The Mission

Chapter 22

-Chapter 22-
*Sky's POV-

Jerome and I walked around, looking for the perfect place. This morning, Jerome gave me shocking news. He told me he was going to propose to Mitch in a few days and he wanted to make it perfect. I volunteered to help find the perfect place. Now, we're walking aimlessly, looking for a secluded area.
We came across a breath-taking beach. It was surrounding a small, crystal blue pond that sparkled under the sunlight. The sand was a light tan and was a calm mixture of warm and chilly to the touch. Beautiful, tall trees surrounded the small clearing and gave it the feel of seclusion.
"I-it's perfect." Jerome murmured, clearly awestruck by the gorgeous sight.
I walked around a bit and thought of where the best place would be to start building the gazebo. I found an area that was flatter than the rest of the beach and called Jerome over. "Do you think this is a good area?" I asked.
Jerome looked at the sun, which was a few hours away from setting, and nodded. "Yeah. It's perfect."
We used the wood we packed in our backpacks and built the outline of the small structure. We added a layer of fences, leaving a gap every few blocks, before adding another layer of wood and starting on the roof. We hid a few lights in the trees to make it seem like the trees were glowing. While Jerome was adding stairs to the gazebo, I made sure the area was well lit. After we were finished, the area looked like a scene from a fairytale. Tomorrow, the day before Jerome was going to propose to Mitch, we decided to decorate the gazebo more. On the way home, we noted where patches of beautiful flowers were.
Upon entering the house, it was silent. "I'm guessing they're asleep." I whispered to Jerome.
He nodded. "Yeah. I need to go to your village. I hear they have a lot of diamonds. I still need to get Mitch a ring. Can you go with me?" He whispered back.
"Yeah. Lets go." I started walking back outside and I heard Jerome follow.
*Jerome's POV
I followed Sky. We both knew that I couldn't enter the village without a human with me. Even with Sky with me, it may take a bit of talking to the guard to get past him. I need to get past him though. I need to get a ring. Thinking about buying a wedding ring for Mitch made my stomach flutter with nervousness and happiness. "What if he says 'no'?" The question kept repeating itself in my mind.
"Jerome?" Sky broke me out of my thoughts.
I turned my attention to him. "Yeah?"
Sky motioned to the tall cobble gate in front of him. "We're here. I already talked to the guard and he let us in. Well, on one condition." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You have to wear handcuffs."
I lifted my hands and felt the heavy weight of the metal. "Fine." I sighed.
Sky led the way to a small shop. He opened the door for me and I walked in. The shop was small. The floor was thin, ashy grey carpet and the walls were a vibrant shade of lavender purple. In one corner of the room was a set of plush-looking chocolate brown armchairs. The rest of the shop was taken up by a large, short glass case housing a huge selection of breath-takingly beautiful rings. Right away, I knew it was going to be difficult to only choose one.
Sky was looking at a ring. "Do you think I should propose to Ty?" He asked me.
I walked over to him and began to look at the rings. "I think you should ask your heart, not me."
Sky smiled down at the engagement rings he was looking at. "Your right." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to propose."
I tried to pat his back, but it wasn't an easy task with the cuffs.
Out of nowhere, a girl popped up from behind the counter. "Hi!!" She greeted. Her light brown eyes contrasted against her long, beach blond hair. If I wasn't gay and in a relationship, I would go for her. "Need any help today?" She asked.
"Yes actually." I spoke up. "I need help finding a wedding ring."
The girl, who's name tag read 'Kayla', looked towards Sky and then back to me.
I quickly understood what she was asking. "No, he's not my boyfriend. He is also looking for a ring though."
The girl sat in a chair behind the counter and leaned against the glass. "Are you gay or straight?" She asked.
I took no hesitating in replying with "Gay" because I wasn't ashamed of what I was.
Kayla walked around the circle, grabbing gorgeous wedding rings and setting them in front of us. As she made her way around the circular display boxes, she set more rings in front of us. "These are our selection of wedding rings." She explained.
I looked through the pile as did Sky. A ring caught my eye and I held it up, studying it. It was a thin, gold band with a large diamond in the center. The diamond was surrounded with tiny diamonds. The band itself had a beautiful pattern sculpted into it.
I looked over the ring again. "Does this ring come with a proposal ring?"
"All the rings do. It's a thin band that matches the ring."
Sky held up a very thin, white-gold band that had three, large diamonds on the top, surrounded by a few tiny emeralds. "Can I see the proposal ring?" He asked.
The girl ran to the correct case and found the ring. She also got the proposal ring that is paired with the ring I chose. "Here ya' go!!"
Both of the engagement rings were the same style, but the one that matched Sky's ring was white gold. The one that matched the ring I chose was gold and had many, beautiful specks of diamond and the ring that matched the one Sky chose had a pattern of emeralds and diamonds.
"We'll take them." Sky and I said at the same time.
Kayla's face lit up. "Would you like a message to be etched into the wedding bands?" She asked. When both of us nodded, she handed us slips of paper and pencils. She told us to write what we want on the ring.
I thought about it. What did I want to write on the ring? After figuring it out, I scribbled it down and handed it back Kayla. She took Sky's when he was finished and told us it would be about an hour until it would be finished.
Sky led me out of the shop and gave me a short tour of the town. A few hours of walking later, we chose to go back to the ring shop. The rings were finished and Kayla was polishing them.
"Just in time!!" She exclaimed when she noticed us walk in. "I just finished the engravings. Now, you need to choose what box you want. It comes free with the ring, but there's many to choose from." She pointed towards two shelves that held many different styles of ring boxes. I looked at all of them and finally chose a midnight black box with white trimming. Sky settled on a black leather box with neon green trimming. We brought them back to Kayla and she put the correct rings in the correct ones. She let us take two of the same boxes so that we don't lose the wedding ring when we propose.
Sky and I ran back to the gates after paying Kayla the money for the rings, got the handcuffs taken off of my wrists, and then sprinted home. Sky told me that he decided to propose to Ty the day I propose to Mitch. We contemplated on taking the rings inside or hiding them someplace, so we took them inside and hid them under the couch.
*Mitch's POV
*an hour before
Jerome wasn't back yet. I reread the note left on the counter and it made me worried. Where could he possibly have gone to? I paced the living room and even thought of waking Ty up and asking him. Maybe we could go out and look for them. I hope they aren't in trouble. What if the Bacca king captured them? What if they got lost? No, they wouldn't get lost, but it is a possibility that the Bacca king captured them. Tears began to swell in my eyes at the thought of losing Jerome. I quickly wiped them away and calmed myself down. Getting a drink of water, I took the full cup to the bedroom I share with Jerome and went back to sleep.
*Jerome's POV
*2 Days Later
I woke up and looked in the drawers for my best suit. Since they're all the same, I threw one on and speedily tip-toed to the kitchen. I grabbed my recently-emptied backpack and started stuffing it with food and needed supplies. I retrieved the proposal ring from under the couch and slid it into the pocket of my suit jacket. Today was the day I was going to propose to Mitch.
I waited for everyone to wake up. Surprisingly, Mitch was the first one.
"Jerome?" He asked. When he saw me, he quickly hugged me. "I thought the king captured you!!" he cried.
I rubbed his back and comforted him. "No. It's ok. The king didn't even make an appearance." I reassured.
"Where were you?" He asked, pulling away and walking to the kitchen.
I smiled to myself. "Nowhere you should be worried about."
Mitch looked at me then sighed. "Will I find out?"
"Of coarse." I replied after giving him a peck on the lips. "Later today, you want to go fishing? I found a great spot."
Mitch nodded and grabbed a roll of bread from the chest. "You want one?" When I shook my head, he shrugged and walked back to me.
I slung my arms around him and we sat on the couch. We cuddled together while he ate the small bread roll. "I love you." I murmured.
Mitch looked up at me and smiled. "I love you too."
A set of footsteps neared the living room. Sky walked in, holding Ty bridal style. "G'morning!!" Sky greeted.
He playfully threw Ty on the couch. "Sky!!" Ty laughed.
Sky left Ty on the couch and walked into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he walked back out, carrying two apples. "Want one?" He asked Ty. Ty nodded. Sky grinned and replied with, "You have to earn it."
Ty blushed and glanced towards us before looking back up at Sky. "B-but there's people.."
Sky laughed and tossed Ty the apple. "I'll never make you work for your food. Don't worry. I was just kidding."
Ty sighed, relieved, and ate the bright red fruit. "What are we doing today?" He asked.
"Going fishing." I quickly replied before Sky could say anything. "I found a new fishing spot."
"And I think today is a great day to fish." Sky added.
"When are we leaving?" Mitch asked.
Sky and I looked at each-other. "In a few hours. We just woke up."
Ty stood up and ran to the bedroom. "Close your eyes Sky!!!" He yelled down the hall.
Sky obeyed and closed his eyes. Since Mitch and I already knew what he made, we kept our eyes open.
Ty came back a minute later with the beautiful necklace. He hung it around Sky's neck and the stone seemed to light up a bit. "Now you can open your eyes."
Adam opened his eyes and looked down the the golden amulet. "It-it's beautiful!!" He gasped. "I love it!!" Sky kissed Ty as a 'thank you'. When they pulled away, Ty's face reddened to a deep crimson.
"I have a gift for you too." Sky smiled and pulled Ty so he was sitting on his lap. "Close your eyes." Sky grabbed Ty's headphones from his backpack and put them on Ty's head. Sky fiddled with the purple iPod, set it down, and watched Ty's reaction.
*Ty's POV
"Close your eyes." Sky ordered me to do. I closed them and was immediately engulfed in darkness. I heard shuffling and felt my headphones being placed on my head. More shuffling. Breaking the silence, music fled my ears.
"I can get your heart beat beat-beat-beatin' like
I can get your heart beat beatin' like that
You know you got my heart beat beat-beat-beatin' like
Hey-ay ay-ay Hey-ay-ay" a male voice sang. Wait, music has never been able to go through my headphones. Suddenly, it clicked to me. Sky went to the village and got my headphones 'fixed'. I opened my eyes and noticed everyone looking at me. I looked at Sky, who was smiling like crazy, and hugged him. "I love it." I said.
Sky handed me the iPod after turning the music down and explained how to use it. "Change the song with this button, turn the volume up and down with this button, and turn the iPod on and off with this button."
I couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you." I repeated.
"We should do something besides fishing today." Mitch spoke up.
I thought for a second until something popped into my mind. "Where did you live that week you left?" I asked Sky.
"In the forest. I threw together a quick house." He nonchalantly replied.
"We should go see it." Mitch suggested.
Sky shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. If you guys want."
We all agreed and gathered the stuff we needed for the day before heading off. Sky was in the lead, me holding his hand. Mitch and Jerome trailed behind, also holding hands. We walked for who-knows-how-long until a clearing came into view. A small, wooden cabin was next to the pond. Actually, it wasn't that small of a house. It was a bit smaller than the house we're living in right now.
"This is it." Sky stopped and motioned towards the house. "This is where I lived for, what was it, three days or so?"
We walked inside and I noticed it didn't seem like it was abandoned. "Has someone been living here lately?" Jerome asked.
"Not that I know of." Sky trailed off. On the table was a vase with a fresh red rose. "Yup. I think someone lives here now."
We heard footsteps coming closer to us from the hallway and we all snapped our attention to the man standing there. "What are you kids doing in my house?" He asked, slurring his words. He was holding an iron sword at ready.
I quickly hid behind Sky because I recognized the person standing there. It was my dad. "I need to get out of here." I whispered in Sky's ear. He grabbed my hand and reassuringly squeezed it.
"Well? Answer me!!" My dad took a step towards us, but stumbled a bit.
Jerome cleared his throat. "We are sorry, sir. We didn't realize you lived here. We just came to see where our friend stayed for a couple of days last month. We will be on our way." We started walking towards the door, but my dad stopped us.
"Tyler? Is that you?" He laughed. "Why don't you come over here and give your father a hug."
An act. That's all it is. He never cared. He used me and beat me every night from the day I told him my secret to the day the Bacca King kidnapped me. I hid behind Sky further. "N-no." I choked out through my bubbling fear.
His face hardened and so did his voice. "Get over here." He took a few uneven steps forward.
I let go of Sky's hand and sprinted away. I acted as if my life was on the line and I ran in the general direction of home. I heard voices behind me and stopped when I heard my dad scream in pain. Could it be real? Could he possibly be dead? Hopefulness rose inside and I looked behind me to see Mitch, Jerome, and Sky running towards me. Sky's iron sword was temporarily stained with blood. My dad's blood. He is dead.
I was too lost in thought to notice Sky hugging me. "You're ok now." He whispered in my ear. "He won't ever hurt you again. I promise."
Words couldn't began to describe how thankful I was. Even though he was my dad, that didn't matter. All my respect for him ended that first night. Sky saved me. Now, those memories should go away.
"We should start going." Jerome started walking in the direction of home. "The sun is going to set soon."
What? Oh yeah, it's winter. It doesn't feel like winter. The air isn't that cold. "Fishing?" I asked.
Sky and Jerome looked at each other and nodded. Were they hiding something? Maybe. We'll see. The four of us went back to walking through the forest. This time, Jerome was leading with Mitch by his side and Sky and I followed behind. Jerome handed Sky a blindfold. The last thing I saw before having my vision covered was Mitch being blindfolded as well.
Sky had to direct me on where to go by holding my hand. It felt a bit weird having a blindfold on. It felt like one misstep and I could fall. Not a fun feeling.
"Where are we?" I heard Mitch ask.
Jerome giggled. "Almost there. Just a few more minutes."
He was exactly correct. In a few minutes, I heard some leaves being pushed back and our blindfolds were taken off. After adjusting to the light, I saw a beautiful clearing spread out in front of me, but one thing caught my eye. There was a gazebo built in the center of it all.
"It's beautiful..." Mitch and I murmured at the same time.
Jerome and Sky looked at each other again, but this time they smiled.
*Jerome's POV
I lead Mitch to the gazebo, where I planned on proposing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sky lead Ty to the crystal blue pond.
"What is all this?" Mitch asked me.
I pecked his lips. "You'll see when the sun sets." He looked at me, confused at what I said. "Just wait." I smiled and pulled Mitch in for a hug.
* * *
The sun was about to set and the lights in the trees became noticeable. I held Mitch's hands and looked him in the eyes. "Mitch," I began, "before I met you, I was forced to burn down homes. Before I met you, I was told to believe that humans were terrible. Before I met you, I didn't really know what 'love' was. Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Meeting you made me realize that the King was terribly wrong about humans. Meeting you changed my life for the better." I saw tears well up in Mitch's eyes, but I wasn't finished. "Before, I couldn't picture myself with a human. Now, I can't picture myself without you. The thought of losing you makes my heart shatter into a million pieces. So, Mitch," I let go of his hands, dropped to one knee, and held the proposal ring up, "will you marry me?"
Mitch was smiling like crazy, tears of happiness escaping his eyes. "Yes!!" He screamed. I put the small, golden band on his ring finger and pulled him into a passionate kiss. It was perfect. The sun was setting, making the sky a special orange. When we pulled away for air, Mitch rested his head on my chest. "I'll love you 'till the day I die." He murmured.
I stroked his soft hair. "Let's hope that day is no time soon 'cause I love you too."
*Sky's POV
*A few minutes ago
Ty was staring at the pond as it rippled. I had my arm around him and his head was on my shoulder. I took a deep breath to calm the nervousness in my mind. Breaking the calm silence, I started to speak. "Ty," he looked at me and I continued. "Seeing you on the first day of school was like love at first sight, but at the time, I didn't know what love felt like exactly. Things have changed. Now, I know what love feels like and I know what loss feels like. With you in my life, everything feels complete. Everything is in order. Everything is perfect. I can't picture what life would be like if I didn't meet you. You make me happy. I don't want my happiness to go away just as much as I don't want you to leave." I stood up and he followed. I noticed his eyes water up and I wiped away the tear that fell. Holding his hands, I added more to my speech. "When you aren't around, I feel lost. I feel empty. That emptiness can only be filled with your presence. Those few days I left a month ago were the most miserable days of my life, but I had to stay strong. I don't want a repeat of that." Taking another deep breath, I got on one knee and took the ring out of my pocket. "Will you, Ty, make me the happiest person alive by marrying me?"
Ty wiped the tears from his eyes. "Adam, if I never met you, I wouldn't be as happy as I am. When you aren't around, I worry if you're ok or not. When you left for those few days, I preyed to Notch every night that you would come home early. You are my happiness, hope, and now, my husband. Yes, I will marry you!!"
I put the thin band on his ring finger and pulled him into a kiss. The ripples in the pond were giving the breath-taking sunset the appearance of it dancing. Overhead, the wakening stars were sparkling. None of it mattered right now though. All that mattered to me was Ty, my husband. He pulled away and hugged me. Looking at the sunset, he whispered, "I always knew the sunset was special."
"Sky!! Ty!!" I heard Mitch yell to us. "The picnic is ready!!"
I held Ty's hand as we walked over to the picnic in the gazebo. Now that the moon was up and the sky was dark, the lights in the trees lit up the area with help from the torches on the gazebo. A red and white blanket was spread on the ground. In the center of the blanket was stacks of food.
"Eat up!!" Jerome smiled and took a bite of an apple.
I sat down on the blanket and tugged on Ty's hand. He plopped himself down on my lap. When I put my arms around his waist and hugged him from behind, he giggled. "I love you." Ty murmured.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mitch laying on Jerome's lap. Jerome was playing with his hair. Something sparkled by Mitch's hand and I realized that it was the engagement ring. "When are you going to tell them?" I whispered in Ty's ear.
"Right now?" He whispered back. After I nodded, he cleared his throat to get their attention. Instead of speaking though, he just held up his left hand. The ring glimmered in the torch-light.
"Congrats!!" Jerome exclaimed.
Mitch smiled and held up his left hand too. "Jerome proposed too." He looked back up at the Bacca and pecked his lips.
We continued to eat, chatting about stuff. The topic we mostly talked about was the wedding. We decided to have the wedding on two different days in the Spawn Village.
We stopped talking and froze when we heard a rustle in the trees next to us. "Shh!!! Be quiet you b*tch!!" A female voice whisper-yelled.
"Well sorry!! Maybe if we took the trees instead of walking we would be quiet!!" Another voice whispered.
"Umm... I think they heard us..." The third voice trailed off.
The first voice mumbled something and jumped out of the darkness. The shadow neared us. "Long time no see." She laughed. "How's it going?"
The other two girls jumped out and stood next to the first girl. The three of them walked to us and sat down. "Well? Are you four too scared to talk or something?" The third girl giggled.
"W-who are you?" I asked. It was too dark to see them.
One of the girls, I'm guessing the second, placed down a torch that lit up where they were. "I'm sure you know us. At least, I hope we weren't gone that long."
"Maddie? Sierra? Rheanna?" Mitch asked.
The girls nodded. I studied them and noticed how different they looked. Rheanna's hair was covered by a hat that looked like a lion. Sierra's fur looked shorter and lighter. Maddie's hair was colored black and blond. "Yeah. Who did you think we were?" Maddie smirked.
The four of us shrugged and offered them food which they denied. When Rheanna saw the ring on Mitch's left hand, she pointed it out to the other girls. "Were we interrupting something?" She asked.
I shook my head. "We were just eating."
"He just proposed." Ty quietly added. "And Jerome just proposed to Mitch."
I gave Ty a short kiss. "And we're gonna' have the wedding in a few days."
"Aww..." I heard Maddie murmur. "Need help setting up the weddings?"
"If you can help us." Jerome quickly answered.
"Of coarse we can help!!" All three of the girls squealed in near-perfect unison.
We continued to eat and the girls left a few minutes later after asking us a list of questions. After eating, we walked home, but it took awhile due to the darkness. When we stumbled across another clearing- our clearing- the four of us ran to the house and walked inside.
When we got to the living room, Ty wrapped his arms around me. "Sky..." He mumbled into my chest.
"Yes?" I asked while playing with his soft hair.
His hug on my waist tightened a bit, but not much. "I'm tired." As if proving his point, he yawned.
I chuckled lightly to myself and lifted Ty up bridal style. I carried him to the bedroom and by the time we got there, I realized that Ty was already fast asleep. I tucked him into the bed before climbing in next to him and falling asleep.
*Mitch's POV
Jerome and I sat on the couch, me on his lap. I had my head on his chest and his arms were around me. I looked at the engagement ring again. It was beautiful with the clear white diamonds and light-catching gold all on a thin band.
"Are you ok?" Jerome worriedly asked me.
I nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"
He wiped away a tear of happiness from my cheek. "You're crying."
"Happy tears." I smiled. "I'm just so happy I get to be with you. I'm so happy I met you that day. I'm just so happy about everything." I happily sighed. "I never want this happiness to end."
"Why would it ever end?" He questioned while smiling his perfect smile.
I paused for a moment and my smile faltered before replying. "The king."
The air seemed to thicken and it became silent. "Forgot about him. At least we haven't seen him in awhile. That's a good thing, right?" Jerome laughed a bit, trying to lighten the now heavy mood.
The happy smile I had before returned. "Yeah you're right. Lets hope we never see him again."
Jerome yawned and I yawned after. "How about we go to bed and end the perfect day with the perfect sleep."
I hugged his neck and kissed him. "Sure, but I'm too lazy to get up."
He just chuckled a bit and lifted me up, bridal style. As he walked down the hallway to the bedroom, I became more tired and closed my eyes. "Goodnight." Jerome whispered as he tucked me in the soft blankets. I felt him kiss my forehead.
"Goodnight." I barely whispered before the darkness was able to engulf me.