the brave ones // h.s.

item ten

*okay i've never been to niagara and did my best to see what the park looks like but bear with me lol*

~~~

Eden drives through the night, slowly but surely making her way through upstate New York. The roads are empty and unfriendly but anything is better than sitting on the side of the road and crying about a boy who shouldn't mean anything to her. The tears occasionally swell over her cheeks but for the most part she focuses on the road, eyes forward and radio on to keep her mind preoccupied with what's ahead.

Niagara is there, Niagara is all I need. It's why I left home in the first place.

Part of her had seriously considered just turning around and going straight home. But as she sat on the side of the road, heart in ashes around her, she came to the conclusion that doing so would only be giving Harry one last victory. Quitting now would be giving fear one last chance to assert a hold over her.

So she picked herself up by her bootstraps, dried her tears, and forced herself to keep going.

Dawn begins to surface, waking the world with it, as Eden pulls up to the park gates. She parks as close to the main gates as she can and idles her car for a few minutes as she gathers her wits. She also changes into a warmer outfit, as she's sure the temperature around the waterfall is close to frigid. The air around her is cool and the sky is just beginning to lighten as she walks through a small series of paths on her way to Horseshoe Falls. She passes several gift shops and restaurants; dim lights are on inside of most of the buildings as workers prepare to open for the influx of tourists.

Her ears twitch as she walks closer to the falls, suddenly able to hear the glorious, thrilling sound of water rushing. Specks of mist float through the park foliage, casting tiny rainbows overhead as the faint morning light catches in the water. Eden's heartbeat thrums in time to the stampede of water drawing near.

And then she sees it; Horseshoe Falls, the most powerful of the three falls that make up Niagara. It forms a massive curve of water, stampeding over a cliff with unrelenting force and sound. The sun is just starting to open up on the horizon, throwing streams of warm light in every direction and painting the clouds with brilliant shades of pink and orange. Eden can't help herself from rushing forward to the nearest railing, hands clenched right around the metal as she breathes in the smell of the world around her.

Her soul aches much in the same way someone returns home after a long journey; an overpowering sensation of safety and comfort.

She stands there for an eternity, watching the sun slowly creep into the sky and admiring the way the light shifts as time moves on. Her vision dances with a thousand colors and sights, drinking in the magnitude of the waterfall before her.

But, ultimately, she can't feel it. Whatever bliss, whatever peace she thought Niagara would bring her isn't there. She's be lying to herself if she acted like this moment actually made her happy; her fleeting moments of relief are overshadowed by her residual grief and anger - at Harry, at what he put her through, at herself for being naive. Even though his presence is long gone, he's somehow still marring the one thing she thought she could hold on to. The waterfall is beautiful but Eden is empty.

Not only is Item Ten a no-go, but every other item on her list seems arbitrary now. Tears prick at her eyes, stemming from frustration at herself. Why can't she just appreciate the waterfall for what it is?

I'm sorry, Granddad. It's just not the same.

She leans her head against the railing and does her best to hide her tears. It's a losing battle.

Item Ten - Fall in Love

~~~
the sadness continues 😭

just bear with me and pretend the girl in the photo is eden ok? ok great

also please don't worry this isn't one of those cliche stories where the characters fall in love after like two days together, that's totally unrealistic. item ten wasn't on her list so she could fall in love with someone else, it was for her to fall in love with life so she can be happy. but she's sad rn so that's a bust

she doesn't love harry (yet) 😂

also im sad tonight so tell me some jokes in the comments to cheer me up pls n thank u :c