Everything For A Price
By. Tate Icasa
Chapter Eleven:
"Odd! Odd!" Elisabeth called, looking for him.
She found him flicking pebbles off the bridge.
"What're you doing out here?" She asked.
He shrugged.
She stood next to him for a minute.
"You're not happy." She said finally.
He shrugged again.
"It's Jeremy and Aelita, Ulrich and Yumi, Odd and. . .and. . .I killed her twice now." He closed his eyes, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I killed her twice."
"You had no choice." Elisabeth said finally.
He turned and looked at her blankly for a second.
"That doesn't make it hurt any less." He said.
"No, I suppose it doesn't." After a second, "I'm sorry."
He blinked. "For what?"
"For. . .for. . .I don't know." She admitted. "It just felt right to say it."
"Thank you." He said, and he looked back out across the bridge.
She looked at him a second more before following his gaze.
"What are you looking at?" She asked finally.
He shrugged.
She nodded, and turned to go.
His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
"Don't go."
She hesitated and then moved back so she was beside him again.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
He hesitated. "I'm alone."
"Not if you don't want to be."
He turned and stared at her in wonder.
"Don't tell me you didn't see it coming?" She said, alf laughing.
He shook his head dumbly.
She blinked and stared at him hard for a second, trying to see if he was joking or not.
"You're joking." She said. "You can't be that dense."
The old Odd would have protested, made a joke.
He merely stared at her for a second, before turning back to the water.
She turned to leave again and realized he hadn't released her wrist yet. She allowed herself a small smile at that.
He sighed.
"Odd?"
He didn't answer.
"Odd?"
"You're standing here now. So, I'm not alone?" He said, sounding uncertain.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then why don't you tell me what you meant?"
She considered for a second. "Alright." She conceded, and leaned in to kiss him quickly. He met her halfway and caught her off guard.
When she finally pulled back he rocked back on his heels, looking extremely self-satisfied.
"You deliberately mis-interpreted what I said!" She accused laughing.
"Why, Elisabeth, how kind of you to notice."