3034: The Awakening

Z and Estelle

Z P.O.V.

I open my eyes to a world of nothing but emptiness. Everything that surrounds me is blanketed in nothing but white. A small haze drifts just above the floor beneath me maintaining a knee-high height. Off in the distance is a brown wooden bench. There she sits. The one who had been with me through everything. And who left me when I had not it all. When I had failed her.

She sits there with her hands in her lap, clasped together. Her long raven black hair still flows down her shoulder so perfectly, so evenly. Estelle's eyes don't meet me; they stay down enchanted to the plain pearl white ground that lay beneath her feet. Her navy blue dress the one she wore the night she died still carries the blood stain from her wound.

With shakey steps I inch closer and closer to her. My body quivers causing my movements to become uneasy. The simple sight of her after all this time, is remarkable she hasn't aged in years. Her beautiful eyes that would glow in the sun and sparkle in the moonlight, her gentle pink lips were still the same.

"Estelle?" I finally speak, feeling her name slip from my lips.

She looks to me and smiles, it meets her eyes and slowly the anxiousness subsides. And I take a seat next to her looking at her in awe.

"Z" she responds with tears coming to her eyes.

I lean in and pull her close to me. The feeling of having her in my arms once more warms me. My breath hitches in my throat and I feel like I could be right here forever. Just my Estelle and me. We slowly part and I wipe a single tear from her eye.

"What are you doing here Z?" She asks, holding my hand.

"Truth be told I am very uncertain, we found ourselves trapped in an artificial dreamscape. And Leona and I made the decision to try and put ourselves in one of our own." I replied by rubbing her palm with my fingers.

"How long have you been stuck in the artificial dreamscape?"

"I'm not sure it has to have been a few hours or more by now." Her eyes drift off.

"Estelle, what is this place?" I inquire.

Her eyes go back to me and lock with mine. Estelle's complexion changes and her mouth frowns.

"Limbo, the land of lost souls."

I can't believe what I had just heard. All this time I had thought she moved on to the land of paradise forever living in peace and luxury as she deserved. My grip gets a little tighter, not enough to cause her any harm.

"What, how? Estelle, all this time…" I can't complete my sentence.

The feeling of guilt and failure weigh even more on me than before.

"You've carried the guilt of my death for far too long Z. When our closest ones can't move on neither can the dead."

I bring her hand to my lips closing my eyes as her skin touches the surface.

"I am so sorry, I had failed you then, and even after death I still fail you."

She pulls her hand away and her eyes are full of sincerity and in her most serious tone possible she mutters her words.

" You had never failed me Z, all of this is not on you it's on Solarious, on all the evil that has plagued the galaxies, you cannot condemn yourself for the actions of another."

I stay silent and let her words soak into me like lotion. I know in my head she is right but my heart tells another story.

"Z you have to move on and let me go, so that I can move on, away from this place, and to find peace. And then maybe you will finally find peace." She continues.

"I can't let you go, Estelle, I never will…" her hand raises quieting me.

" It has been over a hundred years since my passing my love, letting me go isn't losing me, I'll wait for you on the other side, but you need to move forward, find another love and be happy."

Tears well in my eyes, it is the painful truth and not one I had been wanting to deal with, see or hear. And now the time has finally come for me to face it. I have to do what is right by Estelle and if letting her go means she can finally rest in peace, then who am I to hold her hostage here in this wasteland like I had done for over a hundred years.

The night she died I had lost everything and never let another being near me or close to my heart again. Estelle was the only one who had my heart and held it in her hands. But, now here she is giving it back to me, so that I can share it with someone else once more.

"I will always love you, " she says, giving me a final kiss as a bright light shines to left of us.

" And I will always love you, " I reply back. Standing with her, our hands together.

She looks to the light past my head and then back to me and smiles. Taking in a deep breath I feel her hands slip away from my grip.

" It's time, " she murmurs.

I nod to her.

"Go rest in peace my love." I speak softly.

"You take care of yourself Z and that Emily girl you've had your eye on, " She smiles wide at her teasing words.

The white light consumes her and disappears into the air. I do my best to fight off the tears that begin to drip as they flood into my eyes blurring my vision. I won't cry, I tell myself. I cannot cry, because this isn't a goodbye forever; it is simply an exchange of see you later.

Just as before everything goes black, I can't see anything, not even my hand in front of me. Losing touch with all my senses I try to link with Leona in my mind.

"Did it work?" I ask her.

It appears so, I believe we have broken the dreamscape…..

Leona's voice trails off into the distance, there is nothing the darkness has come to fully consume my body. Everything keeps fading all around me. There is nothing but dread, fear, sorrow, hate, and then there it is the overwhelming feeling of happiness, warmth and love foods my body. The darkness grows weaker by the second and this shining glorious white light chases the rest of it away. I can feel myself returning to normal. All of my senses, smell, taste, sight and sound.one by one they return to me in one giant title wave.

As this calmness courses through me and begins to pour out of me I smile. The dreaded weight of guilt has been lifted off my shoulders. I finally feel like I can truly breathe for the first time in years.

.

.

.

.

I sit straight up and gasps for air. It feels my lungs rapidly and my body enjoys the cold air greeting. I look around and the room is empty. Everyone has gone their beds empty. My suspicion grows and I gather my bearings and get to my feet. Dashing out of the door and down the hall towards the facility that the others should be at.

I can't explain the feeling that I have, something is terribly wrong. And I only hope I am in time to stop whatever threat has risen to my friends and I.

Z, the girl she's in trouble, we must hurry.

Leona's voice is caked with concern.

I let off a bit allowing her to take partial control so that our speed can grow faster. I feel my teeth grow into fangs and our elongated claws come out. Whoever this is will truly regret coming between us and our goal. To threaten the life of anyone I hold dear ultimately means death.