Chapter 2

 

Fire. Truth could feel it all around her, burning her flesh, twisting her heart. Through the flames that lapped at her conscious, she heard a faint laughter ringing in her head. It grew louder as the heat intensified and Truth screamed for freedom. Truth.... a low voice called to her. Truth! Surrender to me, for you know you cannot win. Give in to your desires, it said, filling her mind with dark thoughts and emotions. An image of Drake danced before her eyes. No! she cried to the Devil. Never! Truth pushed against the barriers of her mind, trying to find a way out, yearning for release. With one final shove through the wall of flames, she felt a cool breeze waft over her and all was silent.

Truth jolted awake to the howl of a wolf. She flashed open her eyes and saw darkness. There was only silence, except for the pitter-patter of rain outside. She could feel the scratchy blanket against her cool skin, and a thin mattress beneath her. Even under the fabric she was cold. Oh how she longed for the touch of Drake... Pushing the thought away, she focused on the present. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was that burnt orange sky, the thought of being alone, and the feeling of the hard earth beneath her. Truth shivered. She had never felt this cold before as an angel. Wait, I still am an angel. Just not up in heaven with the others, and Hope..., she thought to herself. She already missed them all.

Truth got up from the bed, grabbing one of the blanket and wrapping it around her icy skin. Seeing a thin crack of light spreading its glow upon the floor, she followed it to a door and felt for the doorknob. She turned and pulled and the room was flooded with light. She squinted in the brightness for a moment, and once her eyes adjusted, gazed out into the main part of a house. And there he sat. There he was. Sitting there. Drake. He was facing away from her, sitting at the table, carving a small block of wood. His knife glittered in dim light given off by a nearby candle. Truth gasped and he turned around. At the sight of her he quickly sat up, knocking the chair to the floor and dropping both the wood and the knife on the table. They stood like this, staring at each other, blank expressions, for a handful of seconds.

“Why are you here?” Truth finally stammered.

“What do you mean, why am I here?” whispered Drake. “I live here. I would rather know why you are here.” He glanced wearily at the surrounding doors. His father sighed in his sleep.

“I woke up.”

Drake could not help a smile. “Well I see that. Why are you in my house?” He leaned down and grabbed the chair, setting it up right.

“How would I know that?” she snapped. “The last thing I remember was seeing you leave me lying there in the God forsaken place!” Truth paused and sighed. “I don't know how I got here, let alone anything. My life is up to chance and I feel so helpless. I feel alone and afraid... Cold... I'm so cold, Drake. And just so afraid...” Tears sprung to her eyes and she bowed her head.

Drake couldn't believe that he was going to give in to her theatrics once again. He hesitantly stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her. “You have to realize that this is your fault.”

Truth sniffled. “Yes, I suppose that it is...”

He pulled away, grasping her shoulders and staring into her heavenly blue eyes. “Do you blame me for what happened?”

“No, I... I don't know what to think right now.” Truth buried her face in his chest. “Don't ask me these questions, I don't know!” she whispered frantically, unconsciously calmed by his sweet scent.

“You were so strong before.” Drake gently petted her head, trying to stop her shaking. “What has brought you to this state?”

Truth did not hesitate in her answer. “Love can overcome even the strongest of people, Drake.”

He quickly let go and took a few steps back. “Don't say that. You don't even know what you're talking about. You know nothing of love. If you truly loved me you wouldn't be down here. Don't you see that? Not only did you lie to yourself, you lied to me. God knows that. And right now I'm speaking with someone as low as the Devil. A fallen angel. Go away, Truth. Go away. Get out! Get out of my house, out of my life! I don't want you!” He sought support against the table, trembling with rage and hurt.

The tears that had filled Truth's eyes now openly flowed down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the palm of her hand, then reached out to Drake and grasped his arm. The clear tears immediately turned to blood as the moisture came in contact with his flesh. He looked down at the red hand print on his forearm. Horrified, he ran for the door, yanking it open and running into the rain and wind. The door was just about to bang against the wall when it suddenly slowed and closed without a sound.

Truth stood there, staring at the closed door, slightly shaking from the magic and the tears. “Drake...” She glanced at the table and back at the door. As swiftly as the wind that blew fiercely outside, she ran to the door, pulling it open. Cold rain stabbed at Truth's already cool skin, the wind whipping through her hair. She frantically looked around for Drake, but it was so dark that she could see nothing. She called his name through the roaring wind, but there was no reply.

Drake ran madly through the piercing rain and wind, blindly trying to find some sanctuary. Footsteps heavy and muscles strained, he continued until he could run no more. He collapsed upon the soaked ground, surrendering his body to the elements and his mind to God. “Please, God, O Lord! Why have you done this to me? Why have you sent her to me?” he cried to the heavens. Just then a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky, accompanied by a low ruble of thunder. “I don't want her, Lord! She's not good for me and you know it, yet you put her back into my life. I don't want to be hurt again. Please, God! Take her out of my heart! I don't want Truth...” Drake continued like this for as long as he still had a voice, trying to make himself heard over the thunder. He wanted to make sure God heard him. His prayer " nay, his plea for help, had to be heard. He had to have Truth out of his heart. She brought him too much pain...

Drake laid there upon the ground, the ice cold rain pouring down on him, numbing him. More lightning, more thunder. A shiver ran down his spine and he pulled his arms across his chest. He suddenly wished Truth was there to keep him warm, now longing for her presence. “God... I thought I asked you to take her out of my heart, not want her more. What are you... Are you...” His voice faltered as a wave of fatigue hit him, and he passed out.

Truth continued to search for Drake through the rain. The wind had died down some, but the rain still fell heavy as ever. After what felt like hours of walking, a flash of lightning illuminated a body lying on the ground in front of her. Truth quickly ran over to Drake, kneeling in the mud next to him. She pressed her ear to his chest, eagerly listening for a heartbeat. A blast of thunder shook the sky. “Stop it!” she yelled to the black clouds above. Bringing her ear back to his drenches chest, she listened once again, breath held. Buh-bump. Buh-bump. Relief washed over her and she let her whole body collapse on top of him. Truth could feel his chest rise and fall with each breath he took and closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She gripped his shirt, white-knuckled, as she thought about what she had done to him to lose this.

“Oh Drake... I'm so sorry... I know saying that won't make you forgive me, won't make all the memories and the pain go away, but I mean it with every fiber of my being. I never wanted to do this to you. All I knew at the time was that I wanted you and nothing else mattered. Perhaps I was being selfish. Yes, I... I was lying when I told you that I love you. But oh, I wanted to. But one day I'll make it up to you.” She sighed. “I don't even deserve you... I just hope you can give me another chance. I know I can do it if I do it for you. I'll be a true angel again... Someday... For you...” Fatigue soon took Truth as well, and she fell asleep on Drake's chest, sheltering him from the onslaught of rain.

Reviews

[Lady]

"Truth got up from the bed, grabbing one of the blanket and wrapping it around her icy skin. Seeing a thin crack of light spreading its glow upon the floor, she followed it to a door and felt for the doorknob. She turned and pulled and the room was flooded with light."

Change to - "Truth got up from the bed, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around her icy skin. Seeing a thin crack o light spreading its glow upon the floor, she followed it to a door and felt for the doorknob. She turned and pulled it, gradually flooding her room with light."

"“The last thing I remember was seeing you leave me lying there in the God forsaken place!” Truth paused and sighed. “I don't know how I got here, let alone anything. "

Change to - "The last thing I remember was seeing you leave me lying there in that God forsaken place!" Truth paused and sighed. "I don't know how I got here to be honest."

"His prayer " nay, his plea for help, had to be heard. He had to have Truth out of his heart. She brought him too much pain..."

- There's a quotation error here.

“Stop it!” she yelled to the black clouds above. Bringing her ear back to his drenches chest, she listened once again, breath held. Buh-bump. Buh-bump."

Change "drenches chest" to "drenched chest"

Overall another very solid chapter. My only major correction would be that you work on shortening and eliminating sentences all throughout the chapters. Your writing is very descriptive, but its wordy and sometimes unnecessary. Just needs a good cleaning up.
But well done!