Heavy rain greets us as Mactavish carries me out of the mess hall. I shiver as I pull his jacket he gave me close around me. I glance up at him, seeing how the rain has causes his Mohawk to droop. "Um, do you want your jacket back? You're looking a little miserable." I ask.
He glances down at me, and then laughs slightly. "No, no I'm fine. Besides, you need it more than I do." Mactavish reassures, continuing to the medic tent. The rest of the walk there is silence, apart from the occasional clap of thunder in the distance that makes me cringe. We arrive at the tent, entering it wordlessly. I shift in Mactavish's arms, feeling better to be out of the rain. Judging by how Mactavish sighs, I can tell he agrees with this thought. "Hey, we need a medic here." He calls as he sets me down gently on one of the medical cots.
A man walks out from a curtained off bed, a look of puzzlement set on his unshaven face. "Yes, what's the matter?" he asks, aspirated for reasons unknown to Mactavish and I.
Mactavish folds his arms, motioning with his head to me. "She hurt her ankle. We need you to take a look at it." He states plainly. The medic nods, walking over to me. He studies my ankle, observing how I wince when he touches it.
"Ah, I see. Well the good news is, it's not broken. It's a grade 1 sprain that should be healed in a few days." The medic responds optimistically, walking around the table. He bends over to look for some ace wrap, glancing at me darkly. "Good…otherwise Makarov would not be pleased." He hisses at me, out of Mactavish's ear shot. I look at him as shock crosses my face. My eyes narrow, glancing once at unsuspecting Mactavish back to the 'medic'. The medic shares my look at Mactavish, going back to searching for the bandage. "Get rid of 'em." He growls quietly.
Frowning, I can tell this guy knows-too much. But I fake a smile and look at Mactavish. "Hey I'm pretty much set here Mactavish, you can go. Tell everyone I'm OK. Especially Ghost. So they don't worry." I said, my eyes reflecting the opposite of my fake smile.
Mactavish raises an eyebrow at this, "You sure you're all right?" he asks.
A sly smile crosses my lips, "Mr. Soap Leprechaun, I'm so sure I'm sherbert." I reply jokingly. This reassurance draws a smile from Mactavish who nods and exits the tent. My smile falls as I stare at the 'medic' emotionlessly as he wraps my ankle. I sit up as he goes to move past me. But I grab him by the collar forcefully, stopping him in his tracks as my eyes burn into his. "Alright, who are you and what the fuck do you know about Makarov?" I hiss.
He smirks as he tears his collar from my grasp. "Simple, I work for him dear. He sent me to clear up some other loose ends." He replies, his Russian accent lacing his every word.
I blink, leaning back on my propped elbows as my auburn eyes stay locked with his. "How the hell did you hide your accent?" I question, raising an eyebrow.
"I studied acting before joining up with Makarov." He explains shortly.
Glowering, I look at him will no emotion present on my pale face. "So, who are you?" I ask, pulling Mactavish's jacket close around me.
He straightens up, grinning widely. "The name's Langley. And you look cold." He said, changing the subject.
I narrow my eyes at him. "Well you'd be cold too if you had been running about in that fricking monsoon out there! Ugh, I wish I had my suitcase…" I mutter tensely.
He blinks, suddenly walking away from me wordlessly. My eyes follow him as he goes behind the curtained bed. "Heh, funny story…" he answers, walking out from behind the curtain with my suitcase.
My mouth falls agape, surprised at how he managed to get it here. "Dang…are you a genie or something?" I reply, be founded. I sit up, swinging my legs off the side of the table as he approaches me with the suitcase. On the way over, though, he brushes the curtain around the bed. It opens slightly, just enough for me to see the slumped feet of a man. Langley stops, looking from the curtain to me as a sheepish smile occupies his face. "That's the medic…isn't it?" I said slowly. Langley nods, staring at the ground embarrassed. He closes the curtain and walks over to me. I take my suitcase from him, still staring at him. "What did you do to him? Did you, kill him?" I ask hesitantly.
Langley sighs, "Yeah…I poisoned him. It was the only way." He answer quietly, slightly disturbed by his action.
I sigh, opening my suitcase silently. My hand traces the articles of clothing, feeling a pang of sadness as it reminds me of home. I remember how innocently this trip had started and how it ended-so heinously. Langley shifts, biting his lip. "It's going to be warm where we're going….j-just to let you know." He informs me quietly.
I glance at him once, nodding slightly. I turn back to my suitcase, going through it rigidly as memories from each piece of clothing cut me deeply. A weak smile appears on my face. "So we're going to hell…" I finally remark.
Langley laughs slightly, scratching the back of his head. "Y-yeah…Haha, good one." He replies nervously. An awkward silence falls upon us and Langley coughs. "Well I can tell you want to be alone….just place the suitcase back in the curtained off area. I'll make sure it gets to Russia." He informs me before disappearing out the back of the tent.
I stare after him, feeling abruptly alone. Well, expect for the dead guy but that just makes it all the lonelier. My hands finally find what I'm looking for: a pair of camo shorts and a black tank top. I slip my soaked pants off, sliding on the shorts easily. Taking Mactavish's jacket off, I unzip my sweatshirt and take off my lacy black tank top. The dry black tank top feels a hell of a lot better to be wearing as I slip it on over my head. I replace Mactavish's jacket back on as the cold air hits me. The wet clothing gets placed in the suitcase and I push it under the curtained off area of the bed. My eyes stay trained on the ground, unblinkingly as a million memories surge my mind. I place my legs back on the table, resting my ankle down gently. Lying back on my propped elbows, my eyes remain glued to the floor soullessly. I'm so stuck walking down memory lane that I don't notice the flap of the tent open and someone enter. I blink out of my daze, glancing over. My heart freezes as my breath gets caught in my throat, my eyes set on Ghost. We share a look till the feeling of shame overcomes me and I have to look away.
He walks up, concern playing in his jaded green eyes. "Hey, Mactavish told me what happened! Are you…" he said, stopping suddenly.
I look over at him, blinking. "What?" I ask, slightly annoyed.
Ghost raises an eyebrow, "Why are you wearing Mactavish's Jacket?" he asks, suspiciously.
I scratch the back of my head as I tuck my legs close to me. "Well, I kinda got wet." I answer innocently.
He blinks, silence engulfing the both of us. A feeling of being on different terms emerging. "So…you and….Mactavish…?" Ghost said slowly, trying to make sense of this.
My mouth falls open, "What? No, HELL no! I mean I was wet because of the rain! Not 'cause of what your thinking, ya freak!" I exclaim, slightly aggravated it take it that way.
He gives an audible sigh of relief. "Well that's good to know…" he mumbles.
I turn to him, wanting so badly to fix this rift that's beginning to form. But I stop myself, knowing it's best to just let it drift. My consistence chastises me for leading him on. I sigh, slowly lowering myself from the table onto my feet. Ghost makes a move to help me but I place a hand up to stop him. "No, I'm fine. I-I got to do this by myself." I murmur.
I start forward, wincing at the pain in my ankle. Ghost is there by my side in an instance. "Now do you need help?" he asks humorously.
I sigh, looking away in disgrace as I nod. He picks me up bridal style, holding me tight. My head rests against his chest in submission, my eyes haft closed. Without a word, he starts out into the night with me. The rain has dissipated, giving way to a beautiful night sky. The stars gleam as the haft moon illuminates the way. I look up at Ghost, the night giving his mask a sort of dark appearance. Sighing, I nuzzle him under the chin softly. My eyes close as I listen to the sound of his heart beat. In my heart I know this is love. I only wish we had more time and that this whole situation with Makarov hadn't played out this way. My eyes open, tears threatening to spill. I blink them back, trying to remind myself that crying won't fix things. Deep down, I know in the end this isn't about me or my happiness. This is about Shepard's betrayal and orchestrating the reveal carefully. Guess I should be used to not having happiness…I've gone so long without, what's a few years?
We arrive at my tent and enter quietly. My friends haven't returned from the mess hall, the tent empty of their cheerful moods. Ghost sets me down on a bed gently. We share a silent look, as Ghost scratches the back of his neck. "I should go-" he starts, turning to leave.
But I grab his hand, staring at the ground dismally. He stops and looks at me. I look up at him, tears appearing in my eyes. "Don't leave me alone." I whisper as a tear slips down my cheek. The fear of being left alone has haunted me ever since the incident with the ghost of Bob in the shower room. I shiver, just remembering how his red eyes burned into me.
Ghost blinks, nodding in understanding as he sits on the edge of my bed. He brushes a tear from my face, his hand tracing my face. "I won't dream of doing that." He whispers. I try to swallow the lump of sadness in my throat but I can't, the tears spilling down my face.
H-He cares…God dammit why did it have to be this way? Oh Ghost…I-I'm so sorry. I can't help myself, I wrap my arms around his neck as I breakdown into tears. He holds me tight, as I continue to cry. Pulling away, I look up at him. Tears drip from my eyes. "Ghost, I love you." I said, bursting out into uncontrollable tears as I feel my heart slowly begin to tear itself in two.
A smirk crease forms in his mask as he tilts my head up to him. "Why are you crying if you love me?" he ask, slightly confused at my emotion fusion.
I smile slightly, laughing. "I-I don't know…" I reply, tears tracing my cheeks. I wanted so badly to say I was sorry, to just tell him everything. But I can't and inside, I feel my heart twist painfully at this fact.
He rests his forehead against mine, closing his eyes. "What ever's on your mind, you can tell me." He whispers, his British accent soothing me.
I look up at him and shake my head. "I-I'm tired Ghost…" I mutter seriously.
He stares back, nodding slightly. "I understand, I'll leave you be." He said. Before he can move, I slip his mask up slightly just so his lips are shown. My lips meet his as we share a long kiss. When it's over, I pull away and lay back.
Ghost smiles as he pulls his mask back down. "Don't cry too much…your way too beautiful to be sad, love." He purrs before walking out and leaving me alone.
The tears continue to fall, though. I bite my lip as I rest my forearm against my eyes. "Damn…GOD DAMMIT! W-Why me…" I mumble to myself. A part of Moving Mountains by Usher comes to mind. 'Just leave me be, just leave me. Why just you just leave me.' Ghost, why couldn't you just have leave me be? Jasmine, you all, why couldn't you just have leave me be?
I sigh, curling myself into a ball. I just lay there, my mind wondering how life would have been if none of this had happened…if I hadn't existed. Yeah, What a wonderful life, I think sarcastically, what a fucking joke.
Author's note: Sorry again for not updating in a while. I was hit with the bad case of Writer's block. I'm going to warn you guys right now, it's going to take a little bit for me to get the next chapter up. Why? It's because I have to finish a graduation slideshow for my brother by Saturday the 10th of July. It's come down to the wire now and I've decided to suspend all other activities so I can focus on finishing the slideshow. But hey, you never know, I may add a chapter. We'll just have to see. Hope you enjoyed this chapter of Russian Roulette and please take the time to review!