The Ring

Chapter 40

        "No, I don't." he says, biting his lip, but eventually he sighs and reluctantly lets me go. I slowly look over my friends, making eye contact with each of them, looking for encouragement. They all put on smiles, but behind the forced smiles there was nervousness and fear. 

        "It'll be ok, guys. This...this will work." I mutter, trying to convince myself more than them. They all nod slowly in agreement and I take a breath. I turn on my heels and slowly approach the stump of the once great tree. Once I'm about three feet from it, I feel something vibrating in my hand. I stop and look at my hand with furrowed brows. My ring was shaking slightly, and the diamond had a soft glow to it. I tighten my grip on it and take three more steps toward the tree, resulting in the ring shaking more violently and glowing even brighter. I look at Peter over my shoulders, suddenly scared. 

        "it's alright, I'm right here." He says calmly, but nods for me to continue walking.

        I turn back to face the stump. It appeared to be smoking again. I blink a few times and jump back, checking for flames. "Did you guys see that?" I ask with wide eyes. 

        "Yes. Try again, Aashi." There was an edge to Jaz's tone of voice that made me want to get this over with. I bite my lip, grip the ring so hard my knuckles turn white, and run to the stump. Before I can bend down to place the ring on the stump, it's magically ripped from my hand. I see a flash of white before my world turns black yet again.

        Honey, flowers, bread. The smells are the first thing I notice as I begin to gain consciousness.

        The noise pulls me back to wakefullness a little more. A waterfall nearby, birds chirping, a sft humming, and voices all around me.

        Waterfall? Birds? "Where am I?" My brain decided to have me voice my question rather than think it to myself.

        "Addie, you did it." 

        "Huh?" I could hear Peter's voice, but it seemed far away.

        "You did it, you healed the Hollow." His lips meet mine, and just like any other cliche fairy tale, it does the trick. I open my eyes and focus on his face. It takes me a few seconds to process what he's told me and I gasp, sitting straight up. My heart skips a beat, but in the best possible way. 

        I was laying under the biggest tree I'd ever seen in my life. So tall and wide it was, it put redwoods to shame. But this tree was alive. Every few inches there were small holes that released a golden light and faires flew in and out of the tree with ease. I take Peter's hand and stand up. My breath catches as I take in my surroundings. Adajcent to the tree was the waterfal I had heard, except this waterfall wasn't actually made up of water. It was pure pixie dust and it illuminated the entire Hollow along with the help of moonlight.

        Fairy houses littered the ground, but in a very organized way.  Everything from tiny mushrooms to logs, to rocks served as homes for these tiny creatures. 

        Without warming, Peter wraps an arm around my waist and lifts me into the air, high above the tree. "Oh wow." I whisper. The Hollow stretched out for miles! From above, all of the pixie dust and lights made it resemble a large city, such as New York. But rather than people yelling and cars honking, the air was filled with that peaceful hum of fairy wings fluttering rapidly. It was soothing, yet energizing. I knew if I wanted to, I could be lulled to sleep by the sound, but the other part of me wanted to smile for no reason and dance without a care. It was truly beautiful.

        "I thought I'd seen it all." I smile and look over at Peter, who was already beaming proudly at me. "Words cannot descirbe this beauty, Peter."

        "It's very Addie, don't you think?" He smirls teasingly. 

        I laugh and  roll my eyes, resting my head on his shoulder as we remain floating in mid-air. "You can't compare this to me. This is, without a doubt, the single most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

        "Not me." He smiles seriously now, his eyes filled with more passion and love than I thought possible. "I'm looking at my most beautiful treasure right now." He whispers, resting his forehead against mine.

        "Peter..." I whisper, at a lost for words.

        He doesn't wait another second. His lips crash aginst mine, but in the softest way possible. It seems that every time we kiss the same thing runs through my head- this is the best kiss we've shared. But this time, I really felt it. All of the passion, love, and lust was there as usual, but I felt the tingles run through to my toes and back up again. This kiss was both a beginning and an end. A goodbye and a hello. A goodbye to our struggles of these past few months. A goodbye to all the pain, fear, hurt, mourning, and sadness we've endured. A goodbye to the dangers we faced. 

        But the hello is much more imortant. This kiss, this moment of pure, innocent love, was a hello to our future. A future which I knew would consist of more heartbreak and danger, but it was also a future that would ultimately result in our happiness and triumph. 

        "I love you, with all my heart." He whispers against my lips, barely breaking the kiss.

        "I love you too"