The Last Time (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 5

I knocked on the door of my best friend's house.

Red answered the door with a great look of confusion. I couldn't blame her. I probably would have given her the same look if she had shown up to my house in the middle of the night, dressed haphazardly in a set of baggy pajamas.

I stepped inside and called out a quick greeting to her family as I climbed the stairs. Members of her family let out an array of responses, but as per usual, no one questioned why I was there. It had become routine over the years for me to come here when being home became too much. This was my safe haven. Aside from the park, this was the only place that I could actually be myself without anyone questioning me.

As I reached Red's room, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

It was a text from Puck saying that Granny had come into my room looking for me. He said he made some excuse for me, but I needed to hurry back before Granny came back.

I put the phone back into my sweatshirt and waited for Red to catch up. When she finally got into the room, she shut the door and plopped onto her bed. I sat in the puffy chair across the room.

"I need something from you," I said, "I need you to hack the town's records and find out where Mirror went after the war."

She gave me a puzzled look, but I continued, "Your uncle is the town's sheriff. He would have clearance to see something like that, and you're the best hacker I know."

She got up and walked over to her white computer, "I'm the only hacker you know. That still doesn't explain why you want me to find him. I would think you would want him to rot in the dirtiest little hellhole after all he's done. "
I got up and stood over her shoulder, "I just want to pay him a visit."

///

After Red found the address, she handed it to me with a skeptical look, "You're not going to do anything stupid, right?"

I thanked her for the address and made my way to the front door before realizing that I would need a ride. The address Red gave me was across Ferryport Landing, just outside of town. I texted Puck and even though he didn't agree with me going, he said he would take me because he knew that I would go with or without him. When he pulled up to Red's house, he unlocked the doors, and I climbed in.

"Don't ever leave me to explain why you're missing to Granny again," he huffed as he pulled off.

I snickered and stared out the window.

All of a sudden, my vision snapped to an eerily, white scene.

A flash of light struck down in front of me. Puck grabbed my hand, and we began to run.

We didn't stop running until my lungs felt as if they were about to explode. My breaths caught in my chest, and I was almost positive I was going to pass out. Puck pulled me into a large cave where he sat down and pulled me next to him.

"I love you."

I bit my lip, "Why did you say it like that. Like you were leaving me."

He shrugged, "You never know."

I leaned over and lay my head on his chest. The sound of his heart beating filled my ears and I felt his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Another flash of brightness took over my vision. When it cleared, I gasped in horror.

Puck was being suspended in the air, grasping at his neck. His face was turning blue and his movements were getting weaker and weaker by the second.

I looked around, panicking, trying to see who was doing this. Puck let out a sound of excruciating pain as blood trickled down his chin.

The faerie dropped to the ground in a weakened mass. I moved to help him up, but the glittering hilt of a small dagger embedded in Puck's stomach caught my eye. A scream escaped my lips as I  hovered over him.

"Please don't leave me," I begged. " You promised you wouldn't leave."

I wrapped my hand around his and he squeezed, "I love you."

Tears poured down my face, "I love you too."

The last flicker of light faded from his eyes as I brushed the damp hair out of his face.

The last thing I heard was the sound of Mirror's laugh.

My eyes opened, and the first thing I saw was Puck staring at me as he gripped my hand.

"What happened?" I asked.

"At first I thought that you were sleeping... then you hit your head on the window. You started screaming things about how "it wasn't fair"and "no no no." I pulled over to see if you were okay when you started screaming my name."

I stared at him for a while and thought about how people don't always have as long as they think.

I grabbed the sides of his face and pressed his lips to mine. Our lips touched gently at first, but as our kiss

deepened, I pressed against him.

"Don't leave me," I muttered in his ear.

He extended his arms and looked at me with his sparkling green eyes, "Never."

Puck turned back on to the road, continuing in the direction of Mirror's house as I stared at the side of his face.

I had never thought about how every single person in my family could die even though the war was over. All the more reason to pay Mirror a visit.
/

Eventually, Puck and I were both standing on the porch of a small, brick house, just outside of the city. I knocked on the door and we were waiting in anticipation for someone to answer the door.

I heard the sound of the lock being turned, and both Puck and I took a step back and positioned ourselves in the fighting stance he had taught me so many years ago.

The door opened and even though I knew who lived here, I was stunned to see Mirror. It was the first time in years. All those years ago, I had stopped his evil plans with an act of true love. Now, it looked as if he hadn't been shown any love since.

He had a cigar in his mouth and the face of a frequent smoker. Not only that, but he smelt like the sewer.

As soon as Mirror realized who we were, he tried to slam the door and run, but Puck and I were too trained to let him leave.

I stuck my foot in the gap, stopping the door inches before it closed. Puck pushed the door open and chased Mirror down the hall. By the time I had entered the house and closed the door behind me, Puck was sitting on top of Mirror, forcing him to the floor.

I leaned down onto the floor and asked him the question I had come all this way for.

"How and why are you meddling with my dreams and why are you planning another war with the Everafters?"