CATH WAS STRUGGLING TO walk, putting one foot in front of the other mechanically without fully processing it. The pain was a slight sting in her chest, but she tried to hide it. Jest was there, and that was what mattered most to her.
Cath gazed up at the sky, noticing that the sun was already making its way back in, coloring the sky in beautiful shades. The sunrise that would soon come was something she enjoyed.
She wondered what the hour was, assuming that they had not taken that much time. Everything that happened after she turned the hour hand of the clock became a hazy memory for her, with emotions setting in like a wave.
Cath was wrong; she had felt something before, but those feelings she experienced were just a fleeting reminder of what she had lost. Now, those emotions were becoming more powerful, though they were still mild when compared to what she once experienced with a heart. The emotions were ready to burst out of her all of a sudden and Cath tried to push them down, unsure of exactly what she was feeling.
She wondered why they came back now, as before, there was no problem of her not having a heart. She looked up at Jest.
Jest looked over his shoulder and slowly smiled, feeling her gaze on him. Still, a faded copy compared to his usual brightly shining smile, with two dimples, appearing on both sides of his cheeks, as she remembered it.
He slowly reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers together in a tight grasp. Cath let out a relieved sigh, not entirely understanding why, but she still held his hand tighter while drawing closer to him.
Jest slowly looked her up and down, making sure she was doing well and was in no pain. She tried standing taller, not wanting to worry him.
After giving her a reassuring nod while finally meeting her gaze, they started walking again. As they headed towards the exit, her legs still screamed at her to stop and rest and she made a promise to herself that she would never enter the maze again.
Cath spotted the well at the end of the maze with the Sisters standing next to it, appearing thoroughly confused. She finally reached the grass; her legs nearly gave out, and her body urged her to simply collapse there. Yet as she noticed the confusion on the Sisters' faces, she only grew more curious about what had surprised them so much.
Cath looked at Jest's profile for a moment. His gaze was focused on the Sisters as well, with his eyebrows furrowed. She dropped his hand and took a step towards them.
She looked between the Sisters, their gazes eventually meeting hers. A chilling sensation shot down Cath's spine, but she ignored it.
The Sisters slowly moved to reveal a wall of stone, vines clinging to its sides. Cath took a sharp breath as she recognized the faded drawing on the wall.
Jest and Raven stood on either side of Cath, the latter perching on the former's shoulder. 'That's impossible,' Cath muttered, pacified by the smeared drawing. She could barely make out the figures that had once haunted her dreams.
Cath took a step toward the wall and reached out to touch it, but the Sisters stood in her way, preventing her from getting any closer.
'What did you do?' Tillie exclaimed, her normally calm demeanor gone. The other sisters looked at each other, sharing a look Cath couldn't quite understand.
As the Sisters turned their attention towards Jest, Catherine instinctively moved in front of him, fearing they might do something.
Before Jest could even touch her arm to push her away, Cath felt another intense pang in her chest. She crouched down, struggling to breathe.
Jest quickly steadied Cath, moving to her side and holding her steady as she clung to him. Jest turned towards the Sisters, demanding, 'I want her heart back.'
YOU ARE READING
Heartfelt - sequel to Heartless
Fanfiction'Nothing ever really stays dead, Catherine.' After a year of dullness, the Queen of Hearts finds entertainment in a peculiar blonde girl. However, the only way to find the girl is to bargain with Time, but it might not be as easy as she thought. And...
