вlood & peтalѕ [ ĸoтlc - тιana ]

ch. xxxi

HOLY POTATOES

YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME IT'S MAKING ME CRY MORE THAN WRITING THIS STORY IS

2.3k reads??? How????

Also, did anyone notice the new cover Soph made for this book? I'm still in awe about how beautiful it is kdkeiehdiebdjndksmsjsjsjaaaaaaaaah

"No," Linh mumbled, still clinging to Tam. "No."

It was more terrible than it should've been, seeing her in such strong denial. "Linh....we both know you're trying to avoid it."

"Don't you start too." She refused to let go of his arm or lift her face from where it was pressed into his shoulder. "Don't you dare."

"I'm your brother. This kind of stuff is literally has my name all over it."

He felt his sleeve grow damp as she whispered, "yeah, but for all the wrong reasons."

Oddly enough, Tam himself didn't feel much. Probably since he'd long since come to terms with his death. But what hurt him more was the effect it was taking on Linh. He had hoped that the talk they'd had would've made it easier for her. And it certainly seemed like that.

Then, Biana had entered the fray. It had been like a dream come true, and Tam hadn't quite been able to get it fully into his head.

And after that? The petal had made its dramatic entrance.

He had been admiring the way her eyes sparkled with emotion as she spoke, when he felt the all-too-familiar painful tightening in the back of his throat. At first, he'd ignored it, having pretty much gotten used to the sensation through the past few days. It took him a while to realize that it shouldn't have been happening at all.

Then, the petal had forced its way up. And somehow, coughing it out had hurt more than usual.

Biana had panicked. And he didn't blame her for that. Even now,watching himself cough them up still felt unsettling at best, and disgusting at worst. And then she'd run outside, and come back with Linh, Dex (why was he here, anyway?) Tiergan and Wylie.

Tiergan had been pale and somewhat shaky and Wylie had been uncharacteristically nervous as he'd told them that Tam wouldn't live after all. Dex had just sat there quietly, his hand entwined with Linh's.

And that was when Linh had snapped. One second, she'd been sitting there wide-eyed and silent, the next?

He wasn't sure if he would ever see her in the same light again.

"I don't want to lose you," she said now, briefly lifting her head and revealing her shiny eyes. "It's not fair. I just got you back."

He could tell that she was trying hard not to cry, but at the same time, he almost smiled at her childish declaration. "I know. And it sucks, but-" a spasm of coughs interrupted him. Linh reached behind her and grabbed the tissue box, passing it to him in one smooth move. It was literally a drill for them now.

"T-thanks." He wipes his mouth and aimed the tissue into the bin, relishing the small flare of satisfaction as it landed square in the middle with a muffled thud. "But...you can't be in denial about this."

She raised an eyebrow. "I can if I want to be."

"Well, don't be, then. Or I'll haunt you with scary shadow puppets."

A smile cracked her solemn façade at that. "That couldn't possibly be scary."

"Oh, you think?" All the shadows in the room gave an experimental wiggle.

"I know." She let out a long breath. "But....I don't think I can do it. Yes, I know we talked about it already, and I don't know why it happened, but it did."

"I get that," he said quietly. "Emotions aren't rational. But... you need  to get it."

"I...know." She tilted her head down, so that her hair fell in a curtain that blocked her face. "And I'll try. I just feel like my mind can't process all of this right now..."

"That's fine. Give it time." Tam was quiet for a while, watching her. "Well, that's actually better than what you said before. I don't want you to not get over me and spend your entire life stuck one place. You deserve more than that."

She rubbed her eyes. "And so do you.It isn't fair. Why did it have to happen to you?"

"I don't know, to be honest." Tam sighed. "But...surprisingly, I have no regrets. You'll be happy with Dex- yeah, I know about that. I'm not oblivious. Only thing I'm worried about is Biana's mind. She told me that you told her it was her fault...and I don't want the guilt to break her."

Linh finally lifted her head. "Oh, trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Biana's stronger than people give her credit for."

"But Alden-"

"Who said that weak minds run in the family?" Linh paused to push her hair out of her face. "And first of all, Alden didn't have a weak mind. He had a sensitive conscience. Trust me, Biana's strong. And smart. She won't lose her mind over this."

"Are you sure?" Tam asked. "I really don't want that to happen. The Vackers have enough to deal with right now."

"I'm sure." Briefly, the shadows in Linh's eyes retreated as she sent him her sunniest smile. "Biana will be fine."

welp....i don't even know if that chapter made any sense....

aaaaaaaaaAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

thanks for reading this far!!! *hugs all of you*

also WOW, 900 words? dang. this is a biggie.