The Mate Deal

Chapter 25

That night was like the last supper.  I sent Tyce away.  He could probably pack up tonight and we’d be gone.  Renee, Matt and I went out to dinner and a night by the creek where Renee and I used to hang out.

Before we left, I realized how much my “death” would hurt the Kings.  They were my family, too.  I wanted to tell them, but I knew I couldn’t.  Maybe one day, though.

This would be really hard.  Would I give up everything, though?  For Matt and Renee to be together?  For me and Tyce?

It was crazy to think just yesterday I wished him dead, and now, I was willing to give up anything and everything so I could be with him.

Tomorrow, I thought, the mate deal will be dead.  I didn’t know if that thought was pleasant or not.  In all honesty, I’d miss it.  I’d miss knowing what came next, and I’d miss everyone I’d met.  I’d miss Matt and his parents, and even Chelsea, my roommate.

I’d miss Oregon, and having a scholarship, getting to be in play after play.  I’d miss everything I’d loved my whole entire life.

But would I give up everything?  For Matt and Renee to be happy?  For me and Tyce to be together?

Yes.  I would.

We went out that night, not just to say our goodbyes, but to come to terms with what would be happening.

We were out until midnight.  We sat on the ground in the woods by the creek, talking for hours.

“Life just won’t be the same without you,” Renee said when the sun was barely setting.

Matt nodded in agreement.  “You’ve grown on me, what can I say,” he teased.

“Come on guys.  This doesn’t have to be a permanent goodbye.”

“Don’t pull that clichéd ‘see you later’ crap,” Renee demanded, cutting me off.

“I wasn’t going to.  Besides, this is really for the best, anyway,” I reminded them.  I picked up a flat stone and tossed it into the creek, trying to skip it, but it just plunked to the bottom of the water.  Renee laughed and muttered a “fail” and I picked up another rock, holding it up, threatening to throw it at her and she flinched into Matt’s arm that was around her shoulder.

Yes.  It was for the best.  I looked at them.  They were so in love already.  They needed each other more than anything else.  To Matt, Renee herself was life, and vice versa.  Anyone could see that just by looking at them once.

I always knew, I guess, that the mate deal wouldn’t work out.  I knew it would end like this.  It was too crazy to actually do much good.

“So tomorrow I’ll die.”  It sounded like an acceptance.  I finally could come to terms with the fact that after tomorrow, no one I loved would ever know I was alive.

Renee smiled thoughtfully and stood up.  “So here lies Stephanie Haynes.  Tomorrow, she moves on from this petty life,” she teased, “and starts a new one.  Hopefully, a happier one, full of love, and a lot less drama.”

I laughed.  “Don’t tell the actress there won’t be drama.”

“Right.  Of course.  A life full of more drama than she’s ever known, and most importantly, a happy ending!  What more could we hope for?”

When Renee sat down, Matt stood up to make his own speech.  “Exactly.  There is nothing this story needs more than a happy ending.”

I laughed again.  “I don’t know guys.  This story didn’t exactly start with a ‘once upon a time.’”

Renee frowned.  “So?  Neither did the Three Little Pigs, but they got a happy ending.”

“Not the wolf,” I reminded her.  “He got boiled to death.”

“He was too persistent,” Renee insisted.

“You’re right.  Curiosity killed the cat, and persistence killed the dog.  It makes sense,” I joked.

I threw another rock into the creek, but it only skipped once before sinking.  “Alright, party pooper.  I’d have said little red riding hood, but that really didn’t end well for anyone.  Grandma was eaten, the wolf was killed by the crazy axe guy, and Red… do we know what even happened to her afterwards?”

I shrugged.  “No.”

“So be glad I didn’t bring that up.”

“Actually,” I teased, “You kind of did.  Just now.”

We were all quiet for a while, not knowing what to say to each other.  Really, what do you say when you’re going to say goodbye to your best friends?  I never was good with losing people.

“Just promise me,” I said after a while, “That you guys will make this all worth it in the end.  That you two will be together, and be happy.  Because right now, that’s all that matters.”

They looked at each other and smiled, nodding without breaking their gaze.

“Now you promise,” Matt began.  “That you’ll be happy, wherever you go.”

I nodded.  “Me and Tyce will be fine.”

“You know, I really don’t like this guy,” Matt said in a warning voice.

“I know,” I assured him, “but I do.”  I stood up and kicked off my sandals and stepped towards the creek.  The water wasn’t clear, but with the glow of the lantern Renee had brought, it showed my reflection like an actual mirror.

The girl looking back up at me looked the same as the girl who used to look up at me two years ago, albeit, a little older.  But I still had the same long dark hair and tanned skin.  My cheek bones were just as high as they’d been back then.

“Am I different,” I asked, turning to Renee who was now standing a few feet away from me.  “I feel exactly the same as when I left more than a year ago.  Isn’t life supposed to change you?  Make you stronger?  Make things easier?”

Renee sighed.  “Sweetie, life will never be easy.  Especially now.”  She walked over and slung her arm around my shoulders and we looked down at the two best friends.  No amount of time or distance could change the fact that they were closer than any two sisters could be.

I started crying.  No one said things would be alright, no one tried to comfort me, I just had to sit down and sob for a few minutes, and they knew that.

Everything was changing.  It was hitting me hard.  No more denial.  I was about to be dead for all intents and purposes.  Tyce and I would probably have to change our names.  I just might actually go with Ella.  I almost laughed thinking about the time years before when Renee had tried to convince the ladies in the attendance office at school that her note from an “Aunt Ella” saying we could leave school early for the day was legitimate.  They just laughed in her face.  It had become an inside joke between us.

There won’t be any more inside jokes with Renee.

But it will all be worth it, I reminded myself yet again.  Everything would be worth it.  And it will all be over tomorrow.

[A/N: so I’m ending it for another short chapter.  So, I’ve decided how I’m going to go about the “To write or not to write a sequel” thing.  There will be an epilogue at the end of this, but it will really be more of a teaser for the SEQUEL!  You excited?  I’m pretty freaking excited!  My co-writer will be xSirenSisterx, and we will collaborate and it will be up before November first (hopefully)!  Also, don’t freak, this is not the last chapter.  However, I’m only going to write one or two more chapters and then the teaser.  I love you guys, my readers, though, so I hope you will check out the sequel when it’s up!  Will you?  Comment!  Vote!]