She’s going to change the stars-damned world.
It eases some of the chill that’s taking me over, if just for a moment.
She’s looking at me and her face is wet.
She’s crying.
For me.
I wish she wouldn’t.
But she’s so fucking beautiful, even when she cries.
52
FADE
CEDRIC
It’s getting dark.
Not her.
She’s still here, a glowing light in the endless shadow, burning brighter than the stars scattered in the sky above us.
The pain’s all but gone now. Faded into nothingness.
I am very nearly nothing too. All of me, ebbing, waning.
Passing.
There’s still something left—something small, infinitesimal. It pulses in my chest, throbs.
A tiny tug, a golden light.
I feel it flickering there, that thread tied just behind my ribs, tetheringme to this world. To her.
It’s weak, thin, stretched too far. But it’s still there.
She’s still there.
It’s flickering, but it doesn’t die. Not yet.
My hand reaches to cup her cheek, and I relish the softness of her skin, even as it’s slick with tears.
I try to hold on.
I can’t.
53
SNAP
CEDRIC
The thread pulls tight.
Too tight.
