Chapter25 –The Only Way–

On the day of our school enrollment, we had sat together under the great oak-tree on the school ground and had taken each other's hand, promising to always stay friends, no matter what happened, we wouldn't fall apart, forever and ever and ever.

We – that were I, Chantal, Janette, Antoine, Julien, Fabienne, Dominique, Claudine and Louis.

Now it was only me. Five had left and three were about to go.

After the talk with Fabienne, she, Chantal and Claudine had suddenly left. They had just said goodbye to my parents and Granny with the excuse to be needed at home for Christmas. They didn't even tell me.

"I couldn't survive this, could you?"

I bit my lip, bit it hard. But I could feel the pain. Not a nightmare from which I could wake up, it was real.

"Chloe, don't. You will hurt yourself." Adrian put finger on my lip, massaging it gently until my teeth backed off.

I buried my face into his chest, hiding from something that I didn't even know. He pulled me on his lap, stroking my head down to my back in a slow calming pace.

The seconds ticked by and every time when one passed by I wondered where Chantal, Claudine and Fabienne were at the very moment.

"I couldn't survive this, could you?"

"Don't worry, love. All will be fine," Adrian tried to reassure me, but it didn't work. Instead, it just broke the wall inside of me and the words streamed out like water that had been collected behind a dike before.

"No, nothing is going to be fine – nothing! Janette is gone for two days; Antoine, Julien and Dominique for a month and Louis already for two months – two months! I don't know where they are, nobody knows where they are – even you couldn't find them. They could be anywhere, deep in the dark snowy forest, freezing, hungry, scared –no, terrified– and no idea how to go home. How can I not be worried now?"

"Chloe-"

"And Chantal, Claudine and Fabienne are leaving, too. Maybe they are just entering the forest at this very moment to look for our friends who are Heaven knows where! And I'm sitting here, in my save warm room, doing nothing but waiting to lose the last ones of my precious friends!"

"It's not your fault. There's nothing you can do," he tried to comfort me. But it was a lie. There was something I could do, something very useful perhaps. I could send Adrian to take care of them; I could spare him for one night to save the last three of my friends. But I couldn't, I couldn't let go of him, I simply couldn't say the rescuing words.

Instead, I snuggled closer to him and I hated myself for being so egoistic. "I don't want to lose them, I can't lose them – I couldn't survive this," I quoted Fabienne. "It's so cold outside and it's dark. They will get lost or meet one of those Grey Wolves about which Granny always keeps telling us about. They will get hurt or… or worse!" My whole body begun to shake uncontrollably when I came to the worst outcome possible. Maybe they were already gone, all of them, completely gone, out of my reach forever. "They will die," I breathed, so quietly that I barely heard myself. "They are dead."

"No, Chloe."

"Antoine, Janette, Dominique, Louis, Julien."

"I'm sure they are fine," he assured me, but I didn't believe him. I had noticed a slight twitch in his eyes when I had mentioned one name.

"Julien," I whispered, panic overflowing me.

"No, Chloe, all is fine," he tried to convince me, but I could see the lie in his eyes. I knew him well enough now.

"What happened to him?" I demanded.

"Nothing," he kept stubborn.

I sat up, looking directly into his golden eyes, those which had already seen so much pain. "Adrian, tell me," I pleaded. "I need to know."

He stared back at me for a long moment, then his eyes shifted away, looking pass me into the distance. "I found him," he answered finally in a whisper; his voice was hoarse and filled with pain.

"When?" I prompted just as quietly as he did.

"Three weeks ago."

I gasped. "Three weeks?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just couldn't bear seeing you been hurt again," he explained.

"Where?" I went on demanding.

He sighed. "In the forest, it wasn't near the village. They had come quiet far."

I nodded. "How?"

"I was hunting and-"

"No," I cut him off. "I mean, how did he look like? How did he die?"

"Chloe, I don't think that you should know this," he reasoned, watching me hugely worried.

I swallowed. So bad? "Tell me," I insisted.

Again, he looked at me for a long silent moment, his eyes held so much pain and concern. Then he put his arms around me. I let him pull me back on his lap, resting my head against his shoulder and looking up at him expectant and scared.

"It was not a natural death," he begun in a low voice, watching my reactions while he spoke. I suppressed a shudder and tried to be as composed as possible. "I don't think that it was an animal or… one of my kind – no blood."

I swallowed and nodded when he waited for me to react in someway.

"I guess someone or something had thrown him against a tree trunk and this had broken his neck. There were marks on the tree at which's roots he was lying."

This time I couldn't hold it back. I winced. Thrown against a tree trunk. It must have been very hard if it had even left marks. Oh my God, Julien!

"It went fast," Adrian tried to comfort me. "He didn't have to suffer any pain."

I nodded. Julien. Calm, silent, wise Julien. He had always been there for me if I had needed help without me even noticing.

"I'm not a doctor or scientist or whoever works with human problems. I just want to inform you so you can think about it on your own, maybe you'll be able to clear everything after thinking about it properly."

I remembered the rare times when he'd smiled and even rarer times when he'd talked. His voice had been so warm and gentle, so full of concern and love.

"Chloe, I wasn't forcing you to do something when I talked to you on your birthday. Thinking about yourself isn't homework you've to finish next Monday. It's a routine task everyone should do once a while."

He had been a great person, one of the most intelligent person I'd known. A young man with family and friends, future and dreams.

"I don't know how, don't know why – and I won't ask for any explanations either. What I can see is that the product of this turn is your happiness. And as long as you're happy everything is fine."

When I was older, I had often tried to picture the girl that would catch his attention and break through the silence around him. Now she wouldn't even get a chance to try, never.

Something cool and wet dropped on my hand and I noticed that I was crying.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe," Adrian shared his compassion with me, drying my tears with feather light kisses.

"You have to go," I said between the sobs. "You have to make sure that Chantal, Claudine and Fabienne will come back home fine."

His eyes widened slightly as if in panic but I couldn't be sure because he was back to normal a blink later. "Are you sure?" he wondered. "What will be about you?"

I felt my heart tightened in protest but I ordered it to shut up and listen to my mind, this was important – vitally important. I could live through a night without Adrian – I had to, it was the only way. "I will be fine," I promised, forcing a smile on my face. "You must go and keep an eye on my friends. Who knows what will happen when Chantal is fully into it." I chuckled, it sounded hysterical even in my own ears.

He watched me with skeptical golden eyes. "Are you sure?" he checked again.

I nodded and when I recognized that this wasn't enough for him I added: "Adrian, they are my friends, the last three of my beloved friends. I can't lose them, either. Do you understand?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes, I know. It's just that… I… you…" He shook his head, lost at words.

I took his face in my hands; his smooth pale cheeks were hard and as cold as ice. "Adrian," I called and he opened his eyes. They were so warm, overflowing with different emotions – anxiety, concern, fear, pain, but most of all, love. "Please." –it was harder to say this one single word than I'd ever imagined– "I will stay here in this save warm room and not going anywhere. Nothing will happen to me. You just make sure that my friends return home without any harm but a cold perhaps, and then come back to my side as soon as possible. Okay?"

He didn't respond, at least not in a audible way. Instead, he just took my face in his hands –as I was doing with his– and pulled me up to his face so my lips would join him in a burning hot kiss. I blinked in astonishment first, but then my mind switched itself off and my body took complete control over me. My hands slid from his smooth cheeks up in his silk soft hair, bringing him even closer to me. Our lips molded together, melting to one. I moaned in surprise and delight when I felt his ice cold tongue pressing against my lips, asking for entrance, which I granted him much too eagerly.

I couldn't even start to describe how it felt, how his cool sweet tongue danced with mine; how his moans sang in my ears and how his intoxicating breath became one with mine. There were simply no words for this. Too wonderful, too miraculous, too good.

I didn't want him to go, I wanted him to stay here with me and kissing me like this forever.

But I knew that that was not possible, not now. He seemed to remember this fact, too, and pulled away – much too soon for my taste of course. We were both struggling with breath. "I will be back in no time, promise," I heard him whisper, his cool breath trickling the sensitive skin at my ear. Then I felt a slight breeze washing over my face and when I looked up, he was gone.

"I love you," I whispered back and I thought that I had heard his answering sigh.

woa! this one was FAST!! I guess having a plan helps... XD

hmm.... I kinda like this chap - especially the end ^^ hmm..... sooo~~~ HOT! I kinda envy Chloe! XDD Who else, too?? :D

okay.... from now on it's gonna be... BAD - real bad.... Julien's death is NOTHING compared to what's going to come!! Muhahaha!! XDDD

oh, right, I wanted to tell you why Julien died: I made him die because I liked him sooo~~ much ^////^ and there was no other option but to "kill" him exept for-

oops! I'm not supposed to say this now ^^ hmm.... you have to wait for at least another chap I guess ^^ hehehe *evil* XDD

and don't forget to REVIEW!! ^^ -thx!

-Mulan-