I think we were all tired. The journey here had been a bit more eventful than we had hoped. Lucky for us, Saris had the forethought and pockets to bring food from the cafe along. He mentioned only finding bread items, but no one complained. We ate the baked goods greedily. Blueberry muffins, cheesy bagels and banana bread filled our empty stomachs. I closed my eyes as I chewed, letting the stress from the day leech from my body as I simply enjoyed the food. I heard a chuckle to my left and opened my eyes as Zack's laughter grew louder.
"I still can't get over the fact that you put food in your pockets," Zack said through a fit of laughter.
"What's wrong with that?" Saris asked, defensively.
"You do it all the time. Ever since I met you," Zack said. "I bet there are so many crumbs in there that you could throw it out like birdseed. Can you imagine?" He said, looking at Demi. "It'd be like a shmorgishborg of old gross food crumbs that he's been hoarding for weeks!"
"I use bags when I have them," Saris said, but he was chuckling too.
Zack's laughter hit a peak after he compared Saris' pockets to a buffet and asked how much the dine-in fee was. "For you?" Saris said to Zack, "a hundred bucks!" We were all laughing by this point and it made me thankful for being a part of a group that didn't need to be serious all the time. We didn't talk about tomorrow, strategy, fighting or anything. We just relaxed like friends in the park; if parks were full of gravestones and dead bodies.
After eating, Saris and I found an area where most of the headstones were ground level so we could train. Zack said he wanted to watch and keep giving me pointers and Demi said that she wanted to watch too, which made me anxious. Zack was one thing, but I wanted Demi to think I was competent; or you know, cool. Last night, Demi had turned in early and, while she might have seen me train with Saris, she wasn't in my field of vision, watching me, so I didn't think much of it. But now, she had front row seats! I was so nervous that I'd make a fool of myself in front of her that I made several mistakes right away and Saris scolded me every time.
"Come on, Xander," Saris said after easily getting past my guard and tapping my arm with the flat of his blade. "Get your head in the game."
"Sorry."
"Next time don't get hit!" Zack said helpfully.
"How about this," Saris said, resting his sword on his shoulder, "we had a long day and could use some time to relax. So, impress me and we can be done." I nodded, grateful that we could end early...if I can do good enough.
"You got this, Xander!" Demi shouted.
I felt my face get hot but it also gave me some courage and focus. She wasn't judging me. She was rooting for me. I took a deep breath and said, "I'm ready." Saris leaped towards me, faster than he ever had before but I saw where he was attacking and blocked it with my shield. Saris turned to attack again but I swung my sword and he had to block instead of attack.
"That's the way," Saris encouraged through gritted teeth, holding off my attack.
This bout continued and lasted a lot longer than usual. I could never hit him. He was too good. But he also had trouble hitting me and I started to feel more confident in my ability. He was going so fast. Maybe as fast as he was when he sparred with Demi and I felt like I was holding my own. I didn't think that I'd win. I was nearly out of breath and Saris, while sweating, didn't seem too bothered. But just as I started to feel confident and strong, I made a mistake. I thought Saris was attacking my right when he actually went left and the bout was over.
"Do that good every time and you've got a real chance of winning," Saris said. "That was the best fight you and I have had yet."
I put my hands on my knees and panted, "you still beat me."
"Do you know why?" he asked.
"I thought you were going right. Plus I'm exhausted."
"You looked at my legs and my hands," he explained. "For the rest of the fight, you were looking at my eyes. If you look at your opponent's eyes, you see where they are looking. You can see where their shoulders and arms are through your peripherals and you can find out what they are about to do. But once you focus on their hands or feet, you lose that foresight and you'll be fooled by anyone who can fake their intentions." He made his sword vanish. "As for being exhausted, I'm tired too."
"You don't look it," I complained.
"You just need to build stamina," he said. "Actually, your shield lets you use less energy. You don't need to move around as much. You really just need to build up muscle and work a little bit on endurance."
I let my weapons vanish too, "Anything else I can work on?"
"Not today. You did great! Take the rest of the night off," Saris smiled, "you earned it."
Zack came up behind me, "great job, kid. You really surprised me. I didn't think you'd do so well. Go take a rest. Relax a bit."
I walked up to Demi, leaving Saris and Zack to talk. She was sitting on a bench near a clearing where the path diverted between gravesites. She congratulated me on a good fight and I scratched the back of my head, "I made a lot of mistakes at first."
"Maybe. But that last one was good. Almost cool...almost."
We watched Saris and Zack as they drifted along the rows of graves. They settled in the grass, lying between some of the taller headstones. I've never seen them look so relaxed; so at peace. Weird. Saris had always been on edge, ready to strike. Even when he was asleep, I could see some kind of unrest in him, a sixth sense that made him aware enough to defend himself without even thinking about it. It wasn't that he was always anxious, more like he was always ready. But here, it was like he was a normal person, not a care in the world. No one would worry him here.
"I don't get it," I mused aloud, "why are cemeteries considered safe places? I would have thought a church or something would be safer than a cemetery."
"Think about it," Demi said. "I've been through a few cycles. I feel like a graveyard is a creepy place; always have. Death scared me. Still does but maybe in a different way," she trailed off, nearly mumbling the end of her thought, then shook her head, returning to her original explanation. "But those two have gone through so much, dying over and over and seeing others die too. When I started, they already had reputations and teams would go and seek them out hoping to kill them before they could form a decent team or to see if the rumors were true about how strong they were. This place is all about death. A graveyard eventually feels like home for people like them. They feel like they belong here." She paused, letting that soak in. Then she gave me an ominous look, "odds are, we'll eventually feel like that too. That's why cemeteries are unspoken safe zones. Anyone who would break that rule would make themselves a target for anyone who's been here long enough to understand. It's bad enough we have to kill each other. But if someone were to take advantage of others trying to accept their place here, it would be like digging up someone's grave. You just don't do it."
An image of the team of four that were harassing the shades drifted into my mind. Saris had taken them out in a fury. No remorse or hesitation. He said it was 'something you just don't do'. Would his wrath be just as fierce if this graveyard would be attacked? And would Zack have a similar reaction? The thought of seeing them so bloodthirsty chilled me. The other thing that sent ice down my spine was what Demi was implying; Saris and Zack felt like they belonged here. Probably that they belonged below here, not above. I felt sad for them and I'm sure I would later begin to feel sad for myself, once I begin to accept that I am in the same situation as them.
I saw Zack put his hands up and for some reason, it reminded me of what he had said earlier. I turned to see Demi's sky blue eyes looking at me before she turned away quickly. "Demi?"
"Hmm?"
"For whatever reason, my phone still works. I can still text people and get messages back." I saw her eyes widen. "Is there anyone you want me to contact? Your parents? A boyfriend?" Maybe I was being too intrusive. I probably shouldn't have said boyfriend. But I wanted to know if she was free. Then again, she's been here for more than a year. Even if she did have a boyfriend, she probably doesn't consider herself having one now.
"Yes," she nearly shouted, startling me. I choked involuntarily, trying to swallow my disappointment but to my relief, she clarified, "My parents!"
"Your boyfriend too?" I pressed sneakily while I took my phone out and turned it on. I may have pretended to have a hard time getting it out of my pocket so I could wait for her answer.
"Don't have one," she said, smirking at me. I tried to hide my smile, but failed, so I turned my attention to my phone. "Before I was here, I focused on the career I wanted," she explained. "I wanted to be a doctor so I spent most of my time studying and working. I've been on dates, but they never lead to anything since I was so busy."
I leaned back, crossing my arms, "I get that."
"You do?"
"Sort of," I replied. "I never really got into a relationship either. But mine is more lazy than yours. I just liked my routine. I preferred life the way it was and didn't want things to change. Even when things were changing around me, all I did was deny it or try to force my normalcy onto it." She nodded in understanding but didn't say anything. After a moment, I sighed and looked at my phone, "What do you want to tell your parents?"
Demi didn't know what to tell them. She wanted them to know that she was alright and alive but didn't really know how to word it. She also didn't want to answer questions. She just wanted them to know that she wasn't truly gone, even if she didn't think she'd make it back. Together, we worked out a simple message that didn't really answer questions that her parents might have, but would hopefully be enough to give her family hope of seeing their daughter one day. Demi thanked me, then excused herself with tears in her eyes. I didn't want to intrude by following her, even though I wanted to. She had a right to her privacy. I let her go and saw to my messages.
I got a response from Tommy and Michael from my last text.
Michael:
Dude, this is crazy. I don't even know what to say.
Tommy:
See? I knew you'd find a girl!
I snorted at Tommy's comment about Demi, a smile quickly spreading across my face. I turned my back towards where Demi had gone, not wanting her to see me with a stupid grin, but I was completely incapable of wiping it away. Tommy was right. I did find a girl; or more like, she found me...and tried to kill me. But now, I can't imagine being here without her. But that thought made me think about how injured she was and I wished, not for the first time, that I could do something to help her. I wrote my friends back, giving them a brief description of my day. I was notified about a new message but decided to look at the other unread message that I still had. It was from Sidra, my sister.
How's work going? Still swamped?
I lied again, saying that I was and asked her what's been going on with her. I felt bad about lying to her but I couldn't let her worry. I'd explain one day, but not today. I opened my last new message. It was from Demi's mom.
I don't know you, but I'd thank you to not play this prank on a family who's lost someone they loved so much. I am blocking your number. Do not bother us again.
Great. Looks like I made it worse. I'd have to tell Demi, but not yet. I didn't want to crush her excitement and replace it with disappointment so soon. 'Let the hope linger, right?' I thought to myself, glancing to where Zack and Saris lay chatting in the grass. I sighed, slumping on the bench as I turned off my phone, disappointed that it was so short-lived. It's hard enough being separated from your family and forced into this torturous reality, but having them refuse to keep in touch would be a blow. Even though their reaction made sense and she would understand, it didn't make it any easier.
