bubblegum princess

chapter forty nine

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the end of the beginning:
YOU'VE GONE SO FAR !
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THERE WERE MOMENTS when Seiren would wonder if death was quietly waiting for her. It wasn't a fear she often voiced, but one that lingered in the back of her mind, especially during those long, lonely nights at the hospital. As a child, she would sit by the window, staring at the pale moonlight spilling across sterile walls, watching the days slip by. The thought haunted her-that death wasn't a sudden force but a slow erosion, wearing away at her life piece by fragile piece.

Shizune's words back then were meant to comfort her. "You're fine, Seiren," she had said with a kind smile, brushing a hand through her hair. "You're not dying. You'll grow up healthy and strong."

For a while, Seiren had believed her. But now, those reassurances felt hollow, like a distant memory too far to reach.

Her body convulsed as she coughed again, dry and ragged, each sound scraping against her throat. It was relentless, the kind of cough that pulled something deep from within her, leaving her breathless. A sharp, metallic taste filled her mouth.

She leaned forward instinctively, her hand cupping her mouth as her body betrayed her. Then it came-a thick, wet mass forcing its way up. She spat into her palm, her heart stopping as she saw it.

A vivid, crimson stain spread across her hand, the blood dripping from her lips down to her chin in thick, glistening trails. A dark, solid chunk of congealed blood sat ominously in the center of her palm, stark against the pale skin.

She fumbled for a tissue, her fingers trembling as she tried to wipe it away. The tissue absorbed the crimson stain quickly, but it wasn't enough to calm her racing mind. Her chest heaved, her breaths shallow as panic began to coil around her like a vice.

This wasn't fine. This wasn't normal.

Her hands tightened around the bloodstained tissue, her knuckles white as her thoughts spiraled. For the first time in a long while, she wondered if the shadow of death was closer than she'd ever realized.

No. She couldn't allow it.

She had come so far-farther than she ever thought she could. She had friends now, a life she had fought to build, and a future waiting just beyond her grasp. Her chest tightened, not from the pain but from the overwhelming determination swelling within her. She couldn't let fate ruin it all. Not now. Not ever.

Her trembling hands reached for the tissue, crumpling it tightly as if to smother the evidence of her body's betrayal. Without a second thought, she scrambled out of the tent, her breaths quick and uneven.

The night air was cool against her flushed skin, the campfire's embers glowing faintly ahead. She hurried to the fire pit, her movements frantic but deliberate. With a swift motion, she tossed the bloody tissues into the flames. The fire hissed and crackled as the paper curled into ash, the dark stain disappearing into the glow.

Her heart pounded as she turned away, the coppery taste still lingering in her mouth. She grabbed the water bottle from the supply stash, unscrewing the cap with trembling fingers. Tilting her head back, she poured the water over her hands, scrubbing furiously at the blood smeared across her skin. The icy liquid stung against her raw palms, but she didn't care.

Her reflection flickered in the water pooling at her feet, her pale face marred with faint streaks of red. She splashed her face, again and again, her mind racing as she tried to erase every trace of what had just happened. She gargled the water, spitting it out with force, but the taste lingered, sharp and unforgiving.