»--Final Phase--« | Ryan Mitchell

(8) Promise

••●══════••●۩۞۩●••══════●••

I barely slept that night. I replayed every moment of that last day thinking about how things might've been different.

One of the last times I saw Ryan before, well before I thought he was dead, was at school. It was before Christmas break and everyone was talking about what they were doing for the holidays. Ryan marched up to me with an envelope inviting me to his fathers Christmas party. He seemed so proud, saying how he convinced his dad to come pick me up so I could come.

I remember him helping me bandage the cut I had gotten on my arm. Even though I didn't tell him how I'd gotten it, he knew anyway. He promised he'd get me away from my house. Away from all the fighting and destruction that happened.

I got away. After he was gone my dad passed away. I never cared, not like I could drive to visit him anyways. Skye did take me to Ryan's grave that Easter though, and at least I got to tell him. Or I thought I did anyway.

●۩۞۩●

The room was dark except for the single light over my head. The weight of the metal cuff on my wrist felt deadly.

"Alright Nova," I heard the voice say over the speaker.

"Lightspeed, rescue!"

I felt confident in this try, hoping the feeling would actually make it work. I wanted it to work. I wanted to make him happy. But as always, the energy rattled through my body making me fall to the ground in pain.

I looked up, meeting his eyes through the testing window waiting on him to turn it off.

I felt sparks travel up my sleeve and onto my shoulder, red hot flames grew higher and higher as the morpher tried desperately to tap into the grid.

Finally I heard a female voice call out, "Stop!"

●۩۞۩●

I woke up screaming and clutching my right shoulder. The dream hadn't surfaced in years. It was so long I thought I had forgotten the pain that caused the scar on my shoulder, but apparently the memory of it was still engraved somewhere deep in my mind. No amount of time could fix it.

When I saw the hall lights click on I knew it was time to get up. I pulled clothes on and braided my hair back, trying my best to ignore the numb feeling in my chest.

I needed to check on Skye.

The hallways were empty as I knocked on her door. Her lights weren't on but I could hear her moving around. She was awake and I knew it.

"Skye, come on, breakfast."

No response.

I knocked again.

I got a high pitched whistle back. A way of saying 'I'm here but wanna be alone'.

After a few more moments of standing outside the door, I left for the training room. I wasn't hungry anyways.

I saw Carter on his way to Skye's door.

"Good luck with that," I said. He gave me a confused look, "She'll come out when she's ready. Just give her time."

I think he still knocked on her door.

The training room was dark when I entered. I turned on all the lights before dragging mats and equipment out as usual. Everything was feeling like a normal day, as if yesterday was just a nightmare.

I wish it was a nightmare.

Everything was silent. So when the door slid open with a 'whoosh' I jumped and spun around.