Three Gangs and a Silver Sin

Chapter 79, The world, the world

About a hundred meters away, the jet starts moving forward.

"NOOOOOO!" I scream and keep running. "SEE ME! SEE ME!!!!" I beg.

But the jet continues forward, ignoring me.

Seeing that it's making a turn to head to the take-off strip, I dodge to the right and head straight towards where they will be going. I run with all my remaining strength just as the jet turns and heads straight to me.

If they don't see me, I'm going to die...

I stand in the middle of the take-off strip and wave my arms furiously. "SEE ME!" I scream and beg until I'm sure my focal cords are tearing. The jet races closer and closer to me and I don't feel like getting out of the way. 

"Please," I whisper.

Please, I beg the heart in my chest.

At the last second, the jet turns violently and misses me with inches - it speeds past me and I worry that it's going to take off anyway, but then it slows down and stops entirely. I try not to get my hopes up and stable Xavier's heart, but when I see the door to the jet open and Xavier Jilten walking out, I can't stop myself.

I start running towards him and when he sees me, he runs to me as well. 

With no idea where I'm getting the strength to still run through the rain, I storm towards Xavier. In a clash like lightning, we meet in the middle - I run right into him, but he's stable enough to catch me and not fall over.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Xavier demands.

I try catching my breath again. "You didn't tell me!" I cry out.

"Tell you what?" Xavier asks, but as he says it realization dawns upon him.

When I finally have enough breath, I stare Xavier right into his soul and say, "You gave me your heart... You literally gave me your heart and I've been the North's co-leader all this time and nobody told me anything and I hated you for so long while you were literally the one that kept me alive and risked your own life and I can't believe you we're so fucking selfless to not even tell me because you didn't want to make me feel trapped and oh my God, Xavier, I don't think your heart could possibly survive being away from you," I rant in panic.

"Marigold... this is why I didn't want you to know... Do you know how hard it is to leave you behind as it is?" Xavier asks with so many emotions swimming in those emerald eyes.

"Then don't," I say without thinking.

"What?" Xavier asks.

"Don't leave me. Don't marry Jane. Stay. Please, stay," I beg.

After all this time. After the boys begging me to stay with them, this is how it all turned out. I'm the one doing the begging. I guess it serves me right.

"I... Marigold... I can't," Xavier whispers.

My, Xavier's heart, breaks at the words.

"Please... Xavi, please. You're the only one that sees me. You're the only one that makes me feel alright with being broken and ruined. I'm begging you to forget about the South and Jane and just stay with me... I don't even have a heart to give you, Xavier Jilten, but I'm giving you my soul. All of it. Every bit of my soul belongs to you," I say.

Because hearts can stop and fade, but the soul is what remains.

Xavier actually has a tear slip out of his eye when he says, "Marigold... this world... Never mind that I would abandon the world. If Jane found out we are bound by blood, she would kill us both. She would kill us because I broke the promise to marry her... You don't understand how this works... She would have the right to kill us."