Fallen from Grace

Chapter XVII

Upset couldn't begin to describe how Apollyon felt about Eleanora's decision. When they got home, he seriously contemplated to leave her alone for the night, but he didn't have the guts to. That night they ate dinner in tense silence as he wouldn't even meet her gaze. Eleanora tried to engage him in conversation, but he wouldn't respond.

She eventually gave up in trying to make him talk as she got dressed for bed. Sliding beneath the covers, she sat with her knees pulled to her chest as she looked at him expectantly. Apollyon walked over to her, gently pushing her down by the shoulder until she lay on her back as he tucked the covers beneath her chin and brushed a few strands of her white hair out of her eyes.

Eleanora looked up at him as this was usually the point where he placed a kiss on her forehead, today however, he simply pulled away from her at the last moment and walked over to the door. Switching off the lights, he walked out the room and closed the door behind him. She sat up in bed as she solemnly looked at the closed door, never realizing that Apollyon stood on the other side, his hand on the handle as he contemplated weather to just relent to his wishes.

He didn't.

Apollyon settled down on the sofa and perched his feet up. Placing the needle onto the record he allowed the sound of Elvis to resonated through the lounge as he grabbed a blanket and started reading the book. On and off he'd get up to grab a cup of coffee to keep him up as he glanced at the bedroom door every now and then.

Eleanora had stumbled out of the bedroom at approximately 4 a.m. Upon hearing the door open, he glanced up from the book, watching a disheveled Eleanora make her way out the bedroom and patter across to the kitchen. There she filled herself a glass of water, and brought it back with her. Drowsily, she gulped the water and placed the glass onto the table.

Apollyon sat up as he looked at her silently as she was pouting at him like a petulant child. Grumbling something under her breath she walked over to him, pushing him down as she lay down on top of him, and pulled the blanket over the both of them.

"Shut up." She murmured to him as she cuddled closer to him while Apollyon looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's cold in there."

Sighing softly, he allowed her to fall asleep on his chest as he continued to read his book to the voice of Elvis drifting around them.

Eleanora awoke alone on the sofa and it was 6:30 a.m. Drowsily she kneeled on the sofa and rubbed her eyes, looking around she saw the curtains to be pulled apart to allow the sunlight in along with breakfast on the coffee table beside her. Getting off the sofa, she stretched her sore joints before taking a round of the apartment, finding it clean and vacant of Apollyon's presence with clothes laid out on her bed.

Eating the breakfast he had made for her, she freshened up and got dressed. Pulling the beanie over her head, she grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. Opening the door, she was surprised to find Apollyon leaning against the wall in front of her.

"Hi." She spoke a little breathlessly as he gave a curt nod before making his way over to the stairs, walking down as she trailed behind him. Apollyon still didn't talk to her, and it was becoming increasingly tense around them. They stopped at the bus stop, the air thick and silent around them.

Mounting the bus, Apollyon greeted the bus driver a good morning before he went and sat down next to a guy, smiling and conversing with him while Eleanora took the seat next to Jennifer who was practically asleep. The guy Apollyon sat next to seemed like an unlikely friend for him. He was blonde with hazel eyes and wore a batman hood with blue denim jeans and converse, where as there was Apollyon in his black leather jacket, jeans and boots. However, Eleanora had this nagging feeling that she knew the guy from somewhere and that he looked eerily similar to a kid she used to know.

Settling beside Jennifer, they both talked about mundane matters as they stopped at school. Both Eleanora and Apollyon waved farewell to their respective friend and made their way to their lockers. The short walk was tense and awkward and it didn't help that Apollyon was acting as if though she didn't exist.

Worst part yet, he even acted like that during most of their classes. It actually end up that they had a few classes together, and through every class they shared, Apollyon assured to sit next to him. It was break now and the halls were crowded with people. Both of them made their way to their lockers beside each other as Apollyon finished exchanged his books and Eleanora was just starting.

He leaned against his locker, a hard and thoughtful expression adorning his features.

"Stop thinking so hard." Eleanora spoke out of the blue, not expecting him to respond.

"Thinking so hard?" He scoffed, much to her surprise. "Try thinking at all."

"Apollyon stop it or I-"

"Or what?" He snapped suddenly, leering over her. His tone catching the attention of a few people. "You'll what Eleanora? You don't exactly hold an incentive over my head, now do you?"

"God! Can't you stop-"

"-No! Because you are too impulsive and blind to see the consequences of your actions!" Apollyon burst out, grabbing everyone's attention as Eleanora jumped back in fright. "When you finalized your decision, did it even occur to you to think about what would happen to the people around you?"

"Hos do you think I feel about your decision?!" He yelled, looming over her dauntingly. "Okay, if not me, then think about Elliot or Mrs. Scott!"

"Don't drag them into this!" She retaliated.

"And why not?! They are practically all the family you have left and family doesn't end in blood."

"You know what is wrong with you? Since you're family died in that car crash you think that there is nothing is worth living for! You were willing to hand yourself over to Michael, just like that, and now this! You don't think about the people whom you have affected!"

"Mrs. Scott loves you like a daughter, and so did her husband, and Elliot adores you! I lost everything for you, Eleanora! Everything! And you're willing to give it all away in the blink of an eye! How do you think you're dad would feel about this? Your mom? Adrian? Think about Adrian!"

"They are all dead!" She cried out in fury.

"Are they? Are they really, Eleanora?" He questioned in response. "Don't you think that you have a bit of your parents in you? Don't you think that they'd want you to live? To go through with what Dr. Harold is suggesting? Are you really that obtuse to the world around you?!"

"Do you know what your problem is? You're a self-centered, low-esteemed, hypocritical girl, whose bark is more than her bite. How can you dream about saving people's lives, when you can't even save your own?"

"You have a chance at surviving this and recovering, but you don't even want to consider the possibility of it! God forbid you ever thought about living!"

"If you wan to die, then be my guest. But I am not going to stick around to watch the people you love suffer in pain." Apollyon growled at her as she saw standing in front of him, her head hung low as her hair curtained her face and her books clutched to her chest. The entire hallway was silent as they watched in utter shock at the scene in front of them. "Go ahead and pull the plug. I dare you."

"Don't get mad at me." She spoke softly as Apollyon could hear the tears in her voice. Instantly he reeled back in surprise to hear the grief and pain in her voice. "Don't you do that."

Her shoulders shook with suppressed tears as Apollyon looked at her in complete bewilderment. He never meant to make her cry, he'd rather fall again than make her cry.

"Eleanora..." He trailed as he went to grab her shoulder. Suddenly, she turned around and ran down the hall, taking refuge in the girls washroom and leaving Apollyon to stand in the middle of the hall with an expression of guilt and shock as everyone stared at him in silence.

Afterwards Eleanora avidly avoided him. She even went so far as to changing her class timings for the day. Apollyon stood solemnly at his locker as he watched Eleanora duck into a class. People were whispering everywhere about them and some of them got the whole information horribly wrong as well.

He had just shuffled through his books in his locker when someone tapped his shoulder. Turning around he faced the guy he sat next to on the bus. He had dirty blonde hair and bright hazel eyes that were looking at him in curiosity at the moment.

"Hey, Jason." Apollyon greeted monotonously as he went back to shifting stuff in his locker.

"I have been hearing a lot of disturbing things lately." Jason informed uncertainly. Looking down both sides, he leaned forward until he was invading the taller boy's private space. "Did you harass a girl in the middle of the hallway?"

"What?" Apollyon hissed in disgust. "No!"

"Eleanora and I got into an argument, and I was too mean and she ended up crying...and I feel so bad about it." Apollyon groaned.

"Whose Eleanora?" Jason inquired curiously.

"My best friend." Apollyon sighed.

"You should apologize to her."

"I should." He agreed. "But she is avoiding me at all costs."

"You know what cheers me up when I'm down? A nice video game." Jason smiled as he slung his arms around his shoulders and led him out the school since they were off now. They settled down in Jason's car as Apollyon distantly watched Eleanora climb into the school bus. Giving him directions, Jason parked outside the complex as Apollyon informed him that he lived on the fifth floor apartment.

Rushing up the stairs, they entered while Jason admired the whole interior. Soon they both settled down in front of the television as they played a fighting video game, and Apollyon was surprised to find himself aware of the controls. However, not all of his focus was on the game and Jason noticed.

"Dude! You aren't even trying!" He complained as he blew up Apollyon's avatar's head for the fifth time. "Where are you man?!"

"Sorry." Apollyon muttered as he placed down the controller. "Hey, why don't you make yourself comfortable and I have something important to do, it shouldn't take long, but if you need anything, I'll be in the fourth floor apartment."

"Who lives there?" Jason inquired while getting up from the floor.

"Just someone important to me." Apollyon spoke softly as he made his way out the door.

Unlocking her apartment door he found it to be bathed in darkness with the record playing some soft classical instrumental music. Walking further in, he stopped in her bedroom doorway as he found her to be asleep. With a heavy heart he lay down beside her and pulled her to him. He hugged her tightly to himself and buried his face in the crook of her neck, not willing to let her go.

"Apollyon?" She mumbled drowsily as the sudden movement awoke her from her nap.

"Please don't go." He spoke into her hair. "Please. I don't know what I'd do without you here to help me."

"Apollyon." Eleanora called out softly as she stroked his hair. Apollyon grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Please, Eleanora." He spoke softly. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that this is what you want?"

"This is what I want." Her voice cracked at the vulnerability in him.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me this is what you want." He gritted out as he was trying not to let his emotions get the better of him.

Eleanora pulled away from him and looked into his chocolate brown eyes. Blue against brown. Giving him a weak smile she nodded. "This is what I want."

Releasing a low breath he pulled away from her as he stood up. He walked away a little, coming to a halt at the foot of the bed with his back towards her and his hands on his hips. Apollyon ran a hand over his face as he tried to blink the tears away. Eleanora hugged him from behind, before he turned around to hold her to him.

"I considered it." She informed him gently. "There is a higher risk of me being attached to life support after the operation, than coming out of it healthy and recovered. I am not willing to take that risk because I could very easily die on the table, and being attached to life support would not only be painful for me, but for everyone else around me as well."

"And if what you're saying is right. That this...cancer was put there by Michael, under God's orders, then I am sure that this it is my time to go." Apollyon hugged her tightly as he didn't want her to leave him like this. "Don't you think it pains me to know that I will never get the chance to go and graduate from University, never get to become the doctor I had dreamed to become, never find the perfect man for me, never marry him, and have children, my own children? Don't you think that I want all that? Don't you think that I want the simple pleasures of life?"

"Apollyon, you need to understand, that this is my life on the line, not yours. And I get to decide what I want to do about this." She informed him while wiping away her tears. "So, please, promise me that you will cherish these remaining 18 months with me just as much as I will cherish my time here."

"Promise me."

"I...promise." He choked out finally as the lump just grew in his throat.

"Good." Eleanora smiled into his chest. "Now, since you are human, I want you to enjoy the simple pleasures of life for me when I'm gone."

"Eleanora...please don't."

"No, we have to make peace with the truth." She chuckled painfully. "I have, so now it's your turn. Promise me that you will put your talents to good use, and find the perfect girl for you, settle down with her and have kids. Okay, can you do that for me?"

"I-I..."

"Can you do that for me, Apollyon?"

"I-I'll try." He choked out in response as his grip around her was becoming painfully tight, but that was something that Eleanora needed at this point, to be held tightly.

He pulled away and cupped her face in her hands and wiped away the tears streaming down her cheek. He placed a kiss on her forehead and lingered there for a second longer, but had to break away when a knock sounded on the door.

"Whose that?" Eleanora inquired.

"It would be Jason, I told him to come find me here."

"Oh, okay." Eleanora nodded as he pulled away from him while he went to get the door.

Opening it, he allowed Jason entrance and informed him that this was his best friend's apartment and that he had to say something to her. Just then Eleanora stepped out of her bedroom, wearing a woolen sweater over her pajamas with her hair pulled into a bun.

"Jason meet-" Apollyon started when he was cut off.

"Eleanora Jane Clark." Jason informed in a daze. "Oh, my God. I thought I'd never see you again."

Apollyon looked between the two in confusion, as Eleanora scrutinized Jason beneath her gaze, but her face suddenly lit up as if though she realized something. "Jason? As in Jason Anthony Finch? The boy who would-"

"Save you from the bullies at the-"

"-Toronto Institute for Orphans." They both spoke together, smiling broadly before Jason embraced Eleanora and she hugged back.

"How could I forget the white hair and blue eye, Snow Bunny." He laughed in her ear and used her old nickname.

"Oh, my God! Look at you!" Eleanora laughed as he released her but held her at arm's length.

"Look at you!" He retaliated. "You're effin' hot now!"

"Hold on!" Apollyon exclaimed, putting a pause in their excited chatter. "How the hell do you guys now each other."

"We both were orphans at the Toronto Institute for Orphans when we were 7." They both spoke together.

"But then he got adopted." Eleanora informed.

"Did you ever get adopted?" Jason inquired suddenly. "My folks are awesome."

"Not officially, no." She smiled at him as it didn't bother her. "I'm glad that you settled in well with the couple."

"I still can't believe that it's you!" Jason exclaimed, smiling broadly. "After 10 years! I finally see my best friend again! It's a miracle!"

"Wait-Best friend?" Apollyon confirmed, feeling a pang shoot through him as he was Eleanora's best friend.

"Yes." Eleanora nodded, still grinning. "Jason was my very first best friend back when I was 7."

"And I still am." He laughed while hugging her again as Apollyon felt like pulling Jason away from her, not understanding the irrational anger towards his friend.