The Selection

Chapter Twenty-four

A/N:

Well, I kinda got inspiration so I decided to go ahead and write another chapter. I'm still not certain if I'm going to continue this as I had originally hoped, but I really do appreciate all the wonderful comments. And to the one person that messaged me every day since I updated hopeful scriptures from the Bible, thank you. I may have lost a little of my faith, but you've restored that. Thank you, and thanks to all of you that really do care about me and not just the story. I'll be okay, I promise. And I'm sorry to also warn you that this chapter has slight mentions of suicide. Sorry, I wrote what I was feeling...
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  •Jack's POV•

     I couldn't sleep. Not after I worried about my family on the hours we were in the safe room. The other Selected, too...oh my, if any bring happened to them...I would forever blame myself.

      Elsa mumbles something in her sleep, a little drool falling out of her perfect lips as her lips curl up into a smile. I admire every inch of her features, falling even more deeply in love with her. God, she's so cute when she's sleeping.

    I try raising up so I could put my shirt on, just in case the door clicked open. All of a sudden, I feel a slight pain in my shoulder as I feel a soft hand press against it, pulling me back down on the cot. I blush deeply as I hear Elsa mumble,"Don't leave me. Please. Everyone's already left me.."

      That's when I realize she's still asleep. But I already notice a change in her features-her eyebrows are furrowed, she's breaking out into a sweat. It seems as if her sweet dream had turned into a nightmare. I frown, trying to shake her awake but decided against it. I had heard it was always bad to wake someone up from a nightmare...or was that while a person was sleepwalking? No matter. I would comfort her when she woke.

     "Please, Mom, Dad, don't leave me again...I can't live without you. It hurts." Tears fell from her cheeks and my eyes widened. I touched her cheek softly, kissing away the tears.

    "Elsa, it's not real.." I whisper, but she still doesn't shake from her dream. And I'm too scared to wake her up, to do anything even. I just sat there, my face a few mere inches from hers as she continues thrashing in her sleep.

    "Momma...I'm sorry I wasn't good enough for you to stay. But I did what you said-I took care of Anna. But it'll never be enough to bring you back..nothing I ever do is enough." She cried out, and that's when I realize she wasn't dreaming any more. She was lost in her own world, in her own nightmare. I wrapped my arms around her, but it still didn't ease her. She sobbed into my shoulder, laying her hands on my chest as she broke down.

   "Everything I did was never good enough. They loved me, I know, but it always seemed like I was never enough for them. Like I was the daughter they never wanted." Elsa sobbed as I just wrapped my arms around her, letting her emotions spill over. It's better sometimes to just let the pain out-even if it would just build up again later from other heartbreaks.

   "Why does it hurt so much that they're gone? It's been so long ago but it feels like yesterday...it hurts so bad, Jack, I just want to end it now." She confessed, her voice barely a whisper.

    "Elsa, what do you mean?" She stays silent as I gasp. "Elsa, don't even think about that. Don't do that to yourself!"

    She shook her head. "Jack, you don't understand. I...In those streets, it became unbearable, even if it was for just a little while. I felt like I had no one...so why should I have gone on? Why didn't I just do it that day to take away all the pain?"

     "Elsa, that's the thing about our hearts-you can't stop them from loving and you can't stop them from breaking." I say softly, rubbing her back. "I know it's been hard, especially for you. But I promise you when I say you don't have to shoulder this alone. I'm here for you-I always will be. And so will your sister and Toothiana. Where would Anna be if you had done it that day?"

    Elsa sniffles, looking up at me. "I-I never thought about that."

     "Don't think about that again. Please. If I lost you...I wouldn't know what to do." Elsa barely nods, and I hug her tightly as she embraced me.

      "Thank you for what happened here, Jack. I...I really feel like we bonded."

   Jack's heart leapt at that. He knew-he knew- that she would fall for him. But what he never knew was how hard he would fall for her. Elsa.

  "But now that I'm broken, Now that you know it, Caught up in a moment-can you see inside?"

  After about what seems like forever, I hear the door click. Elsa fell asleep again in my arms, now dreaming peacefully once more. I bite my lip, kissing her awake. She stirs, her eyes half-lidded as she smiled at me. I notice the flush on her cheeks as I realize I am still shirtless.

    I turn as I put my shirt on. "Snowflake, wake up. It's okay now."

    She yawns, rubbing her eyes. "M'kay."

     One of the guards opens the door just as I get my shirt on and says,"Oh, thank God. They're alright, Your Majesties!"

    "Oh my son. I'm so glad you're alright." My mom whispers as she immediately hugs me tightly. I hid her back, and she wraps her arms around my neck so I would have to duck down into her shoulder. I knew what she was doing. But even she can't stop me from seeing the blood smeared on the walls, the bullet holes, the dead soldiers.

     It was the worst one yet. Dad approaches me as Mom backs up. "Thank goodness you're alright." He says loud enough for everyone to hear. He then whispers low, his grip tightening on my back, sending pain up my spine and back.

    His voice was dangerously low as he whispered only for me to hear,"You should've came to our safe room. Your mother was worried sick about you. And I bet the only reason you didn't was because of that Six. Insolent girl. She should've already been gone. Choose wisely next time, for I will be watching. And one more mishap, you won't be the into one that get punished." What did he mean? His grip loosens and I struggle to breathe.

     "Jack? Are you okay?" Elsa asks softly as she puts her hand in mine. I lie as I say,"I'm fine, don't worry about me." She shakes her head, her blue eyes blazing with love and pain.

      She can see right through me.

     She puts her mouth to my ear,"Jack, you don't have to lie to me. I'm here for you. Always." She gives me a reassuring squeeze, slipping her hand out of mine as she notices the king's stern gaze. She looks back at me one time before she walks away to her own room.