Midale

Chapter Nineteen: Every Man's Family (Part 1)

A face flickered in my mind and I had to stop to catch my breath. Seeing her after so long, it was no less than a shock. I had forgotten about her. The guilt enveloped me like it did every time I thought of her. More than anything in the world, I wished I could go back to that day and stop it from happening to her. Stop her from dying and somehow bring her back. I would give anything to get her back.

Losing her wasn't just like losing a part of myself, it was like losing the motive to get up everyday. Before her death, everything I did involved her. I couldn't do those things without her, even if I wanted to. And I never did.

She was my best friend and she died, just like my parents. Nothing could change those things, nothing could change the fact that I was hurting, not even forgetting it because it was still there.

The guilt though, wasn't due to me forgetting her, it was because I was supposed to be the one dead, not her. She died for something that I did. She didn't deserve what happened to her, I did.

"Madison." The call broke me out of my reverie. I looked around and found Cassidy in her black gear, waving over to me. I wiped the little moisture that had slipped out of my eyes and jogged over to her.

"Where are they?" I asked, referring to the volunteers that had opted to help us find our friends.

"Is it true? Is he really out there with them? Do you think they have him?" She showered me with questions and I mentally slapped myself for not seeing the worried expression on her face before. I really was selfish, always dissolved in self-pity and my own problems.

"He will be fine, I promise. It will all be fine." I assured her, placing a hand on both her shoulders. She nodded along, trying to let the only thing in that could help. Hope.

The promise that I made was not that hard to make because I knew, one way or the other, it will all turn out just the way it is suppose to. Things in life were like a painter painting a masterpiece. Nothing made sense in the beginning, but then it all fell into place. And I also knew that Miles was going to be alright because he was tough and never took less than what he thought he deserved. He knew he deserved better. He also knew Cassidy deserved better than losing him before she even got him.

There were around eleven people, all in black gear, assembled near one of the tents on the last row of them. There number wasn't that big but still just thinking about all these people ready to put their lives on the line for strangers was warming and reassuring of the fact that not all good was gone.

"Fiona gave the order to recruit volunteers the minute you told her about the Forsaken. These people didn't hesitate for a second." Cassidy said to me, a note of pride and gratitute in her voice.

All of them were busy loading their weapons and making last-minute adjustments to their gears but looked up when Cassidy and I walked in. I noticed, with a start, that a lot of them looked much older than me and more experienced. How did Fiona expect me lead them when I had next to no experience? How did she expect these men to follow a teenage girl into battle that could cost them their lives?

My inner conscious laughed at me inwardly: you ask people to trust you and then you forget to do the same thing.

"I-"

"We don't need some big ass lecture or motivation speech. We're good to go." One of then lashed out. He was bulkier compared to most of the others and had a stubble growing. His hair and other features looked just as ignored, but his eyes had an unsettling fire in them.

"Who are you?" I asked, somehow able to keep my voice leveled. The others were giving both of us looks, some anticipating and some nervous.

"Gerard." He answered after a pause of a few seconds.