Post by Guardsman Patrick on Oct 12, 2006 23:05:43 GMT -5
Chapter 27: "Go, if you must."
Alex awoke the next morning and rubbed his eyes and returned his silver glasses to his nose. He sat up in his sleeping bag and unzipped it, releasing the warm air that had been trapped under the quilt during the night. He looked around the clearing as he yawned, seeing Patrick and Rachel sitting on the beach together, talking. Alex looked over at the pile of ashes that had been a fire a couple of hours earlier and saw one of the blue plastic plates stacked high with bacon and eggs. He saw a piece of paper beside it that had his name scrawled across it in Patrick’s bad handwriting. He smiled and began to eat, noticing that all the bodies of the dead men were gone now. The beasts had already eaten breakfast. He looked up as he ate the last little bit of food and saw Rachel and Patrick headed over in his direction. Rachel seemed distant, and Patrick…well, he seemed like Patrick.
"Good morning." Rachel sat beside Alex and snuggled close to him. Alex felt awkward with Rachel so close to him with Patrick watching, but Patrick just smiled and sat down on his rock.
"I sent Pairon and Ulptian back over to the merchant isles to pick up a couple of supplies so we can be comfy until we can rebuild the tower." Patrick was pushing some of the ashes together into a pile, making them look neat and tidy. The leaves around the clearing were beginning to change deeper colors as the season progressed.
Alex could tell something was up. He sat there, eyeing them both, looking at Patrick especially. He knew that Patrick could see his expression, and he could tell that he wasn’t about to say what it was. That could only mean it was Rachel.
"Alright Rachel, tell me what is going on," Alex said.
Rachel stopped leaning against him and sat back, crossing her legs as she sat on the ground.
She sat quietly for a moment and began to bite her bottom lip. She obviously was trying to think of a way to break something to Alex without him feeling bad or hurt. "Alex, promise me you won’t get mad," Rachel said as she tried to smile, but all she could do was look guilty at him. This had confirmed it; she wanted to break some bad news.
"Rachel, just tell me what it is," Alex said, looking at her with worried eyes, not mad like she was expecting them to be.
"You have to promise first."
Alex was not mad. Concerned was more like it, and this childish act was just making him more worried. "Alright, I promise, now please, just tell me what it is." Alex wasn’t one to get mad at his friends. He had other things he could waste his time being mad about.
"Alex, I have been thinking for a while now about this, but I have made my decision, and I don’t think anything anyone can say will change it," Rachel said, making sure Alex understood that she was not going to change her mind, "I have decided that I would like to resign my position as Gym Master."
This was not what Alex was expecting at all. He had to admit he was thinking things ten times worse than that had happened, but it still came as a shock to him.
"Why?" Alex asked quickly. He thought that she wanted to stay because of him.
"I realized after the war that I have other priorities," Rachel leaned over onto Alex again. Alex didn’t stop her; he was just in shock right now. "I have a family that needs me. I have a little cousin that I need to look after and be like an older sister to. I have to help protect them, and help them get by. I can’t die now. My family would be crushed if anything happened to me. It’s too dangerous fighting against unbelievable odds, and not knowing if I will have a place to sleep at night every time there is an attack. I just can’t put myself in that position. Patrick and you have lost everything, your families, all your belongings, everything. All you two have left is hope and your lives," Rachel was beginning to cry. She hadn’t thought it all through before she joined, and now she realized just how many people relied on her.
Alex didn’t know what to say. She had become like a sister to him. No, she was more than a sister. She was the one that he saw himself staying with the rest of his life. Alex looked over at Patrick, and all he did was nod in agreement.
"Rachel, we need you," Alex said pathetically. This was the only thing he could think to say. He knew deep down that there was no way he could convince her, but he could try. "We need you to help us. We wouldn’t have won that battle if it wasn’t for you."
"I appreciate that, but it doesn’t matter. My family needs me there. They need me to help them out, because they can’t even stay in a single house for more than a month. They need me to have a good paying job that will be safe enough that I will be able to work there for years," Rachel was right again. Alex could pay her, but the pay wasn’t worth it. It was eighty thousand a year, but you didn’t even know if you were going to last a year.
Finally, Alex nodded. "You’re right." Alex knew when he was beat. "Can I at least have a couple words with you alone?"
Rachel glanced over at Patrick. All he did was smile and back away, knowing that he had no business being there. Alex watched him as he crossed the clearing and sat down on the beach again, putting his hat over his eyes.
"I know times are hard, and I understand that you are leaving, but you will always be a Gym Master to me," Alex said, looking deeply into Rachel’s eyes. She blushed and looked back at him.
"And just because I am leaving, doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find somebody else to hold my spot for me," Rachel said, rubbing Alex’s arm gently.
"I want to wish you luck, and please, cherish the time you and your family have, because one day," Alex looked down, a sudden rush of sadness came over him. "They won’t be there to cherish."
Alex looked back up into Rachel’s deep brown eyes. She looked back at him, and they both leaned forward. Alex felt her soft lips touch his, and they stayed like that for a long minute. Alex felt her warmth in his arms and hoped that she wouldn’t leave, so he could experience this forever, but sadly, all good things must come to an end. Finally they broke their kiss and Rachel put her head on Alex’s chest. Alex knew she didn’t want to leave just yet, but she knew she had to. Alex put his finger under Rachel’s chin and lifted her head gently, her brown eyes full of tears. Alex gazed back at her, not wanting to say it, but knowing she needed to hear it.
"I know I can’t keep you here. You deserve to be with your family; a happy feeling I can no longer have. It's a rough job, being a Gym Master. If you don't think you should stay anymore, I respect your decision. Go, if you must, and promise that you will cherish the memory of this past week..." Alex looked into her eyes, and no matter how loudly his mind screamed at him to take it back, he knew deep down that this was how it was supposed to be. He knew now that she would be safer, and one day they might meet again. It seemed now that the one day would not come fast enough.
Rachel walked back over to her things and called Kage. The dragon glided over and bent her large body over. Rachel put her things on the spikes that were at the tips of her wings and looked back at Alex. He didn’t know what to do, other than to smile and wave, wishing her onward.
More tears began to flow down her face and she turned around, hopping on Kage’s back. With one beat of her mighty wings, she took off over the trees that surrounded the clearing. Rachel looked back for one last chance to see Alex. She waved and Alex returned the gesture, just as she disappeared over the treetops. She was gone, but Alex could swear he heard a call over the trees, saying, "I'll be back... I promise," but it was most likely his heart speaking the words he wanted so badly to hear.
Alex nearly choked up as he thought about their time together. How they had fought side by side. Nothing could ever break the bond of love they had for each other. It had only been a week’s time, but the second they had seen each other, they were bonded. Now he would not be able to hold her close as she would lay her head on his shoulder in the moonlight. She would not be there to wake him up in the morning, and she would not be there for him to simply look at and be nearly knocked down by how beautiful she was. He knew it was going to be a long night without her being there to talk to, lying beside him as they gazed at the stars. Alex didn’t know how he would live without her. Now he knew how it felt when Shade had lost his love. This only made them more similar, and yet, it made them entirely different.
Alex awoke the next morning and rubbed his eyes and returned his silver glasses to his nose. He sat up in his sleeping bag and unzipped it, releasing the warm air that had been trapped under the quilt during the night. He looked around the clearing as he yawned, seeing Patrick and Rachel sitting on the beach together, talking. Alex looked over at the pile of ashes that had been a fire a couple of hours earlier and saw one of the blue plastic plates stacked high with bacon and eggs. He saw a piece of paper beside it that had his name scrawled across it in Patrick’s bad handwriting. He smiled and began to eat, noticing that all the bodies of the dead men were gone now. The beasts had already eaten breakfast. He looked up as he ate the last little bit of food and saw Rachel and Patrick headed over in his direction. Rachel seemed distant, and Patrick…well, he seemed like Patrick.
"Good morning." Rachel sat beside Alex and snuggled close to him. Alex felt awkward with Rachel so close to him with Patrick watching, but Patrick just smiled and sat down on his rock.
"I sent Pairon and Ulptian back over to the merchant isles to pick up a couple of supplies so we can be comfy until we can rebuild the tower." Patrick was pushing some of the ashes together into a pile, making them look neat and tidy. The leaves around the clearing were beginning to change deeper colors as the season progressed.
Alex could tell something was up. He sat there, eyeing them both, looking at Patrick especially. He knew that Patrick could see his expression, and he could tell that he wasn’t about to say what it was. That could only mean it was Rachel.
"Alright Rachel, tell me what is going on," Alex said.
Rachel stopped leaning against him and sat back, crossing her legs as she sat on the ground.
She sat quietly for a moment and began to bite her bottom lip. She obviously was trying to think of a way to break something to Alex without him feeling bad or hurt. "Alex, promise me you won’t get mad," Rachel said as she tried to smile, but all she could do was look guilty at him. This had confirmed it; she wanted to break some bad news.
"Rachel, just tell me what it is," Alex said, looking at her with worried eyes, not mad like she was expecting them to be.
"You have to promise first."
Alex was not mad. Concerned was more like it, and this childish act was just making him more worried. "Alright, I promise, now please, just tell me what it is." Alex wasn’t one to get mad at his friends. He had other things he could waste his time being mad about.
"Alex, I have been thinking for a while now about this, but I have made my decision, and I don’t think anything anyone can say will change it," Rachel said, making sure Alex understood that she was not going to change her mind, "I have decided that I would like to resign my position as Gym Master."
This was not what Alex was expecting at all. He had to admit he was thinking things ten times worse than that had happened, but it still came as a shock to him.
"Why?" Alex asked quickly. He thought that she wanted to stay because of him.
"I realized after the war that I have other priorities," Rachel leaned over onto Alex again. Alex didn’t stop her; he was just in shock right now. "I have a family that needs me. I have a little cousin that I need to look after and be like an older sister to. I have to help protect them, and help them get by. I can’t die now. My family would be crushed if anything happened to me. It’s too dangerous fighting against unbelievable odds, and not knowing if I will have a place to sleep at night every time there is an attack. I just can’t put myself in that position. Patrick and you have lost everything, your families, all your belongings, everything. All you two have left is hope and your lives," Rachel was beginning to cry. She hadn’t thought it all through before she joined, and now she realized just how many people relied on her.
Alex didn’t know what to say. She had become like a sister to him. No, she was more than a sister. She was the one that he saw himself staying with the rest of his life. Alex looked over at Patrick, and all he did was nod in agreement.
"Rachel, we need you," Alex said pathetically. This was the only thing he could think to say. He knew deep down that there was no way he could convince her, but he could try. "We need you to help us. We wouldn’t have won that battle if it wasn’t for you."
"I appreciate that, but it doesn’t matter. My family needs me there. They need me to help them out, because they can’t even stay in a single house for more than a month. They need me to have a good paying job that will be safe enough that I will be able to work there for years," Rachel was right again. Alex could pay her, but the pay wasn’t worth it. It was eighty thousand a year, but you didn’t even know if you were going to last a year.
Finally, Alex nodded. "You’re right." Alex knew when he was beat. "Can I at least have a couple words with you alone?"
Rachel glanced over at Patrick. All he did was smile and back away, knowing that he had no business being there. Alex watched him as he crossed the clearing and sat down on the beach again, putting his hat over his eyes.
"I know times are hard, and I understand that you are leaving, but you will always be a Gym Master to me," Alex said, looking deeply into Rachel’s eyes. She blushed and looked back at him.
"And just because I am leaving, doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find somebody else to hold my spot for me," Rachel said, rubbing Alex’s arm gently.
"I want to wish you luck, and please, cherish the time you and your family have, because one day," Alex looked down, a sudden rush of sadness came over him. "They won’t be there to cherish."
Alex looked back up into Rachel’s deep brown eyes. She looked back at him, and they both leaned forward. Alex felt her soft lips touch his, and they stayed like that for a long minute. Alex felt her warmth in his arms and hoped that she wouldn’t leave, so he could experience this forever, but sadly, all good things must come to an end. Finally they broke their kiss and Rachel put her head on Alex’s chest. Alex knew she didn’t want to leave just yet, but she knew she had to. Alex put his finger under Rachel’s chin and lifted her head gently, her brown eyes full of tears. Alex gazed back at her, not wanting to say it, but knowing she needed to hear it.
"I know I can’t keep you here. You deserve to be with your family; a happy feeling I can no longer have. It's a rough job, being a Gym Master. If you don't think you should stay anymore, I respect your decision. Go, if you must, and promise that you will cherish the memory of this past week..." Alex looked into her eyes, and no matter how loudly his mind screamed at him to take it back, he knew deep down that this was how it was supposed to be. He knew now that she would be safer, and one day they might meet again. It seemed now that the one day would not come fast enough.
Rachel walked back over to her things and called Kage. The dragon glided over and bent her large body over. Rachel put her things on the spikes that were at the tips of her wings and looked back at Alex. He didn’t know what to do, other than to smile and wave, wishing her onward.
More tears began to flow down her face and she turned around, hopping on Kage’s back. With one beat of her mighty wings, she took off over the trees that surrounded the clearing. Rachel looked back for one last chance to see Alex. She waved and Alex returned the gesture, just as she disappeared over the treetops. She was gone, but Alex could swear he heard a call over the trees, saying, "I'll be back... I promise," but it was most likely his heart speaking the words he wanted so badly to hear.
Alex nearly choked up as he thought about their time together. How they had fought side by side. Nothing could ever break the bond of love they had for each other. It had only been a week’s time, but the second they had seen each other, they were bonded. Now he would not be able to hold her close as she would lay her head on his shoulder in the moonlight. She would not be there to wake him up in the morning, and she would not be there for him to simply look at and be nearly knocked down by how beautiful she was. He knew it was going to be a long night without her being there to talk to, lying beside him as they gazed at the stars. Alex didn’t know how he would live without her. Now he knew how it felt when Shade had lost his love. This only made them more similar, and yet, it made them entirely different.