“What did you say?” Ronald asked, unable to believe what he had just heard. Was Ramsey seriously going to betray him, just like that? After everything? Ronald couldn’t believe it, he refused to believe it. Ramsey wouldn’t do that to him, would he? After all they have been through together? No way. Ronald didn’t want to believe it.
“You can’t kill him”, Ramsey repeated, “because it’s my job to do.”
Ronald stared at him, still very confused at what was going on. Why was everything suddenly so confusing? Ramsey didn’t make sense or Ronald just struggled to wrap his head around what was going on.
“What do you mean?” Ronald asked, holding Farrah’s hand. He glanced at Ransley who was kneeling on the ground, defeated and complete ‘I give up’ look on his face.
“You were right”, Ramsey said and Ronald raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I have been holding back without knowing it myself.” He turned to face Ransley and smiled sadly. Ronald thought it was the first time he had seen Ramsey smile. “I’m sorry, little brother, but this cat and mouse play ends now.”
“Go on then”, Ransley said quietly, looking at Ramsey defeatedly. “Do what you gotta do.”
The green fire lightened up in his hands and then Ronald realised something.
“Wait, you said you can’t harm humans!” he yelled, now sure that something fishy was going on. Ramsey turned his eyes on Ronald.
“That is true, I can’t”, he said, “without dying myself.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Ronald asked and glanced at Farrah who didn’t seem surprised. “Did you knew?”
“Of course I knew”, Farrah said. “It was his choice whether or not to tell you.”
Ronald turned to look at Ramsey.
“I don’t understand.”
“That’s how our powers are forged”, Ramsey explained. “We were given these powers to protect people, not to harm them. That is why if I harm a human, I get the same injuries. So naturally if I kill someone, I die too.”
“So you’re going to–“
“Yes, I’m going to take him six feet under with me”, Ramsey said and looked at Ransley with furrowed eyebrows. “We have been alive long enough.”
Ronald was in a shock, to say at least. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t want Ramsey to die. He had already lost Lucas and Ramsey was like a mentor to him. He couldn’t lose him too.
“Enough chitchatting”, Ransley said, glancing at Lucas’s gravestone. “Please just do it.”
Ronald wanted to say something, anything, but all he could do was watch in horror as Ramsey’s fire came back up and he lifted his hand up and looked at Ransley.
And then realisation hit Ramsey; Ransley’s beg for him to kill him, his defeated and messy look… The painin his eyes. Ramsey stared at Ransley in disbelief and slowly his green fire faded away. He turned to look at Ronald as he took a hold of Ransley’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Ronald”, Ramsey said. “Goodbye.”
And then he disappeared with Ransley.
Ronald couldn’t believe it. Ramsey had saved Ransley, they were gone.
“NO!” Ronald yelled and fell to his knees. “No, no, no…”
“Ron...”, Farrah muttered and kneeled next to him.
“Why would he do that?” Ronald muttered, a tear rolling down on his cheek. “Why would he save Ransley?”
“I don’t know”, Farrah whispered. “But they are gone, Ron. There’s nothing we can do about it.” Farrah stood up and helped Ronald up too. “We are going to get through this together, okay? You will be okay.”
Ronald hugged Farrah and buried his face in her neck. She hugged him back, holding him tightly and she didn’t let go until Ronald was ready for it.
They walked slowly to Ronald’s home. Ronald opened the door and let Farrah inside and he didn’t remember that his mother, who Farrah still hadn’t met, was home until she ran form the kitchen and stopped, lifting her hand up to cover her mouth.
Ronald sighed and prepared himself because he just knew his mother would embarrass him right about now.
“Is this your girlfriend?” she breathed out. “My son has a girlfriend! My son brought his girlfriend to his home! Oh. My. God, I never thought this day would come!”
“Please, Mum, behave yourself”, Ronald muttered and looked at Farrah apologetically. “Sorry. I didn’t remember she was at home.”
Of course he didn’t remember, he had just been in the cemetery attempting to kill someone and then failed at it. His mind had been preeetty occupied. Farrah didn’t seem to care, though. She walked past Ronald and towards Mrs. Quinn.
“Hi, Mrs. Quinn”, Farrah said and offered her hand. “I’m Farrah Livingstone.”
Mrs. Quinn walked straight past Farrah’s hand and hugged her.
“Oh, dear, just call me Samantha”, she said smiling widely. “Or Sam, if you want. Call me whatever you want, sweetie.”
Farrah smiled too and nodded. Mrs. Quinn let go of her and looked at Ronald sternly.
“Ronald, why haven’t you brought this fine lady here sooner?” she asked.
“Because I was afraid you’ll get a heart attack, which you probably are having right now, why on Earth are you fidgeting like that?”
“I really need to pee”, his mother said and ran to the toilet. Ronald rolled his eyes at his mother’s weirdness and grabbed Farrah’s hand.
“Come, this is our chance to escape”, he said and pulled Farrah with him to his bedroom and closed the door. “Ah, safe.”
“Your mother is lovely”, Farrah said and sat on Ronald’s bed. “Like, really lovely.”
“Yeah, she’s okay”, Ronald said nonchalantly and smiled sadly at Farrah. “What a day, huh?”
“Yeah...”, Farrah looked at her hands. “I think it’s better this way.”
Ronald frowned. “Why so?”
“No one else had to die”, Farrah said quietly. “It was enough that we lost Lucas, imagine if we’d have to live with the fact that we made Ransley die. Or pushed Ramsey to kill Ransley and himself.”
“I don’t know what to think about that”, Ronald said honestly. “I feel like… like I’m such a mess right now, my head is… it’s–“
“It’s fine, Ron”, she assured. “It’s okay to be confused. But you know, I don’t think Lucas would have wanted his best friend to become a killer. And at the end of the day, I’m still here. And I will never leave you.”
Ronald laughed sadly, realising that Farrah had a point.
“Big words you have there”, he said. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Farrah smiled at him and at the memory of her saying those words to Ronald before. “I intend to keep this one.”
Ronald leaned closer and pulled Farrah into a kiss. Their lips touched and all the butterflies started flying in Ronald’s stomach like as if this was the first time they ever kissed.
“I love you”, Ronald whispered quietly, not opening his eyes. He was too scared to open them.
“I love you too”, Farrah replied and hugged him. “We are going to be okay.”
Ronald believed her.
“You can’t kill him”, Ramsey repeated, “because it’s my job to do.”
Ronald stared at him, still very confused at what was going on. Why was everything suddenly so confusing? Ramsey didn’t make sense or Ronald just struggled to wrap his head around what was going on.
“What do you mean?” Ronald asked, holding Farrah’s hand. He glanced at Ransley who was kneeling on the ground, defeated and complete ‘I give up’ look on his face.
“You were right”, Ramsey said and Ronald raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I have been holding back without knowing it myself.” He turned to face Ransley and smiled sadly. Ronald thought it was the first time he had seen Ramsey smile. “I’m sorry, little brother, but this cat and mouse play ends now.”
“Go on then”, Ransley said quietly, looking at Ramsey defeatedly. “Do what you gotta do.”
The green fire lightened up in his hands and then Ronald realised something.
“Wait, you said you can’t harm humans!” he yelled, now sure that something fishy was going on. Ramsey turned his eyes on Ronald.
“That is true, I can’t”, he said, “without dying myself.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Ronald asked and glanced at Farrah who didn’t seem surprised. “Did you knew?”
“Of course I knew”, Farrah said. “It was his choice whether or not to tell you.”
Ronald turned to look at Ramsey.
“I don’t understand.”
“That’s how our powers are forged”, Ramsey explained. “We were given these powers to protect people, not to harm them. That is why if I harm a human, I get the same injuries. So naturally if I kill someone, I die too.”
“So you’re going to–“
“Yes, I’m going to take him six feet under with me”, Ramsey said and looked at Ransley with furrowed eyebrows. “We have been alive long enough.”
Ronald was in a shock, to say at least. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t want Ramsey to die. He had already lost Lucas and Ramsey was like a mentor to him. He couldn’t lose him too.
“Enough chitchatting”, Ransley said, glancing at Lucas’s gravestone. “Please just do it.”
Ronald wanted to say something, anything, but all he could do was watch in horror as Ramsey’s fire came back up and he lifted his hand up and looked at Ransley.
And then realisation hit Ramsey; Ransley’s beg for him to kill him, his defeated and messy look… The painin his eyes. Ramsey stared at Ransley in disbelief and slowly his green fire faded away. He turned to look at Ronald as he took a hold of Ransley’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Ronald”, Ramsey said. “Goodbye.”
And then he disappeared with Ransley.
Ronald couldn’t believe it. Ramsey had saved Ransley, they were gone.
“NO!” Ronald yelled and fell to his knees. “No, no, no…”
“Ron...”, Farrah muttered and kneeled next to him.
“Why would he do that?” Ronald muttered, a tear rolling down on his cheek. “Why would he save Ransley?”
“I don’t know”, Farrah whispered. “But they are gone, Ron. There’s nothing we can do about it.” Farrah stood up and helped Ronald up too. “We are going to get through this together, okay? You will be okay.”
Ronald hugged Farrah and buried his face in her neck. She hugged him back, holding him tightly and she didn’t let go until Ronald was ready for it.
They walked slowly to Ronald’s home. Ronald opened the door and let Farrah inside and he didn’t remember that his mother, who Farrah still hadn’t met, was home until she ran form the kitchen and stopped, lifting her hand up to cover her mouth.
Ronald sighed and prepared himself because he just knew his mother would embarrass him right about now.
“Is this your girlfriend?” she breathed out. “My son has a girlfriend! My son brought his girlfriend to his home! Oh. My. God, I never thought this day would come!”
“Please, Mum, behave yourself”, Ronald muttered and looked at Farrah apologetically. “Sorry. I didn’t remember she was at home.”
Of course he didn’t remember, he had just been in the cemetery attempting to kill someone and then failed at it. His mind had been preeetty occupied. Farrah didn’t seem to care, though. She walked past Ronald and towards Mrs. Quinn.
“Hi, Mrs. Quinn”, Farrah said and offered her hand. “I’m Farrah Livingstone.”
Mrs. Quinn walked straight past Farrah’s hand and hugged her.
“Oh, dear, just call me Samantha”, she said smiling widely. “Or Sam, if you want. Call me whatever you want, sweetie.”
Farrah smiled too and nodded. Mrs. Quinn let go of her and looked at Ronald sternly.
“Ronald, why haven’t you brought this fine lady here sooner?” she asked.
“Because I was afraid you’ll get a heart attack, which you probably are having right now, why on Earth are you fidgeting like that?”
“I really need to pee”, his mother said and ran to the toilet. Ronald rolled his eyes at his mother’s weirdness and grabbed Farrah’s hand.
“Come, this is our chance to escape”, he said and pulled Farrah with him to his bedroom and closed the door. “Ah, safe.”
“Your mother is lovely”, Farrah said and sat on Ronald’s bed. “Like, really lovely.”
“Yeah, she’s okay”, Ronald said nonchalantly and smiled sadly at Farrah. “What a day, huh?”
“Yeah...”, Farrah looked at her hands. “I think it’s better this way.”
Ronald frowned. “Why so?”
“No one else had to die”, Farrah said quietly. “It was enough that we lost Lucas, imagine if we’d have to live with the fact that we made Ransley die. Or pushed Ramsey to kill Ransley and himself.”
“I don’t know what to think about that”, Ronald said honestly. “I feel like… like I’m such a mess right now, my head is… it’s–“
“It’s fine, Ron”, she assured. “It’s okay to be confused. But you know, I don’t think Lucas would have wanted his best friend to become a killer. And at the end of the day, I’m still here. And I will never leave you.”
Ronald laughed sadly, realising that Farrah had a point.
“Big words you have there”, he said. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Farrah smiled at him and at the memory of her saying those words to Ronald before. “I intend to keep this one.”
Ronald leaned closer and pulled Farrah into a kiss. Their lips touched and all the butterflies started flying in Ronald’s stomach like as if this was the first time they ever kissed.
“I love you”, Ronald whispered quietly, not opening his eyes. He was too scared to open them.
“I love you too”, Farrah replied and hugged him. “We are going to be okay.”
Ronald believed her.
