Paige and the Lost Library of Atlantis

Paige and the Lost Library of Atlantis Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Billie opened her eyes. At least, she thought she did. Darkness surrounded her. She put her hand up to her face, actually checking to see if her eyes were open.

She stood up. The darkness around her was disorienting. Up and down were questionable, and she might well have been floating, except when she walked forward, she could feel the floor under her feet.

If Paige had uncovered her memories, why was it so dark here in her mind? As Billie's eyes adjusted to the darkness, a dim, faded hallway appeared before her. Did she still have eyes? Did she even have a body, now that she was in Paige's head? 'Not important right now,' she thought.

The hallway was dark as if someone had turned down the brightness. Along the sides were open doorways. Gray doors hung off their hinges, and a few were even lying on the floor. Boards were half-heartedly nailed across some of the openings. Billie slowly walked along the hallway, stepping over doors and other debris on the floor.

Billie tried to resist the urge to peer into the memories that surrounded her. She didn't want to invade Paige's privacy. Well, Billie did want to look, but she knew she shouldn't. Curiosity got the best of her, and she walked up to one of the doorways. She peeked through a crack in one of the wooden boards.

She saw a living room, quickly focusing in on a blue denim couch. There were two people curled up together under a blanket. She saw her Paige, smiling, laughing, just a little younger than she looked now. Cuddled up with her was a girl, a girl with bright red hair and startling green eyes.

She watched as Paige and the redhead kissed passionately. They rolled around together on the couch. It wasn't exactly a Billie and Paige level kiss, but it was enough to make her jealous. Paige looked happy, and at this moment, she looked very, very happy. Billie knew she shouldn't be watching this memory, so she reluctantly she tore herself away before things got too personal.

Well, that's what she got for snooping. She did her best to ignore the other memories, although she was tempted to peek at some of the ones she passed.

At the end of the hallway, there was another door. This door stood out because there was a giant padlock, locking it closed. Billie peered through a tiny barred window near the top of the door. She saw a small figure in the distance, curled up on the floor, in the fetal position. Paige! She had found her!

Despite the lock, she pulled on the door. It clanged loudly against the doorframe. Again and again, she pulled, to no avail. She peeked through the window again, Paige had not moved at all.

"Paige!" She shouted. "Paige, hun it's me, Billie, let me in." Nothing. There was no response from Paige. She pulled on the door again and again as she yelled.

"Paige, please, I'm here! Let me help you." She cried as she beat the door against its frame.

"I know you might be different; I know you might not want to be with me anymore." Billie's voice broke with emotion. "But I'm still here for you; I need you to unlock this door. I am not leaving until you let me in. I don't care if I get stuck in here with you." With that, Billie sank to the floor. She leaned her head against the door and prepared to wait as long as she had too.

The hall was silent. The only sound was Billie, crying softly. As she started to lose hope of ever getting through the door, she heard something, a small metallic click. Looking up, she saw that the padlock had come unlocked. Wiping her eyes, she stood up and quickly removed the lock from the door.

Hesitantly, she pulled on the handle. The door squeaked open, just wide enough for her to fit. She broke into a run, heading straight for Paige, who was still curled up on the floor.

"Billie, you shouldn't be here. You need to leave me here; this isn't a place you want to be."

Billie stopped just short of reaching her, startled by Paige's voice. She sounded so...hopeless.

Billie knelt near her and started to pull Paige closer. "Paige, honey, I'm here. I came to rescue you. You have to get up. We need you." A sob broke loose. "I need you." She whispered.

Paige slowly pulled away from her and sat up to face her. "I...I'm not good for anyone. You are better off without me. You can save them, Billie, you can do it. But you have to do it without me. Billie, you can't save me."

Billie took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. "Look, I'm sorry. I saw the girl, the pretty redhead. I understand if you don't love me anymore, now that you have your full memories." Billie tried not to cry. "I love you, Paige, and if you need me to let you go, I will do that for you. I will do that because that's what love is. I love you enough to let you go if that is what you really want, but I will not leave you in here."

Paige hung her head. "Billie...I..."

Billie interrupted her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I can't do this without you, Paige. This whole universe saving thing. I need you. We need you, please."

A small smile escaped from Paige's lips. "Billie..."

"Is something about this funny to you?" Billie exclaimed.

Paige put her hands on either side of Billie's face. "Billie, Billie, look at me. Can I speak now? Good. Listen to me: Billie, my sweet, brave girl. I love you, of course, I still love you. Nothing in my hidden memories could have destroyed that."

Billie smiled gently, her eyes shining with tears. It pained Paige to see her like that. She didn't ever want to cause her pain, ever again.

"It's just; I've lost so much. I just experienced a lifetime of love and loss. That girl you saw, her name was Melody. She was my first love. Her, my parents, my friends, they are all gone. Dead, erased, whatever. The hole they have left in my heart is staggering. Billie, I don't know how I am ever supposed to breathe again."

She took Billie's hand in hers and looked into her shining eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, Billie. I love you, and you have been through enough. I can't, in good conscience, expect you to take on my pain as well. Something in me has broken. I am not the same girl you fell in love with. I can't ask you to love and take on the baggage of someone you don't know. Just leave me here."

Billie embraced Paige and spoke to her in an angry whisper. "Now you listen to me. I know you, Paige. I know you are always there for me when I need you, I know you trust me, no matter what. I know you really like it when I wear this skirt, and I know your heart, Paige. I know you love me. You love me, and I love you, and that's all I need to know."

She pulled away from Paige and looked her in the eyes. "Paige, your pain is mine. When the world breaks us, we will carry each other. I am not leaving you here. Now, if you'll still have me, take my hand and let's get out of here."

Billie reached down and offered Paige her hand. She leaned down and whispered, "Do you trust me?"

"I don't know if I can do this, Billie. But, I do trust you, that is." Paige reached up and took Billie's hand.

A bright light appeared before them. Hand in hand, they walked towards the unknown, trusting only in their love for each other.