"This condition was nearly unaltered for a quarter of an hour. At the expiration of this period, however, a natural although a very deep sigh escaped the bosom of a dying man, and this stutorousness breathing ceased..."

- The Facts In The Case of M. Valdemar, Edgar Allan Poe

Fiona's Point Of View
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"Tell me a story Marshal. I'm bored." Marshal rolled his eyes, floating above me, without the slightest care in the world. "Fine, but if you talk I'll drink the red from your-" I shook my head. "No! This is new!" I said, pointing to the pink badge given to me by the charming prince Gumball. "I wasn't going to say that, but okay, whatever you say babe." He winked at me and I wrinkled my nose. "That's gross," I crossed my arm. "Don't call me babe or I'll punch you." Marshal Lee the Vampire King floated down closer to me and tickled my nose with his slender fingers. "Babe, babe, baby, bae, bab-" WHAM!! My fist connected with ML's soft stomach.

He hit the floor faster than I could blink and groaned, rolling over.

"You killed me Fiona. I think this is it. I think this was the final straw. You killed ...*cough*...me." Laughing obnoxiously, I pushed him over. "You are NOT dying Marshal Lee Abadeer." Marshal groaned once again, his back to me. "I'm done for. There's no energy in my body left. I'm about to be gone forever... Goodbye cruel world..." I sighed and then all of a sudden Marshal jumped up and tackled me. "Aaah! No get away! Get away!" He was making kissy faces and weird noises. "GROSS!"

I tried to run but he kept getting me, son I hopped out the window and began running over the hills of my treehouse. "Come back here Fiona all I want is a kiss!" he made weird gestures and I paled, running faster than my body could take. It was like running for my life, but worse. "You bunk! Eat my scissors!" I threw a pair of red scissors at him, hitting him in the face. He flinched but picked it up and sucked the red right from it. EWE! “You know you want to kiss this!” Marshal shouted. I winced and then suddenly my ankle gave out. “Woah!” my whole body lurched forward and my face hit the ground, and then I flipped mid air, rolling down something steep. “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” I felt air leave my lungs as I hit something hard, and then I was suddenly airborne.

“Fiona!”

I groaned, opened my eyes. All I could see was big, wide red eyes staring into my own. “Fiona are you stupid or something?” I blinked once, looking down. Marshal was holding me in his arms, eyes and face panick stricken. His hands tightened against my waist, and we were suspended in air about 5 feet above ground. “What?” I asked. “Your nearly killed yourself!” he screamed. “What the hell were you thinking?!” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I didn't do anything wrong. And put me down.” He didn't let me go. “Put me down Marshal Lee Abadeer.” Marshal glared. “No.”

“Put me down now!”

“Why should I Fiona?” Oh. He used my full name; not good.

“Because I said so!”

“You're not the boss of me!”

“And I don't want you to hold me like— like I'm some kid!”

“YOU ARE A KID!”

“And you're a douche!”

“You are kid!”

“Prove it.”

“You tripped over yourself and I had to rescue you from your own stupidity!”

“I never asked you to save me.”

“I know!”

“Then why are you so pissed?”

“BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU OKAY?!”

Silence.

“I never asked you too.” He swallowed. “I know.”

“Can you put me down now?”

“Fine. Brat.”

        Marshal put me down gently, his knuckles turning white as he restrained his anger. I don't know why he was so mad; I hadn't done anything wrong. If anything, he shouldn't have yelled at me. All I did was trip. What had his fangs in a twist?

“Where are we?” I asked. Marshal shrugged. “Heck if I know.” The forest around us was dense, with dark, knarled trees, and leaves so thick they covered the sky, making the while place look like an endless abyss. It was creepy, and made Marshal's bright eyes stand out. “I've never seen a place like this before.” Marshal nodded in agreement, just as it had started to drizzle. “Maybe we should camp out in a cave or something,” I began, “This place is mad bonkers.” I had the weirdest feeling, and wanted to leave ASAP, but I knew there was no way we'd get out in this kind of weather. It was just too dangerous; I could already feel the hail hitting my skin ever so slightly. “Yeah. Let me check around, I'll be back in a flash.” Marshal sped off flying, and I sat on the ground for a few minutes, until he found a cave, and carried me to it; ( my leg was still injured from falling down to god knows where we are).

“I made a fire,” he said quietly. I think he was still mulling over the fight we had. And to be completely honest, so was I. What did he mean by “I care about you”?

I sat near the fire and warmed my cold hands. It got boring fast though, and I was itching to move. To do anything but sit still in this stank old cave that smelled of old people farts. “Marshal,” I started. “Could we like, explore this cave or something? I'm so bored! This is bogus.” Marshal gave me a severe glare, and pointed to my twisted, bruised leg. “Look at yourself. You're hurt. Plus, you have the ugliest black eye since we fought WeWolves.” Not were wolves. “So? I'm an adventurer. Staying here is going to crush my spirits Marshy! And you know it.” His expression told me he DID know it, and then he sighed. “Fine. Let me carry you.” I held up a hand. “No. I can limp; it's more dignifying.” Marshal snorted.

“I don't give a fuck how dignifying it is, either I carry you, or I'll knock you out. Which will it be babe?”

My blood boiled in my body, but I kept silent and just nodded. “Good choice,” he said. And then he picked me up, setting me in his lap, while he floated basically laying on air. I was pretty much laying on him. Soon he began to float forward, and he held a random torch in his left hand. Was he left handed? That was cool I guess. Marshal took a sharp left and then suddenly the torch blew out. I lit it back up. As it glowed in the small room, I saw a treasure chest in the corner, and I jumped off of Marshal, landing on my good leg. “Marshal! Look!” I popped open the chest, and saw that there was one book. “Woah.” The title was—

“Hey! What're you doin’ with ma book!”

Abruptly I was interrupted by an angry looking dwarf man. He was pale, with red hair and small black eyes. His eyesbrows were thick and told me he was belligerent. “Thas not yers ya filthy BOTTOM FEEDERS!” he screamed and kicked my bad ankle. I cried out and fell to the floor, the book hitting the floor with a clear, thump. “Fiona!” Marshal called, and then I saw him punch the dwarf, and grab the book, along with me.

Tears pricked my eyes but I held them in.

I would be strong; I mean I was Fiona the Adventurer of Aaa. I would get through a little broken ankle.

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Land of Aaa, Gumball's Hospital...

         “You'll heal in no time. Just try to keep off your foot for awhile,” Prince Gumball said smiling. I gave him a small grin and then sighed. My ankle was in a brace, and I had to wear it for a whole three days. THREE DAYS! That was three days of boringness and three days of torture.

Soon though, my room door opened and in came Marshal Lee. He looked the same as always; red and plaid flannel, black skinny jeans, and Vans. His black hair was messy as always and his big red eyes stared at me earnestly. Instead of his usual Axe Bass, today his hands held the book that we found. “Hey!” I yelled. “That book!” he chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. I thought I could read it to you so you won't be bored.” I rolled my eyes. “Sure. But we can give it a shot.”

“Alrightly babe,” he winked and I punched his arm.

“Ahem. Annabel Lee, by Edgar Allan Poe,

“I love Annabel Lee. It was many and many a year ago in a kingdom by the sea-That a maiden there lived whom you may know by the name of Annabel Lee. And this maiden lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me.

“I was a child and she was a child, in this kingdom by the sea but we loved with a love that was more than love and I and my Annabel Lee with a love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and me

“And this was the reason that long ago in this kingdom by the sea, a wind blew out of a cloud by night, chilling my Annabel Lee. So that her highborn kinsmen came and bore her away from me, to shut her up in a sepulchre in this kingdom by the sea.
The Angels, not Half so happy in heaven went envying her and me-yes! This was the reason, as all men know in this kingdom by the sea, that a wind came out of a cloud by night, chilling and killing my Annabel Lee

“But our love it was stronger by far than the love of those who were older than we have many far wiser than we and neither the angels in heaven above know the demons Down Under the Sea can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee for the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams, are the beautiful Annabel Lee and the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes of the beautiful Annabel Lee and so, all the night tide, I lie down by the side of my darling my darling life andMy bride.

“In her sepulchre there by the sea- in her tomb by the side of the sea.”

I was wowed into silence. When I thought of the story, it made me think of Marshal. The girl in the story, Annabel Lee, reminded me if Marshal. A beautiful person who was perhaps misunderstoodmisunderstood and loved, but alas, her chapter had to end at one point. The guy in the story blamed the Angela for taking her away, claiming they were jealous. I guess I could see the logic in that. “I like it, even if it is sad.” Marshal gave me a thoughtful glance. “You think it's sad?”

“Yeah. But Annabel Lee reminds me of you.”

“Why?”

“I dunno.”

“Oh.”

        Marshal gave me an uncomfortable smile. “Is it because both our names have Lee in it?” I chuckled. “Maybe. Or maybe because you seem like a woman,” I joked. Marshal blinked twice and I felt his hand slip into mine. “Go to sleep, Fi.” I closed my eyes and grinned unconsciously, feeling his soft lips touch my own.

Perhaps he was my own Annabel Lee.

I hoped so.