After The War

The Calm Before the Storm

        "Let's play a game. A board game." Kissa says out of the blue, one day that we actually get to relax. Frankly the only reason that we get to relax, ya know, like the calm before the storm type deal. After everything that has been going on, it feels kind of nice. Kissa and I have been getting along more and more, almost like it's back to the good old days. Even Cody isn't as bad as I thought he was. He helped out Kissa and even Lexie in training. Though we still haven't gotten along very well. Not that we aren't trying, I just can't get over him beating the shit out of me. But from what I've seen, he seems to be treating Kissa very well, so I decided to let bygones be bygones. We all agree that a game would be nice. But we can never really decide a game until Lexie pulls out a game so ancient that everyone kinda sort forgot about it. 

        "We can relearn this game guys. The rules are in it, by the looks of it, so are all the pieces." We look at the box. Monopoly is what it's called. When we read the rules, we all gain a basic understanding of what the point of the game is. What you do, is roll a dice, and you move the token as many spaces as the dice add up. Around the first time, you can't purchase the spaces that you land on. But it's once the first player passes the "Go" space for the first time that the real fun begins. To make the game more fun and challenging, there are cards called chance cards. The only way that you can pick up one of these cards, is when you land on the chance space. The rules stated that you had to do what the card said. So in the spirit of good fun, we decided to gamble on the game. We had agreed to put our most valuable thing in the pile and the winner would get it. For Kissa, That meant putting up her favorite pocket knife, the one her grandfather gave her before he passed into the pot. We spent a moment, just silently starring at it. 

        Lexie puts in a small book, claiming that it's the one thing that helped her get through all her years of training and torture. Cody puts in a small bag, refusing to say what's in it. Even though we try for a good 10 minutes, we don't get to hear what's in it. All he does sa about it, is that it's a stone. None of us know which one, for all we know, it could be a rock that he picked up outside. Then it's my turn. I will admit that I don't have very many things that I hold near and dear to my heart, most of the things that I would consider that close to me, don't even belong to me, but a library. The one thing that I do have that's very precious to me, I pull out of my wallet. I look at the photo, and before I know what I'm doing, I put the last photo that I have of my dad into the pile.

        "Matt? Are you sure you want to use that as your bet?" Kissa asks me, She looks at me with nothing but worry in her eyes, she knows the story of my dad from the countless times that I told her. And let me point out that when I say countless, I mean 3 times. The first time was when she asked me what was wrong, the second time is when it finally sank in, and the last time, was a few weeks before Lexie came to the school. She knew that his picture, was my most prized possession. "You don't have use that, I'm sure that you have something else-" I cut her off

        "The bet was, our most valuable item. This, as small as it seems, is the most valuable thing that I own. A bet is a bet Kissa, you know that from all the times that you beat people up for breaking or going back on them." Cody looks confused for a minute, and in that minute, my mind goes through a wide range of scenearios and emotions. these things ranging from walking off and leaving, to lunging across the board to punch him in the face. I finally settle on trying to calm down, focusing on breathing in and out at an even pace. I found it hard to share my dad's history with Kissa, I found it even harder to share it with Lexie, I never intended to share it with anyone else. So I was both happy, and slightly angry when Kissa started to explain what happened to my dad. I tune her out, not wanting to hear what she has to say. But that doesn't stop her mental voice from entering my mind. 

        "When Matt was little, his dad had to go to the city to protect him. For some reason that none of us could understand, Matt was wanted by our new government-" I cut her connection to my thoughts, knowing exactly why they wanted me. A few days ago, I was wandering around like I usually do when I'm bored. During one of these trips, I had wandered down to the instructors offices. Curious as I was, I decided to have a peak. Inside, I had found these files, there were 4 files, each containing a picture of the 4 of us. A file for me, Kissa, Lexie, and Cody. But there was also a 5th file without a picture on it. I decided to look into my own file. I never got to opeining it farther then to see the first word on the line. But what I saw, chilled m e to the bone. The first word being "Father" Before I could dig any further, the doorknob started to turn. I quicly closed the folder and put it away.