jaszthewayyoulikeit
|• you gave me hope when I though I was lost •|

A groan escaped her lips as she lifted her pounding head from her soft pillow. Lincoln had sprawled his legs all over Lyra's bed, regardless of the warnings she had given him last night.

—

Lincoln couldn't sleep, he was roaming through the hallways searching for something that would calm his frantic heart. He wandered for hours till he felt lonely, till he felt cold. His knuckles rapped against Lyra's bedroom door a little too loudly. Lyra wasn't asleep either, her mind was floating in the dark depths of the memories of the blood that smeared Emma pale skin.

"I can't sleep," he told her when she let him in. Lyra made him promise that he would stay on his side of the bed. She rolled her eyes at his childish behaviour, but deep down, even to her bones, she was happy. His presence was like the wings of a guardian protecting her from all the blood that kept painting her hands red.

First mum, then Aneesa, now Emma. Who would be next?

—

"Get up Lincoln!" Lyra tried her best to scream but he didn't budge or acknowledge her command. "Lincoln!"

"Huh?" Lincoln yawned and pulled the duvet over his head.

"I said wake up! We have a long day today, I need to open that chamber." Lyra pulled it off his head and stomped off towards the bathroom, slamming the door as hard as possible, it seemed like it would have come off its hinges.

She stripped off her sticky clothes from her sweaty body and allowed the cold water to rinse her clean. It prickled the dry cracks on her arms, the ones she got through her journey back to Prime. The water slivered down her neck, making her shiver due to the freezing water. She scrubbed her hands till they became bloody red, it had become a daily routine. Whenever she would wash her hands, she would try to rid them of the blood that floated in front of her green eyes.

Turning the shower head off, Lyra dried herself whilst pushing her head through the hole for her neck. She dried her hair with a baby blue towel with one hand whilst opening the door with another. "Lincoln?" He was gone, she was grateful, she didn't want her red hands to be on display for him; he'd worry, she knew.

—

"How did you two sleep?" Juniper inquired as they climbed up the third flight of stairs.

"Good, but the food was better." Lincoln dreamily stated.

Lyra sighed as Juniper rolled her eyes. "Typical," they chorused together.

Juniper paused for a second and turned to Lyra. "Can you wait here a minute? I'm just going to check up on Isaac, he's been acting strange and it worries me." Lyra smiled in response and shoved her through the door.

"Go," Lyra urged. "We'll wait."

Isaac. The Isaac that invaded the mind of my Emma. Lincoln's breathing became heavy as he tried to suppress his anger. She's my sister, no one has the right to take her from me, no one.

"He's good." Juniper whispered as she closed the door behind her. "He's sleeping."

And he always will.

Juniper and Lyra carried on walking up. "Guys..." Lincoln approached them. "I just realised I forgot to do something I promised River. He'll kill me if I don't so I'll catch you guys later?"

Lyra giggled. "Sure, go ahead lazy boy."

I always preferred sloth-boy more. Lincoln smiled sadly and walked back down the stairs as Lyra and Juniper continued up.

"I told Hamza, the tall, quiet boy you always see in the auditorium, helping to keep everyone busy, to make sure no one comes here. It's been sealed and ready for you." Juniper opened the rough door and let Lyra in. "Now, work your magic!" Juniper exclaimed.

Lyra got on her knees, inspecting the pattern on the door. "Here goes." Lyra breathed as she pushed her bracelet in to match the pattern. A slit opened on the wall revealing a green marble.

"Phase two. Initiated. Data released." A mechanical voice boomed in the room.

Lyra wasn't affected by the voice, she was more enticed with the green light reflecting on her pupils. It cracked open to reveal a black hole, it formed into a duplicate of her eye, a copy that held more emotion than her own. She had released a beast caged within, she had freed a lost soul.

Lyra screamed.

—

He crept in, the floorboards creaking under his feet. Gritting his teeth in anger, he approached the sleeping Isaac. "Why?" He hissed, waking Isaac up. Isaac looked up at him in confusion.

"Lincoln?" He wondered how Isaac knew his name.

"How do you know me?" Growled Lincoln closing the proximity between them.

Isaac frowned, the creases on his skin digging in. "I don't know, I just know you're Emma's brother, someone dear to me."

Lincoln's nose flared, "And do you know this Emma?"

Isaac pushed back his shaggy bangs and whispered. "No, but I did know Emma." Isaac's answer confused him too, but it had a definition, he knew it did, he felt it. "And I know you killed her too." He added in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You pathetic psychopath, you think I'd kill my sister, you think I'd kill a part of myself? I loved her." Lincoln's eyes became blurred with tears, pain stabbed his head; he couldn't take it. How could someone kill their own? His heart was crushed by the accusations every time, he could never kill her.

The hilt of his dagger penetrated Isaac's gut. Lincoln twisted and turned it with might whilst his body shook. He held a hand to Isaac's mouth to muffle the screams. The running blood was cremated at the back of his head. He could taste it, the blood of the boy who took his sister from him. He pushed it harder, he heard it squish the flesh beneath. Lincoln screamed through gritted teeth as he pulled it out.

"You... killed... h-her." The dagger intersected him again, but this time on the left side of his chest; his heart. Lincoln left the dagger stuck there as he whimpered on the floor. He let his headrest on the blood-stained bed before he got up and washed the blood of. He sobbed as he pulled the dagger out and washed it too.

Whilst he looked for a place to hide it, he heard a scream, he heard Lyra scream. Shoving the dagger in his belt, he bolted towards the scream.

—

He pushed past Hamza and Rei, stopping beside Juniper.

"What happened?" Lincoln breathlessly asked.

"She opened the door, screamed, and fell to the floor." Juniper hugged Lincoln and sobbed in his chest.

Lincoln wanted to pick up Lyra and put her down somewhere safe, just hold her in his arms, but he couldn't, for there was a crimson circle of flames holding her hostage.

Lyra's body began to shake vigorously as the flames burned strands of her silky black hair.

—

Can you call it an accident every time you kill someone?

Who else shivered when they read the encounter between Lincoln and Isaac? I did

One last question, what do you think happened to Lyra?