Pokemon - Evil Reborn

Chapter 33 - "The Best Part of Me..."

I sat there, crying, for a long time. I had no idea just how long it had been. My head was hurting, and my chest was pounding. Nothing made sense anymore. I looked back at the door, my mind spinning. Nelly was on the other side. I had heard her crying too. But I couldn't do anything...

Slowly, I stood up, steadying myself against the wall. The curtains were right before me, and I pushed them aside. Through the glass of the balcony doors, the city was half asleep. Lights were on in the distance, and signs flickered in the dead of night. I sniffed and wiped my eyes, before pushing the doors to the side and stepping out onto the balcony.

It was small, like a little alcove. A wall came up to chest height, with silver bars running across as safety rails. There was a ceiling overhead – the next floor of the hotel. There was enough space for a plastic table and a couple of chairs to fit in the corner, as well as a drying rack for clothes. I staggered over to the rails and placed my hands on them. It was cold. The floor was also freezing, the tiles nipping at my feet. But I didn't care. The cold meant nothing to me.

There were faint noises of cars driving, and natural sounds of the night gently sailing through the air. Even as I watched, lights in buildings far away were switched off, as more and more people turned in for the night. I wondered if I would ever get to sleep. If I could ever sleep again at all.

I breathed in through my nose, and the cool air tingled. Strange how a city could go from being so panicked to so calm in a matter of hours. But life goes on, I suppose. For these people, at least. For me, it felt like it was frozen. I could hear the sounds, but in my eyes, nothing moved. It was like my brain didn't have the capacity to take in anything else. Looking down, I could see the concrete, all those feet below... My grip on the rail tightened, and I looked away.

A fresh tear ran down my cheek, and I brought my finger up to catch it. It sat there, a puddle of sadness, unmoving and unforgiving. Another one ran over my lip and I took in the salty taste of sheer pain. These wounds – the scratches, the cuts, the burns, the bruises – they hurt.

But my heart hurt so much more...

I ran my hands across my face and rubbed my eyes. Through gritted teeth I breathed in, a gurgling mess as I wailed out again. My whole body was shaking, and I couldn't help it. It wasn't the cold, either. I looked down at my trembling hands and turned the left one over. The ring...

I brought it closer to my face and examined it. Golden, and full of hopes and dreams, inscribed with her name...

"Nelly..." I read it out, and winced as more tears came.

Then there was the pendant. I reached up and found the silver chain, then followed it down to my chest. The purple amethyst that Nelly had given me was still there. She used to wear it herself. But she had given it to me... I closed my fingers around it.

"What have I done...?" I repeated to myself for what must have been the hundredth time. "It can't be over..."

Looking back through the glass in the doors, I saw the bed. The covers, the pillows, set for two...

I collapsed to my knees. I couldn't do it alone. I wouldn't make it on my own. Not without her...

*

In the bathroom, Nelly ran the back of her hand across her cheeks. She pushed her hair out of her face and tilted her head back, breathing in heavily. It took everything she had left, but she got to her feet, and wobbled in place for a moment. Her reflection looked at her from the mirror, a face in anguish. She walked over to it and put her hands on the rim of the sink. For a moment, she thought she might be sick. The silver taps seemed to spin before her, the sink swirling before her eyes. She held her stomach with one hand and her legs shook, her whole body weak. Nelly's eyes, usually a sweet, dark brown full of warmth, were drained and cold.