The Ace of Swords

Chapter 11

As I open my eyes I am momentarily blinded. My eyes take a second to adjust but when they do I smile. Callie sleeps beside me holding my hand. Decker is sleeping on the other side and I can barely see Will over him but he is there. Will is talking in his sleep and by the sounds of it he is having quite the argument. Every book I have ever read says that people always look more peaceful in their sleep. It's not true. Callie's hair looks like a family of rats have moved in. I think she may also be drooling. Decker is actually scowling in his sleep. Will is just Will though. He is just as funny sleeping as he is awake.

A moan from across the room draws my attention. My smile slips off my face as I see Cade laying there. I rush across the room. I fall to my knees beside his bed. The blanket beneath me makes a squish sound as I land. They are soaked through with blood. I move Cade's hair out of his face. His natural hair color must be black because I can see it poking through the brown. Cade has hair that most girls would kill for. It's thick and slightly curled at the end. It has grown a lot over the past few weeks. They only cut our hair once a month so it is inevitable that our hair gets long.

I am startled when Cade opens his eyes. They aren't glazed over like they were before. They are still very weak and tired. He smiles at me and pushes my hair back behind my ear.

"Hi Ace," he winces as he speaks.

"Hey Cade. How are you feeling?" I ask him softly.

"I'm a little sore but can't complain. I need to tell you something," he whispers.

"It can wait till morning. You don't need to move around too much. I do not want you to break anymore stitches. Leo will be mad if he has to come fix them again," I'm still whispering trying to keep the others from waking up.

"You remind me of her so much it hurts. When you came here I could suddenly see light again. My sister was my everything and when we came here she became so much more. She became my hope and my reason for living. When they took her away I lost that. I lost my light. I had nothing," a tear escape his eye and he has to take a deep breath," that first day you came here I knew that I had a reason to live and something to die for".

"Cade, what are you talking about? You are not dying and that's final," I say but I can feel tears leaking through my eyes.

"Hush and let me finish my story," I choke out a laugh as he says this," Fang doesn't like all the special attention you got. Not only from Bas, but from all the Reds. Even the bosses were excited when you came. They liked the fire they saw in you. It's the same fire they saw in Fang and they were glad to have another protege. Fang was planning on killing you during initiation. I made a deal with her. I let her kill me in front of everyone and you get to live. It took her a day to decide but she came around. Killing a Blue like me puts her in good graces with the Reds. I think she secretly likes you, she just doesn't like all the attention you get".

I can't speak. I can't eve breath right. Cade looks like this because of me. He is dying right now because he though my life was more important than his.

"Leo will come back and fix this. You will live and prove to all of them that you are stronger," I wipe my tears away. I consider Cade my brother and that means something. He is part of my little family I have gathered while here. I don't want to part with a single one of them.

"Leo can't fix me. I'm bleeding internally. He knows it and I know it. He can't fix that kind of stuff. I would bleed to death before he could do anything. I just want to say good bye. I may have only known you for a month but you are my sister. I love you," Cade closes his eyes and I know he won't open them again. He isn't dead yet but he has lost too much blood.

"I love you too Cade," I kiss his cheek and am shocked by how cold he is. I lay there beside him and cry as I feel him take his final breath.

I lay there and sob for what could have been hours. There are no clocks here so I have no way of telling how long I was with Cade. All I know is that Callie wakes up and crawls over to me. It must be morning. She has a really accurate internal clock and can usually tell you about what time it is. She takes one look at Cade and already knows why I'm crying. She holds me as I cry and. I don't talk and she never pressures me too.