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Picking reen They were in front of the great oak, teetering around the gaping hole that Nathaniel had been buried in Maintenance hadn’t filled it in yet, but had sequestered it with caution tape, leaving only one thin rope ladder dangling into the pit Gideon stepped around the hole and Dante followed, thrusting the shovel at hi at Gideon, Gideon seeht entleman’s ballet

I circled them as Dante raised the shovel over Gideon’s head I closed h I knew they were both already dead But just as Dante brought the shovel down over Gideon’s skull, Gideon ducked away and grabbed the shovel fro it into shards

The rest happened quickly Gideon tackled Dante, thrusting hierously close to the edge of the hole If Dante fell in, that would be the end He couldn’t go underground, and the hole was at least fifteen feet deep I wouldn’t be able to get him out by myself before Gideon took my soul In horror, I watched as Gideon stood over Dante, one hand around his neck I had to do so I was a Monitor I was supposed be able to handle this

Without thinking, I picked up a broken shard of Dante’s shovel and ran up behind them With all the force I could muster, I thrust it into Gideon’s back

Surprised, he spun around and threwtoward rass as he looed shovel Just before I closed my eyes, Dante took hi the wooden shard into my skin I winced as I tried to pull the handle out ofthe wood shard deeper into runts seemed to fade as my eyes fluttered And as I let the h the caution tape into the deep, dusty hole

With a cry, I pulled the handle of the shovel fro in a reat oak Across the cavern, I could see Gideon’s grass-stained pants and loafers, li through the dirt and felt his ar the soil off hiround," I whispered "What do I do?" He was barely conscious

Mustering up courage, I wiped the dirt fro to pick hiet us out of here" But as round, I wrapped my hands around his neck and buried my face in his shirt

"Dante, please wake up," I pleaded "I’h I can’t carry you out"

As if I had willed it, his lipsin a faint breath And sitting there beside hi him die, I knehat I had to do

Why is it that you enjoy life the most when you’re about to lose it? The only way I could save Dante was to give hih, the realization only made me feel more alive I took one last look at the world So down for dinner with her fa news; and the girls onready to crawl into bed I felt as if I orlds away froranted--all the s to miss--the first cool breath of fall, the e off the television, the ss only existed in one

I let my eyes travel across Dante one last time--his nose, his lips, his eyes, now closed It all seemed familiar yet somehow still unexplored This is what itthat part of the value in life is knowing that everything around you could be taken away I loved hi in past tense I love hiood-bye