in which tl;dr #2
The second hand of a clock was five seconds short of uniting the minute hand with the hour hand upon the midnight hour of twelve when a shaky thumb hovered over the button that would confirm whether or not a piece of her world was gone for a while or gone for sure. When the fifty-ninght second ticked to the sixtieth, that thumb pressed down, and she did not breathe.
Allen, are you here?
SENDING . . . .
It was an endless moment when she repeated the words I'm scared in her mind as though they were wings desperately fighting for lift.
But fate is cruel and particularly so for people of her association. Hoping strongly against something is not enough, and red text sprung up on the digital screen like the edge of a knife.
ERROR: USER NOT FOUND.
It cut her down, and she plummeted.
Though her cheeks had already been stained with salt and water, wrung out of grief and panic and all other sorts of twisting despair, the girl always had more to spare. Her heart was that big, and it was bleeding from one of its deepest wounds until now.
She typed more.
Allen, please answer.
Allen!
it doesnt matter if you dont say something properly please just respnd if you're back
i'll go into that forest if you dont
And more.
Please
Please not now it can't be now you promised
you primised
don't leave
say youre here
i need you
aleln
i havent told you how much i l
i love you.
i love you
And still more.
allen!
Until her inbox was covered with error messages.
Hope, desperation, delusion--after a while it all turned into the same salt-stained mess. But there was nothing she could do about it. This was out of anyone's control but the goddess'. She hadn't heard of asking people to be brought back to the island--no, that was stupid. How stupid. This felt like drowning but she couldn't ask to imprison a friend, a loved one. She should be glad he finally got out.
Finally. Even if he might not be found back home...
She wondered how selfish it was to turn into a cripple. To cry and cover her face with her hands to muffle the sorrow scraping up her throat. But this she could not contain. This was her heart shattered into a million pieces. This, for the moment, was a stone cold end.
The tunnel will be a long, dark, and hurtful one. She might as well make use of his bed covers.