She believed in me in a a way no one else ever has and no one else ever will, and I betrayed her. The worst part is she doesn’t know. She still thinks I’m just next door, like I promised.
“And, if anything goes wrong, you’ll be right there.” Pale green eyes shimmered in the candlelight, roving my face for comfort.
I smiled softly back at her. “Always have been, always will be.”
The crunch of the leaves underfoot screeched their accusations. Moonlight scattered through the trees but somehow refused to guide my path, my retreat. In the end, I am as they proclaimed, a coward. Always will be. My stomach twists violently as the words haunt me. I can feel them hanging in the frigid air, tendrils wrapped around me, pulling me back. I can’t go back. Were my legs always this heavy? Wind burst violently through the woods. Slamming against my back, forcing me to bounce off a child-sized sapling and crash into the dirt. Spitting the grit from my mouth a bone chilling wail ricocheted off every solid surface….