. Sorry for the delay, here's part three. Not like anyone is reading it. Come on, no reviews for EotD? Seriously? (Cries)
I don't own.
Somehow Spencer always knew that Tala would never grow up with the rest of them. He knew that Tala would die young, would die while he still could grow up, would never make it to adulthood. Tala would never grow up and he would never find love, or have children, or a family outside their team.
Spencer knew that Tala wouldn't be there when they defeated Boris at last and shut down the Abbey for good. That when they packed their bags and started new lives, he wouldn't be there with them. When they got the apartment from the BBA and had a home for the first time in many years.
He knew their captain wouldn't be there when Kai came back to their team for good. For Ian's first day in a real school since he came to the Abbey. When Bryan laughed genuinely for the first time in years. By that time, Tala would be long gone. And he was. Tala was dead, dead and awaiting burial.
"He was never here." Spencer whispered quietly.
Bryan looked at him curiously. "What is it, Spence?" He asked in concern, taking his position as replacement team captain seriously.
Spencer took a moment to answer, mulling over the next words before gently sending them out into the world. "Tala." He paused as Bryan's face softened.
"What about Tala?" The pale blader asked.
"He was never really
here with us." Spencer muttered. "Forget it, it's just a
feeling and a weird one." He sighed.
Bryan shook his head. "I
know what you mean."
Spencer was confused and the confusion showed plainly across his face. "You do? I don't quite know what I mean."
"Something about Tala was already dead." Bryan sighed sadly. Spencer could plainly hear Bryan's sorrow in the quiet tone of his voice. "When I first met Tala, he never used to talk much. He always looked at me and then looked away to stare at the ground. He had the eyes of the dead."
Spencer nodded. "Tala was all contradictions, wasn't he?" He murmured quietly, remembering their deceased friend. "He looked like he could survive anything that Boris and the Abbey threw at him and at the same time, he looked like he was being broken to pieces every moment of the day."
"He told us to live on and try to be happy in his journal but he chose to die because he couldn't do it." Bryan continued. "Yes, Tala wasn't like everyone else at all. He was never really here, he was already dead inside."
Spencer shivered a little at the depressing words. "And now he is dead, and awaiting burial." He laughed hollowly. "I barely believe it. It can't be real. I feel like I'll wake up and this will have all been a nightmare."
Bryan nodded. "It's been a long nightmare," He scoffed. "This nightmare's been going on about ten years." He shook his head. "Oh yeah, Ian called."
"Is Kai coming?" The blonde asked.
Bryan nodded again. "Yeah. Ian says he's in shock. Kai's teammates are coming too." He paused.
Spencer hissed angrily. "What right do they have?"
"The cat, Rei, apparently wanted to understand who Tala 'really was'. The others are coming because he made them and to make sure we give Kai back to them. Apparently, Ian shouted at them a bit for being rude about Tala." His face hardened.
"If any of them insults him at his own funeral, I'll rip them to shreds." Spencer promised furiously.
"I agree completely." Bryan said fiercely. "Tala deserves so much more then their scorn." He frowned. "It's still so hard to believe that he's really gone." His voice choked on the last word and fell silent.
"It's been a long time." Spencer muttered miserably. "So very, very long since all of this first began. We were just kids when we met, and we had no idea that we'd wind up standing by each other to the end."
"Nine years ago, a seven year old came to the Abbey, his parents had been murdered and he had seen it. The next year, two homeless boys who had run away from bad homes came and the group swelled to three. Then in the next year, a street kid who had been abandoned by his parents and we were four. Finally a younger boy whose parents never really took the trouble to feed him shows up and our group is complete." He sighed. "We haven't had it easy, have we, Spence?" Bryan asked, voice full of sorrow.
His friend grimaced. "Not at all." His scowl deepened. "And Tala got the worst bargain of all of us. Even from the beginning." Spencer sighed softly, the anger leeching out of his with the breath, leaving just his grief behind.
"The very worst." Bryan agreed.
"I still can't quite believe it." The taller boy murmured. "Tala can't be dead. He just can't be." His voice broke again. "Tala always seemed like he was too strong to break under the Abbey's torture. That's something the weak would do. The weak like me, not Tala." A tear rolled down his cheek.
"I know." Bryan muttered. "But it happened."
"Why?" Spencer asked softly. "Why?" His voice raised in volume. "Why to Tala? Why can't fate be cruel to someone else for a change?"
"Tala told us to live." Bryan said, his voice unnaturally harsh. "He told us to keep living when he couldn't."
Spencer nodded. "I know." His tone was weary with the weight of the world resting on it. "I know."
Spencer knew that Tala had the eyes of the dead. He knew that Tala was broken before he met any of them. He knew that Tala had chosen death when he was only a child and pain no one should have had to face was forced upon him.
Last one is Tala's funeral. What do you think?