A Voice Held Dear
By GoldenEagle
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Prologue
Marco sat back in the uncomfortable hospital seat with a shivering and tense sigh. Jake, Cassie, Rachel, even Ax and Tobias were there, although they had barely even met her, much less known her. All they knew was that someone in their small hopeful little group had known her. And that person had just sighed a sigh that shouldn't escape the mouth of someone of his age. Marco let his gaze fall back on the pale girl that lay in the hospital bed beside him, seeming to be covered with wires and hooked to dozens of machines, her blonde hair laying across the small pillow in a limp heap. The worst thing about it was that she had looked the exact same way when he had first met her, a skeleton and flesh somehow still filled with a breath of life. Yet at this moment that breath was only a whisper, a small movement of air that could barely make a blade of grass twitch.
"Marco..." jerking at his name, Marco turned to see his dad with a worried expression on his face. "Maybe you should leave. There's nothing you can do sitting in here..." His voice trailed off as he saw the mixed emotions run over his son's face. He was almost afraid that the pinch of rage mixed in with the other emotions would become the dominant feeling that consumed Marco, but sighed in relievment inwardly as he saw the surrendering look come into the eyes that he knew so well. The eyes that now looked alien without their mocking laughter at everything and everyone around him. "I can squeeze all of you in my suburban if you'd like." Marco's dad piped up in a fake cheerful tone that sounded almost more out of place than the dark look in Marco's eyes. Almost.
The others nodded their acceptance in a tired and worn out way. After all, they had been there all day with the pressure of knowing that this girl's fast deterioration was only a third of the speed Marco was unraveling. Even his father saw that.
Everyone gave one last glance to the figure that lay almost without life on the bed, a mixture of feelings coming over them. Marco was the last to glance back at her.
"Goodnight," he whispered. He didn't expect to receive a response as he turned away, but he got one. Not another, "Goodnight," or a gentle mumble of acknowledgment. Just a terrible scream. It wasn't human nor animal. It was the plain and deafening scream of a machine. A machine that now had no pulse to chart.
The next thing that happened can never be found in his mind, for it was as if Marco had experienced lost time. When the terrible and aching comprehension returned to him he found that his fingers were intertwined with her own fingers. He tried to squeeze back the warmth of life that had suddenly left those hands he held. He started to sob when he found her hand kept getting colder and colder. Suddenly they, if you could even call the one life-filled body by another that was lifeless a "they", were ripped from each other's grasp by panicking doctors and nurses.
"Sonnet!" He screamed in hysteria, his dad now the one who held him back. "Sonnet!" He heard one of the doctors say it was over, that she was gone. He cried out in a wordless plea then fell into his father's arms, sobbing. Suddenly, as he saw the sheet being pulled over his friend's head he realized that it was a sign that she would never smile again, never challenge his beliefs, never cry in his arms and whisper her memories and feelings to him. He couldn't help but flash back to the first day he met her. She had looked very much the same as she did now; pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, tired yet masked eyes. He remembered the exact way she looked as he gazed at the peaceful face that was now being quickly covered by that sheet. It was as if he was looking at a picture of her. Everything that was there had been there when he first saw her. Except those partially parted lips that had now turned a strangely disturbing shade of blue.
Chapter One: Star Wars
A girl sat down by an answering machine, listening, listening... She wasn't surprised when the news came. Her parents were missionaries and decided to go to Kosovo. Sonnet had argued with them, telling them that they were being idiots, being selfish thrill seekers. She argued that she didn't even know if Kosovo was a country or a freaking village. But that didn't stop the two from going. It was a pity, really, that during one of these arguments her father had told her that when they got back that they would hang out and get to know each other better. Her mother agreed with him. And all Sonnet could use for hope while they were gone was that single word "when". Not if, not maybe, but "when". And now, with that terrible promise in her head and her best friend placing a delicate and timid hand on her shoulder as their names blasted back and forth in her mind, Sonnet realized she would never get to know them. She found the fact that she would never truly learn what they were really like more disturbing than the fact that they were gone. And, not for the first time, she felt let down. Lied to. Betrayed to her nightmares. She swore to never trust again, never tell anyone how she felt.
She was a natural born actor so it was easy acting like everything was normal. At first people worried but they gave in to her act as they saw a familiar smile on her face and a gentle tone in her voice. No one really noticed that it was merely a mask, something to hide the pain inside her. But she would never tell. Never trust. She started getting stomach aches. Small things in the morning. They had grown terrible lately, making her gasp for air in pain when they hit her suddenly. People noticed that but decided to try to act as if it were nothing, just like how dark circles had grown under her eyes. Just like how her skin turned a ghastly white. Just like they dusted the fact that she had lost twenty-five pounds under a rug, even though she had been the skinniest girl at her school even before. She looked like a corpse. But still that steady and fake smile came. That gentle voice comforted. The only thing out of place in her gentle tone was the cold look her eyes had acquired. A look that never left.
It was several months later when she gave in, sobbing, in her room by herself. It was in the middle of the afternoon and her Grandparents, which watched her, were out. She made up her mind and with a cold and emotionless look in her eyes she made her way into the kitchen and pulled down a large bottle of subscription drugs. She took one but found that she couldn't die alone, without anything in that house that meant anything to her. She grabbed her bike and a twenty dollar bill then headed over to the new Tinseltown stadium seating theater. She grabbed a ticket for Star Wars and headed in. Her parents adored Star Wars and she couldn't deny the fact that she had fallen in love with the science fiction of it all. She walked into the stadium right when the lights were going out. The place was packed. She finally found a seat. Actually a pretty good seat.
She tripped over a boy who mumbled an ouch and then sat down in the seat next to him. God, that one pill made her tired. She pulled out another and the small bottle of water she had in the purse she had brought. She took that one pill, then another. Another. She stopped, feeling dazed. She had missed most of the beginning of the movie. A battle scene came up. As strange alien bombs and guns were used against the two groups fighting she began to mumble. Mumble about Kosovo, mumble about her parents, mumble about her own failures. She felt the confusment from the unneeded medication she had taken and knew quite suddenly she was delirious. It made her chuckle a bit. She started thinking about how ironic it was that her and her friends had come to this movie theater many times and laughed and cried. Suddenly she remembered one of her friends saying, "My life's hard, and so is yours. But, when we combine forces... We may just make it through this." That made her choke a little on tears. Her friend had moved and they had lost contact, but that didn't matter. She didn't know what she was doing. She dropped the pills to the floor. They clattered and crashed, but no one seemed to notice over the explosions from the movie. Except the boy next to her who had just watched her as she laughed and cried at once. He suddenly had a bad feeling as he heard the sound of a bottle fall to the floor.
He reached down suddenly and picked up the bottle. He didn't know what it was, but the subscription had been filled out the day before and now the bottle was almost completely empty. With a quick and solid movement he scooped the girl next to him up and practically dragged her out to the lobby. She was almost unconscious, her eyes half closed. He paused in front of the restrooms before taking a deep sigh and mumbling about the luxurious life of a super hero while he pulled her into the girls restroom. Thank God no one was there was the first reaction the boy had.
"Wha- What are you doing?" The girl asked in slurred words as she stared up at the dark haired boy above her.
"Saving your butt, you idiot," he shot back. It wasn't that he was mad. Yet. He was just extremely edgy and scared. "Now puke. It may help me save your butt." He paused before adding, "I never thought I'd say that..."
The girl grinned. "But I feel fi-" She never finished the sentence and was now leaning over a sink. The boy grimaced at the sound of it and the way her back shook violently as she continued. The door began to open when someone saw a boy standing behind a sickly looking girl puking in the sink. The stranger turned around and left, finding someplace better to go.
Sonnet suddenly stopped and wiped the mess from her face. She stood up tall, like she was okay. Suddenly she doubled over in pain. The boy, who you might have already guessed was Marco, kept her from falling to the ground without any control at all. At first he thought she was going to puke again, but he soon realized this was a pain that wasn't caused by her idiotic tactics earlier. She whimpered in pain, her head falling onto Marco's chest with a thud as she didn't have enough self control to keep her balance. Tears squeezed out of her eyes. Marco was unsure of what to do, holding this suicidal girl on a bathroom floor while she whimpered in pain. A few minutes later she finally managed to gain back her own body and looked up at Marco with icy blue eyes. They were cloudy, showing that the drugs had slipped into her blood stream. All he could do was suddenly say, "You want to go to get a soda or something? Maybe we could talk."
She looked blankly at him for a second. Then she shook her head. "No. I don't want to talk about this. I just want to die." She pushed her head away and put her fevered cheek on the cool tile below her.
Marco flinched but quickly responded the way he would to any moment. With humor. "I was thinking more along the lines of how much you owe me for going into this holy and sacred girly place." He couldn't help but smirk.
Sonnet glanced up again and looked around. She suddenly laughed. It was strange for her to laugh a genuine laugh again.
"Alright. Alright. I give in. I'll come," She said, still chuckling. A stab of pain in her head reminded her of her actions that day and she suddenly frowned. "You can't tell anyone, okay?" She asked hopefully.
Marco paused as he considered his options. He felt it was right to tell someone, but... He glanced up again at the girl in front of him. He smiled gently the nodded while pulling her to her feet. They slowly made their way to nearest coffee shop, stopping every once in a while when Sonnet found she had to clear her vision. But in the end they made it inside.
Chapter Two: Talk
Marco sat down next to Sonnet, who decided at that moment she was going to take a nap. She leaned up against the cool glass window next to her and slipped off into a restless sleep. Marco had to stifle a laugh as he saw the way the glass pushed her face up in a strange and comical way. He had gone to the movies by himself self since he couldn't get anyone else to go with him, even Jake. And now he had found this girl. He didn't even know her name. He stared outside while storm clouds began to roll. He heard the slightest rumble of thunder in the distance. A circle of thoughts began to roam in his head, each one bringing him back to the first.
"Life is just like a storm, you know. Never knowing when what will come, sometimes hearing the thunder of an event but not seeing the event, not even having a warning when lightening will strike." Marco snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice. She was looking up at the sky with groggy eyes.
"Ah, yes. But you've gotta love the rain." Marco said, half joking.
"Perhaps. But then again, what fun is the rain if it drowns you?" Marco saw how serious this was becoming, how she looked at everything from an all new stand point.
"Hmm. If we're going to go into this, what about the sun? It will eventually come out. It has to." Marco felt weird in this conversation. It was too deep. Too deep.
"There is no sun in my universe. I live in a universe without the sun." Marco wondered if she was letting the drugs talk now and whether or not he should bring her to a hospital. She seemed like she was going to say something, her mouth half open, but suddenly she hushed, her mouth clenching closed in determination. She had said too much. Never trust again. Never be hurt again. Never be lied to. She glanced suspiciously at the suspicious boy. She didn't even know his name, but she spoke to him like she spoke to no one. Perhaps it was the drugs talking. Then again, perhaps it was his eyes. They were laughing, yet sad. A pinch of gentleness, but it swam in a see of brown reality. Hoping, yet not innocent. How could he be hopeful yet not innocent? She shook her head quietly. It was visions like this that fascinated her. He was a mystery, just as she was. His eyes mirrored everything she knew of war, and it was war witch she found herself moving almost unconsciously towards.
"Yeah, well..." Marco was unsure of what to say, so he just decided to start from the beginning. "I'm Marco."
He held out his hand for her to take, but she stared at it coolly. He pulled it away, as if she had propelled shards of glass into it. She would not trust him. Could not. She looked outside as a slight rain turned into a turbulent down pour. Atleast this Marco deserved her name. After all, he had saved her. "I'm Sonnet." She whispered out quietly. Her eyes finally took in the rain and she realized she could not get home on her bike. She hated surrendering, yet she felt it over whelm her quietly. Marco watched as she lifted her head reluctantly. He could almost see a strand of weakness flash through her weaving of invulnerability, but still, it was placed against the colors of her unemotional background, drowned out by the vibrancy of it all. "Is their anyway you could drop me off somewhere? Anywhere?"
"Like home?" Marco asked, somehow already sensing her reaction as it radiated out of her. He had imagined the disgust, but never the terror that crossed her face as she heard his words.
"No. That's the last place I want to be. Sitting alone with the remains of my family as they try to piece themselves back together, yet don't have all the pieces. I don't want to go back. I don't want to..." She searched for a good way to say and noticed the rain outside once more. "Drown in their rain of hopefulness for something that is hopeless-" She felt compelled to continue, being the debater she was, even with herself, but she realized, again, she had said too much. She quieted.
"We could just run over to Rosa's until the rain stops. My dad thought I'd be walking home and he's not in right now." Sonnet looked up at his face, a bit of dashingness and wildness mixed together unevenly. She would have said no, even to this boy who was handsome in many ways, but his eyes captured hers. The quantity of emotion in them smothered her, made her think. Plus, she was starving, falling apart. She glanced once more to the downpour outside. Yes, being in this boy's presence was like being stuck in a dream which you can't wake up from, and you don't want to.
"Yeah. That would be nice." Her words again whispered out, betraying the truthfulness behind them. She rarely ever let her emotions through, but with him it continually slipped, making her feel exposed, yet needed, embarrassed, yet beautiful. And mystified. She was utterly mystified by the painting of war that colored his eyes.
Chapter Three: Astronomy Project
Marco watched as Sonnet left on her bike. They had been talking for the last hour, waiting for the rain to break. When the sun finally broke through, she had looked up at it like it was a stranger. Dangerous. Not to be trusted. Just like she looked at him, but her actions seemed to be daring him. Daring him to pull her into his adventure, his danger. Daring him to act like she should trust him. By the time they left, he knew so much more about her, yet nothing at all. She had told him as she got onto her bike that to meet again would mean something of fate. And she left, leaving behind no clues on how to see her again. Marco had noticed her become queasy right before she left and he had a feeling that the drugs were not as deadly as they were merely overpowering. He could guess that she would spend the night sick.
She challenged him, mystified him. Like a puzzle without a picture, just trying to paint on the pieces with your guesses and hope, when you placed it all together, it would make since. Marco had never met anyone like her. Imagined anyone like her. He was surprised to find himself wanting to stay with her. She was his mystery, hidden behind the mask and walls she fortified, yet never was actually his. He wondered if he could penetrate that mask, what would he find? A thinker, an empty shell, a friend, an enemy...? She seemed to think in realms of fight the world with all your worth, yet be quiet when you can and only attack when you must. Like she could stand in the way of time, knowing it would barrel over her, but at the same time having this belief that more powerful people would see her sacrifice and follow her actions until time slowly slid to a stop. But she also seemed to want to release all her troubles on her enemies, and yet she couldn't decipher who were her enemies and who weren't. She wanted to fight silently, yet deafeningly, and other times fight spiritually on a physical level. Her beliefs were "peace" and "war" and "truth behind deceptions". He absolutely couldn't figure her out. He didn't know if he ever could.
After walking for what seemed like eternity, he swung the door open to his house. It was a wreck, he had to admit. It was his mother who always kept it clean, so the house truly hadn't been clean in three years. Marco sauntered to the message machine as its annoying light flashed, indicating a new message. He pressed the "New Message" button and listened to two messages sent to his dad, boring and too long. He almost skipped past the entire things when Jake's voice cascaded into his ears.
"Man, Marco, you there?" A pause registered before he continued. He sounded desperate. "I need you to come over and help with this project. I just found out about it, an astronomy project. Really tough, I mean deadly. Seriously, Marco, We-I need you here." With that the message machine snapped off. Marco felt a slight tremor of oncoming terror as he turned around. It was obvious Jake had been speaking of another project. Marco sneered at the mere thought of the Yeerks. Absolute hatred riveted through him. Again, Marco walked out of the house, leaving a note behind telling the lie that he had gone to Jake's for homework.
Chapter Four: Hoax
As Marco entered the barn, he noticed the most familiar sounds. The thud-thud-thud as Jake's feet hit the ground in his worried pacing, which, Marco was sure, was an unconcious habit that bubbled up and betrayed his uneasiness immediately. There was the slight swish of movement as Cassie moved to and fro, checking on animals that needed no true care, which made up her own nervous habit. And then the most animal of the habits as Tobias shuffled, his wings shifting, predator in essence. Through all this, not a word was said, or a slight hum or smile allowed to cross one's lips. To add to this symphony, Marco added his own dash of comical music. Like a violin, squeaky and annoying at times, but when it was used correctly, it created a sorrowful hum of many experiences. Marco was this. Annoying, squeaky, and humorous to a point. Then quiet, under it all, he was beautiful. A million songs were played from him, the more deeply felt, the more original and gorgeous.
Soon Rachel entered, her sound that of trumpets, demanding attention and to drown out all other emotions. Next came Ax, like a drum. No true tone shown, just a steady beat, following "Prince" Jake as if he were notes on a page. Jake, with his main, leading piano, Cassie with her sorrowful yet youthful flutes, Tobias with his slight wind chimbs of his soul, Rachel with her conquering music, Ax with his beat, and Marco with his sorrow. All of this made a wonderful song, one that sometimes was a mess and confused, but one that rarely wavered in its sincerity.
"So?" Marco's voice seemed to fill the barn with a strange mocking reality. He wanted to know what he would risk his life for. What he would possibly die for. Jake looked up at him, a pathetic smile crossing his face. Marco saw the act immediately.
Jake grinned. "Don't blame it on me. It was Cassie's idea..."
"Don't tell me that-"
It was Rachel's voice that started, sweet and beautiful. Others joined in and Marco thought he'd die in the childishness of it all. An act? Were they that good? "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear-" Rachel's voice contradicted the others loudly and definably. "Annoying-Little-Brat." Marco grinned. "Happy Birthday to you." Marco's dad had missed his birthday because of an important business meeting, but they had celebrated it before he left.
Jake pulled out a lit cupcake and Marco laughed at the corniness of it all. < I do not understand the importance of this ritual, but if it is important to you, then I will join. > Marco grinned up at Ax, who seemed to grin back.
"So, make a wish." Cassie smiled as she took the cupcake from Jake's had and placed it in Marco's face. Marco looked at her like she was dreaming on her feet. A wish? How childish was-
His thoughts froze as he looked at the flickering flame. He surrendered quietly, with a little imperceptible shrug. He closed his eyes and let his breath leave his lips, extinguishing the flame before him. He opened his eyes to everyone around him with a large smile. He felt like a kid for the first time in a very long time.
< So, what did you wish for? > Tobias asked slyly.
"You know, the usual. That God would create a guy just as equally as handsome and dashing as me so I could have some competition." Marco relished the humor in his voice, because, like so many other times, it could change the subject with little adue. And it was true. He didn't want the others to know it was her that he wished for. Just one more talk, just to help her. Just to hear her name. He tasted her name silently on his lips as he looked down.
Sonnet.
A strange name, indeed. Tobias noticed the curving of his lips in a name, but didn't have time to analyze it. He told no one. For what reality do you make out of a mirage?
Chapter Five: Fate
(Two months later)
A screech cut through the night air, along with the screaming of a horn. A bright light! Marco glanced up just as the mass of metal hit him, sending him flying. He heard his head smash into the ground, a strange and staggering amount of pain filling the inside of his skull. Everything seemed to move slowly, choppily. He looked to the right. A tree. Christmas. What an utterly innocent holiday. Marco felt panicked. Was he hurt bad? He tried to move, but the pain in his head hurt with the force of a thousand suns, and his vision was dimming, going out. No, wait, his eyes were closing, as if on their own. He barely forced them open to look at the night sky. He heard a curse as a car door slammed closed and the quick pounding of feet in his direction. He also heard his dad's panicked voice as he ran towards Marco's limp form, leaving the door wide open.
A boy leaned over Marco. Probably not much older than seventeen. His blonde hair curled gently around his forehead and tickled his high cheek bones. Dark brown eyes looked down at him. "You okay, kid? Shit. Get up!" The boy was yelling, Marco could tell, but his voice sounded like it was echoing down an empty hall. Suddenly the boy was pushed out of his vision and his dad came forward.
"Marco! Hold on! The ambulance is coming. Just hold on." Jeremy's voice was panicked, filled with sorrow. And, sure enough, Marco could hear the blaring of ambulance sirens and even see the different colors as they played on the houses around him. It was those red lights that came right before he plunged into darkness.
*************
Marco woke slowly from his whispy and pointless dreams, which left his memory instantly. He was laying in an uncomfortable bed with scratchy bed sheets and a just as scratchy gown. He tried to move, but it hurt. Oh, how it hurt. He tried to open his eyes, but the light around him seemed to scorch them. He closed them and acknowledged the pain that flowed in every limb of his body. He let a trembling sigh out and resorted to just laying there, his hearing the only reliable source he had. It was then that he heard the voices almost shouting outside the open door in a fierce argument. He could tell, from his brief excavation of the room, that the room had been cut off from the sight of others, although it was only by a flimsy veil. He could still hear perfectly.
"What the hell happened, Isaac?!" A girl practically screamed out.
"What do you mean? The kid? He just ran out into the street and I didn't see him in time, okay? It wasn't like I planned to do this." Isaac, who Marco was sure this was, spoke calmly yet angrily.
"Yeah, the kid." The girl sighed in exasperation. "So, where are the parents? I'm sure they're gonna have fun griping you out."
"I didn't see his mom, but his dad came. He's talking to the doctor. From what I've heard, the kid has a concussion. That's all." Again, he was calm.
"JUST A CONCUSSION?! You could get sued, Isaac! Think of what it will do to your record for college! What about Grandma, Isaac? You know she has a weak heart!" The girl was screaming by now.
"Relax, Tree-Hugger. You'll be able to calm anyone down. Afterall, that's what you hippies are for." Marco heard the plain sound of a fist hitting flesh. "Ow! You've already crippled my left arm, why my right?!"
"I'm not a tree-hugger! I've won every fight I've ever been in and I hate trees! I hate them!" The girl was in full rage now. Marco could tell that she wasn't really speaking about trees now, but trying to beat this "Isaac" into the ground.
"God, relax! It was a joke. Look, you can see the kid. He looks fine. It's just a busted lip and black eye."
"Yeah, I know. The worst damage was done to his brain. Your my cousin, Isaac, but sometimes I wish I weren't related to you..." Marco could remember her voice from somewhere... Somewhere...
Light flooded the room as the girl pulled open the curtains. Marco squinted as the light flooded past his eyelids, but his eyes seemed to start adjusting and he relaxed. Marco heard the tapping of heals and thud of boots as the two figures approached him. His face was away from him and he felt a strong, graceful, and slim hand pull him around. He opened his eyes to look the figures in the face. He recognized the boy from the one he saw right after the accident, but the girl... She was so familiar... Yet so different.
It was her that spoke first. "Marco? It's you! It's me. Sonnet." Marco felt his eyes widen in recognition. She looked so different. Her hair was shining in the dim light, two braids on each side of her head coming forward, and the rest of her hair swept freely behind her ears. A shimmering silver eyeshadow and aqua-blue eyeliner brought out the beauty in her eyes. He scanned down her body, almost offensively. She wore a white sweater underneath a brown leather jacket. It hung just above her brown leather pants, exposing the smooth curve of her stomache. Marco was in awe. Had she gained muscle, strength since he had seen her? He already knew the answer. Yes. She was strong and graceful and beautiful. The silver lip gloss made her pink tongue stand out as she licked her lips nervously.
"What's going on?" The boy, who Marco knew was Isaac, said skeptically. He did not like the way this boy had just overlooked his cousin.
With Sonnet's eyes still locked to Marco's dark ones, she answered mysteriously. "Fate." And she smiled. She smiled for him.
He had brought her back from the edge.
But there was still a whole mountain to climb down from.
Chapter Six: Christmas Eve
Marco had soon been sent home. With a little convincing (actually, a lot), Marco kept his dad from pressing charges. Plus, Isaac had agreed to pay for any damages or hospital bills. Marco and Sonnet had talked quietly in the hospital room before an extremely annoying nurse came in and said it was past visiting hours. They had talked about they're past, instead of just their thoughts. Marco had learned a lot about her in just the few minutes that they talked. Her cousin had come from an out of town boot camp that he had enrolled in. She was proud of him because of something to do with her dad and him being in a government protection agency for a while. She also seemed a little more open with him, but he still saw the same girl. Someone reclusive yet wild on the inside, always looking for a good time while always looking for the right answers. He had also heard some about her Christmas. A lot about her and her parent's traditions. Yet, something was missing. Her parents were no longer with her and, after pulling Isaac aside after being released from the hospital and while Sonnet was arguing with the annoying nurse, Marco had found out that her parents had died over seas a few months ago. It was the first Christmas she would have to spend without her parents by her side. From there, Marco began to scheme...
~~~~~~~~~~
It was Christmas Eve, to say the least. The moon was gorgeous and full, masked by a fog of clouds high above. It was cold (understatement). Marco's dad had insisted on him going to bed early after the accident, which had taken place the week before. Marco had been disappointed. His plan needed to take place that night. Yet Marco saw the weaknesses, the first mostly being that he hadn't the slightest clue where Sonnet lived. It was around eleven thirty and Marco was already dozing off when he heard a light tap on his second story window. Marco squinted at the empty darkness outside and shook his head. Yet, again, a light tapping persisted. Suddenly a louder "THWAP" came from outside his window and when Marco looked up, he found a long crack running across the glass. Marco raised an eyes skeptically and ran downstairs, pulling on a jacket and shirt to go along with the pants he had worn to bed. As Marco pushed out the door, he breathed out quietly. The air fogged around his own heated breath and Marco rushed around to the side of the house where his window was placed.
There he caught sight of the form of a tall, almost majestical girl silhouetted against the moon light, staring upwards at his window with a slight wince, a few rocks still in hand. He noticed the smallest form of "oops" on her lips and had to smile. "You know, vandalizing isn't the best idea for an unusual Christmas gift." He said as he jogged toward her, rubbing his hands together to try to keep them warm. She jumped and almost bolted away, but froze as she saw him. He saw the wide smirk spread across her features.
"Sorry. But I had to get your attention somehow." She grinned as he came even closer. He moved awkwardly near to her, a strange reaction to the cold air around them. She almost stepped back nervously, but instead found herself leaning closer to him, his smoke like breath warm and comforting against her cheek.
After a long silence, Marco spoke. "So, how'd you find my humble abode?" She scoffed at him. Humble? Ha! Her house was a shack compared to his.
"Yellow pages, Marco. Those strange and advanced creations." He rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. She seemed to drip with it this evening. She shivered slightly, and he reached up his hands and rubbed them over her arms instinctively. She felt the heat of his hands burn through her sweater and found herself stepping away. Never trust again. Not him. Not... Not- She found it hard to reason in this fashion as she stared up at him. Instead she held out a beautifully wrapped package. "For you. Merry Christmas, Marco."
Marco glanced at the gift suspiciously. He pulled it towards him and stared at it. He tore off the paper mechanically, letting the shards of the wrapping fall onto the cold ground. He found himself opening the medium sized box and was surprised to find a phone. "A phone?" He asked, surprised. She grinned.
"So you can call me."She laughed as he shook his head in amused amazement. "Open up the side, right... here." She guided his hand to an almost invisible panel and as he slid it open, it revealed a small picture of her and ontop of that a long feather which hid within the length of the phone. It seemed to shine gold and silver and it was attached to a leather strap, long enough for a necklace. He looked up at her, asking her silently of the feather that slightly moved in the winter breeze. "It's the feather of a goshawk. They're very powerful. To many, they were a symbol of strength for the way that they could knock out a human if they felt the need. There were other things it symbolized. Like forever, since when she found a mate, she would never leave him until she died. If her mate died before her, she would die of grief. Then there is the sign of..." She hesitated quietly before continuing, her voice more hushed than before. "The sign of trust. The goshawk was almost impossible to train and it took those with a good heart and an even greater soul to win their favor."
She fell silent and Marco looked up at her. He noticed a feather almost identical to his hanging around her neck. He took the feather out and slipped the strap over his neck, the feather tickling his chest. He glanced down at it and then back up at her. Her point was clear. There was nothing more to say about what the feather symbolized between them. "So..." Marco coughed nervously. He then realized he had forgotten something. "Hold on a second. Don't move. I'll be right back." Marco sprinted around to the front of the house and up his stairs, praying his dad would not hear him. Sonnet waited, bewildered, out in the yard.
A few minutes later, Marco returned, a shining object glowing under the moon light in his hand. Sonnet stared at it in wonder as he approached and Marco could see its shining form reflecting in her eyes. He felt his breath catch as he saw the Kodak moment come before him, one of an angel looking down on a beauty few could see. "Marco... What is-" He interrupted her impatiently.
"Sorry it's not wrapped. You told me, at the hospital, that you and your parents used to buy an ornament each year, collecting three new ones total. Well, I thought, hey, continue in the spirit?" Marco was nervous. Sonnet's face was blank and he didn't like not knowing her emotions.
"Marco, I-" her voice cracked as she took the ornament from his hands, her fingers brushing his, resulting in a fiery sensation running through her. She stared down at the ornament. It was glass and delicate. It was a rose, cut in such a way that when the moon hit it, it seemed to glow. She felt tears in her eyes, but willed them away. "Marco... You remembered that?" She was stunned as she looked up at him.
He felt at a loss for words. "It just made me think of you." He had not meant to sound so touched, but it was true. In fact, a lot of things made him think of her lately. He couldn't understand the emotions blazing through him. He had never felt them in this way ever before.
Sonnet looked at him then burst into a full smile. She flung herself into his arms, for once completely happy. She hugged him fiercely, barely noticing that he was too stunned and taken by his emotions to respond right away. Yet his arms slowly snaked around her and he felt her cheek warm against the top of his head. Who said that a girl being taller than the guy was any different in a relationship? It felt right, all the same. As he turned his head, her cheek rested against his own and he closed his eyes to savor the moment. There was no jokes to go with the moment. His watch chirped to life, making him aware of the present time. Twelve o'clock. Christmas. "Marry Christmas, Sonnet." He whispered into her ear.
"Merry Christmas, Marco." And as the words left her mouth, something suddenly landed on her nose, leaving it cold and wet. "Marco, it's snowing!" She pulled away, full grins. He looked up and smile, his arms resting on her shoulders. Slowly yet steadily, the slow specks of falling snow turned into a light sprinkle, then a full out sheet. "I have to go home. Thank you, Marco." She pulled away from him and he realized just how cold it really was outside.
"Goodnight, Sonnet."
"'Night, Marco."
Chapter Seven: Warriors of Two Wars
(Two days later)
The mission had come up quickly with little planning involved. Of course, planning wouldn't have helped, but still. It was something to go back on and say, "Atleast we tried. Atleast we weren't careless." But, of course, there was no one to listen to their defense of bad judgment. The battle was to stop the New Millennium party the Sharing had put together. In actuality, many people would be made into hosts before and after the clock struck twelve.
So they had planned to take it down of the 27th, to stop it before it became too big. They had expected the human host enemies they had to fight, but hadn't truly thought that there would be so many Hork-Bajir. After all, this was in the middle of town in a large building. Obviously, there had to be an opening to the Yeerk pool in the building, which is where the dozens of Hork-Bajir came from. Marco and Jake were in the middle, Jake roaring as he received uncountable blows and Marco in so much pain that he no longer cared. Marco took down two more Hork-Bajir before he received a fatal wound to his stomach. He felt the way it had sliced open and how his internal organs started to push their way out. It was then that he fled, hoping to remorph and return to the fight.
He glanced around desperately, his eyesight failing. The only place he saw that was fairly safe to demorph was in a dark hallway. He knew it wasn't the least bit safe, but he was depending on the destruction of battle to keep him out of sight. Marco charged into the dark hallway and began to demorph, wincing and sighing in relievment as the wound across his abdomen disappeared and was replaced by human flesh. He heard a roar of pain from outside and saw Jake faltering under the blows. Marco concentrated quickly, his heart hammering as he felt time running out.
The thick hair covered Marco's body, except for his chest, face, hands, and feet. Muscle bubbled up. It took him less than a minute to morph, which was extremely exhausting. Yet he found the strength to charge out into the battle once more. When he reached the place he had left Jake, he found Rachel in her grizzly morph fighting away numerous Hork-Bajir.
< Where's Jake? > Marco called out. Rachel took the chance of looking back to Marco, and for her chance she received a deep cut along her flank.
< Over there. On the floor! > Marco turned and saw Jake gasping on the floor, barely alive. < Get him out, Marco! Make him demorph! > Rachel ordered. And Marco obeyed, knowing it was his fault that Jake was even in this condition. So he fled, the limp body of Jake in his arms as Rachel followed him. The battle was won, yet it still felt like they lost.
They ran deep into the forest, Cassie, Ax, and Tobias catching up quickly. Marco laid down Jake. < Demorph, bud. Just demorph. >
< You can do this. Just concentrate. > Cassie joined in, her wolf eyes almost conveying sorrow.
They waited several seconds, each of their hearts hammering. Marco thought it was lost when the changes began slowly yet steadily. The fur rippled and turned to human flesh, feline body parts became human. And Jake laid there, unconscious and exhausted. The others then demorphed, almost as exhausted as Jake.
"Why weren't you there, Marco?" Rachel asked quietly. Her eyes turned up to his. Not accusingly, yet questioningly. As if he had betrayed them.
"I-I was hurt." Marco said plainly. He felt guilt begin to drown him. He should have been there. He should have.
Ax stepped forward in his Andalite body. Marco was not good at analyzing Andalite emotions, but he knew that Ax was mad and condescending. < War is not won by giving into pain. Perhaps you should learn this before you go into battle next time. >
Inside the Sharing's rented building, there was chaos as the mess that the Animorphs left in their wake was being cleaned up. There was movement everywhere, except in one place. A boy who was around twenty years of age stood, a smug look on his face and a quiet smirk. He had saw the gorilla retreat into the hallway. And he had saw what this "Andalite" had become.
~~~~~~~~~~
Sonnet looked out her window. Her room was cramped, strangely small. She sometimes wondered if it was once a closet, only half joking with herself. She turned away and glanced at the well lit hallway. Only four more days of the millennium. It was an odd thought. She could imagine telling younger generations someday that she had lived in both millenniums. It was a time of revolution. When the clock struck twelve, people everywhere would be finding something special to do. Whether parties or personal, Sonnet knew one thing. She would leave the past behind her.
Sonnet stood and made her way out of her room then out the front door. Her grandparents were too old to be quick, and she knew she had atleast an hour before they realized she was gone. She didn't exactly live on a good part of town. Public housing told of many people in need, all of which had a tendency to become violent if they wanted something. Sonnet didn't care. She had grown accustomed to this neighborhood, and she knew well enough how to take care of herself. Sonnet made her way into what seemed to be an abandoned house. There was a shuffle as she entered, as if someone were trying to escape.
"Wait, wait! It's me. Don't be afraid." She cried out into the darkness. The shuffle stopped momentarily before she could here someone moving toward her. As they stepped into the light they had a chance to see her and they smiled fully.
The girl who stepped into the light then motioned for someone behind her to come forward. A small child stepped into the light hesitantly. Sonnet had known this family for quite sometime. They were from Mexico and had lost support from the government. This woman's husband worked nights and most days, so she rarely saw him. Even though her husband had the two jobs, they still did not have enough food for the three of them. Sonnet smiled down at the boy then pulled a container out of her backpack that she had brought. The woman opened the container and said a few words of praise in Spanish. She looked up at Sonnet with tears streaming down her face and thanked her with her smile. In the container was Sonnet's supper, which she had refused to eat. Along with it was some cake that must be a delicacy to this starving family.
Sonnet got down on her knees and took the young child in her arms, even though he was filthy and far from what the public would call clean. She hugged him gently and kissed his forehead before setting him down and leaving. She felt warm and happy and totally full.
This was the main similarity between her and Marco. Marco fought the war for freedom, she fought the war for the future. Both had enemies. Marco's could be defeated, yet Sonnet fought against one that she would always lose and that never died. She fought Death itself.
Chapter Eight: The Moment Between Both Millenniums
(New Years Eve)
It was the last afternoon of the century, and Marco was spending it shopping. He had been invited to a New Years party, one which required some major new styles for him. Instead of his loose style and comfortable presence, they required for him to be in formal attire. All of the Animorphs had been invited and it seemed that he was the only one without a tux. The party was hosted by the most popular girl in school (one Marco wouldn't mind getting his hands on) and she had decided to invite the entire school to this amazing party. Of course, Marco was quite sure she had to be reminded who he was when she was writing the invitations.
Of course, everyone should know how it went. Rachel helped him pick something decent out while he whined and went on and on about the pains of being a teenager. Yet, Rachel did find him something perfect, and Marco did go home and get ready for the party, which started at ten. It lasted at one in the morning, giving plenty of time to enjoy both millenniums with anyone in the party you chose. Marco seemed to be the only one without a date. Even Rachel had convinced Tobias to come down, and the only free person left in the group was Ax. Marco was deffinantly not going to a party with Ax as his date.
A limousine dropped by the house at nine, which the entire group agreed to share. It showed up early because of the very obvious reason that there would be traffic from that side of the town to the other. Marco said by to his dad quickly as they both rushed out the door, his dad having his own party to go to. It took them an hour and a half to get down town, which made them about forty-five minutes late. But no one seemed to care. After all, the night was young.
Marco entered the doors and his jaw dropped. The ceiling spun in millions of colors and he was plainly amazed at the work put into this party. Plus, there had to be hundreds of people there, dancing and chatting things up. He was amazed. By now it was eleven, and only an hour remained. The party was monstrous, one of the largest things he had ever seem. He immediately lost sight of the others as they wondered off together. Marco had plenty of people he could have hooked up with, seeing all the girl throwing him looks, but something didn't feel right. For some reason, his heart was elsewhere.
It was eleven-fifty when he saw her, only leaving ten minutes before everything went over the edge of wild. He hadn't known she'd come, but she was there, greeting the hostess of the party. They seemed to know each other quite well. "Sonnet!" Marco shouted out. She barely heard him and turned her head. Her fake smile turned into the smile that was solely his. She pushed her way through the crowd, grinning largely.
When she reached him she spoke. "Well, Marco. Never expected to see you in a suit." She smirked as she took hold of the collar of his coat and tugged on it playfully. The girls that had followed Marco now saw their competition and retreated, even though neither Marco or Sonnet knew she was competition.
"Never expected to see you look actually sophisticated." He shot back. She gave him a punch in the arm and grinned. Again Marco's eyes romed over her, yet this time she felt a little less dressed and she became nervous, agitated. She had on a tight silver dress, which showed off every curve she had. Her shoes were also silver and her hair was thrown back in a complex hair style. And, almost out of place with the outfit, hung the goshawk feather around her neck. Marco became very aware that his was on, too, as it seemed to brush across his skin. Suddenly, a loud voice erupted on the speakers and drowned out the music.
"Everybody, it's almost time for the countdown to begin! Yes, you've actually survived to see the next millennium. And now it starts! Ten!"
Sonnet felt the electricity pulse through her blood as she became excited. This was to be her moment to savor, her own piece of history to live.
"Nine."
Everyone's voices were melding together now. Sonnet looked up at Marco and smiled at the childish look that was on his face. He caught her eyes and grinned.
"Eight."
Their eyes were locked on each other for too long and it was suddenly a different electricity that pulsed through Sonnet's veins.
"Seven."
It was silent between them, even though the world around them was screaming out.
"Six."
Sonnet tore her eyes away as the words swirled through her head... Never trust. Never...
"Five."
Never love
"Four."
Never...
"Three."
Her eyes met his again.
"Two."
Trust. Betrayal. Love. Trust him... Betray your beliefs... Love him...
"One!"
"Marco..." Her voice was hoarse, but his lips descended and met hers. And the only voice that remained was the one that told her the things she couldn't except. The things she never knew.
"Happy Millennium!" The words never registered in Marco and Sonnet's head. Nothing would register to Sonnet. She pulled away sharply, her intake of air sounding like a sob. As Marco looked down, the feeling that he was in a dream turned to a terribly real nightmare. As he looked into her panicked eyes, he saw it. He had lost her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Through all this, curious eyes watched. A boy stood above, and saw, quite suddenly, the week link in this warrior's armor as he saw the pain the girl left as she fled.
Chapter Nine: Blood Shed
It was the second day of the Millennium. Dawn was just poking her head up along the horizon, and she met the eyes of a tear stained girl. Sonnet couldn't sleep for the life of her. She averted her gaze from the ceiling to the lightening world outside her window and smothering room. No sun in her universe... The simple fraze wondered aimlessly through her head. Where had she said this? Why had she thought it to be so true? She realized with a silent dread that she had said it to him. And it had been true, until... Until she had found her sun. Marco was strangely relaxed around her, though she had noticed that he was also something she could never. Calculating and, if she must look at him without the knowledge of his heart, he was cruel. Was that why she had run from him? No, of course not. It had been all the trust and love bull shit. But she knew that wasn't it completely. She had fallen in love with him, fallen in love with the actual him. Yet those eyes that had first captured her and intrigued her now pulled at her soul. She saw the war more easily there. And, as much as she wanted to become involved with her own adventure, her own escapade, she had realized that she liked her life. That's when it hit her over the head. She had become a coward, afraid of the things that had once made her who she was. No longer would she push the sun out of her universe.
The form of the slightest of a smile crossed her face as she stood up and reached for her phone. That's when she heard it. Heard the sound of shifting of metal, almost as if... She turned and froze. As if a gun had been cocked. Her eyes grew wide as the boy- no, no, man, yes. His eyes betrayed him to be much older than a mere boy- stepped into full sight. He held a gun forward at her and she felt the sudden terror run through her. But she had just realized that she needed to be strong. Who was strong? She searched her memory. Marco came up, but she pushed him aside, knowing that if she thought about not seeing him again that she would be pushed into panic. The next face came to her mind in a flash. Her mother. Those strong blue eyes. She could imagine her mother holding a child as the bomb shells hit around, her voice coming out in that sweet lullaby she always used to sing, even though the actual words were the kind that could make you dream of so much loss of something wonderful.
Suddenly she stood up taller and looked at the man in the eyes as if he were a mere bug, her face falling into a sneer. The man's cool alterior suddenly failed him, then he grinned at her. "You are the bait. Let's see how long it takes for the first bite." She hid the confused emotions behind her amazingly icy eyes, until she looked into his own gaze. Her sneer faltered into a slight frown. He had Marco's eyes. No, not exactly, yet they still swam in war. Yet Marco's eyes always had some bit of admiration. Had it been admiration for her? Would his eyes look like this man's had he not looked into hers? She shuddered at the thought. The man smile, bathing in the stench of her badly hidden fear.
The phone wrung and awoke the two of them from their strange form of a staring contest. The man growled in annoyance at being interrupted from the feeling that her growing panic brought. He snatched up the phone, and strangely smiled in a terrifying calm way. Sonnet's face filled with panic. She could hear his voice through the phone and she suddenly knew who the bait was. No. No! Her mind screamed. Her enemy smiled in satisfaction as the tears began to fall down her cheeks, since now he knew that she knew. He still focused the gun at her as he spoke silkily into the phone.
"Why, is this the Marco I've had the pleasure of seeing in action?" Sonnet could tell that Marco had frozen on the other line. "Yes, I believe it is!" He grinned as his voice came with a mocking sincerity. Sonnet heard the tone of the words that Marco said. And she knew quite suddenly that she hadn't mistaked the fact that Marco could be cold and cruel when he chose. "Yes, in fact she is! Of course, I haven't touched her... Yet." He looked up at her and she began to feel the sinking feeling overwhelm her. "Let's make a deal. You bring your friends here, all- let me see, is it five?- yes, five, and we'll make a bargain. Unless you'd like to see your lovely Millennium date's brain's across the wall."
That's when Sonnet realized the one thing that made her mother strong. Her mother never let someone go through pain if she could stop it, whether it meant she would go through it, either. The man was still on the phone with Marco. Sonnet let her eyes roam over the room nonchalantly. She found nothing of what she wished she would, but as she looked up at the man, she could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He was about to hang up. His hand descended toward the phone's cradle. She couldn't let Marco come. No. No. No... Her thoughts became words. "No, no, nononononono." She whispered out. No!!!!!" She screamed out suddenly. The man dropped the phone in surprise at her outburst. It fell from his hand and his the table, but she could still hear Marco call out in worry on the other line. There was still hope... Sonnet launched forward, knowing what would come next. And as she expected, the man panicked. His finger squeezed over the trigger of the gun and she clenched her eyes shut and ground her teeth as she heard the shot and the pain that came next. She staggered forward, her own blood pouring out, staining her carpet red.
She could hear Marco screaming through the phone. The man's eyes were wide as he glanced from her to the gun to the phone. He realized what she had planned. "Shit, you bitch! Why'd you have to do that!" He screamed as he slammed the phone into it's cradle, cutting off Marco's voice on the other line. Yet her defeated enemy saw how she had found the week thread in his plan. After all, why would the boy make a sacrifice for a dead girl?
Chapter Ten: You Are My Sunshine
Marco heard the shot over the line. He screamed out her name and it seemed to echo in his empty house as if it were meant to be there and never forgotten. "Sonnet, God! Sonnet!" Yet there was a muffled voice of anger and surrender before the line was broken with a sudden crack. Marco held back the tears as he hung up the phone and picked it up again, mechanically dialing Jake's number. Jake picked up the phone quickly, but Marco didn't give him a chance to speak.
"Jake, I know I never told you about this, but there's this girl." He sighed with a shutter and thought, what the hell, if he was going to lose her he wasn't going to accept it quietly, so why should he be quiet about what he felt for her? "See, I think I... I think I love her, and she's in trouble. Because of me." His voice broke on the whole love thing and he waited as Jake breathed in deeply. "I need your help." He said, panic betrayed in his voice.
"I'll call the others after you explain."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, who are you?" Her voice was slurred and her eyes more than just a little defeated. He wondered why she wasn't dead yet after he decided not to answer. He paced nervously. The girl's damn grandparents had tried to get into the room after they heard the shot, but of course, it was locked. So, they called the police, which he could hear coming in the distance. He looked at her with his look that told her she was going to die, and he was going to gloat afterwards. She just stared at him, the smallest tinge of a coppery taste entering her mouth as the blood began to fill mouth. Where the hell had he shot her, she wondered and looked down and tried to figure where all the disgusting blood had originally come from. She saw the blood still gushing from her abdomen and moaned. She knew what laid there. Her stomach, intestines, kidney's, liver... Most of those listed couldn't be replaced. She knew the death in her adversaries eyes was much more true than she wished it.
But the death in the man's eyes was starting to turn on him. He was a low Yeerk, and this was his chance at glory. Yet now he saw the unwanted publicity that would put him under treason, and, once more, realized that the taunting he grew up with wasn't that far from the truth. He wasn't the smartest mind around. He had messed up innumerable times. Atleast he'd take down the one threat that stood in his way, if the boy actually did decide to come...
Just then, the glass of the girl's window shattered. The Yeerk covered his host's face with his arm instinctively and caught the sight of a small army of animals charging him. He reached down to pick up the gun he had just dropped to the ground in his panic to cover his face, but found nothing. A wave of despair of and terror rippled through him as he saw the animals stop in their tracks and look at the form on the ground. He knew what he'd see. His gaze floated down to his dying victim slowly, and he felt cold horror as he saw the look on the girl's face as she held the gun up at him. She was waiting to see his last look. His eyes widened in shock and she smiled just as she pulled the trigger, sending his already dead form against the wall, blood poring from the wound in his head.
Sonnet let the weapon fall to the ground, not caring to try to figure out the circus scene around her. Instead, she closed her eyes and must have dozen off because the next thing she knew, she heard Marco's voice, a strange desperation in his words. "Sonnet, wake up. Don't give up on me yet..."
His voice sounded so far away as she looked up at him. She felt numb, but utterly peaceful. Why was he so scared, those beautiful tears running down his face? She tried to reach out a hand to him, but couldn't quite do it. He saw her efforts and placed his head on her chest, and she reached up to take the tears from his face. The rain away from her sun. She was aware of others in the room, but didn't care much. Her sun had returned. She had missed him.
"Marco..." Cassie called out quietly. He didn't listen to her. Instead, he listened to the struggling breaths Sonnet was pulling in, and her tired heart as it tried to go through its none ending task.
"Sonnet, say something." He said as he saw her eyes begin to close. He was afraid he'd never see their beautiful glory again. She opened them, a silent questing of, "Say what?" laying there. Marco's voice faltered as he talked to her. "I've never heard you sing..." She smiled.
Was this how her mother had been, hold a soul she loved close to her and singing quietly. Sonnet let the lullaby her mother used to sing to her whisper out, yet it still had a beautiful tune as it whisked past her lips.
"The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms. When I awoke dear, I was mistaken, and I hung my head and cried. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. So please don't take my sunshine away. In dreams you say, dear, I come to haunt you and leave you lonely to find I'm gone. I make you happy in dreams at nighttime, but leave you lonely at break of dawn. I'm still your sunshine, your only sunshine. I'll always love you, though I'm away. I'm still your sunshine, just only yours dear. I'm coming home someday. You said you love me, you'd make me happy. I'll always love you, you know I'm true. I'll never leave you to love another. I'll shine alone for you. I know I told you I really love you. I know I promised my love would stay. I haven't left you to love another. Please keep faith while I'm away. I'm still your sunshine, your only sunshine. I'll always love you, though I'm away. I'm still your sunshine, just only yours dear. I'm coming home someday. In every dream I'm with you always. My heart is longing for you alone. I'm coming back, dear, to make you happy. I'll be your sunshine, all your own. I'll never leave you." She whispered out as the door burst open and police came forward. It wasn't long before the paramedics were in there and they pulled Marco away from her unconscious form. He never saw her eyes open again.
Chapter Eleven: Lull Me Back
(Back to prologue)
As the nurses began to pull the sheet over the lifeless form, Marco lowered his head. "I'm still your sunshine, your only sunshine. I'll always love you, though I'm away. I'm still your sunshine, just only yours dear. I'm coming home someday." The words cut through the silence in the room and the nurses looked up in pain at the boys obvious feelings toward the girl. But as his words echoed through the room, the echoed elsewhere, too.
Sonnet was dead, of course. But she did have a soul. She felt she was being pulled away from a life she had not had the chance to live. She needed a rope to pull her back to that life, just for a little while, so she could finish. She was gone, really, when the rope she had been looking for cut through her confusion and transaction between this life and the next. The words, she felt them. She would never remember what gave her the impulse, for it's not allowed to be this far into death and remember what you saw. But the impulse came, and her heart beat, and her lungs breathed. The pain that enticed her still didn't cut through her sleep, and she breathed again, as if it were labored.
Marco looked up, just as everyone in the room already had. A strange noise filled the silence of the room. A strange mechanical beep. Marco looked up at the source of the sound, his eyes wide with hope. And there it came again, and he saw the unsteady line cross the screen. Oh, God, she was alive. A smile ripped through Marco's face. Oh, God, he loved her strength almost as much as he loved just her.
~~~~~~~~~~
Marco awoke to an angelic voice humming out a familiar tune. He looked up and couldn't help the ripple of joy that crashed into his body. "Sonnet..." Her voice was a wonderful moan from him and she lifted her head from the pillow. She still looked pale, but she also looked beautiful. So damn beautiful.
"Sleepyhead." She managed through a yawn. He smiled, and started to laugh. She looked at him strangely from the hospital bed. "Are you okay, Marco? Are you sure it's not you who should be in this hospital bed? I mean, God, Marco, what's up with the cackling-"
He interrupted her as he leaned over her and kissed her deeply. She tensed at first, but then relaxed. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, trying to find any sign of the feelings that had come between them at the party. He saw none. He smiled broadly as he saw something completely different. He saw the sun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah, I know, I know. "Sappy, GE!!!!" I can hear you screaming it from here! Yet it's as long as my first PureBlood, 19 pages, So you better love it! *Crambs the story down your throats* Seriously, next time I'll try to have more characters, like Jake and Cassie and Tobias and Rachel and Ax and even the little green men that live in my head, if you'll just give me a second chance! Man, 24 hours to the next millennium right now. Wow. So, did you like it? Did you? You know how you show love of someone's work on the Internet? You pester them with email and reviews! Same thing if you wanna kill me for this story... *grins* I'm desperate for feed back... So, happy Millennium, all my friends! Shoot... Millennium... *wonders off muttering in amazement*