CHAPTER 2
SIN OF COWARDICE, part 4

 “I can’t believe it. We meet again!”

Yeah, right, alien stalker! That’s what I’d like to scream at him.

“Who would have thought we’d run into each other here, friend?” I say, scowling at him. “Guys, this is…” I pause, unsure whether to say his real name or make one up.

“My name’s Deck. Nice to meet you,” he says, taking the lead and shaking my friends’ hands.

“Nice to meet you,” the two reply in unison.

“Guys, I met Deck on Prince Edward. Before the attack. You might say he brought me some bad luck,” I say with a forced smile.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t show up with a stone man, then,” Renzo jokes.

“Can you imagine? That would be insane!” Deck laughs. I can already tell that I’m going to have to go the whole way with him tagging along.

“Then maybe you should go back to Canada,” I say, an imperative edge concealed in my voice.

“Come on, Brian. You’re the least superstitious one among us,” Carolina chimes in, giving me a hard pat on the back that she really could have spared.

“Listen to your friend, Brian. Did you or did you not know that I was coming to Italy?”

“I had a hunch when I saw you on the plane. Next to me. I certainly couldn’t have imagined seeing you again in Varese instead of Milan, Genoa, Rome, Naples… Not here, basically.”

“Exactly. Who would’ve thought?”

What nerve!

“Ah, guys… I liked Brian from the first moment I saw him, but one trait I certainly didn’t expect is cowardice.”

I’d like to know how he dares to say these things when he doesn’t even really know me.

“‘Cowardice?’ What does that mean?” she asks.

“I remember… It was in the second canto of the Inferno in The Divine Comedy, if I’m not mistaken. Virgil tells Dante about his mission, and at first, Dante seems very reluctant to accept it because he doesn’t feel up to the task. So Virgil accuses him of this fault,” my real friend explains.

“Why? What task were you given on Prince Edward, Brian?”

I’m in a tight spot now. Even Deck realizes he’s said one word too many. He looks away, pretending not to know I’m angry.

“Damn, it’s five to. Brian, you have to run!”

Thank heavens I finally have a good excuse to leave without arousing my friends’ suspicion.

“You’re right. I’m going now. Bye!” I set off at a brisk pace, followed by Deck, who’s impossible to shake off.

I should already be at school. I have less than three minutes to get to class and be in my seat, but I absolutely must clear things up with Deck once and for all.

“Deck, I don’t know what else to do with you.”

He tries to explain himself, but I won’t let him.

“No! I’m speaking. From now on, you will stay away from me, my family, my friends, my acquaintances, friends of acquaintances, acquaintances of friends, family acquaintances… you get the point, right?” I want to be clear and concise.

“Jones, you don’t get it. Sooner or later, another mutant will lose control, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know anyone else in the world who has the power to help me. Believe me. Do you think I have nothing better to do than try to convince you?”

“But you told me yourself that your plan was exactly that.”

“…” His lips are pressed tight. The reaction I was hoping for.

“While you figure out your comeback, I’m going to class.”

I finally manage to part ways with him.

The school day is over, and I’m eager to get home and dig into a tasty plate of pasta with meat sauce. Unfortunately I’ll have to go through the trouble of making it myself. Once I’m outside the school, though, I run into Deck leaning against the trunk of a tree. His unwelcome appearances don’t surprise me anymore.

“Thank goodness you’re here. If you’d had school this afternoon, it would’ve been embarrassing to wait around like this for another three hours.” He chuckles nervously.

“Deck…” I hiss, mentally bracing myself for a lecture.

“I’m not here to convince you, but to apologize.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect that… Go on,” I say, genuinely interested.

“I realize you must have thought this decision through. You have no obligation to me, and I should respect that.”

“I appreciate that.” I’m about to leave when I suddenly feel a bit guilty for the disappointment I caused him. “I still have fifteen minutes before I catch the bus, if you want to… talk.”

“Thanks…” He seems genuinely relieved that I’m here. “I’d just like to understand why you’re so afraid to fight. I know you humans are constantly at war, both physically and verbally. Having the chance to do it for a noble cause would be a great honor, and I know that’s not an insignificant detail for you humans.”

I can’t help but crack a smile as I listen to him. “You’re behind the times. It’s not like that anymore. Or, at least, not completely.”

“You can’t deny that your planet is still at war.”

“Of course I can’t deny it. Deck, just like you all, I’d imagine, humans are very complicated creatures. Contrary to what many people say, we’re not animals. And not just because we possess reason, unlike other creatures that are driven solely by instinct. We’re complex precisely because we’re all different from one another.”

“Wasn’t this diversity the root of all your woes? If you were all the same, or acted entirely under the will of a single individual, I don’t think you’d have these problems. My ruler, Blud, exploited this weakness of yours, predicting that you would destroy each other.”

Which is exactly what happened on Prince Edward.

“Personally, I act under the will of a single individual,” I say, pointing upward. “But let’s face it, Deck. If we were all the same, the world would be boring or even more chaotic. Take Hitler. Once he became Chancellor of the Reich, he wanted to impose his dictatorial regime to create a world as strong as his idea of perfection, eliminating anyone who didn’t fit his criteria. Basically, a man as passionate as he was childish. Humans often cause a lot of chaos and suffering without thinking about the consequences, but we also try to make amends. It’s not like it used to be. Most people are good. Or at least, that’s how I see it.”

“What about you? Do you think you’re a good person?”

“Let me guess. If I were, I wouldn’t refuse to fight for the cause, right?” I’m already wary.

“Not at all. I’ve listened to your reasons, and if you don’t think you’re up to the task, then maybe it’s not for me to judge. Besides, it takes a lot to be willing to put your own life on the line for others. Your life has value, too, and that’s why it must be preserved. Actually, you’ve already shown that you’d risk your life for your loved ones. You certainly can’t be considered a coward.”

Now that he’s said this, I feel more guilty and hypocritical than ever. After all, I want to be a police officer. Putting myself on the front lines should be part of my nature. But fighting people with superpowers in my condition… is that wise?

“I don’t have control over my powers, Deck.” His surprised look reveals a new concern in his red eyes. “I woke up inside a black hole today. I could tell because the objects that had been pulled in during my fight with that steel beggar were in there.”

“Did you see him?” he asks.

“No, I wanted to, but I was suddenly sucked back into my room. My brother thought the noise was just my phone alarm. That’s the only reason I was able to spare him the real details.”

“Oh, I see,” he says, incredulous. It is actually surreal that they haven’t caught on despite everything.

“Do you get why I keep saying no? I’m not cut out to be the hero you need. I apologize, but I have to go now or I’ll miss the bus.”

Genuinely sorry, I head toward the bus stop at a brisk pace when Deck calls after me.

“Wait, Jones.”

Hiding my irritation, I stop and spin around, suddenly anxious about the weapon pointed at my forehead.

“I apologized to you earlier, but it wasn’t because of my persistence,” he says, his gaze vacant and devoid of the compassion he had shown me before.

“Was that a preemptive apology?” I ask, my mind racing for a way out. He must have calculated everything. He waited until the area was deserted enough to catch me off guard.

“Yeah, that’s it.” …

A bright blue light.

…

The void.