Every night, when I closed my eyes, his image would be branded to the backs of my eyelids. That same smile, so gorgeous yet so deadly. Those deep blue eyes, like the treacherous oceans you find, the ones which sometimes have those desolate lighthous...
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My heart stopped.
Xander's face set into a grim expression, and his eyes flickered to mine. I barely breathed as we held eye contact, and I was sure that he could see each layer of fear in my dark eyes.
I was sure because he then wiped his expression clear of any fear he felt for himself and replaced it with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. As if he was trying to convince me he'd be okay. As if he wasn't going to walk through that orange door without the promise of coming back out.
"I'll be fine," he murmured to me, his reassuring smile growing fainter by the second.
"I'm sorry, Xander," Grace squeaked. Xander's eyes shot to hers and he smiled again, genuinely.
"Remember what I said, Grace. It was bound to happen. I'll be fine."
I balled my hands into fists and gritted my teeth, trying desperately to stop the flow of worst-case scenarios from crashing into my mind. Xander would be fine. He was strong, he could endure whatever Lazarus had in mind for him.
Can he?
Yes, he fucking can! I yelled mentally back at myself. That little, annoying voice at the back of my brain had a tendency to speak up at the worst of times. I visualised squishing it down like an ant.
Forcefully shifting my concentration back to reality, my vision refocused to Simon giving Xander a Simon Hug.
"You'll be fine, bro. I came out of it alive, and we all know I'm the dumb one in horror films. You'll breeze through."
Xander and Simon broke apart as Xander chuckled. But yet again, it didn't quite reach his eyes which seemed colder, more distant, and I knew that he was thinking of all the worst case scenarios just like I was.
"I'm clever and mysterious. That means I'm the main character, therefore I'll survive. Don't waste your breath waiting on me."
Xander winked, and cast his eyes around at all of us once more, as if drinking us in. His gaze lingered on me for a millisecond longer — then, as if he couldn't take it anymore, he tore his eyes away from mine and the next second he was by the orange door.
"See you soon," he said.
"You better," I managed. He smiled a small smile and my heart dropped ten thousand feet — what if I never saw that smile again? — and then he disappeared through the ominous door which was now unlocked for him.
Now, only two things occupied my mind — Corina and Xander. Both in danger, both in uncharted territory. When would they make it back?
Who would make it back?
Would they even make it back?
***
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