8:52 pm
Snow.
The world was covered in a vast expanse of sheer white. The beautiful snow, hanging off tree branches, falling from the sky in soft clumps, and encasing the ground in a blanket of shimmering white.
The sight was beautiful. Peaceful.
Gorgeous enough to make Azura simply stand and stare at the sight before her, the white such a contrast to the midnight blue of the night sky.
She let out a huff, making mist form in front of her mouth. She licked her lips and held her books closer to herself. She had lost track of time while reading near the hearth in the public library.
In fact, she probably would have remained there for hours to come, if not for the nice librarian who'd spotted her while closing up. He had graciously allowed her to take the books home to read, regardless of her being such a nuisance to him.
The cold was starting to chill her to the core, so she set off moving along the cobbled path.
She pulled out her cellphone and gasped at the time. It was five to nine! Her parents must be worried sick! She scrolled through her messages and found dozens of texts from her parents and brother alike, asking where she was.
Hastily typing out a quick message confirming she was safe and returning home, she set out on her way. She picked up her pace, but still stopped to admire the beauty of her town in the midst of winter.
Gazing at the pretty lights strung from tree to tree, and the warm glow cast on the snow by the streetlights, she let out a heavy breath, as a fond smile found its way to her lips. She breathed in the delicious fragrance of gingerbread and peppermint, of carols and bells, of Christmas nearing. It was a pleasant feeling, the excitement leading up to Christmas day.
She looked forward to it, to celebrating it with her family.
Lost in thought, her feet carried her away from the lit up street and towards a dark alleyway present a few meters away. She peered in and saw no end to the darkness. No light to show that the path led anywhere.
However, there was a sign pointing to it, saying that her own street- Crescent Lane- could be found at the end of it. Her eyes flashed with irritation as she realised that the trudge home using the normal route could take anywhere between five minutes and an hour. And a glance upwards at the rapidly falling snow was enough to make her consider the risky option.
She pursed her lips in thought.
On one hand, the alleyway was dark and looked pretty dangerous. Not to mention, she couldn't see another soul for miles. Everyone was bundled up in their own homes by their cozy fires. Like she could have been, had she paid any attention to the time.
"Stupid," she muttered to herself, tugging at the ends of her hair in a futile attempt to shake out the flaky white substance falling from the sky.
Despite the obvious risks, if this truly was a shortcut, as the sign led her to believe, then she could be home in about five minutes. Who knew; if she continued going the main route, she could find herself trapped in a blizzard. Or worse, she could end up getting grounded for getting home too late.
Besides, she had pepper spray in her purse and she could use her cellphone for light.
She pulled her jacket tighter around her body, trying to ease away the chill creeping up her spine. Deciding to risk it, she plunged into the darkness of the alley and switched on the flashlight in her phone.
Azura wearily pointed the light side to side, trying to illuminate her surroundings. The sides of the path were mostly covered with old junk, along with a stray cat or two.
She bit her lip in anxiousness as she continued.
And she almost cried with relief when the familiar lights of her street came into view at the end of the dark passage.
Around the midway point, her pace quickened till she was practically running towards her destination, leaping clumsily over dark silhouettes of objects in her path.
Until a loud rustle sounded from beside her. Alarmed, she pointed her light to her left.
And screamed.
A figure sat, alone and unblinkingly. A young man, who looked to be about her age.
His features were sharp, and his hair was so light, it almost matched the colour of the snow beneath her feet. His eyes, they were a frosty blue, but they were also... cold. Blank. He looked to be the very embodiment of winter itself, with hair as white as white could be, and eyes that looked like an endless abyss of ice. But despite his unusual beauty, he also looked...
Dead.
As if he felt no more joy. As if he knew for a fact the world was a cruel lonely place. As if he had to shoulder all the suffering and the burdens of the world himself.
As if he wanted to end it all.
And truly, that would be the case. For in his hand, was a gun, pointed squarely at his own temple.
And in that moment of sheer instinct and blind panic, Azura did what her mind was screaming at her to do. Her usually short-tempered persona flew out of the window as she found herself frantically moving towards him, in a desperate attempt to do something, anything, that could help.
She wasn't sure what came over her in that moment, but in her mind was the singular thought to get that gun away from him.
To stop him. To save him.
She dashed forward, her books and phone falling out of her grasp and onto the ground with soft thumps, casting the place in partial darkness once more.
Guided only by the light from the full moon, she launched herself onto the boy and pushed his arm away from his head a split second before the gun fired, making a loud gunshot echo through the silence of the night.
She yanked the gun away from him and held it behind her back, preventing him from grabbing it. He didn't even try to resist, as if he was too tired already.
Backing away slowly, she moved away from the boy, her eyes cautiously trained on his own, waiting for a reaction.
But after a few seconds of staring, he simply held his hand out, palm up, waiting expectantly for her to give the cold metal object back.
Alarmed, Azura's eyes widened, and holding the gun in front of her, she threw it as hard as she possibly could.
With one final glint, they both watched as the gun disappeared into the dark abyss of the night. He slumped in defeat as his seemingly last chance for salvation vanished from his sight.
Azura watched with sympathy in her eyes. She couldn't say she understood him, but she did feel a sort of pity for the poor guy in front of her.
In a gesture meant as both a kindness and an apology, she unwrapped the scarlet coloured cashmere scarf from her neck and wound it delicately around his.
His eyes widened, showing emotion for the first time. Surprise was etched across his features as he lightly fingered the soft material of the scarf.
"Hey," Azura said, unsure of how to continue.
He simply stared at her, nonchalant and uncaring. But his posture was rigid. Waiting. Expectant.
"Don't... Don't do that again. Please."
He raised an eyebrow.
Azura didn't quite know what to say. This was a completely surreal situation. And it was so unbearably awkward. But she had to try, for his sake.
"Please don't kill yourself. It isn't worth it," she pleaded.
He scoffed and his mouth quirked sardonically.
"You don't even know me." The first words he spoke.
"But I don't need to, to know that nobody, nobody has the right to simply throw their life away when countless others are fighting to keep it."
"Trust me, if your life was as miserable as mine was, you'd be trying to do the same."
His voice was soft, sweet.
"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean you should succumb to the temptation. If you think your life is as bad as can be, then surely it'll only be up from here. I promise you, you won't regret living your life."
She was getting desperate now. Trying to make him see reason.
"Why do you even care? I hardly know you," he muttered under his breath.
"I care, because you're human, just like me. And everyone deserves at least the chance to see how wonderful life can be before choosing to end it all."
She bit her lip. She wasn't even sure of what she was saying anymore. All she knew was that she had to save this boy in front of her. She wasn't sure why, but it just felt...
Right.
"Alright, how about I make you a deal. Give me ten days. Until Christmas, to give you ten reasons to not die, ten reasons to show you that life is worth living. If you can't do it for yourself, then do it for me. Please."
A long silence stretched between them.
Azura was staring at him, begging him silently to consider her offer. And he was staring at his hands, twisting his fingers between each other.
"Please," she tried again.
A few beats later, his voice sounded out.
"I suppose it will take me a while to figure out how to kill myself now, so.."
She frowned at that.
"Don't think that way. You should be looking forward, trying to move on. Giving up really never was, and never will be the answer to anything. You have to face your problems head on instead of running away from them. Imagine how much grief and sorrow you'll cause to the people who care about you."
He looked at her.
"Alright." It was almost a whisper, but she heard it. And it was enough to make her beam and hug him tightly.
He made it seem as if that was the reason he agreed. However, in reality, it was because he couldn't remember the last time someone cared. Cared enough to risk their own life to save his.
And though he would never admit it, there was a part of him which would be grateful to Azura forever.
Catching a hold of herself, Azura let go of him, still smiling wide.
"Thank you. I promise you won't regret this," she vowed solemnly.
"I sure hope so," he mumbled.
Rising to her feet, she held her mitten clad hand out.
"By the way, we still haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Azura."
He gave her a small nod in return. "Jordan."
"So, I suppose I'll be going now. I guess I'll see you tomorrow? Where do you live?"
As soon as she said it, she bit her lip at her insensitive question. Of course he didn't have a home.
"I'm sorry, I-"
His mouth tilted upwards, ever so slightly. More sarcastic than anything, but still a smile.
"That's alright. Here, there, anywhere, I guess. But I'll hang around where you can find me."
She smiled again, one last time before walking off.
Jordan got up, with every intention to go far away where she couldn't possibly find him. He didn't want to ruin her life like he ruined his own. A girl like that, she deserved a happiness that he couldn't possibly give to her, as much as he wanted to.
But all that stopped when she turned around and mouthed, "Thank you."
And that, combined with the genuine smile on her face, was enough to stop him in his tracks. She was trying so hard for him, he figured he owed it to her to at least return the favour.
Try.
And that meeting marked the beginning of something truly beautiful, as the stars twinkled and shone above them. The same stars which shone relentlessly every night without ever giving up.