chapter 16
Astrid’s p.o.v
I felt true and genuine fear grip at me as I felt myself slip from his hands.
This was it, I was definitely going to meet my end. I looked to the end where I was surely going to land it was a bottom fire escape made of metal, there was no doubt that I was going to fall and definitely die on impact
I closed my eyes, getting ready to meet my death when I felt it.
I felt my dress rip just as felt an arm and something hard wrap around me, causing me to snap my eyes to snap open as I flipped me mid-air.
It was Orion. He was fully transformed with one part of his body normal, well as normal as it can be while the other side was mechanical.
I felt my heart slam into my rib cage as we made impact. “Orion!!!” I screamed, struggling to get out of his hold but it was futile.
The more I struggled the more he tightened his hold on me. ”you are safe!” he said with a grunt, more to himself than to me.
“Orion!! I felt myself getting weaker by the moment as tried to get off of him,
Everywhere throbbed, my emotions seemed to come to a standstill as I could barely keep my eyes open.
“Orion, you need to open your eyes”, I said as I tried to wake him up, there was blood everywhere and he did not seem to be answering. I could barely keep my eyes open, no matter how much I tried...
*
I woke up with a start, feeling the pains as they began to welcome me again but that did not stop me. I looked around, barely taking in my surroundings as my mind was set on one thing.
“Orion!!!” I yelled, rushing to get out of bed, only to stumble and fall. I could barely feel the impact as I felt adrenaline rush through my body.
“you should rest” I heard from beside me, startling me. I turned to see a man beside me. “your body cannot take anymore strain at the moment, if it hadn’t been for him breaking your fall, you would have been in much worse condition” I chewed the inside of my cheeks, not really knowing what to say.
“Please, i just…. i need to be close to him” the man looked at me for a while, before he shook his head. "
“i am sorry i can’t. It would be too dangerous for-”
“i am his guide!” i said in a bit of frustration, cutting him off.
“well then, in any case…” he helped me, holding me by my arm so that i could move easier to Orion’s side.
"thank you…” i said, unable to move my eyes from his unmoving body. He moved closer us, or rather Orion, trying to give him something.
“do you need help?” i said in a panic “what if you glitch and something goes wrong and…” i tried to explain but the words seemed to get stuck in my throat.
“he is in safe hands. If it makes you feel better, he is actually too weak to power the ship with his life force so i am very well as real as you in here”
no. What he said did not even in the slightest make me feel better. If anything, it was the opposite. The once so terrifyingly strange man was now lying down unconscious.
I sat on the chair that was beside the bed, "physical contact would help speed up the process” i nodded, not really understanding what he was on about but i nodded.
I watched as he made his way out of the room, leaving me alone with Orion.
He looked so…vulnerable
“i could kill you right now” i muttered looking at his pale and delicate face that made him seem so innocent. I raised my hands to his neck, ‘if i should just squeeze on to his neck tightly’ i thought as i looked at my hands at his neck.
But i couldn’t no matter how i tried, no matter what i thought about him, i could not just bring myself to press down on his neck.
If not for anything, he saved me and…’ i sighed, forcing myself not to think any further.
“please, wake up” i muttered as i placed my head on his chest, letting the tiredness to take over my body and then falling into the darkness…
**
I woke again to everywhere moving in a blur as though i was in motion. “Or…” my words came out in a slur.. everything seemed to be going in and out of focus as i slipped in and out of consciousness. “fuck” i muttered as i found myself going back to sleep.
"she should be waking up soon” i heard a familiar voice.
“well she does not seem to be waking up now, does she?” I recognized that voice anywhere.
I tried to force my eyes open but nothing. Soon, i was met with something bitter that caused me to snap my eyes open, while i tried to spit it out the horrible taste.
“you took your damned time, didn’t you Xiaren” Orion said, sitting on his bed across the room with his bandage wrapped around his upper body.
“you are…” i moved to stand up but couldn’t as my leg was wrapped up and suspended.
“i don’t think you should move too much. I am sorry i did not protect you well enough” he said, startling me further
“you did not need to go through that much trouble for me” i muttered.
“of course i did not” he said, causing me to snap my head up to look at him. “but i wanted to” he said with a faint smile on his face.
Just as he said it, i noticed the woman by the side of the room moving around. But that did not bother me. She looked like she worked here.
“but why?” he adjusted himself on his own bed, looking as though he did not intend to answer me.
“the universe just makes things happen in ways we can’t understand, does it not?” the woman said in a low voice, while she placed a wet white cloth on my forehead after putting me to lay back down. “rest, there is a lot coming your way that you have to prepare for…”