Author's Notes:: Sorry for the confusion... I fixed it right now.. I'm not good with names and I think I went back to a different story.. But whatever.... I'm hoping that this clears up all the confusion and it will become even clearer next chapter, I promise!
He stared at the star-dotted sky, being lulled by the peacefulness and constancy. Everyone looked at the same stars every night, every single person had dignity, had life, had hope. Why wasn't the world equal and fair? Everyone had the same needs and desires, yet the mixture of rich and poor, high class and low class, left everyone in suffering. So much could be done here to alleviate the suffering of all these people, yet no one cared. The world was unbelievably self centered. He breathed in the fresh, humid air. It was free of all impurities. The air hit his lungs like an invigorating splash of cold water on a blistering summer day. The purity flushed his body out, he had never actually felt true air. It was a different life, more painful, yet more full. There was nothing here to take away from life. Every day was a struggle to survive, but it was met with force. Everyone had a job to do, and interdependence was key. He pushed himself on the worn wooden swing. The bit of wind provided an escape. The only sound around him was that of the creak of the swing, the rubbing of the metal chain, and silence. He knew silence like never before. Back home there was nothing like pure silence, and now he realized it was music to him.
The wood felt warm under his body, but he stayed, too preoccupied with his thoughts. He started out at the horizon, the mass of lands untouched my human hands. Every day he experienced something different, whether it be pain or joy. He heard a rustle of brush, and his attention instantly diverted towards the noise. She stood there, illuminated by the night like an goddess. Her pale white skin blended in with the moon, half human, half unearthly. Her hair cascaded loosely down her shoulders, she was starring off towards the road, eyeing something. She was untouchable as the heavens, broken and destroyed as the sand, yet as beautiful as a thousand angels. He saw her gentleness with her patients. She had changed in so many ways. She was not outspoken, but calm and understanding. She rarely said a word, as if hiding everything inside her fragile frame. It would all destroy her, like a building with a crumbling foundation. All it takes is one like shake and everything comes crashing. He could watch her for hours if only permitted. She avoided him at all costs, helping him only when necessary. He felt everything that he refused to admit. He wanted to pretend he didn't love her. Yet his love grew for her with every second. He knew his love was unrequited. She was in a world so far away from what she had known. She was at the bottom of her own black whole and still falling. He wanted to help her in any way, but he knew she was beyond saving. He watched her start a slow walk toward oncoming headlights. Her hands wrapped tighter around herself, her shoulders hunching farther over, wanting to protect herself from something. Someone.
He saw a grim figure make its way out of the vehicle and in the darkness he could make out a man's features. He was tall, much taller than her, than him. He stood like a mountain to a valley compared to her. He had dark hair, a dark complexion in general. He moved closer to the edge, eyeing the scenario unfolding before him. The man walked up to her, he could see his mouth uttering words, sending her into restraint and repose. She shrugged her shoulders in reply. They starred at each other. Neither one knew what to say or do, how to act around each other. Long lost lovers perhaps, or simply friends who had forgotten. Either way, he was out of the picture, an invisible piece of the puzzle that would never fit. She stepped closer to him. The car behind them turned around and headed towards a different destination. He watched the man hesitate, his hand raising then falling. She refused to make eye contact with him, rather starring at the ground or at the fields beyond. Finally she moved in closer, her head rested against his chest. His hands wrapped protectively around her, running up and down her back. He could see her body shaking with the sobs she tried to hide.
He was so much taller and bigger than her. She was a twig standing next to a tree. He picked her up in his arms, her body rolling up tighter, holding on to him more than ever before. Who was he? A pang of jealousy ran through his mind. Had she moved on? Was that why she avoided him? The figure made its way closer and closer. He made the sharp contours of her body out in his arms. The weight of his steps made the grass under him crack. He saw her body almost lifeless in his hands. They walked closer and closer, he could make out the man better. He had dark brown hair and suntanned skin. He was built and strong. He had an aura of familiarity in him. His step, his movements, his compassion. He didn't know. The two made their way up the stairs and he looked away. This wasn't the time to be pondering what could have been, but what is happening.
The world began to collapse around him. The refreshing air now choking him into oblivion. He couldn't grasp a breathe of air. He couldn't see, he couldn't think. Everything he had been wanting to happen, all the plans he had made, slowly slipped between his fingers. He had been holding on to the edge of a cliff and the cliff let him go. The door slammed behind him, he felt a presence that made his hair stand on end. It made the atmosphere fill with hate and envy, pain and jealousy. He didn't make a move to turn around, neither did the unknown man choose to move closer. They stood at a distance, both knowing what the other was thinking. It was a game, a mental battle that both were determined to win.
"Carter."
His name rolled off the man's tongue in a familiar fashion, as if he had heard it before so many times before. He had heard it many times before. Yet he couldn't remember how or what. It was a riddle hiding inside of him, he knew he had a few seconds before everything became clearer. He didn't know what to expect, and the surprise would cause him to drown. He let out a sigh, barely noticed by the figure now beside him. He looked up, the man's face slowly coming into focus in the dull light.
"Luka."
The two men stood, not uttering another word. Both knew why they were there. For her. For themselves. The unknown. He had probably been here so many times before. He didn't look like he had come from anywhere modern. He had a closer look, the sunburned skin, the tired eyes, the lifelessness behind him. He was here too, working with all the rest, trying to make a difference somewhere, for someone. He walked over the edge of the stairs and sat down, his body taking up half of the space.
"I didn't know you were here."
He hadn't expected to be there. It was all a matter of finding something right in his life, a search that only left him in a labyrinth with no way out. He would be turning corners and searching for the end, yet there would be none. He would be lost forever in his search. He had lost the map a long time ago, and the hope for exit was destroyed with a fire that scorched him from the inside. He was blackened and destroyed. The future looking no brighter than the present or the past. As far as he knew, there was no future for him. He had given it all up many years ago. There was no returning to the point. Everything has changed.
"Why are you here?"
He watched his forgotten friend run his hand through his tangled jet black hair. He swallowed, tasting the humidity in the air, as if swallowing a cup of water. It was humid and hot, the weather unrelentless. He sighed, searching for another answer to his question, but there was only one.
"Kara's dying."