Beautiful People

Twenty Two: It Will Rain

Cyrus ' POV

My dad was back and after he punished me for being in contact with Keia, he refused to let me go see her in hospital.

Of course, me being the new me, I went anyway during lunch, secretly, only telling Lyrique where I would be. She delivered my letters to Keia most of the time. I became worried that maybe I was writing too many letters for her to then read.

My dad tried to act like he was proud of his heroic son when he was in public, but behind closed doors he resented the thought. Selena still holds her threat but I don't see how she could possibly think I can date an unconscious person.

For Keia's sake, I've been playing a small bit in Selena's game by letting her hang around me, playing the victim who is getting her boyfriend back. That garbage she said on the news was just to make it believable if she decides to turn Keia in for attempted murder. It all makes sense.

People like Selena aren't nasty on purpose. They are just brought up in a way that makes them believe everything in life has to be fought for and earned. By any means necessary. That's probably how I would have turned out with my dad as my parent. He has a girlfriend, Amara, but he doesn't take her seriously and honestly, neither will I.

I sneak out in the late hours of the night to visit her. She looked so pale and thin when I found her.

I realised the only forest nearby was the one with the lake Quinn said Keia drowned in. It was freezing cold. I found her zipped up in a thin sleeping bag. All she wore was a black buttoned shirt and black jeans. She was barefoot and had thrown her phone on the ground so that I couldn't ask the cops to trace her.

She was dead cold and I couldn't feel her pulse. She wasn't waking up and I thought she was dead. I sat there for moment realising she was dead. Then I started throwing things around. Rocks, sticks anything really. I picked up a lot and swing it around to knock down her tent. I didn't care. I didn't think. I just felt.

After my tantrum, I fell to the ground and had an epic meltdown. It wasn't pretty. Some minutes of mourning later, I held her thin, starving corpse in my arms. I begged for her to not be dead. I clutched her body as if if I squeezed her hard enough, she would live.

It takes the human body six minutes to shut down completely after the heart stops beating. I didn't think about that.

At some point, I found myself singing to her.

I came to know that she loved Bruno Mars, so I was singing his song, It Will Rain.

"There will be no sunlight,
If I lose you baby.
They'll be no clear skies,
If I lose you baby.
Just like the clouds my eyes will do the same.
If you walk away, everyday it'll
Rain
Rain
Rain.."

I was desperate. I hadn't realised how much I wanted her to be alive until I thought she was dead.

Then my prayers were answered by a small gesture.

I felt a soft breath of warmth on my arm. I looked up. I waited for another and it didn't come for what felt like a long time. But it did.

I was elated that she was still breathing, even if it was less than normal. I wasted no time lifting her and carrying her through the forest bridal style. I ran and yelled for help. Before I knew it I was at the edge of the forest where I parked my car. I placed her in the passenger seat and have her my jacket.

On the way there I thought about how she had done the same thing only days ago. Drove into the night, to safety in hopes of saving me from bleeding to death. Now it was my turn, but this time, I wasn't afraid to take her straight to the best private hospital in the city.

It's been two months now and I still keep listening to the recording of our last phone call.

She wasn't making progress. She wasn't any better really. She was being fed through tubes and constantly monitored.

All I could do each time her nurse let me sneak in, was sing to her. I sang old songs, new songs, songs from everywhere hoping on day she would be listening.