RE:WRITE

55.0 Zero_Chapter 13: Memories

Silence.

The only sound that cut through it: her breath.

Long, gentle and warm. It was calming. I would have lain there listening to her breathing forever, but what was the point of that. Moments like these were important because they were fleeting. You valued them because they would never come back and could only live on in memory.

Just like all those other, fond memories that I relived in my mind whenever I could. They were what kept me going.

The blanket was warm and the magic I'd cast kept off the worst of the cold. I breathed deeply; the chilly mountain air filled my nostrils along with something else...

Her scent.

Her head rested on my arm while her silky, red hair trailed my skin. I admired her beautiful face. No scars, no bags, no wrinkles. It was almost too perfect. Like a sculpture or a doll. It was hard to believe she was real. Hard to believe I could touch her, feel her. That I had felt her. All of her.

I'm sorry I didn't confess sooner, I thought. But I had important things to do. I still do.

I noticed something flash in the corner of my eye. Turning my head, I saw a bright light streak across the clear night sky. The stars were crying again but I didn't want to console them. No, today I would join them in their grief.

Because today I had to do something that would hurt me a lot. My heart ached whenever I thought about it. But I'd already decided; it was for the greater good. This was the best way for everyone involved.

As the comet faded away, I decided to let loose for just a little bit. I needed to prepare myself for what I had to do next. A little indulgence now and then, wasn't so bad.

Re:write

Something happened. You couldn't notice it at first but if you looked around you'd see the signs. Silence, that's what you'd notice. The wind was dead. Amy's breath was frozen.

The only thing that moved. The only thing that wasn't frozen apart from myself, was the sky. Stars still flickered and blinked. The moon still floated slowly away.

I'd gotten a lot better at using my Ability and gradually stopped relying on the code or even on words. It came naturally to me.

All I had to do was think.

Think, and the stars would move.

Think, and the moon would shift.

Think... and there'd be a portrait in the stars – a portrait of Amy sitting on the deck of a ship.

Think, and the portrait would move. Her eyes would flicker like she'd noticed someone sit in front of her.

Think, and the stars would flicker when I wanted them to. They'd give her eyes a little life, her teeth a little sparkle. Some of them would flash brighter, making her smile shine.

The scene played out exactly as I remembered it. Every detail from when she smiled to when she blinked, all of it happened up in the heavens the same way it had on the ship a few days ago.

A few days. I can't believe it's only been a few days.

Her mouth moved but no sounds came out. But that was okay, they echoed inside my head of their own accord.

Hello Kai, how are you. You seem a little distraught.

Fine, Amy. I'm fine. Hey listen...