cleanse

16

I woke up to a crashing sound. Startled, I thrashed my body around, trying to figure out where I was and what I was laying on. Leaves sat underneath me in a small pile to act as a cushion. I look around for Mahree, but I don't see her anywhere. The only thing I find is the tree branch that fell from a nearby tree. That must have been the crashing sound I woke up to. 

The pond water is still as glass, indicating that Mahree hasn't taken a dip in the water. "Mahree!" I call out, just loud enough for someone in this small area to hear. I pray that the killers that are probably looking for us didn't hear me. There is no response to my call. "Violet!!" I hear a shriek in the distance. "VIOLET, HELP!" It grows fainter but there is more pain and emphasis hidden behind it.

I push my body off the dirt floor and dart toward the sound. My legs look like blurs that soon turn invisible, moving parts. I'm pretty sure my legs aren't even touching the ground anymore, I'm running so quickly. "Mahree!" I cry out. "I'm coming! Where are you?" I don't stop running even for a second.

"HELP!" The sobbing is close now. I reach a tree where I see Mahree dangling from it by here feet. The killers must have caught her and they're probably on their way over here this second. "It's okay." I say under my breath as I grab Mahree's trembling hands. Her whole body is twitching with horror and alarm. I take the machete from the belt I took from the previous victim and climb the tree. I reach the branch Mahree hangs from and saw the loop in half until she is freed. 

She falls to the ground on her side and I leap from the branch to make sure she's fine. Tears, blood, and soil are smeared across her face. She's uncontrollably shaking and her eyes have glazed over. She's locked in a state of shock and disturbance. I press two of my fingers against the side of her throat and search for her pulse. It's beating at a rapid pace, but as time goes by, it begins to slow down. It skips over a normal beat and into a sedated, worrying beat that concerns me. "Stay with me, Mahree!" I beg as a place my hand over her hot forehead.

"Damn you!!" I plead. "Don't leave me! Stay here with me! Don't you die on me!" My voice chokes up so much it's inaudible. Tears soak my sweaty face and my eyes begin to puff up. My lip quivers and my hands jerk with fear that she's dying. I place her head in my lap and press my lips to hers for a quick second. Just to feel her mouth one last time. I don't want to believe that she's dying.

I look over her body to find a gaping wound near her left kidney. Blood and dirt crusts around it and puss has created a clear-white glaze over it. I run my shaking hands through her hair and begin to braid it. I style it in the same way I did Magdalena's and how my mom did mine. "I... l-l-love... you..., Mah-r-ree..." I sob into her braids. 

I keep my head down for a minute or so just to cry in silence. Once I let my tears out, a wave of rage surges through my body. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" I bawl. "THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" I feel my body burn up with fire and anger. She wasn't supposed to be Cleansed, she was supposed to escape with me to freedom and start a new life with me in Nobility! "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" I scream at Mahree. Her heartbeat hasn't stopped yet, but it's so slow that she'll be dead in a matter of seconds.

I rise from the ground and decide to pick some water lilies to place around her body. I go over to the large pond and pluck a handful of the flowers. I delicately lay them around her to create a figure. Then I pick out the lotuses from the other side of the lake and lace them between the white lilies. White and purple were her favorite colors.

Once the flowers were arranged, I kissed her lips for a few seconds and stood up. "Come and find me, okay?" I ask, even though I'm not going to get a response. Her eyes have already fluttered closed and her chest doesn't rise any more. I hope she sees the display I've left her from where she is now. She didn't deserve to be killed. She shouldn't be here with me in the first place. But now she's with her family, which is something she deserves.