Ch.10: It Could Be A Wonderful Life
Rebel's P.O.V.
"Merry Christmas!" Nichole giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck.
Yes, it's Christmas. We survived the crash, barely. We were loaded into a helicopter and rushed to the orphanage, where they had set up a medic station. Only one life was lost. It was the baby.
Our 911 call was out on the news, adding more rumors and gossip, but mostly we were heroes. The humans on board with us have their testimonies of what happened, but we stayed in hiding. We were reunited with the others. I think it's safe to say that we will never ride in a plane again. Turns out, the H.R.S.C. wasn't after us. They were after a disguised CSM worker, Benny.
My arm was wrapped in ace along with stitches crossing over my abs from where glass and shards of metal cut me on my way to the surface. But one voice remained to be heard. Bethany.
The two year old had suffered a major concision when we crashed. She was in a coma, and hadn't waken up. They weren't sure she ever was.
I sat beside the hospital cot with my hands clasped in my lap, watching her little body. Beth was still and pale as the sheets. I knew she was going to die. I knew she was going to die and it would be my fault. I heard the door open, the whole gang strolling in. Ava laid a hand reassuringly on my shoulder. Eva sat down next to the bed, tears slipping from her eyes. Kyrstal kneeled down, bowed her head, and prayed. Lani, Sapphire, Holly, and Demi stood to the side, looking like they were at an open casket funeral. Cole, however, distanced himself from the others, standing in the corner. Peter and Blane tried to comfort a clearly upset Nichole.
I knew we were in the orphanage, but other than that I hadn't bother to ask really where we were. I hadn't looked around or really spoke with anyone outside the collation or family. After about fifteen minuets of them standing there, they left, Eva hugged me like the world depended before she was gone, though. Ava stayed, watching me. She waited for the door to close.
"Spill," She ordered.
"I'm tired," I dodged.
"Do you blame yourself?"
"For what?" I asked.
"Any of it. The loosing our parents, the plane crash?" She explained.
"No, of coarse not," I stood up, turning my back on her with crossed arms.
"I heard you wouldn't let Benny take a look at your stitches." Dang, she was persistent.
"I'm fine, Ava!"
That's when I felt her hands on my torso, lifting my shirt up. The only girl's hands that have been there is Alice's, and I attended for it to stay that way. I spun around, pushing her off. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Ava being the rock and the wall being the hard place.
"Rebel," She warned, stepping forward and following the same procedure.
I was blushing by now, speechless as she pulled my shirt up slightly and ran her finger across the stitches.
"You've torn one," Ava stated. She wasn't blushing, or even slightly shaken.
I pulled my shirt back down, side stepping away from her. "I'll live..."
"Come with me to get something to eat," Ava insisted, grabbing my good arm and pulling me to the door.
"I'm good." I pulled my arm back.
"No you're hungry. I can tell by your feelings. Now come on." She opened the door.
"But if Bethany wakes up..." I trailed off, looking back and feeling bad to leave the girl alone.
"Then Benny will come get her," Ava rolled her eyes, "Come on."
I hesitantly followed, walking down the tiled floors. This place was relevantly small. There were two floors and fifteen rooms, not counting the kitchen and living room. On the outside this place looked like a concrete block with a couple of windows here and there. On the inside it looked like a school, I guess. The tiles floors, cream colored walls, and all the rooms were built to hold a multitude of people. Like the kitchen, for instance. Long, rectangular lunchroom tables stretched throughout the room. There was about four, all filled with kids.
"Here." Ava handed me a tray stacked high with pizza, a carton of milk, and something that looked like broccoli.
"Yum," I grumbled. She pulled me towards a table where the rest of the family sat.
Cole chucked his empty milk carton at his sister Sapphire, but missed and hit Holly, who, in the process of trying to dodge, accidentally knocked Demi's tray off the table, resulting in broccoli spilling all over Lani's lap, which meant she screamed, hurting Peter's ears, causing him to tell everyone to shut up, making Nichole laugh and Eva face palm whilst Blane stole a piece of pizza from Kyrstal's tray.
"Hey! Guys this isn't the Christmas spirit!" Eva snapped.
"Our parents are potentially being tortured or killed brutally right now. You expect us to be in the holiday mood?" Cole growled. Everyone frowned and bowed their heads.
"What a buzz kill, bro," I frowned.
"But he's right!" Lani snapped, "Bethany is practically brain dead!"
Nichole wailed, throwing herself into Eva's open arms.
"Don't say that!" I snarled.
"It's true, isn't it?" Demi glared at me.
"The H.R.S.C. is on our trail and you do nothing but sit there and think about how you want your dumb girlfriend!" Peter added.
Im supposed to be the one who's pessimistic! I'm the guy who looks at the bad side of things! Not these kids!
They started fighting more, Nichole's soft cries mixing in. The stupid radio in the background started to spit out some tune of 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'. I hummed along, feeling an emotional breakdown coming on. I tend to sing when I get stressed. Creepy, I know.
I was sitting, my fork gripped in my hand as I glared down at my plate through the chaos around me.
"I am dreaming tonight of a place I love, even more than I usually do, and although I know it's a long road back, I promise you I'll be home for Christmas." I was singing pretty loud, my deep, clear voice echoing. "You can count on me."
"Please have snow and mistletoe," Holly sang along.
"And presents under the tree." Sapphire smiled.
"Christmas Eve will find you," Blane sang, unsure.
"Where the love light gleams." Demi covered her mouth, blushing.
"I'll be home for Christmas." Kyrstal giggled little.
"If only in my dreams..." I finished.
"That was the most corny thing I think I've ever heard. We literally just turned into a children's book or something." Ava frowned, disgusted.
I stood suddenly, rushing back down the barren halls. I needed to see Bethany. I needed to make sure she was okay and still alive because if she died I would let the fires of hell loose and track down the antagonists responsible for this. I'd shove a Christmas tree up their rears if I could. Sure, they had families, and yeah it is Christmas, but the holidays mean jack diddly squat in my book when you could've murdered an innocent child. If the baby of the group was dead, they were dead. End of story.
I sprinted into the room to find Benny watching her. She was asleep, her small form ashen under the blankets. Her blue hair was tumbled this way and that. I found myself longing to see her maroon eyes open, but then again maybe she needed the rest. This is what I was talking about with the connections. Hurting my family is a thorn in my side, a thorn I was too careless to dodge.
"She's alive, Rebel. She's still alive," Benny assured. I clarified that myself, slipping her arm out from under the bleached sheet and feeling the pulse.
"She hit her head pretty hard..." He added. I nodded solemnly.
"I should've known not to get on the plane," I sighed.
"No, son, that would've done no good. Fate is fate. You were meant to be on that plane and land us, just like the H.R.S.C. was meant to be shown its place." Benny protectively clapped a hand down on my shoulder. He nodded towards the TV where they were repeatedly replaying the 911 call. Every time I heard it I relived a nightmare. News reporters commented on every line. Witnesses were brought on. Our enemy, who the people long held onto as a savior, was being questioned, downed.
"I'll leave you to think, kid." Benny moved to the exit. "What you did yesterday...it was heroically rebellious. You have a good heart." Then the door closed and he was gone.
If only he knew. If only he knew that I was a coward in an armor of lies. I knew I was dastardly and fearful. Sure, I could probably lift enough weights and shoot enough targets to scare a man, but the courage was all a lie. Now instinct, instinct may have been what they mistook for bravery. The will to save my family overthrew my fears. After all, the animal inside wants to ensure the survival of my race. A random stranger wouldn't have been saved in that situation. At least, I don't think so. I'm no knight, or super hero. I'm a boy with wings and the need to live. A boy who is selfish and wrong. I've been falsely crowned.
"Shame?" I turned around to hear Ava. Nodding, I turned back around.
"Rebel, you're killing me." She sat down beside Bethany. We stayed in silence for a moment.
"Eva showed the others to their rooms. We met some of the other kids..." She started.
"What are we going to do?" I interrupted.
Ava sighed. "Angel is handling it."
"Yeah, she handled our plane tickets too."
"Reb, everyone is scared, ok? Stop adding to it. Angel is on our side. What happened was a mistake, a freak moment of bad luck. The H.R.S.C. was after Benny. They didn't know about us."
"Still," I grumbled.
"Look, Bethany is feeling at peace right now. You can stop worrying-"
"Shut up, Ava," I growled, tired of her treating me like we were still kids.
"What?" Her eyes widened as I spun around.
"Shut up! Close your mouth! I can't stand it anymore!" I yelled.
"What do you mean?" She asked innocently, standing up.
"Stop!"
"Rebel, stop what?!" She obviously thought I was crazy.
I grabbed her arms, glaring into her eyes.
"Stop acting like we're still friends! We aren't friends!" I explained.
"I know!" She shrieked, keeping the tears in her eyes at bay, "I know that!"
Then there was a brief moment of us staring at each other.
"We used to be more than friends..." Ava whispered.
Then I returned the hug she gave me yesterday in the cockpit. I pulled her to my chest and held onto her like there was no tomorrow.
Ava had always been the strong one. When we were younger me and Eva would just goof off, but not Ava. When Max was watching us one day after school and she went into labor with Blane, Ava was the strong one who arranged for us to get Max to the car and drive her to Dr. M's house. When Eva was out flying one day and crashed, Ava was the one who bandaged the wound. When a tornado swept through the town on our walk home Ava hid us in a ditch. She always was the strong one. She never showed any emotion, just told people about theirs.
Sure, when we were little there may have been more than a friendship brewing, but neither of us admitted it, no matter how hard Eva tried to get us to. Now, hearing Ava say it and seeing her feelings starting to overflow broke me down too. She wanted her parents, she wanted her friends, and she wanted to go home. Ava, the bird kid who never learned how to fly, was facing a harsh reality.
"You're not the same."
"I know, I'm sorry," I said, even though it felt as if I was swallowing cement.
"Mommy?" A little voice called. I let go of Ava and looked to the bed, where little Bethany was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.
I laughed, almost hysterically. The baby girl only raised an eyebrow, confused.
Benny stepped in right then. He noticed she was awake and started shouting the hall to someone. In a blink of an eye Eva was in the room, squealing. The others followed.
It was the most happiness and sheer cheer I've seen out of this group in a while.
"Best present ever!" Eva practically screamed, picking Beth up.
"I know this is gonna sound cheesy, but I think I believe in Christmas miracles," Sapphire said.
"Yep. We're the mutated version of 'Its a Wonderful Life'. Perfect."
REVIEW! I've been trying to put this up all night!