PRECIPICE [h.s.]

Chapter Six

☼☼☼

And she only reveals what she wants you to see

She hides like a child but she's always a woman to me

She can lead you to love, she can take you or leave you

She can ask for the truth but she'll never believe you

☼☼☼

Harry's P.O.V.

Fire. That is all I saw. My clean white sheets were being encompassed by the brightest, white hot, orange flames. The smell, however, was pleasant. It didn't smell like typical burning or like burnt flesh. I didn't feel the pull in my throat that comes from throwing plastic in a fire. It smelled like marshmallows, sugar crystallizing in front of me. My breathing became heavier, but not because it was restricted from smoke. Thick smoke and the smell of a burning bed should cause a panic, but I found myself comforted by it. As I laid there, surrounded by the cool flames, I took in a deep breath in order to get the burnt sugar smell embedded in my nostrils. I wanted the syrup to coat the insides of my lungs. My body was completely relaxed. There is a bonfire in the middle of my bedroom, and I feel at peace. I didn't have to turn my head to see the source of the fire. I knew it was her.

I turned my head so I could memorize the vision laying next to me. There she was, at the center of it all, glowing. The flames were being emitted by her, but at the same time they seemed to not touch her, as if the flames were respecting their queen. I was mesmerized by the way her hair fanned out on the pillow, another mini fire coming from her mind.

I had to touch her.

I couldn't feel the flames around me. The flames that surrounded my side of the bed were just a projection. I was surrounded by a reflection of her fire. A reflection of her.

It wasn't until I reached out to touch her that the flames bit back at me. My hand instantly burned. I could feel the layers of my skin char and crack. My hand went from ice cold to blazing hot and glowing orange. I smacked it on my sheets, attempting to put out the flames and get some relief, but all I did was cause the fire to spread. The pain was immeasurable. The air shifted and the fire went from comforting to petrifying and all consuming. The sweet smell of sugar was gone, and I was being burned alive from the inside out. I tried to scream but nothing came out. My mouth was open, and I could feel my chest straining trying to get any noise out. Something wasn't right. I had to wake her up.

"Sunshine!" I screamed as hard as I could with the little energy I possessed. The result came out only just above a whisper. In that moment I knew that I would never be able to wake her. It was getting harder to breathe and I needed to act quickly.

"Sunshine! Please! Help!" I was giving it everything I got, gasping in between every word, only to end up inhaling more smoke. Anxiety started building in my chest. If the flames burned me trying to get to her, what could they be doing to her? Fire wouldn't hurt its own kind, would it? I've always viewed her as one with the flame.

"J."

No response. I take a deep breath and try to brace myself to stick my hands through the fire. I can't let her burn out like this. This isn't how she crumbles. She was glowing. Her limbs mimicked the logs we spent so long staring at. Her veins glowed orange, similar to the way you can see light move through a dry piece of wood in a fire. This isn't how she cracks.

"Jaime, baby. I need you to wake up. Baby please, wake up."

As my plea left my mouth, I watched as the flames engulfed her. Her limp body fell through the mattress, and through the floor; her body flaking like pieces of ash caught in the wind. The flames followed her down like spirits flying through the air. I leaned over to look down the mattress to find a black hole. I throw the covers off my body ready to dive in after her. I had to follow her. The second my body falls through the darkness, I wake up with a jolt.