Sky: The Other Side (II)

VI: A Little Spark

"I don't care how long it takes. I have to wait for her to wake up. If it wasn't for me, none of this would be happening... I guess that's the least I can do now."

Eli thought about it all night. He ignored the pain from the cut in his face, and he never fell asleep or felt tired, all because he wanted to make sure Penny was safe. He looked at the stars and then at the ground, only having one thing in mind. He closed his eyes, not to rest, but to pray.

"Oh, dear Samira." He said out loud. "I shall thank you for lending me this opportunity. I'd never thought I'd find myself in something like this, but I would have never known if it didn't happen. It might not be the best so far, but I'm grateful. Meeting Penny has been... It has been beautiful."

He was still in pain, but he felt in the mood to smile.

"I might be far away from my world, but I know you can hear me. She doesn't deserve any of this. And the fact that you allowed me to help with it is more than what I could ask for. I'll do my best to do something. As long as she is happy, I'll be as well. Please, take care of her if something happens to me. There is a lot for her to discover. Oh, and don't forget to tell Skye I'm ok! I'll be back home as soon as we solve this."

"That is so sweet from you..."

Penny had finally gotten up. She seemed to be weak, but at least she was still alive. And that made Eli get rid of a big weight off his chest.

"You're finally awake! Oh, thank god you're safe!" He rushed to hug her.

"What even happened? Last thing I remember was that thing entering my body and... Oh no, I did it again didn't I!?" She started freaking out. "I bet you want to get away from me now... I don't want to harm you anymore! Stay away from me!"

"I'm not doing that! Not after all we've been through!" He said as he held her hand. "I promised I wouldn't leave you alone, and I will keep that promise! No matter the pain, I'll do it knowing it will all end soon."

Penny looked at him in the eyes. She was afraid of what could happen, but at the same time she didn't want to be left on her own.

"You are way too sweet for this world... THANK YOU!" She broke into tears and hugged Eli back. "Please, stay with me..."

They both felt in peace for a moment, so much that Eli didn't feel any pain from his wound, nor Penny from her soul. However, they were exhausted, so they decided to stay the night in this place Eli had found. It was pretty empty, but it was an open area.

"I think we should rest. No one knows what will happen next, and we better be prepared!" Said Eli.

"I say the same. We should at least recover a bit." Penny thought.

Even though it was midnight and they were tired, both of them didn't feel like sleeping at all. They were scared deep inside, and they didn't want to get hurt during their sleep. Without saying a thing, Eli slowly walked away. He reached a mountain, and he decided to stay there for some time.

He gazed at the stars again as he sat down. He was happy with that feeling, and he didn't want it to end. But he came back to reality, and he felt down once again. He sighed, asking himself what all of this would give back in change. And when the thought got off his head, Penny arrived. She sat down beside him and never said a word. It was silent, yet not uncomfortable. She placed her head on his shoulder, and he started playing with her hair.

"I guess an owe you an explanation. I'm so sorry, I never meant to do that." Penny said as she broke the silence.

"I know you wouldn't do something bad. And to be honest, I'd really like to know what happened." He said back. "What was that? Is he the reason for all of this?"

Penny stayed silent. She was grieving, and she was afraid of even saying his name.

"De- Demi..." She stuttered for a long time. She dropped some tears, but Eli was there to wipe them away. He hugged her all the time, and that made her relax a little bit.

"It's ok if you don't want to say anything, I totally understand. Perhaps we really need to sleep a little. Maybe that would help." Eli said as his arms were still around her. He soon enough let go and stepped back to find a place to spend the rest of the night. But as he walked away, Penny followed. She hugged him back and buried her head on his shoulder, just like when Eli hugged her for the first time.

"Demille." She said afraid.

"Demille?" Eli wondered.

"He is the reason that explains everything. He did all of this, he destroyed my life. I want to get rid of him, but I don't know how... But now that you arrived, I feel like there might be a chance. That's why I don't want you to leave." She said as she felt tears dropping through her face. "Please, I beg you... Stay with me..."

Eli couldn't help being shocked. This was astonishing progress for what was yet to come, and he was happy about it. But this was no time for celebrating.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I will never leave you alone. Not until you are free from this chaos." He said enthusiastically. "Well, I guess we better go get some rest now. We have to be prepared."

He gently took Penny's arms off him and walked away. Penny then turned around and walked away as well. She heard some footsteps coming near her. She was nervous, but thankfully it was only Eli coming back.

"Just one more thing..." He closed his eyes and kissed her on the cheek, and he walked away like if nothing had happened. Penny was blushing like crazy, and she felt something in her heart of stone. It felt like if it was cracking, and she knew this had to mean something. Not only that, but she felt a warmth in there too. She had a feeling she still didn't know how to explain, so she ignored it. It was still there though, even when she was sleeping.
For the first time in a long time, she didn't have a nightmare. Compared the horrible things that were lurking in her mind, it was actually a normal dream. One that allowed her to sleep in peace.