Okay so now that you've been biting your nails in anticipation and they probably look like gross little nubs, I give you… CHAPTER EIGHT!(: By the way, I know it's supposed to follow the book, but I really like Six's description in the movie versus the book.
"John!" she screams. That's the last thing I hear before I feel a knife being stuck into my back.
I look down and see the tip of the metal dagger poking out of my chest. I don't feel any pain, only emptiness; pure emptiness. I hear Sam yelling and Sarah's cries. I drop to my knees moaning and fall on my chest. The ground is cold on my face and it feels nice, but it's soon gone as the soldier rolls me over. He yanks the dagger out of me and throws it to the side. He's smiling wickedly at me and raises his sword.
"I want you to be looking at me when I kill you, Four. I've waited a long time for this," his deep cold voice purrs.
"Not as long as I have you son of a bitch." The voice is a girl's and it's laced with an Australian accent. A panicked look crosses the soldier's face before he's nothing but dust. A girl is standing above me dressed in all black. Curly blonde hair pulled into a tight bun, hazel eyes, and an overall bad-ass looking chick. She runs over and cuts the others loose before kneeling next to me.
"Hey, Four. Sorry it took so long to get here," she says and gives me a small smile. I look up at her in disbelief.
"Who…?" I start to ask, but before I can finish the question Sarah's hovering above me and I lose my thought. "Sarah…" I sigh and try to smile at her. She smiles back, but tears start to fall down her cheeks.
"Hey John," she says and strokes my face. I start coughing and blood comes up. I groan and shut my eyes. It feels like my organs are about to come flying out of my mouth and any moment.
"Who are you?" Sam asks.
"I am Number Six."
My eyes fly open and I try to sit up, but Six's hand keeps me down. "How… did you find me?"
"I've been tracking you ever since Three was killed, but now's not the time. Right now we need to patch you up before those damn soldiers and beasts get here. But holy shit… I dunno what I can do…" Six looks at me and closes her eyes trying to think.
I reach around for Sarah's hand and interlock my fingers with hers. "Sarah… listen to me," I say and open my eyes. I look deeply into hers and see her shaking her head ever so slightly.
"No, John, no… stay with me, please. I need you, John. I can't live without you," Sarah says and rambles on. I shush her and reach my hand towards her face. She kisses it softly and cries into my hand. "John, I can't lose you too." I remember Ryan Porter and how painful it was for her to remember him again. I try to take a deep breath, but all I can take in are short rasps of air. I feel like I'm on the Moon and there's no oxygen.
"Sarah, just know, that you… are the only girl in the universe… that I have ever loved. And you always will be. I… I love you, Sarah," I whisper.
"I love you too, John," she says as tears stream down her face. "Please don't leave me, John. I can't do this again. Please stay with me..." I can hear and feel Sarah shuddering. Then there's a movement and a soft voice. But that's the last thing I hear…
…until the real pain begins.
It feels like my bones are being broken and ripped out of my body one by one. There's a fire inside of me and I can't touch it. I scream in agony and writhe about on the floor. My forehead is laced with sweat and my breathing is as fast as ever. My heart is beating so fast that I feel like I'm going to explode. After what seems like ages, the pain goes away and I drift off into blackness.
Images are passing through my head. Sam, Six, Lorien, Henri, Sarah, Bernie Kosar… It's like I see my life as a move played out before my eyes. I see myself mostly. I'm playing in the grass on Lorien or holding on to Henri's hand. Then I fly through all of my old houses. Mexico, California, Virginia, Florida, Montana… It stops in Paradise. I see Henri and Sam and Sarah. Sarah is there a lot and I can almost feel her with me.
But it can't be, because I'm dead, right? No, I should be able to move if I was dead. I shouldn't feel any pain. I'm most certainly alive, but where am I? There's only darkness and soft voices that I can't make out even if I concentrate. My body is tingling in certain spots and I don't know what's going on. It's like I'm walking, no flying, around in this black vortex and I can't get out.
I try to scream or yell for help, but no sound comes out of my voice. Frustrated, I try to remember how I got here. I feel like I'm in a small dark world and I don't know who I am or what's going on. Silently, I think to myself. I am Number Four. My name is John Smith. Henri is my Cêpan. I'm on the run from Mogadorians. My home was Lorien, but now it's Earth. I live in Paradise, Ohio. I love Sarah Hart. Sam Goode is my best friend. Six has found me. Then it all comes in like a flood.
The phone call, the school, the fight with the Mogs, Sam and Sarah being captured, Six finding me, and Henri… oh God, Henri…
I awake with a start and bolt straight up only to fall back down on my side, grimacing in pain. Tears slip down my face as I remember Henri's death. I remember everything. I silently shed tears for Henri. I cry for everything. My body is shaking now and I can't contain the noise. I can hear my own short rasps of breath and the moaning I release.
A small warm hand creeps on to my side. Another finds my face and beckons me to roll over. I do and I face the most beautiful angel the world has ever seen. Sarah gently caresses my face in her hands and I see a tear slip down her face.
I try to calm down, but all I can do is cry harder. Sarah wraps her arms around me and she holds me for however long until I fall asleep.
When I wake up I'm in a new room. I feel clean and notice that I have on a fresh pair of boxers, but nothing else. My skin feels warm and cleansed. I run my fingers through my hair and notice it's not bloody, dirty, or greasy. But other than that, I feel like hell.
I feel weak and I know I haven't eaten anything in a while. My mouth is dry and my head is dizzy. No matter how much sleep I get, I'm still tired. I feel scabs and stitches on my face, arms, and legs, but the worst is my chest and back. I can barely move without it sending ripples of pain through my body.
I pull the covers off and prop my head up against a pillow so I can look at my chest. There's a white scar shaped like a crescent moon, but no scabs or stitches. Confused, I try to get up and find explore the new place, but a hand grabs my own. I glance over and see Sarah laying next to me. I hadn't even noticed her before.
She's laying on her stomach on the bed with her arm extended out touching my hand. Her eyes are closed and her hair looks like it hasn't been brushed in two weeks. There are bags under her eyes and they're red from her crying. She mumbles something that I can't hear so I lay back down and pull the sheets over me. I scoot close to her and kiss her ever so lightly on the temple. Her eyes flutter open and she looks at me for a minute.
"I'm dreaming," she mumbles. I chuckle quietly and brush a few strands of hair out of her face.
"That's what I keep telling myself," I say. I get no response so I slide my hand under her cheek and pull her face towards mine. Our lips touch very lightly and I pull back. Sarah opens her eyes, fully awake now, and I see tears building up. "Hey beautiful," I whisper.
Sarah lets her tears fall as I pull her close to me. I feel her shaking so I just rub her arm and her back telling her that everything's okay. I see her glassy eyes stare up at me and she lunges at me. Our lips meet and I sink into the bed. She laying on top of me, but I don't even notice the pain. All I can feel is her sweet lips on mine, the brush of her skin, and her feather-soft fingers exploring my hair. She clings to me like she's holding on for dear life.
I pull away from her and rest my forehead up against hers. "John… I thought I lost you," she whispers. I pull her close to me and bury my face in her hair. It smells like strawberries.
"It's okay, I'm here. I told you I'd come back. I love you so much," I murmur into her hair.
"I love you too."
I truly love Sarah. I've never felt this way about anyone or anything before. When we were apart it was the equivalent of pieces of my heart being ripped out of me each day she was gone. By the last couple days I was miserable. But now, as this amazing girl is laying on top of me, her arms wrapped around my neck and tender lips pressed to mine, I know that I'm never going to let her go.
Sarah slips off of my chest, but sticks herself to my side and grabs my hand in both of hers. I pull the blanket up so we're both warm and cozy. Sarah's legs find their way into mine and one of her feet rubs my calf. I close my eyes and ask, "Sarah? How did I survive?" She rests her head on my shoulder and begins to tell the story.
"Well, right after you shut your eyes I started pleading for you not to go. It was terrible, John. It felt like my whole world had been stripped away from me in an instant. It was even worse watching you fight and then walk over towards me while that Mogadorian stabbed you. I swear I couldn't breathe. Anyhow, after you shut your eyes Six came running over with a weird stone thing. She told Sam and me to hold you down while she pressed it to your wound. You were screaming bloody murder and your wound just healed right up. It was red for a long time, but I don't think that scar's gonna go away. But that's okay," Sarah says and grins. She walks her fingers up my abdomen to the scar and whispers in my ear, "It's kind of sexy."
Her breath and voice sends shivers up my spine. I smile and plant a kiss on her forehead.
"So, who do I need to thank for patching me up, cleaning me, and bringing me to… uh… well where are we?" I ask.
"We're in a hotel right by the border of Ohio. We're planning to keep going south and hit Kentucky. And that would be me," she says. I turn red and think about her giving me a shower. I love Sarah, but the farthest we've ever gone was sleeping in the same bed or making out without a shirt on. The thought of her seeing me more than half-naked embarrasses me.
She notices me discomfort and rolls her eyes at me. "John, you are aware that I have two older brothers, right? Trust me, you have nothing to worry about," she whispers. I glance at her and see her eyes are closed. Pretty soon I hear her slowed breathing and see her chest rise and fall on cadence. I kiss her forehead and get up out of her grip ever so softly. It takes some time to get up, but overall the stretch feels good.
I walk over to the desk where a pile of things are. There are some of my old clothes, a folder containing fake identities that Henri made, some of his laptops, and finally my Loric chest. I pull the chest out of the bottom of the pile and place my hand on the lock. It glows and feels warm under my touch. The lock seems to melt away and I lift the lid.
There are various stones and small pouches, but what I'm looking for is at the bottom. I pull out the white pieces of paper and lock the chest again. I make myself comfortable in a chair facing Sarah and begin to read. My throat contracts right as I see Henri's writing.
Dear John,
I'm so sorry for leaving you. I know that if you are reading this letter that I have failed you as a Cêpan, as a Lorien, and as a friend. I'm sorry that I will not be able to accompany you on the rest of your journey, but I have faith that you'll save Lorien and Earth. Remember that the Mogadorians are scared of you and that's why they so desperately need to kill you. I hope you continue your training because it will increase you physical and mental strength as well as your Legacies. I expect great things from you, John, and don't ever forget it.
Now, there are some things I think you need to know. We came to Paradise for a reason. Well, actually two now that I think about it. But, mainly because of your friend Sam. His father, Malcom Goode, helped us when we landed on Earth. He was there the day we arrived and helped us get identities and a place to stay. We stayed in Paradise for a week before leaving. I regret that choice everyday knowing that Sam has no idea where his father is. I honestly can't tell you where he is, but I hope he's okay. If there's one thing Sam should know, it's that his father was a great man. He needs to know that.
More recently I've discovered that we were meant to come here for you. You're in love with Sarah. I can tell and I knew it the day she came home from Panama. Let me tell you something about love. Loriens only love once. Once you fall in love you're bound to that person forever. I can't tell you that Sarah's going to stay with you, but I know you're never going to be the one to leave her. Physically, it's possible. Quite hard, but not impossible. Mentally, it's impossible. If you truly love Sarah, you're going to love her forever. There was a prediction that you all would mate with a human, but it was ruled out a long time ago. However, given the circumstances, I see that the predictions were right. Tell her what I'm telling you, and maybe, no, hopefully, you two will survive. The other numbers may not like this, but it's the truth. I believe you were all meant to mate with a human.
Finally, I want to tell you how lucky I feel to have been with you through all of this. I wouldn't change any of it. Not the fights, the frustration, the anger, none of it. I'm glad I got to spend my last days with you rather than being annihilated on my home planet. I wouldn't have missed doing this for all of Lorien, John. And I'll always be with you, just remember that. I love you, kiddo.
Henri
I let my tears silently fall off of my face on to the paper. I can't even read the other letters he's left to me yet. Every happy memory I've ever had with Henri flashes by me in an instant and my body feels like an empty shell; an empty shell where everything means nothing to me anymore. With my head in my hands I silently sob, but there have been too many tears shed today.
Slowly, I get up and walk into the bathroom. My eyes are red so I wash my face and clean myself up as best as I can. I stare into the mirror at myself. My right cheek has a slanted cut on it as well as my left temple. My jaw is bruised and my eyes are sullen and dark. Checking my body out again, I see the white scar in the middle of my chest as well as one on my left shoulder. My legs aren't too bad, but as I turn around and crane my neck to see my back I know that Sarah did one hell of a job.
There is a massive white scar on my back that is much larger than the one on my chest. It's a crescent shape, but there are jagged cuts jutting out from it that are all stitched up. There are some severe bruises on the upper part of my back, but nothing too bad on the lower portion.
I decide to crawl back into bed because I'm exhausted despite the fact that I've been asleep for God knows how long. Sarah has rolled over so it leaves me in a good spooning position. I get up close to her and wrap my arms around her waist pulling her as close as possible. I tuck my knees just behind hers and wrap my foot over her top foot softly. I rub her arm softly with one arm and whisper everything I can think of to her.
"I love you so much, Sarah. You are my world, my life, and my soul. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. I'm never going to leave you ever again or let you get hurt. I'm through with the pain and I only want you. If anything ever happened to you, my life would be over. You are the only thing that keeps me going. You're the reason I'm alive and I'm never going to let you go. You are my one true love, Sarah Hart."
"I love you more," Sarah whispers. I grin madly and kiss her on the cheek as I doze off into dreams of Sarah and me.
Mmm… sorry this took longer than I thought. I can't make any promises of when the next one will be up, but stay tuned!
