Alice
After the traumatic experience of losing my daughter and nearly killing two people I loved dearly, I couldn't bear Celeste to be here. She was far more beautiful than me in multiple ways, and I felt my head hit the ground. It couldn't hurt, not with all of the pain in my heart, and Josh gasped. His hand was beneath my head, and there was so much warmth, it was so wet and sticky . . . A new experience for me. He gasped again, pressing his hand to my head. Pain.
I moaned lightly, my head throbbed. The warm and sticky liquid was drowning me. I was half in a dream, half in reality, and eventually, the two blurred. I saw Desiree and Nailani, smiling towards me with their gorgeous grins. But I heard Josh calling my name, fading to black. Desiree and Nailani's surroundings blurred around them, a beach. The waves lapped at Nailani's feet and she laughed, the sound of jingling bells on a Christmas sleigh. I sighed in relief, she had to be okay.
Josh pulled me away from the vision, I stared into his eyes blankly. Pain still. I stood, moaning, and turned towards the door. A growl rippled up from my chest into my throat and escaped my mouth. In the same moment, I lowered myself into a crouch, and my body jolted forward. I had no idea what compelled me to do so, but Josh was at my side. It seemed he knew where I was going, like he was taking me there himself. His hand wrapped around mine and we ran, my shoes flying off in the wind and small branches snagging my dress.
I stared at the beach below the cliff my mother and father were killed at. A chill ran down my spine, but Josh tugged me forward, slowly. I smelled the sweetest and most familiar scent, combined with the newest scent ever. My Desiree and her Nailani. They were here, as I had seen in the dream. Josh's hands pulled me closer and he smiled into my eyes. "I know you've never been to a beach . . ." he started, but he didn't have to finish. I pulled myself free of his grasp and ran from him.
The sensations today were entirely new to me. The wet sand between my toes and the waves lapping at my calves was truly relaxing. The feeling was entirely pleasurable. Even more than pleasurable, since our senses were enhanced at night. I laughed and smiled for the first time since Desiree had vanished. The silver moonlight illuminated Josh's face, and I turned and jumped at him. I saw that the sound of my laughter was his favorite song, and I smiled at him. I couldn't have cared where I was as long as I was with him, and suddenly, I heard water splashing between footsteps. Light and musical, familiar. Followed by the lightest footsteps I'd ever heard, and I smiled widely.
Desiree appeared in the distance, sweeping Nailani into her arms, and stopping cautiously. She stared at us, not trusting us. I held my arms out to her as she slowly took two steps toward us. "I can't go back," she thought softly. "Yes you can, please," I whispered softly. I took a step forward and suddenly, I heard the heavy pounding steps of Marcus, in Demon form. She growled, and the sound morphed into a hiss, as she turned and dashed away.
I instinctively chased her. My heart throbbed in my chest, and I felt my body tear and contort. Josh followed closely behind, both of us officially lethal. Desiree was gone . . . my throbbing heart slowly sank, dragging me down into the darkness.
The water surrounded me. I couldn't sense Desiree anymore, my eyes closed, and then there was nothing.
