SoulStuck

New York, New York

David's POV

You stand in your hotel room wondering what happened to Jena, it's been almost eight hours since you heard from her. Sure, she hurt you, emotionally that is, but you can't let that stop you from caring for your meister.

You hear a key against the door, you rush to it thinking that it's Jena, and it is, just not the way you were hoping she would return.

Your mouth hangs agape as Jason stands in front of you with an unconscious Jena in his arms.

••••••••••••

You drop your phone onto the carpeted floor and take her from Jason's arms, you carry her effortlessly over to her bed.

"What. The hell. Happened."

Jason's tone is dead, emotionless, cold, and calculated.

"I met her at the airport, we got in the cab, and made it about three blocks before someone tried to rob the cab. Sure enough it was a group of Jameston Theives' thugs. We killed all but two of them. The last ones got away.... A meister and a weapon working under Jameston..... I just couldn't imagine it. Either way......."

"Either way what?"

"The weapon was a soul caliber rifle, they got two direct shots, on her, and on me."

"What... How are you here?"

"I blocked it... Kid met me in the limo before I got to the airport... He, he told me one of my 'aspects' for the game was space. He told me that I needed to think deeply, how I wanted to control it."

"How did... Wait... I'm confused."

"So am I honestly. Kid said that years ago he played the game with his friends, and they failed the first time. Causing the game to fall into limbo. They managed to alter the game enough to reset the session, and gain another aspect all together."

"So... We're going to fail at least once according to Kid. He told you that space was one of your aspects, pluralizing it."

"Yes.. He said due to their mistakes, we would inevitably fail once."

"Okay, that's a topic for a later time, now how did you block that shot?"

"I controlled the space around me, and returned the same shot. Almost like a rip in the fabric of space."

Jena groaned and rolled over on her bed.
Jason continued to talk.

"I got a lead on Jameston. My father."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm taking his soul as my 99th. Then. My mother's"

"Well. We wanted you to do the job. Taking revenge on someone who caused you that much pain.... It's your job. Your glory."

"Thanks David. I hope it works out with Jena."

"Me too."

With that, he walks to the door, as he exits, he says one thing.

"Oh and David, Jena will wake up soon. That soul caliber was weak, not meant to kill, just paralyze and knock out."

He shuts the door behind him.

•••••••••••

You sit on the foot of your bed. You don't understand how it happened, you just don't. Jena got shot, Jason can warp space, and Trevor is on his death bed. You feel as though your close knit web of friends are becoming unraveled. The intricate tangle of trust slowing coming undone.

Ben has gone psycho, Trevor is dying, Jena is unconscious, Jason is out for blood, and the rest of your friends are slowly psyching themselves up for the end of the world. No one would have thought that this would have happened. All you can do is prepare for what is to come. But whatever, right? The status of the earth could change at any moment, and meteors will inevitably strike the earth.

You laugh. The

You actually laugh, not just chuckle, you full out laugh, louder and harder than you ever have. It just seems funny, no, hilarious to you, that 12 teenagers are supposed to save the world.

A year ago, you would have laughed at the thought of that. You and Jena had barley spoken. Your bond with her wasn't as strong then as it is now, neither were you. That was then, this is the new you. You're bigger, stronger, and smarter than you were before.

Jena rolls over on the bed and faces you. Wide awake, but her gaze is miles away.

"David."

"Yeah."

"How did we get here?"

"Well, I was already here, Jason ca-"

"No, I mean how did we get HERE? The two of us, you know, our relationship!"

"Oh... Um... That caught me by surprise..."

"David."

"Yeah?"

"I....I... I know that you were planning on saying it first but-"

"Maybe we should say it together?"

"Okay."

"Ready?"

"3"

"2"

"1"

"I love you."
"I love you."