Soul Chains

Chapter 51: Haunted

After a few hours, Dimitri and the others come back, their mission a success. Ayette runs up to Dimitri and he pulls her into a hug, holding her up in the air and twirling her around as he smiles and she laughs. Upon placing her back down, he leans down and kisses her deeply, to which she puts her arms around his neck and I make pretend gagging noises.

"Get a room you two," I sigh as I sit on a wooden stair next to one of the tents.

"Maybe we should," Ayette's lips curve up into a smirk and Dimitri's eyebrows raise.

Ayette grabs ahold of Dimitri's wrist and runs off, dragging him off to some tent somewhere to do who knows what and I sigh once more. I rest my elbows on my legs and lean my face in my hands as I sit on the stairs, watching as snowflakes float by occasionally. I glance over to the left to see Nathan walking around aimlessly and I frown, thinking back to what happened in Medea's garden. Slowly, I stand up from where I'm sitting and make my way over to him, my hands in my pockets to keep warm.

"Hey..." I start, catching his attention.

His brown eyes widen in surprise before he glances away and crosses his arms against his chest.

"Hey..." he says back, his voice reserved.

"Are you alright?" I ask, frowning slightly.

"How could you ask me something like that?" he laughs dryly, meeting my gaze, "you already know the answer anyway."

He goes to walk around me, but I put my hand on his shoulder and stop him in his tracks. I glance over and meet his gaze, my eyes stern.

"I miss Melantha just as much as you do," I say, "but you can't change what happened. You can't change what Ayette wished for. But, to be truthful, I believe Ayette made the right decision. It's best to let the dead lie, Nathan. Look at what Zen went through. I'm not saying we should forget her, that's not what I'm saying at all, but what I am saying is that we should try to focus on the living as well. Otherwise, while it's cruel to say, you're just as dead as her. Keep her memory with you and cherish it. It's okay to miss her and it's okay to want her back, but you have to learn to live without her or you won't be living at all."

"Whatever," Nathan bites sharply, chewing on the inside of his cheek nervously as his eyes flit about, "it's not like you understand. I don't know what I expected."

"Nathan," I scowl, "what on earth is wrong with you? You know I--"

"Look man," Nathan laughs dryly, his eyes pained as they meet mine, "you don't know what it's like. You don't know what it's like to be taunted, to be made guilty, over the death of the person you loved."

"Actually--" I start, about to mention the time he accused me after Melantha died.

"And you especially don't know what it's like to hear 'your gift is Insight, yet you failed to see it coming' taunted to you," Nathan breathes out.

My eyes widen and I fall quiet for a moment, my hand slipping from his shoulder as I turn my gaze to the snow.

"No..." I say after a few moments, "I guess I don't."

"Yeah, I guess you don't," Nathan says, his voice low, before he walks off.

I run a hand through my hair and breathe out sharply, deciding to check on my dad's tent in the meantime. I make my way over to his tent, my feet crunching in the snow in the process. I push aside the fabric opening to find him standing with his back to me, a pen in his mouth as he leans over a table with a map scrawled out over it. Upon hearing me enter, he turns back to look at me and takes the pen out of his mouth and smiles, his eyes still holding sadness.