Chapter 9: Mission gone wrong

*Meanna*

"Okay, listen up degenerates," Auntie Ariel says, clapping her hands.

"Degenerates," I whisper in a questioning tone to Jenna to which she shrugs.

"You will be going on a simulated mission tonight. This may not be a real mission but you will treat it like it is real," Auntie says in a serious tone.

All of the high school seniors in the room give her a nod and she continues.

"We will be on an abandoned military base and you will be broken up into two teams, Team Black and Team Blue. The first team to shoot all members of the other team will win."

"What will we be using as weapons," Chelsea, a girl in our class asks.

"Paintballs. They aren't dangerous but they will still hurt like a mofo," she tells her, making us laugh.

She dismisses us to get ready for tonight. Some of us go to the weapons training room, while others go to the hand-to-hand combat room or the designated area for sniper training.

"Hey Jen, wanna go to sniper training," I ask her as we walk out of the auditorium.

"Sure," she says. We link arms and then head to the area.

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Jenna and I are laughing at a story she told me about Jaxon while we are eating. Shayla comes up to us, followed by my brother and my boyfriend.

"Hey, guys," Shayla says when she sits down.

"Hey, you ready for tonight," I ask her.

"Not really. I'm so nervous," she says, twiddling her thumbs.

"It's not real, so if you get shot, you'll live," Jaxon says with a shrug.

"We still have to treat it like it is, you know vest and everything," Jake replies, leaning over the table to kiss me.

"It's not like anything is actually going to happen," Jax says with a disgusted look on his face.

Jenna rolls her eyes at him and reassures Shayla, "Everything is going to be okay. There will be teachers everywhere."

We change the subject and finishing eating. We then head to our rooms and get changed into our mission clothes.

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*Jaxon*

"It's official, Aunt Ariel hates us," I say with a pout.

We're all split up between the two teams. Shayla, Jake, and I are on Team Black, while Meanna and Jenna are on Team Blue.

"Get over it you drama queen," Mea says, rolling her eyes at me.

She walks over to Jake to give him some parting words before we become enemies for the night. I go over to Jen to give her my own parting words.

"I love you, try not to 'die'," I tease her before leaning down to kiss her.

She rolls her eyes at me after we pull away, but tells me the same thing before walking away.

"Mom, why do I have to be stuck with all this testosterone," Shayla whines to Aunt Ariel.

"Honey, build a bridge and get over it," Auntie says, giving Shay a sickly sweet smile.

Her mouth drops and me and Jake start cracking up. She gives us a death stare, instantly making us shut up.

Each team gets into their designated vans and we head to the site.

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"Have you seen Mea or Jen yet," I ask Shayla.

"Nope and we probably won't. You know how well they are at blending in and hiding," she tells me.

"Yeah, you're right," I tell her, shooting another blue team member.

"Oh come on," Charlie yells out, throwing his hands in the air and walking away.

I laugh and pull Shay along to head to another hiding spot. We find Jake, scaring him when we come up to him.

"Geez, you trying to give me a heart attack," he whisper-yells.

"Sorry bro," I say, slapping him on the shoulder.

I look through the scope, searching for my next target, and see something interesting.

"Who the hell is that," I say out loud.

"Huh, where," Jake asks confused.

I point over to the area where the man I don't recognize is and see three more figures join him.

"What the hell," Shayla says. She pulls out her phone and dials a number.

"Mom, there are a few bogeys in the left quadrant," she says.

In that next moment, shots start going off and I hear yelling and screams.

"Oh my God! Mea," Jenna screams.

We jump up and run over to where her screams came from. When we get there, I stare at the scene in horror.

"Someone do something," Shayla yells, dropping down next to Jenna to help stop the bleeding. I'm frozen in shock while my sister coughs on her own blood. A teacher finally makes it over and I hear sirens in the distance. I can feel wetness rolling down my cheeks but I still can't move or do anything.

I'm finally able to move when the paramedics come over and put her on a stretcher.

"Anyone coming with," the paramedic woman asks and I tell her that I am, getting into the ambulance after them.

I grab her hand and plant a kiss on her fingers. "You're going to be okay Mea, I promise."

We finally make it to the hospital and head inside. Her heart stopped on the way to the hospital but they were able to resuscitate her.

"What do we have," a doctor asks as we rush in.

"GSW to the side. She was wearing a vest but the bullet went in right under the arm. There are a few others that are wounded coming in," the same paramedic tells the doctor.

"Is she going to be okay," I ask with a shaky voice.

"Who are you," the doctor asks as he continues to wheel her down the hall.

"I'm her twin brother," I tell him.

"What's her name?"

"Meanna Roberts."

"Any relation to Doctor Mardrianna Roberts?"

"That's our mom," I tell him.

"Jax," Auntie Beth questions, then she sees Mea and gasps.

"Mea? What the hell is going on," she says as the doctor wheels Mea behind the doors to what I assume is an operating room.

"It was just a simulation," I croak out before I start to sob.

She escorts me to an empty room and sits me down. She lets me cry while we wait for the rest of the family to show up.

"She has to be okay, she just has to be," I whisper out.