Short Story Collection

MC:SM- Guilt

NOTE: This takes place during "Below the Bedrock", and this follows up my short story "Not What You Seem"

'Romeo, you don't have to keep going with this. You really don't. I know you just want friends. And I am your friend, Romeo. I want to help you. I can help you. Please understand, you don't have to keep going with all this.'

Her words echoed in his head, repeating like a tape recording. But even if he kept hearing it over and over again, the tone never changed. He could hear the concern in her tone.

She cared. She cared about his well-being, and she was worried about him if he continued this. No one ever seemed to have cared before, but she truly cared.

Stella cared about Romeo.

And her words were repeating themselves in his head. Her begging him to understand that he can end it now. He doesn't have to keep up this act on trying to steal Jesse's friends. He can stop pretending to be Jesse and come clean to Beacontown.

After all, it's only a matter of time before someone sees the truth.

Chances were that it would be Lukas the second he runs into Romeo, while the Admin is disguised as Jesse. The boy seemed to have a pretty special connection with the hero in residence, so he may quickly pick up the sense that it wasn't the girl he was close friends with.

Romeo, under his disguise as Jesse, stared out the window, looking at Beacontown. After he sent that ninja to go track down the... "imposter Jesse", Romeo had begun to change things in the town. When Lukas returns from the ice palace and sees what he has done, then that was bound to be it. The blonde most likely will pick up the sense quickly that it wasn't really Jesse who ordered for these new builds to be set up. And once Lukas meets up with "Jesse" back here at the temple, it was game over for Romeo.

'Soon Lukas will be back. And maybe Olivia and Axel will see through this disguise as well. I know they're not stupid. They all know Jesse better than me because they're her friends. Me? I only heard stories about Jesse...' Romeo thought.

He continued to stare out the window, showing no expression in his face. He thought that this would be fun, pretending to be Jesse and ordering Beacontown around, but it wasn't what he thought it was. People were questioning "Jesse", so it would only be a matter of time before they no longer bought his lie. The lie that "Jesse" defeated the Admin and gained his powers, but no one else made it out alive, which was why Jack, Radar, Petra, and Vos were gone.

But Lukas, Romeo didn't bring him to the Sunshine Institute, so he knew that as soon as Lukas returns to Beacontown, it would be game over, whether the townsfolk asked him what happened, or Lukas comes to the temple to talk to "Jesse".

"Romeo?" a voice spoke to him.

Romeo didn't turn around. He knew that now only one person would call him by his real name, since he shared his real name with her, as a sign of their friendship.

Stella.

He couldn't bring himself to turn around. He felt conflicted. He couldn't tell if he was angry with himself for being a fool with this plan, or sad that he had decided to do this in the first place. Either way, he didn't want to face Stella. He couldn't bring himself to let her see his eyes, because he wasn't sure how he was feeling.

"Romeo, please, stop all this now. If you keep going, it'll get worse. You might not get a chance of redemption... I know there's still good in you..." Stella said.

She sounded sad when she spoke. Romeo couldn't see it, because he was facing away from her, but Stella looked like she might cry.

She was upset that Romeo hadn't fully thought over her words. And she was worried now, that he wouldn't get a chance at redemption.