Chapter 5: Would you forgive me?

Sissi felt like she was flying.

It felt like her soul was leaving her body, and made a trip down memory lane, where she could find a lot of good memories, which were slowly being pushed away by the visions she had seen the past few months of the invasion.

This time, memory lane ran down towards Kadic Academy. She slided in fast forward towards the sport-fields, miraculously not hitting any bush or tree that could have blocked her way. She floated in the middle of the sport-fields, and the environment changed. Fences grew around the school grounds, people appeared out of nowhere, mindlessly walking around, and monsters crawled over the once so silent grounds. And Sissi herself noticed she was being pulled toward the ground by gravity.

Before she knew it, she stood with her two feet on the ground again, with all other prisoners in the fenced sport-fields. It still was kind of hot outside, which meant it should be summer – very odd weather for the situation the people were in. the well-known feeling of hunger returned, and and she felt in her throat she needed to drink something.

Sissi looked around, and found nothing out of the ordinary. Monsters everywhere, traitors being scolded, people – innocent people – being taken away for unknown reasons. Nope, nothing out of the ordinary. Which made her notice…

Where was Nicholas? He had said half an hour ago he had to do something important, and he still hadn't returned. Sissi began to doubt. Was he, by any chance, the next one? No, not Nicholas! Without him, Sissi didn't have anyone else who could take care of her. She wouldn't quickly say it, but she couldn't survive her on her own. Nobody except Nicholas wanted to stay with her, because she was still the daughter of the principal, who was still missing. And because she could be the possible next one.

A loud gong made all few conversations fall silent, and everybody (including Sissi) looked up, expectantly. The biggest of the two air-monsters of XANA – she thought they were called Mantas – were circling around in the air, and let a lot of crates fall down onto the sport-fields. Everyone waited until all crates have reached the ground before they ran towards them as quick as possible. Sissi had to do this as well, or else she wouldn't eat for the second day in a row. She was hoping Nicholas would get some food somewhere, too.

After a total of five minutes the peace returned, with the exceptions of a few fights, which were quickly stopped by traitors and Kankrelats. Then, Sissi looked at what she could grab from the pile of fallen food, and she was at least glad she had something. She held a can with sardines and a can with peach, two things she didn't really like to eat, but it was better than nothing. You ate what you got, or you didn't eat at all. It was also a tip not to make a fire to warm it: there were no materials to do so, and if you did succeed, you had one minute before a Megatank rolled over it. So everything would be eaten raw, it not being warm, and with no sauces. Food poisoning was not uncommon.

She hoped Nicholas caught some good cans of food. The two of them shared their food, to eat something more varied, to survive longer in the slave camp, where at least one person per day died. Could be anything: naturally or killed. She looked around until she saw the tall boy with the red hair approaching her. Sissi sighed in relief. Nicholas. She herself also came closer towards 'the tall boy'. She tried her best not to hug him – it still felt weird to make contact like that. He smiled at her.

"What did you get?" She showed him the two cans, and he nodded. Luckily she didn't grab something that looked like dog food. He himself did got some food as well, something that was worth the name 'meal', unlike most of the meals they had now. Sissi tried to look behind Nicholas' back, where he hid the meal from her for now. Not that anybody would try and steal it from him, not after that small accident with Emily. He'd rather not think about it.

"C'mon Nicholas, don't be so childish, what have you got?" He took a deep breath and took the pot from behind his back so Sissi could see it. The pot contained a heated meal, just meat and potatoes. In his pocket he kept two spoons and forks, and he smirked when Sissi's jaw dropped. There was practically no warm food to find in the whole prison, and no traitor would want to share food – their food – with the miserable prisoners. Nicholas took one fork and spoon, and handed them over to Sissi, while he kept the other two in his hand. Sissi didn't ask where he got it – for the moment, she ate. She soon forgot her peaches and sardines.

It didn't take too long before it was completely empty, and their stomachs had been satisfied. That warm meal had done them good. It hadn't been that warm after all, but that didn't really matter. She noticed Nicholas let her eat more than him, but he always let her. He didn't mind it, though. He naturally didn't really eat much. A few minutes after enjoying their first warm meal in months, Sissi turned towards her only friend and started to glare at him.

"Where did you get this meal?" she wanted to know. Nicholas cleared his throat, a sign that he was either nervous or rather wouldn't talk. Sissi guessed both. Before she could repeat her question, a loud yell was heard over the field. Most prisoners ignored it – come on, lately there's at least one yell/scream a day – but Sissi and Nicholas turned around anyway. The poor unfortunate boy was being brought away by a few monsters (Kankrelats/Bloks), away to the Captain of Punishments, while the boy kept screaming that they got the wrong one. Sissi noticed Milly, Hiroki and their two friends hadn't been too far away from the boy. This made Sissi glare even harder at Nicholas.

"You tried to bust Hiroki?" she continued with anger in her voice. Hiroki and Sissi had never spoken one word to each other, but were connected by Sissi's anger for Yumi, and didn't really know each other. Sissi still felt responsible for the boy. And Milly. And Nicholas. And the poor unfortunate boy. And everybody who once found a home at Kadic. She still hadn't found her father, and already prepared for the worst. Without Jean-Pierre, Sissi was the closest they had to a leader. She, and the young Ishiyama boy.

"No. just someone who looks like him," Nicholas said, bending the truth. Yes, he thought Hiroki as a rebel, but he never used any names. And by accident this boy resembled Hiroki. And Nicholas tried not to use the word 'Japanese', because Hiroki would know, so he instead told them the boy looked 'Chinese'. He'd thought they would get he tried to bust Hiroki, but apparently, they hadn't. "I didn't know his name," Sissi still glared at him.

"That doesn't give you the right to bust him!" she sneered at him. He didn't flinch, but she knew she must have hurt him. She saw it in his eyes, and his almost unchanging position, and for now she let him think she hadn't noticed.

Nicholas, who had been building up his self-confidence, was once again intimidated by Sissi Delmas, something that last happened few weeks ago. He didn't understand why she was now so suddenly angry with him. He could survive by asking himself this question: what would Sissi do? Until now, it had always worked.

His gaze caught a glimpse of one of the traitors,. Quick and efficient, he placed himself between Sissi and the traitor. He held her back by a protective arm, and glared at the traitor. Sissi thought this was a way for Nicholas to convince her, so she turned around to say something about his behavior, and eventually saw him. The traitor Nicholas had seen only seconds before her, protecting her from the traitor, who currently did nothing.

Herve Pichon.

Sissi didn't understand how Herve could have done this. His gaze now caught Sissi and Nicholas, now almost with no emotion, where it would always have a small glimpse of emotion in it in the past. Sissi's eyes went to the sign that had been sewed on his uniform – the same eye present on each monster or human serving XANA. Which confirmed Herve was being trusted fully by XANA.

Sissi hated him.

After a few minutes, Herve simply walked away. Sissi noticed he didn't wear a gun, unlike the others. Not that he needed one. He was the Captain of Punishments, the dude who hanged the Gauthier siblings as his first official deed – nobody dared touching him, afraid of the punishment following it. Nicholas dropped his defensive position when he couldn't see Herve anymore, and sighed. He should never trust the boy anymore. And he wouldn't let the traitor hurt Sissi, either.

And to be honest, he also tried to protect Herve from himself. Even if he didn't know how.

Sissi woke up fairly quickly, just a bit different than she had thought. Instead of the silence she had expected, she heard how Herve was fighting with Nicholas. She opened her eyes and saw how Herve and Nicholas stressed their arguments with wilde motions with their arms, while both of them yelled to get the right to speak. They did not notice Sissi had woken up.

"…me, she's in a perfect state," Herve shouted.

"She's pale, and you call that a perfect state?" Nicholas retorted.

"She just fainted!

"That's no excuse, Pichon!"

"of course it is, she worried about you!"

"She's always been pale, just don't blame her health!"

"But I don't!"

"Yes, you do! If you had taken care of her properly, she wouldn't be this pale!" Nicholas sneered. Sometimes Sissi wished Nicholas would just forgive Herve. Herve only did what he needed to survive, even if he worked for the virus to do so. But Nicholas didn't want to hear excuses, and stayed overprotective for Sissi, and couldn't get rid of his hate towards Herve. Sissi cleared her throat, and the boys turned to the sound.

"First of all, she can talk for herself," her throat was and her voice hoarse, "Secondly, what are you now fighting about?" They shouldn't be fighting. It would be better to wait with fighting until after the invasion. Too bad the fighting involved the invasion and everything bad that came from it.

"You bruised yourself when you fell, and you're quite pale. Conclusion: we need to throw Herve out of the group." Sissi sighed, and Herve thoughtfully didn't say anything.

"No, we don't."

"But he…"

"…helped us out of Kadic and kept us alive. We won't send him away." Nicholas looked dissapointed and mad, and Herve was relieved and greatful. And that was the end of this fight – if either of them would begin about it again, they would get no food.

Talking about food, immediately after she could stop this unnecessary fight, she prepared their lucnh. A bit of what they took with them from Kadic, plus the fish Nicholas had caught. Sissi was greatful her father taught her how to cook, for if she were ever to be home alone. It was silent during the preparation of the meal and when eating it. Sometimes one of them looked up, to one of the other two. None had a reason to talk: Nicholas didn't want his words used against him by the traitor, Sissi didn't have much to say and Herve was silent because he was afraid Nicholas would attack him verbally again. If you need an uncomfortable silence, you're good.

It began when Herve absolutely wanted to move the camp. "Trust me, it would be better to go. They won't find us." Eventually, Sissi could convnce Nicholas to stop protesting and to just follow Herve. It wasn't really pleasant Nicholas still did not trust whatever Herve did and said – his back still wasn't fully healed, the reason he cursed and insulted Herve. If Sissi wouldn't be here, Nicholas would simply leave his ex best friend in the middle of the night, or just try and suffocate him in the night. Without her, Herve was as good as dead.

They were walking for a few hours now, with small deflection to the left. Sissi looked around – why did every tree look like the other one? – but soon decided to just look ahead, where they were walking. She did not recognize the place, and it really did not matter to her where they were, as long as they were safe. She thought that all trees looked like one another anyways.

This wasn't the case for Nicholas. He took in every detail, and sometimes even noticed the eye of XANA. It was impossible, because they were fleeing from the virus, but it could happen. The virus did have had the power to create this forest in three weeks. The eyes Nicholas saw were imprinted in the mud lightly, almost invisible for the human eye. Some were more clear than others, and Nicholas kept an eye out for them. After half an hour extra observation of the environment, the redhead made his conclusion.

"We're walking in circles," he said, breaking the silence and their walk. His friend and the traitor turned to him; Sissi clearly was surprised, but he couldn't identify the look on Herve's face.

"What do you mean?" Herve stuttered.

"This is the third time we pass this," Nicholas clarified, "after the second time, I was wondering if we hadn't come here earlier. Now, this is the third time I see it, and now I know it for sure. Why do we walk around in circles?" He questioned Herve, making very clear he does not like the traitor.

"I didn't notice," Herve said without hesitation, "If I had known…"

"What are you planning now, Pichon?" Nicholas didn't even give him the time to explain.

"Excuse me?" Herve set one step back, to be sure his old friend wouldn't hurt him.

"I know you're planning something. In can feel it in my gut. And my gut is always right, coming to danger." His 'rival' shook his head.

"One time, it was wrong, when we…"

"That was an exception!" Nicholas exclaimed, "What are you planning? Tell me, or I'll make you!" Luckily Sissi came between them before the redhead would take out his anger on Herve, who looked tragically desperate now.

"I'm telling you, I don't!" A few seconds of silence followed, after which Herve continued with on a softer tone, "But if I was, and I had to do it against my will, would you forgive me?" the look in Nicholas' eyes told him that he would never forgive him, because of what happened. Never… Maybe Sissi would, depending on what 'crime' he had committed.

Suddenly, Herve blasted with his back against a nearby tree, his feet a few inches above the ground, being held in this very uncomfortable position by the boy who put him in that position, namely Nicholas. It didn't seem a very peaceful thing.

"What have you done!?" Nicholas' voice sounded calm, yet so venomous. Herve didn't answer, didn't get the chance to answer.

"Nicholas, put him down!" Sissi shouted.

"But he…" Just do it, dork! You know better than just to make conclusions about someone who might have done nothing," the ginger let Herve fall down, "Besides, it's not good for your back!" Sissi added, while helping Herve getting up. Nicholas sighed.

"Nothing's good for my back nowadays," he groaned, to shut up a long time after that. The line separating him and Herve had increased, and the only thing Sissi could do about it, is try to stop them as quick as possible. And this line wouldn't disappear soon.

And Nicholas is alright, though bit suspicious. How long will he stand Herve's presence? WHat great secret does Herve carry? Or does he just feel guilty because they're outlaws and being hunted down because of him? Whaddya think will happen next? Next week we have a small talk with Hiroki, as you can read in chapter six: Would you love me?, which will be posted on the 30th of January! On with the reviews:

Bluedog197 (Well, I really appreciate the help, so thank you for that. Yet, the part with Aelita is in this story quite impossible, as Jeremy refuses to start up the supercomputer, and thus refuses to give XANA his ultimate weapon back)

See ya next time!

-DutchWriters2