Come Wayward Souls

Chapter 4: Please Hold On

Beatrice and I continued to sit underneath the tree for a good hour, talking. I felt better for sure, knowing that she didn't care what I looked like, only how I acted. I kept replaying our kiss in my head, smiling every time. Beatrice leaned her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. 

The day had been full of event, and it wasn't even 9 AM yet. I studied the edelwood that was wrapped around my leg. It was brown and dying. I hoped it wasn't an omen. 

Beatrice snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Hey. Antler Head. Haven't you been listening?"

"'Antler Head'?" I asked, frowning.

"You're right. That was below the belt. Anyway, I was saying that maybe we should go somewhere else, so the Beast doesn't find us."

"Yeah...yeah, you're right." I replied. 

"Too late."

The voice seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. And it was painfully familiar.

The Beast.

"What are you doing here?" I shouted. "Where are you?"

"Ah-ha-ha," the Beast chuckled. "I see my little gift was received. How are you liking the bit of my soul?"

"I hate it," I growled. "I hate it so much."

Beatrice stood up. "Wirt? We should go."

The Beast emerged from the forest. "No one is going anywhere."

Suddenly, the Beast directed edelwood branches at Beatrice. But instead of wrapping her, they lashed at her, giving her bleeding cuts. Beatrice screamed and collapsed. The Beast laughed and vanished.

I sprinted over to Beatrice, sliding on my knees. Gently, I lifted her so her head was resting on my arm, and whispered, "It's okay, it's okay, please hold on. You're okay." Tears slid down my face as I hugged her so her forehead was touching mine. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry! Please hold...hold on."

The Beast was gone, leaving us alone.

"Bea...please hold on, you're all I have left." I begged, hugging her close. She groaned softly, and looked up at me.

"Wirt?"

"I'm here! I'm here, please hold on," I cried.

"Wirt...I need to ask you something...two things."

"Anything," I said, wiping a bit of blood off of her face.

"Win for me? If you can. Win for me and Greg..." Beatrice coughed.

"Of course," I promised, gently caressing her cheek, trying not to cry and failing.

"Also...it's not your fault."

"That's not a question," I said, holding on tighter.

"No, but you need to hear it," Beatrice insisted. "You think it's your fault and it's not."

"It's all my fault."

"My second question," Beatrice said, changing the subject, "is, will you sing the song for me?"

"The song?" I repeated. Beatrice nodded, smiling softly. I twined my fingers with hers and sang quietly,

Where have we come?

And where shall we end?

If dreams can't come true,

Then why not pretend?

Beatrice smiled again when I had finished. I swatted a tear from my face, and said, "There has to be a way to help you." I closed my eyes and thought. Suddenly, it came to me.

"You have a look on your face," Beatrice said, her voice quieter. She didn't have much time left, so I prayed harder than ever that this would work. I didn't have time to explain, so I just held on to her and closed my eyes again. I poured all of my energy into what I was doing, and when I opened my eyes, Beatrice hadn't changed. Physically, at least.

"Do you feel better?" I asked.

Beatrice flexed her fingers and whispered, "Yes! Wirt, how did you do that?"

"Part of the Beast's soul is in me," I explained, wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. "I knew I could reverse whatever he had done. It was the key thing he had missed."

Beatrice hugged me tight. "You saved me. He would've made me a tree."

"I can't have you be a tree," I said. "You're all I have left."

"Well," Beatrice said, "I'm still here."

"Yes you are," I whispered, and gently kissed her forehead.