Guys, I'm back with the end! Sorry for the delay...I hope you'll enjoy the last chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and favs: Conception, Lisette, Bibby, Tane and Riiko!
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VIII
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The Blue
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Of course I coudn't drown. Not really. If I tried hard, I could probably get to the surface again. But I didn't feel like it. Now I felt like letting go.
I was tired. So tired. And sinking wasn't so bad.
Light glinting.
The silence...
The blue.
Sinking isn't what I thought it'd be. I always thought it'd feel heavy and frustrating, like losing and giving up, like sensing death with every fiber of your being.
But actually it is like flying. Just in the opposite direction.
It's easy. Gravity released me and somehow I was fascinated.
The thought of changing form didn't even cross my mind. Slowly I raised Ptolemy's hands and looked at them.
Eerie. But peaceful. Blue light dancing around.
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Idiot.
Idiot.
Idiot.
"Bartimaeus!" Idiot.
Kitty ran. She couldn't remember ever running so fast.
Not even when the wolves had chased her. It seemed to have been in another life now; the fear, the darkness, the chase over the rooftops of London. At that time, Bartimaeus had saved her.
Or when she had tried to escape the demons in the parliament hall, but ran straight into the arms of the mercenary. Later, Bartimaeus had tried to save her again. And saved her again and again that night, in the Other Place, then with Nathaniel in the Glass Palace.
Now it was her turn.
Idiot, she thought furiously as she ran right into the crashing waves and waded into the open sea, ripping her heavy jacket off and throwing it away as she ran. She wasn't fast enough, the water was slowing her.
"Bartimaeus!"
Don't you dare...
Now she had to swim. The water bit her, it was like ice. Her skin prickled.
Now she was near the boat. She dived and thanked the gods that the sea wasn't deep here and underwater it was light enough so she could still see him.
Flowing under her. Sinking.
Bartimaeus!
Come on!
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I was dying.
Either that, or going crazy. Something was pulling me in the wrong direction. I looked up, where the sun drew a soft spot of light into the water. It had gone dark. Someone blocked it out. And grabbed my hand.
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Got him.
He turned his head to look at her. She saw his eyes focus and then go wide. No resistance anymore. His hand gripped hers, finally.
Up now. Up.
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Was it me who said I felt like letting go? Kitty held me tightly. I held her. No way I'd ever let her go again.
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the sky wore a veil of gold and green
and time is just floating away
we can watch it and stay
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When Kitty could think again, she realized she was lying on the beach. She kept her eyes closed and breathed in, her lungs were still screaming for air. I could have drowned, the thought shortly crossed her mind, but she pushed it back to where it came from. She hadn't drowned. And neither had Bartimaeus.
Which was the main thing, though she didn't know why that was so.
And speaking of Bartimaeus...
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Kitty breathed heavily, but I was very still. What had just happened?
I heard how she turned her head, and looked at her.
"Bartimaeus", she said. Something tingled, a tiny bell somewhere inside. Made me feel dizzy. She raised a hand.
And slapped me one. Hard.
Ouch.
"Now don't ask what that was for", she said.
I hadn't planned to. It was quite clear. I rubbed my head while she lay back into the sand again. Her hair was wet, a mass of tiny curls. She shivered, I saw goosebumps on her arms. A small fire appeared at my fingertips and then settled on her belly, where it send waves of warmth over her slender form.
"Better?" I asked. She nodded and I swear I even saw a tiny smile.
"I'm sorry", I started, and then tried to explain why exactly she had found me flowing in the ocean. Yes, I had felt lonely. Then the police guy. The fisherman. Nice guy. No, I just borrowed the boat. No, I just barely drowned that night. Her grannie was worried, by the way. And what the hell made her go away with some guy she barely knew? And thanks for pulling me out.
When I was finished, she turned her head and looked at me again. The sound of the sea was drowned out, it was really silent suddenly.
Electricity.
And electricity when her hand searched for mine on the sand, and our cold fingers touched.
"So, sorry for all the chaos." I said apologetically. "But I really had to see you"
Now she grinned. "You have no idea." She began to laugh, a relieved laugh. I smiled and joined in. I felt good. With every fiber of my being, I felt good.
The sand was warm.
My eyes never looked away from hers, and she sat up and bend forward and softly kissed me on the lips. It was like waking up finally after the last few days. Or years. Whatever. It was wet also. But that was just the seawater dripping off her hair.
"What do we do now?" she asked and smiled. I grabbed her hair and pulled her down again. With her one hand she touched my neck. Her long lashes fluttered, could feel them against my cheek. Her lips, still wet and salty. Tasted good.
"What do we do now?" she asked again, mouth against my ear.
"Don't know." I said. "But don't you need to get out of those wet clothes?"
She slapped me. "Didn't know you're a pervert" she said and grinned.
"I'm full of surprises" I mumbled and gently caressed her cheek.
Together we lay there and looked into the open sky.
I really didn't know what we'd do now. Where we'd go or where we'd end up. And I thought that was good.
A good thing.
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Are the streets you're walking on
A thousand houses long
Well that's where I belong
And you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea
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The End. Thank you all for reading! Your reviews always made my day, so thanks for that too. We'll see us in the next story. Until then, love from Nari!