Stella and Tristan were stuck in a cold garage with Max. Clouds were covering the stars, making the night pitch dark and there was only a small, flickering light shining above them. There were no neighbours as far the eye could see, nor near enough to hear them scream.
"I didn't mean to spy," Max said while slowly getting up from the floor. Stella and Tristan were standing in front of him. They were holding hands, terrified of what Max was going to say. "Your phone buzzed when you weren't there. I was only going to bring it to you, but then I saw who the text was from. I couldn't resist looking. I had no other choice. I went through your phone and found everything. I mean, everything. All the text about how much you long to get away from here. To get away from me!" Max's voice was hurt and angry. "Do you understand how that feels for me?! It's fucking heartbreaking."
Stella was terrified of Max on the same time that she wanted to comfort him. He deserved better. Just like the first time she met Tristan, she wanted to hug Max and tell him that everything was going to be okay.
"I'm sorry Max," Tristan said with a soft and shameful voice, "I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you, I promise. I just didn't know how. I didn't have the guts to tell you. I'll never leave you, just this home. It's not good for me... it's not good for us."
"Everything was going to be okay. I was going to fix everything. My life would have been good if it wasn't because of the fucking Dives family."
"It's not Stella's fault and it's not Ben's fault. We were born into misery. If it wasn't because of you, I would be dead. I know that. I remember you taking the blame for my mistakes and being beaten for it. I remember hearing your stomach growl from starvation while you gave me your food and saying you weren't hungry. I remember you taking care of me when I was sick, helping me with my homework and teaching me right from wrong. I remember it all and I know I owe you everything. But this is wrong, you know that. This is not you. It's all gone out of control. You need professional help. We can fix this, together. Okay? But you need to let us go."
The silence laid heavy. Max stood still in front of them and let the words sink in. Stella could see her reflection in his watery eyes. She carefully clinched the hand holding Tristan's as a sign of support.
"I love Tristan," Stella whispered to Max, "and I'm very thankful for everything you've done for him." He didn't answer. Stella took it as a good sign and continued with a more stable voice. "I know I can't take your place and I'm not trying to. Instead of losing a brother, you're getting a friend. I'll be good to Tristan, I promise."
Just like with with wild animals, Stella and Tristan were afraid to move in case any quick movements would startle Max and make him attack. After a few seconds of silence, which felt like an eternity, Stella slowly turned to Tristan and gave him a questioning look. He smiled and nodded reassuring.
They let go off each other's hands and turned around to go to the car. Stella's heart was racing. Each small step felt like felt like a huge victory.
All of the sudden, when Stella only had four more steps to the car, Max screamed. She turned around and saw him launch towards her, holding the same rusty knife that Tristan used to cut off her ties.
Before she had time to react, Tristan threw himself in front of her. The knife cut into his soft flesh. He screamed and fell into Stella's arms. She wasn't strong enough to hold him up, so they fell to the ground together. Blood was pumping from the knife wound. More than blood than she had ever seen before.
Max dropped the knife and fell to his knees. His eyes were big and mouth open in disbelief.
"I'm sorry," Max whispered over and over again.
It felt as if the knife hit Stella. Her body was physically aching with sorrow, but she knew she had to act fast to save Tristan's life. She ripped off a piece of her dress and pushed it against the wound to stop the bleeding. The fabric quickly became red.
"Look at me," Stella told Tristan. She didn't want him to see all of the blood. He looked scared, she was as well, but she didn't want him to know that. "You will be okay, I promise you, but I need your help. Put your hand here and keep the pressure on."
"Let me help," Max said and crawled towards them.
Without thinking, Stella grabbed a wrench lying on the floor and slammed it across his face. The adrenalin gave her powers that she didn't know she had. The wrench hit Max's head with a loud bang that echoed through the night and he fell to the ground. He was unconscious, maybe dead. Stella didn't have time to care about him, she had to focus on Tristan.
She carefully moved Tristan from her knee and crawled up to Max's unconscious body. She searched through his pockets until she finally found her phone. She had several messages and missed calls from Jasper. She ignored them and called 911 with shaking hands covered with blood and dirt. While the phone rang she made her way back to Tristan and caressed his head. She forced a smile, anything to calm him down. He smiled, but she saw that he was struggling.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"Help, I need help. Tristan's bleeding, he's been cut. He's losing a lot of blood. His brother cut him. Please, we need help."
"Calm down? How has he been cut?"
"His brother cut him with a knife in the chest. We need help!"
"Where is the brother now? Are you safe?"
"Yes. He's unconscious on the floor in front of me. I hit him."
"I'm sending an ambulance immediately. Where are you?"
Stella looked at Tristan and asked the same.
"Where are we?"
"The lighthouse," Tristan answered, "tell them to come to the lighthouse."
"No Tristan, they need to come here. What's the address?" Tristan closed his eyes and didn't answer. Panic hit Stella. All she knew was that she couldn't just sit and watch him die. "We'll meet you at the old lighthouse. Do you know where that is?"
"Yes mam. Please don't hang up until the ambulance have arrived."
Stella did as she was told and didn't hang up the call, but she put the phone in Tristan's pocket to free her hands.
"Tristan," Stella said and carefully caressed his cheek, "look at me Tristan. I need your help." He opened his eyes. "We need to get to the car, but I can't carry you myself, I need your help. Okay?" Tristan nodded. "Remember to keep pressure on the wound."
She put his arm around her neck and screamed from the gut as she pulled him up from the bloody floor. He helped as much as he could, but he barely had any powers left in him. Every step was a struggle, but Stella managed to get him to the front seat.
The key, as always, was in the engine. Stella strapped on her seatbelt and took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. She had only driven a few times before, and only with Tristan guiding her. Although he was barely awake, Tristan still noticed that she was worried and said:
"You got this. Just be calm. Remember - clutch, break and gas."
"I need you to show me the way to the lighthouse," Stella said, realising that if Tristan dozed off she would be lost. "The ambulance will meet us there. Please be strong."
Tristan nodded. She pushed down the clutch and the brake, after which she turned around the key. The engine roared, but then died.
"Don't worry. You know old Betty, she's a bit tired. Put the gear in neutral and when you turn around the key, instead of pushing down the brake, pump the gas."
Stella felt like breaking down, but instead she nodded with a smile and tried again. Tristan was strong for her, so she wanted to be strong for him. This time the engine came alive and the car started roaring. Stella exhaled with relief and put the gear in one. The car started rolling and she steered the it out of the garage without hitting Max's body.
The lighthouse was only a short ride away. Tristan kept awake and was able to show Stella the way. She sat on needles the entire way, terrified of missing a turn, but she didn't. When they finally reached the lighthouse it felt like everything was going to be okay.
"Let's go out," Tristan said when Stella turned off the car, "I want to see the stars."
"That's not a good idea," Stella said while catching her breath. She stroked his cheek, put pressure on the wound and gently kissed his lips. "We'll come back when you're stronger."
"Please?"
"I promise we'll come back."
Tristan didn't listen to Stella. He opened the door and fell out of the car. She shrieked. It was obvious that if she tried to stop him, it would only be worse. She got out of the car and helped him out. Together they struggled their way to their usual spot.
Tristan laid in Stella's knee. They were at the same spot that they danced the day before. The stars shed a soft light over them.
"I love you," Tristan said with a soft voice and looked into Stella's eyes. It felt like he saw her soul. "I've loved you since the first time I saw you."
"I love you too."
"Can you promise me one thing?"
Stella couldn't keep it together anymore. Tears started pouring down her face. It started to feel like a goodbye, which terrified the police.
"Anything," Stella answered with a cracked voice.
"Please don't forget me. Even if it's just in your dreams, please remember me. Remember all the times we laughed, kissed and all the plans we had for the future."
"Please don't leave me," Stella begged, "I can't live without you. You're my soulmate."
"I'm so thankful for you. You've shown me love."
"Don't talk like that. I refuse to say goodbye. You can't leave me."
The piece of fabric pushed against the wound didn't seem to do any good. Tristan's t-shirt was drenched in blood.
"You look so beautiful. Like an angel."
Stella kissed Tristan. She wished she could take his place, she would do anything for him, but she was helpless.
"You are strong. It will all be good, okay?"
"We were so close, weren't we? I can't believe we almost made it. I hope heaven is just like the future we fantasised about. You, me and Winston living in a small cottage by the water with our two children. You working as a teacher and me as a police officer." Tristan coughed. "I've thought about names for our children. If we would have gotten a girl, I think Evi would be nice, after your grandma."
"What if we get a boy?"
"Max. I owe him everything. He's my hero. Please be kind to him. This is not like him. I know he didn't mean to hurt me or you. I don't want him to have a bad conscious. Can you please tell him I forgive him and that I love him?"
The sound of sirens echoed through the forest. They were getting closer at a fast pace.
"Listen Tristan. The ambulance is soon here. It will all be good. As soon as you get better we'll move to the cottage, just you and me, and you can talk to Max yourself."
"I love you with all of my heart."
The ambulance pulled up behind them.
"I love you more than words can describe."
The ambulance crew came and pulled Stella away from Tristan. She screamed and tried to get free. She wanted to be near him. She needed to be near him. She was afraid that if she looked away, she might never get to see him again.