It's a curious thing being caught between life and death; heaven and hell. If she fully understood half of the mess she was in, overwhelmed wouldn't be a strong enough word, but that didn't mean she didn't feel the chaos in the air around her. Her own impending doom that others tried so fervently to convince her it was all in her head. That she still had a long life ahead of her. She didn't even try to argue anymore. Part of her wondered if they weren't right. If it wasn't her imagination but that didn't stop that sinking feeling. Tennyson could almost hear the ticking of her clock winding down.


Somewhere time shouldn't have mattered...

"Soon, my love. Very soon. Are you ready?" The deep timber of his voice sounded out of place coming from such a soft, sweet face. There was a time when she looked just as innocent but the light had abandoned her a long time ago. The closest she got now were those rare moments when she got to see him.

"As ready as I can be. You're sure she'll do it?"

He would have pushed the inky black strands away from her face if he could touch her. "She'll do it. I've been coming to her for months. She thinks it's all just been dreams but regardless her mind is eased. She even has hope that a solution will present itself."

"If everything is ready, why can't we do it now?"

"You know how they are. They love their symbolism. The mark of a new year means nothing to us but it means a new start for her."

She let out an exasperated sigh but nodded. They really were children. Lambs for the slaughter. "I've waited this long. I suppose two more days won't make much of a difference."

"It will all be worth it when I can touch you again. When you're no longer in that place." His voice held the tears his eyes refused to let fall. She let his words slide over her skin as his image faded and the screams crashed in around her. The loss of him felt like a cut every time but sorrow wasn't something she could allow herself to feel. So instead, she channeled the pain into rage and went back to work.