Enigma: Part 3

Chapter 19

At some point during the night, around 11:00 while Corr and Flint were tirelessly setting up equipment, Jolie began to stir beside Evander. Synyc shot up, wide awake, and looked over at her with fear. He was afraid of why she was waking up. They both could feel the change in the air. It got darker...

Jolie.

Synyc and Evander's eyes met from across the small room in panic. Evander gently shook Jolie's shoulders. They had to see her eyes.

She didn't wake up. Instead, she continued violently thrashing and throwing kicks and punches about until she went stiff.

"Jolie, you in there?" Evander quietly asked her as he touched her cheek. She was very, very cold. He looked over at Synyc and nodded. "Warm them. We need to fix this now."

Synyc leapt up and raced to the makeshift medical room next door where, hopefully, Flint and Corr had the ancient procedure ready.

Jolie's eyes opened slowly, but they didn't flutter like you'd expect them to. They opened smoothly and robotically, like it was a deliberate action to terrify and creep out everyone around her.

"Jolie, do you know who I am?" Evander asked gently, his hand fumbling nervously for something to grab.

"That's not my name," she replied with a steely stare, her eyes frozen on her target.

"Synyc! Get the town on lockdown!" Evander shouted as he jumped up, scrambling for the doorway.

He didn't get far before Jolie had grabbed him by the throat with the Force, suspending him painfully in the air. She spun him around to face her as she approached him, walking closer and closer until they were just inches apart. She looked up into his eyes.

"Please don't do this," his voice crackled out. He was reaching up and grabbing at his throat, trying to free himself. His breathe was now running short and he knew it was only a matter of time before he suffocated in her wrath.

"I have to," she replied. "It's in my blood."

Bang.

Evander fell to the ground, coughing and struggling to regain his breath. Just a feet from him Jolie was lying on the ground. Her clothes were torn and burned in the place where she had been shot — right in the heart.

Evander forgot about his own injury right away as he crawled over to her. His whole world went black as he looked at her closed eyes. Her body had stiffened and was becoming cold.

"Jolie... no... please, no," he sobbed as he held her hand against his forehead.

"We need to let Corr work," Flint said. Evander chose not to hear it. He only wanted to be with her while he still could.

A little more forcefully; Synyc grabbed his shoulders. "Evander, step back."

"No!" He cried. Now Flint and Synyc had their hands on his shoulders and waist, dragging him away kicking and screaming as Corr drug Jolie the opposite way into the medical room.

"Don't you dare!" Evander screamed.

"Trust us, he's helping!" Synyc yelled back.

"He'll kill her! You'll all kill her!" Evander insisted through violent sobs and shudders. "She's good, I swear she isn't a monste-"

Before he knew what hit him, he collided with the floor. His eyes fluttered closed and he felt his body being forced to relax. He had been sedated.

       Evander woke up on his own mat, a blanket draped over his body, and saw Flint sat against the wall. His head had rolled back at some point and he had fallen asleep, but he was still facing Evander. He must've been watching out for him. It was around 2:00.

As soon as Evander got his bearings and realized he was just feet from where Jolie had been shot, his head fell into his hands. Tears began to resurface and overflow into his palms, seeping between his fingers and onto the floor.

Flint woke up, groaning from the uncomfortable position, and saw his friend falling apart before his eyes.

"Evander..?"

Evander looked up with red eyes and a broken soul. "Is she... is she dead?"

Flint shook his head. "No, but she's... very different. We can talk about it in the morning. You should rest."

Evander nodded somberly, feeling some peace in knowing that she wasn't dead. He saw Flint begin to stand and look towards the doorway, indicating that he was going to leave, maybe to check on Jolie or take a walk. Yeah

"Flint?"

Flint turned his head. "Yeah?"

"Can you stay?" Evander asked softly.
"I can't be alone right now." He sounded so small and defeated. It broke Flint's heart. Evander rarely showed this much vulnerability — and when he did it was only to Flint. It was always Flint.

Flint smiled sadly and nodded. "Of course."

Evander sat up, propped on his elbows, to watch Flint drag his mat over beside Evander's. Flint awkwardly laid down and Evander did the same. Just having the presence of his best friend made Evander feel calmer.

Flint saw Evander's eyes flicker over to him a few times and sensed he was still uneasy. He knew that over the years Evander had begun to rely on contact from people he was close to in order to feel calmer and safe. This wasn't a new occurrence for them, and often the shoe was on the other foot. However, usually that foot was running from bounty hunters and being chased by serial killers in the outer rim, not sharing a bed. This was a different kind of fear... not fear for your own life, but the life of someone you love.

Flint raised his arm up and looked over. "You can come closer if it would help."

Evander smiled and scooted over, letting Flint settle a comforting arm around his shoulders.

He counted Flint's quiet breaths and closed his eyes. After what seemed like ages he slipped into a drowsy trance and fell asleep, letting his head roll to the side and his cheek softly rest in the crook of Flint's neck.

Flint smiled at his friend, hoping and praying Jolie would be alright. He hated to see Evander like this.
So heartbroken and lost... all the whole knowing that Jolie wasn't the same. She didn't love him any longer.

Before he let his own eyes close for the night, Flint made sure he checked the doorway. He didn't see Jolie lurking, so he decided to close his eyes.

He knew he's be lying if he said he didn't have romantic feelings for his friend — but he did love him more than anyone else in the whole galaxy. To him that could mean romantic love or platonic love and he'd be happy. He knew Evander needed that knowledge now — that someone loves him, especially now that Jolie's romantic feelings had flipped... but Flint would tell Evander in the morning. Flint didn't know how to subtly indicate that feeling of love to him, so he figured he'd just say it.

"You'll be okay," he whispered. "Love you."

He understood Evander loved Jolie, but deep down he knew he was just as loved. It was moments like this that proved it. Evander trusted very few people to see him this way, and especially to help him through it. He only let Jolie and Flint see him and help him for real. To Flint, this was definite proof that Evander loved them equally, and to him, that was enough.

Flint never thought he'd cherish anyone's friendship this much, but he was happily proven wrong by the most unsuspecting man in the whole world.