𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓 (ANGEL)
Older. Scary. Silent.
Damon Lars was always lurking in the shadows, a sinister presence that scared me. It would be oblivious for me not to notice him even in the darkest areas. He was there. Maybe invisible to ot...
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STELLA RUSSEL
We had tracked her, and when I saw her, she already dropped into the water. "Avery, no!" Marcella screamed, her voice sharp with terror, as she immediately ran toward the lake. We all ran, panic surging through me. It was a fear I'd lived with for days, but I never truly thought she'd do it—never thought she would slip so far into darkness that she would end it all like this.
Damon was the first to act. He didn't hesitate. He jumped without a second thought, disappearing into the cold abyss of the lake. Alessio followed, his powerful strokes cutting through the water as he swam deeper, determined to reach her before it was too late. Grayson's arms locked around me, keeping me back as I struggled to break free, my body trembling with the weight of helplessness. Tears blurred my vision, and I felt my heart hammering in my chest.
Jaxon was holding back Liliana, who had already started to fight against him, desperate to follow. "They'll get her," he whispered, though his voice trembled with the same fear I felt. "She won't die, I promise." Even his words—normally so strong, so sure—were strained. We were all terrified, hanging on to the sliver of hope that somehow, against all odds, we could save her.
Three agonizing minutes passed, each second stretching into eternity, and then I saw Alessio. He emerged from beneath the surface, gasping for air, followed by Damon, who was struggling to stay afloat, but holding Avery in his arms. She was limp, her skin deathly pale, her body floating like a fragile doll.
Her lips were parted slightly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile still tugging at the corners, as if death had kissed her and whispered sweet release. Damon was barely able to catch his breath as he dragged her to the shore, and when he released her, I was already there. I reached for her, dragging her body toward us, desperate for some sign, any sign, that she was still alive.
"She's not breathing, Alessio!" I screamed, my voice raw and panicked, my hands shaking uncontrollably as I tried to pull her closer. Damon was coughing, struggling to regain his breath after the plunge, but I couldn't focus on him, not when Avery's life hung in the balance.
Alessio didn't waste a second. He pushed me off gently, his eyes locked onto Avery's pale form with a singular focus. He lowered himself to her, positioning her body with practiced ease, and then began giving her mouth-to-mouth. His lips pressed against hers, his chest rising and falling in rhythm with the desperate act of resuscitation.
Seconds passed. Then minutes. There was no response. No movement.
A quiet, haunting silence filled the air.
And that was when it hit me.
I fell to my knees beside her, my hands trembling as I stared at her still form. The cold reality crashed into me like a wave. She was gone.
The world seemed to spin, spinning so fast that I couldn't keep up. I reached out, my fingers brushing her cold, lifeless skin, my heart breaking as I whispered her name.
