Revolution: Genesis (Published)

Chapter 29: The Art Of Grief

AZURA

One can never be ready to let go of someone. Human nature has always been the victim of this curse. You can never have enough time with someone to be content when they leave you. They always end up taking a part of your soul. Whether you bear it or not, they tear you apart and you're left with nothing but emptiness.
We're never really ourselves once they leave. There is this void which can never be filled and so the only way we can make ourselves feel better is by letting it out. That is why we cry. That is why we grieve; to make ourselves strong to pass each day forth without them.

*'*'*

Nothing mattered as my brother's head lolled against my shoulder. Both of us falling on our knees, I held him tightly as his arms hung on his sides. He was in my arms. I had him with me. Nothing else mattered. I wouldn't let it matter. I couldn't.

My eyes just shut as a tear escaped from one of them as I tried to feel my brother's heartbeat that kept fading, the breaths that stopped at each passing second, and the soul that left without a goodbye. There was no sound as my brother slipped from my hands.

Something turned off inside me that numbed my brain, my feelings, my thoughts, everything.

An ominous laugh boomed over our heads and I gripped my brother's shirt, clutching it in my palms. "Oh, it's nothing personal Azura. It's just that he was next in line for power after you die and so I decided to kill him beforehand. Efficiency is the key after all!" She laughed again. "Now I'll leave you with your loss." Her mock grieve didn't have any sort of effect on me. She simply disappeared after a while, registering that I wouldn't give the Shadow the satisfaction of a response.

I didn't know how long it had been. I didn't know how many cell phones had rung, I didn't know how many hours had passed, and how many wails echoed the woods but I was rooted. As if every bone in my body forgot how it worked and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't think, I couldn't understand what I heard, and I couldn't feel anything. I just had my brother in my arms and that was it.

"Azura..." A silent voice whispered next to my ear as a pair of hands gripped my shoulders. "We have to tell Mrs. Knight."

"Yes. Yes, tell her he's safe. He's with me, safe." Shakily, I nodded as I kept repeating those words. My brother was safe. He was in my arms, safe.

And then I was pulled up so that I could stand, but the weight of my brother on me was making it hard for that. Another pair of arms encircled around Max and started to pull them from me which made my stomach twist in turmoil.

"No!" I yelled, as I tightened around Max and kept him close. But he was being pulled away again. "No! Let me keep him safe!" I screamed and went along the pull; it made me stumble which ended up with us falling on the side, but I still held my brother close.

"Azura..." Rose whispered from the side and pulled. "Let go..." Those words only made me angry. How could she ask me to let go when I was finally relieved to have my brother with me? I was trying to keep him safe so what was their problem?

"No!" I shrugged off her hands on my shoulders and concentrated on keeping my brother close. I had my hand under the side of his head so it didn't hurt when we fell but he was being pulled away, which made his head slide form my palm and hit the ground.

"Stop! You're hurting him!" I gritted from my teeth as I was being pulled as well. It boiled my blood to see how my brother was being handled with no care, along with being taken away! I couldn't bear it.

"No! Stop! Let me go! Don't take him away!" I started thrashing as more than one pair of hands gripped different parts of my body so I would stop. But I couldn't. I couldn't let him go.