Seconds felt like eternity as Kahlua lay crumpled on the ground, shaking with the very effort of breathing. Air entered her lung in gasps, her lungs seeming to close down her chest like they did not want the very essence of life that Kahlua was trying to force into them. The white of her eyes was red already, so many tears had fallen. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed, her organs seeming to rip from her chest and abdomen. Kahlua was too feeble to deal with death and beautiful though she was, she was not pretty when she cried.

Somewhere amidst her choking sobs, a nose touched her shoulder. Kahlua did not even flinch. She hardly felt the touch, except that a warm breath of air flowed around her skin. It contrasted with the terrible coldness that was eating away at her insides, threatening to steal her very life away. For along while, the painted beauty continued to stare blindly into the blue abyss above. Slowly, after many minutes- or was it hours?- she found that her breaths were coming more easily. She did not hurt less, but at least she could breath. And at some point, she had run out of tears. Her pain was a dry torture now. The very inkling of a thought that this feeling might last forever fluttered through her brain. The thought was fleeting, but that did not make it seem less real.

Twisting her neck, Kahlua slowly moved and tried to reach Brisa's cheek with her nose. She blew a soft breath of air before letting her head fall back to the ground. The effort was so much. Somehow, she found words. “She jumped...” she began softly, her voice nothing like the one Brisa would have heard upon their meeting not so long ago. That meeting had been in the darkness. For the first time since the endless night had come, Kahlua wished it was still here. If the night was still here then Antheia was not dead.

“Antheia jumped off the cliff...” she repeated this time, not knowing that Brisa had seen the whole thing. Even if she had known, it wouldn't have changed her words. She was in no mood or state of mind to think of more intelligent words. Softly, she sighed and stared at the mists that floated around her. Why? she asked herself, but she had no answer. Reaching out to the only one that was near, she begged for some sort of understanding or resolution. “What do we do?” The tone of her voice was no less than that of someone groveling for their life. She needed help. How could she go on?

@[Brisa]- sorry for the delay, been busy with school and building walls; also, sorry Kahlua's so dramatic, although I have to admit I'm kind of liking this side of her :)