Life, Death, and Chaos

Part V

Death could hear Life's shouts as she pushed her way through the halls, ignoring the glares she got from passing teachers. She just . . . had to get out of there. Had to be alone.

              She collapsed on the steps of the administrative building, pulling her legs closer and putting her head on her knees. She took off her glasses and lay them next to her.

              The whole world was falling apart. She'd found out her parents had been murdered. Her friend was being held hostage. Everyone wanted something from her, things that would either get everyone she cared about killed–really only two people, herself and Fire, or three if you counted Life–or they would get hundreds of thousands of strangers killed.

              Why was the world so awful?

              Why were the people in the world so awful?

              "Death." Life's beautiful, calm voice floated through Death's thoughts, pulling her back to reality. "It's going to be okay." Life sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

              "No, it won't," Death whispered. She wiped a tear out of her eyes.

              "Yes, it will. We're going to make it okay." Life twisted Death around to face her and tilted her chin up. "Fire's alive."

              Death blinked. "He is?"

              "Yeah. I, uh, well, I don't know what I did, exactly. But whatever it was worked. Fire flew across the room and landed in the doorway. Then he ran off somewhere. I don't know where."

              "Wow. . . Thanks."

              Life smiled, blinking a little. "Don't mention it. Now . . . What are you going to do?"

              Death wiped her glasses and returned them to her face. "I have no clue."

              "Well, let's think. The world would be pretty much destroyed for the next few years if Chaos gets what they want. And yet we have to stop them from taking away your memories, too. And we have to protect Fire."

              We have to protect you, too, Death thought. She also didn't miss the way Life was including herself in these plans. "So, how are we going to do all of this?"

              Life sighed. "That's the million-dollar question."

              Death wiped her glasses again before speaking. "We need to figure out how to stop Chaos. But how do you stop an elemental?"

              "Kill them?" Life suggested, then blinked and shuddered. "As a last resort."

              Death stared at the ground in front of her. The cracks in the concrete provided a nice metaphor for how she was feeling right then. "We need more information."

              "Information that's probably written down somewhere in Chaos's office," Life suggested. "Or information there's a clue to in Chaos's office."

              Death sighed. She was not looking forward to going back into that death trap.

              Life seemed to sense her apprehension. "I'll come with you. We should make it quick, though, before Chaos comes back."

              "Wait, they went somewhere?"

              "Yeah, I overheard a couple teachers talking about it. Apparently, they're going to inspect the classrooms in H."