The Dark Hunters

Chapter 35

Braden POV

I sob into her dead body. Wailing like a child for her to come back.

But she doesn't come back.

I put our foreheads together, gently rocking her back and forth.

She's gone.

That's all I can think about.

Her beautiful, porcelain face, so pale.

I pull the dagger from her chest, and whipping a sheet of the bed, I hold it against the wound, trying to cease the flowing blood.

I wrap it around her middle, and chest, leaving her arms out, bare.

Shakily, I get to my feet, taking her with me.

I hold her body as close to me as possible, as I walk out of the room.

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One Week Later.............

Only two of us are here. Dave and I. We don't speak to each other. We don't look at each other. We just sit and stare ahead.

In a glass coffin in front of us, lies Odeya. We will lower her into her grave today. At sunset.

In Odeya's will, she wrote that she wanted her coffin to be left out on display for three days. So all could know her. She wanted to be like Snow White. I know. That was her favorite fairytale Princess. A glass coffin, flowers, everything! She wanted to be buried after three days though, said that people didn't have to suffer by looking at a dead person for three days.

No one came anyway. Just me and Dave. Not even King Kasel came. Oh, did I mention that he's king now? Well he is. After I came out with Odeya and told him Kerani was dead, he and whatever was left of his men, ran into the palace, not even thanking me for what I sacrificed for him. Or anything I did to help him. I know Erik would have come. But he died. Been buried at King Kasel's grounds.

I stayed by her side this past week. I held her as the Felines gave us a lift home. (Took about three and a half days). Even as I set up the coffin, I kept her by me. As she lays in the coffin. I sit by here. Never leaving. (Except for a bathroom break).

She wanted to be buried at Pink Spring Hill. And here she is. Here WE are. She is still so beautiful. You would think she is only sleeping, except for the fact that's she's not breathing.

Dave showed up today, though. I wish he would leave. But he doesn't leave, and I just don't have the heart to kick him out.

The place where Odeya will be lowered into the ground is already dug. Her coffin is propped up over the grave.

I take a quick glance at my clock. Thirty minutes until sunset.

It hurts me so much to see her like this.

We never got a chance to actually be together. She died by saving everyone from Kerani, and no one even bothered to give her their thanks.

Love can make you do crazy, horrible things. But it's worth it. It's worth the feel of warmth and belonging before.... It's all snatched from you, and you wake up, realizing it was all a dream. But it isn't a dream for me. It's real. It happened. I fell in love. A love so real, so deep, I never thought this kind of love existed. But it did. Still does. I will always love her. I will love no one else. No one can ever be as good as Odeya. No one can love me like Odeya could. She fought so hard for our love, for everyone's freedom, and she died for it. She knew she would. And she didn't tell me. But I forgive her. She just thought she was doing what was right. I can never be as brave as her.

It's sunset. I go and kneel down beside the coffin. I take the glass lid off, and I intwine flowers in her hair. I stroke her hair, and beautiful face. I don't want to let go. I don't want to let her go.

My winds are blowing like crazy. Winds that move with my anger and regret..

I squeeze my eyes tight, clenching my fists.

Suddenly, a soft, familiar hand lightly brushes my shoulder. I open my swollen eyes right into the deep blue eyes of...... Odeya.

I gasp, startled, falling backwards on my butt.

I turn my head to the right, looking at the coffin. Odeya's body still lies inside, eyes still closed. Dead.

But when I look forward I see Odeya again. She is so beautiful. My wind tousling her hair this way and that as she searched my face.

"Odeya?" I breathe. I sit there in awe, staring at her. But she doesn't really seem to be here. She almost seems....transparent.

"Braden." She says softly, then looks behind me and says loudly. "Dave." I look back in anger, ready to sock Dave in the face, but Odeya says, "No Braden. He's not responsible for anything. In fact." Odeya pauses. "He's here to help you."

I stare at her in shock and utter bewilderment. "Odeya?" I ask quietly. "How are you here?"

She sighs. "I'm not really here. I'm just an image being transported to you, and I'm here to tell you that I have fought like like hell, through heaven and hell to get back to you. I'm almost there. That's how I have enough energy to send you this message. I just need a little help getting all the way back. I need you to be there when I come back. So I know I have something to come back for."

She pauses again.

"I have found a way to escape death. In heaven, I was told that my death shouldn't have happened. Even though I had a vision, it still wasn't meant to happen. If I can prove worthy, I can come back. I bargained with death, Braden. And I won."

I gulp. "You mean....."

"Yes." She interrupts. "I'm coming back."

I jump to my feet. "Tell me what to do." I demand.

"My love." She whispers. "I don't have much time. Dave can explain everything." She starts to flicker.

"No!" I yell. "Why must you go?!"

"I love you." She whispers, and she disappears.

"NO!" I scream in frustration.

My winds stop. I sink to my knees and sob. Everything is so confusing. I don't know what to do.

I feel Dave's hand on my shoulder. Angrily, I shrug it away, and stand up to face him.

"Braden." He looks at me. "She's not really gone. I know it's a lot to take in, and it's not going to make sense, but you have to trust me."

"Trust you!?" I scoff. "Why would I ever trust you?!"

"Because." He says calmly. "I'm your best shot at getting her back."

That shut me up.

I look at him. "Well?" I ask irritated. "Tell me what to do."

He gives me a sympathetic smile. I scowl at him. "She loves you so much." He says. "She's somewhat changing. Changing to who she was before she became a Dark Hunter. I know it's hard to understand, but she wasn't always a badass."

I smile a little bit.

"Like she said", he continues, "Her death wasn't supposed to happen. As it turns out, the child Odeya protected, was an angle. And yes, I know how weird that sounds, but it's true. The child is an angle. When Odeya died, the angle fought for her freedom to return back to the land of the living. Odeya went on trial and she won. It took this whole week for that to happen. Seven days, Odeya has fought like hell to get back to you. She's almost there. Yes, her Dark Hunter self is gone. The personalities she had before are rising. She's becoming the person she always was, just never showed it. Where she paints and dances, sings and is a total dork. The girl you fell in love with. That's why when Odeya appeared to us, you still saw Odeya in the coffin. Her Dark Hunter self is dead. The real Odeya is rising. She needs you to be there when she arrives. She will arrive in two and a half days time. At twelve o'clock. Since today is Thursday, Odeya will arrive on Sunday, at twelve o'clock. She will rise in Twisted Tree Forest. The only place there is enough power to bring her back safely. Exactly forty two steps into the forest, then fifty two to the right, and three steps forward, you must stop, look straight ahead, and she will come. She can only come to you. No one else. You are her true love."

Dave sighs."This is going to be very difficult for her. Very painful too. So you must be there for her."

"Always." I speak softly.

"Good." Dave replies, and claps me on the shoulder. "Twisted Tree Forest is about two days away, and I'd get some sleep. You look and smell like crap."

"Sleep?" I say. "How can I sleep now that I know Odeya is coming back to me?"

"You really want her to see you like this?" Dave says, gesturing to me. The bags under my eyes, my smelly clothes, the fact that I haven't taken a shower in the past week.

I sigh, knowing he's right, but then something hits me. "Dave?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"How do you know all this?" I ask suspiciously.

The question takes Dave off guard. "W-well." He stutters. "She sent me a dream."

"What?" I say, confused.

"A dream." Dave says again. "I think that when she figured out she was going to die, she had to tell somebody, so that when she died, the person could tell what really happened and what's going to happen." He shrugs. "I just passed on her message."

"Thank you Dave." I say.

"Of course." He replies. "Anything that will make Odeya happy."

I give him a weird look.

"She was my favorite student." He shrugs.

I roll my eyes, then walk back to where the old Odeya lies.

The glass part of the coffin is still off, and kneel beside it. "I can't wait to fully meet and see the real you. The you, you tried to hide, but I still saw a little bit of. The you before......" I pause, gesturing to everything around us. "All of this crap."

I lean down and kiss her forehead, then gently slide the glass lid back over her body.