and so she drowned [aelia]

And it's breaking over me
A thousand miles down to the sea bed
Found the place to rest my head

The spear pierces her clothing and through the clothing it moves to her skin, it tears it apart in one movement she would not feel for a few more seconds before it plunges into her body. You’d think the blade, already slick with her blood, would hesitate as it reaches the bones that protected her lungs, but it didn’t. Instead it moves forwards, crushing them and splitting them and shattering them so that they scatter. That was when the pain began to register, when the nerves that snap begin to scream. Aelia Vanderwell’s eyes widen and she'd have gasped if the air that is left in her lungs allowed it, but instead it is cut short as the spear continues. It did not stop at her bones instead it moved, like a snake, fangs drawn, wanting her life, and it sunk into the lining of her lung and it stretches it and then the skin splits and bursts and the spear dives into the deepest part of her chest and steals her breathe.

Just as it steals her life.

Blood claws its way into the cracks, it seeps past the opening the blade has made and she can feel it. Ingrid Elwyn didn’t let go until she was sure she had broken her and by then Aelia can't stand on her own two feet. As the spear moves backwards, jagged edges tearing their way back through her flesh her legs give out from underneath her. She falls to the sand, it isn't graceful or pretty, she falls as her legs give out from underneath her, she tips backwards, head colliding with the ground, enough to make stars dance across her vision, enough to make it all start to fade to black. She opens her mouth to cry out, because there is pain, but she hears nothing. She tries again and this time there is a gurgle and she feels it, she feels it as spit flies from her lips, bright red and hot and it hits her face. She feels it as it begins to trickle from the corner of her mouth.

The pain was different this time. At first it feels like fire. At first it blazes through her body like poison, but now, as she stares up at the cloudless sky, questioning the fact that she is struggling to breathe, wondering why she is drooling there was nothing much to feel. There is still pain, but it is disappearing, fading away into a cool numbness that begins at the gaping wound on her chest and slowly starts to spread outwards. She tries to breathe, she tries to get the air through her red lips, through the layers of blood and spit on her tongue and into her lungs, but instead there is another gargle like sound and a swish and she feels nothing. Her head pounds as she continues, opening and closing her mouth, begging the air to ease her rapidly increasing heartbeat.

Aelia tries to call for Owen, but her lips won't move, she tries to call his name, because dear lord she can't breathe. She can't get the air in and she is scared and he always helps her. He held her as she threw up; he was the one that had held her hand as they walked alone, Charlie gone. And Charlie… Why wasn’t Charlie saving her this time? Where was Charlie? Why wasn't Charlie telling Owen to shut up and stop crying? Why wasn't she hear? She wants Charlie. She tries to turn and move, but her body won't listen, so she stretches out a hand, eyes widening with panic, as she frantically tries to breath, as more blood passes her lips and spills onto her cheeks. As her throat bubbles, as her lungs slowly collapse.

Then all at once he is there. He is beside her and he’s crying. For a moment the panic resides, because Owen’s there and he’s grabbing her and pulling her onto his lap and Aelia’s looking at him, she’s staring at him, because he’s crying and no, he shouldn’t be doing that. Why is he crying? She wants to ask him, but she can’t, she can’t get those goddamn words out, but Ripred does she try, but it hurts, it hurts so much and she can’t tell him to stop. She can’t help him.

Why is he crying?

Stop crying.

Please.

Her heart aches. She reaches upwards, hand shaking and she presses the hand to his cheek, a finger moving across it to wipe those tears away. But, oh. Oh, she hadn’t meant to do that, she hadn’t meant to get her blood on his face. She had only wanted to makes those tears go away. She moves her hand away, in panic, because she’s smeared blood all over his face. Oh how could she do that to him, that won’t stop him from crying, he’s going to cry again and she didn’t want him to do that.

She’s going to make him cry.

Aelia presses her hand to his face once more, fingers trying to wipe the blood away, trying to move it so that he has to stop crying and she tries to form those words on her lips. I’m sorry. But it won’t work and then there is more blood spilling from her lips and she’s sure it’s coming from her nose and she’s drowning.

She’s drowning.

She can feel it in the back of her throat, she can feel the pain in her head and her chest because deer lord she can’t breathe. But she can’t die, not yet, she’s gotten blood all over Owen’s face and he’s crying. So she tries to say it again, but she can’t, blood just bubbles past her lips, and all at once her hand seems to forget what it is doing and it slips from his face. Owen catches it as it falls and he holds it. She can feel his warm touch. It feel exactly the same as it did before, her hands still as cold as ice, his as warm as fire. It feels safe, that touch does. It feels like what she thinks the ocean would feel like, a warm kiss against her skin. An embrace she would never forget.

It takes everything she has to offer him a faint smile. Because maybe showing him she was alright, that there was nothing to worry about, that she was still smiling would be enough to make him stop crying. It was all going to be alright, Owen. It was all going to be alright, Charlie. And she tries to say thank you and she tries to say his name and she tries to say Charlie’s name and she tries, she tries not to let go of his hand, she tries not to let go of that warmth, but she’s drowning.

And so she drowned in her own blood, instead of that of the ocean.