Through The Ashes

46

Jorn stood outside the door to the room where Mara waited. Her heart pounded in her chest, the familiar, rhythmic beat echoing the minutes she knew she had left.

She rested her hand on the worn wooden door, gathering herself. This is it, she thought. The final moments she would have with Mara—moments she'd longed for, but never under these circumstances.

She pushed the door open gently, the creak of the hinges cutting through the heavy silence inside. Mara was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back hunched, her shoulders trembling. Her fingers absently traced the black Onyx necklace hanging from her neck.

Mara looked up when she heard the door, her eyes red and swollen from crying, her cheeks streaked with tears. The sight of her tore through Jorn in a way nothing else could.

Jorn took a slow step forward, closing the door behind her. "Hey," she said softly, her voice gentle, almost apologetic.

Mara didn't respond right away, just stared at her as though she couldn't believe any of this was real. Finally, her lips quivered as she spoke, her voice barely holding together. "You should've kept it," she said, her fingers wrapping tightly around the necklace. "You should've kept it on."

Jorn frowned. She walked over and sat beside Mara, the bed creaking slightly under her weight. "I wanted you to have it," she replied, her voice soft but firm. "I wanted to protect you."

Mara shook her head, her grip on the necklace tightening as though holding it might change the inevitable. "No... It was supposed to protect you, Jorn. That's what you said. You shouldn't have given it to me. If you had kept it—"

Jorn gently placed her hand over Mara's, stilling her frantic grip on the necklace. "It's not the necklace that keeps us safe," she whispered. "It's what we do for each other. That's what matters."

Mara let out a broken sob, tears streaming down her face. "But I can't protect you. I couldn't... I couldn't save you. I fucking failed!"

Jorn swallowed hard, her throat thick with emotion. She reached out, cupping Mara's face gently, her thumb brushing away the tears that wouldn't stop falling.

"Mara," she said softly, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "This isn't your fault. None of it is. You've done more for me than you'll ever know. You saved me in ways I never thought I could be saved."

Mara shook her head again, more tears spilling from her eyes. "That doesn't make it fair," she choked out. "We were just... we were just starting to—"

Jorn pulled her close, wrapping her arms around Mara, holding her as tight as she could. "I know," she whispered into Mara's hair. "I know."

They sat there for what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, clinging to each other as if the force of their embrace could defy the inevitable.

Mara's breath was shaky against Jorn's chest. "I don't want to let go," she whispered, her words filled with desperation. "I don't know how."

Jorn's heart ached in her chest, a pain deeper than any she'd ever known. "You don't have to yet," she whispered. "I'm still here. I'm still with you."

Mara pulled back slightly, her eyes searching Jorn's face as if trying to memorize every detail. "I don't know how to do this without you," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jorn smiled sadly, brushing a stray lock of hair behind Mara's ear. "You've always been stronger than me. You don't need me to keep going—you never did. But that doesn't mean I didn't want to be with you. I wanted nothing more than to be with you."

Mara's lip quivered, and she leaned into Jorn's touch, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to hold back more tears. "I love you," she whispered, the words raw and filled with every emotion she had kept bottled up. "I love you so much Jorn it hurts."