Ch 13: Into The Dark Part 2

The gunfire pulled her awareness back, prodding every erythrocytes inside her blood to swivel around along her veins as they marched to her heart in such a hideous speed. Her feet and the tips of her fingers shuddered, hung limply in the air while two grips were embracing her tight - pushing her onto a man's chest. She knew that those grips belongs to a man because of the warmth and the familiar musk mingled with his sweat as she sniffed it on his shirt, his rapid heartbeats, and his broad shoulder as her head clung to it. She remembered every single details- of how his shoulders were once tear-stained after she fell down from her bike when she was six. Listening to his breaths, she could even tell who the man really was.

"You'll be fine, Rose." His voice was hoarse while another gasps of his breaths were spasmodically being let out upon her hair. They were cold, but not as cold as his grips were -so cold that they made her shiver. Dad?

Her heart rose and fell in a second when a jump shook her and made her awareness fully awake. Alex was lowering her down onto a rough surface that was wobbling whilst she listened to the rhythm of wave came rushing forward at her. In a minute, her back bumped against the wooden surface and soon followed by her head pointed upward to the sky as it leaned heavily on solid edges.

Opening her eyes, everything was surrounded in a blurry haze. The stars glistened, showing off their well-built constellations that had been used by men to predict things- though she had never really believed in such things about human prophecies. In fact, she had never believed anything about myths. Her mind only wondered if it was already near her end as the heaven felt so close for her to reach.

Dropping her head to observe the surrounding, her mouth fell agape. She was curling up on a boat... a lifeboat that was wobbling away by the waves coming at her as though they were going to eat her alive. Only a few inches down then she would be in inside the water. Alex was nowhere in sight and she was feeling too weak to turn her head to find him.

The small boat wobbled again by a weight pushing it down into the water which indicated that someone was making a leap out of it. She neglected it. She shut her eyes for feeling too tired to stay awake or even to analyze her surroundings.

A touch on his left arm opened her eyes. She knew Alex was still there. It was quick and soon the boat was being pushed away from its main ship.

Ch. 13 - Into the Dark Part 1

Theme Song: "Run" by Snow Patrol

***

The young doctor hightailed it up to the ICU, leaving Pierre flustered and vulnerable behind the closed door. 

“What is her blood pressure?” He asked without turning his head to the nurse at his left.

“Systolic is 70, diastolic is 50, doctor.”

“This is not good.” He said, preparing for a shock. “Wake up, girl!”

The doctor’s voice muffled into the corners of the ICU room, and all the girl could hear was her own heart beat faded while everything around her was dreary dark.

Ch. 12 - A Farewell Part Two

With all the strength centered on the soles of his foot, Valentin clenched his fist. That was easy. It only took a few seconds for him to land perfectly on the ground --covered by white and gray sparkling granites.

He stood up.

As always, the hedge was perfectly cut. Mr. Pivert was known to care so much about his lawn that he often became very upset every time he found kids trying to take his fruits without permission – just like what he was about to do now.

After a few steps to the nearest tree, he looked around to his surroundings. The tension came over him made everything felt so exciting. Mr. Pivert wouldn’t realize that someone had stolen his fruits. He’s too crazy to ever realize that – too crazy with his own ideas of going around the world with the balloon air he had.
 

He stretched out his hands up to the nearest fruit hanging on a branch. He should be in  a hurry now. Rose waited on him on the hill. He would only take a few he could carry with his hands.

Yes.... The fruit  over there looked so tempting.

“They look so delicious right?” a voice was heard.


“Yeah, they are, Sir.” He smiled.

What? O.o.

Ch. 12: A Farewell Part One

Valentin stared up into the sky until the helicopter faded away from his sight. He wondered what that was all about... perhaps it's a patrol force doing their task? Strange, the view was quite rare to be found here. Probably there was a fugitive running around town, still it didn't matter. He had already had a few problems to take care of himself. If he must, he would leave this place, the small village on the west side of France where people knew so much about others -- their latest affairs, including him getting into the prison a few weeks before. Until then, others who knew him had not believed  of Mrs. Ivy's accusation about him, others like Monsieur Dutiel  - his boss, Mrs. Girard , and Mr. and Mrs. Fouchier who were  nice and friendly neighbors.

“Thank you, Valentin.” Mr. Fouchier once said to him after he had  just finished fixing the leaky roof and was climbing down on the ladder.

“No problem, Monsieur.” Valentin replied, wiping off the drops on his forehead, readying off to say goodbye and go home.

“Wait!” Mr. Fouchier said. “You can take this home with you, lad.“

“What about Eveline and Henry?"  Valentin glanced away, fully aware of Mrs. Fouchier's glare at him. 

“Don't worry. We have plenty, we're even worrying if they would go be wasted rather than be eaten. Right, honey?"

"Eh...  yes." Mrs. Fouchier cleared her throat. She spun around and leave them alone on the threshold of her house.

"Your sister would love them." 


Mr. Fouchier excused himself after he  had given the basket full of sandwiches.

“Who gave us these?” Rosaline asked him when they were sitting on a picnic blanket in their backyard. One hand  held a burger, the other tried to contain the crumbs. 

“Mr. Fouchier did.” Valentin answered, fiddling with his pen trying to figure out the mathematical problem. 

“Really? Wow! There's plenty of them. I'm going to come over there tomorrow and maybe I will bring  tomatoes with me."

"Sure." Valentin  said -- still being focused on the equation. 

“D' you want some?” 

“No, I’ve already had at Mr. Fouchier’s house.”

Soon, his stomach made a growl that he could almost yell at it. Stupid! Stupid stomach!  Of course, he didn't yell like that… or else Rosaline would have had known... yet, she had already known.

"Come on, I know you're hungry." She chuckled.  Valentin smiled sheepishly and then  put aside his notepad. 

Remembering the past often made his face turned into a smile.

Though, most of their neighbors had faith that he didn't do such a horrible thing for breaking in into Mrs. Ivy’s villa, he knew he must do something about it. The chain of unfortunate must be broken immediately. “Things will be far better than now, Rose.” He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Maybe somewhere else, he would do better?  Mr. Chang's offer to work in Egypt was a good offer and maybe he could get that fifty thousand simoleons in there? Still, his reason to stay was  thousand times stronger. She --and only she- -was his only reason. Even if he has to leave her, he would not leave without a farewell.

Valentin took a deep breath and exhaled. The cold wind brushed violently against his skin, rustling between the leaves and whispered into his ear. That night, he was going to tell her that he would love her no matter what.  He's not going to give up on her, even though she had asked him to. His feeling had been kept inside his heart for almost his lifetime -- though, he had only realized it and had the courage to admit it... one year before.

“My pretty bunny-” He whispered to her when she was fallen asleep on his shoulder. Back then, he didn't quite understand why he said that, he only smiled as those words had come out of his mouth.

Resting peacefully and calm, her face was soft like an innocent baby. He wrapped her body  tighter to make sure she'd get enough of his body heat to fight against the cold night. That night felt so right. Every other night should always be like this.

Her head moved slightly, but soon clung back onto his shoulder.  Caressing her hair, he could smell the fragrance of red grapes, soothing and relaxing his soul. So,  she had finally made it. Even at a time when they didn't have extra money to buy a shampoo, she took what she could get from her garden and mixed it with water and soap. This girl is so smart that she could live in the woods if she was forced to. 

She was close -- close enough that he could feel his breaths pushing her dangling hair on her forehead. It'd only take a slight move to kiss her on her forehead. He didn't know on what hour they were because he didn't have a watch round his wrist. Still, it didn't matters. Time froze as he held her close.

“Val…” She whispered.

Ch 11: The Prisoner

Champs Les Sims Department of Justice 19:00 p.m, present time.

“Major, you’d like to see me?”
“Yes, Lieutenant, any news from the embassy yet?”
“There is, Major. There’s going to be an investigation held soon regarding his death.”
“Investigation? Haven’t we reported that it was a suicide?”
“Yes, Major, but they suspected that it was the result of conspiracy to stop him from leaking important information about the organization and their comrades.”
“Hm…” Major Yves stroke his chin. “As long as they’re not suspecting any involvement from us or that would be ridiculous. All proves clearly stated that he had committed a suicide. However, that’s not going to be our problem, right Lieutenant?”
“Unless the reporters are going to pile on it, Major -- they always do.”
“Hm, right, so, when will the investigation be held, Lieutenant?“
“Tonight, Major. Agent Sam is going to make the observations tonight.”
“Tonight?” Major Yves held his breath.
“Yes, Major. Eight o’clock exactly."

Champs Les Sims Hospital 19:05 p.m.

“Is she okay, Pierre?” Marie Louvre asked the question as soon as he came out of the doctor’s office. Feeling a strong grip on his arms while she was shaking him around, all that he did was only staring at her… blankly. It couldn’t be. Rosaline couldn’t be…

“Pierre?!” Her voice caught him from falling deeply into the bottomless pit of thoughts. Stammering, he finally told her the recent news about Rosaline.

“Rosaline... is unconscious now. The near drowning event had triggered her trauma and-” He took a deep breath,  pulling his strength to say the next heaviest words. ”If she keeps on like that, she will be in a coma.”

“Coma?”