Once upon a time

Chapter 5: Pink streaks of hope

Alec P.O.V

Madison cries out in her sleep, waking me.
"Please. Please stop." she mumbles over and over, her voice broken.
I shake her and she wakes up.

Her blue eyes full of unshed tears.
She lets out a little gasp as she realises that this is a dream. She sits up and before I can say or do anything.
"I'm sorry." she whispers as she dashes out the room. Tears spill out of her eyes on to her cheeks.

I ran after her as she runs out of the room. I watch her run into the bathroom.
She closes the door and I pause as I hear her crying inside. Why did I care so much about her?
I was nothing but some prince out of a storybook to her. I was no one special.

I open the bathroom door to see Madison curled up on the floor, sobbing. It breaks my heart to see her rocking herself back and forth. Her walls are shattered and gone like it wasn't there in the first place. I walk up to her, pulling her close. "Hey, it's okay now. It was just a nightmare." I soothed as I hold her in my arms.

She looks at me with those blue eyes full of tears. The pain in her eyes is unbearable. She holds onto my shirt, tears streaming down her face. I stroke her hair, as she sobs heart brokenly. We stay like that for a while. Soon she locks away all her tears and gives me a sad smile. Then the next thing that comes out of her mouth almost kills me.

"I'm sorry." Why? I look at her, determinedly. Why was she sorry?
She always apologised like it never would be enough.
"Don't ever say that to me, again! You have nothing to be sorry about." I said, pulling her back into my arms.

She shakes her head and gazes at me with agonised eyes. "What I have done is unforgivable. I don't want to hurt you. Stay away from me. I'll only cause you pain." she whispers. I caress her tear-strained face and look deeply into her eyes. "Too late." I said. She opens her mouth to argue, but I place my finger on her soft lips.

We sit there in silence for a while. She doesn't say a word and I keep quiet.
She
"It's late, do want to go back to bed?" I asked her. She shakes her head, slowly.
"I'm going to stay awake, but you can." she replies. I sit up.
"It's settled then. I guess I'm going to keep you company whether you like it or not." I retorted.

"Not." she says with a teasing smile. I give her look of mock hurt.
I help her up and grinned as I thought of an idea.
It was almost sunrise and we were both wide awake.

"Come on." I said, leading her to the balcony. She follows me with curious eyes. I sit down on the balcony.
She sits down beside me. "What are you doing?" she asks. I give her a smile.
"Just watch." I said, placing my hand on hers, gently.

We watch the pink streaks begin to bloom in the dark sky.
The sight is breathtaking. I turned my head towards Madison to see her awed gaze.
"It's beautiful." she says, in a hushed whisper. Her cheeks tinted pink by the morning breeze.

"It is." I replied, with a smile. Her blue eyes are reflecting the colours of the sky and the tiny smile on her lips, she was utterly beautiful. The pink streaks in the dark sky reminded me of her. The beautiful streaks that stood out in the darkness. All that pain, hidden behind that hopeful smile of hers. The smile that could light up the sky if only it was nurtured enough.

What did she mean by 'what I have done is unforgivable.'? Why was she so desperate not get me involved?
Why could she see herself in my eyes? How did she endure the pain? Alone?
I didn't understand anything. She wasn't broken or vulnerable. She was strong.

She had some scars, but she was strong. She was a survivor.
She had the kind of pain that most would never experience in a lifetime.
She endured for her sister, because she could. She was amazing.

She endured it alone for so long, she built walls to protect herself. But the walls were fragile, easily broken for those who knew exactly how to break it. Who knew exactly where to hurt her. What to say and do.
But why would anyone do or say such a thing? She has suffered enough.

She needed to be loved, to be protected. She needed someone to listen to her, to understand her, to tell her that it is everything will be okay. A person who could keep her grounded. I wanted to be that 'someone'.
But for now I am just some random guy she read about. Nonetheless, I will slowly make my way to her heart.

To be able to make her smile and laugh. To make her see herself in the way I see her. To make her never ever endure this pain, alone. To be the person she can count on.
I push away the thoughts, knowing that it won't be easy. But I love challenges.

We watch as the sun comes up, lighting up the rooftops and roads.
She looks at me with a sad look in hers eyes.
"Why me?" is all she says. I cup her face in my hands.

"Why not?" I replied. I didn't know anything about her. Nothing about what happened. The pain. What it takes to make her smile. Nothing. I was just a mere stranger but I knew that one thing was for sure.
Slowly but surely, I was falling for her. It was only matter of time until I would be head over heels for her.