Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Besides you, I’ve only really tried hard to get one of the others out,” Areli said, rubbing the scars on his forehead. “Her name was Lain,” he said. “Her real name, that is. Alice told her that her name was “Kallie,” but she had grown lazy with confidence in her memory erasing abilities. She has two ways of taking memories. She either covers them with a veil--or wipes them--or she strips them completely, the latter much more painful.”
“That’s a pretty name....” Sharon said, a feeble smile on her lips.
Areli made a face, and laughed, his eyes wrinkling up at their corners.
“What?” Sharon raised her voice. “Aer!” she exclaimed, not realizing she had given him a nickname until it was too late.
Areli’s laugh cut off as he threw her a blank stare. “What? Aer?”
“’S-‘s-‘s just a nickname!” Sharon slurred.
“’S fine,” Areli smiled, flicking her forehead, making her squeak. “We’re getting off topic, now look, Jakko started the killings. If he hadn’t gotten involved, those girls wouldn’t have died.”
“What do you mean?” Sharon asked. “Would getting involved keep them alive longer?”
“Well every person has a dark side, whether they want to admit it or not,” Areli said, his brow furrowing, the scars on his forehead stretching out gruesomely. “Hell, I’ll admit I’m not the best person,” he said. “I tried to strangle you, I don’t know what came over me.... I didn’t want you to suffer, but....”
“But what?” Sharon asked, rubbing her forehead, a scowl on her face.
“I really did try to kill you,” Areli said, holding up a careful hand, tenderly touching the sides of her neck, where yellow-blue bruises were forming, and coming from his hands. “I didn’t want Jakko to be the one to do it again,” he said. “I didn’t want Alice to do it either.”
“Why? Why would you want to kill me Areli?” Sharon asked, grabbing his hand in hers and holding it to her cheek.
“I didn’t want to, I don’t, but you don’t know what Alice would do if she got her hands on you. Whatever you think she might do, it’s a hundred times worse than that, you can’t even fathom what she’ll do,” he said, closing his eyes, unable to look at her face, one he would recognize anywhere, even though he had known her only for a while, though it seemed he had known her all his life.
“So... you’re saying you’re trying to kill me because you don’t want anyone else to?” Sharon asked.
“Exactly,” Areli nodded, surprised she seemed to understand, but then realizing how bad he must have just sounded.
“If you didn’t want him to kill me, then why dump me on him and run off?” she asked.
“Because I knew he wouldn’t kill you then. He couldn’t, and I don’t think he can for a while,” Areli said.
“Now that’s just messed up,” she frowned, freeing his hand and turning her face away, only making the forming bruises more visible to Areli when he opened his eyes to steal a glance at her face, only worsening his guilt.
“Sharon, no, you don’t know Jak like I do, he’s not a good person,” Areli said. “I’m not either, but he... he changes. Alice has more control over him than she does over me, okay? Look, I want you to stay away from him, do you understand?” he turned her face towards him, meeting her eyes, instantly becoming lost in them.
“Then tell me how Jak is,” Sharon huffed, crossing her arms, averting her gaze, staring at a spot on the ceiling--again. “How bad of a person is he really?”
“Well first of all, he was the first one to be let out by Alice, meaning she was content with him,” Areli counted off his fingers. “The first few of the twelve, he killed personally, on Alice’s request. I saw one of the killings you know, it was.... Nothing you’d want to hear so much about that you get a visual. It was gruesome, and wrong, and he was laughing the whole time,” Areli said. “Is that enough? Killing and enjoying it? Messed up enough for you?”
“You were trying to kill me, too,” Sharon reminded him.
“But I didn’t want to, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to keep you safe, so I at least wanted to do it myself,” Areli said. “Please understand, I would never wish anything ill upon you Sharon,” he said, half wishing she would meet his eyes, but most wishing she never would again.
“I don’t think either of you are particularly bad people,” Sharon said. “Hell, you’re both idiots sometimes, but... I know you’re not all bad, nobody is,” she said, sighing and shifting her gaze to the wall. An improvement.
“Aer,” Sharon lowered her voice. “Would you rather I die than suffer? The thought is sweet, albeit messed up in a way, but.... I’d rather be here fighting than lying dead in a bag somewhere,” she said. “And there’s something I have to do, as well.”
“Sharon....” Areli took her face in his hands, tracing her freckles with his thumbs, watching her cheeks become tinged with a slight pinkness as she met his eyes again.
Time seemed to pass in slow motion. He watched her part her lips; to call his name perhaps, and he leaned forward, catching her lips in his, with no intention to let her go any time soon.
She was not leaving, though she may be afraid and confused. She had a right to do what she wanted, and he felt the responsibility to keep her safe, but, even if it was just for a little while, he would enjoy a quiet moment with her, even if it was the quiet before the storm. They could ride it out, he knew it.
“Aer,” Sharon muttered as he tangled his fingers in her short blonde curls, pulling her closer. She had something to do, as did he, and there were no questions asked there. That was his rule; if it’s to be done, then do it.
“Sharon, don’t go back to Jak any more,” he said. “I’ll shackle you to me if it’s what I have to do to keep you by my side. You need to do something, and I’ll be sure you get to do it,” he said.
“I’ve had people confess to me before,” Sharon muttered, flushing when Areli frowned, his right ear twitching in annoyance. “D-Don’t worry, I said no!” she shook her head furiously, having forgotten his hands were in her hair, squeaking when she felt the sudden yank.
“But that takes the cake of creepy confessions, if that was one.... Was it?”
“Maybe it was,” Areli smirked. “What other kinds of “creepy” confessions have you had?” he asked. “You have piqued my interest.”
“Well, there’s this one guy who kept leaving bathing suits in my locker. I don’t know what was worse, him getting my size right, or him getting into my locker....” Sharon shook off the memory.
“When this is all over, I’ll have to do something like that,” Areli said with a straight face. “I’ll get the right size and everything,” he said.
“W-What?” Sharon flushed. Areli could feel the head in her cheeks through his hands, and he leaned in, resting his forehead against hers, chuckling.
“Well I might not do that,” he said. “But I do intend on getting out of here, and keeping you in one piece. And I need to make up for dropping you, don’t I?”
“W-What? Geez Aer, one step at a time,” she made a face.
“Nah,” he shook his head, kissing the tip of her nose. “I don’t wanna,” he said. “I’m going to stop running away,” he said. “Shar-bear,” he said smugly.
“Areli!” Sharon exclaimed. “No nicknames! I don’t like them!”
“I think Shar-bear is cute,” Areli stuck his tongue out at her. “Oh yeah, and I’m not sharing,” he added, hugging her close.
“Idiot,” Sharon grumbled, resting her chin on his shoulder, putting her arms around his neck and closing her eyes.
Areli did not feel like responding. He did not want to ruin the moment or anything, not that he was afraid to. He was content for the time being just sitting there with her in his arms, and he wanted to enjoy the time they had before the looming storm.
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here's another chapter for you wonderful readers :) thanks for keeping up with Falling Up ^^ here's a nice cheesy scene before something wonderfully delightful involving Alice and a chair.... I won't say exactly what yet, but there's more to look forward to... I hope :P
so up next (soon I hope) some Rainer stuff, with a side of Lily and Albus, the white knight ^^
thanks for reading, all comments are appreciated ^^ so comment, vote and fan :)
greetz,
steph