Rose
It’s Judgment Day. All of Super Six is seated around a bright red table. Le Café will close early today. The customers think it’s for maintenance reasons but only Super Six knows the real reason. “It was nice knowing you guys.” Hunter mutters sadly. “Don’t be like that! We can still beat Rob and Scotch.” Mute says hopefully. Jenny shakes her head. I still think we can win. “Guys! We’re gonna be fine.” I insist. “Nick, Joe and Matt didn’t kill us before. It won’t be any different now.” I fold my arms. Mute nods. “Yeah. Only today Rob and Scotch are gonna come out of hiding and we can kill them.” He plans. “I doubt it.” John pipes in. “Well moping around and saying we’re gonna die won’t do anything.” Jenny agrees. “There’s nothing else we can do.” Krys says. Everyone stays quiet after that. We just sit and silence and wonder what our fate will be.
After a while, Le Café begins to feel just like school. The atmosphere is depressing. Everyone drags their feet and hang their heads. No one seems to have hope except me and Mute. I slip out the back door and look up at the tree where I kissed Joe. I put that thought away and debate climbing the tree again. The back door creaks open. I whirl around, frightened. It could be Joe. When I turn around I see Jake’s big gray eyes. “Oh hey.” My voice cracks. “Hi.” He says slowly. I sit down against the tree stump. He sits next to me. “How are you?” he asks casually. He knows about me and Joe’s little kiss but never mentioned it. “Good.” I say quietly. “Are you nervous?” Jake asks concerned. At first, I want to just say no but I realize I am a little nervous. My life could easily end today. “To be honest . . .” I begin carefully picking my words. “I guess I’m a teeny bit nervous.” I confess. Jake smiles. “You don’t have to be. I know you can beat those assholes.”
Jake’s face is pink and I feel heat rising in my cheeks. He lifts his hand a strokes my hair. Are we really being “just friends”? Do I really only want to be friends? But now is not the time to think about all this. And yet I can’t fight the increased pace of my heart and glowing cheeks. “You’ll be fine. I know it.” Jake says confidently. “Thanks.” I reply grinning. Jake stands up to leave. As he walks to the door, he looks at me wistfully. I can tell there’s more he wants to say. But he doesn’t say another word as he walks back into Le Café. I just sit there for a moment thinking. I rest my head on the tree’s bark and close my eyes. I think I like him. Maybe as more than a friend. But will that ruin everything for us? I think about this until I hear softy footsteps. I open my eyes and leap up. I see Joe and a portal closing up behind him.
I transform and back up against the tree. “C’mon Joe. Get out of here!” I shout. He steps forward and holds out his gun. His hands are shaking. For a moment, I remember all those months ago when I first saw him glowing like this. That terrified look in his eyes. He looked so small and timid. He could barely even hold his gun. He looks like that now. And now, he has tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry Rose.” He whispers and he pulls the trigger. I don’t move. I don’t blink. I just collapse in a heap of flesh and blood. I can barely breathe. I can’t see anything but thick, warm, red blood. My blood. I want to scream but my voice has left me. I just whimper and fight tears of my own. Joe looks down at me. Should I shut my eyes and play dead. If I do, will I ever open them again. Joe crouches down and presses his gun against my chest. He knows I’m still alive. Barely. “Sorry.” He whispers and he clicks the bullet into place. I was wrong. I’m not going to survive. A hear a door and then a voice. “STOP!”
Hunter. It’s Hunter. “What the hell did you do to her?” Hunter demands looking at me bewildered. Joe stands up and walks to Hunter. He shoots at him and misses. “Nice try dumbass!” Hunter shouts tackling Joe. He pins Joe down and looks at me. “Go!” he orders. Is he nuts? There’s no way I can move. I have to try though. I need to live. I need to kiss Jake one last time. I need to survive. I my claws into the earth and pull. I slowly pull myself forward. It hurts like hell and I think I’m going to puke. I keep going. My vision is blurry and the world spins around. The door opens again. I can’t see who it is. I just see a tall, dark silhouette. “Oh my God Rose!” a deep voice cries. It’s Jake! He came back. I feel the ground around me shift. He steps toward me. A force lifts me from the ground. I’m gonna be okay. I’m gonna be okay. He strokes my hair again. The sky is being sucked into a hot, red tornado. I’m being sucked into the tornado. I can’t see. I can’t hear. Everything is black and cold.
