Their lips were soft as they moved together, the rain pouring down around the two bodies perched on the end of the jetty. She felt his fingers hook around hers, both sets of eyes still closed, gingerly, Jac removed her fingers from his to hook an arm around his neck as they deepened the kiss, the sunlight just about to break through and when it did it was almost scalding her skin so she pulled away and gasped, rubbing her eyes frantically. She got up and immediately walked off towards Emma, her daughter immediately turning to look at her and pausing her movements, her head flops to the side and she skips off into the woodland before Jac could take her hand and when she looked twice she couldnt see her daughter anymore, in a weird way it hurt.
"You dont have to keep running"
"You're alive, I'm dead"
"You were always one for stating the obvious"
Somehow she managed to tear her gaze away from the woodland where Emma skipped off into, she avoided the gaze and looked out over the water before squinting her eyes as the sun burned brighter down onto her pale skin, the tingling burning, sensation present. It wasnt long before she felt a hand wrap around hers and her body being pulled towards the woodland to her left, her feet stumbling over pine needles and sticks and there she was leaning against a tree, the now cool sensation forgiving on her skin. Eventually, she looked up and she shook her head, she hissed again at the pain catapulting around her skull, it was getting easier to deal with now.
"How are you?"
"Is that all you have to say, where the hell is Kian?"
"I'm impressed someone managed to get into that stone cold-core of yours"
"You're all heart"
Her eyes glowered as she clenched her jaw, she had no idea how she was so angry all of a sudden. Her body shivered as a chill clouded over the air, her arms immediately hugging her body to try and keep warm. Gasping, she felt arms wrap around her, her head pressed against a body as she physically relaxed under the touch. She felt a hand swipe through her hair before scrunching her face up at the blood smearing over her scalp even more. A couple of fingers hooked under her chin to tilt her face up, she was showing a somewhat startled look until she felt soft lips press against her forehead.
"How did you get here?"
"You should already know that people who are alive can be here as well"
"So you've seen Emma then?"
"Hasn't everyone here?"
"Why are you here Fletch?"
Her eyes looked up at him unable to even make a snide comment or joke about this situation as it was so draining and confusing. Gently he took her hand and squeezed it, she held it as he walked her out of the woods to the once again fogged over plains, her feet sinking into the ground beneath her before looking up at him. She turned her head and saw Emma standing there, mirroring the white dress she was wearing. Jac reached her hand out to place her hand on her daughter's shoulder but Emma giggled and ran off into the fog and she couldnt quite help but control the roll of her eyes that came after.
"She doesn't want to see you but you want to see her"
"This is subconscious, all of this"
"I didnt see you as the fluffy-fairy-tale-ending-type"
"Emma!"
She ignores his jibe before releasing her hand from his, she heads in the direction that Emma went, looking back she saw Fletch following her so she began to pick up pace as her heart beat faster than she could control. It wasnt long until she collided with a tree, both of her hands coming out to grab hold of the trunk to stop her entire body from smashing into it. A shudder overtook her body as she felt Fletch place his hands on her hips, she turned around and looked at him, her arms crossing over her chest as she offered a steely glare. Just like magic the fog rose and the sun beamed through the clouds again before the pale blue sky took over, she raised an eyebrow and Fletch follows her gaze to where someone was standing with Emma on the end of the jetty. Taking his hand into hers, somehow she needed the moral support, she headed towards the jetty and stood at the start of it and it wasnt long before Emma caught her mother's attention.
"Why are you here. why are both of you here?!"
"This is down to you"
"What is this place? Why am I here?"
"Do you want to tell her or should I?"
Fletch's nonchalant voice irritated her as there was nothing nonchalant about this situation for her, maybe for them it was different, well, it had to be, there was no doubt about it. Her eyes looked to where Emma was standing there. She giggles once more and Jac couldnt help but let the smile flicker over her face at her daughter's happiness and with that, she felt Fletch remove his hand from hers and walk along the jetty, Jac tried to follow but screamed as Emma jumped into the water beneath, her heart started to pound and yet she found herself rooted to the ground unable to move, tears filling her tired eyes quicker than she could ever imagine.
"Help her then...do something...Kian, Fletch!?"
"Something isnt right"
"You dont say, Kian. Fletch...please"
She managed to find the strength to rush towards the two men, both of them looking at her as she ran across the jetty before pausing at the end of it. Her eyes glanced between them both before looking expectantly hoping to see her daughter. Frantically she gathered her dress in her hands, wincing at the coldness of the bottom of it where it was covered in damp mud and dirt along with the water she was paddling in before. An utmost amount of force overtook her body as she forced herself over the edge. It didnt work though, there were arms holding her back and they pulled her so far back that she let out a choked sob, her fingers gliding over her scalp before she removed them, the entirety of her hands covered in her own blood.
"Why?!"
"There's no rhyme or reason"
"Just...why?! Where is she?"
There wasnt an answer, her hands trembled either out of fear or coldness as the blood dripped down the side of her neck as she looked up at Kian and Fletch who were standing there on either side of her, in front of her. All she wanted was answers but she knew she wasnt going to get them, turning her head she looked out across the fogged over plains, she could see the grass until about ten feet in front of her. Her eyes closed as she began walking back along the jetty, shuddering as she heard her daughter's laugh. Her feet once again sank into the mud once more, everything seemed to hurt.
