Fallen From Grace (#Wattys2017)

Chapter XXXIII

The starry night above was better than any software imitation. There were lighter patches, clusters of faint and bold light, the constellations altered according to the time of year. These were the same stars that greeted the ancients, the same ones that would be there in millions of years.

Matte charcoal black uncontrollably covered in thousands and millions of bright specks. You can see star, after star, after star, a never ending void of light that projects no means of guidance in some eyes. The complicated configurations and patterns of light which have taken years to be seen by the average naked eye.

Eleanora stood with her back against the metal railing of the balcony, tilting her head back to look up at the sky while Apollyon stood a few feet away from her, leaning over the railing as he gazed out at the view below, blowing out a puff of smoke. It was silent, but a comfortable silence for once, not an awkward one. They had gotten back from the park a few hours ago and they had dinner in the hotel room. Apollyon had gone out to smoke a cigarette when Eleanora decided to join him.

Looking up, a question popped in her mind as she remembered the last time she saw Apollyon lean across the railing while smoking. He was shaking violently at that time, and was calm at the moment.

"Apollyon?" She called out to him while fingering the pendant across her neck as he hummed in response. "Can I ask you something?"

"About?" He inquired in return, exhaling through his teeth.

"What do you dream about?" She asked, turning to look at him as she noticed him tense. "What are your nightmares about?"

Apollyon fell silent, the cigarette burning between his lips as he hadn't taken it out in order to blow out the waste gases. He silently looked out in front of him, seemingly pondering something as he took the stick in his hands, rolling it between his fingers, the silence weighing down on them.

"Don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Don't ask me questions when you know you are not going to like their answers." Apollyon enlightened. "You are finally happy after so long. I can't even remember the last time I saw you smile and laugh like you did tonight. Don't make yourself depressed again. I can't bear with it, I can't handle that defeated look on your face. Don't ask me to answer that question."

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about the nightmares sooner or later?" Eleanora inquired. "They are getting worse, and don't you dare and try to lie to me."

Apollyon answered her with silence, looking out at the Quebec skyline as he didn't want to answer.

"Are the nightmares the reason we drifted apart?" She asked softly as she noticed him twitch. A lump formed in her throat as his silence confirmed her suspicions. "Are they the reason that you won't look at me?"

"Eleanora..." He trailed in a pained voice. "It's..."

"What? 'It's not like that'? Is that what you're going to say?" She asked in exasperation, the lump still growing. "You won't tell me anything, and I feel like it's all my fault. Why would you want to stay with a dying girl? I'm a freak! I was born with white hair and you should not be with me-"

"Stop!" Apollyon snapped, the look of fury on his face had her snap her mouth shut. "Don't you dare say that. Don't you dare say any of that."

He looked different from the Apollyon she knew. It wasn't the tenseness of his stance or the sharp edge to his voice. It was the silent furry burning in his eyes to hear her say such a thing. It was obvious that he did not like she had said, but it was only the truth.