Swan Song || The Lost Boys - & The One Who Found Them...

Chapter XI ~ i ( Isa ) Part II - Frozen Among The Flames

Taking in the stunning picture I forgot the blazing pain in my shoulder for the moment being, rolling on my back to get a better look.
Doing so I noticed that I was wrapped in one of my white satin blankets from my chest down much like a cocoon.

" You are still here... "

A few more seconds passed before he pulled his eyes away from the starlit firmament & aimed them at me.
" I wanted to make sure you would wake up again~
You were asleep for almost three hours. "

" What time is it now? "

" It's two in the morning. "

In the distance the call of an owl echoed through the night, carried away from the source & over to us by the winds. The rain's soothing pitter-patter soon grew fainter as they pushed the rain clouds eastwards, farther into the land.

" ... How long did it take for you to turn back again? I mean... into your human self... "

Dwayne's gaze drifted back outside again, his hair dancing in the incoming breeze.

" It happened shortly after you passed out . When your heartbeat became slower & quieter... & for some reason the sudden fear that it would stop beating entirely began to settle inside of me.

Had I continued to drink regardless, it would have stopped without a doubt. But the moment your body grew lifeless in my arms & your breathing slowed down, suddenly... my fear was much stronger than my thirst for blood... "

I watched as his head dropped forward in utter shame & guilt, a long sigh stirring the air that surrounded him.

" I had nearly forgotten what being afraid feels like... but in that one moment, I remembered. I remembered it so clearly... "

" Dwayne... "

Placing a palm on the band-aid to prevent the wound from getting strained I sat up on the bed, or at least so was my intention, but the pain would instantly cause me to freeze mid-moving & drop back onto the bed again, a breathy 'som bare faen!' echoing through the room.
Cursing in my native tongue felt kind of empowering...

" I told you to take it easy, Lily ~ "

" I'm fine... ", I mumbled, wincing once more before eventually lying down in defeat.

" Thank you... for taking care of me when I couldn't... "

" Don't thank me for such a simple thing.
What you have done was much greater & much more significant... but it shouldn't have happened... None of it. "

" It was an accident, Dwayne... Neither of us saw this coming ~ " Pulling the blanket around my body just a little higher I rested my head on one of the small cushions that lay scattered all over my bed.
" You trusted me, just like I asked you to, & we both managed to make the best of a pretty dire situation... "

" No. You did. "
He raised his chin back towards the night sky where dilated pupils scanned the blackness that stretched from one corner to the other with great eagerness, a subdued tremor in his voice as he spoke.

" I was nothing but a slave to my fate & the curse it has brought upon me. Perhaps you are still not fully aware of this, but I could have killed you, Lily... "

" And yet you didn't! It's something I already knew beforehand..! I knew that you wouldn't hurt me. I knew it the whole time, do you understand that?
... That's why I did what I did. "

I grabbed the corner of my bed to pull myself closer to the edge, sliding across the satin sheets with little to no effort thanks to the blanket around my naked frame.