Maryanland, October 26, 2040, 12:47 PM.
A firm hand gripped my forearm, and it fucking hurt. No one tells you that throwing two jabs at someone's jaw will make your arm ache. The little mister here isn't helping my situation. My actions fueled the hate Noir had for me. But that doesn't matter anymore- I won big time.
"You ruined everything," he shouted.
I was too busy watching the countdown on the screen. Assuming it's the one the people outside are relying on to know when the passed-out ladies will press.
5
4
3
2
1
And? Nothing.
All became still, frozen with no movement. As if life didn't exist in this setting.
I gravitate my attention to the officials, soldiers, and presidents alike. All of which had expressions revolving around two big spectrums. Some were everything embodying shock, while the rest emitted fire with anger. Furrowed eyebrows and fuming eyes told me everything. The screens didn't allow sound to transfer, but if they did, I don't know what to press to grant me access to hearing them. But one can imagine the colorful vocabulary of the people outside. They're probably spewing every curse in the book at whoever's in here. Little do they know I'm doing the same to them.
"Yeah, that was the whole point, dumbass," I spat back at Noir. He's too busy calming his dropped adrenaline levels to pay me any attention. I hear him muttering reassurances to himself like they would bring his deary back. But anger clenched his fists, giving me a warning.
Even as a child, his anger started quietly, then got violent. So let me not stay here long enough to experience his violent outburst because I know damn well he'll take it out on me.
The mini time machine in my pocket can take me back to present Maryanland. But only after I stay to watch their reactions for a few. I didn't do all of this for me not to see after the fact.
You play stupid games; you win stupid prizes.
Dare I say I played a smart game and won a deserved prize?
While ignoring Noir, I shifted my gaze to the 'prisoners,' and to say they looked confused would be an understatement.
Children look up at their parents, asking questions I can't hear, but can imagine. Grown-ups were shedding tears because even they didn't expect this outcome. And couples holding hands tighter than before.
Flynn's eyes widened.
Ignoring the severity of the situation, I smiled, looking at him. This is what I wanted, for him to be shocked. I don't know what will happen after this, but at least they won't go somewhere they don't want to.
The hard part is over.
I did this for you, mainly for you. I care about nothing else other than seeing you content with those you cherish.
No one can fabricate a future with a useless past. That may not apply to all, but it at least applies to the officials, soldiers, and presidents here.
I have done what I came here to do as a new woman. I did what I could, and what I can't control or perfect is not my fault. There's only so much that one human can handle. I know I did my best, and that's all the reassurance I need to proceed. I'll be here, wherever that may be, to help Flynn in any world possible. What's left to do is hope we can find each other in better conditions someday.
Okay, that's enough people watching- I need to leave.
I need to get out of here; the women are waking up. Oh, and Noir might have started his angry phase. I can hear him pulling something out of his pocket.
With one last look at a semi-smiling Flynn, I shove my hand in my pocket, ready to press the button.
However, a pain shot through my abdomen, pausing any future actions. I was smiling one second and in pain the very next.
I look down to find the origin of the pain and notice a knife plunged into my abdomen.
Noir stabbed me.
My chest depleted me of oxygen, leaving me and my hazy perception. Confusion lingered throughout my moment of wonder before pain joined it.
Physical and mental pain.
Why did he stab me?
"You should know to never mess with me," he whispered in my right ear. His arm wraps around my shoulder, the other holding the knife in its place. Almost as if the idea of it leaving its spot scared him.
"You never know," he mutters, "I might cause a fatal wound." He emphasized his words by pushing the knife further into my abdomen. I scream at the pain I can't escape. My legs give up and drop, making me land in an astonished Noir's arms.
I was clinging to consciousness, not knowing whether to pull the knife out to end my suffering quicker or let it do its job protective job.
The arms holding me up did a great job of keeping me stable, and I stayed in tune long enough to hear Noir speaking before letting my eyes close.
"N-no, no, no, please, d-don't die."
Noir's voice grew distraught as he lowered us to the ground. I felt his hand that was previously holding the knife caress my cheek. My eyes pushed harder to stay open and succeeded. I watch Noir take a shaky breath while his hand trembles against my cheek. His eyes were wide open as he stared ahead. Deep thought swirled in them, captivating his attention.
I threw the fact that he was my assailant out the window and relished in how his growing panic made him look like the same Noir I knew as a kid. The friend who would protect me from anything. And for that reason, I asked him for help. I did it in the same way baby Azail did.
"It hurts, make it go away."
My voice came out strained, but he heard it. His eyes widen further, and his eyes shoot to mine. I know that at this moment, unexpected guilt hit him. But I have no time to dwell on that.
A glimmering tear makes its way down his cheek, he closes his eyes before shaking his head.
I'm hurt.
I know.
Stay awake, please.
I can't.
He shoves his hand in the same pocket that held the time machine, taking it out. Ignoring the questions thrown at him by the now-awoken women, he presses the button.
Maryanland, October 26, 2040, 12:59 PM.
It's funny how this spot has become where all of my life's craziest events happen.
I don't know if it was fortunate or unfortunate that I stayed awake on our short trip. Awake to feel the sharp edges of the knife in my body. Awake to feel the pain I've never felt before and can't describe. Noir, the gentleman he is, had rested me down in the same open field we had been watching moments ago. The one filled with anger and confusion. It now only has my injured self resting on its ground. Noir has disappeared, and that's a fantastic thing. Most shops were closed on Fridays, meaning there weren't many that could help me.
They tell you to keep the knife plunged into your body in place, but they also say to apply pressure to the stab wound. I'm confused about what to do, and even if I knew, I don't have the strength to do either.
So, I lie on the ground with my bleeding abdomen and eyes pointed at the sky.
It's embarrassing how easily I'm giving up right now. To the extent of not making me even try to get help. I never give up this fast, so why am I now?
Even I don't even have an answer to a question about my feelings and actions, or lack thereof. I'm no special being. I am an ordinary human, but I can feel all the mental and physical strength that helped me carry on with my life dissipate by the second. The same way a character with magical powers feels when their abilities get stripped away from them. Now I know how Maleficent felt when her wings got cut off. My wings were my drive to keep going. But I don't have the drive to keep my life going.
A minute or two passed at most, but time felt like it was going way too slow.
My limited number of visits here and all the hecticness surrounding them made me miss the sight of a direction pointer. Relying on it, I use it to find the north. I placed my hand on my abdomen to help ease the pain, but all I did was grace the knife with my shaking hands and shout from pain.
That didn't help, but at least the north faces directly ahead of me. Despite the grey clouds decorating the sky, I still try to find Polaris. I may not see it, but knowing it will always be there is a comforting thought. The slight aversion I grew toward astronomy never applied to that star for whatever reason. Its presence had always calmed me. Polaris is the only stable thing I can use to reassure myself.
The sound of sirens shifts my attention from the cloudy sky to the flashing lights. I feel my eyes blink to stay awake, but not fight it for much longer. Alas, I grant myself some peace and let my eyes close when I notice the paramedics hurry over to me.
They will save me, I hope.
Many a day later. Maryanland, November 01, 2040, 2:54 PM.
I don't know how long later that consciousness came back to me. However, I knew I regretted growing aware of my mind.
I wake up feeling the same ache I do when I miss Flynn. Except it targeted my parents, it made my chest and throat ache. I craved mama's slightest gentle caresses and baba's calm demeanor next to me more than anything. But I doubt they were here or if they asked around for any updates about me. Heck, they've probably forgotten they have a daughter altogether. My mind scrolling through images of our dysfunctional yet wholesome family didn't help the rising ache in my throat.
Even if our conversations were brief and excluded a lot of me talking, I missed us eating in our dining room. Even if my parents meant them as an insult, I missed their acknowledgments of my existence. I miss seeing them the most. I miss knowing I had parents who I could see every morning and night.
Sapphire and Lyaly became my family and have been since we became friends. But am I wrong for wanting the protective shelter of my parents?
I had yet to grow the sense in the rest of my body, but I felt my closed eyes watering. Before I knew it, I let out a soft sob as I felt my tears fall. I couldn't stop the tears or my sobs. They grew by the minute, and so did my sense for the rest of my body. Ignoring the abdominal pain caused by my movement, I continued to cry. My sobs turned into wails, and I felt like they did not have an end.
The sound of multiple feet coming into the supposed room I'm in registered in my ears, but I dismissed them.
"Her bpm is too high, she's conscious but won't get out of it."
Seconds later, I felt a cold flush enter my left arm.
Sedatives, how funny?
It is helping, though, so I cannot complain.
My rapid heart rate lowered, making it easier to breathe. Images of my parents still haven't disappeared, and I'm desperate to run away from them. My attempt at doing that scared the male nurse standing at my bedside as I shot my eyes open a long twenty minutes later.
He was taking my vitals when I noticed his forest-green eyes staring at the monitor above my head. He catches my gaze in seconds, looking frightened. Sorry, man.
A genuine smile made his otherwise tired face look downright wholesome.
"Welcome back, Azail," his voice, sounding softer than silk, greeted me.
A painful lump in my throat made speaking difficult, so I gave him a nod.
My previous episode felt half-forgotten. Distractions from my surroundings are my go-to escapism, so let's indulge in those for a little longer. My choice of one, for now, is the tall man next to me, speaking half a sentence a minute. Okay, that was dramatic. He talks at a relatively normal pace. He has a soft voice and a distinct love for enunciating every word in the English dictionary in a perfect sense.
Soft-spoken, over-enunciators like him are my people. His ginger beard and styled ginger hair are distracting, though. I attempt to pay attention to what he's saying.
"... you got here just in time. The gentleman that called the ambulance for you saved your life without even knowing. You've been sleeping for a while, so we expect your recovery to take a while too. The doctor will discuss further details with you once you're up and running, not literally. They'd fire me if I let you do that."
It hurt to laugh, but I still did. He's got jokes.
I give him two thumbs up this time and a smile in return, wanting to join in on the humor myself.
He chuckles, and I feel proud of making someone laugh, even in this condition.
"Hospital protocol says you can't have solid food now, like the 5-month-old you are. So, may I interest you with water, miss Polaris?" He says in a sing-song voice, presenting me with a cup of water. I clear my throat and try to sit up, but the sight of another nurse walking in distracts me.
Ah, of course, only a Polaris would joke this freely with me.
A woman around my height entered the room, rubbing at her protruding pregnant belly.
"I'm sorry, is his nonstop talking bothering you, honey?" If I thought the man had a soft voice, hers must be damn butter.
I smile and shake my head, watching her approach us. She raises the bed enough for me to sit up in a comfortable position. Adjusting the blanket that lowered as I sat up, she took the cup of water and brought it to my mouth. In all honesty, I couldn't help myself if I tried.
My right arm was sore, and they decorated my left with an IV, fingertip oxygen oximeter, and a blood pressure cuff.
In even more honesty, I enjoyed the rare event of being babied. In the wise words of a nurse that told me this as she wrapped me up in multiple blankets when I needed a blood test, we deserve to be babied once in a while.
The male nurse retreated, resting a hand on his heart with an offended look.
"Work with your sister, they said, it'll be good, they said," he joked, getting a glare from his sister.
I wouldn't mess with a pregnant woman if I were him.
Her eyes return to their kind glance once they point at me, "do you want more water, hun?"
I nod, wanting to drink a damn gallon of water because of my dry throat. After realizing I am all bark and no bite, I only drink about two cups, enough to regain the ability to speak.
"Thank you," I said to both nurses for their work.
They both smile and prove to me they're indeed siblings. Their smiles were so similar it creeped me out.
"You've had three daily visitors that never left this room. The gentleman with them told the remaining two to go freshen up at home. He's sitting outside if you want us to call him in. The other two, who we know as Sapphire and Lyaly, are the only ones on your emergency contact list, so we called them when you got here."
Who's outside?
A gentleman? Who? Because it certainly isn't the one who was the reason for me being here. I scoffed in my head, and he dared to stab me, then call first responders. What a pathetic attempt at murder.
He looked distressed after he realized his actions. Maybe he regretted it as soon as he did it. He's like a serious version of Anna. She says she'll follow through with her threats, but she doesn't, while Noir does. Whatever, because they both seem to have left me alone.
الله يهديهم
May God calm them down.
I'm still perplexed about my alleged visitor, though. No one gives enough of a fuck about me more than Sapphire and Lyaly. Well, Flynn, but he's not here.
Haha, what a way to cope with it.
For someone who teaches people healthy ways to cope with things, you sure didn't do what your notes say, Azail.
"Uh, yeah, sure, let him in," I mutter, unsure but excited.
Both nurses exit after performing the final touches to their routine. My visitor entered seconds later, and nothing could have prepared me for that.
Ronan?
"Ronan?" I exclaim, sounding as surprised as I feel.
The familiar man walks in with a smile upon seeing me.
"I'm glad you're up, Miss Suhayl. Sorry, Lyaly and Sapphire aren't here, I sent them home so they could clean up and get some decent food. They'll be back soon, I promise." The worry in his voice was endearing- what a genuine guy. I'm glad he's the one for Lyaly for now or for the long run.
I shake my head, smiling, "it's fine, all guests are welcome," except for Noir.
"I'm glad you did, knowing them, I can guess that they never left this room, did they?" Ronan shook his head, answering my question.
"No, they never did. It took me all the power I have to convince them to leave."
I smile, looking at my hands, "that's Sapphire and Lyaly for you, the most caring people ever."
My smiley expression turned stern as I remembered a discussion between Sapphire and I had not too long ago. My strict eyes point at Ronan as I try to deliver my words as gently as possible.
"Listen, Ronan, from what I've seen and heard, you're a great guy. Please don't take it to heart when I say this. But I hope you know the list of warnings Sapphire and I have for you. Need I list them?" I raise an eyebrow, anticipating his answer. Ronan thought for a moment before saying a confident no.
"No, you don't, I know all my warnings," he assured, "Lyaly is as precious to me as she is to you both." Well said, A plus. My satisfied smile must've given him the blessing he seemed to desire.
"Since she's the youngest and considering her sensitive history with past lovers and family, we don't mess around with how much we protect her. She can hold her own and then some, but there's nothing wrong with having a backbone from others. I hope you know what I mean."
Ronan smiled, eyes glistening with happiness. Either from how well this conversation is going or because he knows we provide the same love and care he does for our Lyly.
Before he could finish his thank you speech, I heard a scream from the end of the hall, where I assumed the main desk was.
The door flung open seconds later, presenting my distressed-looking friends. Both with tears in their eyes, and I smile to reassure them about my well-being. They don't have to know I'm in pain.
Sapphire approached me first, knowing they can't hug me. They wrap their arms around my shoulders, resting my head on their shoulder. I don't complain as I feel their hand running through my hair, comforting both of us.
"I swear I'm never letting you leave my sight ever again. Every time I do, you get hurt. Fuck that, you're on witness protection by me."
"Me too," a wobbling voice said. Awww, they melt my heart.
I nod, agreeing- I don't think my body can handle any more near-fatal accidents.
"Yes ma'am," I affirmed.
"Sorry we took too long, Sapphire was too busy flirting with the nurse to care about their injured friend," Lyaly said to Ronan and me, glaring at Sapphire as a joke.
My eyebrows raise in surprise, looking at Sapphire with a newfound brightness in my eyes. "And? Did you succeed?" I asked, begging for a positive answer.
Sapphire, the flirt they are, smirked. They knew I didn't need verbal confirmation, but I appreciated it regardless.
"Let's say that I have a cute new contact added on my phone that says Anya with a white heart next to it."
"Good job," I giggled, "tell me when you upgrade to red hearts, I'm invested."
They give an indifferent shrug, "hey, she added the heart, not me. My red nails proved the theory, even for a woman."
"Look at you proving theories further, my little scientist." Lyaly took her revenge after all these years and cleared the room just so she could pinch Sapphire's cheeks. Sapphire pinches her cheeks back, and it would have almost turned into a competition if Ronan hadn't mentioned food. That caught the attention of all three of us.
I look around the room, registering my surroundings, registering how at peace I feel, despite the mess I have yet to clean up.