Ignite Me - Warners Point of View

Chapter One

She's sleeping.

She's been sleeping for what seems like forever.

And I can't help but look at how beautiful she is.

Indecision fills my body. I don't know if it's normal for her to sleep this long. Normal, hell, she's been shot in the chest. That's not normal.

She turns around and murmurs in her sleep.

I make up my mind.

I make my way over to her. I protectively lean over her.

-Juliette, love, wake up, please, wake up, wake up.

She takes a sharp breath and I jerk back, not expecting her to respond. She stares into my eyes. Juliette's perfect blue-green eyes. I'm caught off guard by their beauty.

I inspect her, try to see if she's scared or how she might react by seeing me here. But I feel no such emotions from her.

-Good morning? She almost asks.

I don't respond.

I feel the confusion rolling off her.

She looks at me, and I can't help but smile at her, painfully, yes, but still. The effect she has on me is terrifying.

She sits up and closes her eyes against what I assume is dizziness.

She looks into my eyes again. I feel my heart beat quickening.

-You saved my life.

She says to me.

And yes, I did. I remember carrying her away from the blood that had formed on the floor, to the healing twins whom I tried desperately to persuade to help me help her.

Her pain attacks me in waves. I think she remembers how it was from her point of view. I hear her startled breath.

Then, a new feeling rushes over her. Panic. I knew this would happen. She starts to inch away from me. I want to grab her and make her stay with me but I know that it's no use.

-It's okay.

I try to tell her.

-It's all right.

My words are of no help.

-What am I doing here?

She asks her voice high pitched with panic and fear.

-Why did you bring me here again?

She asks me again.

-Juliette, please,

Now I'm trying to reason with her, even though I know it isn't going to help. Why do I always put myself in these situations? I can't resist her. It's pathetic.

-I'm not going to hurt you.

I continue.

-Then why did you bring me here?

Her voice is cracking from fear and panic. I half want to sigh and half to sob. It hurts to know how capable she thinks I am of hurting her. But what did I expect? I knew she despised me, or, at least she thinks she does. Just because I can't live without her doesn't mean she doesn't want to live without me.

-Why bring me back to this hellhole?

-I had to hide you.

I say. I try to explain. I want to explain. I sigh, look away from her.

-What? Why?

-No one knows you're alive.

I look at her again, she sits up in my bed and she's so hauntingly beautiful. I don't know if I can do this anymore. I forge onward anyway.

-I had to get back to base. I had to pretend everything was back to normal and I was running out of time.

I try to be patient with her. At least she's not that scared anymore, or maybe she just wants to hide it from me.

Juliette's studying me.

Then she's looking down at her own body. I wonder what's going through her head.

-Did you...

She starts, touching her shirt.

-Did... I mean... My clothes?

I can't help but smile and stare at her. At the blood that's rushing to her cheeks when I stare a little bit longer. She's really lovely when she's blushing.

I shake my head.

-No.

I say.

-The girls took care of that.

-The girls,

She whisperes.

Panic and confusion fills her body again and she tries to get up but I catch her.
She isn't ready to know this yet. And I know exactly what she wants to do.
She's in so much confusion and terror and panic it fysically hurts me.

She's so fragile right now.

-Warner,

She says and I can't help it. I smile a little smile to myself because she said my name. I love it when she says my name. She looks at my frantically and my already faint smile fades away completely.

-What happened? What's happening with the battle?

-Please.

I say, knowing full well she is not ready for this. I want to protect her from this pain. I grab her shoulders and lightning bolts shoots out from where my body is touching hers.

-You need to start slowly. You should eat something.

-Tell me!

-Don't you want to eat first?

I definitely want to delay this torture for both of us.

-Or shower?

-No. I have to know now.

She's not ready. I'm not ready for this. I hesitate, then I take a deep breath. I always tell her too much.

-It's over.

I say and I know that these words will break her.

-What?

She breathes. I don't want to do this to her.

-It's over

I tell her again.

-No.

She's in denial. I nod at her.

-No.

She breaths again.

-Juliette.

-No, no, don't be stupid, don't be ridiculous, don't lie to me goddamn you!

Her voice is breaking and I'm breaking too.

She stands up and her eyes fills with tears. She falls to the floor. I try to reach after her but she screams and slaps my hands away.

Then she asks the question I knew was coming but I never wanted to give her the answer.

-Why? Why is the battle over?

She's not breathing.

I look away from her, wanting to spear her this pain. Then I utter them. The words. They break my heart.
But still, I utter them, so softly, as if how I say them will make a difference for her.

-Because they're dead, love. They're all dead.