The darkest hour of Mason and Margarita's relationship has come. Love is strictly forbidden in the Mascus Colony, and Jerrell lives by the rules and will die by the rules. Can they change Jerrell's mind, or will they be cast out of the colony?
Jerrell was training in the woods.
Mason showed up. "Jerrell..."
"What do you want?"
"You know what I want."
"That? Forget it. You won't change my mind."
"Do you know what you're doing?"
"I know exactly what I'm doing...protecting Margarita."
"No! You're doing the opposite. You're hurting her. You're hurting her feelings and you failed as a brother."
"Hmm, so she told you about us. Yes, I am her brother. Now do you understand why I care about her so much?"
"Jerrell, if you do care about her then let her have her freedom. We're not just playing around. We truly do love each other. I can swear it."
"Awwk! That word...it's forbidden in this place! This is my colony! And if you can't follow the rules, then leave."
"Why can't you understand?!"
"Enough! I don't want to hear you anymore..."
Mason was sad and angry and frustrated. Sad that Margrit had such a brother. And angry at his stubbornness. And frustrated that he can't be with the one he loves. But that won't stop him.
Margarita found Jerrell and tried to talk things out. Before she even spoke a word, he got annoyed.
"Oh God, not this again. I've already told you my answer."
"Jerrell! Why are you doing this to me?! Why won't you let us be together? Why?"
"I thought I explained it clearly. Margrit...I'm just trying to protect you..." "Protect me? From Mason?"
"No! From the evil of love!"
"How is love evil? Tell me!"
" *Sigh* Remember our parents?"
"Yes, they loved us so much."
"We loved them too. And we lost them forever. They were killed because they were rebels."
"I still miss them now." Margrit said.
"It took us years to recover from the loss, don't you see? Love is evil! When you lose someone you love, it's more painful than anything in the world. After I lost my parents I swore never to love anyone again."
"Well, do you love me? Brother?"
"I…I…yes, I do. And that's exactly why I'm doing this."
"If you were me, you'd understand how I feel."
"And if you were me, you'd understand how I feel." Jerrell ignored her and walked outside.
Margrit was sitting in the cafeteria, depressed.
" *Sigh* I tried." Mason announced.
"He is not going to bend the rules." Margarita said. "I know him the best. He won't approve of it."
"I just don't understand why he has just a ridiculous rule. It's completely absurd."
"It's not entirely his fault. We just had bad experiences, that's all."
"Bad experiences?"
"It all started with our parents' murders. We were just kids when that happened. I think Jerrell never quite got over it. I don't blame him." Margrit said with respect. "I cried a lot when my parents died. And Jerrell cried too, but he did it alone. He never cried in front of me. He'd just hold it in, and let it out when he's alone. I saw him one time. He was sobbing non-stop."
Mason could tell she respects her brother a lot. Which makes the situation more complex and harder to deal with. "I've lived most of my life without my parents too. But I've learned that restricting love to someone is the worst thing to do than anyone."
"There's more…"
"More?"
"Yes. Please don't tell him I said that. But…" And she proceeded to tell him a tragic story about Jerrell's ex-girlfriend.
Jerrell was training in the opening of the woods. "How long have you been watching me?" he asked, knowing someone came in without looking back."
Mason: "I just came by now."
"I can sense people out, just like you. Don't think I'm stupid. Now, what do you want?"
"You obviously know what I want. I want to talk things out."
"Sheesh. You just don't know when to give up, do you?"
"Why can't you just let your sister be happy?"
"It's better safe than sorry."
"Margrit and I won't be sorry! What does it take to convince you? Please Jerrell! If not for me, do it for Margrit."
"I had enough of this nonsense!"
"To show you how serious I am, I'm willing to do anything so we can be together. Anything. You name it."
"Anything? How about you let me punch you in the guts fifty times? After that you can do whatever you want."
"Fifty times?"
"Well, you said anything. You are a good fighter, so pain shouldn't concern you so much."
"Fine. Let's do it." Mason said arrogantly.
"I gotta warn you, my fists are really hard. And I pack a pretty good punch!"
"I don't care. Let's just get it over with." Mason took a deep breath and prepared himself. Jerrell began...crunch! "You call that a punch?" Mason mocked.
"It's only the first one, so don't get so cocky!" Pow! Poof! "...two...three..." Punch! "Four..." Pow! "Five..."
The first few had little effect, but after the twentieth one, Mason was having a lot of pain. It was a grueling and painful moment for him.
"Twenty..."
"Uhhhh...."
"Don't tell me that's all you got! We're not even half way there!"
"...Uhhhh...ha ha ha ha."
"Huh? Why are you laughing?" asked Jerrell.
"Are you f-finished? Don't tell me you're giving up already?" he spoke weakly, grinning. "Cuz I was j-just g-getting started!"
" *Growl*...take this!" Pow! Pow! Pow! Crunch! "...Twenty one. Twenty two. Twenty three. Twenty four..."
Mason grabbed on the tree behind him to keep his balance. "Arrrrrrgh! Uhhhhh!" The pain was becoming unbearable.
As he was getting hit, Mason thought back to the conversation he had with Margrit just before this. Margrit told him of a tragic story about Jerrell's relationship.
"I can't blame him entirely for how he feels. A few years ago, Jerrell fell in love with this girl. I never saw him so happy before. It was like he was walking on a cloud the whole time. She and Jerrell…they were really happy." Margrit said with a tone of envy. "But that girl kept a secret from him. A secret which he eventually found out. She's an agent of the Dark Empire."
"But why?! Why did you hide it from me?" Jerrell asked, pointing his gun at her.
She also pointed a gun at him. "I'm s-sorry, Jerrell. I didn't want it to be like this." She said as a tear dropped down her face.
Suddenly, there was a gun shot. Bang!
Liana collapsed. Jerrell went to her, and lifted her by the shoulder. "Liana…"
"I'm s-sorry, Jerrell. I c-can't make it up to you. I truly…wanted us to be happy together. But it looks like the world won't let us." Those were her last words before her eyes closed forever.
"NOOOOOO!!"
So that's the story. Doosh! Doosh!
"Twenty nine. Thirty."
When Margrit told Mason of Jerrell's story, he was shocked. Something like that happened to him before, so that's why he's like this now? He actually felt bad for Jerrell now. Like Margrit said, who can blame him for feeling this way?
He only wanted to protect his sister from feeling the same sadness that he did, right? So Jerrell actually loved someone at some point in his life. And because of that loss, he was so sad and pissed off that he shut off all his emotions, especially love. He's now essentially a cold hearted machine.
But Mason was taught and believed in this - even if someone shuts his heart in stone…no matter how hard it is…if that person ever felt love before…he can…and will again. Maybe…just maybe, if he took the fifty punches, Jerrell might understand how he feels. Just maybe.
Suddenly, Margrit showed up and saw everything. " *Gasp* What are you doing?! Jerrell! Mason!"
Jerrell: "Margrit?"
Mason: "Margrit."
"What are doing to Mason?! How could you do such a thing! Creep!"
Jerrell sighed.
Mason: "Margrit, Jerrell promised if, ugh, if I let me hit me fifty times he'll, uhhh, let us be together. Ugh."
Jerrell: "Where was I? Oh yeah, thirty down and twenty to go."
Margrit: "How could you let him do this? Are you crazy, Mason?"
Mason: "Crazy about you. We're not finished! Let us continue."
Jerrell: "That's right! Get out of the way, Margrit!"
Margrit: "No!"
Mason: "We're not finished! It's the only way we can be together!"
Margrit: "Stop this! Stop it! Enough is enough, Mason!"
Mason: "Margrit..."
Jerrell: "We're not finished! Move it!"
Margrit stepped in front of Mason and spread her arms out. It was a surprising move, even for herself. "If you want to hit him, then hit me. I'll take the remaining punches for him."
"Sis, move out of the way!"
"Nothing will make me move."
"Why are you protecting this guy? Isn't one trip to the healing chamber enough?"
Margrit slapped Jerrell as tears rolled down her eyes.
"Margrit...you never hit me before. Yet you're doing this for Mason!"
Margrit: "Get out of my sight!"
"So be it then." Jerrell left.
Mason: "Margrit, I, I... I'm sorry."
"Silly, there's nothing to be sorry about." She helped him sit down with his back leaning on the tree. She took off his shirt to examine the wounds, and she gasped at the first sight of the bruises. "Mason, look at you! You look like a mess." Her voice got softer. "You're doing all this - for me?"
"I would die for you. You know that. *Grunt* "
"Don't say such things!" She got a first aid kit and opened it. She wrapped a long piece of cloth around his messed up area.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch."
"Did he hit you in the face?"
"A couple of times."
Margrit: "Where does it hurt?"
"My face hurts. Right here." He pointed at the bruise.
She gently kissed his face. "Where else does it hurt?"
"My forehead."
She kissed his forehead. "Anywhere else?"
"My nose hurts too."
She kissed his nose.
"And my mouth hurts."
She kissed his lips. She put her hand on his face and he touched her hand.
"My mouth still hurts."
She laughed and they smiled. She kissed his lips again, even longer this time. "Do you feel better?"
"I feel a lot better. Your kiss made me so energized!" He started to get up, but backed down. "Owww..."
"Don't move. It'll only make it worse. You've done your part, now it's up to me."
"What will you do?"
Margrit: "What I have to do." She walked towards her brother, his back facing her.
He turned around. "Finished chit-chatting?"
"What will it take, Jerrell?"
"Margarita, my dear sister…A soldier must obey orders. A soldier is willing to give up his or her life for the mission. A soldier can not have emotions. A soldier cannot feel. Did you forget?"
"We're sayans, not machines. Since when it is wrong to have emotions, to love someone as deeply as I have?"
"Margrit, you're a fool for love. Don't you remember what happened with your last 'boyfriend?' "
His mentioning that person really offended her. "Don't go there Jerrell."
"I have to go there, to make you realize your mistake."
"He was a mistake! Kerell was a traitor."
"And you fell for him."
"That's it! Nothing will convince you, huh? Even if it means losing a sister?"
"So now you're my sister? Who were you when you disobeyed me?"
"You know what Jerrell? I guess no words can get through to you now. You're like a brick wall!"
"What I'm doing is for your own good."
"Maybe fighting is the only way to make you understand. What do you say? It's you versus me. If you win, I never see Mason again, but if I win, you stay out of our business." She powered up. Her face became fierce and threatening.
"Fight? You? Forget it."
Mason: "No, Margrit!"
Margrit: "What's the matter? Too afraid to fight your own sister? Or is it because you know I'll win cuz I'm better?" Her power increased.
"Listen to yourself. Do you know what you're saying? You would fight me for him? We've known each other our whole lives."
"Do you accept the challenge?"
Mason: "Stop, you two. I don't want it to be this way. You are siblings, so you should love each other. I don't want to be the reason for the rivalry between you two. This is your colony, Jerrell, so we should abide by your rules."
Margrit: "No…Mason."
"Mason." Jerrell said, his tone of voice suddenly changing. "For some reason, when you said those words, it feels like that you care about Margarita more than I can imagine. Mason, I must say…you are one of the most honorable men I've ever known." He smiled and closed his eyes, and opened them. "I think you will bring Margarita the happiness she deserves, not me."
Margrit: "You mean..."
"Yes, by this point I've realized you won't give in until the end. Mason, you were willing to take fifty punches for her. And at the very end, you were willing to give her up for her safety. Margarita, I'm sorry about everything. You didn't ask to be in this colony, you were born a rebel. I promised my parents I will bring you protection and happiness, but these few years I've been doing the opposite."
"Jerrell..." She powered down.
Mason was dumbfounded.
"We hardly spoke to each other like the good old days, eh? That was the only way to keep our relationship a secret. You've been so lonely-" Jerrell said.
"Jerrell! Thank you!" She hugged him. Then she said to Mason: "Did you hear that? We did it!"
Mason: "Yep. I heard that loud and clear." She embraced him, then he grunted and she realized she touched the wound where Jerrell hit him.
"Oh sorry, I forgot."
"It's okay. I'm fine."
"I guess…we pulled through…huh?" she asked.
"Yeah…just like I said would happen."
Margrit carried his arm over her shoulder, and helped him walk about. "Jerrell?" she said, but he gone and no where in sight.
"Looks like he's gone."
"Jerrell…thank you. I knew you'd understand."
Jerrell was hiding behind a tree not far away from them. He heard his sister's words. He was crossing his arms and smiling, as if he just solved a big case. (Congratulations, Mason. You sure have proved yourself.)
Mason has proved himself? What did he mean by it? Was all this a test of their love and dedication to each other? Or did Mason truly touch Jerrell's heart, and convinced him to bend the rules just once?
Mason and Margrit were standing by the lake watching the sun rise. "Isn't wonderful? We can finally have our privacy now." She put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her hands around his arm.
Mason: "Yep, I knew things will work out at the end."
"You did?"
"I hoped."
They paused for a moment.
Margrit: "Hey, did you really mean it back there?"
Mason: "What?"
"Were you really going to give in to Jerrell's rules?"
"Well…did you mean what you said?"
"What?"
"Were you really going to fight him?"
"Maybe. I don't know. I wasn't thinking at that time."
"I wonder who'd win if you and Jerrell had a match."
Margrit smiled and answered: "Too bad, you'll never find out."