Until We Fly

Chapter 34: Choice

-James-

I woke up, early morning to find I was myself again. Everyone else was asleep but I sneaked into Köleil's room and sat beside her bed, waiting for to wake up.
I wasn't going to force her. Everyone needed as much sleep as they could get in times like these.

It didn't take her long.
And when she saw me, her face lit up and she leaped into my arms.
I laughed, hugging her back.
It was so nice to see her again.

"James! Oh, I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you more, Kö. So much more."

We sat there quietly for a few moments, just grateful to be near each other again.
Then we lay beside each other on her bed and chatted about all the things that had happened to us.

"Oh no...you bit him?"

"Yep. I should probably apologize to him soon..."

"Well, I found out a lot about myself. Where I came from and stuff."

"Really? I thought you already knew? Don't you all come from those crystals or something?"

"Nope. I'm a slightly different Guardian, the only one like me. You know the First?"

"Yeah."

"Well, there was two of them. The two First Guardians. They were my parents."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope. And when they couldn't have any more children, they gave up their lives so that the crystals would have their energy. You see, when the Guardians dies, their crystal is all that's left behind. In a few weeks, the crystal will form a new Guardian. It's pretty cool, huh?"

"Very. So, you're special then?"

Köleil shrugged.
"I don't feel special."

"Well, you're special to me."
I smiled, ruffling her hair like I always used to.

Köleil told me about what Jūx had done to her.
That only gave more the reason to kill that freak.

And if he ever even went near Köleil again, I wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Holding her close, we both lay there in silence once more.
She cleared my thoughts when I was with her, she relaxed me.

I loved her.
But how could I say that?

"...James?"

"Yeah?"

"...how often...do you think of Jayden?"

"Well...why are you asking?"

"I don't know."

"Not very often. But to be fair, I haven't had much control of myself lately."

"He's half-Dark. He's taken a different process to you. But his mind is still there. You should talk to him. Even if he can't reply I'm sure it would still make him very happy."

"What's with this all of a sudden?"

Köleil buried her head into my chest.
"...he must be so sad, so scared, so alone...trapped like that..."
I felt her warm tears leaking silently through my shirt.
"I...don't want James to become trapped...I don't want anyone to be trapped...no one deserves it..."

"None of us want to be trapped like that Köleil. It's a scary thought, true, but you can fix everything. You need to have hope."

"Don't be silly. Tables, bones and machines can be fixed. But people...lives...they...they cannot..."