Darkness

His irises were no longer blue, they were solid black. Was it his pupils or did the color actually change? We stare at each other in silence as his fingers linger on my jaw. Looking at him, I suddenly realize I don't care. Whatever happened to him, I will still...

Still what? Love him? Do you love him, Valerie? I feel myself at a loss... Losing him hurt way more than I ever imagined possible but I don't fully understand why. Was it because he saved me and ended up dying because of it or was it because deep down... I actually care about him or love him?

But he's no longer the same person he was before, that much was clear but neither was I. If he wasn't ready to talk, I won't force him.

I slowly reach up and gently grab the hand that was still lingering on my jaw. I hold it to my face as I turn and place my cheek in it as I softly say "You're no longer alone, Thane. No matter what." His dark eyes watch me closely before laying down next to me and pulling me close.

CheeChee creeps up to my side with fear before cuddling up against me and staying quiet. I listen to his strong heartbeat as I try to work through my own strange emotions but there was one thing I was clear about. I was here and meant to be.

When he finds the hair tie in my hair, he pulls it out and starts running his long fingers through it. It was awkward at first but after a few minutes, I felt myself relaxing at the feeling of his rhythmic motion. The last thing I remember is him relaxing too before I slipped into a light sleep.

When I hear something, I quickly jerk away and realize that Thane was no longer beside me. I look over to see him messing with the blue flames. He looks up to me before going back to the flames. I look down to see CheeChee still sleeping so I ease him over before rolling over and standing up.

I silently walk over to the flame and sit on the opposite side so that we're facing each other but he doesn't look back up. When I look down at the flames, I see that he's cooking something. Silence hangs heavy in the air with the only thing being heard is the fire cracking here and there.

While he's cooking, I steal glances of him. He doesn't look like he's lost any weight, If anything... he looks like he's built up more muscle. I guess fighting for your life can do that to a person... When his eyes glance up to me, I freeze. I was caught staring.

The fire suddenly pops, causing me to jump! When I hear a snort, I look up in surprise to see Thane covering his mouth with the back of his hand but I could tell he was smiling because his eyes were dancing with humor.

I scoff at him but I can't keep the smile off my face. Yeah, he's going to be just fine. He just needs time and we need to find our way out of here. A smirk still pulls at his lips as he goes back to cooking but when I say "We need to find a way out of here." His smile instantly disappears.

When his eyes land on me again, I can see a conflicted emotion playing deep inside of them. I nod to him and say "I know it's possible. As soon as I found out that you were still possibly alive and could return, I came."

For the first time, he speaks "That was incredibly stupid of you." I blink in surprise and I'm somehow happy about being insulted. I smile sadly and say "I had nothing to lose, only things I could gain. Back in our world, I'm a dead person."

Thane's head whips back up to me and asks "What do you mean?" I try to keep smiling as I say "You and I both died that day... I never went back." Concern and fear flicker in his eyes as he stands and asks "You never went back? Where have you been this whole time?"

I chuckle but it's flat. I poke the fire before me with a small stick as I say "I was out in the Void..." I catch the very end of the stick on fire as I look up and say "Enough about me. We need to think of a way to head back. It's not good for you to stay here for much longer."

Something I don't recognize passes through his eyes as he says "I don't think there is a way out but if you want to try, I'll help." He squats back down and pokes at the food before shutting down again. His voice was just as deep and smooth as I remembered it...

As soon as we're done eating, we'll head out. I don't know how long it takes to turn into a complete animal but he's been here for so long already, I don't want to risk it. We need to leave as soon as possible. Once we get back, we'll figure out what to do about his changes then.

Wait... Why hasn't he said anything about being a chick? I glance back up to him in disbelief as I say "You knew..." His eyes slowly look up and lock onto mine as I whisper "How long?"