Temere Mortis

Chapter Thirty-four

They stayed like that, crouched on their knees in a crushing embrace, for minutes without speaking any further until eventually they rose and walked as one to the bed. They sat down opposite each other, crossed legged like they did when they were children and they slept over at each other's houses. It was refreshing to Isla that this one thing in her life remained the same; her friendship with Alex was the same.

"Tell me everything," Isla ordered her like she was asking for the latest university gossip. "I need to know everything."

Alex grimaced, letting her eyes fall to the bedsheets beneath them.

"I was hoping we could start with you actually, Isla," she requested. "I only know the snippets Isaac and Henry have told me. What was it like in there after I... left?" she stuttered, looking for the correct phrasing. Isla's lips twitched into a frown.

"It was torture," Isla admitted, watching Alex as she played nervously with her long blonde hair.

"Henry said it was like seeing a ghost," Alex prompted, then continued as Isla glanced at her in question. "He said that you walked around like a zombie," she clarified unwillingly, but Isla waved her worries away.

"I had a lot of time to think," Isla told her, softly. She straightened her back, looking Alex boldly in the eye, "and I'm pretty sure that we are idiots."

Alex laughed loudly, her blue eyes widening dramatically in surprise.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" she asked Isla between throaty chuckles.

"We live, sorry lived," Isla corrected herself and Alex winced in pain. "We lived in a world where people randomly died every day and we didn't think to have more than one friend." Isla's lips twitched into a smile at Alex's bereaved expression. "We're idiots."

Alex clasped her hands together on her lap, humming in agreement.

"You could say that," she conceded, lightly.

There was an extended period of silence where both girls appeared afraid to speak. Isla wondered to herself if maybe she spoke to soon; perhaps their friendship wasn't the same anymore. It was unusual for one to be afraid of saying anything in front of the other. Eventually, Alex spoke.

"What do you want to know?" she inquired, hesitantly. Isla's back stiffened sharply at the thought of finally getting some answers.

"Everything," Isla admitted. "I want to know everything."

Alex sighed.

"When my sister died in this world, I was woken up like you were today," she told Isla hesitantly. "I was so scared."

Isla reached forward to grab Alex's hand, wanting to offer her any comfort that she could. Alex squeezed her hand in reply and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

"I looked everywhere for you Isla, I really did. The last thing I'd seen was you in that lecture hall. I didn't know what had happened to you."

"I'm here now," Isla reassured her desperately. "I'm not going anywhere." Alex regarded her sadly, as if she didn't quite believe her. A knot grew in Isla's stomach and coiled around her fragile nerves.

"They explained everything to me; everything that your sister told you. Then they explained that to take my sister's place I had to go to prison." Isla gaped at her, not comprehending how that was possible.

"What? Why?" she peppered the blonde girl with questions, clutching tighter at her hand. Alex laughed bitterly.

"Our sisters were quite the rebels. It turned out my sister had been killed right there, in Cerberus whilst they tried to break someone out of the waiting room."