*Cora*
Dark didn't even begin to cover it. As soon as I felt Toro throw me, I knew I needed as much breath as possible and to keep my eyes shut no matter what. Theo was coming, I knew, but it wasn't going to be fast.
I heard the splash above me as I waited in the void of water under the dock and then a muffled scream of my name came shortly after. I couldn't yell back for fear of breath, but I made as much sound with my mouth closed as possible and luckily it worked, and I felt his hands on me. They cupped my cheek before tracing down my body to my feet where I could feel the ropes digging in as my body tried to float and the blocks didn't.
E's fingers traced the ropes for a second before his hands were back on my cheeks and I felt his lips touch mine briefly before he was gone.
Darkness once again pressed in around me as I realized this could be it. I might die right here, right now. In the dark, in the water under a dock somewhere off the shore of LA. Somehow, it didn't feel quite real. Sure, I felt the water and the air expiring in my lungs, but it was distant from me. It was like I was watching it in a movie. I could picture myself in the water, hair floating everywhere, cheeks puffed out with air, saltwater stinging the cuts from my earlier beating, but it wasn't really me.
I floated, every now and then swaying with the waves that were crashing against the deck above.
I contemplated letting the unconsciousness that's been constantly hovering in the back of my mind thanks to Dante take over again but decided against it. If I really was going to die right now, I was going to do it with Theo with me. All I had to do was wait just a little longer and he'd be back.
I was proven right as just a few moments later I once again felt his hand on my shoulder. I felt him grab my hand and gently press something cold and metal against it. I felt a sharp edge and suddenly everything was right in front of me again. I didn't feel distant from myself anymore, I could feel the stale air in my lungs starting to burn and the ropes digging in painfully and the salt invading my many cuts. Somehow all the pain made me even happier. I knew that as long as I was in pain, I was still alive.
For now.
As I felt the knife against my fingers, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I was going to get out of this.
I pulled my hand away from the knife and pushed him down as best as I could, hoping he got the message to just cut the damn ropes already.
I felt the water shift in front of me as he sunk to my feet and within seconds, I felt my left foot be freed from its block, then the right, and I was floating up.
Theo's arm wrapped around my waist and he propelled us up like I couldn't do.
Not a minute later, I felt air on my face and gasped in a breath. I reached up and gingerly wiped the water from my eyes. I opened them and was never happier to see Theo Archer in front of me. "Theo," I said and hugged him as hard as I dared with my hurt ribs.
"Oh, my God. Cora. You're alright," he responded, his voice hoarse as he hugged me back carefully, stroking my wet and tangled hair back from my face.
I managed a chuckle as he started dragging me towards the shore. "'Alright' might be a bit of a stretch, but I'm alive," I gasped, and it was true. Every inch of me hurt, but I was still breathing.
Theo helped drag me out of the water and to my feet where I swayed dangerously but managed to stay upright. He then wrapped one arm around me for support and held the knife out in front of him by way of protection.
Only then did I realize what being thrown in the water had made me miss. There was a full out war going on in front of me. Left, right, and center people were fighting. There were knives out and punching being thrown, and I couldn't focus on one thing at a time because there was too much movement for my concussed brain to follow.
And the noise. I'd been to a concert once and was allowed to be stage side with the absolutely massive speakers right beside me and after that night my ears had rang for days straight. That was nothing compared to this. I knew there was no way I was every going to forget all the screaming, yelling, clash of knives on knives, and the grunts of guys getting injured.
Then, I saw Daniel, bleeding, locked in a fight with a guy nearly twice his size, but holding his own and I couldn't tear my eyes away.
I didn't have time to worry for him though because almost immediately Jay was there beside him and together, they took the guy down.
As if he sensed me looking at him Daniel looked up and met my eyes. Relief flooded through them and he started sprinting towards me.
I took a shaky step forward with E's help and then Daniel was there. "Cora! Oh, my God, you're alive!" He turned to E and gave him a quick hug. "I owe you everything, Theo."
I had only a second to wonder how Daniel knew E's real name before I was wrapped in Daniel's arms in the first hug he'd given me in over four years. I heard him whispering how sorry he was and how glad he was that I was alright, and I felt the first tears track themselves down my cheeks.
For the first time, I had the brief thought that everything might actually work out alright.
Naturally, that's when the worst happened.
I heard it before anything. It was the most terribly loud noise I think I'd ever hear. The bang that sounded was something straight out of a war movie, but the jerk of Daniel as he still held me in his arms was completely real.
I felt him go rigid and then E was catching him and lowering him to the ground. I followed, whether because I was physically unable to stand or because it was just then that I saw all the blood that covered Daniel's chest, I'll never know.
I looked up to see Valentino standing only a few feet away, still holding the gun, and then I realized everything else had stopped. Everyone was staring at me and Daniel and Valentino having also heard the only gunshot that the fight had witnessed.
Everything was still for a moment longer and then Theo and Jay both had Valentino pinned to the ground and were beating him mercilessly.
I quit watching the violent scene as the war began anew and I pulled Daniel's head into my lap and stroked his hair as he feebly felt at the blood coating his chest.
"Sis?" he whispered, looking at me with nothing but fear in his eyes.
I fought back tears. "Yes, Daniel. I'm here."
The fear flooded out of his eyes and a slight smile found a place on his lips. "You're ok."
I nodded. "Yeah. I'm ok."
His eyes focused somewhere up in the sky beyond me. "Good... I love you, Cora. I love you so much."
I felt the first new tear race down my cheek. "I love you too, Daniel. I always have. Even when you were being a terrible older brother to me," I managed with a sort of laugh.
Daniel's slight smile grew as he remembered. "God, I'll miss you," he mumbled. "Tell Mom and Dad that I love them. They deserve to know that after everything. Please."
"Of course I'll tell them," I said through my now free flowing tears. "Now just take it easy, Daniel. You're gonna be fine."
He shook his head weakly. "No, Sis. This time it's real. I just needed you to know how much I love you."
I gripped his blood covered hand on his chest. "I know how much you do, Daniel. And I love you that much too."
Daniel took a shuddering breath, closed his eyes, and gave me one last smile before he stopped moving altogether. His grip slacked from mine and he exhaled one last halting breath and then he was gone.
I didn't move. I couldn't move.
Daniel was dead. Again.
Daniel died in my arms.
He was really gone.
I don't know how long I sat like that, looking into my brother's dead face, but eventually Theo was beside me again, gently trying to lift Daniel off of my lap.
"NO!" I screamed at him. I couldn't leave Daniel like this. To be found by whoever and done whatever with. I just couldn't.
Tears swam in my vision again, but Theo's face was clear in my sight.
I looked into his blue eyes, but I had to look away from them quickly. It was painful to see how haunted they were. E had seen guys beaten and bloodied before, I knew, but he'd never seen one die, let one see a guy he knew die in the arms of his little sister.
I got the feeling he was never going to look at me the same ever again.
He cupped my cheeks gently as I looked at anything but his eyes. "Hey," he said, "it's going to be alright Cora. Neo's here and he's going to take care of Daniel, ok? Neo's not going to leave him here, but we have to go. Cops are coming and we need to get out of here. Can you let go of Daniel and let Neo have him?"
Numbly, I nodded and released my brother.
I wanted to cry, but I didn't know how. Jay and Elle had been hurt, Theo would never see me the same again, and Daniel was dead. It was just too much.
Theo lifted me in his arms bridal style, and I watched over his shoulder as Neo gently picked up the body of my once again dead brother.
Then, all of a sudden, I couldn't look at him anymore. I focused my attention to the winding down fight. The only people that were left standing were the good guys, the guys from Rue de la Mort. I only knew that because as Jay, E, and Neo walked away they moved out of our way. I watched as they tied up every guy from the Brothers with about a million zip-ties each and I saw Mateo and Dante for just a second, both hog-tied with zip-ties and unconscious and I felt a surge of pleasure. Then they were lost from sight as E walked into an alley.
I curled up tighter against his chest, whimpering as I crunched in on my hurt ribs. I heard E talking to me in a low voice, but I wasn't listening. I was only hearing the sirens grow closer and closer to where the war had been.
Then, Elle's arms were around me and I wondered when it was that Theo had put me into Daniel's car.
No one spoke, or if they did, I didn't hear them and then we were moving. Driving away from the place that would haunt me for forever.
I realized Neo and Daniel weren't with us anymore and I started against Theo, who I hadn't realized had been holding me.
"What is it?" he asked gently.
I looked up at him with big, worried eyes. "Where's Daniel?"
Theo gripped me a little tighter. "Neo took him in a different car so he can take care of him."
I nodded slightly.
"You can sleep if you want to," E said quietly, looking at me with concern.
I nodded again. I wanted to, my body wanted to, but I wasn't tired.
I looked around the car wearily and after seeing the bloodstained and bruised faces of the people I loved the most, I focused on my own hands. That wasn't any better though, because my hands were covered in blood as well.
Daniel's blood covered my hands. I stared at it uncomprehendingly.
"What happened?" I asked E, still staring at the blood. I had to know. I had to know I'd never see Valentino again.
Theo looked between me and my hands for a moment. "You sure?"
"Yeah," I breathed. I had to know.
E nodded once and cupped his hands over mine. "Alright well, Rue de la Mort showed up and neutralized the Brothers of Hell. Jay and I took out Valentino. I spoke with Neo briefly. The guys from Rue are confining every member of the Brothers and then running, so when the police get there all they're going to find is every member of the Brothers of Hell, quite literally tied up and waiting for them. Meanwhile, we're going back to the Dome, getting in our cars, going home, getting cleaned up, and staying safe. Sound good?"
I flipped my hands under his and gripped his fingers back. "Yeah," I whispered. "Sounds great."
***
An hour later I was sitting on the floor of E's bathroom, still in my clothes that were stiff with saltwater and blood, watching the water of the shower pour down.
I started at a knock on the door. "Pip? You alright in there?" I heard E's voice call out.
I sighed and stood to open the door. "Yeah," I told him. "Just..." Just what? I didn't even know what I was anymore.
Thankfully, he understood. "I know, I know. I'm here," he said while pulling me into his arms and running a hand over my hair.
I felt a touch of a smile on my lips at knowing he remembered again, the thing that comforts me most.
"Now," he said, pulling away a little bit and looking at me, "go in there and get your shower because you kinda smell."
I laughed lightly and stepped away, only swaying a little. "Aye, aye, Cap'n."
He grinned at me and turned me around by my elbow. "And yes. I'll have a cup of coffee waiting for you in the living room when you're done."
I thanked him over my shoulder and closed the door behind me.
I scrubbed the nice layer of grime off of me and found myself sat, curled up next to E with a coffee in my hands wearing a pair Elle's sweats and her shirt that didn't fit me and that she'd had stashed with Jay (hmm) 20 minutes later.
I looked across at Jay and Elle as they sat, just as E and I did on the couch across from us.
No one spoke because no one knew what to say. Instead, we all just sat in silence, stuck in our own heads.
The silence was too loud for me. I kept hearing the gunshot that took Daniel from me over and over in the silence of the room and it was starting to break me.
Knowing Elle, Jay, and E had all survived and were for the most part alright was the only keeping afloat. Yet somehow, knowing Daniel was dead wasn't as bad as it should have been which only made me feel so guilty.
My brother died in my arms and all I could feel was like I'd gotten closure. After four years, I finally knew and was sure of what had happened to him. I'd made peace with his death some time ago, but the question of what had really happened had always been there. Now I knew and it was like a piece of me that had been frozen with curiosity had finally melted.
The only problem with it was that the relief I felt at finally knowing served up some massive guilt because I didn't really feel the need to mourn my dead brother. I already had mourned him, and I barely saw him for the time I knew he was alive that all that time merely felt like a dream.
If I didn't have the bruised face and ribs, I almost would've been for certain that it was a dream.
Still, making peace with my brother's death part 2 didn't make hearing the gunshot and screaming any easier though. "I'm going to bed," I said to no one in particular and stood, placing my mug on the coffee table.
I felt E beside me half a second later. "I'll come with."
I just nodded as Elle and Jay mumbled their goodnights and I started up the stairs, hiking up the sweats as I went so I didn't faceplant.
I paused at the bathroom door as E walked past me to his door. He stopped and turned around. "Are you...?" he asked quietly, pointing to his door.
"Yeah," I said. "I don't want to be alone."
"Me either."
I brushed my teeth and made my way to E's room. Closing the door quietly behind me, I saw him stretched out with an arm over his face and one of his t-shirts folded on the edge of the bed.
"Theo?" I whispered.
His arm moved and his eyes shot open. "Hey, Pip."
I sighed; he was awake. "Hi."
He pointed to the shirt. "I don't know if you want it, but since all you ever seem to sleep in is a giant t-shirt, I got that out for you. That," he said, motioning to my oversized outfit, "doesn't look very comfy."
"It's not," I said, chuckling slightly. "And thank you. Now turn around." I grabbed the shirt and his eyes widened.
"You're changing in here?" he asked, his voice a little strained.
I shrugged. "Yeah, it'll only take a sec. Unless you don't turn around. Then I'm going to the bathroom."
He spun around before I'd even finished my sentence and I grinned. I stripped down as quickly as possible and tossed on his shirt. It was a little shorter and tighter than I was used to, but I loved it. Mostly because it smelled like him.
"Alright," I said. "You're good."
He spun back around and sucked in a breath, red lighting up his cheeks.
"What?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Nothing really. I just didn't know you were going to look like that in my shirt."
My brows knit. "What do you mean?"
He let out a small groan. "I mean get your butt under these covers," he patted the bed next to him, "before you decide to show me even more leg."
I let out a small, nervous laugh, suddenly remembering Elle making a joke about me sleeping in just a t-shirt when I have a boyfriend. "Oh, please. We've been over this. You know we can't be together," I said, because yeah, he couldn't be my boyfriend.
E opened his mouth to speak but closed it again with a thoughtful look on his face. Finally, he spoke quietly, "I know that."
I nodded and climbed in beside him. He wrapped an arm tightly around my waist and I remember smiling at the feeling before I slipped into sleep.