The Dimension Break

NINETEEN

The blue of a robin's eggshell pleated into the sky.Mounds of dark gray clouds travelled quickly, bringing on-and-off rain in their wake. The Break - the Patch, we now called it - was a split in the earth now that was healing together, as if our elements served as stitched and all we did was encourage a natural growth.We camped besiode it; the rise of earth hanging over the side made a good sheild from the rain. Since the earth was so mangled int hat place,there was a perfect place for the guards to sit. I was one guard, squinting into the daylight. We didn't need guards, really, since the break was sealed, but better safe than sorry. Oli sat beside me in absolute silence. Both of us dared to wear nothing but jeans for him and silk pants and shirt for me. The armor was no longer needed, thank Croma (the sort of callouses it could give you, sheesh).

Oliver now stood beside me, It was currently raining. The water made his hair slick and cling to his face. His body was fresh with scars, but this time from fighting. Rain streaked down his body. "It's over."

I lifted my eyes to him, My own hair was slicked back to my head, curls wrung out entirely. "Yeah. And now we have to head back."

Oli walked back over to me, The rain was easing up to a drizzle. There wasa smile on his faceas he sat back down beside me, "What will you do when you get back?"

I shrugged. A guilty twinge took place in my stomach. I'd be living with Mary, who didn't know I'd killed her boyfriend. I'd be waiting for Croma to contact me again, slowly going crazy in that time. Soon, Oliver and I would be seperated. Emma is sick of acting like a tsundere, whatever that actually means. Stop ignoring your feelings just... "I suppose I'll go back to hiding with Mary..."

Oli moved closer, leaning against my shoulder. Although both our skin were covered in callouses and rough from wearing the armor for so long, he felt soft, sending jolts through my skin and through my heart. A stiff, awkward movement of my arm lifted his chin. Then, the same arm strapped against his shoulder, In a moment of pure fear, my guilt evaporated. My first kiss didn't flow like they say it does. My heart was pounding, ice ran through my blood and all I could think of was him.

Oliver's eyes were wide. With a couple of fingers, I tilted his head up and met my lips with his. It lasted a minute in real time, but for me, it lasted forever. I could feel his startled breath tickling my cheek, and he hooked an arm around my shoulders. I pressed one palm to his chest; our hearts beat at the same speed. When it was over, I pulled back. His eyes were still wide.

"Em..." he bit his lip.

"Sorry..." I pulled away, arms at my sides. "I just... You... Uhm..." Yeah, I apologized, but I didn't feel sorry. I hid a smile behind a lifted shoulder; my heart was beating and my face felt heated. Was I blushing? Did it matter?

He leaned against me again, giggling. "It's okay. I love you!"

"I love you too." I glanced back at him. Eyes lit, smile curved, face bright red. For an instant, I wondered what the other people did after they kissed someone. Then, I didn't care. This was different.

"Are w-we... C-can we be... Can we, l-li-like, uhm..."

I leaned my head against him. "Yeah. We can go out."

There were horrible things in store for us in the future, but there were good things, too. And right now, the good things were all I could worry about. We sat under the easing rain, with closed eyes and open hearts. For once, there was peace.

***

It took no time to tell where I was.

Belamy stood before me, scaled hands covering his face. He was, as he appeared in the fair, a half human half lizard, with his digitigrade legs and elbows. "It was so interesting before you decided to turn my show into trash, Never mind, nevermind, it was already trash. I'll stop watching."

I opened my mouth with half a mind to be pissed, then closed it again, realizing he'd be gone. "Okay. Send me back then."

"Just like that? What will I watch?"

"I don't fucking know, I don't fucking care. But if you decide to enter the mind of someone else in my group..." I held myself with sure confidence. "God help you."

He removed his hands. His eyes were yellow again, the brown had vanished. "Oh, I won't. They're boring. The worst thing you can do is get me attatched to one character and then change points of view." He laughed, but it was a dry sound. "I suppose I'll enter earth. What should I do there?"

"Work on being less of an asshole! What do I care? My life isn't your show." I crossed my arms. "Send me back. I was finally happy, and you had to fuck it up. Haven't you done enough?"

He flicked his tail. "I know thast your were finally happy... This show... your life, I mean... needed the relief. I won't bother you again." His voice cracked, and that made me sit up straight - was he about to cry. "I don't really like killing people right now. The feeling usually lasts a decade or two. By then, there will be no one to kill. You should go back."

And I was back on Croma in the flash of a moment. I woke up, startled, thewn realized I was lying down. Oli had his forehead on my collarbone, arms around me. Finn was pressed against my back. Mary was sprawled on top of our legs. No more Belamy.

That meant no more death from him.

But the nightmares would return.

Oliver yawned and blinked up at me, The light lit his pale face. "Emma, is something wrong?"

My heart thudded. The nightmares wouldn't come back, not as long as Oli was here. His presence pushed me to feel brave. "Yes," I told him, and I pressed his forehead back onto my neck. "Everything is perfect."