to doctor a rabid dog." Jane snapped a twig in half and threw it on the fire. She paused. "But then I think he decided to stop eating."

Erik frowned, considering.

"It's emotional, then."

Jane glanced at him.

"Maybe. I mean, if Thor can't get here, then Fenris can't get back there. He's stranded."

Erik thought for a long moment.