Questions and Protection

The Ice encased my arm crawling across my flesh, my entire body crawling with the cold. Ice crawling and cracking up my body. Blood dripping down the crystalised ice. The crimson liquid carving down the encasing ice. The cold was sharp; it cut into my flesh as it wrapped around my body consuming my flesh. My heartbeat started to slow. My entire body was so cold. And then my vision stopped, the black encroaching around my eyes. My last sight… his fingers closing together and then.

'Snap!'

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My breath was shaky as I held Ellie, her small body pressed into mine, her blood soaking into my clothes. The tears touching my chest each one like a bullet. Rage and anger flowing through me but an even stronger feeling of despair, helplessness. After a few minutes I handed her the burger and we walked home, it was silent as we walked through the town. The tension is so thick. The atmosphere was so heavy I could hardly breathe. When we got home I walked back out of the house, my hood placed over my head. And my ears are ringing with music. I walked up the lane… all of it was so familiar. The screams and echoes of my childhood, the ghost of who I once was dancing through the narrow cobbled street. Then as I broke into the small clearing, the opening in a forest of bricks and concrete I stepped up to a door. The wood brings back memories with every knock.

The door swung open with a surprising speed and there he stood.

"Hey... I need your help."

Lev's huge body blocked the door, his blond hair lapping at his neck. His scarred chest bare to the outside as his unbuttoned shirt hung down.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Do you have any sway in the middle school?"

"And what if I do?"

"My sister's being bullied"

"So? That's natural, we were all bullied."

"Yeah but this is different, she was bleeding. They were going to kill her..."

"Jesus. I'll help her… but not for you, this is my town. These kids can't do something like that and get away with it."

"Thank you,"

"I have one request."

"What?"

"You have to apologise to Kate, she's going psycho man and it's not good, I know you guys have history but we were all friends once."

"Sure. Thanks lev"

"Look man i'm not doing it for you, I still hate you for bailing on us I'm doing this for Ellie because she's a smart kid and doesn't deserve to end up as good for nothing, idiot like you."

I wanted to say something back. I opened my mouth, my throat catching and closing. I wanted to shout, to scream, to yell out. I wanted so desperately to talk, to say something, to talk to my friend, my old friend but nothing came, I was silent. I turned to leave my misery pouring down like rain. The pain is so sharp in my chest. Like a dagger piercing my heart. Every memory I have is just a ghost, haunting my every action taunting my every move. Everything that I am and everything that I was now resides inside me and its breaking me in two. What should I do? Do I turn back to my old life. Ground myself in reality again and make something she would be proud of? Or do I fly away. Do I take Psye's hand and delve deeper into the virtual?

What would you do Ella? What would you do If I had pushed you back? If I had jumped, wouldn't you? Would you have become greater and conquered this town. God I'm pathetic! I'm so stupid.

I walked back home, my brain clouded with regrets and decisions. Why am I so lost now?

"Hey… you never texted back."

I looked over my shoulder to see her elegant figure in the dying light of the day, her hair sweeping past her back as she held her phone up to my face.

"Sorry I was dealing with something."

"Who lives down there?"

"An old friend"

"Old friend?? How do you have those?"

"It's a long story."

"It always is with you. Why can't you just be honest and straight with me?"

"I could say the same if I'm honest."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Aaaaah this is what I mean. LET ME IN!!!!"

"No"

"Why not??? I thought we were friends"

"Are we?"

"YES DUMBASS!!!"

"Why? Why be friends with me?"

"I could say the same"

"Do you want to be my friend?"

"Of course!"

"Would you be prepared to die with me?"

"What the fuck?"

"That's what I thought. But I do want to be your friend, I just don't know what that means anymore."

"It means telling me about what happened. About why you have all these former friends and why you are hated by an entire school. Why you ran out of a lesson after seeing a teacher and why you keep talking about dying."

"So then will you tell me why you moved here? Why you asked for my number after seeing me twice? Why you continue to hang out with and actively try to be nice to me? Why you're so interested with me?"

"Yes."

"Fine after the tournament, I'll tell you everything."

"Same"

"We have time to kill before the competition starts wanna do something?"

"Sure but I'm exhausted."

"Hahah"

"Wanna play a game?"

"Sure which one?"

"Have you ever heard of Ancient tomes online?"

"Yeah I used to play it with Bana."

"Ok i'll message you my username"

I practically ran home, or as close as I'll ever come bursting through the door and walking to my room. I clicked a single button on the side of my computer and slotted a disk into the side. the fans whirling and spinning with insane speed. The blue screen flashing alive with the blinding white light.

'Account: 0903846

Username: L.ee_983

Race: Licht

Path: Mage

Level: 901'

Then my avatar fell into the world, I forgot how weird it felt not to be the character the4 feeling that I was sinking into my character, lee fell away and all that was left was that skeletal warrior.

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"Hey assassin, are you ready?"

"Yeah by the way what level are you?"

"I'm level one hundred and fifty. Pretty amazing huh?"

"Uuuuh yeah..."

"What about you?"

"..."

"Speak up"

"Nine hnhh"

"Only nine? Well I guess you can't be great at everything, this is one of the hardest games after all."

"Nine hundred."

"Hah, hah and you let me keep talking down to you like an absolute idiot?"

"Uuuh yeah."

"Humph, well you'll just have to make it up to me."

"How?"

"Hmmm I'll figure it out but for now wanna complete a quest?"

"Sure I'm not completely terrified,"

"Well you should be."

We played for an hour or two until my timer sounded, we both logged off and I walked over to my bed.

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It's finally time. It's finally time for me to finish this tournament.