Ten Million Stars
(An alternative ending to the second book) Pairing: Candy/Carrion ONE SHOT
Author's Note Now, I don't know bout you, but the entire time through both books I was cheering for Chris, so this is my alternative ending.
As we know, both parties are aware of Princess Boa's presence, and her thoughts will be shown in italics. Hopefully this won't be too complicated to read, but in my mind it's impossible just to ignore that she's there.
Candy's heart pounded, she was frightened she might never make the surface again.
The water went into her ears deeply until it hurt, and as she reached the pocket of air at the top of the house, the different air pressure made her ears ring. Trying to rid herself of the pain by tugging on her earlobes, Candy stood on her sodden landing shaking.
She was too afraid to move any further. Adrenaline had moved her to the landing, but now fear was taking over, freezing her legs and tightening her stomach. She knew why she had been brought here, he would never leave her alone, not ever, especially now he knew the other soul she was carrying inside her.
It was as if Mater Motley had awoken her senses to the Princess Boa, for she could feel someone else's feelings as well as her own. It was like looking at someone and seeing them crying or laughing and knowing what they were feeling, except the person was on the inside instead of in front of her.
Boa was telling her to run. To go back through the water and escape, but Candy was more afraid of the murky water and the possibility of becoming trapped and drowning, than what awaited her now. Ignoring the mental nudging Boa was giving her, Candy took one scary tentative step after another along the landing, her wet clothes dripping on the already wet floor and her shoes squelching in the carpet.
As she reached the only closed bedroom door, her parents room, the forbidden room, she listened to the ragged breathing behind it. She had been running from this man for so long, now here she was about to freely walk into the same room as him. Was she mad?
Yes you are mad! Candy turn back now, you don't know what he's capable of. You will never escape him!
'Yes, I believe you. I will never escape him, so why not get it over with? I can't spend the rest of my life running from him, I'd rather die than have to spend every waking moment looking over my shoulder until one day I just give up.'
Don't be so foolish, that is a stupid sentiment to have. Wouldn't you rather have those extra moments? Even if you are running, imagine all that there is left to see! Don't throw everything away because you want to be seen as brave now, you are not thinking straight. It isn't over, he's tricking you, don't you see that?
'I owe it to him to listen to him.'
No you don't! Whatever gave you that idea? Turn back now Candy.
'No, It's you he wants, not me. I have to go in there, because of you!'
With this thought Candy felt Boa shrink back. It was true, she was only in this mess because the Princess was inside her, he would never have bothered with her had she not been there. He may not have realised it, but he had been chasing Boa not Candy all that time.
Candy put her hand on the cold door handle. Turning the handle, Candy whimpered slightly as the light spilled in illuminating half of Christopher Carrion leaving the rest in shadow.
Candy stood in the doorway unsure what to do. He was barely covered by the bed sheet, and Candy saw more of him than she ever thought she would be comfortable seeing.
There wasn't an ounce of fat anywhere on his body, but what would have been a smooth chest was gashed and bloodied. He was leaner and smaller looking that she would have expected, in his costume of nightmares he was tall and imposing.
Confused at herself for standing and looking for so long, Candy didn't know what to do. For the moment she wasn't scared of him, mildly just curious.
She could smell blood and fresh wounds, which prompted an instinctive reaction in her to cover her mouth and then do something about it. Reaching behind the door, Candy found her mother's pale pink dressing gown.
She looked at it and instantly put it back and reached for something else on the next hook. All the time she kept her eyes on Carrion, fumbling blindly behind the half opened door.
Finally she snatched her father's bed t-shirt and held it firmly in her hands. It was her plan to throw it over Carrion without getting too close, but as soon as she took a step he opened his eyes.
Candy yelped and moved backwards, by doing so she accidentally closed the door and shut out the light. Looking around frantically, Candy found the light switch and smacked her hand on it. The light in the centre of the ceiling came on briefly, and then went out with a bang. Candy thought perhaps it was too much to hope the electrics were working.
There was an expectant silence as if both were waiting for the other to do something, and then the atmosphere seemed to grow cold.
"Thought you could escape me did you?" Carrion asked staring at her, his pale eyes picking up the only light in the room and shining.
"No," Candy replied.
At least that was the truth, she didn't think she could ever lie in front of him, he was still frightening even when helpless.
"What are you holding?" he asked suspiciously.
Candy looked down at the t-shirt in her hands.
"It's a t-shirt… I just thought, well maybe you'd like some clothes?" she mumbled, she never thought she'd be embarrassed. Frightened of course, but embarrassed wasn't something she had prepared herself for.
"Give it here," he snapped making Candy jump.
There was no way she was going anywhere near him, so she threw the old t-shirt in his direction, reached around the door again to find the baggy shorts that her dad also wore at night, and threw those too. Once she was done, Candy took a great leap of faith by turning her back on him and closing her eyes tightly.
She would rather risk being attacked now than see him change. She didn't have much experience with men, in fact she had none, and wasn't about to begin today.
"Alright," Carrion said clearly annoyed. "No need to play the blushing rose."
"I'm not playing!" Candy retorted equally annoyed.
"Did Boa tell you to turn around?" he asked slightly less annoyed now and more amused.
"No," Candy snapped, frowning with her eyes still closed.
"No? My my Princess."
Candy felt Boa grow angry, and subsequently she felt angry too. Spinning around, Candy found him lying back on the bed as if he had never got up at all, only this time he was dressed.
Candy didn't know what Boa wanted to do, and she didn't have a clue why she had turned around. This wasn't how she had expected things to go after she had stepped into the room. He was supposed to be frightening her and torturing her to death or something, not lying down doing nothing.
She wished the Princess would just leave her emotions alone, she had enough trouble trying to decide what she was feeling, let alone deal with someone else's too.
Boa began talking at her again, and nudging her mind. This time it hurt with a dull ache.
"Go away Boa," Candy snapped out loud.
Carrion sat up abruptly and gazed at her in wonderment. Candy stared at him frightened. Could he see the princess in her? Would he run at her any second?
Candy's eyes ran around the room looking at random objects as if she had forgotten where she was. Tears began pricking at her eyes as she realised she was trapped.
"Oh God help me!" Candy whimpered looking around unseeingly.
"Come here," Carrion commanded bringing Candy's mind back with a bump.
"She'll telling me not to," she whispered frightened.
This was the first time that Candy had ever felt Boa disagreeing with her, all her life she had lived peacefully inside her, after all she had no where to go. But now she was trying to take control of Candy and get her out. Her only motive was her own fear and Candy's safety. Boa couldn't understand why Candy wouldn't listen to her.
"Don't listen to her, listen to me," Carrion ordered standing slowly.
Candy stared at him wide eyed and terrified. Her wet through clothes were chilling her skin, and her body was shaking with fear and shivering with cold.
"Yes," she whispered. "No!" she said more forcefully. "Leave me alone, why won't you leave me alone?"
"Boa?" Carrion tried taking another step.
Candy jumped back until she hit the wall. Behind her was the window; the water so high that it covered it, so all she could see outside was the sea.
"Get back!" Candy shouted, only her voice sounded older suddenly. "I'm warning you!"
"What are you doing to her?" Carrion shouted making Candy flinch.
"What am I doing? What are you doing? Can't you see her shaking? She's only a child, and you are frightening her! How can you be so cruel?"
"I am cruel? What about you Boa? Using this girl's conscious as a playground, affecting her mind to your benefit. Why don't you get out?" Carrion said grabbing Candy's arm.
The dazed look in Candy's eyes went instantly and she screamed. Carrion realised he was holding Candy's hand, Boa had retreated and he pulled her sharply across the room.
Candy fell silent as she was flung away from the safety of the wall, and yelped as her progress was cut short by his hand still holding her and yanking her back.
"Give her to me!" Carrion demanded looking deep inside Candy's eyes.
Candy didn't know who he was looking for; her, or Boa. Who was supposed to be being given? If she was supposed to give him Boa she didn't know how. Candy stared up at him with large questioning eyes.
She felt the Princess stirring in her once more. For a horrid second when Boa began taking hold over her again, all Candy could smell was the blood soaking through the t-shirt Carrion was wearing. Feeling sick, Candy went light-headed and Boa seized her chance.
Candy's hands shot out in front of her, and hit Carrion in his bleeding wounds. Candy felt her knuckles be covered with hot blood, and her fingers click out of place, as she had had no time to ready them for the impact. Shouting in pain, Candy felt herself rushing to the window, yet she had no memory of telling her legs to take her there.
Her mind was hers, but her body had abandoned her. Was this what Boa had felt for so many years? Helpless; powerless? It was frightening. But Candy didn't care. She had stolen what was her's!
Candy had never asked for the Princess's soul to be inside of her. She had been born with it. Like she had been born with her body, her body was her's, not Boa's.
"No, I don't want to!" Candy screamed as her arm was raised towards the glass. "Get out of me!"
Recovering from his sharp blow, Carrion tried to restrain her.
"What are you doing? Stop! I said stop! Smash that window and we will die!" he shouted trying to hold Candy still.
She squirmed in his grasp.
"Good!" Candy found herself saying. "You deserve to die. I'm sorry about the girl, but she wouldn't listen!"
Candy found one arm under her power and she grabbed onto Carrion's shoulder as if she had been waiting her whole life it grab hold. The effort it had taken to take back control of her arm, had allowed the Princess to raise her other arm again. This time her hand smashed through the glass, embedding shards in her knuckles.
Candy's reflex was to snatch back her hand and hold it close to her chest. The room was quickly filling with water and the rest of the window was cracking, ready to let an even faster flow inside.
Candy's head was spinning. She didn't know if it was the loss of blood from her hand, or the Princess's last attack upon her body. All she knew was that Carrion was holding her up, and for once she was glad he was there.
"Why did she do this to me?" Candy sobbed as her vision went blurred. Eventually her eyes closed and her head fell forward.
Carrion kept hold of the unconscious girl, and dragged her to the bed. The water was still rising, but now more or less he was the only one in room.
Candy's skin began to turn a slight shade of blue, and Carrion stepped back from her. He waited. A ghostly mist began to appear on top of her skin, and rose up to form a vague shape of a woman. In the middle of the mist was a white heart shaped light.
In seconds the mist began to take shape, and Boa's face smiled sweetly into the room. Carrion stared at her.
"Get out" He said without thinking.
There was nothing that would have prepared Boa for that reaction. In her mind she had imagined him falling to her knees, begging, professing his love to her over and over. She had had so many years to imagine their first meeting again. She had never imagined this.
Her face fell into a look of fear.
"I've no where to go if I leave this room, I shall disappear!"
"I said get out," Carrion repeated uncaring.
The water was fast approaching his knees now, and it was cold.
"You'll kill me!" she screeched.
"I've already killed you, what do you matter now?" He replied maliciously.
"Christopher I am here, you have been looking for me for years, why are you doing this?" she tried again, he had to save her! She had left the safety of Candy's mind for this chance. He had to take her back, to the Abarat, with him and save her.
"I haven't been looking for you! You destroyed me. I've been looking for her."
Boa looked down at Candy asleep on the bed, and laughed.
"Her?" she asked as if it was some kind of a joke.
Carrion was silent, he was loosing patience. The water was rising, they would be trapped soon.
"Her? Why her?" Boa asked angrily when she received no reply.
"Because she can save me, you never thought of anyone but yourself," Carrion told her. "Oh, does it hurt to hear it? Or did you think my heart would be yours forever?"
Boa's eyes filled with tears, and her faultless, shining image, which had been so bright and hopeful, to begin with began to fade.
"But you love me!"
"I love the idea or you. I love the idea of you dead even more."
"Help me Christopher, You can save me."
"Why? So you can go back to Finnegan? No, I killed you, I want you dead. Let me remember you that way, and leave us alone."
Boa let the tears run down her face as she stared hopelessly at him. Eventually she looked at the ground, all hope lost, and she faded into nothing.
Carrion stared at her empty space feeling empty himself, a part of him wanted to stay in the room, wait for it to fill and die. The other knew he had to escape, and to take Candy with him. For maybe, just maybe there was a chance she could save him.
Picking her up from the bed just in time to watch the water begin to run over the top of the sheets, Carrion waded to the window. Looking out he saw the sun shining through the water, illuminating Abaratian fishes swimming by.
Taking one last look at Candy's peaceful face, Carrion smashed the rest of the glass and let them be washed away by the water.
Candy awoke lying on something soft. Sitting up she felt the sun on her face and the ground below her shift. Looking down she found she was sitting on sand, and the tide was going out further down the beach.
Looking up at the sky, she knew she was the Abarat again, but she couldn't remember how she had got there. Had the Princess brought her here? She waited for and answer.
Nothing.
Nothing moved in her mind, it was still. Candy frowned. She wasn't there, she could feel nothing. Candy rubbed the back of her head, it felt sore. She couldn't even remember how it had felt to have two thoughts in her mind, it seemed as if it had never happened. It was so natural to be the only one in her head that the idea of someone else now made her shudder.
Turning with the plan of getting up and exploring, Candy realised she wasn't alone. To her left was Christopher Carrion, lying on the sand asleep.
Candy looked around the beach, there was no one here to help her. No one here to tell her what to do either. For the first time in her life, she was alone. She smiled. No not quite alone, he was with her. He had saved her from drowning.
She edged closer. Was this a second chance to their ill-fated meeting of before? Here he was helpless again, here she was finding him. She reached out a hand and touched his shoulder.
He felt warm under her fingertips, and she frowned. In her mind she had always imagined his skin to be cold, like a reptile, or a statue, not living, not alive.
"Um," Candy began, realising she didn't know what to call him. He was a Prince, but she didn't feel as if he was one to her. "Christopher?"
As soon as she said his name she blushed, it sounded so strange. His eyes opened slowly.
"Hi," she said smiling slightly. "I guess we survived then…"
He just lay looking at her.
"Are you in pain?" she asked suddenly concerned.
"No."
Candy looked away from him and down towards the sea.
"Is she gone?" she asked quietly.
Carrion sat up, he pulled his legs up so that they were bent in front of him and rested his arms over his knees.
"Yes," he answered. "She's gone."
Candy got up quickly.
"I'm so sorry!" she said looking at him desperately. "There was nothing I could do!"
Carrion looked at her then looked away. He knew he should feel remorse, but he had acted in spite and now she was gone. Only all he was feeling was emptiness. His thoughts were no longer consumed by Boa, it was if she had taken all his consuming bitterness with him. That, or being with Candy was everything he had ever hoped for. Calmness.
"I told her to leave, she had no rights to you. She wanted to come between us, and I need you Candy…"
"No, no you are confused," Candy said shaking her head. Her eyes grew brighter with tears of sadness for him, and she felt them fall down her face in hot droplets. "It was Boa you loved, not me, she was inside me, now she is not. You don't love me, I'm Candy…"
"I know you are Candy."
That was all Carrion had to say to make Candy understand. She looked down and the floor and let the tears fall down onto the floor. Slowly she crouched down and then knelt, keeping her eyes on the floor.
"I've never…"
Candy didn't know what she was going to say next, did she really want to tell him after all? To say, 'I've never had a boyfriend' or 'I've never been in love' made her sound immature and stupid. At least she thought so.
"It doesn't matter," Carrion told her, sitting up straighter.
Candy frowned, he didn't even know what she was going to say…neither did she, but that wasn't the point. But she supposed, he was right, what did it matter?
"I'm frightened!" Candy blurted suddenly. "I don't know what to do! I don't know where my friends are, I didn't get to say goodbye to my mother, and you are suppose to be… well, mean… they all lied about you, I'm so afraid, I don't know who to believe!"
As soon as she finished she began to sob loudly, she felt like the biggest fool in the world. Why was she even here, listening to him? Wasn't she supposed to hate him? Be afraid of him? She didn't understand what had changed.
"Come with me Candy, come to the Midnight isle with me, where all ten million stars in the sky belong to me. Come be by my side Candy, you don't need to listen to what others tell you, what do they know?" he said holding out his hand.
Candy looked at it, stretched out for her to take. She shivered.
"But your grandmother!"
"We will fight her, you and me, together. We can save Midnight from her, it can belong to us both Candy, you and me, together…"
"Yes," Candy whispered, with romantic idealist pictures of herself vanquishing evil in her head. "Together."
She reached out slowly and took his hand. She smiled unsure of herself. Carrion moved closer to her and copied the way she was, by kneeling too. Candy's face flushed, she didn't understand why she was letting this happen, but it was happening, and she was waiting for it.
Carrion watched her close her eyes as she waited, trusting him wholly, all her fear gone. He moved closer to her again, and her saw her eye lids flicker as his warm breath hit her face.
He bent his head to her and pulled her sharply towards him by wrapping an arm around her back. Candy gasped as she was pressed against his chest, and as soon as her lips opened slightly for the air, he leant in a kissed her.
Soft, he thought, so soft.
Candy's eyes opened in surprise and her limp arms at her side stiffened in shock. With his arm around her she wasn't going anywhere, she might have been struggling for her life and would have remained pinned. Instead she stayed, as she was, slightly rigid from not knowing what to do.
She could feel all the little scars around his mouth with her own lips, but soon she felt them no more. Her eyes closed and her body relaxed. She sighed and he let her go.
Candy sucked her bottom lip back into her mouth, and touched it with her own tongue, as if she couldn't believe what had happened. In truth she couldn't believe it, but it had happened.
"There, over there!" someone called.
Candy looked around in alarm.
"It's alright, they have come to help us," Carrion told her. Candy smiled a small shy smile. For the first time since she had been in the Abarat she felt protected.
End
Yes, End, because if you look on this page you will see I already have two fics on the go, and it's too much even for someone like me (with no life) to start updating a third. This ideawas bugging me, so here it is, written... Hopefully now my mind will be my own at least for a few days now.
Now I know what you are all thinking, you are desperatly wanting to write me a review, Ok ok, if you really must... please please do!