Mentally - Prologue. Departure

“Kieran.” He said softly. His voice was so alluring. Almost inviting me to hug him. I know I was really going to miss him. But it was too late now. Everything has been set. And the only thing left to do now was to say our goodbyes. “I don’t want to go. If only I could stay here.”

“But you don’t have a choice, Damian.” I said. A bit stiffly even. It was frightening to think that he will be gone in a few days. The closest friend I had in my life was about to leave. “I don’t have a choice, either.”

“Of course we do! We could always run away. Screw the adults. Just because they don’t have to undergo all these painful goodbyes, they can’t just easily get away with it.” Damian said with a harsh tone. His words were hateful and confused. “This is too hard for me.”

“I know. But at what cost?” I said. Then my hand moved on its own and brushed away a tuft of dark hair that was dangling in front of his gray eyes. “We could always contact each other through the internet.”

“Yeah, but I can’t hug you through it.” Damian almost pouted. His eyes darted away from me with a remorseful look. I knew he was about to cry. But I also knew he couldn’t bring himself closer to admitting it. “I’m going to miss you, Kieran.”

“I guess we don’t have much choice over it.” I replied. Then I pulled him into a hug. I could really tell he was already tearing up. “By tomorrow, you would be packing a lot of things, and we wouldn’t have much of a moment like this. So I want to hug you now.”

We were only a couple of eleven-year-olds. But at that moment of a painful goodbye, we seemed to be a pair of adults. We felt the same ache that a pair of adults would have felt. The pain of losing. The pain of saying goodbye. The pain of ripping out a piece of our lives.

It was horrible. But it was a beautiful moment at the same time. That was the paradox of saying goodbye. It was both a good thing and a bad thing. Maybe I said a good thing because Damian would have a better life in his new home. Even if it hurts me, knowing that he would be happier a couple of months later would have made the pain worth it.

“I guess this would be our last embrace.” I whispered. “You have to go. It is for your safety.”

“Who cares if I’m not safe? As long as I get to be with my best friend, I’ll definitely be fine. It just doesn’t make any sense that we have to be separated.” His voice was slowly becoming agitated. I could see that he was almost snarling from his frustration. “The phenomena has nothing to do with us!”

“But you have to realize that your dad is an officer from the military.” I calmly said. “The people would need him. There’s no way that they would make him live in a danger zone.”

“Screw him. If the people would need him, he could go. I should still be able to stay here because it has nothing to do with me.” Damian replied. “I hate that old bastard. He’s a ruthless killer and an unreasonable disciplinarian.”

“But you’re his son. His only son. He wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” My best friend looked at me straight in the eyes as if I was saying something ridiculous. For him, I did say something that he wouldn’t believe.

“If I was his son, he would treat me like one.” Damian said. Almost on a growl. His eyes were dead and cold. Spitting daggers at me. He hated his dad so much. His fists were clenched, and the moment that was supposed to be ours was no more.

“Relax, man.” I put my hands on his shoulders. “We’re here right now because we want to properly say goodbye to each other. You might leave as soon as tomorrow. So I don’t want to miss this.”

“I’m going back for you, Kieran. Just wait.” His tone was severe. It made Damian’s voice a bit more husky than usual. “I promise. I’ll go back here. I’ll get you out of this place. Away from those dangerous Mentals.”

The wind blew and brushed my sandy blonde hair. We were in our old playground. Just a few blocks away from our houses. The two of us met here three years ago. And we didn’t know that we would meet here almost every day from then on. No one knew. But who would have known that this was where we would part our ways.

“Mentals, huh?” I smiled. “For some reason, our city is one of the hotspots in the country. And I have no one to blame for that. They are still people. I don’t think we should have picked a fight with our fellow human beings.”

“No. They are dangerous. If they really wanted it, they could kill thousands of people. But it’s really a good thing that they don’t do much. But if they evolve any more further, they would already be a threat to humanity.” Damian seriously said. “And one of the Mentals killed my mother. Let’s not forget about that. If I were to use the military prowess of my dad, I would definitely show them who’s boss.”

“You sounded like an adult. Or you just had too many cartoons, that’s why you were able to say something as epic as that.” I replied. “Or you just got that one from your dad.”

“Woah there. That’s an insult already.” Damian sneered. “And I thought this moment was supposed to be ours.”

“It is ours.” The two of us were sitting beside each other on a bench that could oversee the whole playground. “This place is even ours. It’s like we have some kind of ownership on this playground. Can you count how many memories we’ve made here?”

“Yeah. And I want to make another one here.” He said, turning red. “Something that we would really share and remember for a very long time.”

“I wonder what do you have in mind.” I asked out loud. “Can you think of something really memorable then?”

“Of course, I do!” He exclaimed excitedly.

“What is it?” I asked. Then turned to him because I was wondering what he had in mind. But I was caught off guard. Damian leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It was soft and tender. His reddish lips touched mine. And in an instant, I felt the sudden rush of energy in me. My heart raced so hard in an instant. The move was unexpected. But it was something we shared and would probably remember for a very long time.

“Damian.” I sighed.

“Sorry.” He quipped. His voice was filled with so much guilt and shame.

“Why did you say sorry?” I asked.

“I don’t think I was supposed to do something like that.” Damian said sadly. His voice went from one, filled with excitement to one filled with remorse. “To be honest, I have always wanted to do that.”

I sat there beside him. Damian already looked away while I was still a bit shaken by what had happened. But it wasn’t a bad thing. Inside of me was a heart that was fluttering. I was confused and dazed by what he just did. But I think that it was a moment that I would treasure sincerely.

My mouth was about to open to tell him something, but then a car arrived nearby. The sudden intrusion of our privacy made us halt with what we were doing. We just ended up watching our untimely guest.

The black car stopped, and a man came out. His build was tall and lean. With eyes fierce and unforgiving. The stare he gave us sent an immediate chill up my spine. The man’s first step caused me to made a relatively loud gulp of my own saliva. His uniform had already given us the idea that he was from the military.

“Do you know him?” I coldly asked Damian.

“No. But I’m sure my dad sent him to me.” He muttered. There was discomfort in his voice. As if he knew there was something terrible that was going to happen. “He’s probably here to pick me up.”

The man in military uniform stopped in front of us. “Mr. Damian, I am here to escort you back to your father. Your flight to Washington is tonight. Everything has been prepared, and all of your belongings have been packed. We are to leave for the airport as soon as possible.”

“What?!” Damian almost shrieked. The pitch of his voice was still high since both of us hasn’t reached puberty yet. “I thought we were supposed to leave next week? No one told me that our flight is tonight.”

“My deepest apologies, sir.” The man said solemnly. I could tell he was sincere with the way he told us. There was even a tone of pity in his voice. He knew that he would have to deliver bad news to my friend. “But your father has been summoned to take command of a new outpost near Washington.”

“This is so unfair!” Damian clenched his fists. It was all over now. My heart was in pain because that meant that we were about to part ways in a few moments. “Why do they need him now? I know he wasn’t due until next week. You guys didn’t even give me the time to prepare for this crap.”

“I’m sorry. But we are not allowed to disclose information.” He said stiffly. “It would be best if we are to comply with your father’s commands immediately.”

“I am not a soldier that he could just command anytime he wants.” Damian snarled. He was almost close to breaking down. And I was close to shedding a tear for my closest friend. “This is just so unfair!”

But the soldier just stood there silently. And Damian wasn’t able to do anything about it. So I did what I could do. I hugged him from behind. He then turned toward me and hugged me back. As tight as he could. I heard him sniffing, and he was already heaving from crying his eyes out.

“I don’t want to go. Kieran, I’m so sorry.” He cried. “It was just so fast. I didn’t even have time to realize I was about to say goodbye.”

“It’s not your fault.” I softly said. “No one wanted this. But we have to adjust.”

“I promise I’ll be back.” Damian vowed. And he was dead serious with what he said.

“Well, your kiss was something I would always remember you by.” I whispered. To make sure our audience will not hear. Then I kissed his forehead quickly before the man would think of it as something else. “Now you have something to remember me by. I’m sorry if it wasn’t on the lips. I don’t want our visitor to think of anything else.”

“It’s okay.” He sniffled. “It was as special as a kiss on the lips.”

“It’s okay.” I said. My chest was about to burst. It was filled with so much pressure from all the emotions that were coming out all at the same time. And it wasn’t a good experience. Not at all. But I had to be firm for my friend. For his sake. And for mine. “I’ll see you soon.”

We stood before each other. Staring eye to eye. The intense sadness rushing upon us. Our eyes were both red from crying. It was dreadful. But it was already happening. And we had no power to stop it.

“Goodbye, Damian.” I said painfully.

“Goodbye, Kieran.” He replied with the same amount of pain as I had.

“No.” I protested. A small smile on my face. “See you soon, Damian.”

“Yeah!” He smiled. New hope in his eyes. “I’m still going to go back to rescue you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” I said excitedly. Damian acknowledged it and moved back. It was time to really say goodbye. I guess the best part was that we both parted ways with smiles on our faces.

With that, he walked away. Everything went too fast. One moment we were both in front of each other. Staring at each other. Memorizing every detail of each other. Then the next moment, the two of them were already in the car, and the wheels started to move. In a blink of an eye, Damian was off to wherever he would be taken.

And that’s when it sunk it. It was so painful. My heart almost popped out of my chest. My hands were shaking. And it feels like my knees were about to go down. My lips went dry as I looked at their car, driving away into the distance. The sun was setting, and it just made the overall mood more dramatic. And cliche.

Then I remembered what Damian told me. The kiss was something I could always remember him by. And I just ended up smiling at myself and giggled softly. My head was on cloud 9, and I was probably blushing from head to toe. He was my best friend. But now I realized that I do love him from the very bottom of my heart. And it was something I realized a little bit too late.

I was so focused on Damian’s way of showing his affection. It made me feel bad because we were not able to express it sooner. We could have done so much more together. My mind was crazy from all the overthinking. Damian loved me. And I knew that I love him back.

But sadly, little did Damian know that the Mentals he hates so much, I was one of them.