Hate, Envy, Loss, Love

by Mrs.Mason2

Hate was easy, Envy was natural, Loss was hard to talk about, Love was nearly impossible. Welcome To H.E.L.L. On Earth. Follow the story of two girls as their broken worlds collide with those of the Second Massachusetts Militia Regiment. A Falling Skies Fanfiction.

16. L is for Loss

Chapter 16-L is for Loss

Kaylee's POV

"Kaylee! Kaylee, wake up!"

My eyes cracked open to little Veronica Carter, Alyssa's younger sister, shaking me awake. Then I remembered that it was Christmas Day, and the poor kid had probably been waiting three hours until I woke up so she could open presents.

"Give me a sec, Vee." She ran out of the room Alyssa and I shared and I laid there a few seconds longer, just wanting to go back to sleep. But for Vee's sake, I would haul my tired self out of bed. I got up and somewhat brushed out my hair and readjusted the black tank top I was sleeping in and the black track pants I had on so I didn't look like I had walked through a tornado or something. Alyssa gives me shit about anything these days.

I walked out of the room and down the stairs to the little Christmas tree that we had gotten. Jay had gone out the night before with his "buddies" and probably wouldn't be back until tonight so it was just Alyssa, Vee, and I. Alyssa was in the kitchen most likely making us breakfast and Veronica was sitting on the couch in front of the tree trying to wait as patiently as possible. I smiled at her. "You're being really patient. Just a couple more minutes; I need something to wake me up so I can see your reactions better."

Vee grinned and I dragged my feet into the kitchen and sat down on the barstool where Alyssa was making pancakes and muffins. She didn't ever admit it, but she was a pretty good cook on occasions. Other occasions she blew up the microwave, but hey, that's what I was here for.

She slid over a coffee mug to me over the counter and then when back to making pancakes. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not much." I wrapped a hand around the mug to warm me up. I felt like shit and was tired as fuck.

"You look exhausted. Did you have a bad dream or anything?"

And it came circling back to me with the images appearing in my eyes again. Fire. Lots and lots fire everywhere. There was no escape and all of the people I loved were burning inside of it. That's about as much as I could remember before Vee woke me up.

"No," I shook my head and took a sip of the coffee. It was black, and ironically I liked it better than sweetened coffee. "Just staying up too late, I guess."

"You need to start going to bed earlier."

"Thanks for the tip, Mom," I rolled my eyes and took another drink before standing up again. "I think that if we make Vee wait any longer she'll have an anxiety attack."

Alyssa laughed. "I'll be right there." I walked back into the living room and told Vee to pick out a few presents to start with. Alyssa and I had been saving for awhile to get her some well deserved gifts and we had enough money to buy her a couple of really good ones.

"What did Santa bring you, Kaylee?" I almost smirked at that.

"I told Santa that all I wanted for Christmas was for you to have everything you wanted," I smiled and sat down next to the eleven-year-old. I had just turned fourteen five days earlier so I didn't expect or want anything for Christmas. That's what kind of sucked about my birthday being so close to the holiday. Almost all of the time Alyssa smothered me with affection both days and even though she was my best friend of all time, it made me sick to have to go with it every year.

"Okay Vee," Alyssa came into the room and sat next to me. "Go for it."

Vee opened all of her presents in a matter of twenty minutes and screamed at every one she got. Vee didn't think that we could afford all of the things we got her so she was really excited that we managed to get almost everything she wanted. Seeing her smile made it all worth it.

Watching her made me curious as to how she was such a happy kid. Her mom was killed when she was six and she has a pathetic excuse for a father, although Jay was always easier on Vee than he was on Alyssa. I guess she was too young to have established as many memories as Alyssa did with her mom and she was still extremely naïve about her father being a drunk and abusive guy. Vee was an inspiration for sure, and I had learned a lot from her.

"I got you guys something too," Vee smiled and ran into her room and dashing back out with two small presents sloppily wrapped in hot pink paper and ribbons. It took all of my self-control not to vomit at the color.

Alyssa opened her little box and a small bracelet that said "Sisters" on it was in the box and Vee held up her wrist to show that she had one too. "Now we can have matching stuff! Kaylee, open yours!"

I tore off the paper and opened the box and a gold necklace with two crossed revolvers was neatly tucked inside. "Wow, Vee. Thanks, I love it!" I put it on and looked over at Alyssa who was proudly wearing her sister bracelet.

I smiled at the two of them and how much they had helped me out through my life. I mean, Alyssa gave up having her own room that she had only had for a few months after Kenny went away and then my parents died and she welcomed me right into her room. She even gave up sharing her queen-sized bed with me since Jay couldn't afford a mattress and all of my personal belongings had burned or were sold. Vee was always thrilled to have me around, even before I moved in with the Carters. And I never heard them complain once about me being here.

"Is Cory going to come over for a little bit today?" Vee asked me, playing around with some of her new dolls.

Cory. Hadn't heard his name in a long while. He's been living with one of his friends, although our parents wanted both of us to live with the Carters and stay together. I never saw him anymore; I only got occasional glances of him through the gate when he was visiting his friends since he didn't go to our high school. He never called me, or checked up on me, or even visited. I know we aren't close, even before our parents' death, but why wouldn't you bother to talk with your sister for just a few minutes? "I don't think so, Vee. He's been really busy with school and hanging out with his friends that he doesn't have too much time on his hands nowadays."

"But you never see him anymore. Don't you miss him?"

"A little. But I'm sure he's doing fine." I think that one of the reasons why he didn't want to move with me was because he and Kenny were really good friends until he died. Cory probably didn't want to be reminded of him here.

"When was the last time you've seen him?" Alyssa whispered to me as Vee took her gifts to her room upstairs.

"The day our uncle dropped us off here," I said quietly. "That was the last time I've genuinely seen him."

"Do you think you'll see him again?"

I shrugged carelessly. It was almost like he wasn't even part of my life anymore. "I don't know. I really hope so."

Ben's POV

Something felt very, very wrong.

Just as I had finished replacing one of her bandages, I placed two fingers to her neck to feel how strong her pulse was.

Only there was no pulse.

I pressed harder to her neck to see if I just couldn't feel it or if everything I've feared of happening was about to become reality. Luckily I felt something after a minute of panicking, but it was the faintest pulse; I could hardly feel it.

And that's when I realized that she her breathing was actually stopping.

"SHE'S NOT BREATHING," I screamed to Jimmy and ran out the bus, yelling for Dr. Glass and shouting at people to find out where she could be.

Kaylee was dying. Right here, right now, and this time it was legitimately dying.

Dr. Glass was making her way to the commotion I was making and I ran to her and started dragging her to the Med Bus. Every second was a second closer to never seeing her again, and that was not something that was going to happen. "Ben! What's wrong?!"

I turned to her, quickly. "Kaylee's not breathing." I didn't even look at her reaction because I had shoved her up the steps and she began shouting orders to Lourdes who must've ran in when I wasn't looking. Jimmy was holding her left hand with her glove on his right hand, and he looked up at me when I walked in, tears gently falling down his face. I sat down in the seat I'd been sitting in the past week and took her frozen hand in my gloved left hand. And soon enough I was crying again too.

Alyssa ran in moments later as well as Hal and Matt, although I really wish Matt wasn't here to see this. Matt was unbelievably close to Kaylee (come to think of it he was the first of us Mason brothers to befriend her) and I knew he'd be messed up if she died. But I just didn't want him to see her go, because honestly I didn't want to be here to see it either. I knew though, that this is where I was supposed to be. If she dies, all of us will be here as she goes.

Anne was pumping her hands over Kaylee's heart while Lourdes was giving her oxygen with the little contraption they had that all you had to do was squeeze it to give puffs of air to the patient. I could somewhat hear Alyssa screaming and shouting at them, but I couldn't hear the words. My hearing was gone and my vision was blurred except for on Kaylee's pale face. She couldn't die. She was Kaylee Parker, and Kaylee Parker doesn't die, at least without fighting her hardest before going down.

This could be it. My last few minutes with her. I couldn't wrap my mind around how short yet long of a time I had with her. It's been nearly six months since she's been with us and I can't believe that I never spilled my guts to her about how much I liked her. And in those minutes, I swore to myself that if she lived and if I found the right moment, I would tell her everything. And I would live with no regrets.

My hands tightened around hers as hard as I could, trying to physically signal to her that we needed help on our end. This was a two way street; she had to fight from within as we fought on the outside.

I'm not sure if it happened or if I absolutely imagined it, but I felt the slightest, slightest squeeze back from her hand. That's the first time she's moved in a week and five days. I looked up at Anne, hoping that all was well again and that it wasn't my imagination that felt her squeeze my hand back. And once I made eye contact with Anne, I smiled.

"She's breathing. Slowly, but it should get better in a couple hours. Ben, if you were a second later, she would've died. You saved her life." That was a first. Usually she was saving my ass but now I finally saved hers. I'd say that we're even now.

"So how long do you think she'll be out?" Alyssa asked, calming down from the panic attack all of us just had.

Anne sighed, meaning that there was bad news about to be told. "I know that she just recuperated her breathing, but it doesn't change the fact of how brutally injured she is. This could just be one of many times that her heart will stop for a few minutes. Or if she continues to be as lucky as she is, she could wake up in a few days, but I'm not guaranteeing either option. She hasn't made any movements which is a weak sign coming from our end. A simple finger twitch, flutter of the eyelashes, or even a small shift in position is a good sign that she might come-to soon. But since she hasn't made any of those, I don't know if she's healing as quickly as we want."

"So even that she just stopped breathing for a few minutes and lived, she could still die?" Jimmy asked, staring disbelievingly at Anne.

"Yes. There's no promise that she will pull through, and there's no promise that she won't either. I just want you guys to be prepared for both."

I let out a breath I didn't even know I had been holding. Losing her…losing her meant losing everything. The 2nd Mass would lose their weapons manufacturer, one of their best fighters, and one of the friendliest fighters too. Jimmy, Hal, Matt, and Alyssa would lose a best friend, someone worth fighting for, and another reason to smile. I would lose the girl who means everything to me, the girl who has saved my ass countless amounts of times, the only person who even gave a damn about me when something bad happened, and most importantly, I would lose the girl I love.

Okay, I said it. I loved her. I love the way she smiles, her bravery, the way her attitude changes when Matt or any other kid is around, her voice, how she cares about everyone, the way she talks about music, and the way she holds herself, like no other opinion matters to her but her own. I love her eyes and the way they never let you guess what she's thinking, I love her laugh, I love how she never hesitates to help others, I love how she's not a girly-girl, and I loved how she speaks her mind and doesn't sugarcoat anything. I just loved her, and everything about her.

I can't believe I just admitted that.

"So what now?" Jimmy sighed, angry and sick of waiting, just like the rest of us.

"I guess we have to wait," I murmured.

"I don't want to fucking wait anymore," Jimmy muttered under his breath considering Matt was in the room and we all usually tried to veto our language a little around him.

"None of us do. But it's all we can do," I whispered back. I hated this just as much as he did, and honestly I couldn't handle much more of it.

---

There was a dark forest. Jimmy and I were by each other's sides, looking for skitters to kill near camp. The two of us had been out here for a few hours and hadn't seen any activity, and it was starting to get a little suspicious. We've had a skitter column tailing us for days, and they still haven't found us. The weird thing was that the 2nd Mass hadn't set up camp too far from the trail we were on, so why hadn't the skitters found us yet?

"Is it just me, or is it really creepy that they haven't shown up yet?" I asked Jimmy as we walked slowly through the woods.

"Really, really creepy," he replied moving aside some branches with his gun. "I don't understand why they-"

And as if to answer our question, a chorus of ear splitting screams rang throughout the air. The skitters invaded camp.

"JIMMY WE GOTTA GO," I yelled and we began sprinting back to camp, hoping that there wasn't any damage done to camp, or any lives lost.

Once inside camp, the two of us ran straight into a battle, a battle that was not going well. There had to be over fifty skitters from where I could see, but I did see that there had to be fifty more coming our way. When I turned to see Jimmy's face, he was lying on the floor, bleeding and gasping for air. When I heard another scream, I turned to see a skitter killing Anne and a skitter killing Lourdes. Everyone was dying; Dad, Weaver, Hal, Matt, Alyssa, Anthony, Pope, Dai, the Berserkers, and the civilians.

I raised my guns to kill the skitters around me, trying to find someone, anyone that was still alive and hiding. And that's when I heard her voice, screaming out to me.

"BEN, RUN!" Kaylee shouted to me. A skitter had her arms pinned behind her back and I knew that meant one of two things: it was going to take her to get harnessed or to the Overlords to torture information out of. As long as I was breathing, that was not going to happen.

I dodged skitters leaping into my way in attempt to get to the other side of camp to where the skitter was dragging an unarmed Kaylee Parker to an airship.

"BEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! GET OUT OF HERE!" She yelled and tried to get out of the skitter's grasp.

"I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!" I yelled back to her, and continued to run to her. But something pulled my arms back just as I was within three feet of her. My eyes looked up to see none other than Karen.

Harnessed.

She said nothing, but held me back. I heard another skitter behind me and then I heard something that still gave me nightmares to this day. The horrid squirming of a harness, and the occasional screech that it made. They were going to harness me again.

Karen grabbed the black handgun Kaylee had made me awhile back that was in my side holster. "Nice gun," she smiled and then shot it forward.

Straight into Kaylee's heart.

Just as she collapsed to the ground, my screaming stopped when I felt the needles of the harness reconnect with the spikes in my back and all of my thoughts stopped working. Everything was cloudy and fuzzy, and I started forgetting everything and who every dead body was on this ground.

Except for the girl with blond hair that was lying a few feet from me. I didn't know why, but it bothered me seeing her like that, and I yelled out at her, only to be shocked with a stick by Karen and tumble to the ground, everything I loved dead and gone, including my hope.

"Ben," a hand on my shoulder made me jump awake. Weaver stood before me, alive and breathing as well as an unconscious Kaylee Parker on the Med Bus table. I silently breathed a sigh of relief that the horrible nightmare was just a dream and hadn't actually happened. Then it occurred to me that I had actually slept, which explained the nightmare.

"Sir," I said, trying to regain my composure.

"Are you alright, son?" he sat next to me, looking genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What are you doing here, Captain?"

"Came to visit," Weaver motioned to Kaylee. "How's she doing?"

How long had it been since she nearly died? A few hours? A day? "What day is it today?"

"The thirteenth."

Four days. "She's been pretty stiff still. No movement in the past four days."

"But she moved four days ago?" Weaver peered at me from under his hat.

I shrugged. "I don't know, sir. She stopped breathing four days ago and has been out for two weeks and two days now. She hasn't moved at all since."

Weaver sighed and rubbed his tired face. "She's a daughter to me." Then Weaver looked at me. "As you and Jimmy are the sons I never had."

I smiled faintly at Weaver. "How do you do it, Captain? How do you face each day without losing hope?"

Weaver thought that over for a few seconds, then replied with, "I just take one look outside of my tent at all the kids, the fighters, and the civilians that depend on me to get them out of this mess, and I tell myself that I can't. A leader without any hope doesn't make sense, and neither does a fighter without any hope."

I nodded and then looked back at my best friend. I know that I've practically told you a thousand times about how much it kills me to see her like this, but I don't think you can seriously comprehend this. She was thinner than I've ever seen her, paler than paper, deathly still, and I couldn't even see her stomach since it was completely wrapped in bandages. But I could see the dark violet bruises underneath them, reminding me that she broke all of her ribs from the impact of falling into the water.

There's absolutely nothing worse in the world than seeing your closest friend, as well as the girl you love, lying on an operating table, nearly dead. My heart feels like it's been ripped out of my chest and sloppily returned back inside. And I just couldn't take waiting anymore. All I wanted to do was to scream and shout and yell at the unfairness of this and punch or kill something to calm myself down somehow. But I just couldn't do it. If she died, there would be time for all of that later. She's still breathing though, and that means that she could still make it through. I refused to be away for that if she did wake up, and I wanted to be beside her in her possible final moments.

Weaver had gotten up to leave since he was most likely needed for some kind of plan as to where we were headed after the airport hanger, and then I realized that Alyssa was here, helping other patients with Anne. I didn't even know that she had spent the night here.

The picture was still in my hand, and I took another look at our happy faces, wishing I could go back to that day and reverse all of this. I sighed quietly to myself and leaned my head against the bus's wall and closed my eyes. After that dream, there was no way in hell I'd try and sleep again, but resting was the closest thing to sleep I'd get to, so I just sat and tried to relax for awhile. But ever since I got my harness off, relaxing is the hardest thing in the world for me to try and do. I can hear every little sound in here; Kaylee's heart beating, patients breathing, the civilians talking a couple yards away from the Med Bus, Weaver talking in his tent to some fighters, and even the quiet footsteps of Alyssa's feet, which were headed in my direction. I felt her slip the picture out of my hand and I heard her pick up Jimmy's picture that he'd left here a few hours ago. He said he needed to just think for awhile, so he left to take a walk and set his picture down.

I opened my eyes and saw her puzzled face trying to figure out why the two notes had grammar mistakes on both. "If you put them together, they connect."

Alyssa looked up at me and then back at the pictures. She placed them side by side and then smiled a little. "She really cares about you guys."

"Yeah," I said smiling a little bit too. I just wish Jimmy and I could tell her how much we cared about her too. When I looked back at Alyssa, she was staring down at Kaylee probably wishing she could tell her how much she cared about her like us. "Don't worry about her, Alyssa. She's gonna make it. She's pretty damn strong, anyways."
"Yeah, she is," Alyssa smiled and then looked back at the pictures again. Dr. Glass came in and talked with Alyssa for a bit before she went to go to sleep. With the way that Anne's been working these days, I don't blame her. If I could sleep I would, because maybe then time would pass and Kaylee would be up and about again.

Alyssa's POV

"She isn't breathing," Ben said and Anne ran into the Med Bus, shouting orders at everyone. Hal and I arrived moments later with Matt right behind us.

"Anne what's going on?! DR. GLASS! ANNE!" No response. "LOURDES WHAT'S HAPPENING?! IS SHE OKAY?!" Nothing. "SOMEONE! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" I started to panic. Kaylee isn't breathing. That's what Ben said. That's bad. You have to breathe to survive. If you aren't breathing, conscious or not, you die in minutes. Oh my God. I tried to run over to Kaylee but Hal stopped me.

"Alyssa, give them a second. They need space."

"God damn it Hal! Let me go! I want to be with Kaylee," I said as calmly as I could, but he is stronger than me and he held me back. Tears started running down my face as I watched Anne give her CPR and Lourdes giving her air through a tube. Lourdes slowed down and she looked at Anne.

"Anne…" Lourdes started slowly.

"Lourdes, keep working," Anne said in a scary voice. Lourdes was about to protest but she didn't. Kaylee was turning a scary level of pale. I walked over to her and this time Hal didn't stop me. Kaylee was ice cold. Everything was deathly silent. Everything stopped. No one made any noise, even the people outside were quite. Anne and Lourdes started slowing down. It looked like this might be Kaylee's last few seconds. Then her chest moved; it was so small I was sure I imagined it, but Anne pushed on her stomach one last time and I felt a pulse return to her wrist. Anne must have seen her stomach move as well.

Ben looked up, his eyes watery. I looked around and I could see everyone let out a breath we had all been holding in. Anne and Lourdes looked relieved.

"She's breathing. Slowly, but it should get better in a couple hours," Anne announced. Then she looked at Ben. "Ben, if you were a second later, she would've died. You saved her life."

"So how long do you think she'll be out?" I asked.

"I know that she just recuperated her breathing, but it doesn't change the fact of how brutally injured she is. This could just be one of many times that her heart will stop for a few minutes. Or if she continues to be as lucky as she is, she could wake up in a few days, but I'm not guaranteeing either option. She hasn't made any movements which is a weak sign coming from our end. A simple finger twitch, flutter of the eyelashes, or even a small shift in position is a good sign that they might come-to soon. But since she hasn't made any of those, I don't know if she's healing as quickly as we want." So basically everything is the same as it was, still up to her.

"So even that she just stopped breathing for a few minutes and lived, she could still die?" Jimmy asked. That's what it sounds like. Leave it to Kaylee to put herself in that kind of situation.

"Yes. There's no promise that she will pull through, and there's no promise that she won't either. I just want you guys to be prepared for both," Anne said. Hal and I were about to leave but I stopped. He looked at me.

"I think I'm going to stay here tonight."

"Okay," Hal nodded. "I'm going to go help my dad and Weaver." I nodded and went and sat down in the driver seat of the Med Bus. Hal went over to talk to Anne then left and Jimmy and Ben were by Kaylee, talking about something. I leaned my head against the window and just sat there. Kaylee almost dying just now, reality hit me. Both of us had been in situations where we should be dead but aren't, and we were always okay. But neither of us had been this close to death. But now it's different. Anne said it herself that people don't usually survive the injuries she has even before the attack. Bu now with limited supplies and resources her chances are less. I guess all those times Kaylee or I were in situations where we should be dead, I took it for granted. They were, in a way, in our control. But now, everything is completely out of everyone's control and that scares me. I think I fully realized that today, just now. I wanted to spend more time by Kaylee because if this happens again, we may not be so lucky. I mean I always knew the circumstances were different but this is the first time I actually saw that. I mean Kaylee just fucking died and came back to life.

"Hey Anne do you need any help? I mean since I am gonna stay I might as well help," I pointed out.

Anne smiled, grateful for the help. "Sure. Would you go around and check everyone's pulse and give them water?" She quickly showed me how to fix their little bag of water things (I don't know the technical term) and I went to work. Anne has other patients besides my best friend, so I helped her with them for the rest of the day. Ben was constantly with Kaylee so I didn't need to worry about her. I helped with the other patients. That night I slept in the driver's seat of the bus.

Five minutes? Damn that seems like a long time to microwave microwaveable Chinese food. Meh, whatever, that's what it says. I looked at the instructions one last time. Unwrap packaging. There was another instruction that I couldn't read because of the wrapping but it was only like two words so it can't be that important. Next, microwave for five minutes. I put the food in the microwave and waited. After about four minutes it started to smell really good. I ran to my room to grab my phone. I was gone for like ten seconds. Ten fucking seconds

"ALYSSA! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!" Kaylee yelled. I ran into the kitchen and it was filled with smoke.

"What the fuck?"

"What the hell were you making?" Kaylee asked me.

"Microwaveable Chinese food," I said. She opened the microwave and more smoke rushed out. The inside was completely orange and the glass plate you put the food on was cracked in half. Kaylee picked up the food and looked at it. It was all burnt. And the house smelled like burnt orange chicken.

"What did you do?"

"I unwrapped it and put it in the microwave like the packaging said!"

"Alyssa." Kaylee looked at the food and then directly at me.

"Yes?"

"Did you add water?" Water?

"No. The instructions never…..oh shit." Okay so maybe the two words I couldn't see where a little more important than I thought. "Okay I didn't see that part."

"How is it that you can cook a steak with zero problems but when you try to use the fucking microwave you end up nearly setting the house on fire?"

We both started cracking up. It was pretty funny. Suddenly my sister walked in and we both stopped laughing. It was Wednesday so she had to come in at five because our dad was gonna be home at six and we needed to make dinner and shower before he got home so we could hide in our rooms when he did.

"Are we having Chinese food?" my sister asked and looked at us. Kaylee and I just started laughing again. Veronica walked into the kitchen. "Oh my God what happened?"

"No time to explain; we need to get this cleaned up," I grabbed my iPod and blasted music and we all danced around, laughing and cleaning the kitchen. It was a good time.

Kaylee's POV

"Time," I said panting slightly.

"5:02. Damn, Parker, three more seconds faster and you would've made a four minute mile," Alyssa crossed her arms with the stop watch in her hand.

I shook my head frustrated. "Shit. I'm gonna go again. I'm getting that four today."

Just as I was about to take off running our high school's track again, Alyssa grabbed my shoulder. "Dude you've ran six miles in the past half an hour. I think you should take a break before you faint or something."

I shook my head again. "If I'm going to make the cross country team next month or the track team, I have to train myself. That means running. A lot of running." I tightened my hair band and stood by the starting point where Alyssa was timing me.

She sighed and probably rolled her eyes too. "C'mon, Kaylee. It's summer! We're supposed to be relaxing, going to the beach, hanging out, you know, summer? Sound familiar? And you've dragged me down to the track everyday this week! You're really going to waste your last month of freedom before becoming a freshman and realizing how fucking awful high school is?"

"Yeah, pretty much. C'mon, the sooner you stop complaining the faster I run this thing and we can go home."

"You're buying me food after this."

"Just fucking time me."

"Ready, set, go."

I began sprinting as fast as my somewhat tired legs would carry me and soon enough I rounded the first corner of the track. Surprisingly, no one was down here. I mean usually you'd see the cool moms that would come walking to exercise or the awesome old ladies that actually came out jogging and gossiping with their friends. But no one was here apart from Alyssa and me. It was one of the hottest days (at least as hot as Massachusetts got) of the summer, but that didn't stop me from running. I would have just came down here by myself but carrying a stopwatch while running messed up my vibe and just made me anxious to keep looking at the time.

I realized I had passed Alyssa at least thirty seconds ago and I was already a lap and a half in to my mile. This was faster than I've ever pushed myself.

I still picked up my feet and widened my stride to go as fast as humanly possible. Being 5'11 had major advantages as well as disadvantages. For example, I had a great future in running because of my height and long legs to carry me further in distance. My middle school track coach told me that one of my strides was two or three of someone else's and that shaved a ton of seconds off my times which makes a world of a difference in running. But it also had its disadvantages as well. I weighed more than other short runners because of the muscles and longer bones that I had, so I seriously had to keep a strict diet and had to train longer and harder than everyone else. It's harder to keep running when you're weighed down and it even hurts your heart, especially at the speed I was going.

"Lap Three, Parker! Keep it up!" Alyssa yelled as I passed her again, dashing as fast as I could go. I needed that four minute mile. I've been working for it for the longest fucking time and I was sick of making early fives. I was going to get that four.

And that's when the most incredible thing happens to me. My ears silence every sound. All I can hear is my heart beating and my lungs breathing heavily from the running I'd been doing today. My eyes become unfocused. The only thing clear in the fuzzy vision I had was the track in front of me and my black running shoes running faster than they've ever been pushed. My whole body becomes numb. I feel nothing except the exhilaration of the air blowing in my face. I felt like I was flying because I've never ran like this. My mind forgets except for how to breathe. That's all I focused on, and that's all I could focus on since it's all I knew how to do in the moment.

Alyssa calls something to me, but I can't hear her. The only sound I was focusing on was the beat of my heart in sync with the beat of my feet. I ran another lap faster than the last and skidded to a stop as Alyssa clicked the stopwatch.

I bent over and rested my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath. Then I looked up at her, fearing the worst. Her face looked sad and slightly disappointed, so I assumed that I had gotten another 5:00. Fuck. Fucking hell.

"4:52," she grinned at me.

I just ran a four minute mile. Four minutes. "No way."

"Congrats, Parker!" Alyssa high-fived me and I smiled widely. After four years of training, I finally got a four minute mile. Finally.

"Congratulations, Kaylee."

My smile started fading and I looked to where the source of the voice was coming from and saw someone I wasn't particularly fond of, Alyssa's boyfriend. "Thanks, Zack." I walked a little away from them and went to get my water to drink. But I went back over to them since I just really hated it when Zack was around and kind of felt protective of Alyssa when he was near her.

"What are you doing here?" Alyssa asked and smiled up at him.

"Training for soccer, like you should be doing." Zack showed the soccer ball tucked under his arm and motioned to the goal on the turf in the middle of our track. "You should join me; I need a keeper, if you think you're good enough to block my shots."

"Like you could ever score a goal while I'm in the net."

And after that I stopped listening to their vomit worthy soccer couple talk and just started walking away to go home since my grandparents would be picking me up in a half an hour so I could spend the weekend with them. I took my head phones out of my track bag, slipped it over my shoulder, and began to run home.

Zack and Alyssa had been dating for nearly a year now. They met each other on the day of soccer tryouts since boys and girls tryout together, and it took her all of about two weeks to fall for his "brooding green eyes" and "tousled blond hair." And don't get me wrong, Zack was a pretty nice kid, but he was also going to be a senior in the fall. More importantly, I didn't trust him whatsoever. He's the kind of guy that gets what ever he wants, when ever he wants, and can schmooze his way through anything. Zack and Alyssa were both keepers and defenders for our high school's teams, so they spent a lot of time practicing together since we only had the one turf field for the soccer players.

Just the way he looks at her pisses me off. Zack thinks that if he snaps his finger, Alyssa will come running to him and do whatever he wants, and now I'm starting to think that he's worn her down enough so that she just might. Which terrifies me because if she makes a huge mistake, her entire soccer career and everything she's every worked for would be ruined. I don't know, I guess I'll just never figure out what kind of guys she's into since it's always the opposite personality of the previous guy she dated.

And Zack was trying to get me to be his friend or to actually tolerate him, since he knows that I don't like him. It's like he knows that if I'm on his side, he can do what ever he wants with Alyssa.

I outwardly sighed and realized I was home. So I took a speed shower and by the time I was dressed in my regular black jeans and t-shirt, my grandparents had arrived. I had got into the car, saying hello to both of them, and then slipped my iPhone (which I pay for myself if you're wondering) out of my pocket to text Alyssa:

I'm with my grandparents this weekend. Please don't do anything stupid.

I just really hoped she'd listen to me this time.

Alyssa's POV

I woke up and looked at the hand clock on the wall. It was six a.m. I started smiling. That was a fun night. We had tried to get the smoke out, and sorta managed but the whole house smelled for weeks. We had to literally sprint to the nearest Panda Express and buy a ton of Chinese food to explain to my dad about the smell and we had to keep him from going into the microwave until we could get a new one. I looked at Kaylee, then looked away. I wanted to remember the happy Kaylee, the one in my dream, not the one lying over there. I stood up and walked around. I checked on all the patients for Anne, who was taking a break. I filled their water things and checked the pulses. Everyone was going good, even Kaylee. I looked at Ben, who looked like he was sleeping but I knew better. He had something in his hand. I picked them up. They were two identical pictures. In the picture were Jimmy, Ben, and Kaylee. It was from not that long ago. They were all smiling and laughing. I put them back, next to Ben and one flipped over. I noticed writing on the back. I was curious so I picked them back up. They both had writing.

love you guys. Stay strong for me.

-KP 1/26

That was two days before the bridge. I looked at the other one.

We're gonna be in history books. "Dorky Best Friends Survive an Alien Invasion" they'll call us. Benjamin Andrew Mason, James Michael Boland, Kaylee Nicole Parker. Friends Forever, I promise. I

That is so sweet. Kaylee knew something was going to happen to her. She has always had a sense for that stuff. She can sense danger. It's weird. I wonder why there is a random 'I' there. Kaylee isn't one for grammar mistakes; she was a total grammar Nazi.

"If you put them together the notes connect." I turned around to see Ben. I put them together. We're gonna be in the history books. "Dorky Best Friends Survive an Alien Invasion" they'll call us. Benjamin Andrew Mason, James Michael Boland, Kaylee Nicole Parker. Friends Forever, I promise. I love you guys. Stay strong for me.

–KP 1/26

"She really cares about you guys," I said.

"Yeah." I didn't say anything, just looked at her.

"Don't worry about her, Alyssa. She is gonna make it. She is pretty damn strong."

I smiled. "Yeah she is." Anne walked back in. "I checked on all the patients for you. Everything is normal."

Anne smiled and looked relieved. "Thank you Alyssa." I smiled and nodded.

"You go to sleep Anne, I'll watch everything."

"Are you sure?"

"You need the rest, besides I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon." She nodded and sat down in a chair and was asleep instantly. I went and sat down on a spare chair and waited for everyone to wake up.

I think people are starting to lose hope. Nothing has happened with Kaylee, except when she scared the shit out of us and stopped breathing for a bit, but other than that nothing. I have started helping Anne and Lourdes in the Med Bus. It's getting cold again and the 2nd Mass is getting sick. Sometimes I sleep in the Med Bus, and luckily I never get sick. I remember once, everyone in our house got the flu, twice, and I avoided it both times. I guess I have a great immune system, which helps because I'm able to help the sick patients without getting sick, even Lourdes was sick for a day. I like helping Anne out a lot because it gives me something to do and distracts me. Today, I finished checking on the patients and Anne said I could take a break. I went outside and walked just a little out of camp and sat down on a rock.

"Alyssa," I turned around to see Matt standing there.

"Hey Matt," I smiled and patted the spot next to the rock I was sitting on, "care to join me?"

"Sure." he smiled and walked over and sat down. He looked troubled, like he had something to say but didn't know how to say it.

"What's on your mind?" I asked helping start the conversation.

"How's Kaylee doing?"

"Um, she's doing okay," my voice cracked. "She's still breathing, so that's good."

"Have you talked to Dr. Glass?"

"Yeah. She said it's normal for these types of things to take a long time. She said it could months before Kaylee wakes up."

"Oh," he sounded disappointed. We were quiet again. "Alyssa, I don't want Kaylee to die."

"I don't want her to either," I said. "Plus she can't die. She loves you guys too much to die."

"What if she does though?" Matt asked. He looked like he was about to cry.

"It's important we don't give up hope. If we think positive, positive things will happen but if we think negative, negative things will happen."

Matt smiled "You sound like Lourdes."

"Guess what? Lourdes told me that," I laughed a little. It felt good to laugh.

He became serious again. "It's hard to be positive sometimes," he said.

"Just think of this. It could be worse" I said.

"How?"

"Kaylee could be dead. She is still breathing isn't she?" I said. He smiled. I wrapped my arm around him and hugged him. I hate to see Matt going through this type of pain. It's not right. Matt thinks of Kaylee as a sister. She helps him like an older sister would. Matt already lost the one girl in his life that he looked up to. He doesn't deserve to lose this one either. Kaylee is the figure in his life that he looks up to, and I can't stand to see him lose that again.

Kaylee's POV

"So as you can see class, the data analysis of this graph is really quite simple once you know the rules. Here is the first data set…"

Not even math made me want to pay attention anymore. I just sat in my desk that was placed in the very front row, since my psychotic teacher felt it was necessary to keep an eye on me at all times, and tuned out every word. I knew all of this stuff like the back of my hand, and I was bored of just listening to Ms. Jameson going on about how to calculate the most basic problem ever. This was like Gunnery For Dummies class or something.

And I couldn't concentrate on anything but a dream I had last night. I was trapped in a burning building and no one could hear me screaming out a window for help. The worst part was it was so real; I woke up coughing and hot, which was really weird. I swear I thought it had actually happened to me. I've felt warm all day today and I haven't been able to focus, at least more than usual.

Alyssa was right about high school: it absolutely sucked. Everybody here knows about my parents since my brother's good friends with a lot of kids here, however I'm the freak of the family, so all of the hatred was bestowed upon me. Not that I care, I hate everybody here too. It's just getting a little annoying being called the emo nerd orphan with no friends, even though that's exactly what I was. Except for the emo part. I hated my life but I didn't cut. Four (they moved me up another hour in high school, another reason I hated this place) hours of counseling a day was enough, I seriously didn't need anymore.

Not to mention AJ was on my case every fucking day now. Our classes were all near each other since freshmen and sophomore classes were in the same hallway, so he loved to shove me around or trip me or just insult me. But don't worry; I haven't gotten in a fight with him since at least Monday last week, so it's getting gradually better. I just can't stand people who can't stand up for themselves. I hate people that cry, too. Like I've seen AJ push down this other girl (I can't believe it either; he actually bullies someone besides me) the other day and all she did was sob and beg him to leave her alone. I actually felt no pity towards her. I mean, who fucking cries when someone pushes them down? You just don't do that. You get off your ass and just keep walking. Or you can shove them against some lockers and punch them a couple times, but I don't want to suggest that you take the violent route unless you have no other choice. I prefer just handling it violently, but I usually end up in the principal's office and get three Saturday Schools or detentions. But it gets people to leave you alone a lot faster.

At least Alyssa and I were on the same campus now so I actually had someone to hangout with. But I also sat outside alone sometimes so she could spend time with her other friends too and so I wouldn't be a liability to her. And she was there to yank my ass out of fights before the principal came so I wouldn't have another detention.

"Kaylee Parker!" I perked up a bit when I realized that Ms. Jameson had been calling my name the past few minutes. I ignored her, and kept sketching in my notebook. I had an idea for a gun my uncle had told me about and I wanted to make it after school.

"What's the answer?" she asked most likely pointing at the board that I wasn't looking at. More silence. I'm sure the entire class, including Alyssa, were giving me WTF expressions, but I didn't care. I don't talk in classes, and that includes answering questions. Why? Because I do not give a single fuck.

"I know very well that you can hear me, Miss Parker." Ms. Jameson got really pissed off then, and grabbed my notebook and slammed it back down onto my desk to get my attention. I simply slid it back to my position and began drawing again, and the entire class laughed.

"Get out of my class, Parker. Go to the office, I'm sick of dealing with you myself." I cheesily saluted her, getting more laughter and an angrier Ms. Jameson for that, and tossed everything into my backpack before heading out the door. I saw Alyssa waving at me through the window trying to get my attention, but I just kept my eyes forward on the familiar path to the principal's office. I did this walk everyday, occasionally with the actual principal. But I just didn't care anymore. I wanted to get the hell out of high school, and as quickly as possible.

I opened the door and made an instant left and then another left into Mr. Villanueva's office, our principal. He didn't look surprised to see me. "Miss Parker," he greeted as I sat down, "Which teacher sent you?"

"Jameson," I said, trying not to roll my eyes. I dropped my backpack to the floor and took my usual seat in front of his desk.

"What did you do to upset Ms. Jameson?" Mr. Villanueva was doing paperwork and sounded pretty bored until I explained my "crime."

"I wasn't paying attention in her class."

The principal looked up. "Kaylee," he said disappointedly, "why weren't you paying attention?"

I shrugged.

"You're a much brighter kid than you give yourself credit for. You're a freshman in almost all sophomore classes. But if you keep ignoring lectures, you're going to have to be moved back to freshmen studies because you'll be failing your classes."

"I have an A+ in Algebra II, Mr. V. And trust me, I've been ignoring her lectures all year. And so what if I was failing all of my classes? I'm not going to college anyways."

"And why's that?" Mr. V was staring at me disapprovingly.

"Haven't we been over this? I'm getting my GED after I'm seventeen and then I'm joining the army."

He stared at me blankly.

"Maybe I told Mr. Gregory (remember him? Yeah, they sent him to high school with me sine he's the only one who really knows how to work with me) about it."

"You can't just quit high school! You have an amazing future ahead of you, Kaylee! Why would you ever want to quit?"

"Because I feel like I'm in elementary school again. The classes are way too easy, way too many bullies, and I just don't know who I am anymore, Mr. Villanueva. I figured I'd just do something useful with my life and serve in the army. Sounds like a pretty great future to me," I shrugged again.

"But-but," Mr. V was blanking, and he had no idea what to say to me, "aren't you afraid of dying or getting injured?"

"No."

He sighed and shook his head, scribbling a detention slip for me. "Just go back to class. I have nothing further to speak with you about."

I picked up the slip and turned out of his office. Thank God the bell rang and Ms. Jameson's was over, otherwise I'm sure she would've slaughtered me. But, Alyssa came running up to me seconds later and snatched the slip out of my hand.

"Three hours? What the fucking hell?" she stared at the time of three to six Mr. Villanueva had written on it. "Kaylee, why the hell were you ignoring Ms. Jameson? It's like you're trying to get into trouble as much as you can nowadays."

I took the slip back and slid it into my pocket. "See you at home." I turned around and walked away to a secluded hill no one came to and put on my headphones for lunch.

So what if I was getting in trouble a lot? It's not like it matters anymore anyways.

Alyssa's POV

It's almost three weeks. It will be three weeks exactly in two days. I was sitting in the Med Bus watching everything. Anne and Lourdes were outside talking. Anne told Lourdes Kaylee was getting worse. I walked over to Kaylee. Ben and Jimmy were both actually asleep, at the same time.

"Hey Kaylee, how are you doing? I don't know if you can hear me or not but I want to ask you something. Please wake up. Everyone really misses you, especially Ben and Jimmy. I do too. And Matt, he really does. It's been hard without you. Do you remember that one time I almost blew up the microwave? I was thinking about that the other night. That was a fun night. I need you to wake up Kaylee, we all do. Please? I sound crazy, talking to you. I don't even think you can hear me, but if you can, could you get better? Anne and Lourdes think your getting worse so if you could like help yourself and get better that would be nice. I'm going to go now. The people of the 2nd Mass already think I'm crazy, don't need to give them anymore reason. So yeah. Bye Kaylee. Get better."

Hal's POV

It's been three weeks exactly. Alyssa and I left the Med Bus and sat down on the table outside. I wanted to talk to her. We hadn't had any time together since she showed me Kaylee's song because we were both busy. We left camp and walked into the forest. I grabbed her hand.

"So now you're working in the Med Bus?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's fun. It's a way to be with Kaylee but keep my mind occupied so I don't have a mental breakdown. I like being by Kaylee," she said.

"That's good. So are you like Lourdes 2.0?" I asked

"Yeah. I have some experience with that stuff and Anne needs all the help she can get, with everyone getting sick now."

"How do you have experience?" I looked at her.

"Well with my dad and all. Plus, my sister always managed to hurt herself and I had to wrap whatever she sprained or broke. And Kaylee and I both played sports and I was the oldest. I had to know how to deal with that stuff." That makes sense.

"So how are you doing? Anne's worried about you and so am I," I looked at her. I saw sadness in her eyes I have never seen before.

"I'm fine Hal."

I stopped. "No you are not so don't lie. What's up? Like besides the obvious."

"I'm worried about Kaylee. Hal, it's been three weeks. It happened January 28th and its February 18th okay. Plus I'm just a little tense right now. I'm worried. I heard Anne talking to Lourdes and she said Kaylee is getting worse. Her breathing is getting heavier and it's harder for her to breathe now. I'm really worried, Hal. Anne said she didn't want to say anything but she told Lourdes to keep an eye out. She said her pulse is quickening then it will slow down and it hasn't been normal for about three days." Oh my God. Why hadn't Anne told us about this? "Plus, February is a month of death in my family. Everyone but my brother died in February."

"Alyssa. I want to tell you everything is going to be okay. I really do but I can't. I'm not going to lie so I am going to say this: No matter what happens I'm here for you. If something's wrong, come talk to me and I'll listen. I'm not going to lie and say I know how you feel because no one has a relationship with her like you do. I'm here for you I promise." I leaned down and kissed her, on the lips. I zoned out the world and focused on her and her only. I have kissed a few girls in my time, but kissing her is different. I get a feeling in my stomach I never have felt before. Soon we were interrupted by Anne.

"Hey you two might want to come see this" Anne said, she looked like she was trying to suppress a smile.

Kaylee's POV

AJ's been giving me problems again. This time I can't handle it anymore. It's literally causing me emotional pain to not be able to hurt him. I can't keep this up any longer. He's been filling my head with all of these thoughts and now I can't help but believing them. It's either I punch him and not let the truth dawn on me, or resist from killing him and letting the truth sink in. I was losing my mind, and more often than not I was thinking about how easy it was. Just one pull, and I was done with al of this pain and emptiness I felt everyday.

Just one pull.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT BITCH?!" I heard AJ's obnoxious voice (you'd think that puberty would've changed that, but it actually made it worse) shout down the hall. Just him being the drama queen he is. Like always.

I was walking when I felt someone yank me back by my backpack and then throw it across the hall. Take one fucking guess, I dare you.

"That was pretty rude," I said nonchalantly, walking over to where my backpack was, only to be stopped by The Royal Douche.

"YOU FUCKING RECKED MY BASEBALL BAG YOU ASSHOLE!"AJ shouted in my face. What the hell was he talking about?

"I haven't touched your damn baseball bag. You know, I'm one of many people who hate you. Ever think of checking with any of them before assuming it's me?"

AJ slammed my back against some lockers and practically got nose to nose with me. I was going to vomit on him if he got any closer. "I know it was you, Parker. You're the only one willing to stand up to me, so you're the only one willing to ruin my bag. I didn't think you'd be such a fucking emo about it. Spray painting it black was reallllyy smart for a freshman in sophomore classes. You think you're so fucking cool don't you?"

"Not really, no. Now, please, get the fuck out of my way." I shoved past him, trying not to fight him this time. If I snapped, there's no telling if I'd be able to stop.

But his voice stopped me. "You know what? This just isn't about my problem with my bag anymore. It's about my problem with you, Parker. You are such an ass wrapped around your own world and your own problems. No one loves you, no one will EVER love you. I'm sure your own parents didn't love you. You think that you're soooo cool because the whole world misunderstands you and because you wear all black and skate to school everyday. NOBODY CARES. Do you get it? No one cares about you! Even Alyssa doesn't care about you either! She told me about how you're just a useless piece of shit that night she got knocked up by Zack. And I believe it, 100 percent."

My palms were burning from how hard my nails were clenched into fists. This was a new low for him, and I could feel how badly my anger was spinning out of control. He was dragging my life into why he hates me and trying to get me to fight him so I'll get suspended or something.

He wasn't finished though. "You can't even throw a comeback at me! Is this the first time where you're not actually going to stand up to me and do the right thing by walking away? I knew you were all talk. You can't even try to be brave to throw a punch my way again. You're too afraid of getting in trouble, since you're a fucking priss now. No wonder your brother doesn't even talk to you, or even live with you anymore. I mean, if I was him, I'd be embarrassed to say I was related to you, too."

I turned and frowned at him. "I'm sorry, did I ask for my life story?" He just rolled his eyes, so I thought he was done with his pathetic monologue.

But he wasn't.

"So tell me, how did your parents die? Overdose? Driving drunk? Or did you kill them yourself?"

No. He was NOT going there. This was stepping over the line.

"I bet you did. There are so many things wrong with you that killing your own parents doesn't really shock me. But what kind of a freak does that? You've practically invented your own brand of freak, Parker. What, did you have mommy and daddy issues? Is that why you think you're too cool for anything and don't need friends? They probably deserved to die. Obviously they weren't fit to raise children. I mean look at you. You're a fucking mess! Maybe it's better that they're dead.

Maybe it's better that you're dead. Nobody wants you here, so what is holding you back? What is keeping you from just ending all of this now? Or is killing your parents too much killing you can do in one life time?"

And then I lost it.

I totally and completely lost it.

I ran towards him and shoved him against the lockers with my entire body weight and threw punch after punch at his chest. He elbowed my eye and shoved me away from him, but that only angered me even more. I yanked him downwards and put a knee on top of him and kept punching and punching his face, breaking his dumbass Raybans and making his lip swell and bleed. I was so furious I could feel some kind of moisture in my eyes. Killing my own parents? What kind of sick bastard makes that up?

People were shouting at me, but I didn't hear what they were saying. All I could do was beat him senseless, so senseless that he would never, EVER screw with me again. I was sick of the constant misery, the constant bruises, and the constant lies he was giving me. Every thing he's ever said to me was running through my mind and every punch I was hurling onto him was one protest against all of the lies.

AJ was unconscious, but I couldn't stop. He'd pushed me too far, and my anger was so out of control, more than it has ever been, and I couldn't seal it back into its bottle. I was so fucking SICK of him calling me emo and unloved and a freak. I was SICK of believing his shit and thinking that I should just pull the damn trigger on myself. I was SICK of him making me lose my anger and make me hate myself.

I was just sick of everything.

"GET OFF HIM! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!" someone shouted out and that only made me slow down before a policeman dragged me off of AJ. Yeah, our high school had police loitering around on occasion to make sure there are no drugs or violence and stuff.

I remember struggling in his grasp and trying to get out of it so I could continue to beat AJ's ass until he couldn't feel anymore, and then I remember seeing Alyssa's face in the crowd. I couldn't read her expression at all; she was extremely stone-faced and looking in AJ's direction, who was being taken on a stretcher to the hospital.

I, Kaylee Parker, beat up someone so badly that they had to go to the hospital.

I could've killed him. I would'vekilled him had the policeman not pulled me off.

I don't remember much after that, but I do remember being thrown into Mr. V's office. The air was so silent, it made me want to scream just so it wasn't so awkward in here. Mr. V motioned for the police to leave the room and was filling out paper work for the incident. No doubt about it this would make the Boston News tonight.

I just sat there, thinking about how ashamed my parents would be, thinking how ashamed Alyssa is, thinking how even Vee would be ashamed, and my brother would be so embarrassed when he heard. Anyone who knew about this would be ashamed. I was ashamed in myself. I couldn't even fathom how badly I injured him and how much of an idiot I was for not walking away when I had the chance. I let my anger get the better of me (again), and now it wasn't going to be okay this time.

My hands were folded in my lap and my head was hung down slightly. I didn't have the dignity to look at Mr. V's face, because I know it would break what little piece of heart I have left. I just wanted to know what was going to happen next.

"You almost killed him, Kaylee," Mr. V said softly, so softly it was barely a whisper. "You have no idea how upset I am in you. I honestly thought you were getting better at controlling your anger, that you were starting to get over your parents' death. But you let him get to you. I got a call from the hospital and they told me that he's in extremely bad shape and there's a small chance he'll even play baseball or football again. And his family decided to press full charges against you, which means that if your court date goes poorly, you're going to juvenile hall. Not to mention having more police come to the school embarrasses me to points that you'll never understand. You're a good kid, Kaylee, and I know that you have good in you somewhere, but I don't think that you'll be able to attend East Boston High School anymore."

I finally looked up at him. "So you're expelling me?"

"Not yet. I'm going to meet with the board tonight and tomorrow we'll have a verdict on whether you stay or go. I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Parker."

Miss Parker? Oh yeah, I was totally expelled.

A few hours later, I was with Alyssa on her couch watching a movie. I wasn't paying attention, even though nothing was distracting me. Vee was at a friend's so she wasn't asking either of us about things she didn't understand in the movie, and Jay wasn't here, so there shouldn't be anything distracting me from watching.

But I couldn't stop thinking about being expelled.

Of course they'd expel me. I mean, I nearly killed someone. And it would be so much easier for all of the teachers I had and my counselor if I was gone. So I knew for a fact that there was no way in hell that I'd still be going to school anymore. My only question was what was I going to do until I turned seventeen? What could I do with this on my record? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Hey did you hear that?" Alyssa asked, frowning slightly.

"Hear what?"

She blinked a few times and frowned, listening for whatever she had heard. Alyssa shook her head slightly and then resumed watching the movie. And then she grabbed the remote suddenly and turned the TV down. "That!"

I concentrated for a minute, trying to hear what she was hearing. It sounded like fireworks or something. I got up off the couch and pulled two blinds apart to see what the commotion was.

What I saw was giant spaceships in the heart of Boston, and the entire city on fire.

What. The. Fuck.

"Uh, Alyssa you gotta see this," I called to her, and she came next to me to see something that would change our lives forever.

Kaylee's POV

Ugh, damn what the hell? My head felt like someone had beat it with a baseball bat, my entire side hurt like a bitch, and my arm felt like it was on fire. What the fuck?

Oh right. I got blown off a bridge, shot five times, and coughed up like seventy gallons of blood all in the same night.

And lived.

I should be in a world record book or something.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, and nearly shut them again. It was fucking BRIGHT. My eyes had a total spasm and I had to blink six times to get them to refocus. Having extremely light blue eyes means that sun hurts them a lot more than people with darker ones. And that's when I looked at my stomach which was completely covered in white bandages. But there was this dark purple stuff underneath them. Did I break a rib? I must have since I hit the water pretty hard.

Then I realized that someone was holding my hand, but didn't realize that I was awake. I looked up to the owner of the hand holding mine to see none other than Ben Mason. How long has he been here? His eyes were closed and his face was positioned towards the ceiling, but I knew for a fact he wasn't sleeping. He was just "resting" or whatever the hell he calls it.

"Ben?" My voice sounded like I smoked ten packs day and like I've never drank water in my life. I coughed to try and clear it, but that took me about thirty seconds before it stopped. Ben still didn't respond. Was he actually sleeping?

"Ben." I tugged on his hand hoping that I wouldn't actually have to slap him for him to get up.

His eyes finally opened and he looked at me looking back at him. "Kaylee?"

"Hey," I smiled, glad to finally hear his voice.

Ben pulled me up swiftly and engulfed me in the biggest, tightest hug I've ever gotten from him, ever. My side burned and I nearly yelled at how badly it hurt, but I didn't care. I was home, home with the 2nd Mass and that's all that mattered to me. We sat there for what felt like an hour, but was only about ten or fifteen minutes. And Ben never loosened his grip for a millisecond.

"Are you crying?" I asked finally pulling away from him and looking into his misty eyes. They were a little red, like this wasn't the first time he had been.

"You have no idea how worried I've been. How worried we've all been."

"How long was I out?" I frowned. "Like four or five days?"

Ben just stared at me and then shook his head. "Three weeks."

I raised my eyebrows. "Weeks? Fuck." My brain then made a point to myself that if Ben was the only one here right now, it must be pretty late out. "How long have you been here?"

Ben smiled at me, just taking me all in as if I would pass out again at any second. Truthfully I was feeling really lightheaded so I wouldn't be surprised if I did. "I didn't leave."

It all came back to me then. How he ran me to the Med Bus after I fell to the floor, how he used his shirt sleeves to apply pressure to the blood, and how I asked him not to leave because everyone else had except for him. Oh my God.

I hugged him again, just as tightly as he hugged me. "Thank you," I whispered. "I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"Why didn't you tell us about all of the stuff going on before the bridge?"

I sighed, remembering how most of this started. "I didn't want you guys to worry, and I didn't want to be suspended from fighting."

"You should have told us," he said, holding me tighter if humanly possibly. "We've all been complete wrecks. You stopped breathing a week and a half ago for at least three or four minutes, and I saved your sorry ass from that I'll have you know, so we're even now."

I laughed and then started coughing again. Ben stared at me with a trying-not-to-be-obvious worried face and I rolled my eyes. "Calm down."

"Last time you did that you blacked out for three weeks; I have a right to be worried about you."

I rolled my eyes again. "You're such a sap."

Ben turned to a little counter in here and grabbed two pieces of what I think was paper. "You're the one who wrote this." He handed me two pictures, Ben, Jimmy, and I's picture. A little bit before we crossed the bridge, I wrote a little message on both of their pictures, just incase something happened to me so they would have a little message with them wherever they went.

"So what exactly happened after I blacked out?" I asked, setting the photos back in his hands and looking up at Ben expectantly.

"After two or so hours Anne and Lourdes told us about your inability to feel pain and what was going on with you before it happened, and then they told us that you broke all the ribs on your right side and some of your bones tore into your lung, which is why you had trouble breathing. And then a week and a half later you stopped breathing, I saved your life, your heartbeat would quicken all of the sudden and slow down for at least three days, and then you woke up. That's basically it."

I broke all of my ribs on my right side? Holy fuck. And I tore my lung. Damn. "Holy shit."

"Yeah, now you see why we were all so worried?" Ben laughed a little and I did too.

"I don't remember anything after blacking out, but I know that I felt your hand the whole time. Were you holding it the whole time?" I asked him, not sure if my mind made that up or if it was true.

"Yeah, I was," Ben said embarrassed slightly. "I was trying to hold onto you so you wouldn't leave us." I smiled and then looked down for a moment. Ben did too, and he noticed something that I was hoping he hadn't noticed already.

"How'd you get this?" he asked as he tapped my right hand's index and middle finger. I had a dark scar that went from the bottom of my middle finger to the knuckle of my index finger. Yeah, the scar literally connected itself in a jagged mess across two of my fingers. The reason why he had never noticed it before was because it was hidden underneath my gloves, and I never really wanted to mention it.

"You really don't want to know," I shook my head. One of the worst memories I have.

"Kaylee," Ben said making me look at him. "I'm not letting you push me away anymore. That nearly cost you you're life, and that's never happening again. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not going to judge you on what happened in your life before the attack. Just tell me," he said softly and looked at me with his tired eyes.

Ben was right. I had to stop hiding everything from him and from everyone. Even if he couldn't keep his promise on the not judging me part, he deserved to know.

I coughed again and then cleared my throat. "After my parents died, I had a lot of…problems you could say. Even after three years, I was still beaten up about it. And there was this kid, this guy that never left me alone. He did what ever he could to get inside my head or to make me as miserable as I could, and I was in the principal's office more times than you could count for fighting him." I awkwardly ran my hand through my messy hair and then continued, not wanting to look at Ben's face. "So one day, he pushed me over the edge and, um…" I trailed off softly, realizing how quiet my voice had gotten. I was still pretty touchy on the whole subject. "I lost control of my anger. And I had thrown him to the floor and punched the sunglasses off of his face, which is how I got this," I held up my scar.

"What happened?" Ben asked, his voice quiet too.

"A policeman dragged me off of him before I killed him. The principal told me that the kid I had nearly killed probably wouldn't ever be a normal kid again and that the parents were pressing charges against me. And then he told me that I most likely wouldn't be able to go to my high school anymore."

"You got expelled?"

"I would've, had aliens not attacked that night," I said, almost smiling at that.

Ben was dead silent, and I still didn't want to look up at him. "So back in Fitchburg, when Jimmy, me, and you were all talking about what we would be doing if the aliens hadn't attacked and you didn't answer it was because…"

"Because I would've been expelled," I finished for him. Ben stared at my eyes, trying to figure out if I was lying to him. Who the fuck would make up a lie like that?

"That was probably the darkest moment of my life, and there's not a day that goes by that I don't regret it. That's why I've been so ashamed to tell you about my past, because it's not pretty and-"

"Kaylee," Ben interrupted me, probably sick of me rambling. "Do you think I care about all of that stuff?"

Uh, well yeah.

"That's all behind you. You told me that when the aliens attacked, you got a chance to start over and be the person you wanted to become. And I know you did. Yeah, I'm a little shocked that you beat someone up to that point and nearly got expelled, but that's because we grew up in two totally different environments. All that matters to me is how you are right now, and you're one of the greatest people I've ever known."

Man, I loved having a best friend.

Dr. Glass walked into the Med Bus and dropped all of the blankets she was carrying. "Kaylee?!"

I smiled. "Hey, Dr. Glass."

She ran out the door to probably go get Alyssa, Jimmy, and Hal. Ben and I started cracking up.

"KAYLEE!" Alyssa screamed and tackled me in a hug.

"Fuck," I said as my side throbbed painfully. "Damn, Carter, you must've really missed me."

"It's good to have you back, sis," Hal grinned and gave me a hug too, which I accidentally flinched in the middle of. "Sorry."

I grinned back. "It's fine, bro."

"Kaylee Nicole Parker, you're so lucky that you're injured because if you weren't I would beat your ass," Alyssa crossed her arms at me, and tried to look all mad but I knew that she was happier than ever.

"Why?" I asked, smiling a tiny bit.

"For scaring the living shit out of all of us, multiple times. Are you aware that you stopped breathing for a couple minutes?"

"Yeah, Kaylee, how about you don't do that again," Jimmy said and gave me a really tight hug. I missed them all so much, more than I realized until they all hugged me now.

As I was sliding myself off the operating table when Anne pushed me back. "Whoa, Kaylee you need to take it easy for at least a few days before even thinking about getting up."

I just stared up at Anne. "Dr. Glass, I've taken it easy for three weeks. I think it's about time I got up and started gaining my strength back." Before she could protest, I slid off the table. And almost fell back down had it not been for Ben and Jimmy.

"Thanks guys," I smiled as they were on either of my sides supporting me. Deciding to walk on your legs for the first time in three weeks was a lot harder than it sounded. Not to mention half of my ribs were broken and now I had some kind of lung problem along with four different sets of stitches in my chest. That tends to change the easiness of walking for some people.

Despite the fact that every time I took a step I felt like screaming out curses, I was really happy to be out of the Med Bus and back into camp. I missed seeing the civilians and fighters and I missed the openness of the 2nd Mass's campsite. Quite a few of the civilians stopped me and talked for a few moments with me because they were relieved that I was up and walking around. It feels like it's been ages sine I've seen everyone's faces.

"Kaylee?!" Hanna's voice called in astonishment as Ben, Jimmy, and I continued walking.

"Hey, Hanna," I smiled as she gave me a brief, painful hug. Blake was by her side too and he gave me a little hug as well.

"I can't believe you're alive!"

"Me either," I laughed a little as did Ben and Jimmy. I don't know how someone survives all of those injuries, especially during an alien invasion and little medical supplies.

"I didn't think I'd be able to tell you how grateful I am for what you did out there. Thank you," she said softly and hugged me again.

"It's my job," I said back to her and then smiled. "I'll see you around, Hanna."

And then Ben and Jimmy proceeded to bomb me with questions. "Who is that?" Jimmy asked me and looked over at Hanna and Blake walking away.

"Hanna Collins. She was found by the 2nd Mass awhile back and that little kid is her son, Blake."

"What did you do for her 'out there'?" Ben questioned me. Oh God, here comes another lecture.

I coughed a little at how cold the air was out here. My lung was killing me. "Back on the bridge, these beamers came flying over us so Weaver told everyone to run across on foot. I was about to cross when Hanna grabbed me and said that she couldn't find Blake so I stayed behind and found him when the mech and skitter columns came. And now that I think about it, I probably took a few shots while protecting the kid."

"Damn," Ben said shaking his head. "You're the bravest person I know."

"Seriously," Jimmy agreed and we continued walking around.

The three of us caught up on everything I had missed in the past few weeks. Apparently the 2nd Mass had moved into an airport hanger and were about to move out again, up into the mountains for the winter. Ben and Jimmy told me that none of them had really done much in the weeks that I was out since they just didn't have it in them. I for one thought that was a bull shit excuse to not fight, but I tried putting myself in their position and I could see where they were coming from. I had really missed the two of them. They were the closest friends (apart from Alyssa and Hal) that I had ever known.

"Kaylee? Is that you?" Weaver's commanding voice called me over as he and Tom were walking by us.

"Yes, sir," I grinned and gave him my classic cheesy salute and Weaver actually gave me a hug, which was totally weird since Weaver is not the touchy-feely type whatsoever. But Weaver was like a second dad to me and I could imagine that I was like another daughter to him, too.

"Thank God you're okay! You had everybody so worried."

"It's good to see you up again," Tom smiled and nodded at me.

"Believe me, they told me all about it," I motioned to Ben and Jimmy and looked back at Tom. "Thanks, Tom."

"Are you alright?" Weaver asked me. "That was a pretty fast wake up you had."

I leaned a little on Ben and Jimmy and shrugged. "Half of my ribs are broken, I have five different sets of stitches, I'm positive my breathing will never be the same again, and Ben and Jimmy have to help me walk. But I'm alive, and I'm up, so I guess I'm doing pretty okay."

"We need to have a celebration," Weaver stated with Tom, Ben, and Jimmy nodding in agreement.

"No we really do-"

"Don't be ridiculous. We nearly lost one of the most important fighters that keep this regiment alive. We're celebrating. C'mon, let's go!"

Ben and Jimmy dragged me over to a wide area that had a bunch of crates and people hanging around, including Hal and Alyssa, who were sitting a little too close for me. I know they're in a relationship and what not, but lately Hal had been reminding me of one the boyfriends Alyssa had before the attack. I know that Hal could never compare to that asshole, but the intimacy between the two of them was a lot stronger than it was when they first going out and even a few months after. I just can't stand to see her broken again.

Jimmy and Ben set me down on a crate next to Alyssa and then they both pulled up one on the other side of me. The Berserkers were here, as well as a number of the civilians and fighters. Pope, being the total drunk ass he is, brought beer and other alcoholic beverages that I couldn't tell you the name of, even though I grew up with Alyssa's dad.

Lyle started passing around beers to everyone and even offered one to Hal. "Here you go, kid." Just as Hal reached to take it, Tom intervened.

"He's a little young to be having beer," Tom said raising his eyebrows at Lyle.

"Aw, c'mon, Tom! He's done a good job in the field lately and deserves a drink! He's old enough to handle it," Boon protested.

Tom sighed and looked at Hal. "Just this once."

Tector then looked at me and handed me one too. "Here you go, Parker."

"Pass," I said pushing the beer away from me.

"C'mon, it's not that bad!"

"I'm fifteen," I said looking at Tector as if he was an absolute dumbass.

"So?" I laughed at that and shook my head. Tector was a total dipshit. Either that or he had started drinking before I had walked over here. "Fine, Carter you'll take one right? You're a big girl. Look, even your boyfriend's having one." Hal rose up his beer and took another drink.

"Sure why not?" Alyssa took the beer from Tector and I instantly took it back and gave it to Tector.

"Oh hell no. Not after last time."

"What happened last time?" Hal asked, looking back and forth between us.

Alyssa and I both got a little more serious when he asked that. "Nothing." That was Alyssa's story to tell, not mine.

"What? Just tell me."

"No. Just drop it," Alyssa said aggravated.

---

The last few days have been absolute hell for me. Anne's been having me do this kind of "physical therapy" type thing, even though I wasn't an athlete with some kind of hurt joint or recovering from a surgery, well kind of. But after the first few hours of that, I told her that the only way of me getting strong again was to go out on the battlefield and fight, even though she totally disagreed. And since she's the doctor and everything, I had to listen to her.

Then the next day, she had to rip out all of my stitches and sew them back up again because of how much damage the mech bullets left and she didn't want to take them out when I was unconscious since there's no telling what could happen with me knocked out. And let me tell you, that has got to be on my top ten of most painful experiences I've ever had in my life, getting shot five times and breaking all of my right ribs being the first. I'm positive that all of camp heard me cursing from the bus, and Ben and Jimmy were freaking out when I walked out. I've managed to walk by myself now, but it's at a slightly slower pace than I used to walk at.

I've pretty much gone back to not sleeping almost ever. Sometimes I get about an hour of sleep, but mostly it's just a half an hour to forty-five minutes. If I even tilt my side in the slightest, my whole entire torso is on fire. So if I do sleep, it's in the most uncomfortable way imaginable. I wasn't really all that concerned about being really sleep deprived, since Weaver wouldn't let me back on missions either because I was in pretty bad shape still. And I guess after some thought I could see where Dr. Glass and Weaver were coming from. If I was to get even slightly injured in the field, my body could just give out instantly or I could die on the spot. But that didn't change the fact of how much I hated waiting around and not fighting.

But on the bright side, Ben, Jimmy, and I have gotten to hang out a lot more often now. Weaver said he wanted the younger fighters to take a little break from the war and just have time to be kids again, and all of us appreciated that. I know I didn't know that it had been three weeks since I had spoken to both Ben and Jimmy, but it was like my subconscious knew that and something inside of me missed them. They were the dorkiest, most annoying, cocky, and flat out fucking stupid people in the entire world, and most importantly they were my best friends.

Day five of me being awake was the day Ben, Jimmy, and I finally wore Weaver down enough to where he let us go on a perimeter patrol which was not as easy as I thought it would be. But he gave in eventually, and now here we were, on patrol at ten at night.

"See anything?" Ben's voice whispered to us as we trekked through the woods. We were a bit away from the perimeter of camp, and honestly I knew that if Weaver found out we'd be in a shitload of trouble, but Ben said he had heard some skitters and decided to take us out farther than we were supposed to go.

"Nope," Jimmy sighed. He was a little aggravated too.

"Keep looking," Ben instructed.

Jimmy looked at his compass and then back at Ben. "We're only supposed to be patrolling two bits from the perimeter."

"Don't worry; I know my way back to camp," Ben said to make us feel reassured, only it didn't work in the least. Then suddenly the three of us saw a skitter out in the open. "See that?" Ben ran forward to a hiding spot where we could still see them and Jimmy and I followed after.

I took my Calico and started aiming through the block of wood at the skitter's head, waiting for the right moment. It stopped moving for about three seconds, and all I needed was one to blow a bullet straight into its head. I smirked. "Three weeks out and I still got it."

"Nice shot," Ben said, genuinely impressed. The three of us walked over to it to check it out.

Jimmy poked the skitter with his gun and then took a step back. "Ugh, that's nasty!"

"Dumbass," I laughed as Ben pointed out that the bullet I had used would do that to it. And then the skitter rose up and nearly attacked Jimmy had Ben not grabbed it by its neck and shoved a knife up into its mouth.

"I thought it was dead," Jimmy said a little breathless.

Ben smirked. "It is now."

On our way back to camp, I was silent. I really hoped that Ben wouldn't lead us out that far again, since I really wanted to stay on duty and I did not want to start any issues with the three of us if I backed out of going with them. Plus I didn't really like the idea of being alone, because if I got ambushed by some skitters or mechs, there's no way in hell I could out run them or survive if they attacked me. Ben needed to cool it with the idea of going out of bounds to kill skitters, even if I wanted to kill them just as much as he did.

I mean, they nearly took away my life. I know that I never really cared about it that much in the past, but now it's all I had left. Now I had a purpose in life and now I had people that cared about me. Before the attack I used to sit in a basement making unneeded weapons for my collection, and now I was making them for a resistance regiment in an all-out war against aliens. How many people get to say that?

And randomly my ears picked up some kind of sound close by. "Do you guys hear that?" It sounded like Pope's voice…and was that Tom's? We all peered through the trees and saw Pope talking to Tom who had his hands tied behind his back as well as the Berserkers surrounding the two.

"What the hell did he get himself into now?" I muttered to them. "Here's the deal. Jimmy, stay back here and shoot towards the group to freak them out a little. Ben and I will go and take down Pope." The three of us nodded at the plan and then waited for something to happen. Pope grabbed Tom by the collar and shoved him when Jimmy pulled his trigger and shot near Pope's head.

"WHAT THE HELL?" He yelled out and Ben and I ran in. I grabbed Pope and stuck one of knives to his throat and Ben pointed a gun at his head.

"Drop your weapons!" Ben yelled to the Berserkers who had all of their guns pointed on us. "I said, drop them," his voice reinforced, this time a lot more threatening.

Jimmy shot some more bullets over our way and they all freaked out a little more. "He won't miss next time," I said plainly. Pope rose up his hands in surrender and his crew slowly dropped their weapons.

"Hey, Mr. Mason!" Jimmy said grinning at Tom for a split second and then turning his attention back to the group. And who ever thought that a group of three teenagers couldn't take down a group of killing-crazed adults?

"Jimmy?" Tom asked questioningly. Oh fuck. "What're you doing out here?"

"On our way back from patrol," Ben clarified.

"You are a long way from the outer perimeter," Pope pointed out, and he sounded pretty pissed off about it too. Maybe it was a good thing that we had gone far out. Tom came over and punched Pope to the ground, and then Jimmy took Pope's rifle.

"What're we gonna do about them?" Ben asked his father.

"That's for Captain Weaver to decide." My revolver dug farther into the convict's back, and Ben dragged him from the ground and back to camp, where Weaver decided that the punishment of Pope and his Berserkers would be to rot in a school bus for the night, which seemed pretty suitable to me.

Alyssa's POV

OH MY GOD ITS KAYLEE! AND SHE'S AWAKE! AND SITTING UP! It took me a couple seconds to process what was happening. That Kaylee was awake and not dead.

"KAYLEE!" I ran over and ambushed her in a hug.

"Fuck," Kaylee said raspily, "Damn, Carter, you must've really missed me."

"It's good to have you back, sis," Hal grinned and hugged her. She flinched. "Sorry."

Kaylee smiled. "It's fine, bro."

"Kaylee Nicole Parker, you're so lucky that you're injured because if you weren't I would beat your ass," I was trying (and failing miserably) to be serious.

"Why?"

"For scaring the living shit out of all of us, multiple times. Are you aware that you stopped breathing for a couple minutes?" I said. She smiled.

"Yeah, Kaylee, how about you don't do that again," Jimmy said and we all hugged her again. Then she tried to get up.

"Whoa, Kaylee you need to take it easy for at least a few days before even thinking about getting up."

"Dr. Glass, I've taken it easy for three weeks. I think it's about time I got up and started gaining my strength back." Then she stood up and nearly died. Ben and Jimmy had to catch her before she fell down and killed herself.

"Thanks guys," The three of them left. I started smiling.

"I can't believe she is awake!"

"I know." Hal said. "It's crazy right?"

"Okay everyone out. I need a break," Anne smiled so Hal and I left. Hal grabbed my hand and we walked around. I saw Jimmy, Ben and Kaylee talking to Tom and Weaver. We followed them over to spot with a bunch of crates and sat down. Pope brought out a bunch of beer and passed it around. I haven't had good experiences with beer in the past but hey, everything's different now. Might as well try.

Lyle offered one to Hal. "Here you go, kid." Hal was gonna take it but Tom had other ideas.

"He's a little young to be having beer," Tom said.

"Aw, c'mon, Tom! He's done a good job in the field lately and deserves a drink! He's old enough to handle it," Boon pitched in.

"Just this once."

Tector offered one to Kaylee. "Here you go, Parker."

"Pass," Fine then Kaylee be the responsible one.

"C'mon, it's not that bad!"

"I'm fifteen," Kaylee said.

"So?" Everyone laughed. "Fine, Carter you'll take one right? You're a big girl. Look, even your boyfriend having one" Hal raised his up.

"Sure why not?" I smiled and accepted the beer.

Kaylee took the beer from my hand and handed it back to Tector. "Oh hell no. Not after last time," Kaylee joked.

"What happened last time?" Hal asked

Kaylee and I became serious. "Nothing," we both said. It was a rather dark time.

"What? Just tell me," Hal insisted.

"No. Just drop it." I said, serious. Hal must have taken the hint because he gave up and went back to his beer.

Kaylee has been recovering okay. It would have been better but she doesn't allow herself to get better. She is so fucking impatient it's not even funny. She's already up on scout missions and perimeter patrols and stuff. I kinda feel bad for Jimmy; he looks so tired. Ben and Kaylee don't sleep and they always go out on night perimeter patrols and Jimmy wants to go with them so he very rarely sleeps. The exact opposite of Hal and me. We mostly sleep and hang out around camp. We don't go out much. As we speak, Hal's asleep. He has been all day and we are going out for supplies tonight. He needs to get up. I jogged over to the Mason family tent and started shaking Hal.

"Hal get up. Hal get up. Hal get up. Hal get up. Hal get up. Hal get up," I laughed. "Hal get up. Hal get up."

"Alyssa. Go. Away."

"NO! This is what you get!" I yelled while laughing and he smiled.

"I'm not getting up."

I went back to shaking him "Hal get up. Hal get up." He rolled over and faced the other way. "Oh so you want to play like that?" He laughed. I grabbed his arm and pulled him off of his cot and he fell to the ground. "Get your lazy ass up. Now!" I stood over him and smiled. His face was priceless. Part terror part surprise.

"Damn you're strong, for a short person." He stood up and picked me up "But I'm stronger." He started tickling my stomach (I am very ticklish) and laughed and screamed. Hal put me down on his cot and grabbed a shirt from his bag. The he took off the one he was wearing and before he could put it back on, Tom walked in.

"Hey Hal." He put his gun down, and then noticed me. "Hello Alyssa." He looked between Hal, who still didn't have a shirt on, and me. "Am I interrupting something?"

"What? Oh no!" Hal said.

"Are you sure?" Tom asked awkwardly.

"Yes Dad! I'm sure!" Hal said, frustrated. Tom just watched us both. No one said anything. After a few minutes of the most awkward silence I hopped off the cot and left.

"Well I guess I'll meet you out front," I said to Hal. "By Tom!" I jogged back to our tent. I started looking through my gun for some ammo. I finally used all of the stuff Kaylee gave me when we first arrived at the 2nd Mass. I couldn't find any in my bag but I found my old nunchucks. I hadn't used them since the day we first met Hal and Ben. I placed them on my bag and started looking through Kaylee's bag. I found the bullets and other fancy stuff I had no clue what it was or how to use. After staring at the stuff for like five minutes I finally found some normal bullets I recognized. I loaded my hand gun and my AK 47 assault rifle and grabbed a few extra rounds and strapped it all to my belt, with my rifle on my back. I grabbed a hoodie and left. Hal was waiting outside by a truck along with Dai and Anthony in another truck and Weaver and Tom beside the trucks.

"We are low on everything so grab whatever you can find." The guys left. "And you two, no messing around. Be quick." With that, I hopped in the passenger seat and we drove off.

"So why do I get the feeling your dad told Weaver about earlier?"

Hal laughed. "Yeah that was awkward. Sorry about that."

"So do you have any ideas were we might find stuff?" I asked.

"No clue."

"Great. Neither do I. Let's see what happens."

"Well okay then," Hal said. We kept driving for about twenty minutes and I got an idea.

"The highways! Find a highway and we should find stuff." He looked at me "We are staying at an airport right? So there should be hotels and food stores and stuff around here. We just have to find a highway."

"Alright." It took us about fifteen minutes to find the highway and we drove for a few minutes and soon we found old restaurants and food stores, pharmacies, hotels, and gas stations. And the best part of it is it wasn't picked through yet. First we went to a gas station and filled up a few things of oil and gas; we could only find enough to fill two of each. Then we ran into a food store and grabbed tons of canned food, still good fruit, vegetables, beans, and lots of other stuff. We filled six shopping carts with food, plus cases of water. It was a pretty small store and even though aliens haven't been here, people had been. Then we drove over to a hotel and ran through rooms, grabbing blankets and towels and packets of tooth brushes and at the pharmacy we got medicine and first aid kits and wraps.

"Hey, why don't we go by the other gas station and see if we can find more gas?" Hal suggested.

"Okay sure," I said and we drove the car over and pulled it under the shelter where you would normally get gas. We searched around the place but only found one gas can so we filled it up and put it in the back. The back of the truck was filled so we got some rope and tied it down. Then all of the sudden it started raining, pouring rain. And since we couldn't get the stuff in the back wet and we had to wait there at the gas station until it stopped. It rained for three hours and when I thought it had almost stopped it picked back up again. It was around one in the morning and it was freezing.

"Hey you wanna help me start a fire? I found some wood inside." There was a little shop where you could buy like cigarettes and Gatorade and crap.

"Sure," I grabbed a lighter and he set up the wood and we had a fire going. We sat down, really close to each other, trying to keep warm and defrosted our hands and feet. I started shivering. It was so damn cold. Hal took off his jacket and put it over me then he wrapped his arm around my waste and pulled me in. I laid my head down on his chest.

"Thanks," I said.

"Anytime." His jacket was really warm and fuzzy. Three more hours passed and it was still raining. "I wonder if it's raining at camp," Hal asked aloud.

"I don't think so. We are about forty five minutes from camp and there are so many trees. Plus it wasn't nearly this cloudy when we left."

"True. So tell me something about yourself no one knows," Hal said randomly.

"Well, Kaylee knows everything about me so no one but her knows that I have an obsession with stuffed animals. I love them and had like fifty before the attack." He laughed. "Your turn."

"I did drugs once. Marijuana."

"You're not the only one who did bad things in school," I said.

"What did you do?"

"Well let's just say I have had some drinking issues in the past."

"Your sixteen years old! How have you had a drinking problem? !"

"I have drunk before. Got drunk once, got in trouble, and made some mistakes. I don't drink anymore."

"What happened? Was it really bad?"

"You know those kids you see in school that just don't care, don't try, and are failing? The ones you look at and think 'Wow you're such a fuck up.' The ones who get in trouble for cussing out teachers. I was one of those kids. I hung out with bad people. My boyfriend's friends did drugs and smoked. Like I said, bad people. Not the type you hung with."

"But what did you do that was so bad?"

"Besides the fact that I've got wasted at fifteen years old? Lots of stuff," I said harshly. He picked up from my tone that I didn't want to talk about it so he dropped it. I was glad he did. He reached into a bag by him and pulled out a can of fruit, two Gatorades, and two forks.

"Dinner time," he smiled. We sat there in silence and ate our fruit and drank our Gatorade. It was amazing. We talked about stuff, mostly our lives before the attack.

"Okay my turn. One subject I was horrible at, easy, Spanish" he laughed. "Do I look like I am supposed to speak Spanish?" I'm the whitest person. "Most people tan over the summer, I burn or I look like a saltine cracker. All white with a little light brown spots." He just starts cracking up.

"My worst subject was probably Math." I laughed. We just sat there. It was about four o'clock. It rained for another hour then stopped. Hal and I jumped up and ran to the truck and drove back to camp as fast as the truck would let us. We didn't want to get stuck in another rain storm. It took us forty five minutes to get back. When we pulled up, Tom and Weaver were waiting for us, and they looked pissed.

"WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?!" Weaver yelled.

"Did it rain over here?" I asked.

"DON'T AVOID MY- wait what? Did it rain? No, why?"

"We got stuck in a rain storm. It poured rain for at least five or six hours straight. We were waiting it out under a gas station," Hal said.

"Wait so you found supplies?" Tom asked.

"Oh yeah we did. We filled the truck up and had to put some up front with us. Plus there is still more stuff we just couldn't fit it all in the truck. We wanted to come back but it's too late now. We'll go back tomorrow night," I said.

"Right now we want to sleep."

"Oh, no you don't. We need help around camp. Citizens will be waking up soon and we need you two helping out," Weaver said.

"But first you two can unload this stuff," Tom added. So we went and unloaded everything, we filled up vehicles with gas and stored the rest. We stocked the Med Bus with all the stuff. Anne and Lourdes were both asleep and there were no patients. They are gonna wake up and find all this stuff. Next we refilled all the food and random supplies we got. By then it was around seven a.m. and the citizens were up.

It was a very long day. We had to sit through this horrible long meeting and I didn't hear a thing they said. And we had to head back and collect more food. Anne and Lourdes were incredibly great full for the medical supplies. Finally it was around nine o'clock and we were allowed to go sleep. Hal and I headed to our different tents and I put on some sweats and fuzzy socks and instantly fell asleep. About an hour later I heard the tent door opening up, I looked up to see Hal walk in.

"Our tent is right by Weaver's and the meeting tent and they are all being loud as fuck." He groaned. Then he walked over to my sleeping bag, slid in next to me and wrapped his arms around me. The two of us fell asleep like that, in each other's arms.

Kaylee's POV

So about an hour or so later, I was taking the ammunition I had made for the week to the meeting tent when Ben ran up to me and pushed me from behind. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" I yelled, dropping practically all of the boxes. "You just gave me a fucking heart attack you asshole!" I slapped his shoulder and he just grinned at me. Bastard.

"I'm just trying to get even with all the times you sneak up on me."

"At least do it when I'm not carrying something!" I slapped him again, this time hard.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, geez. Let me help you with those." Ben reached over and picked up a few of the boxes, and I took all of them and stacked them into his hands. "Okay, really?" he looked at me from around the boxes.

"Yeah, really. That's what you fucking get for making me drop them all!" I rolled my eyes and we walked to the meeting tent basically cursing at each other the whole way there. Sometimes I really question why I curse so much, but then I realize that I've had no parental guidance for the last five years and then I understand why. It's pretty bad, I mean Ben never used to cuss back then and after we became friends he started doing it and I kinda feel responsible, but whatever. Jimmy did too so I guess it's both of our faults.

Once we dropped the ammunition off, we started our evening walk around the airport hanger. It was really nice, since there were only about twenty fighters up right now watching the skies and the roads and no one was bothering us or being really loud. I really missed this. And then I remembered something I had been meaning to bring up since we had gotten back from the mission. "Hey, Ben can I talk to you about something?"

"Anything," Ben said glancing at me and then looking forward again.

We were walking by the mess area and I had to stop and lean on a table because I was coughing. I had probably gotten the cold (I seriously have the worst immune system ever) that was going around camp and with my lung and my ribs it burned like hell to cough and I couldn't stand by myself to do it either. I learned that when I was coughing in my tent and fell over onto the ground because my ribs hurt so bad to cough and stand.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked and immediately was at my side.

"Calm down I'm just coughing." I rolled my eyes and coughed again, this time harder. Holy fuck why was I coughing so much?

"Why are you leaning on the table?"

"Because if I don't I'll fall over," I said while leaning on it a little longer before deciding that I would be okay for a little while. Then Ben and I started walking along again.

"So what's up?"he wondered and this time looked at me for my answer.

I sighed a little, knowing that this conversation wasn't going to end well. "Ben, we can't keep going so far out from the perimeter of camp."

As soon as his eyes hardened, I knew that this was probably going to be a pretty bad fight. "Why?"

"Because tonight, that skitter could've easily killed Jimmy, or even me or you. More importantly, we're disobeying orders and you know how much that pisses off Weaver and your dad."

His cold eyes were just about searing mine. "But it didn't kill any of us and the more skitters we kill, the quicker the aliens get off the planet."

"But you're missing the point, Ben. It's stupid and it's reckless; two things that get people killed," I stated. If I hadn't been so stupid and reckless on the bridge than I wouldn't be in a hell of a lot of pain and have a bad lung.

"No, you're missing the point," his tone of voice got angrier and louder, "Kaylee these aliens took my mom away from me. They took my dad away and nearly killed him too. And they took my normalcy away. Everyone here at camp treats me differently because I have spikes in my back and because they think that I'm still wired to them somehow. The skitters are out there right now taking the same things away from tons of other kids and robbing them of their freedom to live how they want to. You don't understand how much this means to me when we kill more and more of them. You had that shot of being normal and are lucky enough to still be normal…" Ben trailed off.

I just looked at him. "Normal? You think I'm normal?! I'm a fifteen-year-old solider fighting in a war with aliens, not to mention making weapons for a militia regiment! That is not normal."

"And you thing that having spikes sticking out of your neck and having crusty skin on your back is?!" Ben shouted right back into my face.

I let out an aggravated breath. I can't let this fight get out of hand. "No. My point is that when everything fell to the aliens, normal went along with it. We don't have a fucking clue about what 'normal' is anymore. And I honestly couldn't care less about that. This is our new normal now. Fighting in a war at the age of fifteen, having spikes in your back, people getting killed, never seeing loved ones again; that's what's normal now. It's just about time that we accepted it and moved on."

Ben sighed at me, and I wasn't really sure if he was pissed because I was right or pissed because he hadn't finished making his point. "It's not normal to me. It's not normal to anyone, and the way I see it, the only way for the world to be normal again is to kill every last skitter we see."

I was silent for a moment, debating in my head what to say. So I unzipped my hoodie, grabbed my tank top, and pulled it up so Ben could see my stomach. The bruises were a hell of a lot more visible now that the bandages were off, and the stitches were already scarring around my skin and even bruising. "Believe me, there is nothing I would like more than to kill every single one of those bastards for doing this to me. But I have to consider the safety of my patrol mates, and I can't do that if I'm outside of the perimeter shooting skitters."

Ben stared at every stitch, every bruise, and every scar. He didn't say anything at all, and finally I let my shirt fall and zipped up my hoodie again. My best friend just stared at me, trying to figure out some sort of way to argue with me because I knew he had nothing. One look at my stomach would make a surgeon want to throw up.

"So we can't keep going far okay?" I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to okay me back.

"I can't promise that. But I promise that I'll be more careful," Ben promised me, and for that moment I believed him.

The next night, the three of us went on patrol again to the same area we went to the night before. We had been stationed there for a few hours, and hadn't seen skitters for most of the night, but when they came out, we were prepared for them. Awhile back, Pope taught me how to make a "Dragon's Breath" round for guns. It was basically some chemicals mixed together that when you pulled the trigger, fire came out instead of bullets. The rounds were pretty efficient for getting rid of skitters, but you had to be fast and smart about where you aimed the fire. I had shown Ben and Jimmy earlier, and we were going to use it now.

"What're they doing?" Jimmy wondered as he looked though his classic Mossberg 500 shotgun (he's been using it since the day I met him) trying to get a clear shot.

"I don't know," Ben said in a voice that was either intrigued or disgusted. "I see no mechs with them."

"That's weird," I remarked. Mechs were always around skitters…so why weren't there any here?

"The one with the red eye creeps me out," Ben looked revolted at the sight of it. I clicked my round into place and handed Ben and Jimmy one too. I was a little nervous to be out again, but Ben, Jimmy, and I were smart and loaded, so we would be alright.

Ben stared at the round I had handed him. "Is that one of the Berserkers' Dragon Breath rounds?"

I nodded. "Pope showed me how to make them. Figured it'd be worth a shot to see how they work. Total flamethrower. I got two of them and I gave you guys one. Use it wisely."

"Let's toast some cockroaches," Ben smiled, as did Jimmy and I. And then my fucking cold started giving my lung a hard time breathing and I started coughing really loudly. SHIT! The skitters made a weird screeching sound and turned our direction. The three of us ducked and I tried my hardest not to curse out loud. I just totally blew our cover.

They began heading over to the log we were hiding behind. Jimmy was about to get ready to pull his trigger when I put my hand on his gun. "Wait for it…" I whispered with my eyes glued to the skitters' nearing positions. "Wait for it," Ben echoed to Jimmy who was getting uneasy by how close they were getting to us. And then when they were inches away from the log, Ben yelled, "NOW!"

Jimmy and I jumped up and began spraying the skitters with the fire rounds we had. I torched one and Jimmy torched the other and they instantly dropped down until the one with the red eye was left standing back. Ben ran forward and tried to stab it with his butcher knife, but the skitter flipped him onto his back and knocked the wind out of him. I came after it next, shooting at it only to have it dodge my shots. So I tried taking Ben's tactic from a different angle with one of my knives, but the skitter shoved me out of its way, so forcefully that I collided on the ground and skid a ways away. And to make matters worse, I had what Anne told me was an asthma attack of some sort, and I couldn't fucking breathe or move from my spot on the ground. Also I hit a rock and tore open some of my stitches so I was bleeding again.

Ben was yelling at me something that I couldn't hear over my loud gasps for air, and Jimmy was shooting at the extremely intelligent skitter who knew how to dodge these bullets and our knives. Jimmy must've ran out of ammunition (you'd think he had learned his lesson after last time) and he decided that taking his gun and running full speed at it might knock the hideous thing out, but it didn't.

And the next thing I knew, my best friend was flying in the air and hit a tree with so much force, I don't know how he didn't die right then and there.

Then I saw a bloody branch sticking out of his chest.

"JIMMY!" Ben shouted and got up from his winded position. I still couldn't move; my lung was throbbing and my side was burning. I had to get up. Jimmy was in serious trouble.

The red-eye skitter turned to Ben and when he tried to stab it, the skitter raised its hand and Ben literally froze where he was standing and dropped his knife to the floor. Then his spikes started to glow. "BEN!" WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON?!

After several moments of fighting to get up, I forced myself to my feet and run over to Ben and the skitter. When I shoved the skitter, it shoved me right back and I collided into Ben who surprisingly caught me and we didn't both fall to the floor. His spikes weren't glowing any longer and the skitter was walking away, like nothing had even happened. "Are you okay?" We both asked each other at the same time, since either of us had just gone through something pretty awful.

I ran over to Jimmy as soon as Ben let go of me. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I yelled as Ben was by my side in a blink of an eye. Jimmy was impaled on this tree, still conscious. "Jimmy, you're gonna be okay," I said, getting a knife from one of the holsters I had and began cutting the branch from behind him. Oh my God, this was bad. Really, really fucking bad. Ben held Jimmy up on the tree and I did too as we both worked to cut this branch from the tree so we could get him to Dr. Glass. Jimmy was wheezing and doing the same thing I was when I passed out from the bullets, not to mention how badly he was already bleeding.

It felt like hours before we cut through, but we did eventually, and the moment he was free we started sprinting, faster than either of us had ever sprinted in our lives. Ben and I were soaked in his blood, and as we were sprinting I realized that we were both badly cut as well. Ben had a bleeding gash on the side of his forehead and I felt a gash on my cheek that was bleeding too. But not a single amount of the pain I was feeling and how awful my lung was feeling mattered in the least to me. Jimmy was dying in my arms right now, and I had to get him to camp before he went.

The two of us instantly started a commotion when we ran into the airport hanger. Weaver and Tom started cursing at us when they saw Jimmy wounded and then ran over to us to help get Jimmy into the Med Bus as quickly as possible. My heart was racing, and it wasn't from how far we had run, but from how terrified I was. Jimmy can't die. He won't die. He…he just couldn't.

"It's a good thing you guys left the branch still in place. He would've lost a lot more blood otherwise," Lourdes told us as we set Jimmy on the table.

"Give me the tray! And a lot more gauze!" Anne yelled to Lourdes. "Scissors?!"

Ben and I were standing right next to each other, frantically watching as Anne tore Jimmy's shirt open with the scissors to start getting the branch out. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. This isn't happening, I thought to myself, this is just another nightmare. It has to be.

"Let's get out of here, you two. They need to work," Weaver murmured to us.

"I'm not leaving him," we said in unison as we clutched the side of the table he was on. There was no way in hell I was leaving my best friend.

"We need to talk!" Weaver grabbed both of us and yanked us out of the bus. Hal and Alyssa had run up to Tom, Weaver, Ben, and I knew this wasn't going to be good. "What in the hell were you three doing out there, Ben?" Weaver spoke so angrily that I nearly flinched.

Ben looked at Hal and then back at me, silently asking me if he should lie. I closed my eyes briefly and shook my head and then Ben returned his attention to Weaver and his dad. "H-hunting skitters."

"Hunting?!" Hal butted in and Ben and I looked at him. "Is that what you were doing when you found Dad last night?!" Way to be an asshole, Hal. Way to be an asshole.

"What were you, Jimmy, and Kaylee doing hunting skitters, Ben?" I felt really bad that Ben was getting all of the lashing for this when it was my fault too, but I think that since I had just started my healing process I was let off the hook a little, when I really shouldn't be.

"They put spikes in my back, they killed Mom, they killed everybody! I need a reason?!"

"Like we don't see enough combat; you have to go looking for it?" Weaver stared straight at him, and I had to turn my eyes away because I was so ashamed in myself.

"'til every last one of those things is dead, then yes," Ben murmured the last part."

Tom started exchanging looks with Weaver, Hal, and Alyssa, and then said, "Hal, take your brother back to the tent. Get him cleaned up. Alyssa, take Kaylee too."

"No, I'm going back to the Med Bus," Ben said softly.

"You can't go around camp looking like that!" Tom yelled sternly. "Go change first." Hal grabbed Ben's arm and pulled him towards the Mason tent and Alyssa grabbed my arm and pulled me towards ours.

"Don't touch me," I yanked out of her grasp and walked ahead of her to our tent. I pushed the flap open angrily and grabbed my backpack and took a black Three Days Grace t-shirt from it. Alyssa was inside the tent too, and when I took off my hoodie and my tank top, she turned her eyes away from my bleeding stomach. "You need to see Dr. Glass." I ignored her and threw on the shirt and my jacket and then walked out of the tent again. "Kaylee!" she shouted at me and then grabbed my shoulder, which I jerked out of.

"Just don't," I slapped her hand away and then turned around to go find Ben. He was by where the 2nd Mass got our water and had taken a bucket and a sponge to clean the blood off of his arms and face. I sat down next to him and he handed me another sponge quietly and we both sat in silence washing blood off of our arms and hands.

"I knew that guy back in school."

My eyes shifted to the boy beside me. He was the youngest fighter that I had met my first day here. "I saw him earlier on patrol with some skitters and mechs. He didn't make it."

"It's a shame. He was a nice kid."

"I'm Kaylee Parker," I introduced myself. I was done talking about dead kids, at least for a bit.

"Jimmy Boland. I see you're a fighter," he looked at the gun at my waist.

"What about you? Aren't you the 2nd Mass's youngest fighter?"

"That's me. I only turned fourteen a few months ago."

"Wow. Do you know a thing or two about guns?"

Jimmy nodded. "I taught myself, but I'm pretty decent."

"We're going to be great friends then," I smiled.

He laughed. "Let's go on watch sometime. That way we can talk about guns and stuff."

"That'd be awesome. It's tiring listening to Hal all the time," I chuckled a little. Jimmy seemed like a down to earth, straight to the point kind of guy. And anyone who's got a thing for guns is definitely on my good side. I like this kid.

"What are the extra rounds for?" He nodded to the rounds in my hands.

"I'm teaching Ben how to fight. I figured he wouldn't have remembered to reload his gun so I'm bringing some extra."

"How'd you get stuck with a job like that?" Jimmy laughed.

I shook my head. "Honestly I don't even know why the hell I agreed to it. It's practically impossible."

"I feel you. I don't have the patience to teach people anything."

I shook my head. "Me either. That's why I hate it so much. It's hard trying to explain how to do something you love to other people and expecting them to understand it."

"Seriously. Finally someone who understands," Jimmy smiled.

"Finally," I agreed. "I gotta go though. Duty calls."

"See you on watch!" Jimmy called as I walked down the hallway.

I almost smiled to myself as I remembered the first time I talked to Jimmy at the school, back when I hated Ben and the day Jimmy and I went on patrol alone and he nearly died. My heart felt like it was dissolving; I've lost enough people in my life to shred my heart to pieces, and now it felt like it was just disappearing altogether.

I was trying to get the gash on my cheek cleaned, but it was on my right side which was the side with my bad arm and my left arm was in pain from carrying Jimmy (I'm a runner, therefore I have zero upper body strength) and I couldn't even reach it to my cheek to clean it.

Ben looked over at me and then moved to sit closer to me. "Let me." Even though I felt extremely childish with Ben cleaning my cheek, I really had no other choice. He gently swiped the sponge across my cut, and even though I barely felt the soft surface, I winced at the contact. Yeah, that was going to leave a scar. As if I didn't have enough already.

"You'd think I'd be used to this by now," Ben said quietly. He soaked the sponge and kept cleaning my cut.

"To what?" I asked, my tone matching his.

"Cleaning blood off of me," he replied and then looked down at the bucket with now bloody water.

"You had to…" I trailed off, not having the heart to finish that sentence. He had to do the same thing with me.

"Yeah," he whispered. Both of us were quiet again, and I seriously couldn't handle being strong anymore. I laid my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around my waist comfortingly and leaned his head on mine too. We sat there for hours, just leaning on each other and silently praying that our best friend, our third musketeer, would be alright.

We moved to the tables that were set up by the Med Bus and sat there just as silently, just waiting and waiting for the news on Jimmy. Every minute that passed by felt like another bullet into my chest. Was this what it felt like for everyone when I was lying on that table, not even a week ago? I didn't even have the voice to ask. The only thing I could do was just wait, something I'd never been particularly fond of.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Ben spoke suddenly, and I took my eyes off of the Med Bus and looked at him. Ben was staring at his older brother and Hal was staring him down too.

He raised his hands, trying not to start anything. "I'm not staring."

"Yeah. You are. You got something to say?" Ben's voice was aggravated and annoyed, something that didn't mix well with him especially.

"Yeah, I do," Hal said after a few seconds. Hal was like my brother, but he was being such an asshole that if he didn't cool it I was going to walk over to him and punch his daylights out. You don't fucking talk to someone who's dealing with a friend dying like that. You just don't fucking do that.

"Easy now boys," Weaver cautioned them to try and cool down the tension. They both shot glares at each other and then Hal got up to go and get coffee, Alyssa getting up with him to talk to him. Maybe she'll smack some sense into Hal for me. I could tell that Ben was listening to their conversation and I just really hoped that Alyssa wasn't saying anything stupid to piss him off.

Right then Tom walked into the hanger and up to Hal and Alyssa, asking if there was any news on Jimmy. He had just came back from going out to the site where Ben, Jimmy, and I were at with the Berserkers to see if there were any skitters trying to track us or anymore of them lurking about. I guess there was nothing to worry about since Tom was calm as were the Berserkers who were getting warmed up at the mess area.

"Hey," Tom said to Ben and I. He took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. "The compass. Give it to Jimmy when he wakes up." I wrapped my fingers around it and nodded to Tom. This compass was probably one of Jimmy's most prized possessions.

Anne came walking out of the Med Bus over to the group of us with an expression on her face that made my heart drop. Weaver was the first to ask how Jimmy was doing. "I've done everything I can," her usual lighthearted tone now melancholy spoke. "It's up to Jimmy now." Everything went silent in my ears after that. Anne didn't give us a diagnosis of any kind, and that was never a good sign. I got up and walked away, away from this grief, away from everyone, and just away from reality. I put Jimmy's compass in my pocket and just slowly walked away.

The day my parent's died was…awful. And I've never been the same since, nor would I ever be. It felt like someone had taken a knife and sliced out the places my parents had in my heart. And every time someone was ripped from my life or some kind of terrible thing happened to me, a new slice was made. My heart was barely beating anymore, and I honestly don't know how I've managed to deal with all of this pain.

But losing Jimmy…losing Jimmy was something unfathomable. He was my first real friend here in the 2nd Mass. There isn't a single day I can think of where I didn't smile at least once because of him. His smile lit up a room once he walked into it, and his smile made me smile. He was one of the best fighters I've ever known, and one of the closest guy friends I've had in my entire life. Jimmy and Ben. It was always the two of them and always would be the two of them. They were my everything, and one of few reasons I lived my life to the fullest. The three of us had been close since before Fitchburg, which was over five months ago. And if Jimmy did, half of my heart would be gone forever.

Eventually I made my way back to camp; I honestly didn't know where I had gone or how far I had gone out, but I just needed time to be alone. For those of you who don't pay attention, Jimmy meant more to me then feelings would allow. He was the first person I let into my life, right after Alyssa, and I can't picture my time here with the 2nd Mass without him in it. I can't picture my future time here with the 2nd Mass without him here. He meant too much, and is such a huge part of my life that I don't think I can be who I am now without him here.

"Hey," Ben spoke. Somehow I had managed to enter the Med Bus and sat next to Ben in front of the table with my best friend on it.

I didn't say anything; for that moment I forgot how to use my voice. I honestly can't tell you how fucking awful this is for me. Never have I ever been good at dealing with death or people fatally injured in my lifetime. I can't cry, hell I don't cry nor have I ever, I feel like my soul has been ripped out of my body, and if I speak at all, my voice will make people think I'm about to cry because of how broken it sounds. It's basically like forcing all of the depressing emotions you've ever felt in your lifetime into one small bottle and closing the cap and refusing to look back on it.

"C'mon, Parker," Ben chuckled half-heartedly. "Cheer up a bit."

"It's not funny, Ben," I murmured, looking up at him with sad eyes.

Ben moved closer to me and put an arm around me, even though I didn't want to be touched at all. I hated people trying to be affectionate with me when I was in a mood like the one I was in now. "All I'm saying is that you can't just go straight into grieving. Jimmy's not even dead and you're acting as if he is. You can't just give up on him before he's even gone."

I forced myself to get over the whole hating affection thing and leaned my head onto Ben's shoulder like I had earlier. "I just can't handle doing that. Because the second I start believing that, that second everything starts going wrong," I whispered.

"That's exactly what I thought every second I was here when you were in front of me. But I just kept telling myself that I needed to focus on the good things in a bad situation and maybe something would come out of it. You know who told me that?"

"I did," I said softly, recognizing my own words spoken by Ben. I didn't even know that he remembered that.

"You did," he repeated. "And it took me awhile before I started believing it, but I did. And here you are now, alive and breathing. So don't give up yet, KP. Jimmy needs someone else to fight with him, like I fought with you."

I swear I think something moved me when Ben said that. But it just turned out to be a really long cough. "How are you handling all of this so well?"

I felt Ben sigh. "I had to do all of this with you. Cleaning blood off of me, running off and screaming at how unfair it all was, and sitting in the Med Bus all day for three weeks. The second time is just a little bit easier to handle. Just a little," he whispered and leaned is head gently on top of mine.

"I can't imagine what you went through," I tried picturing Ben doing everything he had just said he did.

"Watching you there, practically lifeless and barely breathing was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," he said, looking down at me and then looking away again, trying to force away the memories.

And then this unexplainable warmth spread through me like a forest fire. It hit me right then and there, that I would never find someone like Ben in a million lifetimes. I had never felt this kind of thing ever, and even though I couldn't explain it to you if I tried, it felt great to be warm on such a cold occasion such as now. Ben had always made me feel like that, warm and happy when I was cold and broken. And even though our best friend was unconscious and had almost died, he made me feel happier than I was the past few hours. "How do you do it?" I shook my head and put my arms around my propped up legs.

"What?" Ben asked, looking back down at me.

"Make me smile when I never want to smile again."

Ben laughed a little. "I just hate seeing you upset."

"I hate seeing you upset. And I hate it when you think you have to be strong when you're hurting inside," I glanced at him and then forward again.

"What makes you think that?"

"You're life has been absolute hell the past six months, not even including the six months before I met you. How could you not be hurting inside?"

"I don't know, it's like you said about how you don't want to make people sad or they just don't understand." Our voices had stayed below the humming of the lights in the Med Bus, which was really, really quiet.

"But you know that you can tell me everything. You don't have to be so strong all the time, Ben."

"Believe me, I'm not," Ben shook his head. "I don't think I've ever broken down as hard as I did when you nearly died. I know I keep bringing that up, but I don't think you fully understand how much of a wreck I was that entire time. I guess I just don't ever want to be like that again, and someone's got to be the strong one when something awful has happened."

"If anyone's going to be the strong one, it's me, not you, Mason. Not you. You've had to be too strong for too long."

"If anyone's been too strong for too long, it's you. I've seen every single person in this camp cry except for you. You didn't cry when you were shot five times or broke all of your right ribs, you didn't cry when you had to go through surgery for your arm back at the school, and you're not even crying now. And that's the only the time I've known you. You've got to learn how to lean on other people, Kaylee. You can't just live your life without having people to help you through the pain."

I sighed. "Every time I lean on someone long enough, they end up dead or out of my life. That's why I push people away or refuse to open up. And that's why I don't tell you or Alyssa a lot of things because I can't lose her or you. I can't lose Jimmy either."

Ben was soundless as he let that in, and then took a breath and said, "Kaylee, I promise you that you'll never lose me, and I'll never walk out on you. The harder you push me away only brings me back closer to you. You need to realize how much I care about you and that you aren't going to get rid of me that fast. Jimmy too. We're not going to lose him, and you're not going to lose Alyssa or me either." Ben held me just a little tighter as he said that, as if I was just going to disappear at any second.

"Don't make me that promise, Ben," I said that so softly that he instantly turned to look at me as if thinking I was going to lose it. "Don't promise me something you and I both know you can't keep." That was my last attempt at keeping my walls up and protecting what was left of my pathetic-ass heart.

"No, I will make that promise because I know that I'm not gonna break it. You just have to get over the fact that someone cares enough about you to make that promise," Ben stated, staring directly at my eyes and directly into my soul.

That's when I just pulled Ben into a tight hug, and he reciprocated just as tightly back. No one has ever made it so apparent that they care so much about me or make that kind of promise to me. Maybe this time it would be different. This time I had someone to go through this all with me, and someone who was in just as much pain I was in. Ben got it, he got it in a way no one had in my life.

Ben's POV

We sat there for a really, really long time, and before I knew it she had fallen asleep on my shoulder, with my arm wrapped around her and her head resting on my chest. This has probably been the eighth time she's fallen asleep on me, but I didn't mind. She rarely gets sleep and for whatever reason Kaylee always dozes off on me.

I sighed outwardly, so, so grateful that she had survived her accident. Because if she hadn't, then I would've lost both her and Jimmy. They were the greatest people in my life; if I lost either of them I don't think I could handle it.

"Where'd you go?" I looked up to see my dad standing next to me, rifle slung over his back and concern in his eyes.

"No where. Just walking around, staring at Jimmy's compass." Then I remembered that my dad wasn't around to witness how Jimmy got it. "A few months back, he got separated from the 2nd Mass. Took two days to find him again so Weaver gave him his compass so he could always find his way home."

"Don't blame yourself over this," he shook his head.

"Everyone else does," I said softly.

"That's not true."

"I've seen the way everyone looks at me. Hal, Matt, even you," I blinked and looked at my father. I had been thinking about this for the past hour and it seriously dawned on me about how much this was my fault.

"No."

"Yes."

"No," My dad said more forcefully, as if that would actually make me believe him.

"Fine, whatever, but you think I wouldn't rather be lying there instead of him?" My voice was barely above a whisper now. Jimmy was my right-hand man and the only person who was brave enough to annoy Kaylee with me.

"I'm sure that you would," Dad's voice dropped quietly too. "Just like there isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish and pray that your mother was still alive. And it um…sucks. It really sucks. And sometimes you think that you can't even go on, except you don't have a choice but to go on. And the good news is we've got each other to get through a lousy situation," he started his famous quote, "but the bad news is-"

"It's a lousy situation," we said at the same time.

"Besides, Ben, you've got her," Dad motioned to Kaylee who was still sleeping. "She knows better than anyone in this entire camp what you're going through right now, better than me, better than Hal, and better than anyone. I know how badly you were torn up when she was lying on that table not too long ago, and how you thought that she wasn't going make it through. So have a little more hope, son. Jimmy's bound to wake up soon."

Dad left me then, and I felt like I was going to break at any second. Jimmy was the only person who knew exactly how I felt when Kaylee was there instead of him. He was my best guy friend, and related to me in so many ways. My life without Jimmy was nearly like a life without Kaylee: worthless and miserable.

And unexpectedly Jimmy started rustling a little and breathing really raspy.

Kaylee's POV

"Kaylee, wake up," Ben shook me gently but had an alert to his tone.

"What?" I asked groggily. Had I actually been sleeping?

"I think Jimmy's getting up." My eyes shot open and I sat straight up to see if Jimmy was starting to become conscious again. He was moving around a little and his breathing was getting heavier.

"Jimmy?" I whispered, laying a hand on his bare arm. Right as I did that his piercing eyes shot open and he took in a rugged breath of air.

"Jimmy!" Ben exclaimed and rushed to the other side of him.

One look at his eyes and I knew that these were going to be his last few moments with Ben and I.

"Jimmy, say something!" Ben exclaimed softly.

"Please," I whispered.

"Hey, guys," Jimmy gave his best smile, although I knew that he was faking it.

I gave him a small hug and he tightly wrapped his arms around me too. "How bad is it?"

"Pretty bad," he coughed again and I grabbed his hand, thinking that if I held onto him hard enough he wouldn't leave.

"You're a trooper man," Ben smiled and bro-hugged Jimmy and then did his signature handshake with him. I had seen that so many times that I thought nothing of it, but now it was probably going to be the last time I'd see it.

"Not for much longer," Jimmy rasped and then started coughing, so hard blood started coming out.

Ben got up to go get Dr. Glass, but was stopped by Jimmy's voice, "Don't go, Ben. I need to tell you guys something."

"But if I stay you'll…"

"I know," he nodded. "I know." My heart was cracking every time he took a breath in and spoke. I was never going to hear his voice again. I was never going to hold his hand or hug him ever again.

Jimmy took Ben's hand too and then looked at both of us, happiness in his hurting eyes. "I've never had a pair of friends like you two before and you guys have changed my life in so many ways that you'll never know. You two have been there for me since the beginning and I know you'll both go on to live through this war. I love you guys, so, so much," Jimmy's voice cracked and tears started falling from his eyes. I looked over at Ben and his eyes were tearing, just like mine almost were.

"You're gonna be fine, Jimmy," I said holding his hand tighter.

Jimmy cast his eyes back up at mine. "I love you, Kaylee. I love your kind-heart and your smile, and I'm so glad that I got to know you and your beautiful spirit," he put a hand to my cheek and then looked over at Ben. "I love you, man. I'm never going to forget how much I hated you at first and how close we've grown since then. Never lose sight of who you are, either of you guys." Ben started crying and I sat frozen with my heart giving out by the millisecond.

"Take care of her, Ben," Jimmy said, with utter seriousness on his weak face. Promise me you'll keep her safe. For me."

"I promise," a tear from Ben fell onto Jimmy's hand and I saw them hold each other's tighter.

"And make sure that picture is in the history books," Jimmy motioned to his picture on the table next to him. Ben, Jimmy, and I laughed at that, a true, whole-hearted laugh that made us all more teary after we finished.

"Don't go, Jimmy," I whispered, holding his hand even tighter. "Please," I shook my head. "I can't live without you. I can't…"

Jimmy let more tears slip out. "Yes you can. You're the strongest person I've ever met in the world; you can do anything." He rubbed his thumb back and forth on my hand. Then he started coughing and wheezing really badly, and Ben and I got on our knees to be as close to our best friend as we could be in his final moments.

"Squeeze my hand when it hurts," I said so softly, I didn't think he heard me. But the smile on his face told me otherwise.

"Can you do me one last favor?" Jimmy asked, coughing in the process.

"Anything," I promised.

"Can you sing me a song? Just one last time," he whispered, voice fading and hand squeezing mine tight.

I cleared the lump in my throat it as fast as I could and started singing the first song that came to my mind.

"Come stop your crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand
Hold it tight

I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry

For one so small,
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry

'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more

You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always

When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together

Oh, you'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always
Always
I'll be with you
I'll be there for you always
Always and always
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
I'll be there always."

Jimmy gave our hands one last squeeze and then smiled faintly, breaths getting slower and slower. "I love you guys. I'll be with you both, I promise." Then slowly he closed his eyes and I could see his breaths gradually shortening.

"JIMMY!" I screamed out. "JIMMY!"

Ben ran out and a second later Dr. Glass ran back in with Lourdes and then started giving Jimmy CPR. "Kaylee you need to move," Dr. Glass said frantically as she ran around me.

"No," I shook my head, holding onto his hand which was loosening its grip on mine slowly.

"Kaylee-"

"NO!" I shouted at them and stayed exactly where I was until Ben wrapped his arms around me and stared pulling me. "NO! BEN, GET OFF OF ME!" I shrieked at him and my hand slipped out of Jimmy's and I fought with my life to get out of Ben's grasp. "LET ME GO!" I screamed and thrashed to get free.

"It's okay, Kaylee, it's okay," Ben said softly in my ear to calm me down.

"STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!" I yelled and punched him so hard he had no choice but to let me go. I ran back over to Jimmy's side and grabbed his hand again, and gave it a squeeze. I felt the slightest one back and then that's when I saw Dr. Glass slow down with the CPR.

"WHY ARE YOU STOPPING?!" Ben shouted at Anne. "No, NO! KEEP GOING! KEEP DOING IT!"

"I'm sorry," Anne whispered softly. "He's gone."

Everything went dark. Everything went silent. Every movement was in slow motion. My heart stopped beating right in my chest, and I stared paralyzed at my now dead best friend, my hand still in his. If someone had stabbed my heart with a dagger and dragged it along my insides, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference from what I was feeling now and the feeling that would bring. I have never felt pain like this before; not when my parents died, not when I nearly killed AJ, and not even when I was shot and broke my ribs. All of that was the equivalent to the pain of a scratch. This was equivalent to having every single knife in the world stabbed into your body, over and over and over again.

Next thing I know, I'm not on the Med Bus anymore. I'm walking, speed-walking, through camp. Desperate to wake up from this nightmare, desperate to stop feeling this way, desperate to run straight from the fact that would change my life forever:

Jimmy was dead.

Just. Like. That.

"KAYLEE!" I heard Alyssa's voice yell out to me. I didn't know where it was coming from, and I didn't care. I had to get away. I had to.

A firm hand pulled my arm back and I recognized it to be Hal, as well as Alyssa by his side. "Hold on," Hal said sternly.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I yanked out of his grasp and began to walk faster.

"KAYLEE NICOLE PARKER!" Alyssa shouted at me, running next to my side. She grabbed both of my arms and forced me to look at her.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs; so loud that the piecing shrill of my scream echoed through the airport hanger and every single head turned in my direction. I dug my nails into Alyssa's hands and shoved her out of my way and just took off running.

I went for a really long run that night. I don't think I stopped for twenty miles or more, but I must've stopped eventually because the next thing I remember was collapsing to my knees with my elbows on my thighs and my hands over my ears. Maybe if I had my hands blocking the sound long enough the voices would go away, maybe even stay away. Maybe if I kept them over my ears I would wake up. Maybe if I just stayed in this little ball long enough Jimmy would wake up again like I did. Maybe if I sat here for another hour I could go back in time to stop this from even happening in the first place.

This was my fault, this time for sure it was. If I had fought Ben harder and even told Jimmy about how dangerous it was he wouldn't be dead. If I had told Weaver about this he would've removed us from duty and everything would be the way it was. If I had just pulled my head out of my fucking ass, Jimmy wouldn't have paid the price. I should be the one dead. I should be the one that this happened to. Not Jimmy. Never Jimmy.

And then I screamed. I screamed and shouted and yelled at the loudest my voice could. I screamed at the unbearable pain my heart, I shouted at how this was all my fault, and I yelled because I had lost my best friend and the only guy I've ever liked in my life. Just because of one stupid mistake.

One damn stupid mistake.

I screamed until I lost my voice. I screamed until I couldn't handle the sound of my own voice any longer. I screamed until I just gave out. I felt like I was going to die then and there too. For those of you who hear the stories about people dying from a broken heart, I'm here to tell you that I thought they were absolute bullshit too. That is, until this very moment, curled up into a ball and yelling from how bad the pain burned.

My breathing got heavy and raspy again and I had a cough attack. Breaths were getting shorter and harder to manage. Good; maybe this was karma throwing all of this in my face again. I deserved this, and this wasn't even a decent punishment for any of this. Death is what I deserved, and death is what I should get for this. It's not like my life matters anyway.

My hands gripped the dirt and leaves until my breathing slowly went back to normal. And since I had been coughing so hard and loud, I hadn't heard the footsteps that were standing next to me right now. "C'mon, let's go back to camp."

I simply stayed put. "Get out of here, Ben."

"Not without you," he extended his hand to me which I didn't even acknowledge.

"Get out of here, Ben," I said slower and firmer. This time Ben didn't even argue with me; he simply pulled me off the ground and picked me up. I writhed in his arms and started screaming at him to put me down and leave me alone, but he just pretended like he couldn't hear me. I felt like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum, kicking, screaming, and hitting Ben so he would let go of me. But he just kept his eyes forward on the trail in front of us, and the new trail we would have walk down without Jimmy beside us.

Alyssa's POV

We woke up and it was the next morning. We slept for a good ten hours and I was still tired but we had to get up eventually. I looked over at Hal who smiled at me. "Morning sleepy head," he laughed and kissed my forehead.

I smiled, "Morning." We heard some commotion outside and I could have swore I heard Kaylee yelling. We decided to go see what was going on. I quickly changed and jogged outside. As we walked out Weaver was yelling at Ben and Kaylee. What the hell did they do and where was Jimmy?

"What in the hell were you three doing out there, Ben?" Weaver was pissed. Like seriously pissed. I have never seen him so mad, ever.

"H-hunting skitters," Ben said.

"Hunting?!" Hal asked. How does he know what is going on? He must have been paying more attention at that meeting than me. "Is that what you were doing when you found Dad last night?!" Found Dad? What the hell did I miss? What happened to Tom? I really should have paid attention.

"What were you, Jimmy, and Kaylee doing hunting skitters, Ben?"

"They put spikes in my back, they killed Mom, they killed everybody! I need a reason?!" Ben yelled and I really didn't know who to side with. What Ben, Kaylee and Jimmy did was wrong but they had a good reason.

"Like we don't see enough combat; you have to go looking for it?" Weaver asked.

"'til every last one of those things is dead, then yes."

I looked at Tom and Weaver then to Hal. Tom gave the orders, "Hal, take your brother back to the tent. Get him cleaned up. Alyssa, take Kaylee too."

"No, I'm going back to the Med Bus," Ben said softly.

"You can't go around camp looking like that!" Tom said sternly. "Go change first."

I grabbed Kaylee's arm and started to the tent. "Don't touch me," She yanked her hand away and I followed her to the tent. She took off her shirt and I noticed some gashes on her stomach. They were so bad, I had to look away.

"You need to see Dr. Glass." She ignored me and left. "Kaylee!" I yelled but she ran away.

"Just don't," and with that she sprinted away. I didn't even try to catch up with her. After a couple minutes Hal walked up.

"So I am really confused. I completely zoned out during the meeting. What happened? Why are they all bloody and extra pissed off and what happened to your dad? I'm so lost!"

"When we were out, Ben, Kaylee, and Jimmy went out on patrol and went way out of the perimeter and found Pope about to kill my dad; he had a gun to his head and they stopped him. Then last night while we were asleep they went out again, way out of the perimeter and had a run in with some skitters. Jimmy was attacked, thrown onto a tree and a branch went through his body. He is in about the same condition Kaylee was in before. What you just witnessed was Kaylee and Ben getting in trouble for that."

"I really should start paying more attention at the meetings." Hal just laughed.

We walked into the Med Bus to check on him. Lourdes made us leave though. He wasn't doing to great and Anne was in the zone, working on him. We wandered over to the food tables and got some food that actually tastes like stuff, not just oatmeal. We had some fruit, soup, and coffee. Eventually Ben and Kaylee walked over and sat down at a table across from us.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Ben asked.

Hal looked away. "I'm not staring."

"Yeah. You are. You got something to say?" Ben was getting frustrated and looked like he was gonna punch Hal, and Hal had the same look on his face.

"Yeah, I do," Hal said.

I leaned in a whispered in his ear, "Don't start anything." He just blew me off

"Easy now boys," Weaver cautioned them.

Hal got up to go get more coffee so I followed him, hoping to calm him down. "You okay?"

"Me? I'm fine. It's Ben I don't get. He put the entire 2nd Mass at risk."

"Hal, cut him some slack."

"Oh so now you are siding with him?" He asked

"No. Of course not. All I'm saying is Ben is going through a world of pain right now and you mad-dogging him like that isn't helping anyone. He needs your support. And Kaylee, they both do. Keep in mind, in less than two months, this is the second time Ben has gone through this," I said.

Tom and the Berserkers walked in and Tom headed over to us. "Any news?"

"Nope," Hal said. Tom walked over to Kaylee and Ben. A few minutes after, Anne walked out and we all ran over.

"I've done everything I can," That's it?! Kaylee and Ben left. Hal and I went back to our food.

"So what do you think of all this?" Hal asked. "I never heard your thoughts."

"Well I think you both have fair points. Ben has a strong hate for them, one of the strongest here at camp and Kaylee wants them dead and Jimmy too, they of all people have the most right to be doing this but I also agree with you guys. It was completely unsafe and reckless. Look at what happened, plus they put the whole camp in danger. So I don't think they should have done it but I also think they had good reason to do it."

"So when did we enter a parallel universe?"

"What?"

"Now you are the logical one. What happened?" I laughed.

"Plus if they hadn't done it, they would not have been able to save your dad. Think of that. And in the situation he was in, four or five to one, not even Kaylee could get out of that, when they all had guns and he didn't. Just remember that." He didn't respond, which meant he knew I was right.

Hal and I were hanging out in our tent. We were off duty for a bit. Weaver wanted us to watch over Kaylee and Ben but they were in the Med Bus and they were they only two besides Anne and Lourdes who were allowed in there. We had the flap open so we could watch the bus. We were talking and messing around. It was fun being with Hal, though after Tom found out we slept in my sleeping bag, we weren't allowed to go places by our selves, which is the other reason the tent flap is open.

"WHY ARE YOU STOPPING?! NO KEEP GOING! KEEP DOING IT!" Damn it! Hal and I ran out of the tent as Kaylee ran out of the bus. What happened? Kaylee looked so confused and lost and angry and hurt and breathless and just like dead and emotionless, all at once.

"KAYLEE!" I yelled but she didn't stop. She just started walking faster.

"Hold on," Hal said sternly, grabbing her arm, trying to calm her down.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"KAYLEE NICOLE PARKER!" I ran next to her and forced her to look at me.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she flipped out and ran as hard and as fast as I have ever seen her run. I've never heard her yell like that before. Ever.

"Ben, what happened?" I turned around to see Hal talking to Ben, who was still pissed at him.

"Go see for yourself."

"Ben-" I started.

"WHAT?!" he yelled back and Hal was about to step in but I stopped him.

"Please, just go find Kaylee. You are the only one she will listen to. Go make sure she is okay. She needs you and you need her right now. You are the only one she will listen to. Please."

"Okay." And he left.

Hal and I walked into the bus to see Jimmy. Anne was sitting there and so was Lourdes. They had covered his body with a cloth. We left a few minutes later and walked around camp. All I could think about was Kaylee and Ben. I always felt protective of Kaylee and Ben too. I have a little sister and Ben became my unofficial little brother. I was protective of him. They were absolutely heartbroken.

"What are you thinking about?" Hal asked.

"I want to make sure they are okay. I feel like I am the oldest and it's my job to make sure they are okay. That's always been my job, protect my little sister and Kaylee and now I can't. I feel useless, just like when Kaylee's parents died."

"You said it yourself. They need each other. They'll help each other get through this. Just let them calm down," Hal said.

"Yeah I guess you're right," I said. I was really sad Jimmy died. Once I got passed how annoying I thought he was, I guess he was a pretty cool kid. And even if I still hated him, I would never in a million years wish him dead. He was way too young to die. Fourteen. He was fucking fourteen years old and dead, from fighting in a fucking war at the age of fourteen. He was a child. All of the sudden a random plane came flying across the sky. Everyone just looked up and then went to grab their guns because they all assume aliens. Then the plane lands and everyone is like 'What the fuck is going on?' It's a fucking plane. That's not fucking normal during an alien attack and its weird and everyone's freaking out! I looked at Hal and he had the same 'What the fuck?' look on his face. And so did the whole 2nd Mass. Oh and it gets better. This lady hops out of the plane.

"Who do we have here?"

"Captain Dan Weaver, Second Massachusetts. And who may I ask are you?"

"Avery Churchill. I've been looking for you." That freaked us all even more. I looked over and saw this guy; he was examining her back, looking for spikes. Or a harness. Or something. "And Tom Mason. I have heard a lot about you," she said. Hal took a small step forward.

"What have you heard?"

"Well not many people walk on to an alien spaceship, and live to tell about it. Safe and unharnessed even." Tom was about to respond when she looked at me and her jaw dropped. "Carter? What are you doing here? How did you get here? Does Manchester know you are here?"

"Okay first of all I don't know you, second of all who is this Manchester dude and third, how do you know my name?" I snapped. This lady is on something.

"What's she talking about?" Weaver asked. Everyone was staring at me.

"I honestly have no clue!"

"How did you get here? Last I saw you, you were helping me fix my plane. I think it was two nights ago."

"No. Two nights ago, Alyssa was with me. We were stranded in the rain. Trust me." Hal said, coming to my rescue and defending me. Thank God. This lady was creepy. She knew my fucking last name!

"Wait did you call her Alyssa?" She was utterly confused.

"Yeah. That's my name. Alyssa Carter. Why?"

"So you're the famous Alyssa. I have heard so much about you. You and your friend Kaylee, Kaylee Parker. They way she talks about you two, Carter and Parker, the fearless twins."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Yeah munchkin over here and Parker are far from twins," Pope added.

"Veronica Carter. Your sister. I'm sorry; I got you confused with her. You two look so much alike."

"Wait. You know Veronica?! How is she? Is she okay? How? Is she okay? Please tell me she is okay! Was she with anyone? Where? Was she harnessed? Has she gotten hurt?"

"Whoa, whoa. Calm down. She's fine and no we found her by herself. She has been with us since the beginning and no she hasn't been harnessed."

"Alyssa, what's going on?" Tom asked.

"She knows my sister, Veronica. My little sister is okay and alive." Everyone started talking and Weaver and Tom were talking with the lady. I wasn't listening. I was too happy that my sister was alive and well. I was freaking out! I want to see her, I need to see her!

"Hal and Alyssa, you two will show her around."

"Okay. Come this way," Hal said and she followed as we gave her a tour. Weaver was making her stay until we left camp because she would be a safety threat if she was caught by the aliens.

"So where are you from?" I asked.

"Charleston, South Carolina. The capital of the new United States. After the attack we started to form a city, a union. Instead of fighting back we hid and worked on rebuilding. If we don't bug them, they don't bug us. That's what the president, Manchester, says and it has seemed to work so far. Your sister helps me with my plane."

"She always loved planes."

"Yup. She helped me fix it and even helped me build it. We found her about a month after the initial attack. She was all bruised and cut up and starving. She wouldn't talk about it but she is healthy now. I personally fixed her up."

"Thank you so much."

Kaylee's POV

I didn't sleep at all that night, and if you asked me what I did do I couldn't tell you because honestly I don't remember the slightest. The only thing I do remember was the excruciating throbbing in my chest and wanting to kill myself to be put out of this misery. Ben or Alyssa was around me 24/7 so that wouldn't happen unfortunately, but believe me I wanted to. Almost more than I've ever wanted to, actually.

Weaver had found a playground a little ways away from the airport hanger that we all agreed to bury Jimmy at. He was there now and Ben and I were in the Med Bus getting Jimmy ready for the funeral. It was absolutely silent between the two of us now; nothing but the sound of Ben buttoning up his shirt making noise. Ben and I decided to keep Jimmy's gloves because honestly neither of us could bear to let them go. And of course, we had his compass too. But it would never be enough.

I found myself holding his ice cold hand time and time again. He just didn't seem dead to me, even though he was colder than winter and paper white. My mind wouldn't grasp the fact that he was…gone.

"What happened to his field vest?" I asked softly, squeezing his hand and placing it back onto his chest. This is the only time I've ever seen Jimmy without it on.

"Couldn't get the blood out," Ben replied, straightening his pant legs, "didn't think it was right."

I nodded in agreement. "He looks fine the way he is."

Ben and I stood staring at our best friend for a few moments before Ben turned to the corner of the Med Bus that had random things stockpiled. He was looking for something that wasn't there, and the more thorough he searched and couldn't find it, the more panicked he became. "What's up?" I asked and looked at him worried.

"Jimmy's compass is gone."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?!"

"I put it over here and now it's not there anymore!" Ben said raising his voice along with mine. That compass meant more to the both of us than we could both put into words. It was like fully ripping Jimmy out of our lives, with nothing but a bloody field vest and a pair of gloves to remember him by.

And as if a red flag was waved in front of my eyes, I remembered something. Ben and I came into the Med Bus after he dragged me away from the forest and he left momentarily to go and get something. I was sitting opposite the corner staring into space and I think someone had came onto the bus and took something from the corner, but my mind shorted out when I tried to think of what the person looked like.

Then it all came rushing back to me like a tsunami.

I walked out of the Med Bus and outside, heading for one particular location that I knew that asshole would be. He was on the decking along with his gang of "outlaws," drinking no less. I stepped up the stairs and looked down for a moment, trying to contain the fury that was sweeping through me. But it only got stronger and stronger and I couldn't stop it any longer.

"Hey Little Miss Shoot!" Tector greeted me with one of many nicknames he called me, but I didn't even look in his direction. Once my eyes settled on Pope, I didn't see anything else.

"Well if it isn't Kaylee Parker here to grace us with her presence," Pope smirked and sank lower into his chair. "This isn't your neck of the woods; to what do we owe this honor?"

"Shouldn't you be packing up like the others?" I tried to distract myself by changing the subject. If he didn't have it with him, there was no point in making a scene.

"Nah, it's cocktail hour," Pope said and threw me a beer to which I let fall to the floor and crushed it under my sneaker.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked angrily. "That was a perfectly good beer!"

"I'd rather be a lame sober than a drunk asshole."

All of the Berserkers "oh-ed" at my remark and Pope stood up and looked at me.
"You want to run that by me again?"

"I'm positive you heard me loud and clear," I stared back at him, trying not to flinch at the ungodly stench of alcohol.

"You know, while you're at it at the poor boy's memorial, you can pat your spikey friend on the back and tell him that it was good thing that you both did, taking one for the skitter team." My hands curled into fists and just as I was about to take a breath and calm myself down, I saw the compass around Pope's neck.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Finders keepers," Pope said and smirked again.

"Take it off," I said as calmly as I could, despite the rage that was burning in my soul and the need to kill Pope right then and there begging me to do it.

"No," Pope shook his head.

"I said take it off," I repeated, a little quieter due to how beyond pissed off I was getting. I had pretty much lost my voice from yesterday and again, I didn't want to start a scene.

Pope then took a few steps towards me and got right into my face. "Why? It's not like Jimmy's gonna need it."

And that's all it took to jam my fist into Pope's eye. All of the Berserkers were yelling and laughing at Pope as he stood back to full height and looked me in the eye again. "You know I have no problem hitting a little girl."

My full anger was totally unleashed and I began full on decking Pope as he punched me back. He grabbed my neck into a head lock and slammed my head into the wood walling and punched my broken rib side and shoved me to the ground of the decking. I pushed myself to my feet and Pope ran full force to me and both of us fell through the decking, onto a car's windshield and shattering the glass, and then I forced Pope off of me and he fell to the ground first with me following after. Pope and I both struggled to our feet and I screamed, "TAKE IT OFF!"

"You want it, sweetheart?" Pope glared at me. "Come and get it."

And then I stopped holding back and sprinted straight towards the guy who's made the 2nd Mass's lives hell since the start. He threw me into the car and I remembered a tactic that Alyssa had shown me when she was teaching me fist-fighting, fake an injury to make a blow at the enemy. So I fell to my knees and grasped my bleeding temple and pretended like I was seriously in pain. Pope walked over to me to see if I was okay and then I knocked his feet out from under him and placed both of my knees on his stomach to pin him down and let loose.

Then it was like a flashback: me pinning down someone and punching them unconscious until they were bleeding from just about everywhere on their face. Pope's face was starting to move with my punches, which was a bad sign, and I yanked the compass from his neck at the same time Tector grabbed me off of Pope as did Lyle. I yelled at them to let me go and fought to get out of their iron grip but gave up and stopped after I realized that if I couldn't get out of Ben's grasp, there was no way in hell I could get out of Lyle or Tector's.

Pope slowly got up and spat out a ton of blood. I yanked out of the two Berserker's hands and did what I probably should have done in the first place: walked away. I just walked slowly away as if it didn't happen, although Pope's crazy laughing made it hard to pretend that it hadn't.

"PARKER!" he screamed. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! THIS ISN'T OVER!"

I was done fighting. I was done hurting people. I was done letting my emotions get the better of me. And I was done with caring about others.

Ben, who had been looking for me apparently, ran into me on my way back to camp. "What the hell happened to you?!"

"What?" I asked, looking up from Jimmy's compass in my hands. His cold hand gently touched the gash on my temple which made me wince. Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Not to mention the sleeve of my hoodie was cut up from landing on the glass.

"C'mon, you need to see Anne," Ben put an arm around me since I was breathing kind of hard due to that fight, and I shouted a lot of vulgar curses and fell to the floor.

I guess when Pope punched my broken ribs and shoved me through decking it did a lot more damage than I thought. Ben picked me up and walked on my other side so he could support me without making me curse in pain. When we stepped on to the Med Bus, Anne practically had a heart attack when she saw me. "My God, what happened?"

"Are you okay?!" Anne asked me, meaning emotionally.

"Aside from the fact that I almost killed Pope, I think I did something to my ribs," I said quietly.

"What?" Ben questioned.

"Pope took Jimmy's compass. And I lost it," I looked down at my bruised hand.

Anne and Ben were quiet until she said, "let me look at you." Anne shone her little flashlight in my eyes, cleaned my gash and put one of those white Band-Aids on it, and then looked at my ribs which were darker again. She gently pressed her finger on it and I yelled at how painful it felt. "I think you re-broke two of your ribs," Anne looked up at me and then checked to see how my lung was doing. "Looks like you got hurt pretty badly."

I looked up slightly and saw a broken girl staring back at me through the mirror in the Med Bus. I had a black eye, cut face, and I just looked like a downright mess. Then I saw Ben staring at me, and I had to look away because I was so upset with myself for losing my anger again and just seeing his eyes made me feel ashamed. Pope, even though I knew he absolutely deserved that, was just one of those unfortunate people who were around at the wrong time.

I expected a lecture from Ben about how stupid that was and how I should learn from the mistakes I've made in the past, but all I got was silence. "We should get going," I whispered softly. Ben nodded and extended his hand to me and helped me off the table.

The two of us were silent and distant as we walked to the playground. A few of the adult fighters that Jimmy had admired as much as we did had covered him in a red cloth and were carrying him to his memorial. Ben and I were behind them along with Hal and Alyssa behind us. Weaver was in front with Tom and Anne, and the rest of the civilians were behind us all. Everything was still in slow motion, including the moment my best friend was laid into his grave.

Until that moment, I had been somewhat strong. My breath caught in my throat when the fighters rose back up to ground level with us all, and I felt like my heart was going to give out. It's like it finally dawned on me that he wasn't coming back; I was never going to see him smile, hear him laugh, or see those deep blue eyes of his that I loved so much. I was never going to lean on his shoulder when I was tired or sad again, nor was I going to be able to be in his arms again or hug him when he needed it. He was gone, and no matter how much I needed him to stay with me, I had to accept that he wasn't going to.

Weaver took off his hat and slowly made his way to the front of the 2nd Mass. My breaths were getting shorter and harder to manage, and I couldn't take my eyes away from Jimmy's figure. I felt like I was hyperventilating and I probably would've started screaming again, had Ben not slipped his hand into mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. I was holding Jimmy's compass in my hand, and now it was between both of our hands. My eyes shot up to his and he gave me a sad smile before looking forward again, and I followed his gaze and stared at Weaver, waiting for him to start speaking.

"How do you measure somebody? How do you define their worth? A year ago, Jimmy was just a boy. Just a little boy. And that all changed. When the world fell apart, he had to step up and leave that little boy behind; he had to become a solider; he had to learn how to fight. And he did. And he is now defined by those of us who owe him our lives," Weaver scanned his sight across the crowd. I could see tears in our captain's eyes, and that only made me want to scream even louder. "He's measured by his bravery. This day came too soon. He died too young. But he died a hero to me, and I am proud to have served with him. Jimmy, we'll remember." Weaver leaned down to the pile of dirt grabbed a handful, and held it tightly in his hand. "May the next world be kinder to Jimmy, than this one ever was."

Tom tapped my shoulder. "Would you like to say a few words?"

I nodded. "Absolutely." Ben took his compass and I made my way next to Jimmy.

"For those of you that don't know, Jimmy was…my best friend. He was more than just that. He was the first friend I made here at the 2nd Mass and the first friend I've ever made in my life. He was the bravest, kindest, and most patient kid I've ever met. And as Captain Weaver said, he was just a kid who had to grow up way too fast, like the rest of us. Jimmy has always had my back since the first day we met, I'm sure you all remember that," the crowd laughed a little, remembering the day we were alone on that patrol when that mech and skitter came, "and he never hesitated once when I asked for help. He's been here for me, for Ben, and for the entire 2nd Mass whenever we needed him." My throat starting closing up and the lump there was weighing down the strength my voice had started out with. "He was just a kid. A fourteen-year-old kid who has been the most incredible friend that anyone could ever be to me. And I promise you that there won't be a single day that I won't wish that I was lying in that grave instead of him, but that doesn't change the fact that I'll never stop fighting the aliens responsible. My determination and my strength is driven by those who've given up their lives for us, and for those who survived it all and passed down the stories from generation to generation, and it'll be for Jimmy. There's no one better that I could have ever asked for to be by my side through everyday until this war is won. Jimmy's spirit now thrives in my heart, and he will forever be remembered as a fearless solider who gave his life to the people he loves." Ben and I moved toward the dirt pile and took some of the earth.

I'll never forget you, and I'll never stop missing you.

I dropped my dirt into the grave as did Ben, and we stepped aside and waited for everyone else to drop theirs as well. I leaned my head on Ben's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around my waist tightly. I put my arm around his waist too and I felt him put his chin on my head too. "We'll get through this, together," Ben murmured in my ear, and I couldn't help but hold him tighter. I felt him gently kiss my forehead and hold me just as tight, and I just wanted to burst. I've never been good with handling death.

We stood there for the twenty minutes it took for everyone to cover Jimmy's body. Weaver took a cross he made out of wood and pushed it just above the grave, and stood there as everyone returned to camp. Ben and I decided to leave him alone with Jimmy for a few moments, and that we'd come back later. Besides, I still had one last thing I needed to do.

I went into what was Jimmy's bare tent and took his backpack of miscellaneous things. His picture of the three of us was in his front pocket and he had a piece of paper as well as an old pen. I walked out of his tent with his Mossberg slung around my shoulder and his backpack in my hands as well as the picture. I set the gun and the backpack in Alyssa and I's tent, and then began walking back to the playground.

I was alone out here while the sun was beginning to set. Once I was in front of Jimmy's grave, I fell to my knees and sat staring at the dirt, trying to picture Jimmy's peaceful face. My eyes felt misty and I blinked profusely until they didn't feel like it any longer. "I don't know if you can hear me," I whispered, "but I just have to tell you how much I love you, Jimmy. You've been the greatest of friends, and if I could switch places with you, I'd do it in a heartbeat." I let out a shaky breath and took out his picture and reread the back of it again. "I brought the picture with me. I know how much you love this photo, so I felt like I should leave it with you so you can keep it safe."

I folded the picture so it showed Jimmy only and then tucked it in the elastic holding the cross together. I gingerly touched it and my heart snapped. "Why did I let this happen?" I hung my head and swiped my bangs out of my face. "I'm so sorry, Jimmy. I'm so, so sorry." I took the paper and pen and began writing in the neatest writing I could manage.

In Loving Memory of James Michael Boland. Dear Friend, Amazing Son, and Fearless Solider. Love you, Jimmy, and no matter what, we'll always be the dorky best friends that survived an alien invasion.

RIP James "Jimmy" Boland

Second Massachusetts Militia Regiment

January 17th 1998-February 27th 2012

KP, BM, JB, Friends Forever, I promise.

I tucked that in the elastic too, and made sure that it wouldn't blow away. When I stood up again, Ben was beside me, and reading what I had put down. "You sure we should leave our picture here?"

I nodded. "He would want that."

Ben handed me the compass. "I know would've wanted you to have this."

I took it and looked it over, remembering when he first got this from Weaver. "I can still remember the day he got lost, and how scared Weaver was."

Ben smiled. "It sure came in handy for him."

"Yeah no kidding. He was a great solider but had no sense of direction."

Ben and I started laughing, remembering all of the times we head the words 'Wait, which way is camp again?' out of Jimmy's mouth. Thank God for this compass. "No he didn't." Our smiles faded as our eyes settled back onto the grave of our best friend. He was gone before he even had a chance to live.

"I wouldn't have wanted anyone else by my side," Ben's voice cracked, and when I looked at him he looked from the grave to me. "I'm sorry," his voice sounded so brittle. And I knew he was on the verge of losing every sense of being strong.

I glanced back up at him and I saw tears falling from his eyes. "Hey," I said softly and took two steps toward him, "we're going to be fine." Ben grabbed the collar of my hoodie and collapsed onto my shoulder, completely crying and not even bothering to hide it anymore. "Ben? Ben!"

"I'm sorry," he breathed and held onto my collar tighter, "I'm sorry."

I put my arms around him tightly and pulled him in close. "We're going to be fine," I whispered and held him tighter. I blinked back the mist again and just stood there while Ben apologized over and over for what had happened, and I told him I was sorry too, because this was both of our faults, and with this we took both of the blame.

Both of us stood there, engulfed in each others comforting embrace, until the sun went down and it was dark. I finally let go of Ben and realized he had stopped crying. "Do you want to say something, before we go?" I asked quietly.

He nodded and then turned toward the cross. "I'm gonna miss you, man. You've been the most amazing friend a guy could ever have, and I promise," Ben took my hand, "that I'm going to look after her. And as soon as the wars over and everything settles down, we'll come back."

"And we're going to make sure everyone knows about our third musketeer. And how much you were apart of our lives."

"Love you," we said at the same time, and then Ben did his and Jimmy's handshake. A few more moments passed and then Ben squeezed my hand, telling me that we should go back now before the 2nd Mass left without us. Right as we turned, I practically fell to the ground again at what had been standing there for a long time.

That skitter. That skitter with the red eye who killed Jimmy.

It screeched and walked towards Ben who fell down too, and he kept backing up until the skitter cocked his head and made Ben's spikes glow again. This time I sat frozen and watched what was happening. I had no explanations for what could possibly be going on, but as long as this skitter didn't touch Ben then I wouldn't touch it either. I heard the sound of Alyssa's motorcycle and someone else's nearing us, and the skitter broke its gaze from Ben and his spikes faded and he breathed again. And for the second time, it walked away like nothing happened.

"You okay?" I asked him and pulled him off the ground. Ben nodded and then looked around, making sure that we actually were alone even though it was pitch black out.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"I can't tell you here," Ben said, right as Hal and Alyssa pulled up on their motorcycles.

Ben and Hal exchanged looks for a moment, before Hal asked, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," he said, "let's go." He got on the back of his brother's bike and I got on the back of Alyssa's.

"What about you?" she asked me as she revved up her bike again.

"Where are we headed to?" I asked her, not wanting to talk about Jimmy anymore and wanting to know where the 2nd Mass's journey lead to next.

She turned around and put her bike back into gear. "Charleston, South Carolina." And then we sped off into the night.

Alyssa's POV

So today is Jimmy's funeral. It's been a really sad day over all. Kaylee and Ben look like they are about to break. Just fall apart and die. It's sad. I want to consol them and help them through this time but I can't. They're helping each other. Kaylee will just have these moments where she freaks out and Ben will grab her and hold her and they just stand there, holding each other almost crying but not quite. It's the cutest, saddest thing I have ever seen. We had all gathered around where Jimmy was to be buried. It was an old playground.

Everyone stood there and Weaver stepped forward to give his speech about Jimmy. "How do you measure somebody? How do you define their worth? A year ago, Jimmy was just a boy. Just a little boy. And that all changed. When the world fell apart, he had to step up and leave that little boy behind; he had to become a solider; he had to learn how to fight. And he did. And he is now defined by those of us who owe him our lives. He's measured by his bravery. This day came too soon. He died too young. But he died a hero to me, and I am proud to have served with him. Jimmy, we'll remember." Weaver leaned down to the pile of dirt grabbed a handful, and held it tightly in his hand. "May the next world be kinder to Jimmy, than this one ever was."

Then Kaylee and Ben stepped forward. "For those of you that don't know, Jimmy was…my best friend. He was more than just that. He was the first friend I made here at the 2nd Mass and the first friend I've ever made in my life. He was the bravest, kindest, and most patient kid I've ever met. And as Captain Weaver said, he was just a kid who had to grow up way too fast, like the rest of us. Jimmy has always had my back since the first day we met, I'm sure you all remember that," everyone laugh a little, "and he never hesitated once when I asked for help. He's been here for me, for Ben, and for the entire 2nd Mass whenever we needed him. He was just a kid. A fourteen-year-old kid who has been the most incredible friend that anyone could ever be to me. And I promise you that there won't be a single day that I won't wish that I was lying in that grave instead of him, but that doesn't change the fact that I'll never stop fighting the aliens responsible. My determination and my strength is driven by those who've given up their lives for us, and for those who survived it all and passed down the stories from generation to generation, and it'll be for Jimmy. There's no one better that I could have ever asked for to be by my side through everyday until this war is won. Jimmy's spirit now thrives in my heart, and he will forever be remembered as a fearless solider who gave his life to the people he loves." Oh my God I'm going to cry. That was the sweetest thing Kaylee has ever said in her life. I grabbed Hal's hand. Ben and Kaylee reached down and threw some dirt over him then Kaylee leaned her head on Ben and he grabbed her waist and held her and she did the same. Tom and Matt stepped forward and threw dirt, then Anne and Lourdes then Hal and I. Slowly but steadily, in groups of two, the people of the 2nd Mass threw some dirt over him until he was completely covered. Then we all left, everyone except Ben and Kaylee.

We all left to go pack up our stuff and load up the trucks. Hal and I had to help the civilians pack their stuff and fold their sleeping bags and tents and load it all up, and then we helped with loading up supplies. After that was put away Hal helped me put our tent away since Tom and Matt had already packed up all the Mason's things. I noticed Jimmy's stuff was by Kaylee's. When I packed them up I tied the two bags together with rope and made sure they wouldn't get separated. After everything was packed up and the camp looked empty Hal and I hopped on our bikes and road over to Tom and Weaver

"So are we going to Charleston?"

Weaver sighed. "Yes we are."

"So am I free to go?" Avery asked.

"Yes you are." Weaver said.

"Tell my sister I will see her soon," I called to her as she got into her plane and flew away.

"Will you two go find Ben and Kaylee?" Tom asked.

"Sure," Hal said and we road back to the playground. They were both sitting on the ground, looking very shocked and confused. Hal looked at Ben. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, let's go." Ben hopped on the back of Hal's bike and Kaylee hopped on mine.

"What about you?" I asked her as we rode away.

"Where are we going?" she was avoiding the question.

"Charleston, South Carolina," I said as we left the playground, and Jimmy, behind us.

---

YOU CAN ALL BREATHE NOW I'M NOT DEAD!-Parker

So sorry we haven't updated. We have been very busy lately with school and stuff. And please review! We love reviews! Oh and go on our profile and look at our polls we have! Okay so I know this is a horrible thing to say, and the fandom gods are cursing me now but admit it, all you benxkaylee shippers are cheering right now going "YES FINALY HE IS GONE! Now on with the benxkaylee romance!" Admit it you were. I was. After I cried reading what she wrote I became happy because I ship benxkaylee so sit lie to yourself. You know you thought it! -Carter

You thought that the L is for Loss meant Kaylee, didn't you?;3 This is only the beginning my dear fans. BUT HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN THE NEW SEASON THREE STUFF?! LIKE OMGWQEDGTFHNGFSEDWAFDGHNMASDFGHJKL; I'M DYING OVER HERE.

Anyways, I genuinely thought that the Falling Skies writers didn't really make Jimmy's death that big of a deal, when it totally was because Jimmy was Ben's only friend. So I wrote how I wished they would've ended it. I actually want you guys to know that I cried writing this, and in my six years of writing I have never cried over any of my characters before, even though Jimmy wasn't 'my' character persay. And then my dad walked in on me sobbing and he was like "O.O uhh you okay?" and I just looked at him "OF COURSE NOT WHY WOULD YOU THINK I'M OKAY?!" And then he left:3 But yeah, Jimmy didn't deserve to die. I love you Dylan Authors and you should still be on Falling Skies.

So yeh. Hope we destroyed your feels and made you want to throw a brick at me;D It just escalates from here guys. So review, check out our polls, yell at us to update faster, you know, the usual jazz;D

-Parker