Broken Promises

chapter 23

“Arrghh!” Tyler sweeps his muscled arms across his dresser knocking over all of the assorted objects onto the floor.

                “URGHH!” He grabs the corner of the dresser and shoves it across the room. He sits in the corner of his dimly lit room and begins fisting parts of his hair feverishly. Warm, salty tears make a trail down the sides of his cheeks. He wipes them angrily with the sleeve of his dark blue sweater. Why is this happening to him? He stares at the television with rage bubbling inside him. Tyler sees the guy Jason lying on the ground next to the girl named Calla. The television flicks back to show one of the only girls that makes his heart beat faster just by looking at him. Athena. Her soft grey eyes are attentive as she listens to one of the Careers talk about Jason. How could she just lose feelings for him in a day and run to that guy right after? He loved Athena, more than anything else in the world. He racks his brain for any sign that they were drifting apart. He remembers the day of the reaping when he had knocked on Athena’s front door being greeted by her pleasantly quiet mother and rushing up her steps. He knew she’d be asleep as he creaked her door open slightly peering inside. His breath hitched in his throat as he saw his angel sleeping peacefully wrapped in her light pink covers. He walked towards her slowly and saw some of her chocolate brown hair had fallen into her eyes. He tucked it gently behind her small ear and bent down so he could hear Athena’s soft breaths. He caressed her lips softly and her grey eyes came into focus as she fluttered her eyelashes. He’d never get tired of that. The memories flood back to him and he can’t think of one thing that happened between them that resulted in her losing feelings for him. Then it hits him. Athena had started kissing Jason back when she got a note from her mentor. Whatever the note said changed her completely. Then he hears the television once more and it’s like his heart stops beating and all he hears are the words being mumbled out of Athena’s mouth.

                “Kill me instead.”

                Where is he? All of Jason’s limbs feel weighed down and numb. He feels the pointed strands of grass tickle his cheek and smells the familiar scent of dirt under his nose. He uses all of the energy he can muster to push himself into the sitting position. His heavy eyelids flutter open and the scene around materializes. The vast forest in front of him and the young girl lying next to him come into focus. She has long black hair and a pale plump face. Calla. He can hear her lightly stir in her sleep. Jason scampers on the ground and rises from his previous seat. He looks around for the bag that he dropped before when Athena was here and finds it a few feet away. He runs to it and quickly slips out his sword. Gray never said he couldn’t kill Calla in their agreement, right? He strides over to her body and sees her shivering from the morning breeze. Other men might find her attractive, but not Jason. He finds one and one girl only attractive. Athena. Just thinking of her sends his insides exploding like fireworks in the dark sky. Then he remembers she’s not with him. His Athena was taken away. A growl escapes his lips and he reverts his eyes back to the helpless girl.

                “I’m sorry Calla.” He drives his sword through her chest puncturing her slow, beating heart. She’s dead before she has time to feel the pain. He cleans his sword on her pants and grabs the backpack. A cannon sounds in the distance. Now to find his little damsel in distress.