𝔐𝔞𝔭𝔩𝔢

CHAPTER 9

Maple went to bed on cloud 9. Her fourth painting was the most intimate of them all. She anticipated how she was going to paint it during the weeks that would follow. How she would start with a beautiful rose gold sky with peachy-pink clouds. Between those clouds she'll paint a contrasting blue cloud that floated at the centre of it all. The same slender, elegant figures on top it but this time they switched sides. The faceless girl with the inky black hair that sprawled and floated lay underneath the boy whose body glistened and shone like he was a god. His golden hair burned bright as the sun's rays shun directly over him and haloed round his head as cherry blossom leaves circled round him as well. The sun cast the boys shadow over the girl as red roses bloomed around her and through her inky hair. Indigo ripples formed round the cloud they laid on making the sky below them look like a shining puddle of clear pink water as the pink sky reflected round them. Familiar golden sparks fluttered through the breeze.

As Maple drifted off to sleep, she felt nothing but peace as cherry blossoms filled her mind.

But all that was suddenly disrupted by the sound of her phone ringing causing brown spikes to pierce through her blossomed dream.

Grudgingly picking it up she placed her device near her face and sleepily said. "Hello this is M-"

"MAPLE!" The piercing pink sound of Throin's voice rang alarms through her body and she quickly sat up.

"Thorin what's wrong?" Her voice was now breathless and pink pants clouded her vision.

"I have to leave.' His words shattered through the ear and she felt like a hand was squeezing her chest.

"What? When?"

"Today, now!" She glanced over at the clock that ticked 3am.

"Why, what's happening?" The hand around her heart squeezing tighter.

"They found something...something in Spain...I have to go...I just got off the phone with them, you're the first person I called."

His words panted through the phone and wrapped round her heart and she felt more tightness in her chest.

"Well...when would you be back." Anticipation ribboned through her turquoise words and her hands started to sweat. She could feel her tightly beating heart in her throat.

"It...it could...about a year Maple."

The tightness finally shattered her heart and she could hear it crumble with his words.

"A..a year." She could feel tears build up in her eyes.

Silence was heard on both ends of the line.

"Maple...maple, maple, maple, maple." He whispered through, and with each pant, a pink haze clouded her mind and tears broke free.

"Thorin...Throin....thorin" She whimpered.

More silence

"Maple...meet me at the airport."

At his words she quickly rushed out bed and ran towards Donovan's room. Tears still streaming down her eyes.

"I'm coming Thorin, wait for me." She whisper-yelled through tears.

"I will baby...I will." The line went dead as she barged into Donovan's room.

"What the-" Tina yelled but Maple cut him off.

"We need to get to the airport now!!"

Donovan jumped out of the bed. "Why?"

"Thorin! He's...he's leaving Donovan!"