Hundreds of lives rested on their shoulders, it was imperative that this mission should succeed.
In the darkness of the abbey stood two young boys and a girl. Not for many years had they been this close to freedom. They were standing right next to the rarely used door that would lead to their escape.
Months of planning had all been for this moment. The brown haired boy looked sadly at his companions. He himself could not escape with them. He had planned this, down to the last detail. Had led his two friends to the unused parts of the abbey. Where cobwebs clung to every surface and stained walls hid the mysteries of what might have happened here long ago.
Whatever had happened, it could not be any worse than what was happening in the used parts of the abbey.
Tears slid silently down his pale cheeks as he nodded a farewell to his friends of many years. He had to head back to ensure that no one at the abbey discovered their disappearance just yet. This was their only chance to stop what was going on at the abbey.
His two friends gazed back at him, faint flutters of a deep sadness and loss appeared on their usually emotionless faces. They knew their mission; they must go out of that door. From there it was only roughly a hundred metres until the cover of the nearby forest. They would keep on travelling until they came to people. From there they would contact Mr Dickenson, the director for the BBA. His yearly check on the abbey had been yesterday, so the odds are that he would still be in the country. He would help them to close down the abbey once they told him what terrors happened there.
Of course, the director's visit hadn't turned up anything. Boris was sneaky about that; he always shut off the lower levels saying that they were abandoned. He shut his more badly injured pupils down there as well, so that he didn't have to explain their wounds. The director had been suspicious but had had no proof.
The children could change that though, they were the proof. Their many scars from many senseless tortures spoke for themselves. They had witnessed events so horrible that even a grown man could be sent mad by the horrors that haunted their minds.
Suddenly the girl stepped forward and folded the crying boy into a deep hug. Her movements were stiff as if she was not used to displaying such affection. She was expecting her ninth birthday soon, although she didn't know when exactually. She only knew that it was summer, and her birthday was in summer. The two boys had been born in winter, so were a full six months older than her.
"I will miss you Jamie," she whispered to the boy before drawing back from his arms.
"And I you Kay" he answered, his voice slightly shaking. If this mission did not succeed then there was a very good chance that he would never see them again. Boris would never go lightly in their punishments; he had been known to go over the top before. Many a child had been dragged off by him to never return again.
Kay knew it too and she was afraid, she'd be an idiot not to be. Her long jet-black hair made her pale face seem even paler. Her wide blue green eyes shone fearfully from her childish face.
Jamie forced his tears to stop as the other boy stepped up to him. He always felt so weak when comparing himself to this boy. Even though they were the same ages, and the same heights the other boy seemed so much braver than he was.
Jamie took the slate haired boy's offered hand, grasping it in a sign of friendship.
"Take care of everyone for me, we'll come back for you and the others. Everything will turn out fine." The boy's crimson eyes glowed with sincerity, and determination. The confidence from his friend made Jamie feel a little better.
"I'll try my best Kai"
Kai nodded and without another word he walked to the door. He held out a hand to Kay, who after a last reassuring glance at Jamie. Slipped her hand into Kai's and headed out of the door and into the cold darkness of the night.
With a soft slam of the door, Jamie was left alone again. He shivered in the darkness, and then slipped away into the shadows to try and stop anyone from noticing Kai and Kay's absence.
Kay looked with disgust at the snow beneath her feet. She hated snow, hated the cold, hated Russia. Except, she did not hate her friends here.
Kai epically. A bond had formed between them that was so strong that sometimes it was like she knew what he was thinking and he knew what she was thinking. Sometimes even before she knew it herself.
Kai studied her with a glint of humour in his expression. He pointed to the line of trees that was around fifty metres away now. He tensed, preparing to run.
Kay understood, they had kept to the casting shadows of the abbey walls for long enough. They had to dash the remaining distance quickly in order to be free.
Kai ran fast across the snow, Kay joined him. Both were closing the distance quickly. Within a few seconds the trees loomed just ahead.
A look passed between the pair, they were going to make it. They were finally going to be free.
Suddenly a blinding pain spilt through Kai's shoulder and he faltered. He tripped, flying through the air until he landed in the snow, still too far from the trees.
He couldn't get up, blood poured from his shoulder to stain the pure white snow a filthy scarlet. Kay was yelling at him to move, but he couldn't. The bullet would hurt so much it was unbelievable.
He summoned all his strength to raise his head.
"Go" he said gruffly "Run!" he ordered. His burning crimson eyes met with Kay's worried aqua ones.
Kay gave a swift nod and turned toward to the forest. The look she gave him betrayed the fact that she suspected she would never see him again.
She had not gone two metres when a second shot rang out. The bullet penetrated her chest; she fell forward into the snow with a thud.
Dark crimson blood stained the snow around her. So much blood, her face was turned toward him and her eyes stared lifelessly into the distance. She was dead; she was dead because of him.
"KAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!"
A teenager sprang up from his bed panting. Sweat soaked his body, and terror shone from his crimson eyes.
"Just a memory" he told himself, trying to get his breathing to slow down. All he could see in the pitch black of the room was her face. How her eyes lit up when she gave a very rare smile, when she had been very young she had smiled a lot more. How she acted so grown up and childish at the same time. How she sat with him for hours when he was hurting, needing no words just the knowledge that she was there.
How all the life had been drained from her face when she had been shot. Her last words rang in his ears 'Please Kai, get up. We're almost there, Kai, please'.
Then she had ran, following his orders. Maybe if she hadn't run she wouldn't have been shot. She wouldn't have died.
He choked back a sob and drew his knees to his chest. She was dead because of him, and he didn't know what to do about it. He couldn't take it anymore, and he didn't know what to do about it.
It wasn't fair, nothing was fair. It hurt, this loss hurt even more than Boris's tortures and they hurt a lot. Even though it had been roughly six years ago, the pain was as fresh as the day he lost her.
"Kai?"
He raised his head to the voice, blinking as the bedside lamp was switched on casting light where there had previously only been darkness. His crimson eyes met amber ones; he'd forgotten that he shared a room with Ray.
Ray was shocked by the amount of pain held in that one look. Kai seemed so anguished and fragile, the demons in his nightmares still haunting him. Having shared a hotel room with Kai, he knew that the boy had been troubled by these nightmares ever since they had arrived in Russia for the tournament. That had been five nights ago, and so far it hadn't affected their progress. Although Kai had seemed a little distracted, he had trained them well and they were rising through the tournament nicely.
This time however it was different, all the other times he had gotten up to train or whatever else he did in the middle of the night. This time it looked as if he had given up. Ray hoped it wasn't some bad memory caused by being in Russia again. Although the odds are that it probably was. Ray braced himself and asked the oblivious question.
"Kai, are you alright?"
"I'm….I'm fine" Kai tried to regain some strength, to hide what he was feeling. But it's hard to do that when your best friends death keeps on repeating in your mind. He had forgotten his mission, even now when he was free and Boris and Volitaire were behind bars. He hadn't thought the countless children who he had set free from the abbey, almost by accident. What had happened to them?
"No, you're not Kai"
Kai shuddered involuntarily as Ray came over to perch on the end of his bed. He hugged his knees tighter to his chest, resting his head on them. He'd be able to stare anybody down in the morning, but right now in the darkness of the night the memories would not leave him alone. He felt like he was a little kid again, he hated the fact that Ray could see him at such a weak point.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
'Yes' Kai thought 'and they're still going through my head, all that blood'. Kai kept silent, not knowing what to say. It wouldn't change anything to tell Ray, she was dead. Telling Ray about her wouldn't bring her back.
"Please Kai, just tell me. If you tell me I promise I'll try and help in anyway possible." His amber eyes searched for Kai's crimson ones. When he met Kai's gaze he was startled to see the complete loss and lack of hope held in those usually fiery depths.
"You can't help" Kai said simply, his voice beginning to crack with untold emotion.
"Kai-" Ray started.
"No" Kai eyes held a glimpse of his former determination in them, and then it was gone. He lay back down in his bed, purposely facing his back toward Ray. He couldn't help, no one could.
"Just leave me alone" he ordered, his eyes glued to the wall.
Ray sighed gently and complied, climbing back into his own bed. He'd tried to help; hopefully Kai would let them in soon. He'd talk with the others tomorrow after their match.
Kai turned his gaze to Dranzer who he gripped protectively in his hand.
'Why does everyone have to die?' he asked the phoenix silently. His mind full of blood, screams, pain.
Dranzer glowed sadly in his palm; she didn't have an answer for that.
O.k I reposted this from a different title, cause I had problems updating the old one. Anyways, read and review plaese?