Hillside Academy

°~° In another life °~°

"Ah, y'all are so emotional," I whined.

The next day we were informed that we would be going into an exchange in the army and we were all really excited. We packed our things and left.

As we arrived we were all wearing the same uniforms and we saw a lot for experienced soldiers standing there and training. We also did so after someone came and gave us instructions. We first warmed up and then did a lot of exercises. They were probably supposed to be hard on us because of our age but we got through them pretty well.

Then it was time to go on our actual first mission in the army. There, we were all ordered to kill but the targets were rather easy as they just need to test if we were capable of killing and capable of giving our lives for the army if we were necessary to do so. It was a hard test but we were all still pretty excited as we started out.

But things started heating up pretty quickly and we had to really concentrate. Sophia was actually the first one to take someone's life and we all hadn't expected that at all. An enemy tried attacking me from behind but Aaron took him out before I could even start to move. He looked angry and worried at the same time- 'I guess he really has changed since that day... I hope it didn't break him.' I thought and looked thin with a rather worried expression.

After the fight, we went back to the base and Aaron then asked me to follow him behind the base to talk about something. He began speaking as we had arrived there. "Well...today I relived the fear of losing you and the day because of what happened and that made me realize something..." He began and his net words shocked me a lot. "You are more than just a friend to me. Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked and looked at me, right into my eyes. "Can I.... think about it?" I asked as I was really unsure of what to do. I didn't think I was ready for a relationship yet but since my life was not really going to last much longer I didn't quite know how to decide quickly.

He agreed to let me think and went back to his tent shortly after. As I was scanning my surroundings I spotted a tree and went to sit in front of it. I looked up at the sky and started to think about what had just happened. On one hand, I was afraid of trusting someone and love in general. On the other hand, my life was really limited and it didn't look very good.

I already started to feel my superpowers slightly fading and I didn't' like it.

The next day while we were eating I was sitting beside him and then turned to whisper something into his ear. "Ok... I'll be your girlfriend." Was what I whispered and I saw his face light up. "You mean it?" He asked form confirmation in a quiet voice and kissed me after I had nodded to reassure him it was fine.

The others' jaws dropped and they looked at us in shock. But they seemed to be very happy about and then start speaking about it. "Who knew they were gonna end up together since day one?" Valentina asked and every one of my classmates (including Aaron) raised their hands. I facepalmed and said. "What did I expect" chuckling lightly and looking rather happy.

The next day we were to show the soldiers our ability and how our offence/defence looked in hand-to-hand combat. when the soldiers noticed how experienced I was they were really shocked and offered me a job in the army. "Ah, no thank you. I only have less than a year left to live and I'd like to spend it with my friends." I said in all honestly and the soldiers' eyes widened. "Oh my- I'm so sorry. I wish you well!"

Well, that was all that had happened in the change in the army.

It was the last week I had to live. I would die on Friday and we were already on Wednesday. We had enjoyed our past months so much and I really enjoyed everything we did so far. Today we were going to do karaoke in our dorms and even though nobody but Aaron knew about my singing I still wanted to take part. Surprisingly a lot of my classmates could sing very well. But now it was my turn. I went up the front and looked at all of them... As I perfectly hit the first note of the song they all gasped and looked surprised. I sang through the whole song and they vibed with me. We decided to all sleep together in the common room because it was my last days. We slept there together and it was really great.

Last day before my death. I took a deep breath before standing up and calling al lof them to gather on the couch. "So... since I've got no reason to hold any secrets I'll let you ask me any questions and I'll answer it. You can each ask one and I will give you my notebook for brainstorming." I said and they looked more as then excited but I could kind of understand why.

They kept going all night and we pulled an all-nighter...

In the morning we all looking at the clock and gasped. "Two hours." Valerie said and a tear rolled down her face. We went to the smoothie shop near school one last time and I enjoyed the chaos while it lasted. Luke and Jakon were once again play fighting on the floor and each of the girls was cheering now of them on. Aaron and I looked at them with intertwined fingers and chuckled. 'Why can't this moment never end?' I thought. But as if someone had heard and reacted to this statement...

"Ugh" I let out a groan of pain and fell to the floor. I put my hands on my stomach and looked up to them with widened eyes. We were in front of the smoothie shop and had not expected it to be this early. Another groan of pain. Blood started dripping out of my mouth and I started feeling weak. I heard Aaron's last screams and last I love yous before finally losing consciousness and finding peace.

Or... at least that how I hope it was for her... Hey. It's Aaron. I was the one telling you about Ashlyn's last day because it was the only page in her journal that she couldn't write it herself. Instead, I had to relive this painful day but I'm glad I told you.

I miss her so much but maybe in another life... we'll meet again. This is all written after her death and we miss her so much.

Everyone in our class graduated by now and we're all adults. This story was 5 years ago but it still follows us into every corner of our mind. it's painful but I hope it was worth it in the end. I hope you liked this story and learned a lesson from it.

If you have someone dear to you, enjoy every single moment with them like it is your last because maybe it is. And think exactly about what you say to others because maybe that'll be the last thing they hear from you...