#alee successfully convinces heath to trade their places anybody?

[fox-buried-in-maple-leaves]

Borrowed Time

“State your name for the camera.”

“Sienna Willow Taylor.”

“Your date of birth?”

“You already know it. This is stupid.”

“Okay, Miss Taylor. Could you share with us what happened between you and Sam Taylor?”

Sienna looked away from the officer in front of her, she looked down at her hands, still stained red, handcuffed to the table in front of her. “What you all refused to do.” She whispered, green eyes straining against the bright light of the interrogation room as she lifted her head to meet the officer’s gaze.

“And what do you mean by that?”

“You police, you’re useless. When it matters, you’re never there. I was there.”

Sienna woke with a start, choking on air as she scrambled to sit up. Silver strands clung to her heated skin, green eyes blinked rapidly. The bathroom smelled sweet, overwhelmingly so. It was suffocating her. She went to lift her hand, but she couldn’t. Sienna blinked again, looking down at her hand.

“Alee?”

His body limp beside hers, his hand in hers, fingers clasped. She knew something was wrong, something was very wrong. She was supposed to die, she counted the days! She knew this was it. Why wasn’t she dead? She’d seen him die before, temporarily, it was only ever temporarily. 

Heath would have answers, they would know-

But she couldn’t see them.

“Heath?” She called to the empty bathroom.

Their figure appeared before her, face obscured by their mask. They looked… She could see right through them. Her eyes burned with tears that wished to shed. “You said he couldn’t die.” She whispered, her voice hoarse. She had died. And he took her place. She cheated death, something they both claimed to be impossible.

“The only attachment I had to him was through you.”

“So you chose me?!”

Heath steeled themself against her reaction, they should have known to expect her anger. Sienna leaned over Alee, pulling the syringe from his skin, she threw it away. Her vision grew hazy as she knelt quickly, but she ignored the way she wavered. She tried to remember, CPR in high school, she tried- 

“He’s gone.”

“Then bring him back!”

“I’ve already crossed a line.”

“So you killed him instead of reporting him?”

Sienna rolled her eyes, slouching in the chair despite the way the handcuffs pulled at her fragile wrists. The officer took a note, but she didn’t care. Green eyes widened when she swore she caught a certain reflection in the glass but- as quickly as she noticed it, it was gone. Were they still watching over her? 

“With your whole life ahead of you…”

She scoffed.

“I’m living on borrowed time, anyway.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Sienna saw an opportunity.

She leaned forward, smile loose and crazed. “Well you see, my best friend let the personification of death kill him so that he could trade his magical energy for my mortal energy.” The officer seemed put off, eyebrows furrowed. “It was my time, but the most important man on the planet decided to have me live instead. And the world is worse off for it.”

 “Now death haunts me.” She cocked her head to the side. “At risk of erasure for their actions, that’s what happens when a reaper does too many bad things, they get erased, of course.” Sienna’s eyes flicked to the one way mirror behind the officer before looking back at him. “They’re sorry and I’ll never forgive them for what they’ve done to me. The air in my lungs isn’t mine.”

It belonged to him. She believed that more than anything.

“I’m glad you decided to move back in with me, Sen. It’ll help with the grieving process.”

Then why was every sign of him stripped from the apartment? Every photo, every object, all his clothes, everything he owned. It was gone. He didn’t even offer his things to her? He just.. Got rid of it? Sienna felt the lump in her throat as she swallowed her tears.

“Yeah.” 

She couldn’t handle this, how could she? “I’m going to start dinner.” She smiled at her brother as she walked past him. He gave her a halfhearted nod and she was free to disappear into the kitchen. 

Sienna always considered herself a coward.

Always hiding behind her shield, behind Alee. But he wasn’t here to protect her anymore. 

Sienna pulled a large knife from the block, staring at her reflection in the knife. And for a moment, she swore she could see his eyes stare back at her. Sienna lowered her arm to her side, turning to face the doorway back into the living room. 

For a moment, the smell of perfume, it made her sick to her stomach. It didn’t bring her any comfort. Not anymore. As if a warning, one that she opted to ignore. They would have to live with their mistakes, their choice. 

He had so much to give to the world, a destiny incomparable. She’d always known that. Fate put her in his life to motivate him, she was sure of that. But that was taken from him, taken from her. She could feel the tears stream down her cheeks. He should be here, not her. 

“Sam?” 

She called, earning a response from the bedroom. Quietly, she moved into the living room, quietly she entered the hallway. “Sam?” She called again from outside the bedroom door. He answered with an annoyed call of her name, pulling open the bedroom door hastily, he left himself vulnerable.

The blood was warm and it smelled bad and it was hot and sticky and she wanted to throw up. 

But she would make use of this extra lease on life. The knife fell from her hand, too tired to continue, she panted, chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. A bloodied mess on the ground, he would never breathe again. Never hurt another person again. She should have done this before he ever laid his hands on Alee.

“Sienna.. What have you done?”

She ignored them.

Birds chirped as she looked out of the window, bars blocked half of her view. But at least she had a view of the courtyard below. Sienna sighed softly, looking away from the window to observe the rest of the rather grey room. Another day, the same view. 

She stood from her chair beside the window, moving to sit on her bed instead. She furrowed her eyebrows when she laid her head down on the pillow, quickly sitting up once more. She picked the pillow up, surprised to see a small plush toy beneath.

Sienna picked the toy up, it seemed handmade, crocheted. A black fox with a torn ear, white tipped tail, and red beady eyes. She set her pillow back down, laying her head down as she stared at the plush toy. 

They still tried to take care of her. 

She still hated them.

Sienna sniffled as she wrapped her arms around the small toy, squeezing it tightly. “I miss him so much.” She whispered to nobody, to nothing. There was nobody left to hear her. A failure in the grand design that she had no say in.

“Sienna, it’s time for your meds!”

She quickly hid the plush from the nurse as the door opened.