Shark of Spades

The End of It All

I made my way by train to the the river we'd talked at a few years ago, somehow sensing that her presence would be there. What did she leave me? I  wondered, unable to even yield a guess. I looked down at the embankment and saw an arrow, drawn in the mud, pointing towards the town, so I  went back to the hotel she'd stayed at.

On the bed was another letter.

Grinning despite my sigh, I picked it up and laid down to read it.

Dear Jack -

Surprise. I have nothing for you. No expensive car, no house in a foreign country. I don't even have any money left to give to you (although I  assume you split the envelope in my briefcase).

I smiled at her dead-on intuition.

It's not that we're not friends. I'd like to think that we were. It's just that there's nothing that you want. At one point, you claimed that you felt something for me. Jack, we both know that you were just using me instead of trying to lead your own life. With my death, you should be free. So I have nothing for you except for one request. Don't take it as  my dying wish, because that's stupid. Just think about it this way: you need to live your life for you. So go out there and be yourself. If you're really evil, if you're really a con artist, if you're really a terrible person, that's fine. Just be you. Don't be fake anymore. Whatever you do now, it's on your shoulders. You don't have to play nice because you didn't want blame to fall on us. Go out and show people just how bad people like us can be.

Live the rest of your life having  fun in whatever you choose to do. I would say I'll be watching, but the view from down here isn't so great.

-Card

I shook my head, sighing and letting the paper fall over my face. Just like her to know that I'd been a coward all along. Well, she was right. It was my chance to start over, and I wasn't going to blow it by playing life like they wanted me to play it. I sat up, looking at the gun she'd given me. First, I would end Fitz. Then... I shrugged. She'd given me permission to wreak whatever hell I wanted.

If she wanted me to have fun, I would have fun. Time to live a little.

Not, of course, that I'd ever let some little kid influence me.

I shook my head, staring at the ceiling. "I'm going to miss you, kid," I said, grinning as I admitted our friendship.

For some reason, I didn't mind as much as I'd thought I would.