Parallel Lines

Y/N sat motionlessly on the edge of her bed, her fingers absently tracing the rough, scratchy texture of the worn sheets.

Her gaze was fixed on the ground, her eyes distant and unseeing, the once brilliant color now dulled into a pale, lifeless gray.

She looked as if she were suspended in time, caught between the weight of the past and the crushing uncertainty of the future.

Her thoughts circled relentlessly, clawing at the fragile edges of her composure. 'Mylo, dead. Claggor, dead. Vi, dead. Vander, dead.' The names echoed like the toll of a bell, each one a dagger carving deeper into her chest.

And then there was Ekko. Ekko, whose fate she didn't know. Was he alive, wandering aimlessly through the wreckage of their shared past? Or was he lost too, swallowed by the chaos?

The uncertainty gnawed at her insides. She clenched her fists, a cold determination solidifying within her. 'If he's alive, I'll find him. I have to. He's all alone now— no one to care for him. I'll find him.'

The weight of the small gemstones in her hand pulled her attention. She turned them over slowly, their surfaces catching the dim light.

The soft blue glow flickered eerily, somehow both beautiful and deeply unsettling. They seemed to hold whispers of the lives they'd lost, their brilliance mocking her.

Her thoughts were abruptly shattered by a sharp knock at the door. She flinched, startled out of her daze as she quickly shoved the blue stone in her bag. The familiar voice on the other side made her tense.

"Silco," she muttered under her breath, even before he spoke.

"The girl won't eat," His gravelly voice called through the door.

Y/N hesitated before responding, her tone sharp. "Her name is Powder," She corrected, pushing the words through clenched teeth. "Have you made her something?"

"Yes, but she won't touch it." Silco's frown was evident even through the door.

For a moment, Y/N stayed silent, staring at the door as if it were some insurmountable wall. Was this another of Silco's manipulations? A way to force her out of her room? She could still feel the ghostly heat licking at her skin, hearing the crackle of flames consuming everything she held dear.

But then, against her better judgment, she stood. The quiet sound of the mattress creaking as she moved surprised even Silco. He watched her warily as she brushed past him without a word.

Y/N knew he knew her weakness. She knew he could use her against her, but right now all that mattered was Powder.

"Where's her room?" she asked, her voice flat.

He gestured silently down the hallway, and Y/N followed his direction without looking back.

Standing in front of Powder's door, she hesitated for a beat before raising her hand and knocking gently. "Bluejay?" Her voice softened into something almost unrecognizable, a sliver of warmth peaking through.

The silence on the other side was suffocating, stretching out long enough for Y/N to feel the weight of Silco's eyes boring into her back. But just as she opened her mouth to speak again, the door creaked open.

"Hey—"

The word barely escaped her lips before she was knocked backward. Powder flung herself into Y/N's arms, gripping her tightly as if afraid she might vanish at any moment. Powder buried her face into Y/N's chest, her small frame trembling with gut-wrenching sobs.

"Wh-Where—" She choked out, her voice cracking between gasps. "Are you going to leave me too?"

The question hit Y/N like a blow to the stomach. Her breath caught, and for a moment, she couldn't speak. She looked down at Powder's tear-streaked face, the raw desperation in her wide eyes. Y/N's own tears began to pool, stinging the corners of her vision.