Valarie

People dead, this is a sin,
his nightmare did the poisoning.
Wherever he goes, he ruins,
does he wish this wasn't happening?

Kylo snorts as he walks away, “This is hell.”

“He is unbelievable.” I mutter under my breath. How can someone be so cold about killing people? I don't even want to think about what is happening back on earth.

“I always thought he would have at least a little bit of regret.” Javi sighs. “By the way, Aria seems close with them already. Do you think this place would have changed her?”

After spending ages with these two, I know how to read in between the lines. And that's exactly how I know he is asking if she still likes him. He literally died for her, it would be weird if she didn't like him. “No one ever really changes.”

I smile at the hint of relief on his face. We walk around, trying to not get lost again. Would it kill them to put signs around?

The lack of windows makes me feel suffocated, but they chilly weather makes up for it. As we walk deeper into the hallways, I wonder if we are lost again. We have been wandering around for hours before we saw Kylo. Maybe I should have asked him directions to the Thorn Garden before I punched him.

At this point I assume we are just following the sound of water. And with my luck, we might as well just end up in a washroom. After walking for another couple of minutes, we finally see darkness ripping into the corridor on the far end.

Our pace slows down to a crawl as we approach it. The red lighting ripping it’s way through the sky seems to warn us about the unpleasant weather, but the dead can't hurt. Or that's what I thought before walking into Aria kissing the guy from the market street.

ﮩـﮩﮩـ♡ﮩـﮩﮩـ

“Javi is pissed, isn't he?” Aria asks after an uncomfortably long silence.

Laying down on the grass, we look up into the unpleasant sky. Somehow it feels perfect for the moment. I have no right to judge her choices, not truly, but I do so anyway. By the look on her face the first time she saw us here, I could tell she was torn between happiness and hopelessness.

It felt quite obvious that she was happy with the new beginning, she did not need her past coming back so soon. Even though she doesn't say it outright, I know she feels that way.

No matter how much we miss her, Aria Reid has never been the type of person who holds on to the past after something new has begun. Death may not be ideal, but I know she will always live like her world is on fire.

“Obviously.” I reply. This love story ended before it even begun, that has to sting, even if it is not true love. For a moment, I wonder if Aria ever had feelings for him. Sometimes the things people say make you feel more than you actually do.

“Thanks for the optimism, Val.” She says sarcastically. That’s when it hits me again that I missed her so much. Distracting myself with a game pushed back all the feelings I was supposed to feel.

We do love to play pretend. Pretending we aren't scared or broken, pretending we have healed our bleeding wounds into scars of the past while the dark thoughts continue to invade our mind when we are all alone. Scars are meant to be a sign of moving on, and that cannot happen while we bleed tears all over our losses.

“So, Xander is definitely your type.” I smirk as she blushes at my words.

“I don't have a type.” She replies and I try to suppress a giggle. “I just like him. Actually, it's more of attraction.”

“If you are ‘attracted’ to someone in hell, maybe this place is not so bad afterall.” The look on her face is enough to prove that it isn't. “Make me believe it is anyway.” I whisper. The last of my hope bleeds away as I look up at the dark looming skies again.

“In a lie?” Aria asks, her voice sounding as dejected as I feel.

“In anything, just make it as beautiful as you can.”

“Okay-” she thinks for a while, and for a moment I believe she will say something sensible. “-you can find waffles in hell?”

I snort before falling into fear, “Wait, tell me that is not a lie.” When she shakes her head to say no, my heart drops even further. “Aria, how are you even surviving right now?”

“Well, I can not really die anymore, can I?” She snaps. The realization dawns on me again and the silence returns. It is weird to think people may be sad over my dead body while I may build another life here.

My mouth decides to blurt anything before the quiet drags on till eternity. “Do you know how Kylo is killing with a game anyway?”

She narrows her eyes, “Not really, but I’m sure Xander knows.”

If I could get my hands on his phone. If I knew where I went wrong. I wish I didn't have these many ifs and maybes, but life, and death seem to be full of it.

“Can you find out?” I ask casually. I know she knows what I I am thinking but she nods anyway. Perhaps even hell can't take her curiosity away.

Whenever someone used to tell her that curiosity kills the cat, her reply always used to be that a cat has nine lives. She ran out of lives, but I suppose the limitations do not apply in death.

ﮩـﮩﮩـ♡ﮩـﮩﮩـ