Crowned (Santa Catalina University)

Chapter 2

I wake in more pain than I’ve ever felt in my life, but that isn’t what concerns me.

The small girl, woman really, crumpled on the floor beside me, sobbing like her entire world is broken, is what causes my heart rate to spike.

Every sob is like a dagger to my chest, each tear a stark witness of the agony she’s enduring. I struggle to push past my own pain, the throbbing ache in my body a constant reminder of the chaos that surrounds us.

“Miss Van der Zee? Why are you crying?” The words are painful and barely above a rasp. My throat feels raw, as if I’ve been screaming for hours, and yet I can’t remember uttering a sound.

Her head snaps up, and she stares at me with wide, astonished eyes. The fear etched across her face is plain as day, as if she’s witnessing a ghost rise from the dead. Her tears glisten in beautiful silver tracks on her cheeks, reflecting the pain that has consumed her fragile heart.

A heart which I drove my knife through, I recall with a jolt. How woozy must I be feeling to forget such a crucial piece of information?

The Shikari attack…She shouldn’t be here.

I shouldn’t be here.

What’s happening? Are we both…dead?

I remember my final thoughts – that dying would be worth it to see Malia again – and I was not wrong. The bittersweet irony of that realisation hits me like a sledgehammer, adding to the weight of guilt and confusion already crushing me.

As she struggles to find her voice, her trembling lips part but no words escape, and I’m struck by all of my past behaviour. The abysmal way I treated her. Keeping her at arms’ length when all it did was cause us both pain.

With great effort, I prop myself up on one elbow, pushing past the excruciating silent protest of my body. Ignoring my own pain, I reach out a shaky hand toward her, hoping to provide some measure of comfort.

“Miss— Malia,” I say, taking a deep breath and forcing myself to drop the formalities between us. To drop the walls and the barriers that kept me from telling her everything she means to me.

“Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”

She shakes her head.

“Then tell me what’s wrong.”

She hesitates for a moment, searching my eyes as if uncertain whether to trust me. It hurts, but I deserve it. Then desperation obviously overwhelms caution as she begins to speak, her voice quivering with every word. “It’s...it’s all my fault. I never should have dragged you into this mess.”

I pull her into my arms with great effort, gritting my teeth against the pain. It’s worth it to hold her again.

She doesn’t know what she’s saying. If anything, it’s the other way round and we’ve dragged her into our mess. What seemed so simple before – find the star, neutralise the threat, save both our worlds – seems to have become a hopeless tangled web of knots. Our story has taken a turn I don’t understand, and I’ve never felt so helpless.

I have no idea what’s going on. Are we alive, together, somewhere? Or is this the afterlife?

I shake my head.

It can’t be. Spending an eternity with Malia by my side is more than I’ve ever done to deserve in any of my lifetimes.

Whatever this is, wherever we are, I know that we’ll need to figure it out and work out a way to get back home.

Back to the others.

If such a thing is possible, I will find a way.

But for now, I allow myself to relax and just hold the woman I love in my arms. A luxury I never thought I’d get to experience again.

As I pull Malia close, her warmth seeping into my bones, I find myself clinging to hope with all my strength. It’s a fragile thing, easily shattered by the harsh realities of our situation, but it’s all we have to hold onto.

With each breath, the tension in Malia’s body slowly eases, her sobs subsiding into quiet sniffles. I stroke her hair gently, whispering words of comfort and reassurance into the silence.

“We’ll figure this out, Malia,” I murmur. “We’ll find a way back home.”

She nods against my chest, her fingers clutching at the fabric of my shirt as if afraid to let go. It makes me realise just how much she’s been through, how much she’s sacrificed for the sake of others.

But even as the weight of our situation threatens to overwhelm us, I refuse to give in to despair. We may be lost in the darkness now, but as long as we have each other, there’s still hope for a brighter tomorrow.

And so, with Malia in my arms and hope in my heart, I close my eyes and allow myself to drift into a restless sleep, knowing that whatever challenges lie ahead, we’ll face them together.