Chapter 7
In Which I Am An Ugly Crier
It wasn't crying like in the movies. Tears didn't flow silently down my cheeks while the dramatic music swelled in the background, emphasizing my agony. There wasn't a montage of me crying and flipping out because my best friend didn't want me around anymore.
I curled up on the floor in my old room. I was shaking; my nose was red and dripping snot. My entire body shook with the hiccupping sobs and I had to struggle to breathe. My head and throat both ached from crying and my face felt uncomfortably hot.
I wiped my arm across my face, ruining my jacket. Heartbreak is messy. My chest ached badly, too. Every time I thought about the fight, about the things Ashley said to me, it was like my lungs squeezed all the air out of them and I started crying even harder. But I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I didn't mean to hurt her or hold her to the past. I had just assumed that my still being around would make her happy. I assumed that I would hang around and we would stay friends while she lived her life. I had assumed that even though I stayed the same, she would still want to be friends as she grew and her life changed.
Looking back, it was a really dumb assumption. Of course thing wouldn't stay the same. People change, that's the way things are.
But I won't. I won't age. I won't be able to finish my degree and find a nice guy to settle down and start a family with. I won't get married. I won't be able to live a long, full life and die peacefully.
I closed my eyes as the memory of Envy's death flashed before my eyes. The letter opener stuck out of her abdomen, glistening red. Her face showed shock as she bled to death on the bedroom floor.
I shook my head, hiccuping again. I had killed her. I tried hard to pretend that it wasn't my fault or that it hadn't really been me, but it had. I had stabbed Envy and ended her life. It wasn't the result of Envy's spell or the necessity of the situation. I had made the decision to attack her and that was the result.
I took a few long deep breaths. It was still a few minutes before I was able to calm down enough to breathe normally, but I was still sniffling and crying. Ashley had been right; I needed to woman up and deal with what I'd done.
I looked around the room. I had returned to my parent's home without thinking. My childhood bedroom was on the second floor, with a window overlooking the back garden. It hadn't been tended well in years; the flowers were long gone, replaced with weeds that grew into the cobblestone path.
The room itself was pink. My parents loved to insist that pink was and always had been my favorite color (not true, I assure you). The walls were pink with cream polka dots, the small twin bed was still made up with a thick and lumpy pink bedspread and a pillow that was flattened from use. I had loved and hated this room growing up. Now it was covered in photos of myself; a memorial created by my parents in my honor.
I didn't like staying here. Why had I come here? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I stood up from the corner and got up. It felt good to stretch my legs after sitting curled up for so long. It was around 1 AM now; the sky was dark, covered by thick clouds. I took another deep breath and sank down to sit on the edge of the bed.
"OW!" And shot back up again, rubbing my butt. I had sat on something hard. I pulled back the comforter on the bed to find…
"Teeth?" I picked up one of the cylindrical containers, examining the face on the side. A young girl with dark hair and eyes. I didn't recognize her. There was no doubt, though, that this was a container of teeth from the Tooth Palace. But what was it doing here.
Another flash of gold caught my eye and I yanked the comforter off the bed completely, and stared in shock. There were at least three dozen more golden containers of teeth hidden in the blankets.
What are these doing here? I looked around, checked out the window to make sure no one was watching. No one. I picked up each cylinder and examined them individually. None of the kids look related. None of them looked familiar. Who had put them here? And why?
Well, whatever the reason, they didn't belong here. I grabbed a couple of plastic grocery bag from the kitchen and gathered all the teeth. Then I opened the window and jumped out, headed towards Asia, where I knew the Tooth Palace was hidden.
I didn't even make it to the coast before I was ambushed. At first, I thought I had been struck by lightning; I only registered a sudden pain in my back and began to fall from the sky. It took me half a second to pull on my magic and get the wind to surround me, and that's when I heard it; the high pitched tweets of..
"Tooth fairies!" No sooner than I had said it I was surrounded by flashes of bright colors and loud, angry sounding bird-like fairies. The circled me tightly, but the wind I controlled created a sort of circular shield that they seemed to be unable to fly through. I held tightly to the bag of teeth but opened it up to show them.
"I found these-"
"THIEF!" There was a blur of color that burst through the protective bubble around me as the Tooth Fairy herself flew at me and grabbed the bag. I was unable to release the handles quickly enough and the thin plastic tore.
"No!" Cries of horror were issued all around us, and both of us dove, trying to grab as many of the teeth as we could. I reached for one and then, in a flash of hummingbird wings, my hand was bleeding.
"Agh!" I pulled my hand back quickly, accidentally knocking the little fairy who'd attacked my hand out of the air.
Again and again I reached to try to catch teeth and each time the fairies fought me off. I was trying to help!
And then, it was over. We had reached the ground. And some of the teeth had reached it first. There was absolute silence. The fairies landed, searching among the broken shards for intact teeth. Tooth was holding a few cylinders in her arms, clutching them to her chest and gasping for breath.
"Tooth…" I stepped forward, holding out the one container of teeth I had managed to catch. Instantly, the other fairies flew into action, some tearing at my hand and others yanking the teeth from me.
I held my hand close to my chest, gripping it tightly to try to stop the flow of blood.
"Look, I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened. I don't know why-"
"It shouldn't have happened?!" She screeched.
"You mean you shouldn't have been caught stealing them?"
"No, I didn't-" The fairies clamored, drowning out my words as I tried to explain what had happened. But Tooth wasn't listening. She was shaking, out of grief or anger I couldn't tell. Without another word she took off, the rest of her fairies following.
"Tooth!" I took off after them. I needed to explain.
The fairies wouldn't let me get close. Groups of them kept falling back to attack me, tearing at my clothes and any exposed skin. I felt small cuts appearing all over my arms and legs, and the cold of the wind hurt almost as much, but I kept trying to reach her.
It hurt so badly. I could barely think about anything else then how much I hurt.
I could barely think.
I fell.
You guys are gonna make me cry! One day into the return of my writing and someone posts a review that just said "You're back! :D". I cannot tell you all how much I appreciate you guys and your support.
As always, please review, follow and/or favorite if you like the story! (Constructive criticism is always appreciated, so don't be afraid to post negative reviews if you have suggestions on how I can improve!) 3
