Sacrifice: A Lukesse Story

Sacrifice Chapter 3

As soon as Jesse and Slab were out of Hadrian's sight, she escaped Slab's tight grip and ran all the way back. She ran to town then rounded a corner and saw her friends.
"Jesse!" Ivor pointed out to the others who had their backs turned.
Lukas turned around and saw Jesse, he gave no hesitation and started running towards her. They collided and he gave Jesse a warm embrace.

"Jesse! I-we were so worried about you!" Lukas exclaimed. Jesse said nothing as she was still catching her breath, and clinging onto the back of his jacket.
She started to shake, Lukas felt this and pulled back slightly to look at her. She was paler than normal, and looked like she had been crying.
"Jesse?" Lukas questioned. The others looked at her with worry, then Lukas gave a serious look.

"Jesse. What did he do?" Lukas asked. Jesse looked at Lukas' then at the snow at her feet.
"H-he...He-" she was having trouble getting it out.
"Come on, Jesse. We need to know." Lukas tries again and rubs her back a little. This made it even harder to say it, as she was going to have to lose the game to get them back home. But she took a deep breath and said it quickly.

"He has Axel and Olivia..." she finally said.
"WHAT?!" all three exclaimed in unison.
"Are they...okay?" Petra asked.
"Yeah, other than Hadrian having them trapped in obsidian prisons..." Jesse replied. Then came the hardest part for her. Telling them she wasn't going home, ever. She took another deep breath and looked Lukas strait in the eyes, which worried Lukas.

"Jesse..?" Jesse started looking very sad. Then she spoke.
"And...he offered me another deal - he said he'll send you all home...If I lost and went to the mines in your place..."
"You didn't take it... right?" Petra asked. Jesse looks to Hadrian's office and slowly nods her head.
"Yes I did, I took the deal..."
"Oh no..." Ivor said.
"N-No...Why would you do that?!" Petra yelled in confusion.
"Oh my...oh my oh my..." Harper repeated.
"I'd have never let you do this!" Petra yelled, pacing around Jesse and Lukas, and she was hugging him once more.
"Petra, c-come on. I'm sure Jesse feels horrible about having to do this..." Lukas said.

Jesse let go of Lukas and looked everyone in the eye.
"I did it to save you guys! That's what this has all been about for me!" Jesse exclaimed.
"B-but you'll be stuck here...probably f-forever..." Lukas said.
"And he'll have the redstone heart!" Harper added in.
"As long as you guys get to go home, I'd sacrifice myself for you guys any day, that day happens to be today..." Lukas looked down then back at her.
"But what about-" he cut himself off, hesitant to say the rest. Jesse embraces him and whispers in his ear.
"I'm so sorry..." then gives him an extended kiss on the cheek.

She lets go and looks towards the dorms.
"I'm going to go and try to sleep, if I don't start trying now I never will..." she looks back towards the others who have different expressions. Petra looks away from Jesse and up at Hadrian's office, probably thinking of breaking in and beating him senseless. Ivor is looking back at Jesse, with a sad look on his face. She'd comment on what he was wearing if this wasn't such a bad experience. Lastly she looked at Lukas, who was looking her straight in the eye. Tears were falling down and his hand was on his cheek. This caused Jesse to crack her calm demeanor as tears sprang into her eyes as she ran to the dorms.

"Jesse wait!" Lukas yelled as he stretched his arm out to grab her but he missed, he slowly lowers his hand then looks to the others, tears still falling from his face.
"We have to save her...we HAVE to." Lukas says to them wiping the tears on his face.

"Well good luck with that Blonde Guy." Em said as she walked over.
"With an attitude like that she's not going to last 10 seconds in the next match."
Lukas walked closer to Em and looked up at her, glaring.
"So you're saying you're going to take her out?" Lukas asked in an angry tone.
"Well, yeah, I want to win." Em answered bluntly. "We all do."
"But she's not your...enemy. She's....not your enemy, the Old Builders are. You guys should be fighting them!" Lukas said with realization.