Galaxy Of Hope

As if I had dragged him to his worst day of his life, Andrew was closing out our group at the back. Making everything take forever since he was moving backwards apparently. It would only delay the inevitable but that memo he hadn’t received yet. A few shivers ran along my spine as we left the light of the fires and the warmth behind us and were walking towards the cliffs. Olive had brought flashlights and she was leading the pack, huddled close to Bronn. Baylor and Jax were walking hand in hand behind, joined by a chattering Skylark. She was nervous because she wouldn’t shut up about her new favorite band she had discovered last night. She had been watching clips all evening and I had to angrily growl to her at one PM to shut the thing off because I couldn’t sleep. She was obsessed by morning. That’s how Sky goes.

‘Are you cold?’ Andrew noticed.

‘Not as cold as you are right now, I’m sure.’ I tried to keep my voice steady but my teeth were betraying me, softly clacking. The idiot was removing his hoodie now. Even though I was already in my bomber jacket. ‘Stop!’ I shoved it back to him. ‘I’m not taking it!’

He rolled his eyes and put it back on, seemingly knowing that I was dead serious about not taking it. ‘Okay, but you are going to walk beside me and huddle closer.’

‘Yes sir.’ I saluted him and secretly love the opportunity to be closer to him. He always smelled great and he was incredibly warm to the touch. I hugged his waist and he didn’t hesitate to grab me harder against his side. His big palms rubbing up and down on my arm to make it a little warmer.

The path became a little smaller and rougher, you could hardly call it a path now, an ankle breaker disaster would be a better description. Andrew noticed and whistled to the group. ‘Okay, five stooges and the king, it’s time to get back. We’re done here.’ I had no idea what that was but it sounded like some kind of local Rainer Fairy Tale and I chuckled against his chest and he tried to not laugh with me but I felt his restraint. ‘We’re almost there, Andrew.’ Jax sighed from up ahead, he was in the lead now. Olive having struggles with her flashlight. She was knocking it against the side of the mountain. The ocean a roaring beast from below, slamming against our ankles every other minute. I could vaguely see the outline of white foam but it was way too dark beyond the shoreline. Like a black abyss. A violent shiver ran through me, making Andrew hug me even closer, yet it wasn’t from the cold.

‘Lux is cold. I’m taking her back.’

Bronn started to protest a little. ‘Babe, I think he might be right.’ Olive slapped him on the arm. ‘Don’t you dare! We are so close!’

‘Andrew, I don’t feel comfortable leaving them here all alone. Besides I can’t leave Sky.’ It was true, I felt it in my bones we should not leave them. I don’t know why. My intuition was never wrong.

‘I’ll take care of them freckles, just go back.’ Jax added his two cents.

‘You are sure, Jax? Please…’ I whined. Jax sighed. ‘Off course.’

Andrew saw this as his cue to go and he turned us around. ‘Be safe everyone.’ He added but it was without merit. I slapped his abs. ‘What?’ he grunted.

I heard a soft moan coming from close by and I wondered if we had just invaded on a couple’s private time. ‘Did you hear that?’ Andrew said, still oblivious.

‘Yeah it seems like someone-’ the moan turned into a groan. Clearly someone was in pain somewhere.

‘Hello?’ I shouted. ‘Who’s there?’

‘Lux.’ Andrew chuckled. ‘Don’t be dramatic, we are here with a full beach of people.’

‘Yeah, over there!’ I irritably added. ‘A few hundred meters away from the dark path.’

‘h-help.’

Now both of us froze up. ‘Stay back.’ Andrew said. From what I could see in the shadows he had a very serious look painted on. I stepped back against the mountain, resting my back against it. He had his arm raised to keep me there so I couldn’t move anyway. He glanced over the edge and cursed like a sailor. ‘Someone’s down there.’ He added and I swallowed deeply. Ignoring his arm, I swatted it away, I stepped next to him, glanced over the edge and almost tumbled forward if he hadn’t grabbed my collar and snatched me back.

‘We’re coming!’ I said to the person in trouble. Ignoring more curses from Andrew about my recklessness. ‘Like fuck you are!’ he grunted at me while taking of his training jacket, shoes and pants right in front of me. The moon didn’t light much but I did see enough. He was wearing his regular black boxers and his pale chiseled skin was almost illuminating the darkness around us.

‘You are not serious.’

‘He’s in the water, Lux.’

‘What?’ I squealed. ‘NO! it’s too cold. Don’t Andrew. We’ll get help!’ panic now taking over.

‘He’s going to die soon if we don’t get to him now.’ Was all he said before he jumped into the dark water.

If he had not thought of him as a hero before I sure as hell did now. He dragged the now unconscious student out of the water and ran with him in his arms towards the beach. I ran after him, with his clothes. Andrew yelled for help and luckily for us the entire medical staff was at beach, Chris came to his rescue immediately. Chris pointed towards a tent. ‘We’ll take him to the med bay, take Andrew to the tent now.’ So I did. I took a shivering, ice cold Andrew to the red tipi tent and closed the zip behind me. rushing towards him with blankets and his dry clothes. Rubbing him dry with other blankets and watching as he was turning blue in the face from the cold. It wasn’t enough. ‘Andrew, talk to me.’

‘i-I’m f-fine, p-princess.’

‘Get into the sleeping bag, now!’ I yelled.

He chuckled but it sounded like a grinding of clacking teeth.

‘Off with those wet boxers.’

He raised an eyebrow. ’Y-you are a very i-inappropriate s-subject.’ He sarcastically drawled between shivers. Knowing I hated being called his subject. ‘A very worried subject.’ I yelled. ‘Off!’ I yelled again and slapped his arm. ‘A-and v-violent.’ He joked. ‘S-so vi-violent.’ And he swung his boxers of towards the furthest corner of the tent before sliding in. I had not looked but he had not been shy with taking his things of in front of me either. Damn it, why didn’t I look?

I put on so many blankets but he kept on shivering and shivering. ‘I need to get to Chris.’ I said with enough panic lacing my voice to make him worry for me again. I don’t need that to happen to him right now.

‘D-don’t l-leave me n-now.’ he said with the smallest voice I ever heard come from his mouth.

‘Why?’ I was already scrambling for the door. I needed to get to Chris.

‘Y-you are g-going to leave m-me here all n-naked a-and h-hypothermic? That’s n-nice of y-you.’

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was not alright. The spark had left.

It concerned me greatly.

‘Andy, please.’ I said, eyebrows furrowed. ‘What can I do?’

‘I n-need more h-heat.’ He stated. ‘C-can you j-join me?’