Project X

The Next Step: The Final Week

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE FINAL WEEK

The last week in the bunker was a busy one. Partly because we needed to prepare, and partly because we needed to occupy our minds with anything other than the situation at hand.

Phil was on his way, and he wanted to kill us.

We still had so many questions. Like, where would we possibly go? Where could possibly be safe? Were we supposed to be ready to fight? Were we ready to fight? And where is the beginning? I could only assume it was that building where I'd first met Phil, but what if that was wrong? What if it was somewhere else? And, if it was, where could that somewhere else be?

It felt like every time we figured something out, every time we found an answer, we would just uncover more and more questions. No matter how much we knew, we still somehow knew nothing. It was like, no matter what we did, we would never gain the upper hand over him.

All I wanted... All I needed was to know that everything we were doing wasn't futile. That everything we'd lost and sacrificed wasn't for nothing. That all of this wasn't just some vainglorious exercise destined to end in failure.

But, that's all I could see. Failure. Loss. Pain. Fury. It was starting to feel like there was no way to win. My hope was waning, and I was scared. Scared that there was no way to retrieve it.

But, at the same time, I couldn't let my friends down. I couldn't let my siblings down. I couldn't let my mother down. I couldn't let Syd down. I couldn't let the world down. Everything that was at stake, it was all worth fighting for. It was all worth giving everything, even in the face of failure. My fear was matched only by my determination.

Maybe that's what some refer to as courage. Or what others refer to as stupidity. But I could only refer to it as integrity. As the task I was meant to complete.

"Jace... Are you okay?"

I snapped back to reality, suddenly realizing I had been sitting on the floor, gripping a shirt tightly in my hands. Syd's hand was on my shoulder. I looked up at him.

"Sorry... Yeah, I'm... I'm fine. I think." I told him, honestly not very sure if it was true or not, "I just... I guess I have a lot on my mind. With everything... Everything that's going on."

"Trust me, I get it." He said as he plopped down next to me. "Everything's been so crazy... I mean, first I discover I have these crazy powers, I run away from everything I've ever known, and spend every day fighting for my life... And, then, before I knew what hit me, I come face to face with the most beautiful boy I've ever seen, and he offers to whisk me away on this... This adventure. He offers me safety, family, friendship... And, of course, I take it. I fall in love with him, he falls in love with me, but all the while we're still fighting for our lives... But, now, it's better. Because I'm with him. And then, I discover I'm not just some monster, I'm a God, and I realize how much more important this all is than I ever thought. I finally meet my dad, he tries to kill me, and then warns me instead, and then he dies. I... So much has happened."

He looked into my eyes, "Sometimes... Sometimes I feel like my life didn't really begin until I met you. It's like I was on standby, or- or painted into the background. And then I met you and it's like, suddenly, I've come to life." He sighed, placing a comforting hand on my arm,

"What I'm trying to say is... Well, yeah, things are crazy. Yeah, they're hard. But none of us were better off before we met you. You made all of us better, wiser, stronger, happier... You brought all of us to life. You try to hide it, but I know you blame yourself for the way things are. We don't care, even if it is your fault, which none of us think it is. We chose you. And we keep choosing you every day. All of us, we... We love you so much. We don't know who we'd be without you. I don't know who I'd be without you." He sighed again,