Forbidden

~Chapter Thirty-Four~

A/N: Welcome! I'll do a short author's note this time, I promise. ;-) Just a few things.

I intended for this chapter to be longer, but it seemed like a good place to stop. Sorry. :-)

This chapter is dedicated to AThousandYears. Tiffan-Fluffy-Nessa, you are absolutely amazing. You are so talented: I wish I could write like you. You're so kind and considerate to everyone and anyone, and you cheer people up when they're down. You're also hilarious, so random, and you have a good sense of humor. We love every single thing about you; I wish I could be more like you. Love you, girlie. Stay strong. <3

ENJOY!!!! I would really appreciate it if you'd vote and comment! Feedback is massively appreciated! :-D

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~Chapter Thirty-Four~  

Mortal emotions were terrible. Arabella could see why Earth’s population was so utterly messed up sometimes, why they had to help every so often. Fear won out over common sense, and pain could overwhelm every single other emotion, tainting thoughts. Arabella felt the same way some of the mortals did: uncontrollable, spastic, depressed, constantly teary. She hated it. Her kind could feel, of course, but it was never this strong, this potent, this painful. If she had thought she had been hurt above, then it was nothing, miniscule and insignificant, compared to what she was being put through down here.

            For once, she realized that there was another, bigger reason that her kind was there, why they helped, not hated.

            She sat at her window seat, tears blatantly falling down her pale skin. Her bright gaze stared blankly out of the window: though the sun was shining, bright and seductive, she felt no happiness. Her heart squeezed as River’s voice wafted up from downstairs, his easy, carefree tone simultaneously wounding and cheering her. Yes, it hurt that he was alright without her, but…he was happy. As long as River was happy, Arabella could deal with whatever else her never-ending life threw at her. Whatever card she was dealt, she would bend with it if it meant River could be happy.

            Arabella blinked back a childish tear. No, she instructed herself. Control yourself. Look at the bigger picture.

            “Good-bye, Mrs. Gresham!”

            Arabella started at River’s cheery farewell, her acute senses not fully formed yet. Her heart thrummed as she watched him walk out the door; in confusion, she noticed that he seemed to slump over as soon as he was out of sight. She watched in intrigue as he climbed into his car, dropping his face in his hands. Her brows knitted together; her eyes narrowed. Inhaling deeply, she returned to her older, natural form of communication. She bit her lip, reaching into River’s mind to discover what had him so depressed.

            Strange. Arabella couldn’t perceive many of his thoughts: she could only see their hues of blue, purple, and black, the colors of sadness and depression. She couldn’t pick out singular words or phrases, either. It was just the colors…and his memories.

            Frustrated and determined, she dug deeper into his mind, searching his memory bank for what had happened that day: maybe that would give her a clue as to why he felt the way he did. Her blue eyes lightened and darkened just the slightest bit as she flicked through his mind, portraying no reaction to his thoughts.

            Until she reached one in particular.

            Arabella gasped in hurt, shock, and horror as she witnessed the image of the past. He had made up with “Meaghan”…he had kissed her….he had told her “I love you.” A fresh round of tears washed through Arabella’s eyes, blurring her focus as her head snapped up at the sound of a revved engine. Her obscured vision revealed River pulling out of the driveway, then halting in the street. He looked up, and gave her a slight wave.