Soulbreak - A MCYT 3rd/Last/Double Life FanFiction

Chapter 21 - In Which Pearl Returns...

[PoV Pearl]

Six Weeks Later...

Pearl's waiting for Grian, Pearl thought to herself. She didn't know why, but she knew. In fact, there was very little she had actually known recently. Everything she knew she knew, and everything she thought, Pearl thought. On rare occasions, she would actually know. That was when her actions were more purposeful, and her accomplishments were greater.

When Pearl actually knew, Pearl's mind was a whirl of emotions. Her skin never felt right. It suffocated her or lay loose on her bones. Her mind was clouded with Netherish haze and everything felt sticky and hot.

Sanity was a very uncomfortable feeling.

At the minute, she lay concealed in a small ditch just outside Scott's little house on the cliff. Recently instated vines and ferns provided her with a modicum of camouflage, but it was the ever-growing shadows of the trees that truly shielded her from prying eyes. Why Cleo and Scott never questioned the spontaneous eruption of new growth every few days was still a mystery.

It's because they're too in love to notice anything, Pearl's thoughts cleared for a second. The hurt was too painful to remain clear for long, so Pearl dove beneath the haze again.

While Pearl still maintained a high level of control over her sanity, since Grian had left she'd had no reason to function clearly. In fact, the red felt much safer and comforting. She was very used to diving and rising through her mind after all the long weeks alone.

Then again, alone was a loose definition. Pearl peered through the house's window. No sign of them yet.

Pearl's focus was unyielding, her eyes darting toward the window every time she heard the faint sound of a door closing or footsteps echoing in the distance. She had actually learned a lot from watching the various visitors of the house come and go.

One thing was sure - in Life the line between friendship and treachery was thin.

Another sure thing was Pearl's stealth. Pearl's former best friend Scott, unaware of her close proximity, went about his business, gathering resources, brewing potions, and hanging about with Cleo.

They were perfect for each other. While they could work out betrayals, plan full-on coups, and welcome guests together with a splendid hospitality facade they also stayed up late debating glow squid's usefulness, held frequent bonfires, fished together, talked and laughed for hours, sang and danced, took turns reading aloud to fall asleep, and presented the picture-perfect image.

Pearl's only challenge thus far had been Cleo. Cleo's sharp eyes missed nothing. That's why, whenever Cleo was around, Pearl dug deeper into her ditch and relied on the assumption that her presence would never even cross their mind as a possibility.

Pearl had her own survival strategies. Nearby, she had set up a concealed entrance to a vast underground network of tunnels filled with crops, animals, and storage chests – her sanctuary from the outside world. After all, sometimes Cleo and Scott were both asleep. Then what did she have to do?

Occasionally, she'd sneak out to fish by a secluded pond, catch the elusive pufferfish, or gather mushrooms for stew. The mundane tasks of her night-to-night life kept her mind off her spiraling thoughts and the ever-present void left by Grian's departure.

Even after over a month, Pearl clung to the hope he would return whenever she was sane enough to remember him. She forced herself to believe that Grian would return just as abruptly as he had left. He promised her long ago that he would never leave her. So Pearl waited, she did, with a fervor that bordered on obsession.

Every so often, in the depths of the night, Pearl would venture close to Scott's house and eavesdrop on his conversations with Cleo. She hoped to catch a hint, a clue, anything about Grian's whereabouts. But it was always the same - casual banter, exchange of resources, and talk of the next big build. Or worse, silence. Because Pearl had watched what silence meant.

Tonight was just like every other night. Pearl watched and waited for her subjects to fall asleep.

Crack. Something snapped behind her. Pearl whirled around, the fog clearing momentarily.

A rush of emotions overwhelmed Pearl. Joy, anger, relief, fear, and confusion all melded into one. Pearl knows it's Grian... Unless it wasn't. Her knowing wasn't always known.

Pearl ducked behind a tapestry of vines and watched. Scabbed, scratched hands with more nails lost than intact gripped her axe. Pearl forgot to clean the axe, Pearl realized.

. . .

Grian moved cautiously, the underbrush crackling beneath his feet. A rumor had brought him here, a whisper about Pearl's last sighting. Two months ago... oh, Pearl, where have you been? She was last seen entering the nearby woods clutching an axe. Nobody ever saw her come out. But the fact these were the woods nearest to Scott's base was not lost on Grian.

So Grian decided to take a trip to Scott's base. It was the tree that tipped him off. An oak tree by a birch forest, right behind Scott's base. Grian approached the tree. It was surrounded by a throng of bushes and vines. Grian took a step forward.

Grian didn't see the hole in the bushes. Not until he slipped.

"Good Notch!" Grian cried, cursing inwardly. Grian stumbled to his feet. He was in some kind of ditch. It was clearly not a naturally occurring ditch.

As he advanced deeper into the opening, a glimpse of something caught his eye: a hand, pale and stained red and black, just barely visible behind a curtain of tangled vines. He paused, listening, and heard a faint step - a stumble.

Cautiously, he approached, pushing the vines aside. They revealed another narrow crevice in the ground, dark and forbidding, it was quiet. But Grian knew what he'd heard.

"Pearl?" he called softly, trying to peer into the shadows.

A wild pair of eyes flashed back at him, bloodshot and filled with paranoia. The face was gaunt, skin stretched over bone, with dirty hair cascading over her shoulders. It was Pearl, but not as he remembered her. She was a shadow of her former self, wretched and broken.

"Grian?" she hissed, her voice raspy. Grian was willing to bet she hadn't used it in a long time. What on earth is she doing here!?

"It's me, Grian. Remember?" he replied, trying to keep his tone calm and reassuring.

Pearl squinted as if confirming it was really him. "Grian? How?" she croaked, suspicion evident in her tone.

Grian was thrown off. Suspicion wasn't what he'd expected.

"I came to find you, Pearl. I've been searching for so long." He crouched down to get closer to her level, offering a kind smile.

Pearl retreated a bit further into her crevice, her eyes darting around, trying to decipher if this was some sort of trap. Grian's blood ran cold. This wasn't Pearl. Who was she? Why was she in Pearl's body? "Just like you promised? I'm nothing. Just a shadow," she mumbled, half to herself.

Grian's heart ached to see her like this. "You're not a shadow, Pearl. You're my sister. And no matter how long it took, I was going to find you and bring you back."

She looked at him for a long while, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I'm scared, Grian. I'm - I'm not me. It... it changed me."

"What changed you, Pearl?"

Pearl said nothing, but Grian was aware that a little more of her spirit was present.

He nodded, understanding evident in his eyes. "We'll get out of here, Pearl. Together. We can go back."

Pearl nodded. Grian lifted his hand toward her, offering it. Pearl started to raise a shaking hand in return. Grian blinked.

Pearl went rigid. It was like a shock went through her body. Her body jerked twice and collapsed. She coughed once and then lay still - a trickle of blood flowing down her chin.

A/N: Guys... it's been a while. I hope this wakes you up. WiseWing77 Out o7