I know this will be temporary.

We should have seen this coming – I should have seen this coming. Those sapphire crystals, I've been reading them wrong since the beginning. There has never been anything contained within them. There has never been anything, and he's still so untouched and perfect. He's still there.

And he's so god damn condescending.

He knows that he's tricked us – tricked me – so why does he still look so inviting?

"Come with me," he murmurs, sultry sweet and still so patronizing. "We'll run away together."

I just stare, my eyes the perfect image of nothingness, of glassy jewels made only for the display cases, never to give to your lover so she can shout "it's perfect!"

Because it's not.

I'm stuck. Not just between a rock and a hard place, but between six and one, and he doesn't give me enough time to choose before he turns and walks away, so tantalizing, so beautiful, so perfect.

"No one will miss me."

The murmur is gone, and I realize that he's tricked me again. I stumble over my words anyways, so heartfelt but still so hollow. "That's not true! I would!"

But it's too late, and as I lunge after him, the darkness has already swallowed him whole.

For the last time.

And I'll watch you go.