Chapter Forty-Five

~ Maka ~

I felt reality grasp me in its hands as I suddenly awoke to a room that was consumed in nothing other than darkness.

Everything sat motionless around me, except for the small soothing breaths of the boy I still lay against. His chest rising slowly and then falling once again with every breath of air he inhaled from within the room around us.

I looked up to his closed sleeping eyes, his eyelashes fluttering every few seconds as if he were stirring peacefully within a dream that was too precious to wake him from.

Sweat sat patiently at my hairline, waiting silently for the perfect moment to bleed down my face and stain my continuous heating cheeks.

I thought I could outsmart the heat around me, but with every second I remained laying there, I felt every inch of my body burn from the flames within my tiresome veins, and I couldn't take it anymore.

Slowly I pulled myself away from the black haired boys lap, feeling the sofa beneath my existence crease due to the sudden weight of my body weighing down one particular patch of the leather.

Gravity grew stronger and tore down the sweat that once sat against my hairline, but now they were streaming rapidly across my burning flesh, and increasing the fire I felt ignite throughout my existence.

I defied the gravity that attempted to somewhat consume me, and pulled myself from the sofa that rested silently beneath me, feeling the darkness try to catch me in its long clawing fingertips.

Once again defying everything that attempted to take its consuming grasp on my existence, I slowly made my way past the table that sat in front of me, brushing against Kid's strong but yet slightly weak legs and escaping into the middle of the room.

James stirred from the sofa that sat opposite, his dark beard tickling at the back of his hand that rested beneath his cheek. His scar stained arms glowing at me as if I needed to approach them, and his lips watching me like that had watched me hours earlier.

Both Liz and Soul slept silently in the bedroom I walked past, the crack between the door and the door frame allowing my gaze to seep through and see as they remained completely and utterly motionless as if time had stopped for everyone except myself.

I continued my walk, feeling my bare feet scrape at the softness of the carpet and gradually feel the satisfying breeze that lingered around the balcony door, and allowed for me to breathe again within a world that wasn't consumed by heat.

My palm stung at the cold of the outside as I pressed my hand against the window, feeling every fire within my veins disintegrate to nothing other than an exhausting memory.

I gripped the handle and didn't hesitate before sliding it open, releasing the cold from the outside and allowing it to breath in every corner of the room behind me.

The moon glistened like it had never glistened before within its lifetime. Every star joining together as if they had purposely sat around it in order to grasp hold of its light as well as its breathtaking beauty.

My foot brushed at the balcony's paving slabs, as if the roughness from below me was trying to rip me apart from my feet to my head. But I had too much confidence within that moment to let it even think about defying me.

The wind laced itself around my legs, gripping tightly at my skirt and raising it from its perfect resting place around my thighs. Sparking a shiver at the nape of my neck and allowing it scurry down towards the bottom of my trembling spine.

It weaved itself in and out of my hair, grasping at the blonde cracks that used to wrap themselves across my face but now pulled themselves away from my existence as if I were a different person entirely.

I stepped out further onto the balcony, allowing the wind to pull me closer to its edge and allowing my hands to reach out and grasp hold of the icy rails that rested two feet in front of me.

My body felt free and partially exposed, but because I knew there was no one round to gaze at my existence, I embraced that particular feeling and tilted back my head to welcome the wind that proceeded to grace itself upon my pale face.

My weight shifted slightly, but due to my grip that remained tight against the rails I felt myself fall back freely, as if I were dipping back like a ballerina and dancing elegantly beneath the darkening sky that still consumed everyone of my surroundings.

Everything was peaceful, and everything was just right within that moment. The moon that rested above me was my spotlight, the balcony that rested beneath my bare toes was my stage, and the boy that slept silently within the room behind me was my partner. The one who I knew would catch me whenever I was inches from the ground, even if he didn't know I was falling.

Floorboards creaked from behind me, the wind that laced itself around my ears emphasising the sound as it brought it closer to my existence.

I chose to ignore it, feeling my body gradually feel lighter as if the moonlight was pulling me closer, and trying to persuade me to join it as well as the stars.

They creaked again, this time louder and causing me to somewhat acknowledge its existence to my moment.

I turned round to face the room on the other side of the glass door. Watching as the eerie as well as empty darkness danced round in the moonlight also, as if it too wished to defy its dark quality and become a star within the sky.

The moon called me once again, causing me to turn back to face it and feel its presence beam across my cheeks almost immediately.

I grew lighter on my toes, allowing for the rails to press up into the depths of my stomach as I slowly leaned over. Feeling the air around me grasp at my body and lift me off my feet completely.

Again – the floorboards creaked.

Eager to place my feet back onto the ground, I slowly felt my arms give way from my weight.

A thud came from behind me, the sound of the glass door being knocked.

I turned back my head to face them, "hey, why-"

Hands were suddenly shoved into my back, forcing my weight to topple over the metal bars.

My knees smacked against the rails, adding to the high pitched shriek I was eager to let go of.

I released it.

And the night shuddered around me.

My fingers quickly tightened themselves around the icy rails above me, the metal stinging at my palms as I tried my hardest to cling on.

I didn't want to, but I forced myself to look up at the figure above me, watching as the green eyed boy eagerly appeared in my vision.

His patronising smirk staring down at me as my fingers slowly began to slip from the rail.

I threw my legs back and forth, hoping that a surface would suddenly appear beneath the soles of my feet.

I swayed and I swayed as much as I could, but I was left stranded clinging on for dear life beneath this monsters presence.

"Kid!" I screamed, wincing as my breath struggled to leave my lungs.

Something above me must of moved, because the boy who stared down on me released a sudden sense of panic.

He was quick to look behind him, and then swiftly he kicked at the emergency escape beside him.

A crash wavered the air beside me as the ladder slipped beneath his foot and lowered itself towards the ground.

"No," I whispered. "You're not leaving me like this."

He lowered himself onto the ladder, his feet already apprehensive to climb down as fast as he could.

I screamed again, "Kid!"

My fingers were already threatening to slip from the rail, but regardless, if I was going to fall, so was this fucker.

I kicked my feet forwards, feeling his wretched presence beneath my toes with every kick I threw, trying my hardest to rip him from his safe exit.

His foot slipped, causing him to eagerly grasp at the ladders steps and remained still for only a few seconds.

So then was my chance.

I let my hands slip down the rail, forcing the sides of my hands to endure the pain of being pinched by the balcony's paving, all whilst my palms and my fingers burned with the desire of staying fixated to the frozen metal bars.

Again I swayed my body forwards, kicking at the back of the blue haired boy.

He winced and shrieked beneath my foot, the ladder rattling violently as I swung away from him once again.

I watched as he attempted to restart his climb downwards, but as I felt the rip of my skin burn against the pavement, I forcefully threw myself forwards once again.

I kicked at his hip, forcing his balance to shift immediately and forcing both his feet to slip from the steps altogether.

"One more," I winced.

The blood around my hands caused my fingers to slip at the bars, but I needed him to fall to the painful ground below him.

I pulled my legs back towards me, and as the wind gripped at my hair as well as my skirt, I felt as if I was pushed towards the coward who struggled to regain his balance below me.

My weight flew forward, and I heard the shattering crack of his fingers against my heel as well as the ladder, the ghastly pain of his now broken fingers causing him to drop his grip on the steps in front of him.

The wind pulled me back and forced me to watch as the blue haired boy fell fast to the darkening ground that sat motionless below the both of us.

But as the wind, my weight and the spilled blood from my hands all eventually came together, my fingers slipped from the bars I so very depended on.

I could hear my heart screaming in my chest. And I could see the world blurring before my eyes.

My wrist was grabbed.

And gravity could no longer consume me.

"I got you!" Kid exclaimed. "I got you..."

James quickly appeared at his side and didn't hesitate before gripping hold of my other arm.

And as they both pulled me from the gravity pit that was trying to swallow me completely, I genuinely believed I was flying towards the moon that wanted me so badly.