Renata
She just wanted to rest. She thought this as that familiar, haunted feeling sunk into her skin. The faint blue surrounding her was not comfortorting, because it was so close but not close enough to touch, not close enough to be consumed by.
This place in the middle and outside of all things would take her but not keep her. It would not keep her but it would happily taunt her, in her dreams, while she sat beneath the moon, during those times when she soaked in the sun. But the heat never got far enough. It would not chase away the pain and devastation in the face of endlessness.
Please, let me stay! She shouted at the black spec off to the distance. Whoever they were, they were a part of it all. They watched her suffer and did nothing.
I've tried, my dear Renata. Your soul does not listen to my commands. I cannot take you where you desire to be. I do not relish in your suffering. I want to end it, but I cannot.
This was the most they had communicated with her. She felt their frustration, but it was nothing compared to her desperation. I just want this all to stop. You can do that. You can make it stop. I know you can. Please, help me, please.
They hadn't come any closer but she could feel the warm breath of their sigh against her. Whatever you are, you are beyond my reach. I do not know how to help you or how to stop your resurrection.
Renata reached out. Just take me! She was screaming but her mouth did not move. I can't wake up! I can't take it.
I will do everything in my power to help. I will give you the rest you deserve, dear Renata. Soon.
She was deflated and felt like she was imploding. I will go back, won't I?
You will. For now, stop fighting your return. Time does not work here the same as it does on Earth. Our little exchange of words has already cost enough.
This scared Renata enough that she listened.
While Renata was no stranger to resurrection at this point, it was just as terrible every time she returned. She breathed in deeply and looked around. She knew right away from the amount of machinery that she was hooked up to in the lavish bedroom was not a good sign.
She struggled to sit up. Her body was sore, but it was a body in one pieceâthe only remnants of her most recent death would be a light scar on her back and neck.
An alarm went off, probably from her fussing with the equipment. Renata jumped and rubbed her face in annoyance. The bedroom door opened, and the wood hit the wall with a bang. She smiled at Rocio, who threw herself at an unsuspecting Renata. They flew back into the mattress. Rocio placed pecks all over her face. "Oh my god, you're awake."
Unfortunately. "Yup, back from the dead."
Rocio's face was jaded and scrunched up with unsaid stresses. "Why did it take you so long? Keone said the longest you'd take was a couple hours."
Renata's mood soured at the mention of Keone, but then it quickly worsened with anxiety as she caught on to what was said. Time does not work here the same as it does on Earth. Our little exchange of words has already cost enough. "Yeah, of course. How long has it been?"
Rocio hesitated. "Two months."
Renata recoiled. "What? That can't be."
Her older sister put a gentle palm against her cheek. "What matters is that you're actually back. You're not allowed to kill yourself ever again, okay?"
"I only did it because I thought it'd be quicker than patching me up." Lie. "I'm so sorryâwait, Diamond!"
"Relax, Nata." She urged a rising Renata back down. "She's been visiting you every week. Nirvi's already sent the plane out for her. She'll be here within the next couple of hours."
Renata sighed. "God. Two months."
"Nata, how is this possible?"
She laid back into the bed. "I don't know. I really don't. It started a year ago."
Rocio watched her, studied her. Renata tried not to feel like an organism beneath a microscope. "How...how did you first find out?"
Renata thought back to one of the worst nights of her life. She cringed and wished they weren't talking about this. "They somehow found out before I did. They attacked me in my home, and when I didn't give them the answers they wanted, they...they killed me." She looked away when she felt her sister tensing with horror.
Her voice was wound up with anger. "Keone? You mentioned something like that earlier, but I didn't connect the dots at the time."
His face flashed in her mind. If she said his name, she had a feeling he would be killed shortly after. Renata would not allow her vengeance to be robbed from her. "I don't know. I don't think so. I haven't seen them since."
"That's not much to work off of, Nata. You're sure?" She got up from the bed. "Then, what does Keone have to do with all of this? He acts like your bodyguard or something. Comes around way too much, and we're all this close to ripping his head off."
Renata shrugged. She didn't want to lie, so she'd try to tell the truth. "He's seen me resurrected. Now, he won't leave me alone, and he's a pain in my ass. He probably wants to use me like Nirvi."
Rocio stopped her pacing to stare at Renata. "Nirvi has kept you safe this entire time, for me, and for you. You can trust her, Nata. She's taken care of me like no one else. She's been there for me, even when she didn't have to be. She's like family."
"I'm your family!" Renata snapped. "I have always been here." She rolled out of the bed in a slow, awkward manner. "You left me, stopped talking to me as if we hadn't spent our whole lives together." Both of their eyes brimmed with tears. "I come here and see you've moved on with a bunch of fucking vampires. My own sister." Renata shook her head. She turned away.
"I fell in love!" Rocio shouted.
Renata frowned and turned to look at her sister.
Rocio was cracking. That much was certain. Her facade of normalcy was slipping away to reveal a great grief. "Awe. Tahoma's sister. Nirvi's daughter. We met by chance." Tears began to fall down her cheek. "I loved her so much. And she loved me, she really did. Awe made me feel so many things that I thought I'd never get a chance to experience with someone else. But it was so...beautiful. And real. It was real. I wanted to spend eternity with her...and she wanted to give that to me. I accepted and became undying." Now, it was Rocio who turned away. Her body was wracked by tremors. "We had had one, perfect year. And then, then, then, she was gone."
Renata was inching towards her unraveling sister. "How?"
"There's another powerful clan of undying besides this one. They are led by Munesu. He has always challenged Nirvi. When he saw that I was integrated into the family, he tried to have me put downâwe didn't actually know at the time who was trying to kill me. But Awe was Sherlock fucking Holmes and she eventually traced this plot back to him. Awe, she isâshe was...her anger got the best of her sometimes. She went after him." Her face crumpled. "But Munesu was too strong. He killed her."
Renata's heart broke for her dear sister. She sought Rocio and forced her into her arms. Their tears were intermingling at this point. "Please tell me you got justice."
Rocio sniffled. "We did. I got my pound of flesh. So did Nirvi and Tahoma. We were prepared to take the entire clan down. But his daughter and successor, Balam, was far more diplomatic than Menesu. We came to an agreement, a ceasefire."
Renata didn't believe it was over for a second. "For now?"
Rocio nodded and pulled away. She sighed. "For now."
"Rocio, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I can't imagine going through that kind of loss. It's unfair and I wish I was there for you."
Rocio took a seat, and Renata joined her. "I had wished the same thing, every night. I knew how much you would have supported me. I thought I was sparring you from this dangerous world." She scoffed and pushed her locs behind her shoulder. "It looks like we both got sucked in." Her eyes flicked back toward Renata. "But I chose this. You? You didn't."
Renata studied the floor for a bit. "No, I didn't."
"How is this possible?" It was only natural for Rocio to ask the impossible question.
"I have no idea. All I know is that I want to be there for you as much as I need you to be there for me." Renata needed her sister to look at her and realize how honest and vulnerable she was choosing to be even though they were still strangers in a sense. "Can we do that? Can we not try to spare each other anymore? I need you, Rocio. I need my sister."
"Oh, Nata." Renata felt a warmth light inside her as her sister leaned her head against her shoulder. "What a mess we've gotten ourselves into."
It was quiet for a minute or so. "Well, now that I know you've only been brainwashed by true love, Nirvi and Tahoma don't seem so suspicious. I still don't fully trust them. No one can live that long and be okay."
"Nirvi is not perfect by any means," Rocio confirmed, "but she means well. I trust her with my life. I would have never brought you here if I had any doubt in you being safe here."
"Except I died only a couple days after staying here."
"Yeah, but that was because of Keone," Rocio groaned.
"You know what? I'm fine putting the blame on him."