The Power Of Night

The Release

"Are you okay?" The words echoed through the silent car. Stoped. Safe.
Delaney was worried. "Carter?"
Her hand reached across to the driver's side where it met his. It latched on , holding for support that the spinning car had taken away. The car was stoped. Delaney still needed security.

"I'm fine. Are you?"

He craddles her fingers in the palm of her hand.
Delaney didn't answer. It almost didn't feel possible. The car could've crash, it could've been the end.

" no. I feel wrong." She answered.

Cheated is a better word. For those second that passed light a lightning bolt in slow motion, Delaney was helpless and out of controll.

" i shouldn't have dragged you into this." Her voice quivers.

" Del, it was my choice." He assures her as he rubs her hands.

"No it wasn't, it looks that way, but when you see someone trying to commit suicide you're supposed to stop them."

Her breath catches the last of the phrase.

"And it was my choice for me to do the right thing."

He says hushed.

The warm fingers that clasped in Delaney's hands grew tighter.
His whipers decresendoed to distant whistle.

"Everything's a choice," he starts
"Our wants decide them, and sometimes our needs do. You wanted to die, you didn't need to. That was your choice. You didn't want to come with me, but you needed to. That was also your choice."

"What about about you?" Delaney interupts with a whisper, but still over powering to Carters silent tone.

"What was it, want or need?"

He made his presences distant, but his lips turned into a calm memorable smile.

"Both."

Carter didn't dwell on it. He sat. Smiled to himself in a way that only he could understand. He wanted it, he needed it. And that was that.

"You wanted to live, " he spoke gravely
"You didn't need to save that deer."

Delaney objected,
"You've got it wrong, i didn't-"

"You did," Carter told her. "You saved that deer's life, and mine, and yours. That was a choice."

Delaney's breath stoped, and she held it as it battled escaping from her cheeks.
She had chosen to live. Did she need it? Did she even want it? There had to be a part of her that did. Because the life she was awaiting was a package deal, the bad, the even worse, and the sometimes good.
At school, people noticed Delaney. Her sadness was almost inexcusable, like a rain cloud that would splatter a drop on you every so often.
" what happened to her?" They would say.
" what happened to that poor girl to make her so sad."
And as Delaney would overhear, time and time again. She would never answer, but in her head thinking,

Nothing has happened, that's just it. Nothing. I've seen absolutely nothing.

Delaney had saved a life, one that wasn't even hers. Everything's a choice, even if you're not the one in controll.

Delaney breathed out heavy and then inhaled once again.

She glanced at the back of the car and through the window as the leftover raindrops cleared.

The world outside was waiting, the bridge stood sturdy by the river as it towerd the water below.

She would go to the water, but not in the way in was expecting her. She could be in controll of her choices, not the out come.

She unlocked the car door and turned to Carter.

"I've made my choice."