"Michael?"
"M-Mason? Is that really you?" I ask
"Yes.It's me. Where's mom? And...dad?" He says hesitantly.
"Mom's in line getting us coffee and Well, Dad's probably 1.Looking for us or 2.At the hospital getting his broken nose checked out." I say bluntly and his eyes widened. I then spent the next minute or two telling him what had happened that night. My mother showed up and she dropped the damn coffee and one cup fell on my foot.
"Mason! It's really you!?! But...Y-you died. How? Did he- But he was- What the fuck!?!" My mother is having the same mental conflict that I was last night.
"Hey! I've never heard that language before so don't start now. Let's go back to your hotel and talk instead of the damn coffee shop." He says probably embarrassed. I am to. Everyone was staring at us. My mother nods and we walk back to the hotel.
"Yes I'm alive. I will die when I was supposed to. Mr.Time didn't tell me when I was going to die but he said I have like eighty years or so." He says shrugging his shoulder
"Did Korzini bring you back?"(Core-zee-nee) I ask Korzini is a wizard that was locked up thousands of years ago because he could bring the dead back. The souls of the dead would seek Korzini and have to do a test of pureness. If you pass you live again,if you don't your his soul. I'm so glad my brother passed. It's not 'illegal' or anything and Korzini isn't either but once he was locked up people didn't bother to let him go. Souls couldn't get past the force field he was locked away in, so he stopped serving souls. I guess he found out how to escape and once my brother found out he took the test. The whole 'Mr.Time' thing is new to me but Korzini isn't. I put my hand on my chest because I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack. I feel the necklace and exclaim
"Mason!Your necklace! Here!" I say and give it to him.
"Wow. Y-You kept it?" He says looking down and his voice breaks. Is he...crying? He can't cry. That means he's sad. My brother can't be sad. I hate it when he's sad. I get up and hug him. I whisper
"Yeah I did. I was so heartbroken when you... I remember what you said. Do you? 'There's only three things that keep family close:Their words,their belongings, and your heart.' Do you remember that Mason? I did what you told me to. Are you proud of me? Are you?" And I feel tears hit my shoulder. He's still sad.
"Mikey. There was never one moment when I wasn't proud of you. I-I'm so sorry I left you. I-I'm s-sorry Michael!" He wails. I've never seen him like this. Tears start running down my cheeks. I can't stop them.
"Mason. T-There's no reason for you to be crying. I don't want y-you to be sad. P-Please stop crying. Please don't be sad Mason. I hate it when people are sad because of me. Please don't be sad Mason. You can't be sad. Don't be sad please! Please you can't be sad! Not because of me!" He is sad because of me. I absolutely HATE that. I feel more tears hit my shoulder and then he moves away from my body. He turns around and faces the wall so I can't see his face.
"Mason,are you okay?" I ask and he turns around
"Why the SEALS?" He says.
"I have asked myself that since that day. If only you knew. It's been miserable without you. All of us have been miserable and feel like we've been through hell and back since you've been gone. We missed you. I missed you,Mason. I'm so sorry I made you-"
"You didn't make me sad. Michael,I was crying not really out of joy or sadness. I think I was angry. Maybe? Yeah. I was angry. Angry at the fact that you were by yourself. Angry at dad. Angry at the enemies,the terrorists. Angry James is gone. What about Manny? And John. Or Benny? They all abandoned you too didn't they? Didn't they!?!" He demanded. He was wrong and right. John did abandon me. Benny went to serve his time on the force again and never came back like he said he would. I would've been notified if he was dead. He's alive somewhere he just, left. Manny was killed on the force. My life was destroyed because of one goddamn mission. Seven enemies turned into hundreds over a god blessed tripwire. One mistake and 96 men were killed. 96 Men! My brother was one of them. My best friend was one of them. Men I knew and got along with,some I didn't was some of them. It's sickening. Innocent people trying to protect their country,family,friends,freedom,DIED because of a tripwire. Men die everyday for the same reason. And less and less people recognize this every year. While I'm thinking of this different prayers,faces,memories,and the Pledge of Allegiance goes through my head.
