Ved searched the Mall for Chloe, trying to avoid Destiny. He finally found
her, with Salene, in the Café.
"Hey, Chloe" he said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he shot a look at Salene, "In private?"
Chloe nodded, and followed Ved up the stairs to her old room.
"Oh, Ved!" she said, "I've missed you so much, I...." she faltered at the look on his face. "What is it? What's the matter?"
"Chloe, I don't know how to tell you this, but when you disappeared, I was really messed up. I made a mistake, and I got taken away for it. But I was saved, and ..."
"By Destiny?" Chloe cut in.
"Yes, by Destiny. We've been through a lot and, well, we've fallen in love"
Chloe just stared at him. "You've fallen in love with a stranger? What about me, Ved? What about us? Did what we have mean nothing to you?"
"That's not it Chloe, that's not it at all. But the truth is that me and Destiny are together and I'm sorry that it's hurt you but I've got to follow my heart and my heart leads to Destiny."
There was a pause. "What, so that's it then?" Chloe exploded, "Everything we had is over, because of some, of some slut that you picked up on a rubbish tip somewhere? Don't bother trying to explain. This is all her fault. She's put you up to this, hasn't she? Did she tell you what she said to me once you'd left? No, I bet she didn't! Well, I'm going to tell her what I think of her and...."
"NO!" Ved yelled, silencing Chloe. "I'm with Destiny now Chloe, not you. I love her; I want to spend the rest of my life with her; I would die for her. We're happy; she's going to have a baby. MY baby! We're going to be a family. I don't want you to spoil that for me."
Chloe stood in stunned silence. "So what we had didn't mean anything to you?" she whispered.
"Chloe, I loved you, I still do" Ved said, "What we had was special, but now it's over. I've got someone else now, and I'm happy. I want you to be happy for me as well. I want us to still be friends. Can we still be friends Chloe?"
Chloe swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded at him, "Of course we can still be friends; I don't want to loose you either. But what about Destiny?"
"What about her? Chloe, I want you as my friend, and Destiny will understand that. I promise we will be friends."
Chloe smiled, and then, impulsively move forward and kissed Ved. Ved was surprised, but then found himself kissing her back. There was a noise from the doorway. Destiny stood staring at the two of them, her face a mask of shock.
"Destiny," Ved began, moving away from Chloe towards Destiny, "It's not what you think, I can explain..."
"I don't want to hear it", Destiny's voice was like ice. Ved moved closer. "Don't come near me" she warned.
"Destiny, please..." Ved said, still walking forwards. Destiny looked up at him and there was pain in her blue eyes.
"No, Ved" she said, "How could you? When he did not answer, she turned and ran away, down the hall.
"Destiny!" Ved called after her, but he was torn between following her, and staying with Chloe. She came up behind him and put her arms behind his waist.
"Ved, I'm so sorry..."
"No you're not", he said. "How could you? Why...."
But he was cut off suddenly by a scream from the hall. They both ran out to find Destiny struggling with a tall, muscular man dressed in brown. The rest of the Mallrats were gathered at the top of the main stairs, surrounded by more men dressed the same as the one holding Destiny. There was no escape.
"Do not move" the man holding Destiny called out, as she struggled vainly in his strong grip. "This is a personal quarrel between me and my wife!"
The Mallrats stared in amazement. Ved stepped forward.
"Leave her alone Carl. She doesn't want to be your wife; she never wanted to be your wife. You know the only reason she married you was to protect her sister, and a lot of good came of that."
Destiny gave a small sob of pain at the memory that Ved's words had pulled to the surface. She beat her fists in vain against her captor ... her husband ... her sister's murderer.
"Ah, the escapee!" Carl grinned. "Well, don't worry; I'm not here for you. I came to have a word with my wife, to see if she would come home." He looked down at Destiny in his arms, "It seems she doesn't."
His face took on a dark look. "By the time I've finished with her, she will". He released her and at the same time slammed his fist into her face. She fell to the ground, blood trickling from a cut on her lip. Managing to struggle to her feet, she shrieked at him, "Why can't you leave me alone. I hate you". She tried to hit him, but Carl caught her arm and twisted it. There was a loud snap and Destiny's face turned gray and she cried out with pain. Carl then struck her again and she fell to the floor. She attempted to get to her feet, but Carl kicked her, once, twice, three times. Ved ran forward to help her, but was held back by two tribesmen. The Mallrats watched in horror as Destiny tried to fight against Carl, but he carried on hitting her and kicking her, over and over. She stood no chance. The blows rained down on her. She managed to get to her feet again, her broken arm hanging uselessly down by her side, and tried to make a dash for it. Carl grabbed her and held her by the throat. "Are you ready to come home now, my pet?"
She looked him straight in the eye and, after spitting out some blood, replied, "I'd rather die".
Carl, angered by this, threw her against one of the old rusty railings at that separated the landing from a long fall to the floor below. The railing broke. Destiny tumbled to the ground, almost as Zoot had all those years before. She lay on the ground, unmoving.
"Nooooooooo", a strangled cry tore from Ved's throat as he tried to reach her, but he was held by the two men. Carl looked down at the body of his wife. "It seems you got your wish, my pet. Let's go men. Our work here is done". He smiled a nasty grin of triumph at what he had done and then he and his tribe turned and left the Mall. Ved, released, ran down the stairs to Destiny. The other members of the tribe held back as he hesitantly approached her. Kneeling down, he gently stoked her face.
"Destiny? Can you here me? Oh, please, please, say something, anything. Please don't leave me......"
"Hey, Chloe" he said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he shot a look at Salene, "In private?"
Chloe nodded, and followed Ved up the stairs to her old room.
"Oh, Ved!" she said, "I've missed you so much, I...." she faltered at the look on his face. "What is it? What's the matter?"
"Chloe, I don't know how to tell you this, but when you disappeared, I was really messed up. I made a mistake, and I got taken away for it. But I was saved, and ..."
"By Destiny?" Chloe cut in.
"Yes, by Destiny. We've been through a lot and, well, we've fallen in love"
Chloe just stared at him. "You've fallen in love with a stranger? What about me, Ved? What about us? Did what we have mean nothing to you?"
"That's not it Chloe, that's not it at all. But the truth is that me and Destiny are together and I'm sorry that it's hurt you but I've got to follow my heart and my heart leads to Destiny."
There was a pause. "What, so that's it then?" Chloe exploded, "Everything we had is over, because of some, of some slut that you picked up on a rubbish tip somewhere? Don't bother trying to explain. This is all her fault. She's put you up to this, hasn't she? Did she tell you what she said to me once you'd left? No, I bet she didn't! Well, I'm going to tell her what I think of her and...."
"NO!" Ved yelled, silencing Chloe. "I'm with Destiny now Chloe, not you. I love her; I want to spend the rest of my life with her; I would die for her. We're happy; she's going to have a baby. MY baby! We're going to be a family. I don't want you to spoil that for me."
Chloe stood in stunned silence. "So what we had didn't mean anything to you?" she whispered.
"Chloe, I loved you, I still do" Ved said, "What we had was special, but now it's over. I've got someone else now, and I'm happy. I want you to be happy for me as well. I want us to still be friends. Can we still be friends Chloe?"
Chloe swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded at him, "Of course we can still be friends; I don't want to loose you either. But what about Destiny?"
"What about her? Chloe, I want you as my friend, and Destiny will understand that. I promise we will be friends."
Chloe smiled, and then, impulsively move forward and kissed Ved. Ved was surprised, but then found himself kissing her back. There was a noise from the doorway. Destiny stood staring at the two of them, her face a mask of shock.
"Destiny," Ved began, moving away from Chloe towards Destiny, "It's not what you think, I can explain..."
"I don't want to hear it", Destiny's voice was like ice. Ved moved closer. "Don't come near me" she warned.
"Destiny, please..." Ved said, still walking forwards. Destiny looked up at him and there was pain in her blue eyes.
"No, Ved" she said, "How could you? When he did not answer, she turned and ran away, down the hall.
"Destiny!" Ved called after her, but he was torn between following her, and staying with Chloe. She came up behind him and put her arms behind his waist.
"Ved, I'm so sorry..."
"No you're not", he said. "How could you? Why...."
But he was cut off suddenly by a scream from the hall. They both ran out to find Destiny struggling with a tall, muscular man dressed in brown. The rest of the Mallrats were gathered at the top of the main stairs, surrounded by more men dressed the same as the one holding Destiny. There was no escape.
"Do not move" the man holding Destiny called out, as she struggled vainly in his strong grip. "This is a personal quarrel between me and my wife!"
The Mallrats stared in amazement. Ved stepped forward.
"Leave her alone Carl. She doesn't want to be your wife; she never wanted to be your wife. You know the only reason she married you was to protect her sister, and a lot of good came of that."
Destiny gave a small sob of pain at the memory that Ved's words had pulled to the surface. She beat her fists in vain against her captor ... her husband ... her sister's murderer.
"Ah, the escapee!" Carl grinned. "Well, don't worry; I'm not here for you. I came to have a word with my wife, to see if she would come home." He looked down at Destiny in his arms, "It seems she doesn't."
His face took on a dark look. "By the time I've finished with her, she will". He released her and at the same time slammed his fist into her face. She fell to the ground, blood trickling from a cut on her lip. Managing to struggle to her feet, she shrieked at him, "Why can't you leave me alone. I hate you". She tried to hit him, but Carl caught her arm and twisted it. There was a loud snap and Destiny's face turned gray and she cried out with pain. Carl then struck her again and she fell to the floor. She attempted to get to her feet, but Carl kicked her, once, twice, three times. Ved ran forward to help her, but was held back by two tribesmen. The Mallrats watched in horror as Destiny tried to fight against Carl, but he carried on hitting her and kicking her, over and over. She stood no chance. The blows rained down on her. She managed to get to her feet again, her broken arm hanging uselessly down by her side, and tried to make a dash for it. Carl grabbed her and held her by the throat. "Are you ready to come home now, my pet?"
She looked him straight in the eye and, after spitting out some blood, replied, "I'd rather die".
Carl, angered by this, threw her against one of the old rusty railings at that separated the landing from a long fall to the floor below. The railing broke. Destiny tumbled to the ground, almost as Zoot had all those years before. She lay on the ground, unmoving.
"Nooooooooo", a strangled cry tore from Ved's throat as he tried to reach her, but he was held by the two men. Carl looked down at the body of his wife. "It seems you got your wish, my pet. Let's go men. Our work here is done". He smiled a nasty grin of triumph at what he had done and then he and his tribe turned and left the Mall. Ved, released, ran down the stairs to Destiny. The other members of the tribe held back as he hesitantly approached her. Kneeling down, he gently stoked her face.
"Destiny? Can you here me? Oh, please, please, say something, anything. Please don't leave me......"