Ashes

Eighteen: Of Leaving and of Starting Again

A/N: Andi Winters aesthetic.

There's a slight heat on my face when I wake up in the morning, and I find a particularly bright ray of sun shining on my face and nearly blinding me.

With a groan, I manage to stretch over and pull the blankets off of half my body, and I slowly move myself to a sitting position. There's a slight chill that races up my fingers when they brush against a glass of water, and I nearly knock over the lamp as I blindly slap around the nightstand.

There's something unfamiliar, though; a folded-up piece of paper laid gently on my desk with an all-too familiar silver band on top of her. Callie's ring. Felix and I had coined our money together to buy that ring for her fourteenth birthday.

My heart rises to my throat and I suddenly find it hard to breath. There are a million ideas of what could have happened running through my head, and none of them end well.

I knew she was angry, as she had full right to be, and I had been trying really hard to give her space, but... would she have taken it this far?

With trembling fingers, I reach forward carefully. Pushing the ring ever so slightly onto the beginning of my thumb, I unfold the small paper and begin to read.

Dear Ari. Or whoever will read this.

I'm sorry, but I can't stay here anymore. I tried so, so hard not to hate you, and though I don't, I'm still really angry.

Seeing him, seeing everything falling into place again... for all of you, it's perfectly fine. You have Kyros and he has you, Titus found Eva, Felix is fine, Echo and Andi seem to be alright, and above all, you have your father.

Not me. I can't fix the hole that's left in me now. I have no family, and I barely have friends. At least, not anymore.

To be quite honest, the only person I feel comfortable around is Johann. Which is why I'm leaving. I'm going to work for Argos now, and I don't know if I'll ever be back. Please don't come after me and don't try to convince me to stay. I'm to going to. It's time to start rebuilding, I can't rebuild on top of broken foundations. Roots run deep, and when those roots are toxic, the fruit is, too.

We'll meet again someday, hopefully under better circumstances, when I'm not bitter and you're not broken. You and Felix were the best parts of my life until we realized that the world actually does still spin. Now, I have to find a way to be okay.

I hope that you do, too. I wish you the best, Ariadne.

-Callista Reissman

I cover my mouth with the back of my hand as the tears drip silently down my face, but I shake uncontrollably as I sob.

She's gone. My best friend, the girl who I grew up with, is gone, and part of it is my fault.

Echo walks in just then, and I glance up to meet her gaze for a few seconds before I hand her the letter. She reads over it as I cry about it, and once she finishes, she merely hugs me tightly against her without another word.

I think today must be the most unlucky day of my life, because an all-too familiar off-key singing voice suddenly fills the air. Felix. Of course. Just my luck.

"Ari?" he calls, and Echo glances at me to gauge my reaction.

"Ari? I've been hanging out with Hayden and we had a brilliant idea!" he yells, and I let out a quiet groan.

"I'll be right down!" I call, and Echo cracks a small smirk.

"Can you entertain him?" I ask her, and she nods once.