Chapter 4
Only Way Out
"What does it say?"
"They're making arrangements..." Kendall looked up at her sister heartbroken; she had just received a letter from her parents. It was Christmas Eve when her gray owl gave it to her.
"Oh, my goodness," Melissa replied, "What all does it say?"
"I don't want to read it... here," and handed the small piece of parchment to her sister.
"Dearest daughter," Melissa began:
I write this with tears in my eyes and I also impart that no one here is
happy anymore. We thought that moving you to that school would get you closer to your doctor, so more frequent trips, faster healing. Honey, we're trying everything we can, you know that, but this is more complicated then I expected. Your doctor, Dr. Malachi, came by the other day and personally delivered a report of your progress. He said that you, yourself, is doing a
magnificent job in trying to help manually, but medicine isn't helping. Nothing is helping. He told us that... O, dear, as I write this, my heart
is breaking, but he said that we should start making arrangements for a
funeral. I know that you aren't afraid of death, and I'm sure right now you'll welcome it with open arms, but we, your family is not, but no matter how much we want to deny it, the doctor says there's no other possibility.
So, without further ado he wants me to make sure that there are no 'special' requests that you would like. Yes, I already know where you want to be buried; you made that quite clear that night that you yelled at us
that you ARE dying. I knew you were right, but a mother has a hard time admitting it to herself. Well, I'd like to ask for you and your sister to
come home for this time, but it's your decision.
Love,
Mom
Melissa whipped a tear from her eye as she raced to her sister's side to hold her.
"Melissa, I want you to know, that I'm thankful for everything that you have done for me over the years. I love you for it."
"Don't! Don't say goodbye yet! You're not leaving right now!"
"Melissa?"
"Yes?"
"Remember that binding thing that we did when we were 5?"
"My blood to your blood?"
"Yes, well you don't think that that would interfere with..."
"I don't know, but at the moment I hope it does."
"Oh, don't say that! You are going to live and do all those things that we said we would... and you know what? It will be 'we'! It'll be US like we said it would! I promised you at the age of 5 and I'm doing it again now!"
****
The weeks that passed Hermione could tell that there was something about her new friends that was wrong, but she also knew that they weren't very nice when people tried to pry. Ron had talked to Kendall about dating again, and she of course turned him down.
"Is this about that Russell guy?" he would ask every time.
And she would always reply, "No... and yes."
Ron was at a loss, he knew as well as everyone with eyes that she liked him, but they also saw something was pulling her back.
"I'll stop pestering if I absolutely know that this is all in vein," Ron was confiding to Harry as they were walking to Divination.
"Tell me about it! These girls don't know what they want obviously!"
"Uh... Harry? Melissa clearly hates iyou/i... so uh... what are you talking about?"
Harry looked at Ron sheepishly, he knew what he said was true. Melissa always told him off, cussed him out, or slapped him every time he tried to talk to her. He didn't see why though! She couldn't still be mad at him for the beginning of the year mice.
"Come on man, she may come around," Ron tried to reassure his friend.
"You think so?"
"No... not really."
"Oh..."
"But..."
"Good morning class! Take your seats please, and we will begin," greeted Professor Treelawny at the door, "Everyone take out your 'What You Can't See' books by Lily Wood and turn to page 47. Now as we..." Professor Treelawny looked up as Kendall walked into class late, "Now, Miss Grempet, we don't accept tardiness in this..." her eyes began to swell and her voice became raspy as she told Kendall something that freaked her out more than anyone,
"It's tragic, yes, and no one knows why you're afraid to tell them. You'll do it to yourself and he'll be there, you may not know it, but he'll be there..."
The whole class was looking at the professor and then at Kendall. They didn't know what to think of this, but Kendall knew exactly what she was talking about, but when asked, she replied with,
"How should I know what that drip is talking about?"
***
Ron was tossing and turning in his bed, due to a stomachache that night.
"Uh!" he called as he jumped out of bed and put on his robe. He was on his way to the Hospital Wing when something caught his eye. He looked out the window that he had just passed and noticed a woman walking to the forest, what was in her hand was noticed to a knife.
He ran outside and followed the lady. She had on a silver cloak and was walking swiftly, yet silently. He didn't make a noise as he did follow her, thinking that if she tried anything he would stop her. As she took off her hood, Ron noticed it to be...
*Kendall!*
She sat Indian style on the ground where an opening was, so as to where the moonlight hit her cloak severely so she glittered. She stuck her right palm above the earth and took the other hand that was holding the blade and placed it above her right. Just as Ron was about to make his move she yelled,
"I'll do it! I'll do it if you don't bring him back! Bring him back to me! I need him! You know of whom I speak! This is my only way to be with him... it's my only way out!" she thrust the knife in just a little and small blood drops hit the floor. Just then a wind began to rise and the trees began to sway. The darkness seemed to overwhelm her as someone walked out of the woods.
*It's HIM!* Ron thought as the tall, sturdy young man walked amid the darkness.
"Russell," she whispered.
He walked nearer to her and sat down on the floor beside. He held the hand with the dagger, whispered something in her ear and threw it as far as he could. He kissed her on the lips tenderly and she became ablaze with love.
"Can't you stay this time?"
He didn't answer, but she already knew. He got up from her side and went back into the darkness wince he came. She lay on the floor and began to cry unreservedly to herself.
"Why did I have to love him?!?! If I didn't he would not of died!" she called to the heavens, "Why did you send him to me if all you were going to do was take him away!?!?! ... No, I guess it was my fault, huh? I fell in love with him, knowing what I am! Knowing that it would kill him if I got too deep! WHY! Why?"
It was a painful sight to see, and Ron watched it with such remorse. He watched her all night as she fretted. The sun was coming over the horizon and the moon was sinking in the midst before she dried her tears and went back into the castle. Ron sat there a few minutes contemplating, but when all of it was finally unscrambled he ran to see if Melissa was awake to make sure his facts were straight.
"Melissa!" he came calling in the Great Hall. Everyone looked at him awkwardly as he, a Gryffindor, raced over to the Ravenclaw table, pull up a girl and take her outside.
"What is it, Ron?"
Seeing as how he should just get straight to the point, he said, "Does your sister not want to be with me because she, being an Amontees, thinks it will kill me if she falls in love... like with Russell?"
"Oh my God, Ron! Um... maybe you should talk to her about this."
"NO! I want my answers now! I'm beating my brains out over this girl, and I don't think it's because of what she is... I think... I know, it's who she is that keeps me this driven."
"Alright, Ron. It's true. She fell in love with Russell, and when someone with this curse falls in love, it kills that person. She was with him for five months when he told her he loved her, and it was six until she admitted it to herself. When she told him... the life was taken from him. Kendall swore to never fall in love like that again. She never gets to close with anyone anymore, not even girls! She won't become friends with anyone, for fear that they'll die."
"But what about you? You're her sister and she loves you!"
"Well, see, when we were about five or six we slit our wrists and combined our blood. Since we did that, we are bound together."
"So when she... dies... you will too?"
"Most likely," she admitted to herself reluctantly, "just, for now... follow your heart."
"Well, what if my heart leads me to Kendall?"
"Then you'll risk life for yourself, and healing for her."
A/N: More to come!
Only Way Out
"What does it say?"
"They're making arrangements..." Kendall looked up at her sister heartbroken; she had just received a letter from her parents. It was Christmas Eve when her gray owl gave it to her.
"Oh, my goodness," Melissa replied, "What all does it say?"
"I don't want to read it... here," and handed the small piece of parchment to her sister.
"Dearest daughter," Melissa began:
I write this with tears in my eyes and I also impart that no one here is
happy anymore. We thought that moving you to that school would get you closer to your doctor, so more frequent trips, faster healing. Honey, we're trying everything we can, you know that, but this is more complicated then I expected. Your doctor, Dr. Malachi, came by the other day and personally delivered a report of your progress. He said that you, yourself, is doing a
magnificent job in trying to help manually, but medicine isn't helping. Nothing is helping. He told us that... O, dear, as I write this, my heart
is breaking, but he said that we should start making arrangements for a
funeral. I know that you aren't afraid of death, and I'm sure right now you'll welcome it with open arms, but we, your family is not, but no matter how much we want to deny it, the doctor says there's no other possibility.
So, without further ado he wants me to make sure that there are no 'special' requests that you would like. Yes, I already know where you want to be buried; you made that quite clear that night that you yelled at us
that you ARE dying. I knew you were right, but a mother has a hard time admitting it to herself. Well, I'd like to ask for you and your sister to
come home for this time, but it's your decision.
Love,
Mom
Melissa whipped a tear from her eye as she raced to her sister's side to hold her.
"Melissa, I want you to know, that I'm thankful for everything that you have done for me over the years. I love you for it."
"Don't! Don't say goodbye yet! You're not leaving right now!"
"Melissa?"
"Yes?"
"Remember that binding thing that we did when we were 5?"
"My blood to your blood?"
"Yes, well you don't think that that would interfere with..."
"I don't know, but at the moment I hope it does."
"Oh, don't say that! You are going to live and do all those things that we said we would... and you know what? It will be 'we'! It'll be US like we said it would! I promised you at the age of 5 and I'm doing it again now!"
****
The weeks that passed Hermione could tell that there was something about her new friends that was wrong, but she also knew that they weren't very nice when people tried to pry. Ron had talked to Kendall about dating again, and she of course turned him down.
"Is this about that Russell guy?" he would ask every time.
And she would always reply, "No... and yes."
Ron was at a loss, he knew as well as everyone with eyes that she liked him, but they also saw something was pulling her back.
"I'll stop pestering if I absolutely know that this is all in vein," Ron was confiding to Harry as they were walking to Divination.
"Tell me about it! These girls don't know what they want obviously!"
"Uh... Harry? Melissa clearly hates iyou/i... so uh... what are you talking about?"
Harry looked at Ron sheepishly, he knew what he said was true. Melissa always told him off, cussed him out, or slapped him every time he tried to talk to her. He didn't see why though! She couldn't still be mad at him for the beginning of the year mice.
"Come on man, she may come around," Ron tried to reassure his friend.
"You think so?"
"No... not really."
"Oh..."
"But..."
"Good morning class! Take your seats please, and we will begin," greeted Professor Treelawny at the door, "Everyone take out your 'What You Can't See' books by Lily Wood and turn to page 47. Now as we..." Professor Treelawny looked up as Kendall walked into class late, "Now, Miss Grempet, we don't accept tardiness in this..." her eyes began to swell and her voice became raspy as she told Kendall something that freaked her out more than anyone,
"It's tragic, yes, and no one knows why you're afraid to tell them. You'll do it to yourself and he'll be there, you may not know it, but he'll be there..."
The whole class was looking at the professor and then at Kendall. They didn't know what to think of this, but Kendall knew exactly what she was talking about, but when asked, she replied with,
"How should I know what that drip is talking about?"
***
Ron was tossing and turning in his bed, due to a stomachache that night.
"Uh!" he called as he jumped out of bed and put on his robe. He was on his way to the Hospital Wing when something caught his eye. He looked out the window that he had just passed and noticed a woman walking to the forest, what was in her hand was noticed to a knife.
He ran outside and followed the lady. She had on a silver cloak and was walking swiftly, yet silently. He didn't make a noise as he did follow her, thinking that if she tried anything he would stop her. As she took off her hood, Ron noticed it to be...
*Kendall!*
She sat Indian style on the ground where an opening was, so as to where the moonlight hit her cloak severely so she glittered. She stuck her right palm above the earth and took the other hand that was holding the blade and placed it above her right. Just as Ron was about to make his move she yelled,
"I'll do it! I'll do it if you don't bring him back! Bring him back to me! I need him! You know of whom I speak! This is my only way to be with him... it's my only way out!" she thrust the knife in just a little and small blood drops hit the floor. Just then a wind began to rise and the trees began to sway. The darkness seemed to overwhelm her as someone walked out of the woods.
*It's HIM!* Ron thought as the tall, sturdy young man walked amid the darkness.
"Russell," she whispered.
He walked nearer to her and sat down on the floor beside. He held the hand with the dagger, whispered something in her ear and threw it as far as he could. He kissed her on the lips tenderly and she became ablaze with love.
"Can't you stay this time?"
He didn't answer, but she already knew. He got up from her side and went back into the darkness wince he came. She lay on the floor and began to cry unreservedly to herself.
"Why did I have to love him?!?! If I didn't he would not of died!" she called to the heavens, "Why did you send him to me if all you were going to do was take him away!?!?! ... No, I guess it was my fault, huh? I fell in love with him, knowing what I am! Knowing that it would kill him if I got too deep! WHY! Why?"
It was a painful sight to see, and Ron watched it with such remorse. He watched her all night as she fretted. The sun was coming over the horizon and the moon was sinking in the midst before she dried her tears and went back into the castle. Ron sat there a few minutes contemplating, but when all of it was finally unscrambled he ran to see if Melissa was awake to make sure his facts were straight.
"Melissa!" he came calling in the Great Hall. Everyone looked at him awkwardly as he, a Gryffindor, raced over to the Ravenclaw table, pull up a girl and take her outside.
"What is it, Ron?"
Seeing as how he should just get straight to the point, he said, "Does your sister not want to be with me because she, being an Amontees, thinks it will kill me if she falls in love... like with Russell?"
"Oh my God, Ron! Um... maybe you should talk to her about this."
"NO! I want my answers now! I'm beating my brains out over this girl, and I don't think it's because of what she is... I think... I know, it's who she is that keeps me this driven."
"Alright, Ron. It's true. She fell in love with Russell, and when someone with this curse falls in love, it kills that person. She was with him for five months when he told her he loved her, and it was six until she admitted it to herself. When she told him... the life was taken from him. Kendall swore to never fall in love like that again. She never gets to close with anyone anymore, not even girls! She won't become friends with anyone, for fear that they'll die."
"But what about you? You're her sister and she loves you!"
"Well, see, when we were about five or six we slit our wrists and combined our blood. Since we did that, we are bound together."
"So when she... dies... you will too?"
"Most likely," she admitted to herself reluctantly, "just, for now... follow your heart."
"Well, what if my heart leads me to Kendall?"
"Then you'll risk life for yourself, and healing for her."
A/N: More to come!