Marcus
I couldn't tell Juliet I was on Mirach—not until I knew for sure what was going on with the teleporters. I wanted to several times; she was the one on the outside of this mess—another war—and would be able to get a message out to the dheka army. For two months, I waited for her and Caleb to come wandering into the village in their vanished state… The wolves would've seen them. We would've known… She hadn't tried to communicate many times and the last time she did... I decided to tell her I was safe. Was she still in the Dark City? What was she doing all this time? I hadn't disappeared yet, so we were still firmly in this timeline.
Every day like clockwork, General Xeno brought the plate so I could try the teleporter spot again… Not once had I heard even a word from En-gannim… We'd been held prisoner for all that time, and we'd not seen one other dheka deem it necessary to venture into this part of their world. The werewolves had made camp all around the village and pitched tents in between all the buildings. A make-shift perimeter was built with rocks and mush. This beautiful, isolated little place had become another cold military base. The most influential werewolf women and their harems had annexed all the houses while we were forced into two separate prison pens outside in the sun. After the women arrived, they forced the two giant dheka apart and cut only Iku for good measure. In one camp were Selena, Jamal, Imani, Roa, and me, together with three of the vamp girls. Jack, Warden, and James were with Iku and Yazen.
I had a lot of patience—but for this shit—I had none. The vamps were supposed to be the most clever of them all… How could we lose the teleportation a second time? Did I help to prevent it from happening? No. I looked up and met Roa's eyes on me; every time I dared, the two blue orbs took my breath away. She was extraordinarily beautiful. Captivating with her mere presence. I craved the months I had sex on demand. When it was as easy as stretching out a hand to a willing woman. One who deemed it more important to isolate herself in some far-gone land while we suffered. I hoped she was having the time of her life because when—not if—I got a hold of her— Roa smiled mischievously, the corner of her perfect lips playfully lifting and releasing. We had nothing else to do, so we took turns and spent the whole day teaching her English… Although it wasn't perfect yet, she was getting better. Roa stood dressed in a lovely white dress, seductively curving around her breasts and ass. The wolves still respected the females and allowed them to bathe and walk around all—clean, breathtaking, and put together.
As Roa came toward me—on a mission—I glanced at Selena, who was wearing a see-through dark green dress. It was tied around her neck and crisscrossed over her breasts toward her back and left the rest of her exposed. Her dark nipples were teasingly visible. The wolves had no problem with modesty. I was out of my depth. Literally ripped out of my world and dumped into a pit of temptation. I didn't look at either of them too long and averted my gaze as soon as I caught myself fantasizing. Torture. Absolute torture.
Our race was ruled with an iron hand, and given my current predicament, I knew why I was locked up so many times—why women were covered from head to toe—and why men had five wives. Two hundred and almost thirty was not an easy year for me… Every time I saw how subjective the male werewolves were—totally submitted to their wives—it was a cruel reminder of the relationship I was in… Maybe I had lived too long in the reverse… Women didn't treat their husbands the way the wolves deemed fitting… And seeing every day the way Juliet expected me to act picked at every scab we had gone through.
Roa tapped her foot so I would look up at her. I couldn't do it. Firm fingers circled my skull and kept my head from escaping; the grip only increased if I tried; my vision became black, and gold slithers danced around me, penetrating my very soul... Sweet release. My shoulders dropped—my eyes slowly closed. The hand caught my head and placed me down on my pillow in the sand. "Thank You."
"No, problem… Next time, no wait long." Roa had not made me sleep; I was only blissfully content. I could think and didn't really care when I would get out of there. "How we get out of here?" she asked…
Still, everyone thought I had all the answers. Would magically know what to do and, with one bright idea, save everyone. Had I done anything to get us out—no. We couldn't escape; our numbers were too low. Even if Iku and his wife could make it out—there was always the risk of one of them getting hurt. To stay breathless so nothing could touch them took years of mental training and was something only the army was mandated to master. When one was trying to run from a pack of dogs, the chances of a slip—only a moment for the shadow to still be part of a body—was highly probable. It was also not a skill every dheka could even perform, let alone hold it to move through a number of opponents. If only the army could get there and perform this legendary cloud of death—we would have any chance of reuniting and finding a solution to our problems.
After my lust and desires were forced to control themselves, Naji and my mom were at the forefront of all my thoughts. He was going to walk soon—and I wouldn't be there. The only thing running through my mind was Michael asking her to go and help Cindy… Would Agatha have taken Naji with her? Was my son alone with a bunch of servants? Or were my mother and son stuck on my island with little water? If—and only if they couldn't teleport on En-gannim, the few souls there would not last long. I had water reserves for Juliet's house, but how long could they push it even if they rationed? I had five servants, and knowing Agatha, she wouldn't let any of the others die for the sake of the next king of En-gannim. Naji—I wanted to be there like none of my family had ever been there for any of their children. Would I ever see him again?
"No!" Roa chastised. "You think of nothing but mating. Can one of you not sex with him… Maybe his brain will work." I had to laugh with the girls laughing at me.
"We can't sleep with our Queens husband… Do you want us to die? Juliet is the one with the stone."
I sat up, "What? When?" The stupid vamp girl, guilty, looked at the horizon. As if it could save her. "You will tell me."
"The last time we saw Juliet, she had it… We were not supposed to know… She and Jessy were talking, and we overheard."
Done with the change in subject, Roa huffed and turned to Selena, "You? You mate with him."
"I'm not allowed to sleep with a vampire… If Ira doesn't kill me, Juliet would finally have a reason to." The one beauty stared down her equal, "Why don't you do it?"
Roa lifted her chin and laughed, "We mate for life… No! My mark would disappear."
"You would lose your branding mark?" Selena asked.
Roa nodded, "Be exiled to raiders."
"Damn!" One of the vamp girls commented.
The whole group turned to Jamal, "Oh no! Don't look at me! I value my life. Male or female, Juliet would kill both Marcus and me… I think she is past the point of telling people how serious she is about open relationships… Chris didn't stay celibate for so long for no reason… If he could do it, Marcus can as well… From what I heard, he had no problem controlling his urges on Earth for two hundred years… What's his problem now? What, if a vamp is not beaten regularly, they can't control themselves?"
"Guess not," Selena sighed, "You will have to drug him three times a day."
And that's what religiously happened for two more months. By then, all of us were being consumed by Roa's shadow... Not for all the same reasons, but still, none of us could cope with the boredom of sitting in a four-by-four meter square all day long doing nothing. The wolves didn't want us walking around or even serving in some way in the settlement. If only they put us to work or gave us some time out of our confinement, we might have stayed sane. Roa was working overtime to keep us all able to function; the rest of the time, she meditated and worked her ability on herself; the giant was also losing her shit.
Looking up at the moons from my bed, it couldn't have been later than two in the morning. All our cycles were screwed up, and I couldn't sleep. The city was in complete darkness and quiet silence… Too much, even for my peace of mind. My ears pricked at a gentle shift in the air—like a gust of coldness would change the breeze before a storm. I hopefully hurried to my feet and circled myself, yet dreading one of their storms. It wasn't pretty when a sandstorm rolled in accompanied by a torrent of rain… At once, both would descend with winds at speeds I'd never experienced before. Xeno stepped out of Romero's house and came to a stand, scanning the dunes from left to right. His eyes came to a slow stop and met mine. His ears flicked, and mine stood erect to hear even the smallest insect moving. Not one sound. We were both waiting for that fatal moment—the clouds would cover the sky in seconds, and the first raindrop would hit one of us.
The hair on my arm twitched from a stirring agitation in the air all around us. Slight movements stroking the sand made us spin to see if the storm was coming from the south—behind us. It was not a monster who wandered into the village or clouds eating the stars. The sky was pristine and sparkly—marvelous in the dark, yet I could see a faint disturbance against the backdrop—like a mirage of shadows. I drew in a breath—the dheka was there. Quickly, I checked if Xeno would be able to see with his werewolf eyes. His hand flexed around his staff, and out of nowhere, he sprinted inside. Would the dheka kill us, too? Would they be able to distinguish between us and the enemy in the pitch-black surroundings? Our courters were so cramped—all I had to do was kick into Jamal's side and rouse him. "Another storm?"
He was no help! "No!" I rushed over to Roa's side to get it done faster. I shook her, "Roa, the dheka is here. I think… Come!" I grabbed her arm and pulled her groggy form up. A smile spread across her face. "Are we safe?" The smile fell, and she shook her head. "You'll have to help us out of here."
At that moment, the wolves sent out a soft whine as an alarm in the village—from one to another—resonating through the desert—clashing with the urgent thrum of vibration on the dunes coming toward us. Wolves piled out of every possible crevice, dressing in armor as they moved. Women were being put on beasts, with the main harem members taking off in different directions. Would Xeno's army try to make a stand? Our group stood back to back. "Can anyone see an opening for Roa?" The wolves split into four squads, spreading in a unified rush to the four corners of the village. "We have to use this gap."
My words were too late… Anticipating the wolves' attack, the hum in the air and the flicker surrounded us in an instant. A dark wall closed in on the village in a whirlpool of perfect synchronicity. "We get out… dheka move through walls!" Roa said agitatedly. How? How did we get past something—nothing could survive? In a blast of rapid air and dust, Roa was gone. I circled myself; we all scanned our surroundings. The next moment, I was somewhere else, standing with her on a hill overlooking what I could now see was death incarnate, swallowing the wolves in a fierce, thick wave. Iku was next and grabbed his wife. Imani landed, and Yazen followed. One by one, our group reunited… The dheka was dangerously close to Romero's home and the other camp with the rest of the dheka from the village. Mirriam, the doctor. Our midwife was still not out. Charlene was moving at astronomical speeds… A minute later, she put the last person down… The army was waiting for her. As she landed, the village disappeared… Darkness closed in on itself—funneled together and came to an abrupt halt at the epicenter of the storm. The oneness was now millions of men covering the ground in black flames—golden eyes flickering. A silence descended. Waiting. A command came. With precision, the dheka became translucent and darted in one direction—the millions was now a single entity focused on specific targets and wiping out even the straggler werewolves trying to run. From our vantage point, they finished off every last moving thing. Beasts and bodies covered the sand as far as we could see. Another command. The army dropped their manifestation and softly marched into ranks. Tiny squares formed—with a leader in every group. What I couldn't do with an army like them at my disposal.
A hand gently came to rest on my shoulder. My head turned to see who it was. "Are we late?" Romero asked.
I shook my head, looking back down at the massacre. Utterly speechless.
"I am never late!" Charlene quipped.
"Four months is pushing it," Jack pitched in.
"We were here four months ago and scouted out the place. We had to go get reinforcement! Aren't you glad we did?" Charlene goaded Jack. "While you guys did nothing… I had to empty our international space station…"
"What will we do now, Romero?" Jack asked.
"The village is safe… It is all that matters."
I still couldn't get a firm grip on Jack or who he was as a person. We've also not spent any time together. Neither did I know James or Warden. They seem to be always close by. I scanned the crowd, "Where is Kubra and Carl?"
"Come, Marcus… We have a lot to talk about." Romero said with feeling and stretched out an arm to show me where we were headed. For the first time in months, I could move my legs. We walked for hours to see a fire in the distance… The tiniest speck showed me how far we still had to go to get to their camp.
"Will everyone please go with Charlene… Marcus and I will stay behind and follow you."
When everyone was out of earshot, Romero took the first step to slowly follow and said, "I saw Juliet four months ago… Charlene and I were forced apart, and with her power, Charlene pulled her friend out to come and save us… Juliet must have just come out of the dark city, or Charlene would not have been able to reach her… Marcus, the wolves took Chris, Michael, Kubra, and Carl in different directions across this vast planet of ours… Juliet immediately decided to go after Michael…"
So she did know. Good. I should've told her I was there. I made a mistake in letting her think I was with Naji. I didn't want her to worry… "Did she tell you anything else?"
"She did… In her time travels, she talked to your grandfather… Ahasuerus told her he gave Jacklin a device to stop teleportation forever… Juliet figured Jacklin and Lyla decided to use it after all… Juliet said you were right about the blackout."
I didn't want to be right… How could my grandfather do this? "Michael will be hidden to an inch of his life to never make this right."
"Yes… He is the only one who can get you back to En-gannim… No one there will be able to activate or fix the problem."
I halted in the way we were going, "Why didn't she choose to go back? If she was so set on starting over—"
"Marcus, when I gave her permission to go, I thought Soren and Ian had the water and life stone… Juliet lied to us…" I nodded. She was busy while I sat and read a book. Lying to fix our lives… "Juliet also found out from Ahasuerus what your stone really does… Juliet used it in the city where Charlene and I were separated… The whole city lost their manifestations by drinking the water… Another division of our forces drifted through the city a month ago and, much like tonight, killed all of them… This little camp here and the city we destroyed was only a fraction of the werewolf population on Mirach… They have been dividing and finding other places to live since they arrived… Charlene and I will be leaving tomorrow with the army to find every last one… for however long it takes us… You understand I have to prioritize my people."
"I do… Of course, you have to—"
"It is a lot to consider. Let us join the others, and you can decide what you think is best."
Romero and I silently walked into the camp. The other's voices were raised, and they were talking over each other—at each other in a confusing mess.
"Yeah, well, I'm not doing anything until I find Carl," Charlene said, snapping at Warden. "At any moment, you could've told us you were Jacklin's f—ing watcher! Not to mention that Chris's mother is still alive! How many opportunities did you have when we were all in France… But then again, it all makes sense now! You were the one who helped Qadir almost kidnap or kill Louis—"
What the hell was going on? Juliet found out a whole lot in the city.
"Hey! I almost died that night!"
"Only because your plans backfired, and Qadir couldn't care less about Chris actually making it back to Zoreah."
"You don't know what you're talking about!"
"So enlighten us, Warden! The stage is yours!"
The man jumped to his feet, pressing a finger into his chest, "I was following orders! You have no idea how difficult it was for me, Michael, Jack, and Kubra to manage Bertram, Qadir, and Samuel from all angles. Everyone with his own agenda… Not to mention Raas breathing down our necks."
"Yeah, well, Kubra at least made a stand—chose a side! Do you know he was there that night when Michael was already taken? Qadir was coming for Miné… Kubra was there, hiding in the shadows. He would've risked it if Qadir even thought about taking my child! Where were you? What were you doing? You've never shown us any loyalty… You've never liked Juliet! Chris's mother can already be dead… And her blood will be on your hands!"
Warden placed his hands on his hips and turned away from her, "You're right! I never had an investment in your family… I knew Chris would leave, and Jacklin had already asked Sam to disconnect us when Qadir took over… She was going to get lost in the confusion and take the infected vamps somewhere they could survive… What would I have had left? Decommissioned or forced to live out my days working for Qadir on Earth…! I had to choose my own survival, or I would've ended up dead… Jack would always have had an Ahmed as his ward… He was protected till Louis gave the say so for his freedom." Warden kicked through the sand, "Chris's mother… I feel terrible about… But I was the only other person who knew she was alive… And I did tell Sam… And yes, we looked and couldn't find any trace of her…! What would it have helped to tell Chris?" He spun to Charlene, "Should I have added another freaking variable to everything else going on—"
"Chris would've stayed in a heartbeat! If you told anyone of the riphaths, they could've done something. Ira and Silvanus were on the f—ing planet to take Chris home."
"Back then, doing whatever we wanted wasn't an option!"
"And now! My children are gone—somewhere out there—I don't even know where?"
"What?" I interjected their argument. "Where are the children?"
"We thought Michael would take them to Imani…"
I turned to Jack, "What happened when Michael brought you guys to the village."
"Michael brought only dheka kids to the new island… Your children weren't there."
Shakely, I stepped forward, "When Michael and Chris picked me up… They told Agatha to go help Cindy… Michael took the kids to Liam… Our children are on Cindy's island—" My knees buckled under me. Four months! They're already dead. My stomach twisted in on itself. Romero caught me and lowered me down into the sand. With vigor, he blinded me, dulling my senses, making even the death of my child feel like it didn't mean anything.
"I didn't know about the device! I swear!" Warden said wholeheartedly. "If I did, I would've told you… I lost track of Jacklin and only saw her again when they took us hostage… When Sam was missing for a year… I couldn't tell anyone about Satya... We are human, Charlene… Disposable! You, out of everyone, know how it feels to be useless."
"Well, I'm not useless anymore… I won't let Carl die alone among a bunch of dogs… Who knows when or how long it will take us to find Michael… I can't!" She spun to Romero, "We find them first or, or—"
"I agree," Romero held out a hand to her. Charlene was displaying all the signs of a creature going batshit crazy… She lost three children… Two husbands were being tortured… And our dear princess was at the peak of juggling all three creatures at once. Charlene placed her hand in Romero's. The change in her was so visible—deep-seated in her eyes… A quiet complacency took over. "You will track them…" Romero coaxed. "We will figure out where they are… It is the army's next stop."
"What if they are at the other end of the planet… What if they capture us…" Charlene shook her head, "I can't go through it again… Why can't I pull him out like last time? I've tried over and over. Carl's not even nudging or trying to call out to me."
"He's drugged! Raiders!" Selena said. "The wolves had to have help! Or because he cut with a red sword."
"F— you're right… I can't even sense Michael anymore."
"Or, you have yet to master the skill," Iku said. "For now, it only works subconsciously when you are at the precipice of death."
Romero pulled Charlene against his chest and knocked her out cold. "We sleep first! Everyone to bed. Now!" Out of habit, I searched for my own source of drugs… Roa was waiting and called me over.
The camp sporadically came to life late into the morning after a few good hours of sleep. I sat up—Naji made me lay back down. My beautiful boy dying of thirst… Tears welled up and spilled over. I held back the sobs and grief, unable to let out my wails. In the tent next to mine, the crying of someone else brought me upright. I swiped over my eyes and made my way out and into the next tent. Romero? If he was so overcome—it must be true. He wasn't as shy about his emotions, "I waited so long… For it to be a daughter… Who would die so slowly and miserably… Suffer!" My breathing was shallow, listening, yet unable to come to terms with the reality. Our children, all the children… Mael was only born a few months ago—dead.
There was no time for grief… too many people could still die. At that moment, I didn't care about any of them; my pain consumed my will to make any effort to find Michael, Kubra, or Carl… What was the point… If we found Michael, it would only make Naji's death a certainty—a cruelty for the saving grace of time. Juliet's optimism was the only thing driving her to move and find a solution. Hope! Faith! An unwillingness to stop fighting until she saw a body.
Charlene came in, her eyes puffy and red, "Romero, did you decide?"
He dried his eyes, "Yes, we go whatever the consequences… You are right; we have nothing to lose anymore."
"Charlene! Before you go…" I turned to her, "I've never asked you for anything…"
"No," she said skeptically, "But I'm afraid Iku might have been right last night… I've tried to hone in on Juliet, and it's not working." I raked my hand through my hair guiltily. I'd not even thought about reuniting with her. "If you're not asking me to find Juliet… What do you need me to do? I tried Michael as well—many times."
I slowly shook my head, "The room… On the island… The one Selena went into and remembered her time with Chris…" Charlene's eyes drifted to Romero's, asking what he thought about the idea, the two speaking without uttering a word. "I know it's a bad time, but I would like to try—if it's all the same to you."
"Do you want to know if any of her efforts yielded any solutions," Romero asked. I nodded. If my child was dead and theirs… Come hell or high water, we were going back and taking the consequences.
Charlene gave a relieved sob and nodded in Romero's direction, "We would've allowed it when we thought all of us were going to die… Now—."
Romero agreed reluctantly, "Very well. We will take the day and at the end of it either be dead or—."
"Have a solution."
Not one of us could eat. Little Aries, who had gone through so much, was also dead… Fahan would be crushed… We picked at our food. Inami was her old self again—reunited with her younger children… Why did Michael not take the kids there? It wouldn't have changed Naji's fate… We should've moved earlier… We were in the process… I could've made it happen sooner… All of us would be together!
Charlene tossed her bread down on the plate and stood. We told the company what we were planning, and for the day, everyone was willing to wait it out. Charlene picked us both up, one in each arm, and traveled to the castle in the sky. She placed us down in front of an open door and came back to human. From outside, the room was empty with no furniture, grey and windy, like an actual tower in a medieval movie, built in the form of a circle with windows all around. Some dried grass lay in the corner on a stone floor.
I walked in, wanting to get it over with. Nothing happened. I moved around for a bit, waiting to see if it would work. Juliet didn't actually go back in time like Chris did. In a small way, we were already on a new course. I wanted it to work. I needed to know everything… I headed for the patch of grass and sat down. It was invasively instant. A bombardment of feelings, senses, memories, time. I clutched my head with two fingers, squeezing my temples and breathing through it. No need to panic; my brain had to acclimate.
Once the pain was over, my thoughts weighed and ordered, Juliet's and my life played out before my eyes. Everything she had done for me. I chuckled at the small things my mind deemed important… However, then I remembered how Juliet had to be. How she changed and had to fall on the floor every time she needed to talk. My nails dug into my skin and pierced—deeply. Her head bowed and not speaking unless spoken to… The blood dripped down my hand. Every decision she made worked out in our favor, and we never had any issues. Life was so peaceful… Naji grew up to be such a beautiful boy. Juliet cooked and waited for me to come home every day. She was alone… Liam and Cindy were still on the compound with my mother… Qadir came home from time to time, and being in charge of Earth changed him. Both planets were flourishing.
I wanted to know how our life together turned out. Juliet became a shell of a woman… She hated every minute and didn't tell me. Endured it for fifteen years. Never allowed to travel and leave. Stuck on a small piece of land. Rusticating in a rural village. Juliet was unhappy, and I wasn't. I had everything I ever wanted. A family. Purpose. Power. Future. She never told me what she was doing. Why she changed. It was a life only for me.
I waited to see what had made her end our time. I asked if she wanted to go to Zoreah with me. I had finally reached the point where her happiness was more important than mine. I would've done anything to see my Juliet again.
Louis, Juliet, and I were in a teleporter and stepped out in Shumaan. Ira, Silvanus, Chris, and Michael were waiting. Michael had gone with Chris and never left. Juliet's head was down, and Louis stepped out to greet Chris. They were good friends, and as an ambassador for En-gannim, he spent most of his time off the planet. The four men looked at Juliet. I turned and said, "Juliet, please greet the men."
With that simple command, the atmosphere changed in the small cave, and I felt so wrong to have to tell her to do anything, let alone give orders to do everything. The women were not allowed to make one move, and the men… our behavior was so ingrained in us—subconsciously a way of life. Juliet's head came up—she took in men—nodded, and dropped her head, constantly staring at the floor.
Ira was always very diplomatic, understanding our ways and respecting them. He ushered us out, and as the group of men walked out, Juliet had to follow. Outside the riphath, women joined us and talked to us like we were equals. General Sung and Slenena greeted us, and we split up into groups of two, talking all the way into the city. Ira and I were at the top of the procession. We were going to have a drink before Chris took us to the origin city. Behind us were Chris and Selena. Silvanus and Sung… When I looked back, Louis was walking next to Juliet, and Michael was behind her. Louis held out a packet of cigarettes, one sticking out. Ira had seen where my attention was and had stopped walking, looking down the line of people in the sand. Juliet actually looked up and waited for me to give permission. I nodded. Then she looked to Ira. He also nodded.
Oh no. Oh no. How could I ever have wanted that for her? Made her believe it would've been better any other way than how it had turned out. Juliet and I were so jealous, and we had no idea how to get over it; the only way would be to have never met at all. Or things happened exactly like they should've.
At the bar, I was busy entertaining and talking shop. Juliet had to ask me a million times to do the smallest thing. Louis placed a drink on the table in front of her. I had to nod. Chris had gone over and tried to have a conversation. I had to nod. Selena wanted to have a chat. I had to nod. I wanted to puke by the time Silvanus approached her. Irritated, I realized why vampire men never took their wives anywhere.
Silvanus was the only one who sat down without permission and talked to her… Juliet was another person altogether. They got along so well. He placed the second drink in front of her, and before she could control her impulses, Juliet chugged it, gasping and enjoying the moment. She had forgotten to look at me or care and took off her veil after another five minutes as if it was the most natural thing to do. She smoothed her hair, put her chin on her hand, and listened to Silvanus talking. She laughed so loudly that I was taken back to where she was thirteen and still My Juliet.
When Ira put the third drink in front of her and sat down, drawing her into conversation, she looked at the tiny glass, and her eyes came up to his. "Why? she asked.
"It seems you need it… to cope."
Juliet jumped to her feet and looked at me, then at the veil and everyone staring at her. The whole display had made our table very quiet. Everyone threw glances at me to see if I would reprimand my wayward wife. Juliet's eyes landed on Louis. He stood to his feet. "Get out of here. Right now."
Her gaze darted to Chris, and she clutched her stomach. Louis strutted over and shook her. "Wake up, Juliet."
I opened my eyes in the tower. I pressed bloody fingers into my sockets and wanted to dig out the memories. It was a spike into my soul every time Juliet had to act subservient… I wanted it, didn't I? For the longest time, I believed it could've worked if she only tried hard enough. Not anymore. I don't. Why did she do it? I retched onto the stone floor. The wind whipped into the space, ripping a chill through me. My emotions had finally caught up to my brain—that thought it could handle anything.
It was over, and I shakily got on my knees. What did I expect? I couldn't see what she went through… Suddenly, my head dropped down to the floor in a bow as other memories bombarded me… All of Michael's timeline, where I was, and what I've done. Chris's timeline. Louis's. I screamed at the half a century I was alone, wishing for another life. How could she! How selfish. She just went on with her life… None of us could… Always waiting. Sometimes knowing. My life would never have changed if it wasn't for her… If we were not all together and connected… How could I have asked Chris to go back?
Charlene touched my shoulder, "Are you—." I wanted to stop her, but she was already on the floor convulsing… Romero hurried in without thinking, and I laughed out of sheer ridiculous acceptance. They both had lives to reconcile with. Juliet was going to have to make it up to us all.