The Rain

five: you are the killer

FIVE

“The consequences are: if I leave, I’m alone. But what’s the difference if you beg for love?”

                      - Hell Above, Pierce the Veil

          A high-pitched shriek resounded throughout the room, and it took a moment for me to identify the scream as my own. Rico stumbled forward into the room, and fell onto his knees once reaching the corpse of his beloved.

      “Jade!” He exclaimed, shaking the body over and over again, “Jade! Jade! Wake up! If you ever loved me, wake up!” There was sheer desperation in his voice, and tears were flowing from his eyes like a river. But the both of us knew that Jade wouldn’t and couldn’t wake up whether she loved Rico or not.

    “Rico…” I let out a whimper, and my teal eyes welled up with tears. His head snapped up, and the dark-haired elfin stared at me for a moment as if he had just noticed me. His eyes were fiery blue orbs of fury and grief.

       “You…” Rico staggered as he stood from the floor, “This is your entire fault.”

What?! I opened my mouth to protest, to ask him how it could possibly be my fault. But then my eyes darted towards the message, and then I remembered the night I was attacked. I remembered what the men in black had called me:

   “It’s okay, you tainted child.” The man had said, smiling cruelly at me.

The short, plump man who seemed to be the leader had laughed. It was a cruel, emotionless laugh that had made me shudder against Storm in fear. “The prince will surely be pleased when we bring him both the Reaper and the Tainted One.”

       I froze, my emotions a mixture of disbelief, shock, and grief. Rico is right, I realized with a painful jolt, it’s all my fault.  Memories of Jade flashed through my mind. I remembered how nice, how sympathetic she had been with me. I remembered how she rolled her eyes playfully whenever Rico had made a stupid remark. And I remembered the way they looked into each other’s eyes passionately as if they were the only two people in the room. I’m the reason Rico lost Jade. I killed her.

        “It’s your entire fault…” Rico took a step towards me, and I was too shocked –no, too scared− to move. He took another and another and another until he reached his hand all the way back and brought it crashing down onto my face. And even though I saw it coming, I didn’t see him coming.  I heard a crack! And just like that, I was sent flying across the room.

      My back hit the wall with a sickening thud! I slid onto the floor, my aching back leaning against the wall. My face hurt almost as much as my back, and I was pretty sure Rico had given me a –if not two− black eye. Crunch!  The sound of Rico’s footsteps resounded throughout the room, and my eyes flickered up frighteningly at the approaching dark-haired elfin. Get up, I willed myself to get up and run, but I had been rendered immobile with fear.