Story's picking up steam and a few new readers, too, I see. As always, don't hesitate to review or PM to let me know what you think.
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Bioware owns the rights to all of their characters and the original series. The original characters in this story belong to me.
Music: I made another playlist for this chapter, titled "In Requiem: Rosie Sanders".
6.3.2174
San Diego, CA
James
"Hey, Sanders! Get in here, let's see how many ways I can whip your ass before the sun sets."
James stood across the sand from Roe Maxton, the blonde, heavily-muscled captain of the school's wrestling team. Amassed around them on Fletcher Beach, a fair number of the twenty-thousand strong student body awaited the coming fight with all the patience of a pack of rabid wolves.
The day had taken a surprising downward turn, especially when compared with how good it had been before school let out a few hours earlier.
When the last bell rang on the last day of his 10th year of school, James sent a message to Andrea to meet him at the entrance to the garage. The throngs of students passing by held that quality of excitement that promised summer days and fun, which James had every intention of enjoying with his pretty new girlfriend.
Her cocksure attitude had held his attention for several months now. He loved how she commanded attention when she walked into a room, always dressed in a fashionable outfit that hugged her curves, each auburn hair perfectly positioned on her head.
She'd shown him the night before in no uncertain terms that she wanted to be with him. James thought he might really be falling for her. He was imagining Andrea behind him on his bike, her arms wound around him as they raced the ocean wind, when he spotted her walking quickly toward the parking level, away from him. He hurried to catch up with her.
"Hola, mamacita," James said, coming up behind her and looping an arm around her waist. He leaned forward to kiss her ear just as she twisted around to look at him.
"There you are, Jimmy." She smiled but deftly moved out of his arms, fidgeting with the strap of the red purse on her shoulder. Her eyes darted around, then back to him.
"Call me James." He bent down to her level with a wide smile, angling for a kiss again.
"Not here," she said abruptly. She chewed her lip, bending away from him with a smile.
Was she being shy, after what they had done last night? Probably not; it had been his first time, not hers. But he pulled back, admiring the shape and color of her mouth as he spoke. "When do you want to meet for the party tonight? Do you want to go in on my bike, or are you picking me up?"
"I'm not sure," she said vaguely. "I'll message you when I get to Fletcher."
"Just don't forget that I'll be leaving early. My mom's operation is later tonight."
Her head popped up, her expression opening for the first time. "Oh, that's right. It's not the first one, though? She's done this before."
"This time they're replacing one of the valves on her heart. She says it's no big deal, but you never know." He trailed off, catching a glimpse of his friend Monique passing by without acknowledging him. Mo had been ignoring him a lot lately.
A familiar face appeared at James' side from the rapidly thinning crowd. "Apparently you are as dumb as you look, Sanders, making a move on my girl right in front of me."
James turned and looked down at Roe with a smile. "She seemed pretty happy with me last night when I told her she had to choose between us. The night she dumped you."
"Oh, yeah? Then why did she just run off?"
Looking quickly, James just saw the top of her head before she disappeared into the garage.
Roe laughed at his expression. "Dumbass. She played you and came running back to me this morning. Live and learn though, huh? Maybe when you're a senior you'll understand. If you make it through tonight."
"That a threat?" Nostrils flaring, James stepped up to Roe, his chin level with the other boy's eyes. Before Roe could retort, a large hand appeared on James' shoulder.
"That's enough, son. You have somewhere to be, Mr. Maxton?" a deep voice said.
James recognized the voice as Mr. Lewis, his history teacher and one of the only people in school physically imposing to him. He'd spent many afternoons after school studying for the scholarship with him.
He tried to calm down as he watched Roe walk away, then Mr. Lewis turned him around to face him.
"What's going on?"
"Roe doesn't like me going out with Andrea."
"Why does it matter what he thinks? It's her choice."
James was in no mood for one of Lewis' sermons today. "I know that. But she told me all about how that bast- I mean, how Roe treated her. I'm surprised it took her this long to ditch him." It was downright baffling, after what she had confided in him over the last few months.
"Maybe there's more going on there."
"She told me everything." James folded his arm across his chest, glaring across the milling crowd of students heading for their cars.
"Then there's no reason to get so upset, is there? What about Monique, what does she think about this Andrea?" Monique had helped him study from time to time at her father's gym.
"They've met a few times when Andrea came to talk when I was working out. Mo doesn't like her. Dunno why not, they're both nice."
"Huh. Imagine that." Lewis sounded amused and James wondered if he had missed something. "Watch yourself at the party tonight. Avoid Roe. And the girl too, she seems like trouble. I don't want to hear you've lost your scholarship to the Academy because you got into a fight."
"What does it matter? Pop still won't sign, and Mom won't go against him." Frustrations upon frustrations.
"You'll figure out a way to make it happen, but only if you don't get in trouble tonight. Don't forget."
Not really listening, James looked back the way Andrea had gone. "I'm not sure what's going on with her."
"Not a good start to a relationship, son. She seems like an awful lot of trouble."
"Some girls are worth the trouble."
"But is she one of them?"
"Of course."
He clapped him on the shoulder again. "Okay then. I did my best. Have fun tonight. Remember what I said." He walked away, leaving James to his thoughts.
Did Andrea mean what she said last night? He couldn't see the point in her lying about it, then felt guilty for not giving her the benefit of the doubt.
James shook off his dour thoughts as he walked to his bike, waving to his friends in the crowd and calling out places to meet on Fletcher Beach later on. He was still on too much of an emotional high from last night to let the incident stick with him for long. By the time he reached the area where he had parked, his good humor had returned. Any way he looked at it, he had a party and Andrea to look forward to tonight.
Two freshman girls ran up to him as he swung his leg over the bike. "Hey, James!"
He grinned. "Well, if it isn't the Candies. Haven't seen you three at the hospital lately."
A petite blonde in a red skirt reached him first. "They transferred us to the cancer wing, but we still have some volunteer time to log before graduation. Does your mom need any help today? I have some time if you'll take me home afterward."
"What about the cancer patients?" he asked with a laugh.
"Your mom is our favorite. She tells us all kinds of stories about you," the other girl said, breathless from exertion as she shoved her way through the last few people in her way, almost stumbling into James. She blew her mop of light brown hair out of her eyes so he could see both of her big, brown eyes. "Take me, I know just how she likes things done. My dad said I can. I asked this morning."
"Look, I really appreciate it, but my mom's not even home. She's at the doctor's today. I'll see you later, okay?" He started his bike and pulled into the flow of traffic leading out of the garage, away from their sad faces.
At the beginning of this school year, his legacy of spectacular rejections from the opposite sex had come to a screeching halt. It could have been losing the last of his baby fat that triggered it or maybe his sudden growth spurt, he wasn't sure, but girls had taken notice. He liked the attention even if some of the girls were difficult to turn down. They were cute, just not really his type.
He wove in and out of traffic on the way home, smiling into the wind. He liked confident women. Older women. Preferably redheads.
His parents were already at the hospital, he noted with relief when he reached their apartment. It took no time for him to get ready without his father there to ask a million questions. He showered, then took special care that his short hair was combed rakishly over one eye. The mohawk had been much easier to take care of, but the girls liked this more. He didn't fight what worked.
After changing into his nicest jeans and a blue and white shirt so he'd be in school colors, he strapped his shoes on and walked to the front door. Before he touched the handle, his wrist-comm vibrated. He checked the ID and, seeing it was his friend Javin, opened the call. "'Sup, Killer."
"You comin' to the party tonight?"
"Planning on it." James walked down the hall and punched the button for the elevator.
"You know Roe's going to be there," Javin said.
"Yeah, he's pissed about Andrea. She broke up with him."
Javin's muffled laugh came over the comm. "She's lying to you, bro. She's making you look like a chump."
"She told me herself last night."
"Listen to me, jerkoff. She didn't break up with him. You just fucked the girlfriend of the captain of the wrestling team, and he's been telling everyone that he's going to kick your ass tonight. I'm surprised he hasn't already told you himself." James could almost see the jubilant look on his friend's face.
James couldn't immediately respond, thinking of the last thing Roe had said before Mr. Lewis interrupted. Was he supposed to fight Roe at the party tonight?
"You there?" Javin said over the comm.
He shook his head slightly. "Um, yeah."
"You're still coming tonight, right? I'm already taking bets." His enterprising friend never missed a chance to fleece anyone, James included.
"Goddamn right I'm going."
"You better. Don't make me find you and break your arm again."
"Just try it."
"C'mon now, you know I was kidding."
"Right, whatever. You better have my back tonight, Jav." James terminated the call, shaking his head.
The sun was touching the ocean when he reached the bluff, the shore in the distance dotted with large bonfires while the sparkling water reflected the light from the colored lanterns swinging from the posts that surrounded the area. A few surfers bobbed on the water. Music poured from speakers set into the cliff and from stands spread throughout the area, the bass thumping on the surface of his skin and through the sandy plasti-crete under his feet.
More people shouted at him while he crossed the first few concrete patios, wishing him luck. Someone handed him a beer when he reached the fringes of the gathering, saying, "Good luck tonight, James!" He smiled uneasily at them and sipped at the beer.
He spotted Javin hanging out with a group of familiar boys at a table near the top of the long staircase to the beach, built into the side of the bluff. They greeted him with the usual insults, this time barbed with allusions about the fight to come.
Javin was, as usual, full of news. "Kendra told me that he's got the entire team with him down there. I sure don't want to be in your shoes."
It took James a moment to realize what he meant. "Are you fuckin' kidding me? After all the times I've backed you up? You better be there when it goes down."
"I like you, but I'm not stupid. You're on your own, bro." Jav laughed along with the others.
"There you are, Jimmy!" a female voice shouted. A moment later, a laughing Andrea had her arms wrapped around him like she had the other night. This was so much better than the reaction he'd feared that he didn't even remind her not to call him Jimmy. He kissed her, leaning over so her feet touched the ground, then leaned back to take in her skimpy bikini with a pleased smile. Everything upside-down was right again.
His so-called friends watched with open mouths.
"Oh, this is beautiful," Javin said, again howling with laughter. "You are so screwed."
Andrea pulled at his arm to get him walking. "Come on."
"What was that all about at school today?" he asked as they walked through the parting crowd.
She shrugged carelessly, an unconscious gesture that was faintly irritating. "I saw Mr. Lewis coming, so I figured I should leave. I didn't want you two fighting in front of him."
A feeling of unease came over him as he followed her down the stairs and into the crowd. Something was off, but he couldn't place it. It wasn't nerves; he wasn't the type to back down in a fight. No, it was something obvious that he just couldn't see. He tried to think of his nervousness as energy he could use in a fight, like Deon had taught him when they'd sparred down at his gym.
"Let us through!" she shouted.
Over the bodies ahead of them, he saw a small clearing in the gathering. On the far side, Roe stood with two of his friends. Friends and strangers called out from every direction, eagerly pushing through the multitudes of celebrating students to follow him.
Roe called out to him. "Hey, Sanders! Get in here, let's see how many ways I can whip your ass before the sun sets." Roe's fan club laughed, watching James expectantly, avidly awaiting the coming confrontation.
James finally placed the unpleasant feeling. Javin was right. She had set him up.
Andrea pushed at him until he stood at the edge of the clearing. It looked far different from the inside, with so many familiar faces seeming to move in slow-motion, cheering and shouting and pumping their fists in the air.
He looked around for Javin and the rest of the crew, but saw no sign of them. Some friends. It was just him, then. Fair enough.
Squaring his substantial shoulders, he walked to the middle of the clearing, shrugging off the memory of Mr. Lewis' words of warning less than an hour earlier.
James had the advantage of weight, height and reach, but Roe was an experienced grappler. Deon had shown him how to fight this kind of attacker. Roe would come at him low and fast, go for his midsection or try and take out his legs. James knew he had to stay on his feet or the fight was over.
First things first; he had to even the odds. "Can't face a sophomore by yourself, Roe? You must not think much of your chances."
Roe immediately rose to the bait. "I've taken out bigger guys than you." He waved his friends back.
James grinned. "Then let's dance, pendejo."
Roe came at him like a spider, arms and legs spread wide as he sought an opening past James' longer reach. James leaped out of the way, stumbling over his own feet in the slippery sand when Roe rushed toward him.
Laughter came from every side as he slid to a stop. He whipped around in time to see a dark shadow near his feet, then gravity shifted and all he saw was a colored lantern swinging between him and the sky.
Roe was wound around his midsection, keeping him down. James slammed a hammerfist between Roe's neck and shoulder to loosen him up, then brought his knees up so he could throw him back over his head. Both of them scrambled to their feet as the crowd bellowed their enthusiasm.
James stood back, getting his bearings. The other boy was fast, but he couldn't weigh more than a buck fifty. On one of his loading days, James lifted twice that.
He braced himself when Roe launched at him again, tackling him around the middle. James' feet slid backwards, scraping long, dark grooves in the sand. He twisted back and to the right, using Roe's force to pull him forward, then kneed him solidly in the sternum and dropped an elbow into his back. The crowd shouted, laughing at Roe's pain when he doubled over.
James looked toward Andrea. She blew him a kiss from the edge of the space, practically bouncing with excitement. People all around her were reaching for her, talking to her. She soaked up the attention.
As James guessed he would, Roe used his moment of distraction to charge. James' left hook, ready at his side, caught him square in the temple. Roe's body made a dull thud in the sand when he fell, audible in the moment of hushed astonishment that came over the spectators just before they exploded into cheers again. Roe didn't get back up.
The crowd rushed James, cheering and pounding on his back. Then Andrea's warm, scantily-clad form was rubbing against him. She tried to pull herself up to his level, but the push of the crowd kept her down.
"Pick me up, Jimmy," she shouted, looking over her shoulder at the excited crowd.
"It's James," he said, disentangling himself from her with some difficulty in the surging mass of humanity. "Get Roe to a doctor, Andrea."
Without sparing her a glance, he waded his way through the crowd toward the stairs set into the bluff. The crowd parted before him - that had been happening a lot lately - as he crossed the area that led to the parking lot, looking for Javin. He finally spotted him sitting on one of the plasti-crete tables near the edge of the party.
"Hey, bro! Good job, you made me a mint!" Javin said with a toothy grin. James' fist hit his chin and Javin fell backward off the table, blood spraying out of his mouth and across the pale sand. The other boys laughed and pointed at their groaning friend.
"I need better friends," James muttered as he walked away.
Rosie
"Mrs. Sanders, we need to take you in now."
Rosie didn't open her eyes. She was so tired these days. "I want to see James first. Is he on his way?"
Emilio answered. "He just messaged. Should be here any minute."
Josh's angry voice responded. "Unbelievable. Why didn't he answer when I called?"
"Mr. Sanders, please! Your wife can't be upset right now."
She was beyond caring, but she didn't speak up. There was a huff and the sound of someone sitting in a chair.
Emilio spoke again. "I'll wait outside, Rosie." His footsteps faded.
"You hang in there, Rosie girl. James will be here soon." Josh brought her hand to his face.
Yes. The family together, that's what she always wanted. She could easily picture Josh's smile with her eyes closed. Sometimes he was selfish, but he was always her Joshie.
She could see many other faces the longer she kept her eyes closed. Her dear brother, standing outside the doorway. Her sweet, strong mother. Her kind father. Further back, friends from the old neighborhood.
"Hey, Mom."
This voice brought her eyes open at last. James stood there, tall, handsome, and stronger than she could ever be.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting down and leaning close to her. She brought her hand to the side of his face, noticing how small and pale her hand was next to his healthy complexion.
"Tired of having - people ask me that," she said haltingly.
His chuckle made her face stretch into a smile, breathing happiness over her.
"Doc says they're doing more than the valve this time. A whole heart. You cool with this?"
"Yeah. I'm – cool. Did you meet some nice girls - at that party tonight?"
"Just the same old crowd. I'm glad I'm here now, though."
"Good. I'm glad you went."
"The docs want you now. I'll be here waiting for you to wake up."
"See you then. Te amo, querido."
"Love you too, Mom." He kissed her forehead.
Josh kissed her cheek. "I love you, Rosie," he said, his voice thick.
Her eyes closed. "I love you both so much. Where's Emilio?" she asked softly.
The doctor spoke. "He's waiting outside. You can talk to him on the way out."
The anti-grav hummed and the cot swung loosely in the field as they moved her from the room.
"You don't have to do this, Rosie." Emilio's voice was close by, but still soft. He was always so gentle and patient with her.
"I don't want them to keep picking at it like an old scab. I'm tired of living like this." It took awhile to get all the words out.
"If you're sure. You know I love you. I'll be here for you when you come out."
"You always were," she whispered, growing tired from all the talking. Voices spoke again, but she tuned them out.
Music played somewhere in the background, reminding her of when she was a little girl. The faces returned, brighter now. The hovering cot shifted smoothly from side to side, making her feel like she was swinging on a hammock. She thought of all the summers she spent in the happy house in Escondido, the one Emilio had worked so hard to provide for the three of them after Papa died.
The cot stopped. Bright lights surrounded her, glowing redly through her eyelids.
"Mrs. Sanders?"
"Rosie. Call me Rosie."
A chuckle from off to her right. "Okay, Rosie. How are you feeling?"
That question again. But she wasn't irritated like before. Buoyed by the declarations of love she had just received, she felt, for the first time in her life, truly brave.
"Ready for what's coming," she answered.
Josh
Josh trudged through the door of the apartment he had shared with his wife for the last sixteen years. He closed the door and stepped over the bag and helmet James had left lying just inside. He must already be in his room, having ridden home on his bike alone.
His poor boy was motherless now. The doctor said that his little Rosie had a stroke on the operating table.
He held back a sob as he walked into the kitchen and sunk into his usual chair, putting his face in his hands. There was a bang from the hallway, and then James marched into the kitchen. Surprised, Josh looked up to witness his son's angry face, leaning back when James jabbed a finger at him.
"You did this to her. She should have lived."
He looked up at his son, shocked at this sudden shift to anger from the sadness they had shared before leaving the hospital, and felt the need to defend himself. "I've done nothing but love her."
"Yeah, you did nothing but love her. You didn't even love her right. You smothered her."
"How else am I supposed to love?" Josh ran his trembling hands through his hair. "She kept things from me. I could have helped her."
"Bullshit. Even when she didn't work, you did nothing for her." James was almost shouting now. "She was only thirty-four years old."
"Oh, god, my sweet Rosie-" Josh finally broke down weeping.
James left the room and came back a minute later. Something clattered on the table top.
"Sign it," James said.
Josh wiped his eyes and squinted at the datapad. "What's this? No - no, I told you Jimmy. I don't want you fighting, I don't want you enlisting. You're not going to that military school."
"I'm going. You have no right to deny me my heritage." James' shouting was hurting Josh's ears, triggering a visceral reaction.
"I'm your father. I am your heritage." Josh stood up, knocking his chair back.
"A heritage of what? Watching vids, dreaming about the good old days, maybe abandoning my wife and kid for days at a time to do who-knows-what with my loser friends? Sign it." His hand smacked the table next to the datapad, making it leap and clatter again.
"No," Josh said. James stepped closer. For the first time, Josh realized he was looking up at his son.
"Sign it and I'll stay with you until I enlist. If you don't, I'll file for emancipation and go anyway."
The moment lengthened as Josh measured the sincerity of his son's words. Josh looked around impotently, feeling trapped.
Then James added softly, "Mom wouldn't want our family to break up, Pop."
His mouth tight, Josh scanned his fingerprint into the document and tossed the datapad at his son.
Of course, now that he'd won, Jimmy wanted to play nice. "It doesn't have to be like this with us, Pop. If you could just-"
"Just what?" Josh's bitter words cut him off. "Be more like Emilio? Everything I do is held up to his standard. I never measured up. Not even to Rosie. Once her brother showed up, I was nothing to her. It took everything I had in me to keep her."
"You really didn't get her at all, did you?" James asked, still gentle. "She loved you. You should have been nicer to her."
But Josh's anger couldn't hold up to his sorrow. He put his head back on the kitchen table, his back jarring with sobs.
After a moment, James put his hand on his father's shoulder in comfort. "I'm sorry for yelling, Pop. We're all hurting right now."
Josh wasn't listening. He was remembering the first time he saw Rosie, standing on the beach, shyly looking away when he smiled. She was so different than the other girls, so soft and gentle. But sometimes she said things that surprised you, things that hinted at deeper thoughts under the quiet serenity.
"I can't believe she's gone," he said. He put his hand over his son's and squeezed.
He just wished there was some way he could keep James from leaving, too.
Uh-oh. What could Josh have in mind? I wonder...
