Eli Fletcher: The Golden Orb

Chapter Twelve: David's Past

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Miss O," I whisper as the tears begin to flow again. "I should have been faster. I should have been stronger. I wasn't good enough."

I verbally and emotionally beat myself up for a few minutes until I notice the temperature of the shower drop. I get up and quickly wash myself and then turn the water off. Once I'm dry and dressed, I come out of the bathroom to find everyone sitting around in the living room, watching the TV on a low volume. They don't seem to be paying much attention but are using it as background noise to drown out the silence.

"I'm sorry," I apologize to them.

My parents both get up and cross the room. Mom hugs me and Dad hugs us both.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Eli. Allison would have done it all over again to know you were alive to continue," Dad says massaging my shoulder.

"I couldn't save her!" I cry into Mom's shoulder. "I was too weak! I was too slow!"

Mom extends her arms to look at me. I look back through blurry, tear-filled eyes.

"You were overwhelmed and did the best you could. She loved you and would do it all over again, just like your father said."

I look at the ground, unable to respond. I know they're trying really hard to make me feel better, but in this moment, it isn't likely anything will work.

"Let's go for a walk," Dad says, gently pulling me away from Mom. I follow and we enter the courtyard.

"Can we walk somewhere else? This place is turning into a place of bad luck and bad conversations," I request, glaring at the grassy area.

"Of course," he says and leads me off of the orphanage grounds.

Soon we're wandering around the neighborhood across the street from the entrance of the orphanage's property. We walk in silence for a few more minutes. I don't even look at the houses we walk past. I just stare at the old sidewalk passing beneath my feet. It's marred with cracks like the path leading up to that old blue house on Nevada. So many times while we were in that house, Miss O had looked at me like she was impressed by my actions and leadership. Part of me still doesn't feel like I deserved those looks from her. How much of a leader am I to let Fiona get taken by a demon? What kind of leader allows his Watcher to be killed while a defenseless and powerless girl gets taken?

"You can't beat yourself up, Eli," Dad says quietly.

I don't respond; I just continue to watch the sidewalk pass under my feet.

"But, I can understand how you feel. I didn't go through as much as you have, but I lost people, too. Wonderful people like Miss O," he explains. I wonder why he calls her Miss O instead of Allison this time. "I actually lost someone on my team," he says and that catches my attention.

"You did?" I ask, looking up at him.

He nods sadly. "She was my best friend before your mom showed up."

"There was a girl before Mom?"

Dad grins and chuckles. "Kinda. Her name was Amy, but we were just friends. We were close and our parents wanted us to grow up and get married. Honestly, if this whole Sicarius thing hadn't happened, we might have. But, God had other plans. If my story had played out differently, then you wouldn't be the last High Sicarius."

"So, I really am the last?" I ask.

He nods. "I was told I would bring the end. You are that end. Once that hell mount is closed, it won't be opened again until the last great battle."