Chapter 29
Elizabeth stood on the roof of the E-Pandora facility looking out as the sun rose. The cold didn't seem to bother her as her hair blew around slightly from the light wind still passing through the area. The snow had stopped affording her a perfect view of the first few orange rays of light that peered over the mountains. She took a deep breath holding it in her lungs for a few moments before letting it out.
"So it's true?" Arnette asked standing a few feet behind her leaning against a steel wall. Elizabeth nodded her head without turning to face her yet.
"It is." She responded squinting her eyes against the light that continued to bathe the facility.
"We need you Elizabeth. Right now, more than ever." Elizabeth chuckled softly shaking her head. She reached out towards the sun as if trying to touch it.
"Chiffon taught me something very important. Something that right now I have to follow. Do you know what it was?" The blond Pandora asked turning her head back towards Arnette.
"What?" Arnette asked. Elizabeth smiled and pulled her arm back.
"Whatever the cost…hold onto what you love. No matter how hard something tries to pry it from your fingers, fight for it…" Elizabeth said turning to face her friend fully. "Or die for it." She finished. Arnette looked down running her foot along the riveted steel plates making up the roof of the building.
"Yeah…" The red haired Pandora trailed off looking past Elizabeth at the sun.
"Andre needs me right now. He…sacrificed everything for me, and I intend to stay by his side for as long as it takes for him to recover." Elizabeth said turning her back once more to watch the sun as well. Arnette pushed off the wall and stepped up beside her.
"Yeah, I get it. You could do with some rest too." Arnette responded looking over Elizabeth's body. Her chest was wrapped heavily in bandages as well as her abdomen from where Charles had stabbed her. Another wrapped around her head from the contusions she suffered during the fight.
They stood in silence for nearly half an hour watching the sky change colors. It was the first time they had taken so much time to watch something so simple. Something that until now they had taken for granted. Arnette looked over at Elizabeth and swallowed hard.
"What are we going to do?" She asked. Elizabeth had always been a rock for her. A voice of reason and intelligence. Someone she knew that she could trust beyond a shadow of a doubt.
"I'm going to take Andre home with me. See that he gets the medical attention he deserves. I suspect that Varen and Ticy will return to West Genetics and try to piece their lives back together. Attia will go wherever Varen goes and I think she will be someone that Ticy and he will rely on for support. With all that being said, I guess the real question is, what are you doing to do Arnette?" The blonde Pandora asked.
"I'm afraid to go home. I've been numb since the whole thing happened, but I know the moment I step foot on the ground in Asakura, I will see her desk. She won't be sitting in it laughing with us. The table we would sit at and eat together with three empty chairs. I don't know if I'm ready for that." She answered. Elizabeth reached over and put her arm around her shoulder.
"We all grieve differently my friend. Do not think that I am so strong as to not shed tears. I am well aware that I have many sleepless nights ahead of me when I am left to my own thoughts. Even more so when I have to tell Andre that she's gone. We lost a friend, and I will weep Arnette. Far more than you can even imagine." Elizabeth explained pulling Arnette tight against her body.
"I already miss her." Arnette said quietly. She felt a hand reach up and brush her hair back. An almost motherly touch that made her whole body shake as the comfort Elizabeth gave her blew away what resolve she had left.
"Me too, it's alright." Elizabeth answered just as quietly. Arnette turned her head pushing her face into Elizabeth's shoulder crying softly. Her sobs broke Elizabeth's heart and she felt her own eyes beginning to cry. They stood and held each other for a long time letting their pain out.
"I'll miss you." Arnette said wiping her face.
"This isn't goodbye." Elizabeth answered kissing Arnette's forehead.
"What is West Genetics going to do without Chiffon? The only person who could even come close to her leadership is you." Arnette asked. Elizabeth shook her head and sighed.
"Chiffon was our student president because she encompassed all the ideals that a Pandora should strive to be. Honest, faithful, intelligent, and yes…powerful. There is still someone who has all of those characteristics." Elizabeth answered turning to look at the sky. Arnette looked on as well nodding her head.
Roxanne pulled a chair over from along the wall and pushed it against the bed. She spun it around backwards and sat down facing the backrest leaning her arms on it. She grabbed a piece of the blanket and straightened it out, brushing it down so it was flat.
"Good morning Roxy." Cassie said half asleep her eyes blinking a few times to adjust to the light.
"Hey there Cass, how you feeling?" The red headed Pandora answered reaching out and holding her hand. The left side of Cassie was heavily bandaged with a capsule encompassing her left shoulder down.
"Being a Pandora really is something isn't it? They said I'll have my arm back within a week." Cassie answered. Roxanne chuckled quietly squeezing her hand before letting it go.
"Growing limbs back takes a toll on your stigmata. You know this." Roxanne explained and Cassie nodded.
"Yeah, it shaves some time off our lives I know. I'm ok with that though. Just means I will die pretty." She winked and laughed making Roxanne laugh as well.
"I saw Julia already. She's in about the same shape as you except she is afflicted with a wounded pride. Charles is already on the mend from what I heard. She wouldn't let me in the room. Stubborn child." Roxanne said.
"That's good. I heard that we are all going home. The project has been shut down indefinitely. They haven't said much about anything else, but I've been in and out of consciousness." Cassie said.
"Yeah, I've been asking around. The Chevalier Pandora here have been pretty open over the last twelve hours. I think a lot of them secretly wanted to help you guys. Do the right thing you know?" Roxanne said and Cassie nodded.
"Did they make it?" Cassie asked pushing her body back so she could sit up.
"There's a lot you missed Cassie, but yeah they all made it. They suffered no aftereffects of the Mark 3 serum. Every one of them made it, even Amelia. No one has been able to explain it, but after Chiffon…well…she saved Amelia." Roxanne said cautiously realizing their conversation was on its way to a darker place.
"That's great! Those Nightingales are something right?" Cassie said excitedly and Roxanne nodded sadly. Cassie's happiness vanished as she could see Roxanne was downcast.
"Cassie…"
"What is it?" The teal haired Pandora asked. Roxanne took a deep breath and once more took her hand.
"Chiffon's dead. She didn't make it. I don't know how, but Amelia novalized fully and Chiffon sacrificed herself. It brought Amelia back to normal, but Chiffon was gone." She explained and Cassie's mouth slowly fell open.
"Oh no…" Cassie responded covering her mouth with her hand.
"Amelia was going to self-destruct and level this place. Chiffon stopped her and saved her. Saved all of us." Roxanne continued and Cassie rubbed her eyes. Roxanne stood up and hugged her tightly as they both started to cry.
"How can she be dead? She's Chiffon Fairchild." Cassie sobbed clutching at Roxanne's uniform.
"I know, but she's gone Cass." Roxanne responded holding onto Cassie just as tightly.
"Oh god, Varen!" Cassie said in shock. Roxanne nodded slowly.
"He saw it all. Maybe even saw more than we did, I don't know. A lot of people have tried to see him, but he hasn't come out of his room. I think West is going home later today. I was going to try and catch him then." She answered.
"He must be in so much pain. You could just tell when you looked at them right? How much they loved each other?" Cassie said tearing up again.
"Mhm, I know that she died very happy. I don't doubt that she had that damn smile on her face when she died." Roxanne answered crying harder.
Attia sat alone in the room that she shared with Ticy and Arnette. She had pulled the ties out of her hair letting it down albeit quite messy. She hadn't changed out of her combat uniform since last night. She didn't care that she was covered in blood and sweat, much of it her own. She looked down at herself and sighed pushing herself up to her feet.
She flicked the switch in the bathroom illuminating it brightly as she closed the door behind her. She reached into the shower spinning the knob until she stopped it on the desired heat setting. Looking in the mirror while waiting for the water to heat up she saw a girl stare back at her that she could hardly recognize. Her face was dirty and bloodstained. The normal stark white hair was matted against her head in many places and her clothes were tattered.
She reached up and unzipped her top struggling to pull the clothing free from her body. After much effort she was able to peel away the combat uniform and toss it against the corner. Hours ago she had dressed in that uniform when it was still fresh and clean. She looked at it now and saw the stains that covered it. Arnette, Varen, Ticy, Elizabeth, and Chiffon. Each stain made her wonder whose blood it belonged to.
"Ha…" She sighed leaning on the counter looking back into the mirror again. She lifted her undershirt over her head and tossed it in the same pile running a hand through her hair cringing as she painfully pulled at the knots. She always kept it so nice before. It always curled so easily allowing her to tie it up on either side of her head and let it corkscrew down. Now, it was ugly she realized.
The mirror continued to reflect back the image of a girl that she didn't want to see. Even now, in just her underwear she saw that her injuries were all gone, but the remnants of last night remained. She tore at her bra and underwear throwing them aside and glared into the mirror breathing heavily. The same naked blood covered girl stared back.
She turned and ran into the shower trying to hide from her own reflection. She sat down and lifted her knees up to her chest crying. The water fell off her body turning shades of red, brown, and black washing away the dirt and grime from her body. Alone, she sobbed as the water washed the blood of her friends away.
"I'm so sorry Chiffon." She buried her head against the wall of the shower repeating it over and over.
