I.Want.Candy
Chapter Sixteen: Standing Before the Flame
Melrose High School, Massachusetts
October 25th, 2006
7:50 AM
Clouds had started moving in over the horizon. Wind had started to kick up a little and the air was nippy. Ian watched from the window of the cafeteria. He was sitting on the table that Samfa had sat on less the four hours earlier, ready to fight the oncoming Empire troops. Now Ian sat here, waiting for the battle they were about to launch on the Empire’s main base. We’re reversing. Ian thought as he watched the gloomy dark clouds coming in. I just hope we have more success than they did. He let his head droop a little as he thought about everything he had been through to this point. Why have I put myself through so much pain and turmoil? Especially for a bunch of kids I only met a day ago? Is it because they’re trying to survive just like us? Or is it something more? He sighed and looked out again. This world really is beautiful. And so free. A place that we deserve to live. Free of the Empire, free of being enslaved. Free to do whatever we want.
He turned his head slowly as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs towards him. He spotted, out of the corner of his eye, a female figure. When she got closer, he saw it was Natalie. She had taken off her bandana and put on a black tank top in place of her old black shirt. She came around the table and sat down next to Ian, not looking at him. She just stared out the window. They both watched the outside world silently. After minutes of quiet, she turned her head to him.
“So…I guess this is it, huh?” She said.
He laughed lightly and let out a small smile. “Yeah…it’s time to take our trouble back to where it came from.”
“Do you really think we can win?” She said quietly. “I mean, Jeff’s plan is brilliant I’ll admit and I have a lot of faith in it. But we don’t know who’s guarding the gateway. It could Obliterators or Elite generals, even that Rudin guy. It could even be Garret.” Ian cringed at the mention of his brother.
“We’ll have to worry about that when we get there. We first have to worry getting through their army to the building.” He said.
She turned to him more and he could see she had tears welling in her eyes. “Ian, I’m worried. I’m worried sick about everyone. This plan is not fool-proof; someone can die. One of us or even Sam, Haley, Tony, Paula, CJ or Cameron. I’m scared for their lives. They don’t deserve to die to a force that doesn’t even belong here.” She said, frantically.
“I know…I’m scared too. But we can’t do anything to convince them not to fight; they want to protect their world, which is their right. But something tells me, we’ve all gotten too far to die now. Something tells me this is going to work.” He said.
She looked at him, wide-eyed. “Do you really feel that way?”
He turned and looked at her and smiled softly. “Yeah, I do.”
She nodded softly and they both turned and looked out the window again. He noticed the clouds had moved even closer now. The sun was hidden behind them now.
“You know its weird-…” Ian spoke up. “But do you think we were meant to come here?”
Natalie turned her head back to Ian again. “What do you mean?”
“I think that it was our fates to come to this world. We were supposed to come here and meet everyone here and fight along side them. I can’t imagine what our lives would be like now if we hadn’t come through the portal.”
“We’d be dead.” She said, half-jokingly. “And something tells me everyone here would be too. So maybe you’re right, maybe we all needed to meet so we would all survive.”
“Yeah…a weird twist fate, but I’m happy about it.” He said.
They sat there for a moment, reflecting on what they had said.
“Ian…” She said softly. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. “Please don’t do anything stupid.”
He turned to her and stared, confused. “What?”
“Liza and I were talking. We know how you are. And we just want you to promise that you won’t do anything stupid.” She said
“Natalie-…” He started
“Just promise. Please…for me.” She finished. Tears were streaming down her face.
Ian stared at her. He brought his hand up and put it over her own, resting on the side of the table. She looked over at him. “I promise…I won’t do anything stupid.”
She smiled softly. “Thank you.” She squeezed his hand tightly.
They sat there for a moment, staring at each other. Then Natalie quickly pulled her hand away. “Because, you know, if you do something stupid, who the hell am I going to keep sparring with?” She said. She reached up and wiped her eyes off. Ian nodded and she got up from the table and started heading down the stairs. He watched after her. Always going back to her tough exterior. He thought.
He turned around and looked out the window again. He could see the clouds in the distant were dropping rain. It will be here any minute. This could be a blessing in disguise. He thought. He looked down at his bandaged arm and stared at it. It brought his right hand up and put it to his chest, where he had been cut earlier. Millions of new thoughts raced through his mind. He sat there, thinking for a few minutes. Then he got up from the table and started walking down the stairs.
It’s time.
Melrose High School, Massachusetts
October 25th, 2006
7:50 AM
Clouds had started moving in over the horizon. Wind had started to kick up a little and the air was nippy. Ian watched from the window of the cafeteria. He was sitting on the table that Samfa had sat on less the four hours earlier, ready to fight the oncoming Empire troops. Now Ian sat here, waiting for the battle they were about to launch on the Empire’s main base. We’re reversing. Ian thought as he watched the gloomy dark clouds coming in. I just hope we have more success than they did. He let his head droop a little as he thought about everything he had been through to this point. Why have I put myself through so much pain and turmoil? Especially for a bunch of kids I only met a day ago? Is it because they’re trying to survive just like us? Or is it something more? He sighed and looked out again. This world really is beautiful. And so free. A place that we deserve to live. Free of the Empire, free of being enslaved. Free to do whatever we want.
He turned his head slowly as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs towards him. He spotted, out of the corner of his eye, a female figure. When she got closer, he saw it was Natalie. She had taken off her bandana and put on a black tank top in place of her old black shirt. She came around the table and sat down next to Ian, not looking at him. She just stared out the window. They both watched the outside world silently. After minutes of quiet, she turned her head to him.
“So…I guess this is it, huh?” She said.
He laughed lightly and let out a small smile. “Yeah…it’s time to take our trouble back to where it came from.”
“Do you really think we can win?” She said quietly. “I mean, Jeff’s plan is brilliant I’ll admit and I have a lot of faith in it. But we don’t know who’s guarding the gateway. It could Obliterators or Elite generals, even that Rudin guy. It could even be Garret.” Ian cringed at the mention of his brother.
“We’ll have to worry about that when we get there. We first have to worry getting through their army to the building.” He said.
She turned to him more and he could see she had tears welling in her eyes. “Ian, I’m worried. I’m worried sick about everyone. This plan is not fool-proof; someone can die. One of us or even Sam, Haley, Tony, Paula, CJ or Cameron. I’m scared for their lives. They don’t deserve to die to a force that doesn’t even belong here.” She said, frantically.
“I know…I’m scared too. But we can’t do anything to convince them not to fight; they want to protect their world, which is their right. But something tells me, we’ve all gotten too far to die now. Something tells me this is going to work.” He said.
She looked at him, wide-eyed. “Do you really feel that way?”
He turned and looked at her and smiled softly. “Yeah, I do.”
She nodded softly and they both turned and looked out the window again. He noticed the clouds had moved even closer now. The sun was hidden behind them now.
“You know its weird-…” Ian spoke up. “But do you think we were meant to come here?”
Natalie turned her head back to Ian again. “What do you mean?”
“I think that it was our fates to come to this world. We were supposed to come here and meet everyone here and fight along side them. I can’t imagine what our lives would be like now if we hadn’t come through the portal.”
“We’d be dead.” She said, half-jokingly. “And something tells me everyone here would be too. So maybe you’re right, maybe we all needed to meet so we would all survive.”
“Yeah…a weird twist fate, but I’m happy about it.” He said.
They sat there for a moment, reflecting on what they had said.
“Ian…” She said softly. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. “Please don’t do anything stupid.”
He turned to her and stared, confused. “What?”
“Liza and I were talking. We know how you are. And we just want you to promise that you won’t do anything stupid.” She said
“Natalie-…” He started
“Just promise. Please…for me.” She finished. Tears were streaming down her face.
Ian stared at her. He brought his hand up and put it over her own, resting on the side of the table. She looked over at him. “I promise…I won’t do anything stupid.”
She smiled softly. “Thank you.” She squeezed his hand tightly.
They sat there for a moment, staring at each other. Then Natalie quickly pulled her hand away. “Because, you know, if you do something stupid, who the hell am I going to keep sparring with?” She said. She reached up and wiped her eyes off. Ian nodded and she got up from the table and started heading down the stairs. He watched after her. Always going back to her tough exterior. He thought.
He turned around and looked out the window again. He could see the clouds in the distant were dropping rain. It will be here any minute. This could be a blessing in disguise. He thought. He looked down at his bandaged arm and stared at it. It brought his right hand up and put it to his chest, where he had been cut earlier. Millions of new thoughts raced through his mind. He sat there, thinking for a few minutes. Then he got up from the table and started walking down the stairs.
It’s time.