Atlanta (Part of My World) (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 20

The silhouette stood in the doorframe for a split second, before collapsing onto it's knees. 

She let out a cry, and crawled over the fallen door. 

Kai scrambled to the back of the room, shoving himself into a corner, cramming himself into the tiny space where the two walls met. He wished he could just melt into the shadows. 

But a beam of light fell onto the tip of his bare foot. He could feel Cinder's eyes land on him. 

He just now noticed there was a dent in the door. Her shoulder looked crooked. He choked down a sob. 

"Kai?" Her voice was so small, almost a squeak. Kai didn't answer. 

"Kai?" 

"Go away, before you catch it too." 

"Kai-" 

"Go away!" 

"Kai," 

"Go before it's too late!" Kai buried his head in his arms, tilting his head at an angle, as far away from Cinder as he could. 

"Kai, I already have it." 

A dead silence filled the room, and Kai felt half his heart drop to his stomach. The other half launched up, smacking his throat. 

"You're lying." Kai knew it was so cruel, so cruel to hope for her to be sick too. But he missed Cinder so much. He missed her so much that his heart ached and he couldn't breathe. 

Cinder held out her wrist. A yellow purple bruise marked her skin, looking even worse in the dim light. 

Kai could barely see it, but her skin had always been quite clear. 

He was across the room in half a heartbeat, his arms wrapped around Cinder, his face buried in the crook of her neck. 

"Thank the stars. Thank god. You don't know how much I've missed you." 

Cinder could feel warm tears against the thin material of her shirt, and she let out dry, choked sobs. 

"Kai, I've missed you so much," 

Kai's vision blurred into a gradient of tears.