Blessings of Anathema

Chapter XXXVIII: Ken VII

I arrived home early the next morning. I had a long, rough flight but I managed. I found a taxi and took the drive over here. The taxi smelled of Cigarettes and coffee. It was an unpleasant ride but again, I manage. We reached Ariana's and I tipped the taxi driver and got out. She's probably still asleep. It's Going to be an awful awakening for her.
I opened the door quietly and to my surprise, Ariana was already awake, cleaning. She looked up at me and grinned she ran at me and leaped on me. I held her with my one arm for a few moments, taking in her laughs while they're still there.
I put her down and she was beaming. "So how did it go?" She said smiling. Even with the circumstances, I couldn't help but to crack a grin at her happiness.
I pulled the grin back and took a deep breath.
"There's actually something I need to show you." I said quietly. Her smile dropped. "What is it?" She asked. I closed my eyes and lifted my arm up. One sleeve raised while the other hung over. I opened my eyes to see hers filling with tears.
She leaped on me and wrapped her arms around me. She began crying into my chest. "I can't do this." She said. "You promised that nothing would happen!" I closed my eyes again. Is it wrong that my guilt is being suppressed by the happiness of her contact?
"I know..." I said quietly. She hit my good arm with her fist. "They why did you let it!! Let it.... LET ME DOWN!" She screamed. I pulled her slightly off of my chest and looked her in her eyes. They were filled with waterfalls, drowning the cells in her cheek. "I'm sorry. It couldn't be avoided." I said. She shrugged my arm off of her and embraced me again, crying into my chest.
Couldn't be avoided? Is that really the best I can say? Wow. Maybe she is right. Maybe I really can't think straight under pressure and shouldn't be doing these things.
"Promise you won't go back." She said. I almost chuckled. Just a few days ago she was demanding that I help them, and now she doesn't want me there. It's flattering how things change for her once my danger becomes real.
"I have to." I said. She continued to cry. "But I won't fight anymore. Not if you don't want me to. However I can't just turn my back on them." She stopped crying. "How can I trust you?" She said.
I looked up at the ceiling. The better question is how can I trust myself? "Come with me." I said. She looked up. "What?" She responded with. "Yeah, come back with me. You can be there to make sure I don't fight and you'll also be able to meet the others." I said.
Her eyes widened. "Really?" She asked. I smiled at her "Yeah, really" I said. She smiled and squeezed me. She let go "Oh but I am busy at work this next week." She said. I shrugged. "That's fine, I have something I have to handle here anyways." I said before standing up and walking toward the door. "Where are you going?" She asked. I turned to her "To get my arm back." I said while laughing. She looked puzzled. "I'll be back in a bit." I said before opening the door. "Okay?..." She said.
I closed the door and waited for a cab. I gave him an address and then we were off. The closer we got to this house, the more nervous I became. If I'm going to build a new arm, I'm going to need someone that knows what they're doing. Someone that I can trust. I can really only think of one person.
We arrived to a small, blue house in the depths of the city. It's really noisy around her. I paid the driver and got out.
I walked up to the door and knocked. There wasn't an answer. I don't hear any sound. They probably aren't even awake yet. I knocked once again and began to hear movement so I stood still.
There was a jiggle of the door and then it opened up. There stood Alyza, in blue pajamas, hair in a mess and bags under her eyes.
"What do you want?"