Post by Luna on Nov 3, 2010 19:09:40 GMT -5
{Lucian} The second I stepped out of sight, I saw Sunny. She was standing near the lockers, arms folded over her chest, a very familiar stubborn light in her bright green gaze. I blinked in surprise, then gave her a slow, lazy smirk. "You're wearing your serious 'We must talk' look. What's up?" I asked lightly. Her expression didn't waver. "We do need to talk, Lucian," she said, and then without missing a beat added, "While I was... gone, what happened between you and Crystal?"
My blood froze completely. For a few heart-stopping moments, I merely stared at her in shock; then I grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom, as both of us had often done when we needed to talk to people while we had still been in school, before everything changed irrevocably.
Before she died.
"What brought this on?" I asked quietly.
She stared at me with those bright, unique green eyes. The only one in the world who had eyes like Sunny's was Lydia, who had inherited them. I wanted to look away, at the ground, at the wall, anywhere but her, but I found myself transfixed.
"Lucian, look," she said softly. "It's pretty obvious something happed. I'm perceptive. You know that. I can clearly see you and Crystal avoid each other's gazes, and I know Crystal well enough that I can sense her guilt like a tangible presence."
She was good. I'd forgotten Sunny's natural ability to just... see things. Maybe it was related to that penetrating gaze that I still couldn't look away from. "What happened, Lucian?" she demanded
I sighed deeply. I knew she would never drop it, or settle for short answers. I sat down slowly, still studying her face. I'd missed that face more than anything. Of course I had the photographs, but they weren't the same - didn't capture the essence of that fiery spirit. I finally spoke, softly and almost tremulously.
"Sunny... after you died, it was horrible for me. I knew I wasn't the only one grieving you - I knew Dawn, Shadow, and Crystal were hit hard too. But I still felt incredibly... alone. And I could never forget that it was all my fault." Her eyes flickered, but she said nothing. I finally managed to break her gaze and stared at the ground. I sank slowly into a desk. "Right after you died, Crystal left too, for much of the time after that - fifteen years... but when she came back, she hadn't changed. We talked, and she started breaking down, and while I was comforting her I guess I realized I..." I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence, although I knew the words loved her would be as clear to Sunny as they were to me. I couldn't bear to see what her face looked like now. I swallowed, trying to make my throat feel less like sandpaper. It didn't work; my voice still cracked when I said, "I kissed her, Sunny. That was as far as anything ever got." I finally looked up at her. She turned away from me, her beautiful face completely unreadable. Her voice was as carefully neutral as mine had always used to be when she asked softly, "Do you love her? And I don't mean brotherly affection. I mean, do you love her?"
I didn't try. Never once had there been a point in lying to Sorina. "I suppose I do." I stepped forward and tilted up her chin, forcing her to look me right in the eyes. "But Crystal has Thomas. She married him, after all. And I love you much, much more, Sunny."
Her gaze softened, and she sighed. "I don't doubt that you do. I honestly don't. It's just... it feels kind of like... a betrayal."
Like a betrayal. I cringed. "Sunny, I thought - "
"Thought I was dead, I know." She looked at me, and I could read sadness in her expression now, as well as confusion. She stepped away from me and headed for the door. I swallowed. "I lost you for fifteen years. I just got you back. And now I've made you hate me?"
"I don't hate you," she murmured. "I just... I need to think." She slipped out soundlessly, leaving me alone in the empty classroom.
{Sorina} I sighed as I slipped out a sider door of the school and into the nearby woods. I hated to hurt Lucian after all he had suffered through on my account... but it was just too much for me. I trusted him and I definitely loved him, and the same went for Crystal, but I still...
I cut off my thought flow abruptly as I approached the house I was looking for. Crystal's. I needed to talk to her, too. Slowly, hesitantly, I knocked on the door.
My blood froze completely. For a few heart-stopping moments, I merely stared at her in shock; then I grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom, as both of us had often done when we needed to talk to people while we had still been in school, before everything changed irrevocably.
Before she died.
"What brought this on?" I asked quietly.
She stared at me with those bright, unique green eyes. The only one in the world who had eyes like Sunny's was Lydia, who had inherited them. I wanted to look away, at the ground, at the wall, anywhere but her, but I found myself transfixed.
"Lucian, look," she said softly. "It's pretty obvious something happed. I'm perceptive. You know that. I can clearly see you and Crystal avoid each other's gazes, and I know Crystal well enough that I can sense her guilt like a tangible presence."
She was good. I'd forgotten Sunny's natural ability to just... see things. Maybe it was related to that penetrating gaze that I still couldn't look away from. "What happened, Lucian?" she demanded
I sighed deeply. I knew she would never drop it, or settle for short answers. I sat down slowly, still studying her face. I'd missed that face more than anything. Of course I had the photographs, but they weren't the same - didn't capture the essence of that fiery spirit. I finally spoke, softly and almost tremulously.
"Sunny... after you died, it was horrible for me. I knew I wasn't the only one grieving you - I knew Dawn, Shadow, and Crystal were hit hard too. But I still felt incredibly... alone. And I could never forget that it was all my fault." Her eyes flickered, but she said nothing. I finally managed to break her gaze and stared at the ground. I sank slowly into a desk. "Right after you died, Crystal left too, for much of the time after that - fifteen years... but when she came back, she hadn't changed. We talked, and she started breaking down, and while I was comforting her I guess I realized I..." I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence, although I knew the words loved her would be as clear to Sunny as they were to me. I couldn't bear to see what her face looked like now. I swallowed, trying to make my throat feel less like sandpaper. It didn't work; my voice still cracked when I said, "I kissed her, Sunny. That was as far as anything ever got." I finally looked up at her. She turned away from me, her beautiful face completely unreadable. Her voice was as carefully neutral as mine had always used to be when she asked softly, "Do you love her? And I don't mean brotherly affection. I mean, do you love her?"
I didn't try. Never once had there been a point in lying to Sorina. "I suppose I do." I stepped forward and tilted up her chin, forcing her to look me right in the eyes. "But Crystal has Thomas. She married him, after all. And I love you much, much more, Sunny."
Her gaze softened, and she sighed. "I don't doubt that you do. I honestly don't. It's just... it feels kind of like... a betrayal."
Like a betrayal. I cringed. "Sunny, I thought - "
"Thought I was dead, I know." She looked at me, and I could read sadness in her expression now, as well as confusion. She stepped away from me and headed for the door. I swallowed. "I lost you for fifteen years. I just got you back. And now I've made you hate me?"
"I don't hate you," she murmured. "I just... I need to think." She slipped out soundlessly, leaving me alone in the empty classroom.
{Sorina} I sighed as I slipped out a sider door of the school and into the nearby woods. I hated to hurt Lucian after all he had suffered through on my account... but it was just too much for me. I trusted him and I definitely loved him, and the same went for Crystal, but I still...
I cut off my thought flow abruptly as I approached the house I was looking for. Crystal's. I needed to talk to her, too. Slowly, hesitantly, I knocked on the door.