Elevator

Like always, Elija had to be the one feeling guilty. Proof is he was hiding from Fae. He hates confrontation. He was hiding in his room. At the farm. Pulling his hair. seemingly unaware that this was not going to solve his problems or simply chose to ignore it.

It's the second time someone died in her family because of him. worst part is she doesn't know it's his fault. He wants to get rid of that feeling so bad. So when he stands up it takes him by surprise because his body was moving on its own. He kept moving and moving until he was standing in front of her.

She had her face buried in her laptop and ice cream beside her. it's a habit she has when she is sad. she hasn't changed in his eyes. He bets she was trying to cope with the situation by binge watching their favorite old vines on YouTube. god how he hates himself for remembering thing like that about her. he doesn't deserve to know her in general , yet he stands in front of her shamefully as he tries to apologize.

He was looking at the ground the whole time. "Fae." she doesn't answer her face hidden behind the laptop. "I'm sorry. Ever since you came back from Germany bad things have been happening to you and I can't help but to feel guilty because it's my fault. I mean I shouldn't have ran after him. He was clearly afraid of what that phone can do but I just had to know what that was." he pauses to recycle his words into a better sentence. " I mean not that I'm saying it's OK what I did just because of that reason. It's something awful that happened and its completely my fault. I just shouldn't have ran towards him. I shouldn't have had the phone. I shouldn't have been here I made everything worse for you. I should have known this was going to happen. i should have stopped to see if he was comfortable with it. I should have gone through what to do next with you. And I should have just........ stopped being such an......idiot I guess. "

A moment of silence was cruelly long. The sweat was tickling his back. he was counting the seconds passing by . he counted twenty two and then he looked up to see her looking at him indifferently. " are you done talking? " she raised her eyebrows briefly before she started talking again. " While you've been wallowing in your thoughts I found ourselves a plan. " she says as she buries her head at the laptop. But unknowingly smiling behind it. he worries too much and she likes the attention so she didn't complain, but she wasn't about to show him.

Elija cautiously approaches her and sits on the counter beside her. as they were in the kitchen. she seems to be doing everything there . something kept bothering him in the back of his mind though he didn't decipher what had just happened so he asks her about it. " your not mad at me? "

" nah."

"so his death doesn't affect you?"

"he was actually annoying so I guess yeah I don't want him alive anymore ."

"are you saying your glad that he's dead?" he puts his elbows on the counter as he looks at her in a teasing was.

she was not going to lie but the way he looked at her gave her butterflies. he made it look so natural to talk about such a topic and it made her happy that she could talk to him honestly like they did as kids sometimes. ".............moving on. I found out that this phone, like any ordinary phone, has been made in a company that had been rising to popularity at the moment. So I don't know if all the phones they sell are like this but I thought we'd go there and look around. "

" I still can't get over the fact that you'd rather he died. " Elija says earning a smack against his head. " focus will you. and stop eating my ice cream." she said getting mad that his attention was somewhere other than hers.

" so I'm going back to work today. It's the first day of to work after vacation. And I think my workplace is quite near to that company. So at exactly three thirty four you should be standing in front of this address." she says handing him a printed photo of the company and the address beside it.

" I feel like your the only one doing the work here. " Elija says looking at the address. the paper was green colored and it made him laugh realizing she was forced to use those because they were the only ones around.

" well it's true I get all the work done here. Now stop laughing this is the only paper around . get up, sleep early. Tomorrow is a big day. " she says pushing him out of the kitchen. she wanted some time alone again after losing brain cells from this conversation.

"sleep, that shouldn't be a problem to me." he says looking back at her small figure.

"you haven't changed a bit Elija." she says laughing as Elija starts walking on his own to his room.

She then looks around trying to figure out what to do after she sent him off to sleep. "where did I put that spoon?" she said ready to eat the ice-cream alone.

The next day.

As Elija stands in front of the company he feels like looking at the building from top to bottom is a pain from how tall it was. He was waiting for Fae to come over.

Suddenly someone pulls him over behind a car. "what are you doing here early Elija you can't just stay wondering around the company you'd look suspicious." he looks at the face of the person to find Fae.

"we're not committing a crime, Fae." he said amused.

"let's go we don't have time for that." she puts his hand on her waist and starts walking towards the company. his hands where big so it fit perfectly around her but he couldn't help but blush at the fact the she let him touch her like that.

"since we don't have an appointment or anything we'll just say we're here to collect my cousins belongings." she mumbles.

"what does your cousin have to do with this?" he questions.

"Well in order to find out things about the phone, my dad made him work at the company." they head to the reception. "excuse me I'm the one who spoke to you a few seconds ago I just came to collect my cousins personal stuff." she said collecting fake tears in her eyes.

"oh yeah its you. I'm so sorry about what happened to him. So, look you shouldn't be here but since I sympathize with you I'll let you get in and out. But as fast as you can." the lady at the reception said.

" ill try my best." she says as they head to the elevator.

As they get in Elija looks at Fae as she wipes the tears off of her face." we're not actually going to collect anything are we? " he says figuring her out. And when she doesn't answer she just starts smiling.

"that's a dirty move."

As they stay quite in the elevator waiting for it to go to a story level suitable for researching about the phone. They suddenly hear a phone ringing.

Fae looks in her pocket to see if it's hers but she doesn't find a phone ringing. When she looks up she sees Elija holding the phone in fear. it was the same unknown number that bring them trouble each time.

"what should I do? I must answer." he says as the floor levels start to increase.

"I've never seen it in action but I think we should get out of the elevator first." she says looking at the level they're on right now to see it stuck on 283. She looks at the buttons on the elevator to only find 50 levels.

"Elija, have you answered the phone?" she says still looking at the numbers in shock.

"I'm sorry I just have to." as soon as he finishes the sentence he feels the elevator starts falling down. The numbers going down with it. They can feel themselves floating as if they had fell from the sky. They want to scream but they can't.

And just when they were about to land they feel everything stop.

" oh my god. Elija, never do that again." she says but doesn't hear a response instead she feels water at her feet. She looks up to find Elija trying to cancel the phone call.

"it won't work. Fuck." the water was coming out of the phone. And with Elija's panic it slipped away as it continued to fill the elevator with water.

The water was at their knees as they both went down searching for the phone at the same time. Hoping that maybe it will end once they find it.

"I can't find it Elija. I can see it but its like I can't touch it." she says as she accidentally swallows some water. "it's salty. Eww."

they stand up to avoid the water but it was at their chest. Elija noticed her breathing. He knows she had asthma so he tried to save oxygen for her by breathing less.

"Fae, are you OK?" he asks noticing how she was shaking.

"is that a question?" the water was now at their neck. "if it is then I don't know how to answer." she pats her back in a soothing motion. It was an action she does to comfort her when she was stressed.

It made Elija realize she hasn't changed at all. But why was he noticing those stuff now? was it what happens when you know your on the verge of death. you start to notice the sweet details around you. how you should have appreciated them when you had time. how you should have cherished them. "all I know is that I'm scared though." she says as they float to touch the elevators ceiling.

Elija searches for her hand and when he find her cold ones he takes it. "I'm scared too but I don't think this is how the phone wants it to end. And besides I'm here to protect you. " he says confidence laced in his voice. Maybe that was just how he comforted her.

And he was right. The elevator door opens and the water gets leaked. He looks to find her unconscious. She hasn't herd a word he said after she mentioned she was scared. And Elija noticed that. he wanted to say it again. that he was there to protect her. but he couldn't. she was unconscious because of him.

He looks around to find people staring at them so he doesn't hesitate to pick her up and run away with her. All along the way people were staring at Elija in the bus as he held an unconscious Fae.

As they get home he puts her on the bed and immediately goes to change so he can make her food. On his way he realizes that his wallet is missing. Along with his money and ID. He didn't have time to pick them up.

He didn't have time to pick up anything but the phone still ended up in his pocket somehow. When Elija saw it he throw it across the wall to no avail of course. It was a lost cause.

He makes soup after he stays there reading what ingredients to put next. standing in the kitchen leaning on the same counter they shared together it felt lonely now. As he walks in the room he finds her still asleep.

He then realizes why in that scary situation he noticed the cute small details to her that never changed.

It was an obvious reason he wouldn't admit out loud but he knew he didn't want to lose her.

Even if it meant being selfish and dragging her along everywhere he goes he just wanted to protect her on his own. That's why he stayed with her all night waiting for her to wake up so he can tell her that he proudly waited for her recovery all through the night.