The Children of Water

Saying Goodbye

Chapter 9- THE CHILDREN OF WATER

Nico stared at her not comprehending what she was telling him.

"What do you mean, 'now we can't leave'?" Nico said lowering his voice.

"You crossed the barrier, there's no going back now. You all are stuck here," she said with seriousness in her ice blue eyes. Looking at her up close Nico picked out little attributes that seemed familiar, and he didn't know why. Max crossed the room and sat down beside him on the other side of the bed with their backs to Lily.

"What?" Nico furrowed his eyebrows confused and overwhelmed all the same. Max sighed.

"We tried to warn you!" She said in a forceful whisper.

"I had to get her to safety!" Nico whispered back.

"This place isn't safety!" She argued.

"What's going on?" Said The other guy, from the door way. Max looked back at him and gestured him over.

"Nico, this is Jamie, Jamie, Nico," she said trying to finish formalities. Nico and Jamie nodded at one another in response. "I am trying to explain to him that they are stuck here."

"Well if he doesn't believe us he can try to cross the border. We'll see who's right when he ends up dead," Jamie said bluntly. "Listen, Nico, this house is your new home, get used to it. If you try to cross any of the rock border then the rocks grow making a wall and then Mother Frourá? Yea she becomes what she truly is: a raging lunatic trying to murder all who cross the border." Jamie continues irritated, "you should have listened." Jamie's about to leave when Max grabs his arm.

"Wait," she says, "the rule says that once a person touches the ground of the compound they can't leave, right?"

"Right," Jamie says. Max turns to Nico.

"We can save your friend, she never touched the ground," Max says excitedly. Nico looked over at Lily's sleeping form, she looked peaceful, beautiful as always. She would never forgive herself for leaving them. They would have to do it while she was asleep.

But before he could tell them this a pang of selfishness rang inside him. If he was going to be stuck here he wanted to be stuck with her. If she left him alone in this circle it would be like he was before, without her. Alone, grieving, and dark whiteout her. The thought was repugnant. But how could he deny her her freedom? Could he really be that selfish to deny the one person he loved most her freedom for his own wants? He could lie and say her foot brushed the ground when he set her on the bed. It would be easy. Then he could spend the rest of his life with her. Yes it would be hard but they would have each other. It would be enough for Nico. He would be happy. Nico looked to the future if Lily ever decided she was ready to date and then marry, they could raise kids here together. But they would be stuck there forever.

Nico couldn't. The thought choked him. Nico simply couldn't make Lily stay. He couldn't live with himself if that happened to his future children if he had any.

It was the strangest inner debate he had ever had. He had never thought about children before. After all his time having notions about Percy being a possibility he never thought about offspring. But he didn't love Percy like that, it was always a brotherly love that he mistook for a romantic love. Maybe the gay society would get angry with him for changing his mind but after all being gay is a choice. Nico was sure he could never feel as strongly about a man then Lily. She had to be the one. Didn't she? Didn't that mean kids were an option too? The thought made him excited for the possibility but made him dive so low after realizing he still could never have that. He had to let her go.