Elizabeth
Final
Felix comes in to gank as Lee Sin as soon as Grace turns level 6 as Ahri. He comes from the bottom of the lane and lands his Q on the enemy Ziggs. He knocks the enemy back towards Ahri who lands her charm and it ends up in a kill.
“Good shit,” he compliments her over Skype.
“Thanks. Uh, Sejuani’s coming.”
The enemy Sejuani tries to come in to revenge kill Ahri, who has only 100hp left. Felix uses his abilities to get in front of her and take the front of the damage. Ahri uses her ultimate to reposition and throws her charm the second it’s off cooldown. Lee Sin then uses his entire combo and gives Grace another kill.
“That’s GG, I guess.”
He’s right. After those two kills, Grace starts to snowball out of control and takes over the game. Any time the enemy tries to take an objective, Grace shows up and leaves with more kills. The game ends at 20 minutes with a surrender. Grace sighs in relief.
“How does it feel?”
Grace looks over at her victory screen. She stares down at the number on the screen. She’s now above 2000 in Elo. Grace is in the top 1% of players in North America, it might be even higher. She doesn’t know. “Good, I guess.”
Felix laughs. “Come on, I thought you would be happier.”
“Me too.”
“You’re going to the fair tonight, right? Is that what’s bothering you?”
“Yeah. I thought I was gonna go with Cody, but he’s going with Emily instead. It pisses me off.”
“Have you told him how you feel?”
“No, but I think he already knows.”
“Tell him. You won't know until you do."
“I’ll just get rejected.”
“So? You win either way.”
"How?"
"You'll get what you want or you'll get hurt. And when your heart breaks, you can build it up to be even stronger. Next time it won't hurt as bad."
Grace slumps deeper into her chair. “What if it doesn't get stronger?"
They've been playing video games together the entire summer. She likes to finally have somebody to play with, somebody who likes the same games she does. She likes how easy it is to talk to Felix. He understands her. He listens to her. She tells him everything that goes on in her life and Felix gives her advice that always makes her feel better. She trusts him.
“It will because I see you. I see what you can become.”
Grace believes his words.
She believes him when Felix tells her that she can change the parts of herself that she hates.
Her appearance.
Her timidness.
Her naivety.
The lack of confidence.
Grace's insecurity of feeling not being enough for anyone.
Undesired.
-
Marina continues to watch the news on the television. She knows how many people are in Lyle’s pocket. The loyalty they have for him makes sure that Lyle's name won't be known. Some too many of his girls are willing to do anything to protect him.
It’s why the plan was to put in a call of an active shooter to wherever the chip goes. Hundreds of calls were automated throughout the country to bring as much attention to Lyle's warehouses.
She gets up from her seat and walks over to the bathroom where she undresses herself. There hasn’t been a day where she didn’t hate the color of her skin. She hates her white eyelashes, her white lips, her white hair, and her white eyes. She’s nothing more than a freak. Marina pulls up her bangs to see the thing she hates the most. Her entire life she’s been a circus show made for party tricks. She finds comfort in the fur of her cat who follows her. Marina picks up the cat and gives it a nice warm hug.
There was only one man who showed her kindness. It was easy to believe in his words when he was the only positive thing in her life. All he asked for was to help him achieve his dreams which she was happy to do. It was noble and admirable. She didn’t care how many lives had to be lost for it to happen. Marina believed in him.
Then he died.
The only light in her world was replaced by a darkness pretending to be her light. Lyle was nothing more than a corrupted ideal of the man she once called a father. Lyle is sick, twisted, and sadistic. The scars that imitate ripped-off angel wings on her back are proof of that. It’s proof that his charming words and kind smile are nothing more than lies. She was a fool thinking Lyle inherited the will of her father. She's just another of his victims of Stockholm Syndrome.
She wants to believe the idea of her father was genuine and not lie she told herself to keep her safe.
Marina thinks about the girl who died under Lyle’s spell. She was different. She was special. There was a faint pull that Marina felt. They only met once but she still remembers exactly what she said. “You’re the girl in the white dress. I’m sorry I couldn’t be a good girl. I tried. I did try, but I’m tired. I can't do this anymore.”
Marina had the option to help her, but Marina still called herself Sessions. She still believed in Lyle and it wasn't her problem. Marina didn't have the heart to see she was bound by the prison she'd been kept in her entire life. In her loneliness, she helped create others like her just so she had someone to relate to. That's the guilt she wears. She doesn't ever think she can forgive herself, but she can at least try.
The death of the girl shouldn't have affected Marina. She's used to it.
It was my death that awoke the humanity in Marina.
Her entire life, she's been pulled towards the woman her father sought after. When Marina was a teenager, her father found this girl. The woman escaped before Marina could meet her. Then Marina's father was killed and Lyle discovered Marina's existence. It's been five years since that happened. As if it was destiny, the girl was never too far behind wherever Marina went. Marina never sought to discover who she was, she didn't want to.
It was my death that caused the woman who was pulling on Marina to finally bring them together.
“You have the power to heal the people she hurt. There’s a kid just like us, find him then you’ll know what to do. He'll set you free from the prison Azul raised you in,” she told the mute girl.
Her attention jolts back to the TV when she hears her name being said. Sessions. She’s being framed as the ringleader of everything but this is expected. This is the purpose of having that name. Sessions is only a title. It's meant to be passed around. Lyle was the third to have it. Marina is the fourth and won't be the last. Someone else will inherit the name. Sessions is just a name to pin all the blame on. It's why Marina is the perfect person to hold it. There isn't a soul alive who knows her real name. Unlike Lyle, Marina never had a legal name. In the eyes of the law, she does not exist. She's the perfect ghost. Marina has no identity.
With everything Lyle made her believe and do, there was one thing he could never force her to do.
Marina Lyle just doesn't have the same ring to it. It doesn't sound right. It doesn't roll off the tongue.
She finally receives a message from her tormentor. Instead of answering him, she sends him an unrelated message.
"You never asked what my name was."
Marina Lightyears is only the name she gave herself. Taken from her favorite video game protagonist.
Only her father knows her real name.
-
Grace walks home from the town fair trying to hold back her tears the best she can. She wanted to stay with her friends but didn't want to break down in front of them. They were there to have fun and Grace was only going to ruin the mood. She rather wants to experience the first rain of the summer through her window than on her skin. She wants to wrap herself around her mother’s arms but she isn’t home. Grace just wants her mom. She wants to sleep in her arms. She wants her mom to pay attention to her again. Sara and Andrew aren't the only ones who need her help. Grace needs help too.
She sits down and opens her summer homework thinking it’ll distract her. It doesn't.
There is a little relief in her heart that she had the courage to go through her confession. It hurts getting rejected, but always questioning if she had a chance was hurting her more. A year ago she would pass out at the thought of even thinking about it. It’s what she thinks she should write about. She wants to document just how much she’s grown. But just like every other day before, she’s unable to write anything down.
Frustrated, she throws one of her pillows at her open closet and it knocks one of her jackets down. It's the one she wore when Andrew took her to the rave. She hung it up right after and forgot to ever wash it. A clear bag slightly sticks out of the pocket. It’s filled with a purple-colored powder. She thought she had given it back to Andrew.
Grace remembers how she felt on it.
It’s the perfect escape from the pain, confusion, anger, and sadness she feels now.
She remembers what Andrew almost did. He's living with her now and they haven't talked about it yet. Grace thinks he just doesn't remember. It's better if he doesn't. It's embarrassing for her. But Grace does want to ask Andrew why he stopped himself. It's something she thinks about often. Grace knows she isn't the prettiest but not ugly enough for Andrew to not touch her. Andrew fucks anyone who'll let him. Why was she different?
She thinks there is something fundamentally wrong with her.
Grace opens the bag and dips her finger inside.
-
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Lyle clenches his fist as he watches the news. Everything falls apart in mere minutes.
Almost all of his warehouses are in the process of being raided. Everything he's worked on for the past five years is being destroyed. He's been getting calls from everyone who's involved with him. Lyle ignores them all. There's only one call he bothered to accept.
The voice on the other line just laughs at him, “I told you this would happen. Azul did not give his inheritance to you.” the voice is from one of Lyle’s former friends. They were the same age when they joined Golden Hearts together.
It's the original Sessions, the first one, the one who created the urban legend. His call was the last Lyle ever expected.
"I can just rebuild," Lyle tells him. "I think it'll be fun to start from nothing again."
"I don't think you understand," The original Sessions says coldly. "You lost Marina."
"Never knew you would lie about something not possible. Hmph, you were always jealous of me."
"No, I just never had something to prove. Just who do you think you are? You should have listened when I told you Marina would wake up one day. Now look at what's happening. Who do you think did this?"
Lyle's eyes widen. He doesn't want to believe him. There isn't a world where Marina betrays him. Marina is his destiny and always has been. There isn't a girl he has a tighter grip on. Marina is in love with him. Then Lyle remembers she started to act a bit differently. She began to show more emotions. She was growing soft. Marina went against his back and freed the newest girl he set his eyes on. Lyle didn't know that girl was Andrew's sister. Marina had convinced him that it was better to let Sara go so Andrew would never find out. She convinced him that Andrew would be more useful to him. Lyle should have noticed it then. He should have questioned her when she asked him to bring Andrew's friend, Chris, telling him he could make more Winter for him.
The original Sessions laughs, "Who do you think gave her the information of our old gang, on what you didn't know about? I was happy enough letting you do your own thing, but you just had to cross the line didn't you? That was my friend you killed. That was my friend you failed to take. I know Marina would never tell you so how did you find her?"
"Quit lying to me."
"You saw the world that was above you and you tried to take it for yourself. You idolized Azul so much. You wanted to be just like him. But he never did tell you what makes Marina so different, did he? He never told you what made him so special either. And now Marina has seen that you aren't like them. You lost."
Lyle is hung up on. He sends a text to Marina only to receive nonsense.
Lyle slams the phone on the ground, smashing it into pieces.
It doesn't matter if Marina betrayed him or not. She can't ever escape him. Lyle can always find her. He'll force her back if he has to. He'll be fine if he loses everything as long as he has Marina. Nothing is more important than she is. It's been three years since he cut her skin open to put a tracker inside her. This is the first time he's been forced to use it. Lyle opens his laptop and pings Marina's location. She's on the move. She's in Darkwood. She's in his hometown.
-
“Can I ask you a question, Sara?” Jerrica asks her once they split up from Cody and Emily. They’re waiting in line for the rollercoaster.
Sara nods, taking a bite out of a candy bar.
“How do you deal with your brother? How do you put up with him?”
“You think he’s an asshole too?” Sara laughs. “I'm the only one he cares about.”
“Is there anyone else?”
“No. He doesn’t trust anyone. Why do you ask?”
“I’m writing a paper on sociopaths,” she lies. Deep down she wants to know if she could ever be that second person. Even if was for a brief moment, Jerrica managed to break down Andrew's walls. She’s never seen such beauty.
“He’s living with us now. It’s an…experience,” she giggles. “But he seems happy now. I’m hoping he’ll settle down for once.”
“Do you think he’ll ever let his guard down?”
“I think it’s far too late for that.”
“I don’t think so. I think he just needs to be convinced that there are people who truly care about him who isn't only you.”
“Good luck to whoever tries," Sara looks up at the sky, smiling as it's common now. Storm clouds are slowly moving to block the sun. "I thought it wasn't supposed to rain today."
Jerrica hides her smile from Sara. She isn’t exactly sure why she’s so drawn to Andrew, to someone so dangerous. The college girl settled that it was just love at first sight. That's the only thing that explains it. It’s something she’s never experienced before. Romantic love is something she’s never felt, not in the way how she feels now. She’s gone her entire life thinking there was something wrong with her. Andrew is the first person to prove that wrong.
When she first laid eyes on him, she never felt such intensity in herself. Jerrica didn’t hesitate. The way he acted turned her on even more. He was exactly how he was described.
She’s never been more sure to take on the challenge.
“Ems just texted me. I guess we have to cut our date short. They’re leaving and are going to wait for us in the car.”
“Those selfish little shits!”
-
All the pieces start to converge.
-
“Where the fuck is she!?” Lyle yells at the two people he least expected to find in place of Marina. It just had to be these two, the two Marina was interested in. He pulls out his pistol and aims it at them.
“Took you long enough,” Andrew laughs, tapping the hood of his car with his fingers. “Was thinking you weren’t going to show up.”
“I’m only going to ask you once more. Where is Sessions!? Lyle places the end of the barrel directly in between Andrew’s eyes.
Cody sees it and runs towards them without thinking. Emily follows after him unaware of what's happening yet. By the time she does, she stops herself, she's gotten too close.
Lyle is too pissed off to notice the footsteps approaching from behind. Cody tackles him to the ground and the gun falls underneath the car.
Andrew thinks about picking it up and using it. He doesn't. His thoughts on Jerrica stop him. If she had never convinced him he could be good, Andrew wouldn't hesitate.
He doesn't want to take another life.
He doesn't want to be here because of her now. He needs to.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Cody gets up. “Leave them alone! Leave us alone.”
“He can’t,” Andrew says, hopping off the hood of the car. “We took his angel.”
Lyle laughs as he gets up. “I never thought you had the balls, Andrew. What’s this about? Did you find out that I had your sister all along? Yeah, I loved how desperate you became.”
“That and what you did to Ellie, fucker.”
“You’re mad that I made Elizabeth into one of my angels? I was the only one who could see who she truly was. You were all taking her for granted. She was special to me, much more than the others. You don't see me getting revenge for what you all did to her."
"You're a fucking sick fuck," Cody readies his fists.
"She didn't have any control in her life. I was fixing her, making her strong. I was the one she came to for her dumb little problems. I showed her that she had the power to take back control of her life. And then what happened? She saw someone die in front of her and it broke her. I thought I could use it to make her fully mine. It's not my fault she couldn't handle it.”
“Nah, slim. That’s just the icing. We’re done with you, yeah? Sessions is done with you. You ain't hurting anyone anymore.”
Sara and Jerrica walk into the parking lot and see everyone gathered. Naively, they head towards them as they think they’re all standing around. They find Lyle saying, “Fine. I’ll just cut through you all and find Sessions myself. She can’t go far, not with how she looks.”
Sara recognizes the voice. She finally has a face to match the silhouette. This is him, this is the person who nearly took everything away from her. A vile taste forms in her throat and she wants to vomit.
Emily walks over to the pair and says, “We should go. I’m serious.”
Lyle draws out another pistol from his waist and points it at the girls. “Think I’ll start with these bitches.”
Cody slaps the hand away and swings at Lyle.
Andrew knew better than to bring Lyle here. Everyone should be inside the fair. His eyes glare at Chris. What the fuck was he thinking! He yells inside his head. Chris told him to trust him, but how can he when Sara’s just a trigger pull away from being taken away again? It’s not just her either. Emily’s here too with her dumb big sister. He notices just how terrified the two girls are. Jerrica is the only one who seems to be unfazed. She’s staring back at him with a slight smile. Jerrica moves and stands in front of the girls.
“Don’t you fucking dare!” Andrew charges in.
“Bring me Sessions!” Lyle avoids his attack with ease and pushes Andrew away. Lyle can shoot any time he wants, but he prefers to toy with his prey first.
“Who the fuck is that?!” Jerrica scoffs.
It snaps the attention away from Lyle for a split second. It’s enough time for Cody to charge toward Lyle. He manages to lift him up and slam him down on the ground. Andrew rushes over and accidentally kicks the gun away while Cody tries his hardest to pummel Lyle. Each jab is blocked with his arms.
Chris takes a glance over to the girls and sees Grace is missing. All of his threads snap and he no longer can see or feel what happens next. The panic sets in. There’s only the hope that the police show up in time.
Andrew was fine with whatever happened when it was just him and Chris. He was fine with Cody showing up. But now the girls are here. Sara's in danger. Jerrica is in danger. Andrew is forced to protect them by any means. He goes after the gun he knocked away.
Lyle knocks Cody off and elbows his jaw in the process. Lyle hits Cody with a quick left jab then a strong right that knocks Cody down. Lyle kicks Andrew's back before he can pick up the gun on the ground.
Andrew tries to attack one more time but he’s punched in the middle of his chest, knocking all the air out of him. Lyle knees Andrew in the face when he hurls down to catch his breath. This knocks Andrew out cold.
It’s no use. Cody and Andrew are used to street fights but Lyle knows how to properly fight.
Lyle uses this time to catch a bit of his breath and picks up the gun he dropped. Cody gets back up and manages to hit Lyle in the jaw right as he does. It doesn’t do anything and only angers Lyle even more. Cody throws a punch again but Lyle catches it and twists it behind Cody’s back. He steps on the back of Cody’s knees, making him kneel. He presses the gun on the side of Cody’s head. “This is how it feels, Cody,” he says. “This is how you die.”
“F-Fuck you!”
“Y’know what’s funny?!” Lyle starts to laugh. “I always liked you. I see a lot of myself in you. Our only difference is that you failed Elizabeth, just like you failed everyone here.”
Cody winces in pain but doesn’t respond. He’s facing Emily who is too mortified to move. “Run!” he yells at the girls.
“Move and I shoot him,” Lyle rebuttals.
Chris gulps down a big ball of saliva. He can’t help, there’s nothing he can do. Andrew’s eyes open but everything is spinning and his body isn’t responding. Emily’s heart begins to pound hard enough that it could rip out of her chest at any moment. Sara holds her hands together and drops to her knees. She’s shaking too much even to stand. Jerrica's heart begins to hurt. She looks over at Andrew and bites her hand. She wants to help but she can’t think of anything. She thought this would all turn out to be fine, after all, Andrew’s here. Now reality starts to set in. From the corner of her eye, she spots a shiny object under the car. Her legs are shaking too much to move right away, but she inches herself over ever so slowly.
“One last fucking time! Where the fuck is she?!”
Andrew opens his eyes again. He admits defeat. He opens his mouth to say where Marina is but only his groans come out. He considers the possibility that everyone dies regardless what he tells Lyle. That’s just the type of person he is. Still, it’s the only thing he can do now to try and save everyone, but no words come out.
Cody continues to stare at Emily. He only pays attention to her tears.
“I set her free,” Chris barely answers as his thoughts are screaming and scrambling through his head. “I'll tell you where she is if you let everyone go. I'll trade my life for theirs.”
Lyle smirks and points the gun at Chris. Cody sees the small window and risks it. He breaks free of Lyle and pushes the gun out of his hands. He leaps towards it, grabs it, and points it at Lyle.
Chris’s mind is deteriorating too fast. His thoughts are not even present anymore. He’s losing it. The world starts to disappear around him and nothing becomes real. The ocean consumes it and it begins to darken.
“What do you think you’re doing boy?” Lyle chuckles. “You think shooting me will solve any of your problems? You already failed. Destiny has brought all of us together and it doesn’t end in my death.”
“Shut the fuck up! It’s over! Leave us alone,” Cody yells. His heart is about to explode and his arm is shaking too much. He wants to shoot but can’t bring himself to do it. If he does this, there’s no coming back. He’s convinced it would cement him as a monster, but Cody has to save his friends. He has no other choice.
In the distance, they all start to hear police sirens start to approach.
Chris's mind starts to shatter. It’s happening. This doesn’t end well. None of this was supposed to happen. He’s too scared. It’s all a sham. He begs his friend for help but it’s only jumbled words.
-
But you can’t do anything, can you?
-
Jerrica inches her way toward the car. The tables have turned but that doesn’t stop her from imagining something going wrong. She kneels and feels around for the pistol that was dropped much earlier.
“You live in a box, unable to see what’s above you,” Lyle starts to laugh. “The world is just one cosmic journey where we all arrive at our eventual destination. You have no idea what Sessions means to the world. You have no idea just how intertwined our lives are just because she exists, because Elisabeth existed. Shoot me!”
“Shut up!” Cody screams, his finger slowly getting tighter on the trigger.
Emily’s heart starts to race and she doesn’t know what to do. Her body is a statue and she manages to process that she is having a massive panic attack. She can feel every part of her body tremble and she can’t think anymore. All she can think is about calming down as she hyperventilates. So she repeats, “Calm down,” over and over again. But like always, it never helps. The only person who can is about to kill someone. She doesn't want Cody to do this. She knows he won't ever forgive himself despite it being the right thing to do. She'll never have her Cody if he does this.
“Cody, h-help me!” she manages to shout.
Cody eye’s break focus as he knows what those words mean and like always, he will be there to calm her down. All she needs is a long embrace in his arms.
Lyle sees the opportunity and lunges at Cody. However, Cody is too focused, he sees this and shoots.
Nothing happens.
The sirens’ lights start to show.
Lyle laughs because he knows he isn't in any danger. He punches Cody, causing him to drop the gun. Lyle catches it and unlocks the safety. Emily panics even more and sprints down the pavement. She falls; bangs her head on the concrete, gets up, and rushes to Cody. Jerrica grabs hold of the gun and points it at Lyle. It’s much heavier than she ever thought but it doesn't matter. She swings her arms towards Lyle to shoot, but it's too late. The gun also had the safety on.
Chris watches. It was never supposed to be like this. He can observe every little detail and even notices Lyle slowly squeezing the trigger. His mind breaks completely.
“Oh yeah! I’m insane!”
BANG!
A mixture of fireworks and thunder off in the distance muffle the sound.
Chris drops on the floor, screams, and everything goes silent. Cody catches Emily who falls in front of him. She lifts her trembling arms off her chest where it hurts the most. Her hands are soaked in blood. Cody slumps his body and doesn't care that Lyle has the barrel pointed directly at him again. He only listens to Emily's painful winces and crying. He hugs himself around her body and closes his eyes. He doesn't care what happens next.
“DROP YOUR WEAPON!” They all hear.
Emily is lowered to the ground. She rolls her body so she faces the sky as she holds her chest. A few droplets of rain begin to splash her face as her eyes become difficult to keep open. Her vision fades into darkness as she feels the intensity of the rain pick up and wash away her blood.
It's raining down again.