Higher, Faster, Stronger

Life has a way of tying up it's own loose ends. How that affects us belongs to the individual. We can't change the past or the future. My life was a constant set of change. And now the loose ends that had been unraveling were either being woven back in or cut completely.

Derek had been staying with us going on two weeks now. It was after school and he was still there, doing some make up work. I was home contently curled on my couch with a book. A loud knock interrupted me from staring off into spacing. I was on my couch, after school. I wasn't expecting anyone at all. I was guessing Nate. But lo, through the peephole, was someone I didn't expect; Terry. She was standing there expectantly but she didn't seem like her normal flippant self. And she was holding my mail. In fact, I was almost scared. Shocked.

"Come on in?" It came out more like a question than a statement because the last time she showed up at my door, I was being stalked and I thought I was going to have to murder her.

I lead her to the table but remained standing to make tea. She placed the mail on the counter and waited. Mugs in hand I turned around, "You seem nervous." She didn't answer. Terry waited for the water to boil in order to tell me what she wanted.

"Um…I'm listening?"

"I actually came here for a few reasons…One was to authorize an apology on behalf of my family." She didn't explain further on that but I knew what she meant. "We were going to send Cameron but he'd just eat you out of house and home and boys can't deliver messages correctly can they?" She shook her head.

"As for the status of my other brother, shortly after the game he went into a state of psychosis due to psychological stress, sleep deprivation and severe depression. He was sedated and brought to the hospital. He is going to stay there for a while, under copious amounts of psychotherapy. At least, that's what the doctor said. We still don't know what cause him to flip and try to kill you like that." That actually managed to stop me in my tracks.

"Wait, he tried to KILL me?"

She looked at me wearily. "I thought that was kind of apparent."

"I just thought he wanted to win really badly…" I shivered apprehensively. She shook her head and then shrugged. Well. That was kind of unexpected.

"And I know I'm kind of the least popular person in your book right now but my father was so appalled that he sent me…"

"Actually my least favorite would have been your other brother." I cracked a smile and touched my ribs. She winced at the gesture.

"Ok, partially it was my fault in the first place, so I can't completely blame him." I took a long sip of my tea.

"Well I'm sorry for earlier in the year too. I have a motor mouth and an even bigger affinity for finding the back story of something."

I sent her a disbelieving look. "Please tell me you have a life outside of the newspaper?" She smiled rather wickedly, or maybe it was pure pleasure. "Actually I do have a boyfriend."

I laughed at her expression. "Do I know him?"

"I know you do. It's Steve."

"Steve...Mills?" I couldn't see it, it was so mismatched. He was lazy incarnate but a genius to boot and she was on time deadline girl with a natural tenacity for trouble. And Iz was going to kill her for it. I could imagine the fireworks.

She smiled bemusedly. "Are you that shocked?"

"Actually….it's more of your personalities….I can't really see it."

"Did you actually throw him in the pool when you first met him? When he told me that story, I thought he was lying." She was laughing at me. I flushed bright red.
"Well, it was Nate and I. He couldn't find a way to wake him up otherwise…"

"So what's the deal with you and your boy toy?"

I mimicked a heart monitor flat lining. She seemed notably alarmed.

"That bad?" Her eyebrows shot up. I sighed.

"No…" I opened my mouth to talk and then remembered whom it was I was talking to. "If any of this ends up in the school newspaper I'll send a hitman after you." I joked.

She got my meaning. And seemed slightly disappointed. "It's more like, he has a fanbase that consists of the whole school who doesn't like me and doesn't want us to be together. And when I do think about it, he probably could do a heck of a lot better than me."

There it was, my biggest insecurities on the table.

"He could also do a heck of a lot worse. Have you seen his fangirls? It's pathetic." I got up to refill our mugs and she continued. "You've done him a lot of good, you know. I can tell." I stopped in my tracks. "Seriously. And he chose you. That has to count for something."

"You should be the newspaper's advice columnist."

"I am. Kelowna High's most guarded secret." She smiled a little smug grin. I laughed again. I wasn't really surprised. But it felt good to get an outsider's opinion.

"Thanks. It means a lot." She cocked her head to side slightly. "Are we bonding now?"

"Depends, we can be friends but any conversations that end up in the paper automatically qualify you for the firing squad." I held out my hand for her to shake.

"Deal."

"I should go but are you going to the banquet in a week?"

"What banquet?" I know they had banquets for other sports, I just didn't know the protocol for Kelowna.

"The end of the year wrap-up banquet. Your invite is on the table, most likely." I sorted through my mail, and she was right. I took a hard look at Terry. She excluded a sort of confidence that could mistaken for cockiness or surety. In her case, it was a bit of both. She got up to go and I rose to show her out. "Thanks for the tea, Sarah. And again, I'm really sorry for all the crap that went down earlier this year. I'll see you soon." She smiled genuinely. She walked out leaving me to my swirling thoughts.

At the beginning of the year, I had been so confused about how Derek felt about me to the point of denial.

Everyone couldn't be wrong, could they?

Because on many occasions if some told me that Derek seemed like he was softening up to me, I would have said that they need an extra air hole drilled directly into their brain.

It was pretty safe to say now he liked me, otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't tolerate me at all. Look at what happened last time Neil tried to talk to him. They ended up in an hour long fight punctuated with sarcasm, punches, bodily fluids, tree bark (don't ask) and frightened porcupines (again, don't ask).

After everything that happened I just wanted this year to be over with. I still had months to go. But still. I needed to clear my head. The cool air of afternoon would do the trick.

I decided to go to the field. It was nearing the end of November and so I dressed accordingly. The ride to the school was short and easy. I was having less pain by the day. Most everyone was gone. I wasn't surprised. I made my way to the field, passing through the locker room hoping to at least find a cheerleader or someone on another team. The field seemed to welcome me.

It was empty, so I occupied myself by tossing a few spare footballs into a holding net. It was easy to get wrapped in your own thoughts for a while, especially when alone. A cool breeze made it's way across the back of my neck. A footstep….

My eyes widened at a sudden chill. I was not alone on the field.

A figure dressed solely in black was gliding forward toward me. Black hair, black eyes. But it wasn't Derek.

It was a Thompson, but it wasn't Derek.

My mind was whirling. I could try running, a fat lot of help that it would do for me. I'm a take a no prisoners type of gal, but I know when I'm screwed too. It was easy to see that there was nothing I could do. My cell was in my pocket, Alex would see me using it. He could out run me, and most likely out gun me. I had nothing at my disposal. He came to within 3 yards and stopped, palms up, as a peace gesture.

"Sarah Hall?" His style of speech was something to be admired. Cool, calm and streamlined. He could sell ice to a polar bear.

"What do you want with me?" My blood pressure was skyrocketing and I was sweating through my layers. I was afraid. The man was a wanted criminal by anyone's standards. He's the reason my boyfriend had nightmares every few nights. Heck, I blame him for global warming too. He probably helped.

"You can calm yourself, I have no desire to kill you." What a shocker, most guys I've met have tried to kill me sometime or another, especially recently.

"Then, what do you want?" I put a hint of steel in my voice. I wasn't playing. Who would have wanted to be put in a situation like that? My car was further away than I could get to. Most people had left school by then, and I hadn't seen anyone in the locker room. 50/50. Heads you win and tails you lose. I certainly did not want the latter.

"Calm down," he said again. "I just want to talk." He had a small grin on his face. It could have easily been a grimace. Those of the Thompson family have an interesting time showing emotion, I decided. And what messed up thoughts I have when my life's in danger.

"Talk?" I sounded my disbelief. Sure, he wants to talk to me. If talk meant plug me full bullet wounds like his family, rape me, or heaven knows what else.

"Yes, both of us are civilized humans capable of speech. Or did I over estimate your abilities?" His patter was flawless. No wonder Derek hated him. I would too if I had to spend every waking moment with that.

"I just can't imagine anything you, a wanted criminal, would want to talk to me about. I don't even know you." I tried to imitate his smooth style. If he took it as if I was patronizing him then I wouldn't have time to react before he killed me. My heart was still racing. My flight or fight instinct was screaming 'RUN YOU CRAZY FOOL, RUN!!'

"Think logically. What's our only connection whatsoever?" He was smiling bemusedly at me like a mother to a child. Ha ha. And then, my heart dropped through my stomach. Derek. Well crap.

"I see you've figured it out. You aren't as dense as you seem." I was too scared to take offense.

"What do you want with him?" I was getting slightly hysterical. I felt it creeping into my speech, just as I felt like my limbs were made of lead. I had never believed you could be frozen in shock before now. Unless you experience it, you can't believe it.

"Nothing anymore. Actually I plan to be rid of this accursed family soon enough. But don't worry, he'll live on just as before. He'll hate me, curse me all the days of his long life. Because you see? I've finally beaten him."

"What do you plan to do?" I couldn't make heads or tails of his speech. It made no logical sense! He had already killed his family and Derek already hated him.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Everyone will. And no one will be able to stop it."

Oh crap. Oh crap. Thousands of things were racing through my head. I didn't want to know what type of horror he was going to wreck.

"Why are you telling me this!" I knew I was getting hysterical. Torture wasn't something I was looking forward to.

"You're going to be my messenger." My eyes went wide. "See, normally it's at this point in the story that the villain reveals his insidious plot, but I'm not going to do that. It would give everyone too much pleasure. And it's too late to stop what I'm going to do. I need you to give him this."

Out of his jacket he took a long thin envelope. He walked toward me and stopped an arm's length away. I took the envelope as if there were a bomb inside. I hadn't ruled out the possibility.

I hadn't seen him move and next thing I knew, he was in back of me. I felt his breath on the back of my neck and shivered.

With a curt "Thank you," he proceeded to knock me out.

My cell phone was what woke me up. My head hurt and my body felt like I had done ten rounds in the ring. My mother was calling me.

I shakily picked up and told her I'd be home soon.

I decided to text Derek. I couldn't talk to anyone without crying. It was well past 5 and getting dark.

As soon as I had entered "SOS come home. Emergency" into my phone and sent it I ran back to my car at breakneck speed. I fumbled for my keys and sped on home.

I might have broken a few speed limits on the way. I still had the letter in my hand.

I ran into the house looking for Derek and found him in the living room staring moodily at the TV. Moodily, maybe not. Murderously, yes. The headline was blaring.

"…The body of Alexandor Thompson was found near Kelowna High School. It seems he committed suicide, the victim of a hanging and a shooting. There was a note nearby that read simply, 'I tested you and I failed. There was no other way. I win. Be at peace."

I slumped forward. I passed the letter onto him.

"He told me to give it to you." My voice was hoarse.

He broke the seal and read it to himself. When done, he passed it onto me and left the room.

It read :

Dear Derek,

By the time you read this, I will be gone. I have entrusted it to a messenger, and I hope they haven't failed me. I told you once, a very long time ago to run. To cling to life desperately as if I had an advantage. I slaughtered our family but a poisonous thought entered my head. It will be one of my last thoughts and has continued to taint me now.

You could have done it too. Every area where I have succeeded, you have as well, to the point of surpassing. You were the one who was always overshadowed but I recognized your potential far before you did yourself. You were smarter, more clever, and had a foresight I wished I could posses. While I grew stronger, you did too. While instructors fluttered needlessly over me, you were left to fend for yourself and grew more capable everyday.

There couldn't be two of us. You'd kill me one day for all that I wished to accomplish. I knew you'd try to avenge their deaths. But that poisonous little thought wouldn't leave. I wanted to test you. And I failed. You're stronger than I ever was. But now, you can't get me.

All your rage is in vain. I win.

Your brother,

Alexandor