Petra wasn’t beating herself up anymore for putting herself into the trap. She made a snap decision and saved all of us… but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I couldn’t leave and just let her die with that wretched device snapped to her leg like some animal.
When she spoke I was so lost in anguish I almost didn’t register her voice “I finally get it. My part in the story. I’m supposed to die here so you can get out. You…. You need to go now.” Even the tremor of her voice couldn’t take away from her bravery. “Don’t waste time making this harder than it has to be, alright? Just play your role.” And she tried her best to smile. It didn’t comfort me… but I nodded.
I turned to leave because there was nothing I could do. If this was a story we all had our part to play. I heard murmurs of hesitation and wanna-be arguments cropping up in the others but for all their morality none of them stayed by her side.
I only got a few steps with fists clenched hard at my side before something hit me and I turned back to her. “No.” the word by itself was enough to make the tears she was holding back stream freely down her cheeks. “No… I don’t care what anyone says. This isn’t just a story this is our LIVES.” I closed the space between us as she shook her head no and started to fiddle with the device around her leg.
“Petra do you remember when you were a kid? And your favorite story was about that stupid little turtle and you told everyone that he loved scarves? Never once did that turtle wear a scarf but you swore up and down that he did and the day of the story happened to be the only day he didn’t have it on. Well if I’m writing this story and you’re a piece of it like that turtle…I don’t know SO many things about you.” My hand slipped and my breath hitched as I waited to see if our lives would end right there… but no. So I kept going.
“There’s no way for me to tell your story knowing only the things I know. For all I know you’re the hero of this story, why do you have to be a martyr just because I’m wearing the stone? I say NO. To all of this. I won’t play my role and I don’t want you to, either.” That was it. A merciful click came to my ears and the device fell from her leg. I didn’t waste another second to see how she was or relish in the moment, I took her by the arm and someone closed in to help grab her other arm and we were moving fast and far away before anyone had time to register what really happened.
I don’t know what the consequences of fighting fate are, but I know they’re worth it.