Until We Fly

Prologue

"Careful...step lightly...this roof isn't very strong."

"Yeah, it is glass. I could guess that."
Köleil smiled, holding out her arms for balance.

Though along with the forceful winds and flying glass, balance wasn't very easy to achieve.

We quickly saw the next, large wall coming up ahead with the ladder hardly still standing.

"Huh...so he actually DID leave a ladder."
Köleil laughed, grabbing my hand.

I stepped behind her, letting her infront.
"I knew he would...now come on. You go first, okay? Don't rush and be as careful as you can."

Köleil nodded and began slowly making her way up the ladder.

It was best to go one at a time considering it was resting on glass.

"Okay! I'm up! Come on, James!"

I began to climb straight away...but...

The glass underneath the ladder couldn't take my weight. It seemed to have cracked from Köleil already and with my heavier body, the glass beneath shattered and the ladder and I began to fall down.

Jumping off immediately, I landed on my back a bit away, causing more cracks underneath myself.

Köleil screamed.

"D...don't worry, Köleil...as long as I don't move...I should be...fine..."

Even I knew that I was lying.

Köleil hung herself over the side and reached down to me.

"James! Grab my hand!"

The ferocious winds carried the small, invisible shards of glass that sliced our faces in seconds but Köleil still gripped the edge, reaching down towards me.

"Come on! Please! Hurry!"

I felt small trickles of blood all over whilst the rain soaked me through. The glass roof I rest upon was quickly giving way with it's long drop underneath.

Though I reached up as far as I could, my hands didn't even nearly reach hers.

"Köleil! Go! Get out of here, quick!"

"What?! No! Come on, you can do it!"

"I said GO!"

She stared back at me, all hope quickly draining from her face.

"No! No, I will not leave you! Not like this!"

I could hardly hear her yelling over the howls of the wind that attacked us from all sides but I still did.

Desperate, I looked down at the glass beneath me once more, the cracks forming, dancing down towards and underneath me, rejoicing in my fear.

"LISTEN TO ME! GET OUT OF HERE AND GET SOMEWHERE SAFE!! THERE ISN'T TIME!"

"No! James, just try harder, please!"

Köleil spoke through her sobs, still pointlessly reaching out.

"YOU NEED TO GO!!"

"No! James, I-"

Before she could finish, the glass broke into a million shards as I felt endless wind rush past my body, nearing me closer and closer to my own end.

Against my own will, my mouth opened and released a mortal being's final cry of desperation before death. Not even the rain could keep up with me.

In those few seconds I saw many things.

The crashes of pure white lightning breaking cracks into the merciless night sky, the dark, grey clouds that had always loomed ahead, the blood that had flew from my body and was slowly following me down, the mass of glass that followed me with my fall...

And Köleil's screaming, terrified face as she leaned over the building above.

And yet, I smiled.

Because Köleil was alive.

She was okay.

And that was all that mattered.

I held out my arms, awaiting the sweet release.

Awaiting...

The end of my wonderful, wonderful journey

(A few months earlier...)