Chapter Eighteen: Reconciled

Forbidden. Evan is shattered by the death of Summer, but can a miracle happen?

FORBIDDEN

 

BY: J O S H U A  D O N A H U E

Chapter Eighteen

Reconciled

 

She -- She was actually dead. How was it possible? Was it even possible? It couldn’t be! I didn’t want it to be, at least. I couldn’t even believe it with my own eyes. I blinked several times, feeling a warm substance cloud my vision as I saw before me the empty body of the girl I cared about. I --

Emotions swirled in me like a whirlpool. Fury. Grief. Heartache. It was all there, fighting over the lead role in my body. But the truth was they all were leaders in me now; they had won the war…and I had lost to their undefeatable power.

I turned on the audience full of females behind me, and they all looked at me, their own eyes red and puffy from crying.

“Get out!” I bellowed.

“Now, look here, you mutt. I -- ” Rose started.

“Get. Out. Now.” My voice was so hostile that I had no delicate feelings left; I had no intentions of being polite anymore.

However, only a few of the females shuffled towards the door, but that wasn’t fast enough.

I morphed into a wolf, and I let loose the most deafening and unwelcoming roar I could muster, causing them to speed up their pace. Within seconds, the room was clear.

I slammed the door behind them and locked it in human form, with the substance that was clouding up my eyes now streaming down my cheeks.

I went over to Summer and kneeled beside her, gripping her hand tightly as possible, but not strong enough to do damage.

Even though she couldn’t hear my voice, I said, “Please, Summer. Please, wake up. You have to wake up. Please!”

No response.

“Summer, I -- Summer, you can’t die! I need you! I -- I -- Summer…” I rested my head on her side, and I wept carelessly.

There’s no way in hell she’s dead, I thought.

But it didn’t matter what I thought, because she was still dead. She wasn’t moving or even breathing, because she was still dead. Her body had been robbed of its soul by Death’s all-too-willing claws of pain and suffering. All that remained was her hollow shell, waiting to dissolve in the wind.

Was it Death’s fault, though? Or was it all on my shoulders?

While getting my legs out of their aching cramp, I hit something that rolled across the floor: the tube, it had not broken. I looked away from it for a second, feeling the urge to want to fling it outside and smash it against a nearby tree, because the mission for it was all in vain. My life was all in vain.

But like a light bulb that had seemed to burn out ages ago, my hope lit back up to a small degree. I snatched the bottle up from the floor, and I reached across the stand beside me, knocking over many objects, trying in a hurry to grab the empty cup I saw.

I poured as much of the fluid as I could manage into the cup, filling it up. I reached over and propped Summer’s head up, and, letting it flow freely downwards, I transferred some of it into her throat.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, so I waited a little longer.

Still nothing occurred.

And just as quickly as my light bulb lit up, it burnt out again; Summer wasn’t going to come back. Ever. It didn’t matter if I freaked out again and I started punching a hole in every wall I saw, or if I ran through the forest screaming. Summer Hope was going to remain lifeless just as I had found her.

I let her hand go. Slowly, I fell to the floor beside her, with my head residing on the mattress. I felt weakened -- like that huge, black void that had been created earlier were my heart once was (it must have been her death I felt). The gap would just continue to grow until it consumed me entirely. There was no way to get some tape and scissors to patch it up again. It would never be fixed. My heart was gone, along with Summer.

My body felt weak, like I hadn’t eaten in days. Everything I touched seemed to have little meaning, because I could feel everything going numb inside my body. My muscles couldn’t be called muscles anymore because they would no longer work. I couldn’t move or speak if my own life depended on it. I was frozen.

Along with my heart and body, my brain was scrambled and focused at the same time. I couldn’t think of anything other than: Summer…Summer…Summer…. I couldn’t think about anything else because truthfully, none of it really mattered now.

Everything felt…odd -- like it was all out of place, like none of it really belonged. Like I didn’t really belong -- at least, not without Summer. But there was nothing I could do now. I no longer had a wise plan that would follow through and get me what I wanted. I no longer had a sudden idea or solution on how to fix things. I no longer had Summer. I was empty-handed, empty-minded, and empty-hearted. Empty.

So I just sat motionless, my eyes prettified into space, staring forward -- it was all a blur, meaningless, misrepresented, and insignificant to me.

“Ev -- Evan,” a faint whisper croaked from up above my head.

It seemed to take me a whole minute realize what the voice said, seeing as how I was off in my own world at the moment.

Without another delay into my world of darkness, lost, and pity, I exited it and entered back into reality, quickly rising from the floor and onto my knees to overlook Summer.

She was breathing softly and smoothly like a normal person, with a few minor recovery coughs. She looked healthier than she had. She looked…alive!

A grin appeared on my lips as the salty water that had leaked from me before was now falling out of joy instead of pain. I leaned over the bed and kissed Summer dead on the lips. She returned it just as slickly. Her lips felt warm, yet a little dry from her previous condition, but I didn’t mind. All that counted was the fact that she was alive.

Leaning up from our kiss, I handed her another cup-full of the antidote. I told her to drink it all just in case, and she did so. Then she stared at me silently.

Her stare withheld unknown decisions, memories, and emotions. I longed more than anything to know about that unknown part of her, but I recalled the fact that she had shut me out from her life. My job was done, so I needed to leave.

“Well, I guess I better -- ”

But before I could finish my sentence, I felt Summer’s hands wrap around my neck and her lips embracing mine as she kissed me so delicately, yet, with immense force.

“Stay. Please,” she pleaded as she broke our intertwinement.

“Okay,” I replied in a whisper for her ears only.

Then I gently laid myself down beside her on the bed.

We both positioned ourselves to face each other directly, face-to-face. Like this, we remained motionless, staring at one another and relishing the pleasant, unhurried moment.

I finally spoke. “Summer, why did you -- ”

“Why did I tell you that I never wanted to see you again?” she asked to see if that was my question.

“Well, yeah.”

“Luke and Derek told me to do it. I never wanted to really do it, Evan. I swear. They told me that you might have a hard time letting go of me since we are forbidden from seeing each other, so they told me to lie so it would be easier for you. But, Evan, I never meant to hurt you. I swear it!”

I believed her.

But just as I believed her, ferocity built up inside of me. I was pissed off. Not at her, of course, but at my two cousins, Luke and Derek, who had something special coming their way soon.

But at the moment, I pushed it aside temporarily so I could enjoy time with Summer, alone in her room.

Author's Note

I'm sorry, but this IS a romance story. And a romance story typically involves two people who are alive. :) This chapter is short, I know. But it's a very emotional story. Think of "Romeo & Juliet". What would have happened if the lover had been given a second chance to live and the other lover was overwhelmed with emotion? This is a "Romeo & Juliet" inspired novel after all!
All reviews are appreciated! please inform me of any mistakes or errors!

Reviews

[trish420]

I agree with Adina, this chapter is good but in roder for all these deep heartfelt feelings to ring true i think there needs to be a bit more of a back story to establish teh feelings in teh first place.... it is fantasy so it probly doesn;t even have to be much but somethign more where they both connected, nto just him pining over her :-)

[bbb]

Reading this part now, I have a small criticism to offer. I think that a little something more should have transpired between these two earlier---like maybe a stolen kiss. It seems they didn't know each other very well, not that you always need to to fall in love...but maybe even just some shared, secret moment...a bond of some kind if you will. Don't get me wrong, I liked the chapter, there really isn't anything wrong with it in itself. But to make the story congruent, I think you should backtrack and add a little something.

[Kira]

Oh God.

Oh...God.

Just when I was pleasantly satisfied that you let the virus run its course...you go ahead and do this.

I wasn't aware it was a romance story. They spoke a few times. Nobody wants them to be together. And I can't recall a time before this that they kissed, though I could have been skimming or just have a bad memory. Shouldn't it be a little more BIFF-BANG-POW?

She's alive. God.