In A World of My Own - Book One

My eyes actually ache that's how long I've been crying, but now my sobs have tapered into sniffles. My body is so numb with exhaustion... I take off my glasses and rub my eyes, shakily sighing as I look down at the Dark Rider's head on my lap. 

His facemask is broken, a few pieces are missing. I try to take a deep breath but it's still all wobbly, and now slowly grab either side of his mask and lift it away from his face. It's heavier than what I would have thought so this comes as a surprise. It seems to be made entirely of obsidian stone. I notice how the inside has scorch marks around the eye holes. A little concerning. 

I lower it to the ground, and now anxiously put my glasses back on before I finally see the Dark Rider's face for the first time. My lips part in silent bewilderment.

He is so much younger than I was thinking he was, like early twenties or something which is weird since he was sentenced to death a long time ago... Eerie. He's told me that he isn't human but with his eyes closed he really looks human. Of sorts I mean. He's like, paper white and his skin has a bit of a glow to it - yeah, that's not very humanish. Furthermore, he is as cold as ice. I hate to even think it but...okay here; dead bodies don't get this cold this fast. I mean, it feels as though he hasn't had any blood-circulating in like, a lifetime.

Around his eyes are huge dark rings, I mean they look like smoky circles that completely encompass his closed eyes. The darkness gets so rich around his eyes that it looks like smudged eyeliner -talk about looking Goth- and his eyelashes are so super thick and wickedly long that it looks like he's wearing makeup even though he isn't. And now I can't help but think, whoa, his eyebrows are so perfect. I mean, I know he isn't the type that would spend hours beautifying himself, but his eyebrows are so dramatically arched and voluptuous, naturally shaped into dangerous perfection, so intense...

I swallow hard.

He has a strong, smooth jawline, and deep dimples in his cheeks and chin. His hair is this matte-black kinda dull color and it's super messy and crazy looking like he's never seen a comb before. It's pretty long and wildly falls over half of his face mysteriously. Nevertheless, I can't help but realize something shocking; he's actually...incredibly handsome.

Well, he would be if...if he was alive.

I quickly wipe my fallen tears off his face with my thumbs and now look around. What am I going to do? I mean, I gotta bury him, right? But how? I don't know what I'm going to do now. We're totally not close enough to be called friends, but he has been more helpful than anyone else has ever been to me before so I feel like the least I can do is make sure no animal eats him.

I shudder.

But I have to do something. I doubt the Dark Rider would want me crying over his useless, cold body. Not that that is how I think of him! But that's what he'd think for sure. I carefully move his head off my lap and stand up, looking around. So um, how do I do this? Put some rocks over him? Dig a hole first? With what? Another rock?

I hear raspy coughing behind me, I whirl around with alarm but now yelp with shock and clap my hands to my mouth as if to block a scream from coming out. It's the Dark Rider! He's alive!

He groans and moves his head off to one side. 

Omigod! I stumble back over and drop down beside him. "Dark Rider? Um, I mean, Vyn-Vyndren? Are you okay? I mean, you're...you're alive!" I stare with wide eyes; a few tears of relief slide down my face without me even feeling them. "OMG! I-I thought you were dead! But...but you -"