Unyielding Resolve - Cecilia Alcott x OC

Chapter 15 - Cecilia

Bold: Time/Location
Italic: Character Thoughts/Internal Monologue
Underline: Author's Note(s)

Unknown Location - James' POV

I was not really sure where I was. Everything was black, and I felt like I was floating. Combined with the skepticism and concern was an overwhelming feeling of peace as I drifted, unable to see, hear, taste, touch, or smell anything. The concepts of time and space felt as if they were irrelevant. It didn't feel as if I was thinking so much as operating on basic instinct, and yet, wherever I was brought a sense of familiarity with it. Suddenly, a flash of what seemed like a memory pulled me from my bliss. There was a familiar male voice yelling my name, and I could hear what sounded like footsteps coming near me. I could smell smoke and it felt like I was on the ground, with the scorching heat of what I assumed was fire around me.

Then suddenly, everything returned to the empty void. After an indiscernible amount of time, another memory flashed. This one was much more clear. It was a memory I had replayed in my head time and time again. I could feel the guilt, the pain, and the fear returning as if the memory was brand new. I was back in the rogue IS facility in the Alps. The glowing red eyes stared into my soul from in the shadows of the hangar, and before I had time to do anything, the people I cared most for were on the floor, puddles of blood beneath them. Their screams and cries of pain as they were cut down echoed endlessly throughout time. My friends were slaughtered because of my poor judgement once again, and as I looked up to our executioner, it seemed different than what I remembered.

It didn't look so much like an IS, more like some vague cloud of darkness with piercing maroon eyes. I got the sensation that it wasn't even there, but it wasn't enough to overpower the hurricane of terror and rage within me. I looked it dead in the eyes, awaiting my fate. It charged at me as I roared in anger from being completely at its mercy. As it was inches from me, the veil of confusion in my mind had lifted, and I shot up in the bed I was laying in while gasping for air. I could feel my heart pounding rapidly and my body covered in sweat. Frantically looking around the room to make sure I was safe, I realized I was in the IS academy's infirmary after a few seconds. My breathing began to slow as I started to recall the events before I lost consciousness. "Did I beat it? Is everyone safe...?" I asked the two questions in my head. I looked down at my body, noticing that I was still in my IS jumpsuit with the tactical gear removed. There were scorch marks and portions of the suit that were slightly charred, but I had no exposed skin beyond what was already supposed to be visible. Moving onto my arms and hands, I saw slight amounts of ash and dust on them, but they had clearly been cleaned up by the staff when I was apparently brought in. My face I could not check until I had a mirror, and I also felt extremely sore, which became increasingly noticeable with every second I was awake.

Deciding that I was physically okay, I replayed the last memory before I lost consciousness in my head. The last thing I remembered was Rin yelling that the unmanned IS was still active, and that I noticed my IS was on the verge of deactivating. I remember deciding that no matter what it took I wouldn't let it hurt anyone, and so I charged at it not expecting to survive the blast it shot. Looking out the window, I noticed it was dusk and as I started to lift my left hand to wipe the sweat from my forehead, I felt a weight making it more difficult to raise than usual. Curious as to why it was proving to take so much effort, I turned my head to be greeted with England's representative contender wrapped around my left forearm, leaning on the left side of my bed from a chair in a deep slumber. Her bright blonde hair was spread about over her shoulders and bed, and the silence of the room permitted me to hear her breathing.

I was unsure what to do. This was a new situation for me, it had been a while since I had ended up in an infirmary myself. This time, an admittedly beautiful woman was clinging to my arm, and was sleeping next to my bed no less. It didn't take a genius to realize that she genuinely cares a great deal for me, beyond what I had realized. I smiled slightly, appreciating that she spent her time by my side since I've been asleep. Unfortunately, my intense awakening must've alerted her that I was no longer unconscious. Her bright blue eyes slowly fluttered open and she moaned slightly from being awoken, while I just observed her waking up. She yawned and sat up in her chair, releasing my arm from her grip to rub her eyes with the sides of her index fingers. When she lowered her hands from her face, our eyes met.