Aurore

10- Decisions

It was only a few minutes before everything calmed down. The doctor asked me questions, but I didn't know the answer to most of them. I'll never forget the sound of Andrew's heart monitor stagnating on a permanent beep. I sat numbly beside Andrew's bedside, staring at Andrew's glazed-over eyes.
The nurse had closed them, but I'd reopened them. I stood up next to him, tears streaming down my face. I unlatched the chain that was latched around Andrew's neck and held the pendant in my hand. He'd gotten the pendant before his parents died, and it was a remembrance of them. It was a small metal cross, and despite my beliefs in God, I put it around my neck. I also took the ring from his finger. It was his fathers class ring from high school. I slid it on my middle finger and placed my hand in Andrews chest.
"Ah, Andrew." I took a shaky breath. I laughed a little, remembering the first time we competed in a wrestling match. We had danced in circles for most of the match.
"Remember that time when we went on a recruiting mission? And it was that girl. She was a beauty. Oh... What was her name?" I snapped my fingers.
"Larissa." I laughed. "We fought over her like children squabbling over a toy!"
I waited for a reply, but remembered I would never hear his voice again. A lump formed in my throat and tears began to flow. I sat back in the chair and buried my face in my hands. I sobbed aloud, unable to stifle it any longer. I had lost one of the only friends I had ever known, to the Agensie. He hadn't even died of noble causes! It was from torture that the Agensie inflicted upon him.
"Jason?" I raised my head, trying to hide the tears. The doctor that had tried to save him stood in the doorway.
"Don't blame yourself, Jason."
I stood so I was eye-level with him. My hands shook as I balled them into fists.
"I don't blame myself. None of this was my fault. But I know whose fault it was, and they will pay for it."
He put his hand on my shoulder. "Just don't do anything stupid, son."
I pulled my shoulder away. "I'm not your son."
Although I wanted more time with Andrew, I knew it would break my heart even more. So, I brushed past the door and went to the elevator. I still felt numb, but I knew it wouldn't last long.
I remembered all the good times we'd had together. We hadn't started out friends. We were actually rivals when I first recruited him. I didn't like his attitude, but I didn't have anything to do about it. We'd fought for a while until we were sent on a mission together. It was nothing too dangerous, just something to give him an idea of what the missions were. I went along so he wasn't by himself. I was his "big brother," as the Agensie called it. General often had a more advanced agent buddy with the new agents. I had to save Andrew from a sticky situation on that mission, and we'd been friends ever since.
I pressed the button to my floor and waited in the elevator. When the doors opened, I quietly limped to my door and unlocked without a word. His death had sucked the life out of him, but it also sucked the life out of me. I lay down on my bed. Memories of Andrew swam through my mind, and I remembered everything the Agensie had wronged him for. Then I had an idea.
I sat up in my bed and grabbed my workout clothes. I put them on as quickly as I could and sprinted out the door. I finally got to the training facility. I did workouts for every aspect of my body, to prepare for the final Fight.
After a while, I heard someone walk onto the floor, but paid no attention.
"Jason?"
I stopped punching the bag for a moment and turned to Shasta.
"I heard... about Andrew." I nodded without feeling.
"Yea." I answered.
"Are you okay?" she asked sensitively. I nodded.
"I'll feel even better when I win the match tomorrow."
"You're still going to try and win? Haven't we had enough death?"
"Don't you get it Shasta? If I don't win, my opponent will kill me. Just because Andrew died doesn't mean that I want to die too. He was my best friend, and my brother. And I'll miss him for the rest of my life, because he was one of the best friends I've ever had. But I have too many things to live for to die with him."
I touched her cheek softly. She closed her eyes and said, "Jason. Please cry or something! I can't see you completely unfeeling of your best friend's death."
"I've already cried, Shasta. And I'll probably cry even more. But right now, there's nothing else we can do about it. I want to get revenge for his death."
She pulled away from my hands. "Do you have to?"
I nodded.
"It's the only way. I'm going to win the Final Fight. I'm going to leave the Agensie. And I'm taking you with me. Then," I paused and lowered my voice to a whisper. "I'm going to take it down."
I moved towards her again and put my hands on her face, my fingers cradling behind her neck.
"Please. Go with me."
She put her arms on my arms and moved towards me. "Of course I will. Please don't get yourself into too much trouble."
I nodded. I slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her towards me. I pushed her hair from her eyes and kissed her softly. This was only the third time we'd kissed, and I still felt a rush. When I broke away, I placed my forehead on her forehead.
"Promise you'll come with me?"
She nodded. "Of course I will."
I smiled and kissed her again, this time picking her up and spinning her around. She laughed for the first time in what seemed like months. We went to the commons and watched a movie. When Shasta fell asleep with my arm around her, I realized that that night was the last night I had before my entire life drastically changed.
I fell asleep that night during the movie. It was a restless sleep; I kept having dreams of Andrew's death.
I awoke the next morning exhausted, but found that I had slept sitting upright on the couch all night, With Shasta leaning against me. I glanced at my watch. It read 7:06. The final fight was at 8:00. I gently woke Shasta. I loved seeing her bright blue eyes peek out from her white eyelashes.
"What time is it?" She whispered.
I showed her my watch. I stood up and stretched.
"We had better get to our own rooms before people get the wrong idea."
"Huh?" She asked, not fully woken up yet.
"We slept here. On the couch. All night." I said.
"Oh!" She said and blushed. "I get it."
"I'll see you up top." I smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
I went to my room and changed my clothes, rinsing my face with water. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed. I had never planned on killing another person. The times I had killed were out of necessity for my own life, and here I was, thinking about how I would deliver my deathly blow.
I shook the thoughts from my brain and left the bathroom. I went to Ryan's room and knocked with purpose.
He opened the door, a toothbrush in his mouth.
"I don't know if I can kill someone. Like, meaning to." I said without even greeting him.
"Whether you do it or not, just make sure you choose the right thing to do."
I nodded. "Thanks."
He nodded and looked at me. I smiled faintly and walked away. I nervously made my way to the training floor, but before I made it there, I saw Sabrina.
"Hey!" I exclaimed. She smiled and walked to me.
"Hey. I haven't seen you in a while." She said as she got closer.
"Yea. Well, fight week. You know."
It was an unspoken rule that you didn't talk about others fights or hours unless they brought it up.
She giggled and nodded.
"Look. I know today isn't like a hugely special day or anything..." She stuttered.
I nodded for her to keep going.
"But...well..." She looked at me shyly, avoiding my eyes.
"What?" I smiled, mischievously confused.
"Well,"
I was shocked as her lips pushed against mine. I wasn't expecting this. Guilt washed over me as I returned the gesture. I shouldn't be liking this! I pulled away from her, but her hand pushed me towards her again. I felt ashamed although I hadn't initiated it. Her hands came up to rest on my cheeks, her fingers cradling behind my neck, pulling me closer. I placed a hand on her waist and pulled her closer to me. I released her as my hands brushed over her arms to rest on the back of her neck. My hands streamed through her hair and my fingers curled around her.
One thought invaded my mind, making me pull my lips away from hers. Shasta.
"Don't do it, Jason." She pleaded. "I can't think of what's going to happen with us, but I just don't want anything to happen to you without you knowing...that I care about you."
"I-I can't. I can't do this."
I tried to pull away, but Sabrina wouldn't let me. She grabbed my arm with both hands.
I looked back at her slowly. I couldn't believe that she did this to me! I had gotten what I'd always wanted. Shasta. I heard a door close as Sabrina pulled me back towards her. She tried to give me another kiss before I pushed her away.
"Stop!" I exclaimed.
"Jason?" I heard a soft voice interrupt. I pushed Sabrina away from me, instantly ashamed of my actions. I turned my head and saw who I dreaded most: Shasta.
"Shasta-" I began.
"Don't." She said quietly.
I walked to her and put my hands on her arms.
She pulled away from me.
"You." She looked up at me, tears gathering in her eyes. "Are just like your brother."
My brother had broken her heart. He'd cheated on her with her best friend-other than me.
My heart dropped. I clenched my teeth. "I'm nothing like Kyle."
"You're exactly like him!" She exclaimed. She laughed to herself.  "Maybe I'm the idiot. I fell for one of you. And he broke my heart. When we became friends, something told me you'd be different.  But I guess those genes just run in the family, right? Even if your family didn't want you."
My heart broke. She might as well have plunged a knife straight into my heart.
"Shasta." I pleaded. I grabbed her hand as she turned away.
"For all I care, you can die in the final fight today!" She exclaimed and stormed away.
"Shasta please! " I exclaimed.
I stepped after her, but she turned around and smacked me soundly on the cheek so hard that it stung.
"Don't you dare follow me when I walk away!" She said. With that, she turned and left the hallway.
A sob escaped my throat. I crumpled to the ground. I shook my head and stood to go after her, but I was interrupted by the intercom.
"Attention all agents. Report to the roof for speculation of the final fight."
I knew all agents who didn't obey the intercom were often reprimanded by spending time on Floor 0. I took a deep breath and tried to push her from my mind.
It didn't work. I turned around and stepped into the elevator to travel to the 20th floor- the highest floor before hitting the ground. As the doors opened and I walked up the stairs to the ground floor, I knew this wasn't a day I'd forget, regardless of the outcome.