~z~
PROLOGUE
"March 6th, 2019. The day it started. The day things changed. The day we changed. The day life as we knew it had changed. Every day before that day, life was good. He enjoyed life. He spent his life in joy. He not once spent it in vain. He enjoyed it. The only reason he pressed on was for those he cared about. He would be defeated if he lost them. Without them, he is nothing. He is nobody. Without them. Them.
In the end, it all added up to nothing. So many died, but for what? The lives they could have lived could have turned out better. Without a doubt. Instead, their lives became wasted. I understand that I'm not a saint, as my original aim was the basis of destruction. Their destruction. Yet, I am recuperating from that evil. My goal is now beautiful. My first venture was not a grand success, but I did manage to save a few people. Next time, I'll save more. And more. Until none of them die. None of them. Them.
When I look back, I realize I could have gone at this with a different approach. Although, I wouldn't have it start out any other way. With each death I saw, I realized how divine the human soul is.. though I wish I would have seen it a lot sooner. If it were not for him and the rest, I would not be here. I would be out still heeding the orders of the Motherland. But now, I am a different man. This pandemic has changed us. We are different now. The world is now a different place. I shall do my best to make the best of it. I will be the guide of the innocent souls to the doorway of safety. I shall lend a helping hand for those who need it. For them, not me. For them. And them alone. Them.
This all reminds me that destiny is a funny thing. They say in this country that you choose your own destiny. Back in the motherland, they say your destiny is decided the moment of your birth. If it were so, was I perhaps destined to save them? Or was I destined to destroy them instead? Either way, my destiny leads to saving them. Theoretically, I had been going against orders of the Motherland this entire time. I doubt the Motherland decided to have my destiny lead into betrayal of its own. Thus, I have faith. I have faith in the destiny of this country. The destiny that we decide. The destiny that only we decide, without any major factors barging in. I have allowed that to happen every single day of my life.
However, that came to an end. On March 6th, 2019, my destiny changed. Not just my destiny, but others out there in the entire world. On that day, I gained control of my destiny. And on that day, I was hesitant about going against the motherland's ideals of a preset destiny. But I did what I had to. I chose my destiny. My destiny is now clear. Nobody shall cloud my judgment, thus my destiny, for even a second. I've got my destiny, and now I shall play it out.
My destiny is to save them.
And so I shall. I've come this far, and I shall proceed with my destiny. I shall do my best to save the rest of them.
For them. Only them. Just them. Them."
THREE DAYS BEFORE PANDEMIC
"Good morning Michigan!" a voice clamored. "This is 99.7 GLM Radio, with your host, Charles Vandel, here today to wish you folks out there a great start to this morning." Lev slowly arose from his slumber. He looked around and wondered who was speaking. After looking to his side, he recalled he had set his radio alarm clock.
"March 3rd, 5:31am, folks! To those of you who thought of sleeping in, get up! Get ready for the day! The weather, a little rain here and about, but don't let that rain on your parade! And now, our first song of the morning. 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother', by the Hollies." As the music began to play, Lev started to climb out of bed. He checked the phone next to him on his computer desk. He noticed a text message, from Emily. "I'll be waiting at my house for you. Heart." he read aloud. He set the phone aside, and open the drawers next to his desk. He grabbed a clean pair of white socks, and a pair of gray boxers. He opened the next drawers and pulled out a pair of blue jeans. Then the top drawer, and grabbed a plain black T-shirt. He also grabbed his usual gray jacket. After exiting his room, Lev started down the hallway towards the bathroom. He opened the door, turned on the light, and then closed the door.
Lev started to undress himself out of his night clothes. Old shirt, pajama pants, boxers from the day before. He then started to redress himself in the fresh clothes he had gathered earlier. He looked at himself in the mirror. His brown hair was a mess. He took a brush in his hand, and began straightening it with it. After spotting a bit of dirt, he washed it off of his pale white skin. He looked back in the mirror to make sure he looked fine. He grabbed the deodorant off of the counter and applied it to himself.
He came out of the bathroom and noticed his books on his desk. He grabbed his textbooks and placed them into his backpack. He swung it around his back and lifted it by the right strap. He then walked out of his room, into the hall. Upon realizing he left his radio clock on, he spun around and returned to his room. 5:45am he read. "Still got time." He said to himself. He shut it off and turned around again and walked down the hall and then down the stairs. He decided to head into the kitchen for some breakfast.
At the kitchen table, Lev saw his father reading the morning paper, as he did every morning before work. "Morning." Lev greeted.
His father looked over to him and nodded. He then returned to reading the paper.
Lev shrugged to himself and turned around towards the cabinets. He opened the larder cabinet, and grabbed out the box of Cheerios. As he walked over to the fridge, he looked at the microwave's digital clock as he passed by. 5:47am. "Still got time." he said to himself. It was loud enough to make his father glance up from the paper at Lev. His father shook his head and continued to read the paper. Lev sighed and opened the fridge.
He turned to his father. "We got milk?"
His father glanced up again from the newspaper and nodded to Lev. He then cleared his throat, and coughed into his hand before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, we have milk." he said dryly and blinked a few times before directing his eyes back to his newspaper.
Lev shuffled around items in the fridge and finally found the gallon of milk. "Right. Thanks." he said to his father. He looked back to hope for a response. His father turned a page in the newspaper. To himself, Lev whispered, "Or not." Lev grabbed a white glass bowl from the cabinet above the counter. He opened the drawer and grabbed a spoon. He poured the cereal into his bowl, followed by milk, and inserted his spoon into his bowl. He picked up his breakfast, and sat across from his father. They sat in silence as Lev ate his breakfast and his father read the newspaper.
Lev closed the front door behind him. He looked at the clock on his phone. 5:58am it read. "I'm running out of time." he said to himself. Lev began to walk from his lawn to the sidewalk. He took a left and started down the sidewalk. He passed several houses before he noticed two girls. The two girls were sitting on the doorstep of one of the houses. As Lev came closer, the two girls took notice to him. As the proximity lessened between them, he began to cut through the lawn. The girl with long, straight brownish-red hair stood up first. Her almost auburn eyes matched the color of her hair. Finally, the other girl stood. She was a few inches taller than her auburn-haired companion. Her hair was light chocolate in color and hung down over her shoulders. Her eyes held unique bright-blue hue, almost as if they were crystals.
Lev finally made his way to the two girls and halted. "So," said the auburn eyed girl in a stern tone, "it's 6:04, Lev."
Lev glanced at her and frowned."Oh, yikes. Please, forgive me Emily. Please, have mercy on my soul!" he said in sarcastic and insincere tone. Emily looked to the crystal eyed friend.
"Krystal, what do you think?" she inquired. Lev, as usual, thought of the irony of her name. She did once tell him that her parents were unsure of what to name her when she was just born. The doctor stated that she has the clearest eyes out of all the babies he delivered. It was then clear to her mother what to name her. She named her Krystal.
"It's four minutes. Let him off with a warning." Krystal grinned.
Emily couldn't hold back her smile and finally said, "Alright Levii. I won't have to kill you."
Lev laughed and shook his head. He walked up to Emily and wrapped his arms around her. "What do I get then?" he asked quietly. She then proceeded to wrapping her arms around him.
"You know." She slowly leaned her head forward to him. He did the same, and they met in the middle with a kiss.
Krystal silently observed them. She rubbed the back of her neck with her hand as she watched them kiss. After a few seconds, she finally spoke. "Sooo... are you two just gonna make out all day?"
Emily turned red then and pulled away from him. She looked over at Krystal and smiled. "Sorry. Couldn't control myself."
Krystal just stared and noticed Lev still had his arms around Emily. "And you, Lev?" Emily glanced back at Lev, and they stared into each other's eyes.
Finally, Lev turned towards Krystal, but kept one arm around Emily's shoulder. "Sorry about that, Krystal." he said with a smile.
Krystal grinned at them. "It's fine, don't worry."
"Alright, we should get to the bus stop." Lev suggested and took his arm from around Emily. He readjusted his backpack straps.
"Alright, Levii." she said flirtatiously and took Lev's hand in her own hand. They walked down the street, hand in hand, to the bus stop. Krystal followed in utter silence. As they walked, Krystal constantly eyed their hands, interlocked together.
The group arrived at the bus stop. Five others were gathered there too, including their mutual friend James. He grinned as soon as he noticed the trio. "Mr. Kingston." he greeted eagerly. He then glimpsed over at Emily. "Mrs. Kingston." he nodded. Krystal lightly sighed and walked over to the bench that was about ten feet from where they stood. She sat down next to girl with wavy gold hair.
"Are you okay, Krystal?" the girl next to her questioned. Krystal looked at her and shook her head, indicating negativity. The girl frowned and asked; "What's wrong?"
"The usual." Krystal said, and let out another sigh. "I'm distressed as usual, Katie."
Katie blinked and asked; "About.. Lev?"
"Yeah.." she groaned.
"Krystal, you should know that this isn't healthy. You can't go on like this. He's always on your mind."
"That's just it. I've known him a long time. He was the first one to accept me here, and he's always been there for me. But when it came up in the end, I never told him how I felt. How I feel. And then I was too late." she said and turned away from Katie before looking off across the road.
"Fine." Katie shrugged, and rubbed her arm. Krystal noticed out of the corner of her eye and looked back over at Katie.
"But.. are you alright?" she asked concernedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Katie insisted.
"Come on, show me." Krystal demanded.
Katie shook her head, and then rolled up her shirt sleeve. There, under her shoulder on the upper part of her arm, was a bruise. Krystal gasped at the sight. Katie pulled her sleeve back down. Krystal shook her head. "Why do you let him do that to you?"
"It's fine. I made him mad last night anyway." she said, looking down.
"No, it's not. It's not fine, Katie. You can't allow him to do this to you!" she began to shout.
Almost everybody there looked over at the two girls. Katie noticed everyone staring and responded by putting her head down in her hands. Krystal just sighed and sadly stared at her friend. The two girls remained silent for the remainder of the duration they sat there together.
"It was simply another conflict within their circle of friends. The typical teen drama I've heard of during my ventures. And personally, I think that one should not care so easily. Now, the majority are dead. At least those kids were able to put aside their selfish lifestyles and set their priorities straight when the pandemic started. Well.. mostly, anyway. But after all, I guess that's really what matters now."
~z~
Emily stepped off of the bus, followed by Lev.
"Walk me home?" Emily requested.
Lev grinned. "Yeah." he answered and put his arm around her before they began walking off.
Krystal stepped off the bus next and noticed they were already walking off. "Hey, wait up!" she nearly shouted.
The couple turned around and looked at her. "What's up?" Lev asked coolly.
She caught up to them and took a breath. "You know. I've got my birthday party tomorrow." she reminded him.
"Right, I know." he said.
"You're coming, right Lev?" she asked with a glint of hope in her eyes.
"Yeah, we're coming." he answered, still grinning.
"I'm really happy you'll come, Lev." Krystal smiled "And Emily." she added.
"Naturally." Lev smiled back.
"Yeah.." she shrugged. "So.. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"It's a date." Emily laughed.
Krystal sighed to herself, but kept her grin intact. She had pointlessly wished Emily wouldn't be there, for her own hopeless sake.
Lev put his arm around Emily again and the two started walking to her house.
"So, what did you get her?" Emily asked him.
"Something she would never imagine." he claimed.
"What might that be?" she asked again.
"Well, it wasn't only me, really. I suggested it to her parents many times whenever she had me over at her house to help her with her homework and stuff."
"Stuff?"
"What? Just stuff. Consider it.. miscellaneous activities between two good friends."
"That's a weird way to put it." she rolled her eyes. "Whatever, what happened with the gift and suggestions?"
"Well, I would constantly suggest it to her parents whenever Krystal happened to not be in the same room."
"Stop hiding it, what is it Lev?" she demanded.
"It'll be a surprise. You'll see. I think we'll all be in for a surprise."
TWO DAYS BEFORE PANDEMIC
Br-br-br-bring! Br-br-br-bring! The sound of Krystal's alarm clock, marking 8:00am, echoed through her room. Her arm sprang from under the covers and pressed the power button. She drowsily arose from her slumber and rubbed her eyes. Out of curiosity, she checked her phone and was greeted with twelve messages. She opened the first one.
"Happy birthday, best friend! Heart." she read aloud. It was from Lev. Krystal's heart immediately warmed up and she felt fuzzy inside. She slowly turned red and smiled. She sat there on her bedside and thought about it over and over for a few minutes.
Finally, she set the phone down on her nightstand and gathered her day clothes. Unoriginal bra and underwear. Casual blue jeans. A white tank-top. And finally, her favorite white jacket, to match her apparel. She carried her morning clothes into the bathroom. After dressing herself, she noticed her usually straight hair was in bunches and curls. She plugged in the hair straightener and began running it through her brown hair. After that, she applied her make-up. She gazed into the mirror at herself. She saw what she wholeheartedly considered to be a beautiful, perfect teen girl with sparkling eyes. She felt that her bright white teeth smile only perfected her beauty more so. She put on her white jacket and stepped out of the bathroom. She went back to her room, to find that the time was 9:17am. "Whoops. Took me an hour to look perfect." she chimed.
Krystal traveled downstairs. The smell of eggs and toast overwhelmed her. Her father was at the stove cooking up some scrambled eggs. Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table drinking her morning coffee. Krystal walked into the kitchen and was immediately greeted by her mother. She sprung up from the table and rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Happy birthday, sweetheart." she greeted.
Krystal hugged her back. "Thanks Mom." On that note, her father walked over to them.
"Happy birthday, Krystal." he announced. Krystal then jumped from her mother and directly into her father's arms. "Thanks Dad."
Her mother walked back to the table and sat down. "So you are an adult today, dear." she said before sipping her coffee.
Krystal walked from her father's grasp and sat down across from her mother. Her father walked back to the stove to proceed cooking breakfast. "Yeah." she smiled. "I guess I am."
Her dad then spoke up. "So, we're having this birthday party, more so a gathering, at five til around nine. I go to work in an hour and get home at four. By then, start dinner, party time." he explained.
Krystal smiled. Today was her day. She was almost truly happy.
"Sounds good to me."
~z~
It was 5PM and she had already invited her friends over to her house. She washed her hands, redid her makeup, and even re-straightened her hair. She wanted to look perfect on a perfect day. Though, the only thing that would make it a perfect day to her would be Lev's affection for herself to claim. "A girl can dream." she uttered as she continued fixing and adjusting herself.
Then she heard the ringing of the doorbell. She immediately ran out of the bathroom, and down the stairs. By the time she made it downstairs, her dad had already answered the door. There, holding a wrapped gift, was her friend Lauren.
Krystal studied Lauren's appearance. Her hair had an orange color and straightened down long enough down to the top of her back. Her eyes were sparkling brown and her charming smile only made her freckles more noticeable. Krystal then observed Lauren's apparel. Lauren was also wearing blue jeans, but with a few ripped holes along the legs. The pants perfectly figured her 'curve', as Krystal called it. She wore a black tank-top shirt, which seemed to align around her chest.
"I'll be honest with you, Lauren." Krystal began with a serious tone. "You look better than I do." she finished and laughed.
Lauren then laughed as well and said, "Please, don't flatter me. You deserve it, especially today, beautiful." she smiled. "Oh, and happy birthday."
"Thanks, Lauren." Krystal smiled. "You can put that in there on the coffee table." she said and pointed out the living room. Lauren nodded and turned into the living room as Krystal followed her. She placed the present on the table, and sat down on the couch. Krystal sat down next to her.
"You're gonna love it." Lauren claimed.
"Mhmm, I better." Krystal responded.
"Spunky on your big day, ooh." Lauren hummed.
Krystal laughed. "Only with you, lovely."
Lauren scoffed. "Way to kill the vibe.
"You're one to talk."
"Apparently. But hey, question." Lauren suddenly announced.
"Okay, shoot." Krystal told her.
"Look, I'll just start off that I know how you will feel about this, but hear me out all the way."
Krystal nodded. "Now I'm utterly frightened to hear what comes next."
"Shut up. Look, I told Eddie he could come to the party."
"Oh. You did?" Krystal inquired.
"I know you don't like him-"
"He's constantly doing his best to basically follow you around. He's a creep."
"Come on, that's not fair, Krystal."
"Why'd you even invite him?"
"Honestly, he asked me about it." she claimed.
Krystal looked back at her friend. "Oh, yeah? And you decided not to even consider asking me, Lauren?"
"Look, I've known him my entire life. I understand he's not 'cool' or 'good looking', like us." she laughed. "But I love the kid, in a platonic way, I mean. The thing is, most girls wouldn't even think of talking to him because he's a 'nerd', so to speak. I really don't want to suddenly be a bitch and hate him just because he's different. But whenever I was troubled with whatever in the past, he'd be there for me, and not to exploit me in whatever fashion. I really respect that about him."
"Is that what this is about then?" she asked, glaring at Lauren. "Is this also about Mark?"
"Krystal.. okay. Now, that boy is a creep. Eddie, not really. I know, he has some 'feelings' for me because of my looks. But like I said, he doesn't try to use me for my body, like almost every other guy I've met."
Krystal sighed. "Right. No offense Lauren, but I feel like you're subconsciously bragging about how guys drool over the sight of you."
"Sorry. Is it okay I invited him?" she asked with slight sorrow in her brown sparkling eyes. "I didn't think you'd really be so upset with me over it."
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Krystal stood and eyed Lauren. "What's done is done." she replied before making her way to the front door. She opened it.
Lev Kingston stood there on the patio. He wore a nice gray dress-shirt, accompanied by black khakis. It looked as if he combed his brown hair well for the event. With a smile he announced, "Evening to you, birthday girl."
Krystal smiled and immediately hugged him, pulling him in tightly. "I'm so glad you're here.." she stated, still pulling him inwards.
He laughed and hugged her back as well. "You know I wouldn't miss my best friend's birthday. Not for anything. Happy birthday, Krystal." he said in a soothing voice.
"Thanks, Levii.." she said in her best cutesy voice.
Lauren overheard the conversation and walked over into the hallway. She put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat loud enough for them to hear. "Are you two lovebirds done hugging yet?"
Lev immediately drew back from Krystal, and he blushed slightly. However, Krystal was a bright red.
He smiled at Lauren. "Aren't you a kidder, Queen o' Flirts?" he teased.
Lauren laughed at him. "Shut up! So ruuuude." she taunted.
"Only when necessary." he replied.
Lauren rolled her eyes, and walked back into the living room. Lev and Krystal followed behind. Krystal noticed that Lev was not in possession of a present or anything of the like.
Lauren and Krystal sat on the couch again, and Lev sat in the nearby armchair. Lauren spoke up first: "Hey, chump. Where's Krystal's present?"
Krystal thought to herself that Lauren had read her mind. She looked over at Lev.
"Not here yet." he answered with a straight face.
"What do you mean it's not here yet?" she pressed him further.
"Hey, you heard me, Queenie." he jested.
"Huh. Okay little Levii, when will it be here?" she furthered.
"You'll see." he claimed.
And then, the doorbell rang again. Once again, Krystal arose from the couch and walked into the hallway and to the door, and opened it.
A boy stood on the doorstep. He was wearing a dark black jacket, which almost matched his scruffy hair in color. These also matched his black jeans and his black shirt with white skulls dashed across it. The only difference in his looks was his white skin that contrasted his clothes. That, and his dull brown eyes. In his hands, he held a gift wrapped in black wrapping paper, and a white ribbon to boot.
"Hey, Derek. Thanks for coming." Krystal smiled at him welcomingly.
Derek immediately put the gift box down on the small table in the hall and wrapped his arms around Krystal.
"Oh, hey!" she said out of surprise.
"Happy birthday, Krystal." he said, still holding her close.
As she slowly reached her arms around him, she said, "Yeah, well, thanks Derek."
Derek then started slowly rubbing her back, which naturally spooked her.
"Alright, relax." she ordered as she pulled away from him.
"Sorry." he said as he grabbed his gift box off of the nearby table. "You look incredible, if that's any sort of defense."
"Thanks. Come on." Krystal beckoned as she led him into the living room.
"Derek, man. What's up?" Lev asked coolly.
"You know, nothing much. Just at some girl's party. Nothing big." he said. He then tossed his gift onto the table next to Lauren's gift.
"Hey kid, watch it. Don't ruin my present." Lauren nagged.
"Jeez, I just got here and you're eager to start trouble with me, Lauren." Derek chuckled.
"Classic Lauren." Lev commented.
"Both of you, shut your mouths." she snorted in response.
"Hey, you started it, girlie." Derek shrugged as he leaned against the doorway.
"Now I'm ending it." Lauren replied.
"Hey, that's great news." Derek rolled his eyes. "Your maturity has finally reached new heights."
"Has it now?" Lauren inquired sarcastically.
"Yeah. It's probably a bit above half a foot this time around." he answered.
"Ooh." Lev hummed and chuckled.
"Fuck off, Derek." Lauren said through a grin.
At the moment, a knock was heard from the door again. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone." Krystal pleaded and laughed.
"No promises." Lauren added.
"Harsh." Lev noted.
Krystal walked to the door and opened up - it was Emily. Krystal's mood immediately sunk. Emily was wearing blues jeans accompanied by a pink shirt, with white sleeves.
"Happy birthday, Krystal!" Emily beamed.
"Thanks." Krystal said, trying to be as polite as she could be. "Everybody else is in the living room. Come on."
The two walked into the living room.
"Hello beautiful." Lev complimented after standing up from the armchair.
"Heeey!" she dragged out in a flirty voice. She walked over to him, and they immediately engaged in a hug and kiss. Everyone stared as Krystal glared at the sight she'd been familiar with seeing it for the past four years. After several seconds, they began making out.
Derek's attention was instantly grabbed. "Woooooo!" he cooed out loud. "Take it home!" he shouted.
"Seriously." said Lauren in a dull voice. "Get a room."
Emily immediately pulled back from Lev and looked around at her friends as she quickly turned scarlet in the face. "Sorry."
Lev, slightly red, grinned and said, "I'm not." All the teens, aside from Krystal, laughed in response. Lev sat down in the armchair, and Emily sat down partially on him and on the edge of the chair. She leaned over on him and rested her head on his. He wrapped his arm around her and rested it next to her right leg. Krystal glared as the sight of it took place.
Derek then broke the silence and walked to the center of the living room. "So, now that those kids over there finished groping each other," he began as he looked at Emily and Lev. Emily turned a slight red again and Lev smiled. "who else are we expecting to come to this party?"
"Shawn. Also Eddie." Krystal answered, as she leaned against the doorway, with her left hand on her hip.
"Wait, what? Eddie?" he questioned.
"Yep." Krystal replied.
"Well, why?" Derek asked.
"Why not?" Lauren immediately retorted.
"You already know what I think." Derek stated and crossed his arms.
"Yeah, we do." added Lauren. "You wanna tell us why now?" she asked in a sharp tone.
"Come on." said Lev. "You seem to have a problem with him, I'll agree. We're all friends with him, more or less. What's up with you?"
Krystal looked at Lev. She was impressed that he actually stood up for Eddie, especially when she herself hadn't earlier.
"He's a freak." Derek declared. He then looked back at the group. "A freak, understand? I mean, come on, he's not one of us. He.. he's just in our circle of friends because Lauren adores him."
"And what's wrong that?" Lauren immediately asked, glaring at him even deeper.
"Well, why do you people like him?" Derek questioned.
"I've known him for a long time. He's been a great friend from then to now. Why would I randomly hate him just because of what people like you mindlessly believe? How is that fair?" Lauren demanded reason to Derek's hatred for Eddie.
Krystal shifted nervously, thinking back to her own comments about Eddie. She glanced at Derek next, waiting for his response.
"That's cool." he said with a blank expression.
"God, you're such an ass." Lauren barked.
"I'm just giving it to you like it is, Lauren. It's a shame you consider me something bad because of it." Derek insisted.
"Come on, dude, give it a rest." Lev pleaded. "Can't we just try to actually not be at each other's throats over this? It isn't worth it."
"It is to me." Lauren replied.
"I didn't mean it like that, Lauren.." Lev began.
"I wish you had. I'm just impressed he didn't follow you like the loyal little doggy he is." Derek asserted and chuckled to himself.
At that moment, the doorbell rang throughout the house.
"Oh, speak of the devil and he will come, I'm bettin' you."
Krystal shook her head at him. "I mean it this time especially. Don't kill each other while I'm gone for the next couple of seconds." She walked into the hallway and opened the door.
"Hi Krystal." said the boy with short, dirty blonde hair. He was wearing black dress pants, a black and white striped dress-shirt, along with his signature silver lined glasses.
"Eddie. Hey." Krystal said, trying to smile as well as she could.
Eddie then held up a yellow present box topped off with a red bow. "I got you a present."
"Oh, thank you Eddie. The rest of us are in there to the right, go ahead in." she said, trying to sound as polite and sincere as she could through the guilt inside her being. Eddie walked ahead, and Krystal closed the door behind him. She and Eddie walked into the living room.
"So," announced Krystal, "Eddie is here, guys."
"Hey there." greeted Lev.
"Eddie." Lauren nodded with a grin.
Emily, still latched onto Lev, said quietly; "Hi."
Eddie laid his gift box down on the table. Everyone continued to stare at him, though Derek paid him no mind whatsoever.
"So, you dressed sharply for today, Eddie." Lauren said.
"Oh. Yeah, sure. Thanks." he said as he stepped around the table and sat next to Lauren.
The teens sat there in silence for several seconds, just glancing at each other.
"I'd like to take this moment, to break the silence." Lev said after a minute of silence. "It's 5:42pm. My gift will arrive at 6:00pm."
"You want to tell me what the gift is now?" Emily questioned with a flirtatious smirk.
"As convincing as you are, I can't. It's a surprise." Lev insisted.
"Hmph." she grunted as she looked the other way.
Lev laughed and claimed, "No offense folks, but I think my gift will outdo every other gift here."
"I would argue," Lauren began, "but you've pretty much convinced yourself into believing that your gift is so truly divine."
"Well, you'll see. Good things come to those who wait."
"Waiting sucks."
"I'm sorry you feel that way."
"Jerk." she said, and couldn't hold back a smile.
"So, is this the party?" said a mysterious voice. Everyone looked to the arch from the hallway. There stood a boy with medium length brown hair. He wore blue jeans, a black shirt, and his signature green jacket.
"Shawn!" Krystal shouted.
"Yep. I'm here."
"You know, perhaps you should knock next time!" she shouted at him.
"Sorry. That's not in my programming."
A few of the group chuckled. Krystal instead crossed her arms.
"Come on, lighten up, birthday girl." Shawn suggested.
"To be fair, you did walk into my house without even knocking. It's kind of creepy."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Krystal. I was invited here, I promise." Shawn insisted.
"I know that, I personally invited you, idiot." she laughed.
"So, therefore, you're not super pissed? Can I be right about that?" Shawn inquired.
"Hah." Krystal scoffed. "I guess so."
"Thanks." Shawn said. "Hey, happy birthday."
Krystal embraced Shawn in a hug. "Thanks."
Shawn hugged the girl back. "Welcome."
Krystal pulled away from him. "Alright, everyone is here."
"Not everyone." said Lev.
"Right, my parents went out to get the cake." Krystal told him.
"Oh, them too then." Lev added.
"Okay, who else is missing?" asked Krystal.
"I guess you'll find out when they get here." Lev said.
"Lev, what're you talking about?" Shawn asked.
"A present." said Lev.
Lauren then spoke up, "He's a psycho. Greatest present ever. So he says."
Shawn shrugged and looked over at Emily. "Do you know?"
Emily looked at Lev and then to Shawn. "He won't tell me. It's the first time he won't tell me something." she said as she pushed his head. Lev retaliated by lightly smacking her arm.
Shawn stood next to Krystal at the doorway. He looked around at his friends. "Wow, that's a sight. Hey, Lauren, where's your clothes?"
Lauren stared at him with a puzzled look. "I'm clearly wearing clothes, doofus."
Derek grinned. "I'd be willing to bet Eddie is sad about that."
Everyone else laughed in the room, aside from Eddie. "Derek, shut up."
"Turned a few heads. But, you know," Shawn started, "your parents would be highly disappointed in you if they saw what you were wearing."
Lauren laughed at him. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"Your clothes are highly revealing."
Derek then said, "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Lauren flipped him the bird. "Okay, what about you Shawn? You wear that jacket everyday. A hobo changes clothes more often than you."
"Oooooh." hummed a few of teens.
"Come on now. You know I look great. This is a fashion statement, after all." he claimed.
"You wish." Lauren said.
"Why would I wish for what already exists?"
"Cause it really doesn't."
"That's what you think."
"That's what I know."
"Oh my gosh, shut up, you kids." Derek loudly said.
"You two make a cute couple." Emily claimed, still latched onto Lev.
Eddie rolled his eyes. Lauren then said, "Yeah, right. I'll pass. He's pretty dumb."
"Well, that's rude, don't you think so?" Shawn contested.
"Don't care. Why would you think I'd care?" Lauren asked him.
"Lauren sort of has a point. It's an everyday habit of yours, the same jacket." Krystal added.
"It's probably really cruddy, right?" Lauren questioned.
"Maybe." Krystal shrugged.
Shawn looked to his right. "Why would you say that?"
"You just ruined this kid's whole career." Derek noted.
"Anyway, you're a feisty one today, aren't you, Lauren?" Shawn asked her in slight sarcasm.
"Ha ha ha. Yeah, you already know." she laughed. "Get a new jacket."
"No way. I love my jacket. And hey, what about Derek? He wears the same black jacket every day." Shawn said, trying to defend himself from their jokes.
"You best not be making fun of me, boy. I'd have to come over there and slap you." Derek threatened.
"He's not wrong, either. Yeah, it's kinda gross as well." Lauren remarked.
"Oh, sorry, Lauren. I wasn't aware you're an agent of the fashion police." said Derek.
"I should be. This district would be so much better."
"Yeah, you'd cite us every day we wore something different than your tastes."
"You'd think you would have learned by then."
"Hey," Lev interrupted, waving his left hand to gather the attention of the other teens. "I wear my coat almost every single day because it's cold outside. Let's bash me for it!" Everyone laughed, and Lauren just pouted.
"It would do you some good." she said.
"Kind of like a muzzle would for you." Derek taunted.
"Wow, holy hell." Shawn chuckled. "I guess her career is tarnished too now."
"You never stop." Lauren glared at Derek.
Then, out of seemingly nowhere, "We're home!" shouted the voice of Krystal's father.
Lev grinned. "Excuse me, babe." he said to Emily. She stood off of his lap, and he stood up from the chair. "You can have the chair." he said, patting her shoulder. She simply smiled at him, and sat down.
Krystal's father and mother walked in the living room. "Whoa," her dad exclaimed, "I don't recall having this many children. Dear?" One or two of the teens laughed at the joke.
"No, they're Krystal's friends." her mother claimed.
"Oh, Krystal, we got you something special while we were out picking up the cake. Turn around and close your eyes, alright?" her father mentioned.
"Hmph." She obeyed and did as instructed. Then, from the hall, came a man in camouflage shirt and pants. He wore black boots with black laces, tied tightly. His hair was brown and buzz-cut. A silver and gold dog-tag hung off of a silver lace around the man's neck. The man walked up behind Krystal. The remaining teens were whispering to themselves, aside from Lev.
Her father spoke again, saying, "Krystal, open up your eyes and turn around." She did so, and turned around. For a split-second, she wasn't sure of what was going on. The next second, she let out a loud scream.
And the next second, she had her arms wrapped tightly around the man.
"Oh my God!" she shouted. Tears began forming in her crystalline eyes.
Lev smiled during the entire event. "Ladies and gentlemen, Douglas Belvemont."
Krystal was crying into him. "Oh my God. What are you doing here..?" She said between inhales of tears.
"Well, Dad reminded me your birthday was coming up. And your friend Lev had a great idea for a surprise appearance of mine. So I managed to come back for two weeks to come see Mom and Dad, and you, little sister." Douglas explained.
"Oh my God, Doug." she said between sobs.
"Krystal, you're getting my uniform all wet." he said and his parents laughed. "You're supposed to happy, why are you crying?" he asked, although he practically knew.
"I missed you so much." she said, still clutching tightly onto him.
"I know, I know." he said as he rubbed her back with his hands. "Come on."
"I can't believe you're here. Oh my God..." she cried. While they were hugging, she looked over Douglas's shoulder. She looked directly at Lev, who was still smiling. She reminded herself, that he was the one to credit the idea of the surprise as his gift. From that moment, she internally declared that her love for Lev only doubled, or more so.
~z~
Lev and Krystal sat outside on the doorstep in front of the main door. They were the last two teens remaining. The two of them chatted for a while and spoke of the party as a whole. Eventually, Krystal brought up Lev's 'gift'.
"No problem. I really didn't do anything but give your folks the idea." Lev said as he stood. "But hey, I gotta get going soon."
Krystal stood up next and to him and stared into his eyes. She embraced him with a hug, which Lev returned warmly.
"Lev." she said silently.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you so much."
"It's fine."
"No, really. It means the world to me. Honest."
"I'm glad then."
"It's just... I haven't seen him for so long before today. And knowing that you aided in returning him to my family for a few weeks.. it's amazing that you did this for me." Krystal declared as she hugged him tighter. She rested her head on part of his shoulder.
"Okay. It's okay." They stood there hugging for at least a minute. "I'm happy that you're happy. That's what I was going for, Krystal."
"I know.. And so, I have to tell you something."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Well, I'm not sure how to say it. I've been hiding this from you for over four years."
"Wh-what? Four years? That.. sounds serious."
"Yeah. And I think I'm ready to tell you now. Especially now."
"What is it?" He tried letting go of her, but her grip was tightened.
"I..." she began turning bright red as she spoke. "Lev, I.. I... Lev. I... love you."
"Yeah, I know. I-"
"No, I mean, like... I love... love you. As more than a friend. As more than... than... than a best friend. More than... that." she stuttered as she glowed bright red.
"Krystal, wait." he insisted as he stepped back from her. "What.. are you saying right now?"
Krystal sighed and held onto his arms. "I want so badly to come clean with you, Lev. I've had a crush on you almost our entire time of knowing each other. And I began to love you shortly thereafter..."
Lev frowned and shook his head in denial. "No, come on.. Krystal, you don't mean that. You can't mean that. You can't."
"I do. I really do..." she looked up into his eyes. She tilted her head and kissed Lev on his right cheek. However, he immediately jumped back from her.
"No! What are you doing, Krystal?!" he shouted.
"What?!" she shouted back, scared and confused.
"Why did you kiss me?" he asked sternly.
"Lev. I... I... Lev..." she stuttered more as she looked at him with sadness.
"Krystal. I'll be brief with you about this. I like you. I really do. And I love you as a friend, and nothing more. I have a girlfriend, and I love her. A lot. Okay?" Lev began. "She means the world to me, and you gotta know that. And I don't even... I don't even know what else to say to you. What the hell is wrong with you?!" he shouted at her.
Tears began streaming down her face. "Lev, please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." she began repeating.
"I don't believe this." he turned away and began to walk off.
Krystal grabbed his arm. "Lev, I-"
He yanked his arm from her. "I can't believe you would do this. Of all people, you would have the nerve, huh?"
"Lev, listen to me. I'm sorry. I just-"
"No." he said. "I should go, now. Goodbye, Krystal." he said as he turned away.
Krystal watched him walk away, and dropped her head into her lap, and began sobbing to herself. As he walked, he heard the sobbing. Lev sighed and continued walking.
Almost immediately after, Douglas came outside. "You guys are loud, you know that?" he joked and noticed Krystal on the doorstep. His smile vanished, "Woah, Krystal, hey.." He sat next to Krystal. "Sis. What's wrong?"
After a few seconds of crying, she looked at her brother. Her crystal blue eyes were watery and her face was red. "My heart was just broken."
Douglas immediately drew her into a hug. "What happened? Whose ass am I kicking, Krystal?" he questioned sternly.
"I told him how I felt. And I impulsively kissed him on his cheek.." she cried.
"Who?"
"And then... and then... he flipped on me. I kissed him."
"Who?!" he almost shouted.
"Lev."
"He's gotta be crazy to do that. You're a kind and loving girl, sis." Douglas complimented. "I can't imagine why he'd react so harshly.
"He... he... he has a girlfriend."
He took his arms from around her and just stared looked at her. Her crying had slowed. She looked to him, with tears still streaming down her face. "Oh... uh, alright. Why did you kiss him then?" he questioned.
Somehow, she managed to hold back intense sobs. "I love him."
"How long has he been dating this girl?"
"Four years." she said, as her eyes still readily produced tears.
"Come on, Krystal.. you know better. Why would you do that?"
"I love him, I told you. I have been in love with him for the past six years, Douglas." she said as she began to crying more heavily.
"Why..?"
"Because.. he means so much to me, he's so important to me, he makes me feel so warm and happy. I know he's the one. He's special, Doug."
"Oh Krystal..." he said as he sat back down next to her. "You can't go on like that. You said it yourself that he's been dating this girl for years now. You have to confront him about tonight and apologize to him."
"He won't want to talk to me..."
"Give it a day or so. He'll need to cool down from this, sis. Then you can talk to him and take it from there."
"I don't know if I can face him after this." Krystal uttered.
"You have to try."
"I couldn't, Doug."
"If you're his friend, regardless of this, you'd at least apologize for kissing him because of how you felt. If he matters so much to you, you should know you owe him an apology." Krystal put her head back down. Douglas shrugged and stood up to go inside. "We're going to church tomorrow. You can ask God to forgive you, just like you and your friend Lauren would, and pray before bed too.
"Douglas-"
"No, Krystal, stop. You have to do this because you owe it to him. Just take time to ponder it over. You'll realize soon enough what you have to do. Okay?"
Krystal simply shrugged and didn't offer a response.
"Anyway.. I'm going to get some sleep, and I suggest you do the same. We have to be up early, as you should remember. Please come in soon, okay?"
"Yeah.." she whispered.
"I love you, kid. Goodnight." Douglas said and went back in the house.
Krystal put her head back down. She sat out on the doorstep for another thirty minutes before finally coming inside. Her eyes hardly dried, she was shaky, and her lungs hurt from so much crying. Her heart felt heavy, but empty. She slowly dragged her feet along inside of the house, and leaned against the door to close it. She crept slowly through the hall to the stairs. She climbed the stairs, using her hands too, and eventually made it to the top of the stairs. She walked into her room. Her digital alarm clock read 11:02pm. Krystal turned on her fan that night, so it could quell the sounds of her weeping. She didn't bother changing at all. She flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep at all, for the only thing on her mind was Lev. Half of her night was spent dreaming of being with Lev. The other half of the night was spent coming to realization that her fantasies were just crazy wishes.
Even though she believed Lev now probably hated her, she still loved him. He was her best friend for the past six years. She loved him as a friend, and much more. She still adored him. She still longed for him. She still desperately hoped for his affections. She still strove for his love. She still loved him.
"Her insanity blossomed. As we traveled, I could easily tell that her insanity grew larger. Not only did her feelings for him being rejected cause this, but the pandemic too. That caused many to go insane. But her, she was different. At times, she was like a normal person. And other times, she was a psycho, so to speak. Looking back on it now just makes me pity her."
ONE DAY BEFORE PANDEMIC
"Wake up." Douglas prompted as he shook his sister's body. "Krystal, get up." he furthered but she wouldn't react whatsoever. Finally, she turned over and saw him standing above her bedside. "It's seven. We're leaving for church at eight. You slept in your clothes all night. You should probably wash up and get ready." Douglas turned away and walked out of her room before closing the door behind him.
Krystal climbed out of bed. She had a mild headache and major heartache. She sat on the edge of the bed and recalled revealing her true feelings to Lev after six years. She felt her eyes - they were crusty and dry. Krystal grabbed a fresh pair of clothes for church, including a white dress with pink flowers marked on it. She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup had been running the night before from the constant crying. She turned on the sink, and put her hands under the water. She put her head down near the sink and splashed her face several times. Upon noticing the failure, she grabbed a dry washcloth from the counter and rinsed it in hot water. She lowered the washcloth under the hot water. She still had Lev on her mind. But she wanted to begin to travel down the trail of forgiveness. And to begin her metaphorical journey, she first wanted to apologize to God at the church.
Krystal turned off the sink and rubbed her face with the hot washcloth. After at least a minute, she looked back into the mirror. Her crystalline-eyed, clean reflection stared back at her. However, her hair was a true mess. She plugged in the hair straightener and began to run it through her hair until straightened. She then began to change her clothes. She put on her dress-skirt that seemed to match the flowers on both of her shoes. She put on her short white church dress-coat. Krystal looked into the mirror and for the first time, smiled. Even though it was a veneer smile, Krystal smiled anyway into the mirror. Her face was clean. Her eyes were the usual crystal blue as they always would be. "Dammit." she murmured. She immediately gathered up her brush and toothpaste. She opened its cap and sprayed a stream of paste onto her brush, and began brushing. After a few minutes, she turned on the sink water and filled up half of a small cup with cold water. She took a sip, shuffled the water around and her mouth, and spit. She then rinsed off her toothbrush and placed the cap back onto the tooth paste tube. She headed out of the bathroom and downstairs.
The smell of French-toast and cinnamon buns overwhelmed Krystal. Though, she could not find her appetite. She walked into the kitchen, and there at the table sat her family. "Good morning." she said with a smile, still of the fraudulent kind.
"Krystal, good morning." her father greeted.
"Morning." she repeated calmly.
"Good morning, honey." her mother said before taking a bite of her toast.
Douglas stood up from the table. "Hey, what can I get you, Krystal?"
"No thanks, I'm not hungry." she said.
"Krystal," her dad interrupted, "you have to eat breakfast."
"I'm sorry dad," she frowned, "but I don't want anything."
"Fine." her father said as he proceeded to eat.
"Yeah, if you say so." said Douglas as he sat back down at the table. He took a drank of his orange juice, and started eating his food. "I wouldn't suggest going about your day on an empty stomach, though."
"I'll be outside." Krystal replied, and turned around into the hall. She opened the front door, and closed it behind herself. She sat down at the doorstep. She looked around at her bright neighborhood. The houses were of all colors, most being white, yellow, or blue. The sun reflected off of the houses. The grass was a bright green. Few cars passed by in the morning. She managed to keep Lev off of her mind for a few minutes, but it wasn't long until the thought of him returned to her head.
A single tear came to her eye. Krystal thought about all that had occurred the night before. Lev was surely angry last night. He showed that his devotion to Emily was legitimate. Although, she felt somewhat proud of Lev for not returning the affections. If he did, that would prove him dishonest. And she would now realize that she would hate him for it. She couldn't forgive her own actions, but she could forgive his. She realized what he did was moral and what she did was inappropriate. That single tear started to stream its way down her cheek, but she wiped it away. She was now ready to apologize to God, as she and her best friend Lauren routinely did in church. Whether it was serious or not, they apologized for their 'sins'.
The door opened behind Krystal. She stood up and faced her parents as they walked out. Douglas followed behind them.
"Let's go." said her father.
Her parents walked over to the car. Douglas and Krystal followed behind them. Quietly, he asked her; "So, how are you doing? You know, with your conflict?"
Instead of the frown she had been wearing since the night before, she shone a legitimate smile. "I'm fine, thanks. I'm ready to ask for forgiveness."
"Good. That's great." said Douglas. "Now, what about asking for forgiveness from Lev?"
Krystal looked down as they walked. "Tomorrow." she assured him.
"Well, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be fine, sis."
She looked back to him. "I hope so."
"Well, I wish you luck then."
"I'll need it." she sighed.
They entered their family vehicle. Krystal's dad put the car key into the ignition and started the car. He backed the car out of the driveway and began to drive down the road.
"Radio?" Krystal asked. Without a word, her father switched it on.
Using the music to hide her words from her parents' ears, she claimed to Douglas, "I feel like I'm being a burden with my problem by talking to you about them. I mean, I don't mind telling you what's on my mind, but you've been through worse overseas." She looked to Douglas. "Right?"
"Yeah, it was tough out there," he started, "but I thought about what was waiting for me back at home and what I was fighting for. I've been fighting for you and our parents.. our friends.. everyone."
"So that means my problems are a burden..?"
"No, I'm sorry. Of course not. You couldn't be a burden to me. While I was overseas, I've missed you, mom, and dad far too much. I couldn't ever think of you or them as burdens."
"Thanks Doug."
"No problem, sis. Anyway, I only hope that you ensure you'll be ready to apologize to him."
"I am. I told you that."
"I mean Lev." he said, looking over to her.
She looked at her brother. "I'll be sure of it. I still 'love' him, but hopefully I'll realize that him and I just might not be meant for each other. He's found his true love and I don't want to cloud his judgment. What kind of friend would that make me?" she shrugged. Finally, she smiled and said, "But I will tell him tomorrow that I'm sorry for what happened. The only thing I can really do then is hope he'll forgive me."
~z~
Lev walked to the front door of a house in his neighborhood and knocked on the door. Meanwhile, he went into his pocket and pulled out his phone - the time as 8:02am. He needed to tell her about everything that had occurred the night before. Lev stood there waiting until the door of the house finally opened.
"Hey, Em." Lev greeted.
Emily rubbed her eyes. "You'd think I would get to sleep in on the weekend.." she frowned.
"That can wait. I need to tell you something." Lev said.
Emily turned around and drooped slowly back into her house. Lev walked inside and followed her. She started walking toward the stairs, but Lev took notice and grabbed her arm.
"Trust me. It's important."
"But Lev..."
"Talk now, sleep after."
Emily pouted. "Fine. You're lucky I love you, or I'd give you no chance."
"Right, right. In here." he instructed as he pulled her into her living room. He led her onto the couch, and sat her down. He sat next to her and put his arm around her. "Now."
"Now what?" Emily asked with a tired smile.
"Not sleep." Lev said and laughed.
Emily rolled her eyes. "I was expecting that. What do you need to tell me?"
Lev thought about how to say it. It played it over and over again in his head. He couldn't think of an effective way to describe that late night to Emily, without her getting ideas.
But finally, he decided to just wing it.
"Alright. Late last night, when it was just me left at Krystal's house-"
"Oh, here it goes." she interrupted.
"Em, shut up."
She smacked him. "Way to be nice to your girlfriend."
"So we were outside talking, and she thanked me for thinking up having her brother coming home for two weeks." he explained.
"Right." Emily said before yawning.
"And then Krystal told me she loves me."
"What?" Emily asked in slight hostility.
"Yeah. She said it was more than a friend or best-friend kind of love. She meant she actually loves me."
"Like, loves you the way I love you kind of love you?"
"I.. I guess so."
Emily rested her head down in her hands. "What the hell?"
"And then she kissed me..." he said, trailing off in volume with each word.
"Kissed you?!" Emily shouted. "What?!"
"On the cheek." he added.
"Why would she do that? She knows you've been dating me for the past few years!" she continued to shout.
"And that's what I said to her."
"What a bitch." Emily furthered.
"What do you want me to do?" Lev asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I was assuming you'd want me to stop being friends with Krystal. I know I'll still be peeved with her for a few days, but I mean when this blows over." Lev explained.
"Don't make me decide. After all, you two have been friends for so long.."
"I know. But I'll do anything for you Emily, and you should know that."
Emily sat there and thought about it for at least a minute. "Lev, I can't force you to stop being friends with Krystal. I don't want that."
"You don't..?" Lev asked, confused, as he was expecting the exact opposite outcome.
"No, Lev. That's not fair. I know her actions weren't right.. and mine wouldn't be either." she said.
"For a tired girl, you're pretty good. Thanks, hon." he said and wrapped his arms around her.
"You're welcome, Levii." Emily said before they kissed. "Are you tired?"
"Yeah, sort of."
Emily grabbed Lev's hand and pulled him from the couch. "Well, I'm really tired. Nap time." She led him upstairs in her bedroom and closed the door behind them. Emily immediately plopped into the bed.
Lev closed all the shades, darkening the bedroom. Lev slipped off his shoes, and climbed into bed and under the covers. He wrapped his arm around Emily.
"Em." he said.
"Mmmm.. yeah?" she mumbled.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Levii..." she said and yawned again.
Lev laid there. Krystal came on his mind again. He felt astonished that Emily wouldn't forbid him from speaking to her again. He assumed that Emily knew how much he cared about Krystal as a friend. She took it well and didn't seem to have any suspicions. Lev readjusted himself closer to Emily and tightened his grip around her. He rose up slightly and kissed her head. He rested his head back onto the pillow, where he slowly descended into a slumber.
~z~
"Ah," started Douglas, "I haven't been to church for two years. To think it's been this long. It'll be great to be back now."
"I'm sure our community will be glad to have you back for this time, son." said the father.
"Thanks, dad. I'm glad to be back with you all."
The family walked around the church and to the front door. Douglas opened the door, and held it open for his family. Standing in the front room was a woman with curly black hair.
"Good morning, Belvemont family." the woman greeted. She handed each family member a pamphlet before spotting Douglas. "Douglas! You're home!" she exclaimed and hugged him.
"Yeah, ha ha. Hello, Mrs. Sanders. Good to see you." he said as he returned the hug.
The family walked into the main room. It contained ten rows of seats before the choir booth, the organ, and the two stands where those stand to praise the word of God. Standing between them was the altar. Light shone in through a multitude of colors through the stained glass windows. Above, were ornate chandeliers that lit up the rest of the room.
As they walked down the middle aisle, several people were whispering to each other. Douglas took notice, and in the middle of the aisle, a plump man walked out in front of him. The man's hair was black, but there were spots of gray. The man wore black dress pants and a light dress coat with a white casual shirt underneath. He held his hand out to Douglas. He looked at the man, and looked around, to find that the rest of the crowd was looking over. Douglas took his hand, and they had a casual handshake. The two grinned and the majority of the people in the church laughed.
"Douglas." said the stout gentleman. "Welcome home."
"Thank you, sir." Douglas chimed.
Krystal walked aside her brother. "Good morning, Mr. Kadorski."
"You must be glad to have your brother home with you again, yes?" the man grinned.
"Of course. But.." she trailed off.
"I'm leaving in two weeks." Douglas said with slight disappointment in his voice.
"Ah. Well, I'll ensure you're spoken of today, Douglas." the gentleman nodded.
"Oh, that wouldn't be necessary at all, sir." Douglas said.
"Dad, come on, what are you doing?" asked a familiar female voice.
Krystal recognized the girl immediately. "Good morning, Lauren!" she exclaimed.
Lauren nodded to her. "Good morning, Krystal."
Krystal studied her clothing, as usual. Her hair was much straighter and a brighter orange than it was the day before. Lauren was wearing a purple dress with a cotton white coat over it. A bright diamond necklace hung around her neck.
"As usual, you look beautiful." Krystal smiled.
"Thank you." said Lauren. "Now, come on. The sermon is about to begin, so we should be seated. Right?" she eyed her father.
"Right, hon. I have to speak to the pastor first. Go ahead everyone." Mr. Kadorski prompted.
Krystal's family found a spot near Mr. Kadorski. Krystal and Lauren sat a few rows behind them, away from anyone else. They sat down next to each other. Every Sunday, the two would confess to God the 'mistakes' they made the previous week.
"Whatcha gotta apologize for this time?" asked Lauren.
"Well," Krystal took a deep breath, "I'm apologizing to God about something personal."
Lauren took notice to the sudden decline in Krystal's mood. "Krystal, what happened?"
"I messed up."
"What are you talking about?"
"It happened last night."
"But your party was last night. Was it because of Eddie being there..?"
Krystal shook her head. "No, I didn't mind him being there."
Lauren smiled slightly to herself, then looked to her and asked, "Well, what's wrong, Krystal?"
"Well.." she started, "I'm not sure how to say it, Lauren."
"What is it?" Lauren persisted. Krystal started shaking slightly and her face began to redden.
"I... I... well, I..." Krystal began as a tear formed in one of her eyes.
Lauren immediately noticed and draped an arm around Krystal. "You can tell me, you know that." she insisted as she lightly rubbed on Krystal's arm.
Krystal put her head down low enough to suppress the sounds of her slight sobs. "I kissed Lev." she managed.
"What?!" Lauren whispered as she took her arm back from around Krystal. "What do you mean you kissed Lev?"
Krystal rose her head up, and wiped a few tears from her face. "I kissed him, Lauren." she whispered. "I was just so happy he managed to convince my parents of bringing Doug home. I suppose then, my feelings for him only strengthened from that point."
"Strengthened? So you've had a crush on him beforehand?" Lauren tried to whisper, but couldn't contain herself in the whisper.
"Six years." said Krystal, full of guilt.
"Six?!" Lauren half shouted. Few of the church-goers looked over to the girls.
Krystal smacked Lauren's arm. "Please, shut up." she demanded.
"Sorry," she said quietly once again, "but I didn't see that coming. Not at all. I was always joking about you two being lovebirds, cause he..."
"Cause Lev has a girlfriend." Krystal finished.
"Well... yeah."
"I know. It just.. overcame me. I've been in love with him for that long. Meanwhile, I've been sitting and watching him and Emily for four years.." she said as she sank in sadness. "It's just so complicated."
"I can see that. But.. I don't see why you would kiss Lev."
"Look, Lauren, I told you already." she said as her voice steadily rose. "I love him, but I already know that him and I won't ever be together. So I'm going to apologize to God first. And then tomorrow, to Lev. Alright?"
"Alright, fine." said Lauren.
"Right, now that we're done bashing me," she glared at Lauren, "I'll assume you're going to apologize for the usual stuff."
"Yeah, you're right." Lauren shrugged. "For all of the hearts I've broken and will break.."
Krystal laughed. "Sounds about right."
"You know how to piss a girl off." she laughed.
"I guess we have that in common." Krystal prompted.
Suddenly, the talking in the room died down. The cause was the pastor walking into the room, and up to the stand on the left of the crowd.
"Good morning." the pastor greeted.
"Good morning." the crowd returned.
"Open up your hymn books and turn to page 307 as provided. Please stand."
The majority of the crowd already said their books in hand and were standing. Krystal and Lauren scrambled for their hymn books and stood while turning to the correct page. "Guess we should have read over the pamphlet." Lauren muttered.
The crowd began to sing the hymn.
The two girls stood up, and with hymn books in hand, sang along.
"Oh, the stories I've heard from those kids, and especially those girls. For some reason, they would mourn more about missing church than their own families. It was something about church, I suppose. I won't try to understand it. I personally find it to be incredibly pathetic. If their God, had it even existed at all, truly loved his loyal servants, one would assume that he would protect them, for they are the children of God. They say God damns a liar, but a liar thought up this mythical person called God. May they be damned instead. Regardless of the despising of religion on my part, it ended the same for a priest as it did for the lowest example of scum that city streets would provide. They ate the scum without pity or remorse. They ate the priest without pity or remorse. There's no rhyme of reason to who the victims will be. No targets, no preferences.. nothing. They don't care whether you're pure scum or pure saint. They will kill you."
~z~
Suddenly, there was light again. The darkness had faded away. The brightness returned. Color was starting to return to the room through his eyes.
He arose from the bed and looked around. Emily was nowhere in sight. Lev crawled out of her bed and sat on the edge. He looked to his left at Emily's alarm clock. It read 9:52am. "Only slept for like an hour." Lev muttered. He wondered where Emily had gone. He stood from the bed and staggered towards the door. Upon opening it, he smelled what he assumed was the scent of bacon. As he traversed down the hallway, the smell became stronger. There was no doubt in Lev's mind - somebody was cooking breakfast. He walked down the stairs and peered into the kitchen. There, he spotted Emily standing in front of the stove. Lev quietly meandered his into the kitchen. He slowly crept towards Emily until he was behind her. As she backed up from the stove, he stepped forward and put his arms around her.
Emily screamed, "What are you doing?!"
Lev kissed her neck. "Being romantic."
Emily giggled. "Oh, oh. You're not doing this now. I'm making you breakfast."
"Me?" he asked.
"Mhmm. Just for you, baby." she said as she looked up to her right at him.
"You're the greatest, you know." Lev said quietly to her.
"Just for you." she grinned.
Lev turned Emily towards him. They stared into each other and kissed. Afterward, he walked to the table and sat down. Emily returned to the stove.
"When did you start cooking this?" he asked her.
"Around twenty minutes ago. Woke up a bit before that and I decided I wanted to do something special for you."
Lev grinned. "Why am I so lucky?"
"I want to show you how much I love you, Levii."
Lev laughed and flirtatiously said, "You know how you can do that.. in half or double the time."
"Nuh-uh, not yet, greedy boy."
"So you're going to make me wait?" he asked.
"Oh, look at how desperate you are." Emily teased.
Lev rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "I guess you could say that. It's been a week, and I've been craving." he admitted.
"I'm sure you can handle a bit more time."
"Honestly, I'm not sure how I kept control of myself yesterday at the party."
Emily looked at him. "Oh my God, you're gross!" she shouted half jokingly.
"Only when you're on my mind." he added with a smile.
Emily rolled her eyes and proceeded watching the bacon. "Well, you'll get yours after breakfast."
Lev grinned and said, "Sounds good to me, love."
Emily smiled to herself. "Alright, I'm gonna give this another minute." She turned around to Lev. "You want something to drink?"
"Sure. Orange juice, if you got any."
Emily walked to the fridge and opened it up. She pulled out a carton of orange juice and poured him a glass. She put the carton back into the fridge before placing the glass in front of Lev.
"Thanks, love." he said.
"Welcome." she responded.
After a bit of time, she placed the bacon onto a plate and brought it to the table.
"Thanks, Em." he said. He took a sip of the orange juice and took a bite out of a strip of bacon. "Maybe I should've considered a different beverage." he muttered.
"Yeah, I didn't want to ruin the moment though." Emily giggled.
Halfway through the meal, Lev broke the silence, "You've been watching me throughout the meal. What's up?"
"Just glad that you're enjoying yourself." she answered, still smiling at him.
"Thanks." he said and swallowed some of the bacon. He took a sip of the orange juice again and looked back at Emily. "You have pretty eyes." he said, impossible to hold back a grin.
Emily laughed. "Thanks, I guess." she said and shrugged. "What about the rest of me?"
"You're perfect." he answered almost immediately.
Emily began to blush. "Aww, you're sweet. But nobody is perfect."
Lev sat there and thought about his response. Finally, he said; "You're damn close, hon."
Emily laughed and blushed more. "You're too sweet, Levii."
"You're too beautiful, Em." he smiled. "You're all red, you know." he informed her.
"I knooow," she dragged out, "I can feel it. You're just flattering me and it's cute."
He took a sip of his orange juice. "I'm full."
"No, you're just trying to cut to the chase." she said, still retaining a perky smile.
Lev stood up from the table and walked to her side of the table and grabbed her. He gently pulled her up from the table and into a kiss. They made out for at most one minute before pulling away.
"Well?" Lev asked.
"Alright, Levii. I'll show you how much I love you.. in terms you'd actually understand." Emily prompted before she led him upstairs and into her bedroom.
"Yeah?" he grinned as he pushed her door closed.
"Mhmm." she hummed as she sat on her bedside.
"Sounds good to me."
~z~
"I was sitting on post with my partner. We discussed our boring and secluded lives. We could not talk to anyone outside of our clan or outside of our mission. Commander said he would personally kill us if we disobeyed his orders. There was one man in our system that told the American government some of our more.. sensitive information. His codename was Servoz. Our mission was to capture him and bring him back - alive. Commander even went as far as threatening my partner and me. He told us he would kill us if we failed. And we believed him. He gave no mercy. Not to anyone.
We went to the hotel that the CIA was hiding Servoz in. After surpassing few obstacles, such as incompetent guards, we found his room. We had some sort of chemical that would knock out a fully grown elephant, so it sure as hell did the job for the man. After that, we spent the next three hours sneaking him outside to our vehicle.
Eventually, we returned to the base. We had a few guys help us restrain Servoz and take him to the Commander. The Commander wished to interrogate Servoz so he could learn exactly what information was leaked to the government. My partner and I stood on opposite sides of the room. In the middle of the room was a metal table with two chairs. Commander sat in one and Servoz sat in the other, just across from Commander. He questioned him much, taking AT LEAST two whole hours. Finally, the final question arrived. He asked Servoz, 'Do you regret revealing our secrets to the Americans?' Naturally, Servoz said yes and claimed he wouldn't dream of doing such a thing again. The Commander stood from his chair and said, 'Then die with your regrets.' as he pulled a pistol from his holster. My partner and I quickly restrained him. As Commander took aim, Servoz pleaded with all his heart that the Commander spare him.
Commander shot Servoz directly in the head.
Servoz died instantly, of course. As blood leaked from him and drowned the floor in red, Commander congratulated on aiding him silence the 'rat'. Our mission was a success.
But that's just the past. Now, everything is different.
I decide my own missions.
For them."
~z~