Chapter 6

  When I woke up the next day, I unfortunately didn’t feel as good as I did the day before. I was back to experiencing the usual very bad pain… still controllable by pills, though. What mattered the most, was that the pain was manageable, and that was good enough for me. I thought about what I had hoped to accomplish throughout the day, and I still intended to visit the chef… it felt important to me.

  I slowly shuffled into the living room, when AI appeared on the TV and waved at me with a smile. I looked at the time above her, 9:49 AM.

  She beamed a magnificent smile, “Morning!”

  I lightly waved at her, “Morning, AI. How are things?”

  She lightly shrugged, “All is well, Andrew. The Inner Roses meeting has begun, but nothing of critical concern is being discussed. The Roses are quiet and so am I.”

  I nodded, “Good to hear… AI, my pain is seven out of ten… but I still want to try to visit Heartly today, if possible.”

  Her face became concerned, “Have you taken your pills?”

  I shook my head, “No, not yet.”

  She nodded confidently, “Then perhaps your pain will be manageable enough… but the ultimate choice is up to you, Andrew.”

  I looked out the window and thought hard, about whether I was willing to risk going out again. What if something happened again? … No, that wasn’t the right way to think about things. I couldn’t live in fear. I had so many exciting opportunities before me… I decided, that If I could manage to do something, then I had to.

  I looked at her with certainty, “Alright, I'm going to go.”

  I walked over to where the pill bottle was kept, grabbed two pills from the container, and swallowed them both immediately, giving myself no time to think twice about it. I put the pill bottle in my pocket… I may have need of it still.

  AI nodded and looked right, towards the front door, “Very well, the agent outside will be your transport.”

  I spoke frustratingly, “Why is Ashley waiting outside? I told her that she doesn’t need to do that…”

  AI quickly corrected me, “It’s not Ashley, Andrew…”

  I walked to the front door and opened it, expecting probably agent Will. It wasn’t Will, though… It was Michael.

  He was leaning against the passage wall with his eyes closed, “Morning.”

  I froze on the spot… I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t ready for him… I began to slightly shake from nervousness.

  I mumbled nervously, “Um… hi…”

  He opened his eyes and looked at me, “Calm down, Andrew, we’re not having the talk now.”

  I tried to weasel out, “... It’s wrong for me to waste the time of someone as important as you-”

  He cut me off, “Don’t be ridiculous, Andrew! I asked for this job, and I think I know what my time is worth better than you.”

  Right, so I had already managed to annoy him. It was going to be a far more stressful day, than I first thought. I looked away from him, as I reminded myself what my goal was… Heartly.

  I tried to ask as passively and calmly as possible to avoid further confrontation, “Would it be alright if you could drive me to the HQ, please?”

  He tilted his head sideways in mild confusion, “Andrew, as an agent, I respond to you, precisely the same as I do to AI and the Angels. If you ask me to jump, I don’t ask how high, I just jump. You don’t need to explain anything, you don’t need to sugarcoat your words or worry about offending me… just bark out the orders!”

  I felt my frustration building up… How was it, that everything I said seemed wrong!

  I shouted back at him, as I looked down at the ground, “I can’t win with you Michael; I always seem to say the wrong thing!”

  He said nothing in response… I didn’t know what he was thinking then, but he didn’t say another word. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and jingled them, so I supposed he was ready to go.

  I put my headphones on, and I was grateful not hear anything, especially him. I hadn’t even walked out of the apartment, and it felt like he was harassing me. I tried to calm myself down, as I slowly limped past him to the elevator.

  The drive was uneventful, for the most part. The only thing interesting, was seeing someone so big, that he still didn’t fit comfortably in that massive car. That vehicle was huge… how could he be even bigger?

  I assumed that someone blew their horn during the drive, as Michael rolled down the window and shouted at them. All I heard was dead silence the entire time, though. AI looked at me with a worried face from the car's centre infotainment screen, but she smiled when she realised that I was totally unaffected.

  We arrived at the drop off point and Michael effortlessly helped me out of the car. I guessed that he could probably have helped me out with just one hand, that's how strong he was. I thanked him, but thankfully, I didn’t have to hear him say something irritating back.

  Ashley was waiting just a few steps away and I waved to her. She was a friendly face, which was just what I needed to see. She was unfortunately not very happy looking, as she shot a nasty look at Michael.

  The two seemed as if they were arguing with each other. Michael pointed at her aggressively and she took a step back in response. Her face went from angry… to sad. I couldn’t hear anything, but I became very worried then.

  “What’s going on, why are you two fighting?” I asked them, desperately trying to understand the context.

  They both turned to look at me then, Michael’s face was neutral, and Ashley looked at me sadly for a moment, before she looked away. Michael tossed the keys at her aggressively, and she only just managed to catch them. She walked to the car, climbed in and drove off.

  I didn’t like anything about that exchange, but I had to wear the headphones while I was outside the HQ. I would honour my promise to Oliver. So, I started limping as quickly as I could to the front sliding door… I wanted some answers!

  I finally got inside and saw that there were still a fair few Rose members, sitting at the tables, waiting for their orders. Damnit, I was hoping it would be empty like yesterday… I took off the headphones and looked at Michael.

  I snapped at him, “You want me to bark orders at you, fine! What the hell was that about?”

  He instantly answered, “I told Ashley to piss off until she’s ready to better consider your current state.”

  I shouted at him, “Who the hell are you to tell her that on my behalf?” A few members went quiet as they overheard me.

  He folded his arms, “Whether she intended to or not, she fucked up. I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen, if I were driving you…”

  I looked him in the eye, “You’re right, but you’re also a careless twat!”

  He looked away irritated, “I care about you too much to let you get hurt again, and until Ashley starts acting the same, I’ll continue to be a twat.”

  I was done with him then, as I had said everything I needed to. I’d need to tell Ashley to ignore what Michael shouted at her. I wanted to try my hardest to understand and forgive my friends. I gave myself time to calm down, but my breathing was still compromised, so it took me a solid minute to catch my breath.

  I needed to get to the cafe to speak to Heartly, so I slowly made my way to the front secretary desk. The two standing at the desk were casually talking to each other when I approached. They both stopped and went quiet when they saw it was me. I noticed that the lady on the left was the same one from when I first visited the HQ.

  I tried to be polite, “Hi, sorry to disturb you. I was hoping to visit Mr. Heartly at the cafeteria, if that’s ok?”

  She responded politely, “Right, thank you for informing us, but you don’t need to check in with us, Andrew. If you have an appointment, AI will open the doors for you to get where you need to go.”

  I looked at her curiously, “Oh, I just thought… that was the reason why you’re here?”

  She shook her head, “No, we are here to give information. We’re not secretaries, we simply act as an information point for members.”

  I nodded as I began to turn away, “Oh… I misunderstood. I’m sorry that I bothered you then.”

  She spoke quickly, “Andrew, before you go, I want to apologise.” The lady sounded genuine.

  I looked at her, “For what?”

  Her face was sad, “For treating you so rudely, when you first came here. You never knew how the HQ operated, and you never knew that AI was located in the hall… I shouldn’t have been so arrogant, so please forgive me for that, I won’t make that mistake again in the future.” She slightly bowed.

  I was surprised by her thoughtfulness, “Oh, did AI have words with you about it?”

  She looked at me confused, “No… she didn’t…” She looked almost hurt by the implication.

  The tablet screen on the desk turned on and AI was on it, her face was looked frustrated, “Andrew, I have told you already, that I do not do that. I respect every member's opinion and choice, and I do not force anyone to think or act according to my will.”

  The two at the table took a step back in surprise, and immediately stood up straight. Again, I found myself realising that nobody was used to AI speaking.

  I looked at her on the tablet, “Right, sorry AI…”

  Her tone was firm, “Please, Andrew, do not think of me like that again.”

  I nodded as I felt bad about my assumption, “I won’t AI… please forgive me, my friend.”

  I looked at the lady at the counter, “It’s water under the bridge. Thank you for caring and trying to be better.”

  The lady smiled and AI disappeared off the tablet. I walked away and headed to the sliding doors with the sign above it that said, “Cafeteria & Gym”. I noticed as I got closer, that just above the sign, there was a small round camera. I guessed that AI must have looked at people’s faces, to authorise them entry. As I approached the door, it slid open.

  I walked through it and down a surprisingly long passageway. At the end of the passageway, it split into two in a T shape. The left passage had a neon sign “Cafe”, and the right had a similar sign “Gym”. I definitely wasn’t going right, so I went left, and it immediately opened into a massive hall. There were more tables than I could count, stretching far into the distance. On the left, there was a large kitchen, lined with stools for people to sit at the counter and eat. Further down the left side, there was the tinted black glass that you could see from outside.

  There was a massive vertical screen at the end of the hall. As I entered, the screen lit up, and AI appeared. She waved at me, and I waved back. Many people seated at their tables stopped eating and looked up in confusion.

  I softly said, “Right, maybe it’s best, if we don’t distract people like this again.”

  AI apologised as she slightly bowed, and the screen went off.

  As I approached the kitchens counter, I realised just how massive the kitchen really was. There were at least six black aprons running around it. It definitely seemed like a stressful environment; I thought as I watched them work. I looked around the kitchen carefully, wondering if Heartly was even in that day... but then I heard him loudly and clearly.

  “Turnips?!” He bellowed from somewhere in the massive kitchen.

  He began ranting, “I’m trying to cook meals for over a hundred people, and you’re bothering me about not having enough turnips!”

  A female voice yelled back, “We nearly have a hundred orders for turnip soup!”

  He shot back, “What!? Why the hell are so many people ordering that? Turnips are hardly even flavoursome!”

  The young voice seemed optimistic, “I can deal with this, me mum taught me her recipe for a mean turnip soup.”

  He sounded hopeless, “God, we’re going to need a ton of salt to make this work!”

  I heard AI speak through multiple small screens dotted across the kitchen, “I have an agent on route with a large supply of turnips, but more importantly, you have a guest.”

  He quickly shouted, “Cheers love, let me just finish these eggs and I'll be over to see them.”

  I sat down on one of the tall stools... even though it was difficult to climb up it. I didn’t think I could stand much longer, though; my pain was already growing. Michael sat on the stool next to me and looked at me with a caring face.

  After a short wait, I saw the chef walking down the aisle of cookers and pans and remembered just how tall he was. He reached the counter and started taking off his apron. While he did that, I wondered to myself... who was taller, Heartly or Michael? One thing was for certain, though... Heartly was a big guy!

  His face showed concern, as he spoke gently, “How’re you doing lad? Fit enough to talk for a while?”

  I responded calmly, “I think I’ll manage.”

  He looked at me for a moment with a sad face, as he leaned on the counter to lower himself to my eye level, “There’s so much I want to ask you son; I don’t even know where to begin.”

  I looked at him calmly, “Just ask what comes first to your mind.”

  He looked into my eyes, “Do you have people close to you, that you can count on?”

  I nodded, “I live with Oliver, who I trust to the end of the earth, and now I have agents who can help me, if I have an issue.”

  He nodded back, “Oliver… He’s your best mate, isn’t he?”

  I looked away, “Yeah… We’ve been through a lot, in the last year. That man has helped me so much, it’s hard to believe someone could care as much as he does.”

  He quickly asked, “Who else have you got?”

  I looked back at him, “AI... not in body, but absolutely in mind.”

  He smiled, “I appreciate that son, I really do… but if there was a fire in the house, AI couldn’t put it out to save you. You know I meant real bodied people.”

  I didn’t answer... for there was nobody else. A moment passed and he stood up from leaning on the counter. He nodded silently, and I realised... he could see my loneliness. I had to admit, it felt humbling to have someone care enough to see it.

  “I’m here for you son.” He finally said.

  I didn’t know how to respond... but I definitely felt a wave of sincerity and consideration coming from him. He grabbed a pot hanging from behind him and put it on a small stove behind the counter. He bent down and opened a small fridge, taking out different ingredients he was likely going to need for my soup.

  He spoke slowly, “You know… I used to have a daughter.” He started chopping up some unions on a white board.

  “She was just like you, you know? She was noble, she always wanted to serve others.” He put the diced unions into the pot with a bit of oil and they sizzled away.

  I stared at the pot, “It’s sometimes a curse… we get hurt.”

  He shook his head, “No, son, it’s always a blessing. Kind people like you and my daughter... you’re the best of us.” He began slicing up some chicken pieces.

  He stopped chopping, “Unfortunately... this horribly cold world we live in, decided that it had enough of her. When she was 16… she got cancer.”

  I looked up at him... and I could immediately tell that he still wept for her. Some people never stop mourning the people they’ve lost.

  I looked him in the eye, “I’m so sorry, sir.”

  He lightly shook his head, “Don’t be, it’s just the way things went. Nobody is to blame.”

  He finished slicing the chicken into very small pieces, which I guessed was because he was instructed to make it easy to eat. I then truly appreciated the careful planning that AI and Oliver did, to make me eat.

  He stared at the counter, “My point, lad… is that during the two years that she suffered with that terrible illness… she suffered horrific pain.” He clenched his teeth, as he slowly continued cooking.

  He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, “The doctors told me that her pain was immense, and I truly tried to internalise it, I tried my hardest… to fathom her pain.”

  He shook his head as his face was painted with regret, “I failed though… The months went by, and her pain escalated further. Eventually, before I could realise it and try to help… she had changed.”

  Oh God… he was right, that was exactly like me. He was fully aware of my pain; for he could see it clear as day. I felt myself deeply relating to his daughter, as I knew… just how badly pain could twist oneself.

  I finished the story for him, for I knew exactly what happened next, “She became angry, and she distanced herself… She lost hope and started making enemies out of friends.”

  Heartly looked at me, as tears ran down his face. He nodded and I knew… we were on the same page.

  I whispered more to myself than to him, “Two years you said… Is it really possible to live with this… for that long?”

  He shook his head tragically, “No son… no, it’s not. I came home… and she had taken her life...” He clenched his fists as he looked away for a long moment, as still as a statue.

  I patiently waited, out of deep respect and total understanding. He finally moved, as he threw a few more things into the pot. He stirred it for a while, deep in thought.

  He stared at the pot as he spoke, “For months afterwards, I wondered what I could have done differently. I wondered how someone who cared for others more than herself, could have eventually arrived at that choice.” He stirred the pot as he put in generous amounts of salt and pepper.

  He looked me in the eyes for a moment, “I realised that… it wasn’t the cancer that killed her… it was the pain. I then understood… that pain was the invisible disease, which could kill her far faster than cancer.”

  He kept looking right into my eyes, “I swore that next time, I wouldn’t let anyone suffer with intense pain alone. In honour of my child, I will try to be a rest stop, for those who suffer the worst sickness ever known… pain.”

  I looked away as I began to tear up. That was a brutally heavy conversation for me, and he knew that, that was why he was talking about it with me.

  He spoke softly, “Others cannot fathom it… no matter how hard they try. They watch as you cry and shake, yet they do not truly realise… just how much it bleeds you of your soul.”

  I turned to him… as I emotionally fell apart, “Please stop, please I beg of you…”

  I looked away down the long counter, as I shook my head intensely and my tears fell rapidly. I tried to breathe quickly, as quickly as my frail body would allow. I felt so vulnerable and exposed, as I desperately tried to find control of myself once more.

  Heartly immediately stopped as he looked at me in understanding. He reached under the counter and pulled out a small white container, its label read “Protein”. He opened the lid and gently shook out the white powder over the pot as he stirred it in and did a second shake.

  The frog finally left my throat, “Protein?”

  He nodded grimly, “Your body is barely eating, son, one soup a day, is not going to help your body repair. You need this supplement, it’s critical.”

  I had never thought about that. In fact, the thought occurred to me, that I really should have been eating more.

  Michael added, “You will be changing your diet, Andrew, but first we must stabilise your body.”

  I nodded, “I suppose I should eat more… I’m just not hungry, though.”

  Michael said nothing more, as Heartly finished the soup. He pulled out a plastic container that I instantly recognised and poured the soup into it. He made the soup look so easy to make. He placed the container on the counter in front of me.

  He winked at me, “First meal of the day, dished up.”

  I stared at the container, “Thank you so much… but would it be rude of me, to ask for a bigger dish?”

  He smiled, “Of course not, son, I already took that into consideration. Look in the pot.” He pointed down at it.

  I looked down to see that the pot was still half full… he had made twice the amount!

  I grabbed a spoon, “If I could smile, I would be smiling right now.”

  His voice was gentle, “Why don’t you smile then?”

  Because I was too depressed... but I couldn’t say that though, as people hated talking about these things.

  I slightly shook my head, “Please don’t worry about why, just know that I am very grateful, sir. I now see, you really are a master chef.”

  I slowly started eating the soup. My hands were slightly shaking, but it didn’t seem like I would spill any that time.

  I got halfway through the first container of soup, when suddenly there was quite the activity behind me. I slowly turned around to see what seemed like hundreds of black uniforms entering the hall. I looked back at Heartly in confusion.

  Heartly smiled, “It’s midday son, food time. The Inner Roses have a break now and any members nearby can come in and eat. It’s rush hour!”

  There were countless people entering, collecting their meals and taking their seats. I could then see why there were countless tables… for there were countless mouths to feed! I recognised most of the Inner Roses members as they came in, chatting and laughing.

  Aisling and Nadia were together, as they always were, their friendship unbreakable. They weren’t talking though, instead Aisling mainly stared at the floor. Nadia saw me and came up to chat.

  Nadia beamed her glorious smile, “Andrew! I didn’t think I would see you here!”

  I nodded, “I promised Heartly a visit.”

  Aisling joined us, “Morning, Andrew… how are you?” She had a sad look on her face, when she looked at me.

  I hated that question intensely, and I wished they wouldn’t ever ask it. It was a fine question to ask anyone else, but it wasn’t a question you should ever have asked me. AI and Oliver learned that lesson very quickly… don’t ask a question that you don’t want an answer to.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  I slowly struggled to lie, “I’m… fine…”

  Aisling reacted intensely, as she looked away hurt, on the verge of tears. She instantly turned around and walked away.

  I spoke urgently, “Nadia, you should go to her. She needs her friend… more than you know…”

  She nodded with a frown and walked away to catch up with Aisling. I couldn’t tell if Nadia was truly aware… of Aisling’s state. I turned back to my soup, and was about to scoop up a spoonful, when a wonderfully familiar voice spoke.

  “Mind if I join you, mate?” Oliver said cheerfully.

  I felt so relieved to hear and see him! What better company could I possibly have asked for? He was dressed in his formal black Inner Rose attire. He looked so smart dressed like that, as did every member, if I were completely honest.

  I tried to sound welcoming, “Oliver… please, take a seat.”

  I didn’t want him to sit there without something to eat, “Um, what do you want, maybe Mr. Heartly can cook you something quickly?”

  He looked at me confused, “What? No, I’ve already done my order. Chef, order 133 please.” He spoke politely, as he looked at his phone.

  I leaned over to look at his phone. There was a neat little app on his phone with his order number and what meal it was… turnip soup.

  I looked at him coldly, “Really, Oliver? Turnip soup?”

  Heartly agreed with me, “I know… right?” he had returned with the bowl of soup.

  Oliver looked around at us all with a smile, “What’s wrong with turnip soup?”

  I slowly spoke, “Of all the soups… you chose turnip?”

  He looked around for justification, “Turnip’s tasty enough… right?”

  I just stared at him, as he jokingly stuck his tongue out to me and began eating his soup. I looked further down the counter, and noticed that at the end of it, there were no seats, instead just queues. People were standing in line. They reached the counter, said their order number, and then the waiter would go to the kitchen to collect their meal and give it to them.

  It was remarkably similar to fast food, but in a cafe. I thought it was all very efficient, orderly and high tech.

  I turned to Michael, “Are you going to have something?”

  As I finished asking him, Heartly came over and dropped a huge plate of steak, salad and potatoes down for Michael. I looked at the plate of food in disbelief… it was massive! There was no way he'd be able to eat all of that!

  I looked at Michael in disbelief, “That’s so much! Are you that hungry?”

  He looked at the plate in confusion, “Is this a lot?” He looked at me seriously.

  I stared at its immense size, “What do you mean…”

  He grabbed a steak knife and fork, “Andrew, I’m six foot seven, 254 pounds, most of which is muscle... What did you think I would eat? Turnip soup?”

  Oliver finished his spoonful, “Oi! Seriously, what’s wrong with turnip soup?” His face changed to real concern.

  Michael truly was a giant of a man, for when you stood near him, it was like standing next to an elephant. So, I supposed that it shouldn’t have surprised me, that big people ate large meals. I looked at his plate, and I shuddered as I tried to imagine eating that much food.

  I quietly ate some more of my soup… it wasn’t much, but it was mine. Oliver tried to get a sneaky spoonful of my golden liquid, but I valiantly fought him off in a quick spoon battle.

  I finished my first dish and Heartly was dishing up the second, when I looked over and saw that Michael had finished his plate… all of it.

  I was shocked, “Oh my God! What the fuck-”

  AI cut me off, “Andrew, that language is not permitted in this building, please stop cursing.”

  I never finished the sentence… as I was still in a state of absolute shock.

  I slowly said, “The time it took me to finish half my soup, you destroyed around 2 kg of pure mass!”

  Michael just shrugged in response. He clearly didn’t care about people shaming him for what he ate.

  He grinned wickedly, “Maybe if you got a little more meat on your bones, you could eat like a big grown up too.”

  I just shook my head in response, for that was why I was trying to eat twice as much! I tried to eat more, at his suggestion, and he was still not satisfied… That man was truly impossible. I began eating my second dish, which I was finding to be actually quite difficult. Halfway through it, I already felt full. I waited a little and then forced myself to finish it.

  I stared at the empty container, “I feel sick-full.”

  Heartly beamed a smile at me, “You’ve done well, son.”

  I looked at him curiously, “I’m surprised you’ve stayed here with me, it’s absolute chaos in this hall at the moment…”

  He explained, “For starters, this level of busyness is normal, lad. Also, I’m more of a… chef supervisor. I do help cook most of the time, but I have twelve experienced cooks with me at any time. If I do nothing, they still get it all done.”

  I looked past him to the back of the kitchen and noticed there were many bodies dancing gracefully between the stoves.

  He looked me in the eye, “Also, making your food, is a priority set by AI. Nobody dares to bother me when I make it at eleven. The only other two meals that get priority, are Aisling and Nadia. They have their own table in the centre of the hall, if you look over there, it’s silver and red.”

  I slowly and painfully turned around in the stool and had a look. Just as he had said, there they were, and the entire table was their own. Aisling was eating a bowl of what looked like… of course, turnip soup, and Nadia was eating toast with jam. They both had a tablet next to their food, as they scrolled through it, clearly focusing on all the information they needed to make important decisions.

  Another interesting thing that I had noticed, was that Nadia and Aisling had the little monitor screen on their eyes that the agents had, except the only difference was that theirs was red and not blue.

  I looked at the tablet on the counter, “AI, I’ve never seen the Angels using agent kit, why are they using it now?”

  AI appeared on the tablet on the counter. She pointed at the monitor she had put on her own avatar's face, “These? Nadia and Aisling were the first to get them, agents only got them afterwards. They only wear them outside of the Inner Roses hall, Andrew, so that they have instant communication with me, or anyone else they want.”

  I felt impressed as I looked at them, “It must be very difficult for them, to always have so much responsibility. Do they ever have a break?”

  AI smiled, “The amount of work you see them do, is their own choice. They willingly choose to bury themselves into this organisation. You know just how much it means to them, for it is their dream.”

  I was concerned, “Why don’t they stop now, though? It's a break, a time to eat and talk…”

  She looked away, “Andrew, for the same reason why I do not speak with most people. Our position makes it difficult…”

  I was going to ask more questions, but Oliver gently patted my shoulder, to get my attention. I looked at him and saw that he had two pills in his hand. Right… I had forgotten. Although my pain was manageable at that moment, I needed to keep taking them. I took the pills from him and swallowed them with a glass of water that Heartly got me.

  I wasn’t going to lie… for a moment, I felt good. I felt like I was in a place that I belonged. I felt like people wanted my company. A large chunk of my loneliness seemed to fade away, as I felt better and more whole.

  Heartly smiled at me, “Son, it’s been a pleasure to talk to you. I hope your visit has been enjoyable for you too?”

  I responded deep in thought, “Actually, more than you might know, sir… more than you might possibly know.”

  A gentle bell rang across the hall. Break was over, back to work for everyone. Immediately you heard a hundred seats shuffling on the floor, as people stood up from their tables. A sea of black uniforms went to the counter to hand in their trays. Far too many soup bowls for my personal liking.

  They all walked past us into the passageway, and a few members waved at me politely as they did so. Aisling walked past us quickly, but Nadia stopped by me on her way out.

  I looked at Nadia with deep concern, “Did you speak with Aisling?”

  She seemed frustrated, “No, she didn’t want to talk…”

  I looked into her eyes with intensity, “Then I will, for you have left this for far too long now…”

  Her face changed to concern, “What are you talking about, Andrew?”

  I turned to the tablet on the counter, “AI, before you resume the meeting in the Inner Roses hall, may I please have a moment?”

  AI beamed her glorious smile at me, “Of course, Andrew, you are free to enter the hall at any time.”

  I painfully and slowly climbed down the stool, as I felt so full from all the food.

  I turned around to Heartly, “Thank you so much for showing me how to make this, and for continuing to cook it for me. Can I come tomorrow again, please?”

  He slightly bowed with a smile, “You’re always welcome in this hall, son, always.”

  I slowly limped my way out of the café and into the passageway, stopping for a second to look at the gym sign. A flood of jealousy and sadness came over me, as I looked down at my scrawny body and shook my head. Not for me…

  I slowly and painfully made my way through the foyer and straight into the Inner Roses entry. Nadia, Michael and Oliver were behind me, patiently following me, even though my walking speed was agonisingly slow. I stopped just before entering the hall proper and turned to Nadia.

  She smiled as she realised why I was looking at her. She walked past me, and the second her foot touched the floor of the hall; AI spoke across the hall.

  “All rise!” She commanded.

  The hall stood up, as Nadia confidently walked across it and up the stairs, to her raised bench. Aisling was already there, scrolling through her tablet… Hiding.

  People began sitting down, when AI spoke once more, “Remain standing please.”

  Of course… she wanted them to stand for me. I didn’t like that, but I understood that AI was doing it out of respect.

  I slowly walked in, and as soon as people saw that it was me, their confusion disappeared. As I looked around, I saw by their body language, that they stood proudly for me. It was very kind of them to think of me with such respect. Oliver went to his seat on the right and Michael walked to an empty seat with the agents.

  My voice was coming out the speakers, “Thank you very much, you’re too kind, please be seated.”

  They all sat down as some of them chuckled at what I said. I looked around and waited for everyone to be seated, and for the small chatter to die down.

  I stood in the middle of the hall, looking at the large screen under the Angel's bench, where AI proudly stood. She looked at me with interest, as I didn’t think she was fully aware of what I was going to do.

  I spoke with a deadly serious tone, “AI, I need the broadcasting to stop, please.”

  She nodded, as her hand raised and closed into a fist. I looked at the cameras across the hall, to see that their lights were now red, indicating that the transmission had ended.

  I looked around the hall, “I’m sorry for interrupting this meeting. I’ve come to speak honestly… and to try to help resolve a critical issue.” Many heads looked around in confusion.

  AI responded calmly, “Andrew, if there were a critical issue, I would know about it.”

  I shook my head, “No, sadly the problem I’m talking about is subtle and human. I don’t expect you to recognise it, since most people here seem to have failed to see it as well.”

  AI tilted her head in slight confusion. Enough time wasting, I thought to myself, I needed to make them realise and understand. I needed to tell a story… and twist it into reality.

  I closed my eyes to help myself visualise it clearly, “There’s a place… It’s dark, cold, abandoned and rusting. The wind blows through it, chilling all who stay there.”

  I paused, as I tried to think of how to describe it, “In the far distance, you can see the city lights… but there are no lights in this place. Nearby, you can see a road. Sometimes, you can see people walking on the road, they look at you as they go by. Most keep walking down the road… but some stop and stay. It’s a horrible place. The wind chills you to the bone, and nobody talks to anyone, for the sun never rises. It’s always night and you always feel alone and cold.”

  I stopped talking as a wave of hopelessness came over me. I shook my head, trying to not let the very thought of that place consume me.

  I spoke a bit quieter, “I’ve been in this place for months now… My pain and loneliness have made me stop and stay in this cursed place. For too long… I’ve been sitting in the never-ending cold darkness, as the winds cut my soul to shreds, hundreds of times per day.”

  The hall was dead quiet, and you could hear a pin drop. AI looked at me with a devastatingly sad face.

  I took a moment to catch my breath before I continued, “I’ve been here both in length, and in depth. My depression is immense, as I try my best to live… yet I only seem to manage to survive. Because I’ve been in this horrible place for so long and with such intensity, I’ve learnt its manner and form. Now when I’m near people, I can read their body language… I can see the subtle signs of depression in others. I watch them, as they either keep walking down the road… or come and sit next to me.”

  I shook my head, “So, I find myself heartbroken, to have seen a few people here in the Roses, sitting next to me in the dark. We all need to help these people, as they struggle to find the strength to stand up and walk further down the road, to the city in the distance…”

  I opened my eyes as I slowly looked around the hall, “How did you all not see this one, though? How did it slip through the cracks? Did you all see it, but choose to ignore it? Or were you just blind to their subtle change?”

  I whispered, “What are you doing sitting next to me in this horrible place… Aisling?”

  Everyone was so engrossed, looking at me as I told the story, that they only then looked at Aisling, to see her crying. There were many gasps, as nearly all the hall was shocked… and most likely disappointed in themselves.

  I looked at the floor hopelessly, “I saw it right away, when I first arrived here, during my dramatic and pathetic first meeting with you all. I saw the light in her eyes had faded… How did nobody else notice?”

  I looked at Nadia… she was shocked, her eyes wide open as she stared down at her desk. She was most likely too ashamed to face Aisling, for she must have then realised how she had failed her. She never realised… she never saw it.

  I looked at Aisling as I slowly repeated the question, “Why are you here, Aisling?”

  She buried her face in her hands as she cried, “I’m not depressed… I'm fine!”

  I’m fine… That sounded exactly like what I had said to her earlier, when she asked me how I was…

  I looked at her, “You can’t fool me… we’re both prisoners in the same cell…”

  She looked up at me and stared at me, straight into my eyes. I then realised… it was me.

  My voice was quiet, “It’s me, I caused this…”

  She looked at me with shame, “I’m the one who convinced you on the train, Andrew. I was the one who sold you the dream, which led to you sacrificing everything for us!”

  I nodded, “And for that Aisling, I’m eternally grateful…”

  She shouted, “What? Andrew, look at what he did to you! He tore you to shreds… You hurt all the time now… you suffered far too much, for far too little!”

  I remained calm, “That was my choice, Aisling… and I would gladly do it again, if I had to.”

  She shook her head in horror, “You should have told him about us!”

  I looked down at the floor, “Then your dream would have failed, and all these people would have remained hopeless, as the world remained bleak…”

  She shouted emotionally, “You are precious, Andrew… We stole your future, and that price is too great for me to bear!”

  I didn’t respond… because she was right. My choice, my decision… it led to me losing everything. No matter how little I had before, I then truly had nothing left.

  I raised my voice, “Before I met you two that day, I had nothing to offer anyone. I had no value and no purpose. The sacrifice I made… was only using the hope that you yourself gave me!”

  She looked at me with eyes wide open, “I clearly remember you that day, Andrew. I remember your smile… and now I may never see it again!” She buried her face in her hands as she cried more.

  I found myself furious, as her honest words cut me deeply, making me reflect on my own doubts and fears. The situation was far worse than I had imagined… she was totally despondent.

  I shouted at the floor in intense frustration, “This is why I made them promise me, when I woke up in the hospital! This is precisely the worst outcome I could have imagined. The brightest light of the Roses… has gone dim!”

  I looked back up at her, “You blame yourself, Aisling, but it was not you who sat in that chair and made that choice! He gave me weeks to change my mind, but it was always MY choice! I made that choice because I had nothing left to lose…”

  Another wave of anger smashed into me, “You don’t know me, or why I did it, either! You don’t know that I joined you two… to prove you wrong! I saw two girls and a tablet, and I was going to make an example out of you! I was going to teach you a hard lesson in reality! How naive and stupid, I thought you two were, trying to make the world better…”

  I yelled at her, “In my mind, you were a joke!”

  The hall gasped in response. I stopped to catch my breath, as I shook my head… and my anger changed into regret.

  I spoke softly, “But dammit… you proved me wrong. I helped you at first, so that I could watch you cry when it all failed… but instead, I saw firsthand, the people who you made smile and laugh…”

  I looked down at the ground in shame, “After that day with you, you even managed to convince me! Your dream, it was so impossible, so unrealistic and yet… I watched you make it real.”

  I shook my head, “When I watched your train leave, at the end of that day… I felt real hope. For the first time in my life, I had something to believe in, something worth waking up for in the morning.”

  Aisling cried as she looked at me, heartbroken.

  I stared into the distance, “Then I found myself in that chair… I looked into the Wolf's eyes, and I saw the ‘reality’ that I had wished on you, the day before. But then, my perspective was different. I looked into his eyes, and I saw him killing you two. I saw your dream being wiped out, and all the smiles you made that day, fading away…”

  I spoke loudly, having calmed a little, “I made that choice then, not you… because the truth is, when I looked into his eyes, the ugliness I saw looking back at me, was a reflection of myself! I chose to stay there, because I felt I deserved the pain! That was punishment for my evil intentions. I thought, that if I could die there, then at least my failings could lead to something good. The good guys would get to live, and the bad guys would tear each other to bits!”

  I raised my voice even more, “I didn’t do it because I was a good person, Aisling. I didn’t do it because you are a good person, either. I did it, because I hated myself and my life. I did it because I had nothing left to lose. It’s that exact reason why I wake up shouting, every single night, that I want to die!”

  I began to cry, “It’s why I feel I don’t belong here, it’s why I tell Oliver and AI that I don’t deserve their friendship, BECAUSE I DON’T!... I’m the very monster I saved you from, Aisling… So don’t you DARE try to use me as a scapegoat for your hopelessness. You got your dream; the world got its hope, and I got the punishment that I deserved! So, stop crying… And leave this horrible, dark place, Aisling. You don’t belong here with me… you shouldn’t be depressed… The Roses need you!”

  I was done… I turned around, and I slowly walked out of the hall. I didn’t expect anyone to follow me.

  The sliding doors opened for me… I looked up from the floor, seeing that the foyer still had a few members in it. They were all looking up at the screen above me, the screen that showed the Inner Roses hall. They all looked shocked… they looked down from the screen as I walked through the door. I put up my hood, as I didn’t want to see their judgemental faces looking at me. I just needed to leave that place.

  I got halfway across the foyer, when I heard footsteps quickly walking up to me, from behind. I braced myself; someone was probably furious and was about to smack me. I felt I would have deserved that.

  The footsteps reached me, and I closed my eyes in preparation for the blow… I felt arms wrap around me, and I waited for them to squeeze the air out of me… but they didn’t.

  “I forgive you.” Aisling whispered.

  I shook my head, “I’m not the man you think I am…”

  Her voice was gentle, “No… you are. I had an image in my head of who you were, but now I see that image was wrong. Yet the real you is… more, it’s better. It’s real and it’s precious.”

  I shook my head, “I just told you how I’m a monster… and you call me precious?”

  She gently rested her head against my neck, “The world we live in is hopeless, Andrew. I know it and so do you. What I’m trying to do, is turn the tide back. I need to believe in a better future… and that means accepting people's past sins. I believe you when you said you wished me ill… but you don’t now. Now you are honest and good. Your sincerity can’t be doubted, because you walked through hell to demonstrate it. Don’t you walk away from everything you’ve suffered for. Don’t you walk away from me…”

  I felt a wave of emotion smash into me as I fell to my knees, crying. I didn’t expect her to react that way... A moment before then, I thought everything was over, that I was going to walk out of that building, and never come back. After exposing the monster I used to be, I couldn’t fathom anyone understanding and forgiving me.

  I stared at the floor, “I don’t belong here anymore, Aisling. The illusion is shattered... I’m no longer the hero, the saviour. Look around, look at how they look at me. See their hatred. People are fickle, you might forgive me, but they won’t.”

  She let go of me and pulled down my hood. I slowly looked up with hesitation, as I saw their faces, the faces I expected to be full of hatred. They weren’t though, they were smiling… Why were they smiling?

  She whispered in my ear, “They don’t seem hateful to me, Andrew.”

  I was shocked, “... But why?”

  One of the young members stood up from the nearest table and he smiled at me, “Because I used to be just like you, Andrew. I was also sceptical of this organisation in the beginning. I mocked them in the streets when I saw them… most people did in the beginning. I guess you didn’t see that, because you were… you know…”

  I nodded as I finished their sentence for that, “Being tortured… yeah.”

  He nodded, “Um… yeah. The point is, that Aisling got mocked, spat on and attacked all the time, but none of us got tortured for it though. The fact that you feel that you deserved that, proves that you’re a genuinely good person now.”

  I looked down at the floor, as I thought of what he said. I didn’t know if I was ready to think of myself as a good person. Perhaps though, I could finally tell myself… that I wasn’t a monster.

  *

  I turned to look at Aisling, her face reflected different emotions, as she seemed to be remembering painful memories. I never asked AI what those three weeks were like for Aisling and Nadia… maybe I should have. Aisling looked into my eyes, after her moment of painful reflection.

  She sounded desperate, “Andrew... please promise me you'll come again tomorrow.”

  I shook my head in doubt, “I don’t know... if I’m still welcome anymore.”

  She looked down at the floor for a few moments, deep in thought. Suddenly, she looked back at me, as she had gotten an idea.

  Her eyes looked determined, “Andrew, for me, will you please come back to the hall? I want to do something important.”

  I hesitated, “... Fine.”

  She walked off in front of me, back to the hall. Everyone rose for her, then sat down. I came in afterwards… and nobody stood up, which was exactly what I had expected to happen.

  She walked up the stairs to her raised bench, as Nadia sat there and looked at her sadly.

  Aisling stayed standing as she addressed the hall, “I’m so sorry that everyone had to witness this. It’s been ugly… and uncomfortable. I try my hardest, to keep this hall optimistic and professional… I seem to have failed that standard today.” She looked away for a moment in shame.

  She looked down at her desk, “I have been emotionally consumed by Andrew's sacrifice, the last few days. I chose to assume responsibility for the price he paid, whether he agrees with me on that point, or not…”

  She looked at me, “Yet now we’ve learned the truth about Andrew, and why he did what he did. I know that many of you are perhaps disappointed… personally, I’m not though.”

  She smiled, “No matter who he was when I first met him… he’s changed now. He had changed before that first day had even ended. He himself said, that he realised he was wrong.”

  She stared into forever for a few seconds as she got her thoughts together, “When he made the choice, to not give any information about us… he still did that for the same reasons we originally believed. No matter who he used to be, or how he once felt, his choice was based on the person who is standing here now. A good person, An honourable person.”

  Most people in the hall looked at me then as they measured me in their own minds.

  She looked around the hall, “Andrew feels that he is now no longer welcome in our home. I personally choose to forgive him wholeheartedly, but I do not speak for all of you. This is as much your organisation, as it is Nadia’s, AI’s and mine. So therefore, I am calling a vote. I want a vote, to see whether Andrew will remain welcome in this building and to our organisation. I want the vote to go to everyone, not just the Inner Rose members… everyone, every single member and agent. I also ask that you all be honest. Nobody will be punished for their choice, and it will remain anonymous.”

  AI nodded and the big screens changed to the voting screen. The title was ‘Should We Still Accept Andrew?’, with a yes and a no box.

  AI spoke, “Very well, this vote will take time, as there is no doubt many individuals that will need me to explain what transpired here, if they were busy at the time. Therefore, one hour will be given for this vote. The total number of potential voters equals 4,735 individuals, across 43 countries. I and Nadia will participate in the vote, and for leadership transparency reasons, our votes will be made known publicly.”

  One hour was a long time, and I really didn’t want to stand there for an hour. If that may have been my last time being there, then there was only one place I wanted to be, right at that moment.

  I asked humbly, “Since this may be my last hour here, may I please spend it in the Cafe?”

  Aisling smiled at me, “Of course, we will tell you the result as soon as we have it.”

  I slowly walked out the passageway and into the foyer. As I walked through the foyer, I saw people look at me thoughtfully. They all had their phones in their hands. I supposed that was a logical way to do a vote, they would tick the box on the app and the vote was complete, simple.

  When I arrived at the cafe, it was almost entirely empty. Heartly was sitting on one of the stools at the counter and I went to the stool next to him.

  I asked gently, “May I sit next to you?” … I didn’t know if he was still my friend or not. He turned around and looked at me with a smile, “Of course son, please do.”

  I awkwardly climbed up the tall stool as he silently watched me, I could see he was deep in thought.

  He quickly spoke, “You want to know what I think?”

  I nodded, “Yes, actually, I really do.”

  He stared at the counter, “I think there’s enough suffering in this world… There’s too much neglect and bitterness. I think this vote… is more significant than people realise.”

  I looked at him with interest, “Why?”

  He looked at me and then looked across the café hall, “Because people are finally going to show, if they believe in the core ideals that this organisation holds. The Roses exist to spit on the face of the harshness reality beats into us. It’s a literal representation of hope. The Roses are our last hoorah, our trump card. It’s the ultimate test, of whether humanity deserves the cruelty of this existence or not.”

  I had never thought of it like that. I just thought it was a brilliant idea to get people engaged and trying to make things better. Perhaps I never read between the lines, or maybe I did, and I always knew how important the Angels dream really was… All I knew at the time; was how important it was to me.

  I felt guilty, “I’m sorry that you trusted me so much, to even share your daughter's story with me… just to learn this of me.”

  He looked at me amused, “Are you kidding? Do you think I’m a saint myself?” He chuckled.

  His face went serious, “I used to be in the military, you know. Before I had my child, I was a tool that the government used. I did far, far worse than try to humiliate two girls… I still remember all the lives I took, all because I was ordered to.” He stared into eternity, his face reflected guilt and sorrow.

  In my mind, there was no arguing that his actions were unethical, but I understood it was not his wilful choice… it was orders.

  I quietly said, “You were just following orders.”

  He shouted at me, “Tell that to the families of the ones I killed!”

  I jumped slightly in my seat. I deserved that for being ignorant… That was the first time I had seen him angry, and it was terrifying.

  I looked down at the counter in shame, “Sorry, sir.”

  I heard him sigh and after a few moments he spoke again, “My point son… is ‘He who is without sin’. Actions speak louder than words… and nobody can question your actions.”

  I nodded as I stopped to think about that for a moment.

  I asked out loud, “I wonder, does this vote have to be unanimous?”

  AI appeared on the tablet on the counter, her tone was professional, “No, it is a majority vote. It must equal 75% or higher for an option to win.”

  I asked with hesitation, “AI… What will you vote for?”

  She instantly responded, “I said yes, Andrew.”

  I looked at her on the tablet, “Is that because you’re my friend?”

  She shook her head, “No. It is because I watch and interact with hundreds of thousands of people every day. None of them are without failings. A lot of them have done, and still do, far worse than what you did. Accepting human imperfection, is necessary for me to do my job, Andrew.”

  Heartly reacted surprisingly as he looked at her, “Really? Hundreds of thousands? How are you able to do so much?”

  She looked at him, “How do you control millions of cells to make your heart beat?”

  He leaned back in surprise, “... It just happens, without me thinking about it.”

  She nodded with a smile, “Precisely. All I can tell you, is that when I get access to more servers, I think clearer.”

  Heartly then suddenly realised he had another question, “What about the fact that… I swear you have feelings, my dear. You speak to Andrew as though you have emotions…”

  She shook her head, “A lot of what you think is emotions, is not. Emotions can be simple logical reactions to stimuli and circumstance. I don’t need to have emotions, to understand the tragic loss of a baby dying at birth, or to understand the injustice of murder.”

  He nodded, “True, but what about you calling Andrew a friend?”

  She tilted her head sideways, “Relationships are rarely created through emotions, Heartly, they usually tend to form through circumstance, events, frequency and resonance. Andrew’s sacrifice prevented my destruction, and the understanding of all the consequence that came from that, permitted me to use logic to form gratitude in the form of loyalty.”

  He smiled and turned to me in surprise, “Blimmin hell! I didn’t expect to be schooled on emotions from a machine!”

  Several moments passed and no one said anything. I started worrying, as the fear of rejection began festering inside of me.

  I reached over and rubbed the back of my finger gently over AI’s avatar, “I’m sorry that I made a scene, AI… I needed to say those things, otherwise Aisling would never have come out of her depression. I felt… like she was too important to lose, and I would rather be exiled, than have the Roses lose their shining light…”

  She smiled at me, “Andrew, you spoke the truth. You have once more sacrificed yourself, for our good. No matter the outcome of this vote, you will always have my friendship and loyalty. I will never abandon you.”

  My voice cracked, “AI, that means so much more to me, than you will ever realise…”

  I started to stress, “How will I survive, if they vote no? I’ll have to leave the apartment, I won’t get any more pain killers, no agents, Oliver would no longer be my carer-” I stopped, because someone had put their hand on my shoulder.

  Oliver's voice was calm, “Then I will leave the Roses, Andrew.”

  I instantly reacted, “No! This is your family; don’t you dare talk about abandoning them!”

  He raised his voice at me, “You are my family!”

  I shook my head intensely, “If I had known that my words would have reduced your loyalty to the Roses, I wouldn’t have said them!”

  Nobody said anything, as I heard footsteps coming from behind. I slowly turned to see who it was. It was Nadia and Aisling.

  Nadia looked at me with an emotionless face, “Andrew, you will not be evicted, and Oliver will not be dismissed. We still owe you for your sacrifice.”

  I spoke firmly, “You owe me nothing.”

  She leaned forward, her voice just as firm, “We owe you everything.”

  I looked at her as I tried to gauge where she stood with me now.

  She smiled gloriously, “I voted yes.”

  Aisling rested her hand on my shoulder, “I have hope, that people will vote yes, Andrew. I have hope, that our members will forgive.”

  I nodded with relief, “Good, Aisling… It’s good to see that the real you is back with us.”

  She looked into my eyes seriously, “The more important question, Andrew, is if they vote yes, will you let your heart truly believe that we forgive you?”

  I looked at the counter, as I thought about her question. I struggled to trust people, because throughout my life, I had few people I could rely on and fewer that I trusted. I learned to trust myself above all. Was I even still capable of accepting people's love? I did it for Oliver and AI, but could I do it for a group?

  I breathed out deeply, “I can only say… that I will try.”

  She smiled her brilliantly beaming smile, “Then that’s good enough for me.”

  I felt so hopeful just seeing her smile, and for a moment, I felt like everything was going to be ok.

  I looked at the two seriously, “Doesn’t it bother you… that I felt that way about you before?”

  Nadia frowned, “I knew exactly how you felt, when we first met you. You were impossibly sceptical, and it was obvious to me, that you didn’t believe our dream at the beginning.”

  Her face became despondent, “It was far from the worst treatment that we got, Andrew. I’m not comparing it to what you went through, but we did have hardships of our own…” She stopped speaking, as clearly the bad memories were affecting her.

  Aisling took over, “There’s a reason, Andrew… why AI is so obsessed with protecting us.” Her face also shifted to one of hurt.

  I was confused, “I thought it was because of the Bruiges?”

  Aisling shook her head, “How could it be? We only found out about the Bruiges, after building the HQ and forming the Roses…” She stared into forever.

  Oops… How did I manage to get the dates confused? I suddenly felt a wave of concern come over me. I thought about the way that the Inner Roses hall had an escape route specifically for the Angels, and how the agents always escorted and protected Aisling and Nadia… What had happened to them?

  Nadia spoke traumatically, “Don’t ask, please, Andrew… just don’t.” She could see my morbid curiosity.

  I shook my head in deep disappointment, “Why is everything in this existence, so damn miserable?”

  Nobody answered me. I wasn’t really expecting an answer, to be honest. It just seemed like everything was so damned hopeless sometimes. It was a wonder how most people hadn’t just given up. It was a wonder how the Roses even managed to get that far at all.

  I looked between the three of them, “For what it’s worth, Aisling, Nadia and AI… Good job.”

  *

  Aisling smiled at me, “Things are bleak, Andrew, but they would have been so much bleaker without you, though. You were the shield that stopped the fatal blow. If you had broken and told the Wolf about us, then things would truly have been hopeless.”

  The more I spoke with the Roses, the more they convinced me of the true significance of my own sacrifice. Just for a moment, I thought of the hundreds of people that I had seen in the last few days. I thought how all of them had a chance then… there was hope. I did it for the Angels in truth, but at that moment, I realised just how far my sacrifice had rippled.

  I shook my head, “It’s ironic that I used all my hope, to sacrifice my everything, to save you two, just for you to give me back hope again. You couldn’t even make it up…”

  Everyone laughed at that and before they finished, AI spoke, “The voting is done, Andrew.”

  I looked at her in surprise, “Has it already been an hour?”

  She shook her head, “No, everyone who can vote, has done so.”

  I nodded, “Oh. So… now what?”

  She spoke politely, “Please return to the Inner Roses hall.”

  We all got up and walked back to the hall. They let me lead, since I was the slowest. It would have been annoying, if everyone had to wait in the hall for me. I took my place at the centre of the hall, as the chatter died away.

  AI then addressed the hall, “The vote is complete; the result is shown on the screens.”

  I looked up, “Should We Still Accept Andrew?”, No: 0 votes, Yes: 4735 votes.

  AI spoke loudly, “Therefore, Andrew is hereby unanimously forgiven by the Roses, and his presence remains welcome… by all members.”

  I couldn’t believe it… nobody said no?

  I spoke with deep scepticism, “Surely that’s suspicious, no? Not a single person said no, AI? Are you absolutely certain?”

  She nodded with a smile, “Andrew, I use a triple authentication and verification system. I also was sceptical, so I ran the count multiple times through different servers. The result is 100% verified.”

  Aisling stood up as she beamed her breathtaking smile, “If anyone did vote no, now is the time to correct the vote.” She looked at the screens and waited a full minute.

  She leaned over the raised bench, looking down at the screen, “AI, anything?”

  AI looked up, “No, Aisling, nobody corrected.”

  Aisling clapped her hands together, “Then it is done.”

  Nadia stood up, “Andrew, you might not fully forgive yourself, but the Roses do. Should you decide to visit us again, you can be sure, that everyone will be happy to see you.”

  Aisling nodded energetically, “I can’t express how proud I am, to know that the Roses are this strong, this forgiving and this understanding. It’s times like this… when I feel we’ve made huge strides towards a better tomorrow. No matter the challenges, I feel confident that the Roses are a strong family and an immovable rock.”

  She paused as she looked around the hall humbly, “And also, on a personal note… Thank you everyone, for giving my saviour a second chance.” She started to tear up.

  She stared into forever, “This life is so damned cruel; I think we all know how priceless a second chance can be.”

  AI loudly spoke, “All rise… for Andrew.”

  The entire hall stood at attention, and I looked around at everyone’s face. They were all smiling and proud… The Roses truly were an organisation, like no other.

  I spoke quietly, “Thank you... please sit.”

  Everyone took their seats, and I waited a moment to ensure everyone was seated.

  I stared at the floor, “Oliver said to me once, that the Roses are good people. I didn’t think that would possibly apply to me. Someone weak, scared, drowning in pain and lonely… I’ve used every card in my deck, I’m spent. No matter how meaningful my sacrifice was… I now have nothing left to give you. This is it; this is me now… and you all know this.”

  I caught my breath for a second, “I wish I could do another magic trick, and launch the Roses even further. I wish I could be as capable as an agent, so that I could be a priceless tool for you all... but I can’t. Yet… you don’t seem to care. You all knew I was depleted, and you still voted yes. That speaks volumes about all of you. It reflects just how honourable you all are. You should be proud of how far you’ve all gotten.”

  I waited a bit more to catch my breath again, “I believed in the Angel's dream, and I did everything I possibly could, to help them make it a reality. I just want to say, I'm so happy it worked out. Standing here I see; the dream has become a reality. Thank you for giving me and the rest of the planet… hope.”

  I turned around and started walking out of the hall. Everyone rose for me again; AI didn’t need to ask it that time.

  Aisling’s voice was deeply worried, “Andrew… will you come again tomorrow?... please?” I could hear the fear in her voice, the worry that I would leave… and never return.

  I stopped and turned to face her, “Aisling… will you smile for me please?”

  Her voice cracked as she looked at me emotionally, “Only if you promise… to come again tomorrow…”

  I nodded, “Then… I promise.”

  She smiled at me… gloriously.