Fated to Evil

Chapter 49- Sleeping Beauty

Bloom looked at her sister's unconscious body without any emotion. Now, finally, she understood how Ruby had been feeling for the past year. Or at least part of it.

Her heart had no happiness, only sadness, hate, fear and despair. Her family and friends tried everything to make her feel better, comforting her, giving her vague promises that Ruby would wake up, trying to make her live life as normally as possible, but their efforts had no positive result. They probably made her feel worse, which is why she sat there all the time. Next to her sister, looking at her and hoping to see her beautiful chocolate-colored eyes open again.

Most people had given up on hoping by now. Ruby would not wake up, but for Bloom it was too soon to make a final judgment. As long as the little machine kept beeping and Ruby's chest kept rising and falling, there was still hope that she would wake up. So Bloom waited and waited.

She waited for a week. She waited for three weeks. A month. Two months. Five months.

Today was May 6th, Ruby's comanniversary and birthday. Dozens of gifts surrounded the redhead's bed, from her friends, the specialists, her family, Faragonda and Griselda, and some flowers and small baskets that other people had placed there as get-well gifts.

Bloom looked at those gifts. She recognized some of the people who went there to drop them off, they were all former bullies of Ruby's. The reasons she would come home with a black eye, a busted lip or a broken nose. And they went there, thinking they had the right to look at the girl's motionless body with a sad expression and leave gifts to "pay their respects," as some said.

"She's not dead." Bloom whispered to herself. "And she doesn't give a damn about your silly presents. You're not important. Her friends and family are the important ones."

A tear fell down Bloom's fair skin as the gifts from those miscreants were set on fire. The redhead made sure the fire didn't damage the important gifts and let the others burn until the objects were reduced to ashes.

She grabbed Ruby's hand and leaned back in her seat, exhaling softly as she wiped the stray tear from her cheek. She closed her eyes and let herself be lulled by the steady beep of the machine measuring her sister's heartbeat, letting herself relax in the knowledge that her sister was still alive.

Bloom opened her eyes sooner than she thought, however, she was in a pitch black void instead of a white room. She looked around, but there was nothing in sight besides a small bed where her sister laid peacefully with her eyes closed. Bloom smiled as she saw that Ruby was no longer wearing the mask or tied to the bed. She was just sleeping.

"She won't stay asleep for long." A male voice says from behind Bloom.

She shudders and turns quickly, but there is no one behind her.

"Who's there?"

"I want to take her."

Bloom turned around again and nearly screamed at the sight of the hooded figure in front of her.

"You're... uh..." She stammered, unable to bring herself to say it.

"Death? Yes, I am.

"N-No, you're not taking my sister." Bloom yelled, tears streaming down her face.

"Who said I was going to?"

"What?"

Death reached out to the redhead, trying to take her. Bloom threw flames at the reaper in an attempt to stop it, but with a simple flick of his hand, the attack was blocked and reflected back at Bloom, who fell with a groan with the impact.