Timeless Two

15

Grey goes before Ari and takes her hands in his. They are so cold. He rubs them to warm them as he had before. "Your cousin? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I hear the trees talking. He's dead." Ari says crying. Again Grey feels a pain in his chest and doesn't know why. He rubs it hoping that might help but it doesn't go away.

"Would you like to go to his room now?" Grey asks. He doubts that she will eat anything else and he'd lost his appetite.

She doesn't speak only nods. Grey goes over to her and lifts her up. He doesn't want her walking, not if she is still dizzy. "Where do we go?"

"Do you remember how to get to the old one's room? Grandmother I guess I should call her. His room is across the hall. I've never been in it, but I imagine it's more or less like hers." Ari says trying hard not to cry.

"This way right? Here we go." Grey says, he doesn't want to see her cry again tonight.

Ari nods not trusting her voice. "Why didn't he accept the chance at life? I don't understand."

Grey does though. "If you had to live alone in the forest with all your people dead would you accept that or would you rather die? Perhaps he feels guilty for not taking his place at the trial. I don't know, but one thing you can be sure is that he took revenge on the ones that hurt you for so long." And Grey feels a great deal of satisfaction at that although he's known Ari for such a short time. What is wrong with him?

"That door there. Yes, that should be the one to the sitting room." Ari says as they come to the hall. Grey sets her down and she takes a deep breath before opening the door.

She's never been in there before but it feels strangely familiar. A flash of memory, Hatchi carrying her. But he's never done that before. She looks around the chairs and couch resting while Hatchi left the room.

She gets dizzy and her head aches. Grey steadies her so she doesn't fall. She grasps onto his arm as she moves forward. Flashes here and there. A picture of herself smiling at Hatchi's unsmiling face.

She goes into the bedroom. Hatchi bending over her as she lies on the bed, he kisses her like he had in the forest earlier that day.

This time when she nearly falls Grey frowns and picks her up. He takes her to the bed and sets her down there. On a table by the bed is a book and a translator. Grey picks them up and hands them to her. "I think these are what the prince was talking about Ari. I'll just be in the other room if you need me."

Grey turns on the light as he leaves the room. It's not yet dark but it won't be long before it is. He doesn't know how long it will take her to read the diary Hatchi left for her, but he suspects it will be longer than the hour of daylight that's left.

He goes back to the sitting room and makes himself comfortable. Somehow he knows that this is going to be a long night. He closes his eyes and the silence lulls him to sleep. The sound of a muffled sob and a falling book wake him from uneasy dreams. Grey runs into the bedroom to find Ari sobbing and the book on the floor.

Grey goes to her and holds her. He rubs her back trying to get her calmed down. He doesn't say anything he figures if she wants to tell him she will.

"I-I have been in here." She says as she sobs. "He brought me." Grey doesn't like the sound of that. The only way he could have brought her here without repercussions would be if he raped her.

"He writes-" Ari says crying harder than ever. Grey feels helpless, all he can do is continue rubbing her back as she lets out the pain.

Ari manages to get her breath back and continue her tale. "He writes that he found me passed out on the passage, a corridor between the walls. I went there sometimes to hide. He said that there was an empty drink container by my side. That he brought me here. He said that I was only half awake, but I smiled at him, kissed him you know like this morning.