Because We Had Us

Chapter 28. Presumed Dead

Barnett

     I never expected for my murderer to be my rescuer, but there he was. Xavier stood before me with tears in his eyes. How could he feel again? It wasn't longe ago when he stabbed me brutally telling me 'compassion kills,' so how could the same man be standing before me in tears? Then I realized Jocelyn could be the only answer. 

     Xavier tried so hard to pretend he didn't care, just like the rest of us, but deep down he had a huge heart. It was a heart covered in cobwebs of denial, but underneath it all he felt. For his sister, for the rest of the five, and though he tried to kill me I knew he felt for me too. No one no matter how hard they tried could truly break the bond of the ambassador brothers. 

     So there he stood before me, broken as all of his emotions rushed back in all at once, trying to decide wether to attempt once again to kill the boy who couldn't seem to die, or to save him. He pulled at his own hair, pacing the room and let out a booming scream before he gave into his side that wanted to do good. Xay threw me over his shoulder, might I add not delicately at all, causing me to loose blood at a faster rate than before. In desperation, he started to run to the medical room on the next wing over, when he felt my blood seeping through his once grey jumpsuit. If I could have spoke at the time I probably would have said some smart alec comment to him like, "You just missed me too much huh?" Now looking back it's probably a good thing I couldn't talk at the time because after the first comment Xay probably would have killed me once again.

     Nevertheless I am alive today because of the good old feelings of compassion and remorse. It is because of our humanity that I lived. It is quite ironic that for so long we believed our humanity was the thing that was killing the human race, when in reality it was our lack thereof. 

     Xay towered over me, frantically searching for the large would bandage wraps, but as he did so he applied an immense amount of pressure with his free hand to stop my last pints of blood from oozing out of me. I winced in pain. At least it was nice to know he at least paid attention during our emergency situations seminar back in training, since he spent our other classes daydreaming. He was always fantastic in training when it came to emotionally stunting himself, but when it came to informing himself he faltered. 

     Xavier, still crying, finally found the bandages and began to frantically and sloppily wrap them around my body, until I thought he was going to cut off my blood flow. Once I was stabilized I offered him a weak, "thank you." Without returning the formalities he turned and began to walk away. I should have know his tears he cried over my dying body was the only sorry I was going to get. 

     "Where are you going?" My voice was rough and quiet, but it was loud enough to where he could hear me. 

     He stopped in his track and without turning to face me replied, "Wherever life takes me." His voice was shaky, but his head was held high. Though Xavier was on the brink of an existential crisis, he remained strong, I admired him for his strength. I later came to learn that life took Xavier to the mountains of the South, or maybe Xavier took himself there, but either way I knew where he was when it came the right time to return the favor of saving my life, despite his attempts of taking it. 

     I lied helpless and feeble for many days, only finding the strength to fetch myself a glass of water every now and then. When my body healed enough for me to pretend I was ok I set out on a search for her's. At first I wasn't sure if they had taken her with them back down to earth, but my question was answered when I entered the exam room. There she lay half dead, with only her shallow breathing as any sign of life. She had sacrificed herself for the others, though they should have been here dead too. I've been perplexed for a while now wondering how they somehow survived, with no source of answers besides the speechless girl who laid before me motionless, but I had an inkling that she had somehow found a way to cheat the system. She had always been way beyond the others in her intellectual abilities.