Ch. 8- Promise Me This

Days Missing: 6      10:00:59 PM

 

Zane

 

"Zane, listen to me." Miren pleads, the bed moving as he sits down beside me.

I look up at him, exhaustion starting to cloud my vision. I haven't slept in days, and my eyes clearly show it, dark shadows nestled underneath. He looks at me, forehead burrowed in concern, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"You haven't been eating."

I find myself laughing, frustrated with this remark. They seem more concerned about my health than finding Alexandria. But he’s right. Every time I look in the mirror, I see this frail looking boy staring back at me with empty eyes. I haven’t been eating or sleeping well ever since Alexandria was taken, six days ago.

There's a knock on the door. "Zane?" A soft voice leaks through. I force myself to answer.

"Come in, Iris." I barely recognize the voice that falls from my lips.

The door squeaks open, and Iris walks through, carrying a sandwich. She looks at us, then her eyes narrow on Miren, asking how I am through her eyes. Miren stands up and leaves the room without another word.

She sits down on the bed beside me. "Eat." she commands, holding the sandwich in front of me. I take it obediently, and take a bite, chewing slowly, staring at the floor. She looks at me with concern, her soft features clouded with worry and fear. She’s being so strong. The one person who took care of her before any of us could, her sister, was taken from her, and here she is, making sure I get food. Both Iris and Alexandria take care of us all. They look after us like mothers, busying themselves to make our lives more bearable. Honestly, I’m not sure how we got along before they came to us. We all love them dearly. We would do anything for them. Give them the world if we could. Every one of us loves them as if they were our own. We would do anything to protect them, even give our lives for them.   

Eneko found them sleeping by a dumpster in an alley about a year ago. He brought them back to the house. We took them in, and treated them like our own. They would always make us laugh. We took care of them. Guarded them. They were like our sisters.

Then two of us fell for them. Saxon had his sights on Iris the moment she walked through that door. He would stumble over himself just to make her happy. She adored him. The way he looked at her was mesmerizing in itself, as if he thought there couldn’t be anything more perfect in this imperfect world. It wasn't long before they started falling in love. I see the way he looks at her, eyes full of adoration, full of a deep passion you can’t find just anywhere. He guards her with his life. He's her bodyguard.   

The moment I fell for Alexandria was the first time I saw her smile. Really smile. It was like the world became a bit brighter, a bit happier. At that moment, my stomach exploded with little butterflies, a warmth I hadn’t felt in years rising up in my chest. It was then that I knew that I was in love, and like Saxon, I knew I would do anything to protect her. And I've failed her. 

"Zane," Iris says, cupping my chin in her head and turning my head to face her.

“I need you to promise me something."

I lock my dark, tired eyes on hers, and through them, I can tell she's scared. The brave act she’s been putting on for all of us sliding from her features, replaced by fear. She’s held herself together for so long, but I can tell she’s about to break, slowly unraveling at the seams. She needs Alexandria back, just as badly as I do. I blink, waiting for her to continue.

"Promise me you'll find my sister."

I pull my face free from her fingers, taking her hand in mine, holding it reassuringly. Iris is just as beautiful as Alexandria, with her long, dark brown hair cascading over her slim, porcelain-like face. Her features are soft and kind, always seeming to peak into your soul. I look into her icy blue eyes, deep as the ocean. Alexandria’s eyes. They stare back, and it was as if she was actually here, sitting with me. Something sparks in my chest. Hope. It spreads throughout my chest, warming my cold body. I suddenly have strength again. I feel the necklace tap against my skin as I shift my body. I lift up her chin with my finger, looking deep into her eyes. The answer that hangs on the tip of my tongue is for Iris, for me, for Alexandria.

 "I promise."

Reviews

[Alleyway Rover]

It’s an interesting development that Alexandria and Iris were both found homeless by a dumpster. That adds an interesting quality to their characters, especially Alexandria’s. So that’s kinda cool.

Something that might make it cooler: I don’t know how long Alexandria and Iris were out on their own, but that life develops a certain mindset as well as certain survival skills. Maybe we could see her employing some of those without any explanation during her capture. Then when her past is revealed, the reader says, “Ah… well that explains it.”

“The one person who took care of her before any of us could, her sister, was taken from her, and here she is, making sure I get food.”

A bit of a run-on sentence. Consider breaking up for clarity.

“Both Iris and Alexandria take care of us all.”

Technically not true in the present tense. Alexandria is not currently taking care of them. She’s busy at the moment.

That’s all I really have at the moment. Pressing on.

[JordanIsaacSmith]

Really good character development for Zane in this chapter and I'm glad he's soldiering on, promising that he'll find Alex.

[RainDancer1997]

This is a pretty good chapter. I love that he's got some more hope. Explaining his love for her and showing Alex's story:) Great job:)!