She doesn’t believe it. She can’t believe it.
So she runs.
She heads for that door faster than a bolt of lightning, feet hitting harder than a horse's stride. I jump as soon as the door slams behind her, and head toward the window.
I watch her leave me behind forever.
Knowing this would happen doesn’t make it any easier. That's the trouble with love. There's no getting it out of your system. Once a woman's mark is burned onto your heart, there's no going back.
I’m thirsty for more than a mirage of love. I’m just not sure I’ll ever get it.
I’m not sure of anything anymore.
12
Ava
I run. I cry. And then I run some more.
In that order.
My feet carry me through harsh terrain, a rocky mountainside with a path that leads into a deep valley covered in green moss and purple flowers. A massive tree hugs the ridge, angling over a large recess. I walk from its roots to find a clearing, then step through a gap in between other strange plants I’ve never seen before.
I’m on my own now with nowhere left to go. My feet hurt. They’re torn to bits, and my body is covered in bruises. I’m worn down, but I haven’t given up.
I pass beyond the ridge, gaze fixed on the worn path leading through to the other side. Small birds with their bright red beaks jostle for position, amid a feeding frenzy of insects. They’re beautiful, I think, but then I remember what they are and what I am and always will be.
I gaze down. The area below me is dimly lit by the mysterious twilight sky. The temperature has shifted, much warmer now, but the air is light.
Finally, after some heavy trekking downward, I reach an ancient city decorated in gold and silver emblems. The smell of incense and flowers wafts through the air, pleasuring senses that don’t really exist.
This is the edge of the world, its natural boundary, and I am at its summit. I pause for a moment, resting in this serene place where the wind dances with my limbs, perfect music to my ears.
Any other day and this place would feel like a paradise. Of course, it’s not a normal day.
Nothing is normal anymore.
My curiosity aroused, I venture further through the city into the heart of this world where I am sure the Furnace lays hidden. I’ll find it before my father. I must. And when I stumble on its door, I’ll turn it off and never look back.
There are so many memories I hold inside my heart and head, too many choices made to get here. To feel like they never happened is an abomination, and I’m not sure how anyone can recover from this.
Now I understand Kalxor’s pain. I feel it more than I’ve ever felt anything before. Strangely, my father thought I couldn’t feel empathy. To him, I was just another soulless character.
My very existence haunted him.
I guess it’s not so strange. I didn’t think Kalxor could feel either. When I first met that rugged alien, I believed he was a monster, a wretched beast to act as my guide into Hell.
I was wrong to think that. So wrong. He’s so much more than I thought.
I’m starting to believe we are more real than the humans.
The surface of the land is glowing, illuminating a path I continue to follow. As I head deeper into this ancient city, I realize I must tread carefully. I can’t trust Elon or my father, and I fear that one or the other may be waiting for me at the end of the road.
Along the way, I pass large marble temples and mysterious monuments. There are tiny villages scattered about, some that have at least ten connected homes, crudely made of clay and flecks of sparkling elements. Most of them seem to be unoccupied, but a few villagers watch me pass.
I have dutifully gawked at the road for the past few hours, watching the orange sun slowly whirl past the hills before my eyes. I am exhausted, but a new wave of energy hits me when a great pyramid appears before me, glowing like a beacon from the ground to the sky, shining brightly in the light of the rising sun.
I start to remember our trek through the world below this one, that crude entry of dark sexual pleasure and pain. I was so nervous back then. I hadn’t a clue, but a strange anticipation guided me forward, all within the confines of Kalxor’s hold.