Another YouTube Fairytale: Matt's Life In Hope Square; Book 1

Chapter 15 - Banished

They got to the square to see Mark and Jack already waiting there. Jack could barley look up. 

"Virgil told you?" He asked. Matt nodded, not looking up. Mark sighed and placed his hand on Matt's shoulder. "We don't have to do this Matt. Just say you won't go over again. Stay and be a Hope." 

Matt looked back up, but by the look in this eyes, Mark knew the answer. "If that's what you wish." He said. "I'm so sorry it had to be this way." 

"I understand. I'm just not a Hope." Matt said. 

Mark's eyes went wide, but then closed. "Of course. Not a Hope at all." He turned around. "Jack, please take him to the dungeon entrance." 

Jack finally looked up again, and now they could all see that his eyes were red from crying, his skin raw from rubbing his eyes so much. Mark looked so upset, too. 

Jack reached out and took Matt's hand. Matt went along willingly, quietly, as Jack, the man who help raised him, lead him to his death. Looking behind him, he saw Mark and Virgil at the gates, with Mark mouthing "I'm sorry." 

Virgil's eyes suddenly went wide. He rushed over to the orphanage again. That's when both of them remembered; the flower. Virgil hadn't given him the flower yet. But Jack was walking along without him, and Virgil wasn't even at the orphanage yet. 

Nevertheless, Matt walked along bravely, head held high. By the point Virgil got back to his room and pulled out the box with the flower, Matt was already gone. He couldn't see him from even the top floor of the building. Virgil dropped the box. His hands clenched into fists. Then he punched the wall. 

Down at the prison entrance, Matt stared down into the hole. "46 seconds." Matt said quietly. 

"You counted." Jack said. 

"Yeah." Matt said. "How exactly does this work?" He said. 

"You're certainly brave." Jack said. "You'll need it down there." Matt was still looking down. Jack took the hint. "Let's just get it over with then?" Matt nodded. 

Jack opened a small chest and picked up a rope. "Arms up." He said. Matt raised his arms, letting Jack wrap it around his waist. He secured it tightly, before Matt put his arms down. Jack hugged him. "I'm sorry I have to do this." He said. "I really don't want to. No one does." 

Matt was silent, but he did understand. He nodded, then calmly walked over to the hole. Jack silently hooked the other end of the rope to a pulley.  "Are you ready?" 

"Yeah. I'm ready." Matt said. 

"Okay. Then what we need to do is-" The rope started moving quickly. Matt had already jumped down. Jack grabbed the rope, burning his hands, but stopping the rope, as Matt hung there, suspended in the air, deep into the hole.