Pulse

beat twenty

She took time parting, and as she gained strength to finally turn away from the grave, a hand enveloped hers. She didn't even need to look up, nor did she flinch- she knew who it was.

He held on tightly, and she gripped back just as hard, and slowly they walked. She could feel his gaze on her, but unlike every other gaze, she wasn't bothered. She didn't realize the extent of her feelings towards Ace until she said it out loud, and for one moment, it frightened her.

But in the next moment, the fear died down as soon as her eyes landed on him. She knew that in the days she couldn't remember he had been a huge part of her life. He had proven that he wouldn't just get up and leave, which she feared most with him. She didn't want to feel affection of any sort towards a person who could easily dismiss her entire existence.

Because admittedly, Eden wasn't much of a person. She was merely a body passing through life, but with Ace, she felt as if there was something one would call a soul within her.

A woman stood next to Ace's mom, who seemed to be oblivious to the person right in front of her eyes. Eden briefly glanced at Ace, who had stopped walking, and looked at the woman with a foreign feeling in his eyes.

"Eden," the woman breathed out just as she saw them coming, rushing over to her. Eden stood frozen as the woman's cold hands enveloped her in a hug.

She felt suffocated.

Ace could see it by her expression, and he immediately detached the strange woman from her. She looked at Ace with a scowl, her gaze traveling back to Eden immediately.

"Didn't you miss me? I sent you a letter a while ago, I called, I did everything to contact you. I thought-"

"Excuse me," Eden interrupted, "but who are you?"

The woman's expression saddened for a brief moment, quickly composed back to confusion.

"Eden, baby girl, don't you remember me?" she said, stepping towards her and reaching out.

"Please, don't touch me," Eden said calmly, but the woman didn't seem to have heard her plea.

She enveloped her in a another hug, and before Ace could intervene or Eden could push her off, another set of hands took the woman off Eden. A girl barely a few inches taller than her stood with a bewildered expression, gripping the woman's forearms. She shared Eden's eyes, the turbid brown, and had the same head of dark hair, only cropped shorter.

"Ed?" she said quietly, holding onto the woman as if she was about to fall.

"Is that- is that you?" the girl said, barely above a whisper, but Eden heard. Her puzzled glance went to Ace, who was at her side immediately.

"Ace?" the girl whispered. He nodded. She had more common sense than to fling herself at Eden, but only stood in front of her, face to face. They were almost replicas of one another; but Eden had her scars, tired eyes, pale face, while the other girl had a tanned complexion, sparkling eyes and neatly put on make up.