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Ben's Note of Sheer Awesome: I was going to post this later. Screw that. You guys need this now. No jokes, no funny entrances, we're just going to slip right into it.
Also, KCL, if you jumped straight to this one, I would read the one before it first. This won't make sense if you don't.
Prompt 25: Bitter End
Kitty felt her life flash before her eyes.
And she realized how wrong she was.
As she fell, Alistair screamed for her. Kitty's tears increased. Alistair was heartbroken. She always told him to let her die first. She couldn't live without him. More tears streamed from her eyes.
She never realized her couldn't live without her.
Everything that had drove her to jump… she realized she was stupid. A stupid idiot. Alistair loved her. And she threw that away. Her father had reasons for coming back. He probably would have explained. And… her nightmares weren't her. That wasn't her in her nightmares.
Kitty sobbed. This was it. She threw away her life. She overreacted. But, mostly… she failed her boyfriend. The one she loved more than anyone in the world.
She cried. It would be the last thing Kitty ever did.
Maddie bounced to the spot the author had designated. Kitty was nowhere to be seen, but Maddie knew the author wouldn't send her somewhere without a reason. So Maddie stood still. Not moving.
And she felt a drop of water fall on her.
"Huh, that's odd. It's not raining," Maddie said, holding her arms out and looking up.
And Kitty fell into her arms.
"Oh! Hey Kitty, I was looking for you!" Maddie said with a smile. Kitty looked at Maddie in shock. More tears streamed from her eyes as she hugged her roommate and tightly. Maddie was confused, but simply hugged back.
A knock on the door.
It was distant to Kitty's ears. She was lying on her tree, curled up and sobbing. She had been there for a week, eating and drinking enough only to keep her alive. She wouldn't speak to anyone. She was broken.
Maddie was sitting in a chair and watching her friend. She stood up, and walked over to the door and opened it. Alistair was there, looking tired. Maddie offered him a weak smile. "Your turn?" she asked.
"Yeah. My dorm's open. You can sleep in there if you want," he said with a yawn. Maddie gave him a nod and went off to his dorm room. Alistair walked over to the chair Maddie sat on and took her place.
For the past week, Maddie and Alistair both agreed Kitty could not be left alone. They came up with a schedule in which one of them could keep an eye on her. Maddie managed to convince Raven to come by every so often so he and Maddie could catch up on sleep.
The first thing Alistair had done was talk to Headmaster Grimm about getting Kitty professional help. Alistair knew he'd be there for her, but he needed someone qualified to help Kitty, not his own limited knowledge. Headmaster Grimm, however, denied Kitty the help she needed. It sickened Alistair to a point where he raised his voice. Suffice it to say, Maddie had to take a double shift while he spent it in detention.
Alistair looked at his broken girlfriend. He still loved her deeply and it saddened his heart that she was like this. He realized no one should have to watch their loved one suffer in pain. He knew Kitty wouldn't want to see him suffer. He wondered if Kitty knew how much this was killing him on the inside.
They sat there for a long time before Alistair stood up and fixed her lunch. He got her a glass of milk and heated up some fish. He grabbed the food and went over to Kitty. "Lunch," he said. Kitty stiffened and he heard a sob escape. Kitty always did that when she realized it was Alistair's turn to watch her.
He set the plate down and went back to the chair. Kitty stole pieces of the food, but didn't eat much. When she looked like she was done, Alistair picked it up and cleaned the glassware.
He returned to his seat and sat there for another hour. He stared at Kitty and sighed. This was heartbreaking. He couldn't take seeing Kitty like that.
Kitty didn't notice anything odd until she felt hands wrap around her. She didn't recognize the warmth for a moment. Then it clicked. Alistair. Why was he here? Why did he have to watch her suffer? She didn't want him to see her like this.
"Kitty," he said, his voice dry. "I know you are so low right now. I know that this is hard for you. But Kitty… I love you. I hate seeing you like this, suffering away. I can't imagine the pain going through you right now… but I know that I can feel the pain by having to watch you suffer within yourself. I'm here for you Kitty. I won't ever let go of you… just please get better."
Alistair didn't let go of Kitty for a while. He felt tears on his arms as Kitty silently cried. He held her close. He knew she was broken. But, he knew, that if he stayed with her… she'd be back together eventually. All she needed was time.
Alistair let go after about an hour, but he felt Kitty grasp his arm. "Don't leave…" she rasped. "I… need… you…" Alistair gave her a small smile, and wrapped her tight again. Maybe she was already recovering. Just in her own way.
BN: And we are now done with the darkest arc. I felt as though I portrayed this right. I hope you guys cried as much as I did. Kitty really does need to recover from this, so most of the chapters after this will be the 'Recovery' arc. Alistair will be with Kitty every step of the way.
Also, there is one part I do definitely hear complaints about. I feel the need to explain it. Headmaster Grimm. Now, the reason Headmaster Grimm denied Kitty professional help kind of goes to two reasons, one making sense, the other being selfish. The first one is the fact that with Kitty's dad attacking the kingdom, it's hard enough as it is. Headmaster Grimm doesn't want to add to the stress, which is probably a good reason, since many people need professional help at this time. The selfish reason is that he figures this is a good way of showing that by defying destiny, you get hurt. Kitty never really defied her destiny, but Kittystair, in canon, wasn't supposed to happen in Headmaster Grimm's eyes. This, to him, Kitty's punishment.
I understand that it's cruel, but I'm not a fan of bad endings. Kitty will recover. Alistair will get her back into her normal happy self. Keep in mind that this experience has changed Kitty too, and will have a form of PTSD, since she came so close to actually succeeding. But like I said, Alistair won't ever leave her side. Also, Maddie will be popping up more often. As Kitty's roommate, at this point, Maddie is truly the only person Alistair trusts with Kitty's welfare other than himself. I feel as though Maddie fits the bill perfectly in what I need done.
Also, the prompt was fulfilled, just in a different way than you might have thought. Some would have thought Kitty died and it turned Alistair bitter against the world. No, I actually fulfilled the prompt by making this arc end on a kind of bitter sweet moment. No one is going to die in this fic. I'm not that kind of guy.
With the darkest arc over, I will continue on in my endeavors and write the next prompt ASAP. (Might even update later today if I have time.) It'll get back to being lighthearted and a sort of time jump forward. Tune in next time for the first recovery arc, chapter 24: Snow.
Like? Hate? Meh? Let me know in a review. Or don't. Either works.