As the Days Go By {Alex}

[Ashton Kay]

Starring out into the distance was a boy with red hair and the strangest silver streaks in it. He sat along the edge of a cliff, one that had already seen so many tragedies. Those tragedies reflected in the dimness of his green eyes. They seemed so lost in the distance, almost like they could never be found. Yet, somehow, they always managed to come back to life. Even if it was only for a moment or two. They could be filled with joy when teasing a friend or perhaps rage when taking out all his emotions on a punching bag.

Still, his emotions were raging and often flipping from one to the next in a rapid motion. It was draining him slowly, and perhaps would run him into the ground if he couldn’t learn to cope. But, how exactly does one cope with the death of so many yet again? He had seen so many die, so many injured in his brief few years at Ashford and nothing had ever impacted him like this. Perhaps it wasn’t because he was so connected to his trainees or maybe because he hadn’t lost anyone who he was especially close to. Yeah, that was probably it. Uncovering the reasoning behind these sudden waves of grief and rage didn’t make it any better.

Nothing seemed to make it any better. Of course, the short distractions from time to time allowed him to keep his sanity but they were slowly losing their touch. Training sessions seemed to be losing their importance and those occasional meetings with friends seemed more forced. Perhaps he was losing himself within his own mind. Would he be able to come back? Ashton wasn’t completely sure about that. Then again, he wasn’t completely sure about anything at this point. Well, almost anything. The one thing that he was sure about was the footsteps he heard making their way towards him.

Taking a breath he tore his gaze away from the choppy waters and randomly appearing ice patches. He shifted slightly so that he could turn his body and look behind him, his legs still dangling off the edge. His green eyes scanned the cliff side until he saw a familiar figure. A ghost of a smile graced his face as he watched her. He lifted an arm into the air, a slight wave forming from the movement, “Hey there Blondie. A seat’s open over here if you’re looking for one.” He offered the space next to him before turning back to the wave, silently hoping that she’d take him up on that offer and sit next to him for a while.