The Misadventure

Cavella pt. 1

Cavet's POV

I turned just in time to see Evil dissolve into the coding she came from, my finger still pressed so hard into the ENTER button that it was starting to throb. Bella slid to the floor as if boneless, eyes closed, breaths rattling in her chest. I could see the bruises forming around her neck already.

I could finish it.

Her face and arms were bruised as well, and her hair was a tangled mess. A trail of blood was dribbling out of the corner o her mouth, and yet, despite everything, she looked peaceful.

I should finish it.

I sank down to my knees next to her, watching her chest rise and fall.

I can't finish it. Not ever.

I curl my arms around my knees and pull them close to my chest, timing my breaths with hers so that both of our chests rise and fall at the same time, and our breathing sounds as one throughout the room. It's peaceful, sitting there, everything quiet except for our breaths, taken in unison.

"I suppose it really wasn't your fault, was it?" I find myself saying. "You had no control over Evil, just like I had no control over Maniac. We were both just thrown into this big storm together, weren't we?"

I fall silent again, watching her. Laying down, I can see how long her eyelashes actually are. They twitch ever so slightly, as if in a bad dream, and I'm entranced as the light bounces off of them.

"You were good throughout it all, though... You were always so strong." I whispered. "I lost my mind, but you never did. You just kept fighting, every step of the way, even when there was nothing left to fight for."

I buried my face in my arms.

"God, I love you, Bella."

I raise my head again to look at her, look at her bruises, and the dirt and blood, and girl made of stone underneath it all.

"Bella?"

Her breaths were coming faster now, hard, sharp gasps that seemed to catch in her throat on the way in and wheeze as they came out. The muscles in her neck tightened and her back arched as she gasped, eyelids fluttering wildly. I scrambled to her side and took her arm with my one good hand, shaking it desperately.

"Bella, BELLA! Wake up, you have to wake up!"

Her breath caught in her throat and she gagged, making my heart freeze with terror as her breathing came to a screeching halt. I forced her closer to me, so that she was almost on my lap, and leaned my ear close to her chest, waiting, listening.

Nothing.

"Bella!"

I shoved her off of me and onto the floor, pressing my stump onto her chest and layering my other hand over it. I started the compressions at tears blurred my eyes.

"Come on, come on, come on!" I chanted. When there was no change after what seemed like forever, I tilted her head back and pressed my mouth to hers, exhaling. I pulled back and did compressions again, and then kissed her once more.

I felt her gasp more than heard it, the tightening off all the muscles in her body at once and her eyelashes brushing against my cheek as her eyes flew open. She pulled back from me and I leaned back slightly, prepared to sit back, when she surged upward and pressed her lips to mine again, her fingers coming up and curling through the hair on the back of my head.