While I Was Away(27)

If this is it, for the rest of eternity, then I hope I do go insane.

Then it finally happened.

After laying in bed for hours and days and weeks, her eyes drifted shut. She let out a deep breath and instantly felt calmer. Almost ... happier. When she opened her eyes, a sob immediately escaped from her mouth. She was under a blue sky. Red poppies were all around her. And in the distance, she knew he'd be waiting for her.

Adele heaved a sigh and wiped at her face. Only a tear or two had escaped, nothing noticeable in comparison to the eons she'd spent crying over him.

When she finally sat up, she saw him right away. Jones was sitting near the edge of the cliff, a couple yards out from the tree. The stunning magnolia, which had grown even bigger since she'd last seen it. As she slowly approached the cliff's edge, she couldn't help but be a little in awe of the tree.

“Where have you been?” she called out when she was still a few feet behind Jones. He didn't move a muscle, just continued staring straight ahead.

Adele frowned and wrapped her arms around herself. It was windy out, which was odd. The weather never changed, anywhere. Old Town was always dark and dreary, her parents' house was always foggy and hazy, the field was always sunny and warm.

Now, though, it wasn't. It was a little chilly, and the sun wasn't high in the sky. It was in the early stages of setting, coating everything in twilight. And as she continued walking forward, the wind picked up even more. Strong enough to lift her hair and blow it about her face.

Jones didn't answer, so she kept moving till she was right next to him. She knelt at his side, yet he still didn't acknowledge her. He just kept staring off into the distance, his gaze so heavy, she wondered if it was the cause for the sun finally setting.

He looks ... sad.

“Are you okay?” she asked. He took a deep breath.

“No. No, I'm not.”

“What's wrong?”

“Everything.”

“Jones,” she sighed. “No more talking in circles, okay? You're upset. Let me help you.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Instantly, a shadow fell over the land. She looked up and saw heavy clouds rolling across the sky. All the colors were being muted, the red poppies and the pink magnolias losing their shine.

“You're not the only one I help,” he whispered. She was stunned.

“I'm not?”

“No.”

“But ... you're always with me.”

“Yes, and I'm also with other people,” he explained in a slow voice.

Adele sat back against her heels, a little rocked. She knew it was ridiculous, but the information upset her. Hurt her. She'd thought she was special; that what they had was special. Stupid, really. She could blink her eyes and move across space and time. Of course Jones could be in more than one place at a time.

Not a knight in shining armor – more a like a fairy godmother for hire.

“I had no idea,” she finally responded in a hoarse voice.

“There's a little girl. I told you about her, Marigold? The eight year old. God, you would've loved her. So funny. And smart! But she couldn't ... she couldn't open her eyes ...” his voice trailed off.

“What do you mean? She died?” Adele tried to clarify.

Lightning suddenly split through the clouds, startling a shriek out of her. Then she stared at where the bolt had ripped across the sky. There was a literal tear in the clouds, and from it, gray was pouring out onto the landscape. The already muted colors were soon covered, everything becoming an old black-and-white film right before her very eyes.

“She's gone. Forever. And I know it's not my fault, but god, I tried so hard. You just don't understand, Adele. If that happens to you ... I don't know what I'll do.”

He still hadn't looked at her. Lightning had ripped a hole in the sky and everything was now in black-and-white, yet still Jones stared off into space. She shuffled around so she was almost kneeling in front of him, right on the edge of the cliff, her feet hanging out into open air.

“I'm not going anywhere. You're the one who disappeared. I don't want to go anywhere,” she promised as she reached out and gripped his hands.

He finally turned to look directly at her, and she was stunned by his emerald gaze. Everything else – his skin, hair, clothing, they were all the same shades of gray as everything else. But his eyes, those were still warm and green, and they pierced right through her.

“That's the problem. You have to go. You have to open your eyes,” he stressed, his fingers clenching her own

“I don't understand. My eyes are open! And I don't want to go without you!” she insisted.

“But you can't stay with me, Adele. That tree is bigger, the roots are deeper. It's not long now.”

“Why can't you ever just say what you mean!? I hate riddles! And I hate the color gray, and I hate that you're with other people when you're with me, and I hate that you were gone for so long, and just please, please tell me you'll never leave again. Please tell me I can stay with you. Please tell me what -”

Adele was babbling, she knew, but she couldn't stop herself. So she was thankful when he cut her off and yanked her close. He sat up at the same time, and before she even realized what was happening, he was kissing her.