Chapter One: Juliet
Distance makes the heart grow fonder and Juliet never agreed with that more than in this moment. Pressing viciously on the gas pedal, she constantly peered through the mirror into the rear view window checking to see if she was being followed.
She nervously tapped the steering wheel with maroon red nails and lowered the music to near silent volumes then fidgeted with it again to louder to escape the panicked silence and the feeling of the world crashing in on her.
The roads were equally vicious and she was exhausted. She ran in a desperate attempt to escape from Dor-him. She thought poisonously and bit her lip in dread and nerves.
'Don't think of him. Don't think of him. He will find you. ' She chanted like a pray, eyes honed in on the road as the car slide slightly against the snow and ice. It was pushed further as a gust of icy wind pushed the front and she gripped the steering wheel more tightly for control eyeing the mirror once more followed by the side windows. All clear.
She squinted against the icy flurries and flipped to the weather station. She no longer knew where she was and wanted to keep it that way. It would be safer for them both…
'KP 86.9 here-to give you the latest on the sudden spring storm. Be careful on the mountain paths, avalanches and becoming snowed in are the dangers-'
Juliet allowed herself to relax for a moment as the road cleared slightly and the wind eased giving a respite. The mountain path she chose in her desperation was dangerous yet it was her only option. Despite the lavish lifestyle she lived with him-she was a country girl and lived deep within the woods. She had struck out in her wild youth away from her back roots as a sign of defiance and rebellion.
Juliet made it an oath to be better than the mountain folk she grew up with feeling ashamed of where she came from and her status. She burned all the bridges and forged her own path…
'And look at where you ended up…' she thought bitterly with gritted teeth shame and desperation grew within her. 'Back to where you swore to never go back to. Back to the mountains.' She gave a grieved sigh and shook her head against the fatigue. She needed to stop soon, very soon. Yet it was the mountains where she would be accepted, where she could disappear, where it was home. A place she thought she would never find again…a place she thought she found with him.
'Enough, enough, enough!' she thought with anger and rage at herself for this weakness. After all he placed her through, the pain, the humiliation, the degrading life. She should not feel heartbreak! For him! Damn-For that! She should feel happiness! She should be happy! And yet, she wasn't. She looked once more into the mirror this time looking herself in the eyes. Dark heavy bags were prominent under her eyes, so dark that they looked like charcoal was smeared under them. But, it was the healing black eye that made it worse. Her left eye was nearly swollen shut making the driving more difficult. Her lips were red from her chewing but also cut in the corner, she felt a small drop of blood drip down the corner leaving a thin trail. She felt herself harden against the heartbreak and resolve to find safety, her icy blue eyes were filled with determination and she recklessly pressed faster on the gas, the roads turning more winding and dangerous. Surrounded by thick evergreen pine trees, balsam firs and rocky hills and inclines she felt at home in the first time in the longest time.
A parting gift….a goodbye.
Juliet glanced once more towards the back and her worry grew at the package in the back. She needed to stop immediately for them both. She needed more distance. She needed more time-
A heavy gust of wind howled and shoved her car into a sharp slide. She gasped and coasted for a moment and gained traction again against the ice and eased up in the gas. The snow was deep, the old beaten up car she got was a true trooper but needed rest and she squinted against the storm and saw a sign. Snow and ice covered the town name and that made it even better in Juliet's opinion.
'Next gas station was in 10 miles.'
Relief spread through her as she drove more carefully through the ice and snow. They were almost there! Almost home free! She gave a huff of a laugh and her short dirty blond hair moved with it. What a disaster she looked like! Hair knotted and tangled not in the angled straight bob she always wore, she must smell horrid after the 72 hour rat race she made! The road began to get rockier and she gave a laugh against the feeling. She was beginning to feel euphoric now! Or delirious! She thought in wild humor glancing once more to the back seat trying not to wake the precious bundle-
A bang and a crash woke her from the euphoric feeling and she swerved hard into overpass. Her only option was to brake and brake hard. The tires squealed in protest and she smelt the burning rubber along with the sharp scent of ice being crushed as she barely managed to stop into the iced pile of snow that nearly covered the car itself in height. She shook from the force as she glanced once more around and gulped. She nearly fell off the overpass and she saw the trees and dark forest below looking small and childlike and her stomach clenched at the thought of the drop-
She began to laugh more at the near death escape and leaned back into the seat with a heavy sigh. The car rattled and she patted the console in humor. She began to shake at the amount of freedom she felt and fear-
'Get a grip, Jules!' She coasted herself into calm and took a deep calming breath. She idly put the car in reverse and looked behind her to see if any passing cars were coming. Although silly there has not been any signs of life the last 50 miles or so.
Before placing the car in drive, she reached back and placed a comforting hand on the bundled package.
'Safe and sound.' She thought and kept her hand on her-the package as she finished the reverse and pulled into drive and began to trek once more. She began to see lights and her hope was renewed. She quickly removed her hand and made another tight turn and gripped the steering wheel tightly and focused hard. The wind roared back as did the snow and pushed the car more. She drove with a steely determination of her hard worn victory. They were almost there-almost free-
A deep turn stopped her thoughts and she concentrated more. Juliet focused with hawk like precision and was about to clear the rough snowy terrain when she felt a pull-then a push that was not the wind!
Juliet felt the car immediately spin out in dizzying circles and tossed around like a toy car. A screeching crash was heard and then weightlessness as they dropped, skidded and then flipped over and over and over and over-
Darkness blinded her and was woken immediately with a sharp watery gasp. She gasped again and felt blood enter her mouth or leave and her eyes stung as it dripped-no-poured down her face. She was upside down and she gave another gasp and sharp pain entered her ribs-broken and broken bad. She listlessly looked around and reached with shaky-bruised-bloody hands- to unbuckle herself. She sluggishly raised an arm to ease the fall but slammed into car ceiling. She let out a shriek of pain and felt a sense of clarity run through her. She wildly crawled to the backseat against the broken ribs and concussion and blood-it had to be there! It had to be there! She thought in fevered panic, dazed confused wiping her eyes brutally to see-
Nothing.
The package was gone…as if she was never there….
Juliet rummaged harshly though their belongings panicked fevered and in utter terror. 'Did it fly out?!' Crushed?!' She raged internally as she rummaged more and managed to stretch herself out legs sticking out of the driver's window or what was left of it. 'Can't be! Can't be! This was all for her! A better life!' she let out a grieving haunting scream at the empty space and pounded on all available surfaces. Lost in the pain and the grief, she did not hear the crushing of snow as someone came up to her and grabbed her legs and pulled her through the wreckage of metal and broken glass-so shocked by the sudden pull and dazed as she was viciously flipped onto her back. She stared at the stars and trees and snows as they spun and spun and spun and a dark figure appeared above her.
"My, my Juliet." The voice crooned and she let out a whimper of fear although it became more gurgled as she coughed on blood and her breathing became ragged, tight and she wheezed-as if she could only breathe through a straw- "-you made it-far-' She gurgled again and her vision faded in and out and she missed the words and felt the world slow-along with her heartbeat-
"You don't have long-' the voice crooned darkly once more and she blinked and she the fascination at her dying form. "You were always my favorite-" that she heard and then she heard a sad "tsk" "-broke the rules-" she heard again and a rush as a nothing overtook her. With a resolve she did not know she saw the package held-and he rocked it gently-No!No!No!No!
"Nevertheless…" the voice boomed and turned away- "I wish you're fate was better. Goodbye, Juliette." The sound of crushing snow echoed then paused and she could no longer think-speak-scream-as her blood drowned her and it was gonegonegonegonegonegone-
"Ah, one last thing-"Darkness overcame her and she felt a bite-and then drained-of her blood, her essence, her soul-of her everything! She could not speak but felt her soul dim, dim, dim, flicker and scream her rage and protest but they too faded like a dying star.
"Dorian sends his regards."
The voice floated around her, echoed in her and she coasted in the floating feeling and stared blearily at the darkening sky-Her last few consciousness thoughts floated with her as she felt her very being slow…and sloww…and slowww….
"I'm sorry…." She thought in a bubble that burst, the cold was not bothering her…nor was the pain…she was feeling very warm….tired….so so so tired. She blinked so slowly she wasn't sure if she even opened her eyes…would they open again…?
"I'm sorry…" As the woods feel silent and the wind howled and Juliet found home-in the place where she never wanted to come back too-home-her faded soul still burned she hoped thought-breathed-a crack-pause-Dorian sends his regards-echoed and she blinked and crackled out a breath-coughed chocked-wheezed-He would-she thought deliriously-hurt her once last time-promise promise promise never againnnn. Her thoughts sang outburst like tiny little bubbles fading with each breath.
"I'm sorry…." She felt tears fall and she didn't know why-rage filled her broken soul the smallest burning ember left-her breath wheezed out softly-she wanted to live and had that fill her-empowered what was left of her broken body-
Never her soul-the one thing he could not touch-I want to live-livelive-
"I'm sorry….my Adele…" she wheezed out finally, the last rasping breathe was lost into the storm and she went with the wind vowing revenge on whatever stars would hear her-her vision faded and she knew darkness as the last of her blood trailed out in the snow…lost to consciousness she floated away….and felt herself lifted….lifted…lifted…and then a bite-and something warm-hot-delicious entered her cracked and bleeding lips-
She had no focus except on the starry sky and she breathed against the warm feeling….and closed her eyes against the sense of peace and safety she felt…
She could finally rest….carried away….by the Gods…..
The man who held the broken figure curled her more protectively against his chest sighed out so sadly and softly that it became a part of the wind.
She was gone and at peace.
Asleep…for a time.
He carefully brushed her short hair back and worried that he was too late…the storm raged on and he lifted them both with ease. He looked up at the sky with a childlike awe as he followed his….new fledgling's view.' How beautiful' he thought.' The stars to shine this bright…' The wind cast another layer of snow on them and before the last gust came-they were gone-the wind echoed the lost-