Nerd Paladin, Level Up! | File 005 (Lv. Remix): Fate

In a bed that’s not her own, Jessica Sears tosses and turns. On the surface, there appears to be no sign of physical distress. Beyond the surface, however, her mind is racing. In her sleep, she begins to recall memories from long ago, back when she lived in New York City as a child. Every night, the memories have been nothing but a blur, an aimless collection of images she can’t recognize. But with every night she slumbered, the imagery slowly became clearer.

Tonight, she saw a younger version of herself, precisely five years old. In a school system that still connected kindergarten with elementary school up to the sixth grade, she was wearing a cute purple dress with white bows and frills, white socks with tiny black shoes. Her blonde hair was tied up in two ponytails. It was lunchtime, and from afar, she watched her classmates interact with other students. A frown crossed her face as she looked around.

“Where is big brother? Did he get in trouble again…?”

Seated alone, Jessica opened her Sailor Moon lunch box and surveyed the food her mother packed for her. A peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread with the crusts cut off, a golden delicious apple cored and sliced, a strawberry fruit roll-up, and a Tree Top apple juice box. She was tired of waiting for Zachary, so she pulled out her sandwich from the little sandwich bag and she was about to take a bite.

“Hey, that looks delicious!”

Unexpectedly, a boy snatched the sandwich from her hands and she looked towards him. “T-that’s mine!” Before she could react, another boy slammed her lunch box shut and took it away. She tried to stand up, but one of the boys’ hands pushed her to sit back down. “Ow!”

“Is this Sailor Moon?!”

“Haha! Sailor Moon’s dumb! Just like you!”

Jessica struggled to no avail. Both of the boy’s hands firmly pressed down on her shoulders and she began to sniffle. “Please let me go!”

“Or what? Your stupid brother’s not here to help you this time.”

The other boy took all the contents of the lunch box before he began to smash the lunch box against the wall in front of her. Her soft blue eyes widened and tears fell down her face. “S-stop! Stop it!”

“Make us, princess! Or are you too scared?!”

“This is what happens when you sit alone, loser!”

Once the boy began stomping on her lunch box, Jessica’s cries grew louder, her struggling still useless against the boy keeping her down. The pressure he applied on her shoulders was starting to hurt her…

“Knock it off!” A stern voice demanded. Whoever it was that called out, his voice was enough to catch the attention of everyone involved.

The boy who was stomping on the lunch box responded. “Make us.”

The boy holding Jessica in place scoffed. “Who do you think you are? Superman?”

The young boy who decided to get involved stepped forward. Jessica looked at him, pleading with her teary eyes to stay out of it. The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt over this. But the young boy remained calm. His attention fixated on the boy holding Jessica in place. “No... I’m not Superman. But if you ask around, my father has been mistaken for Lex Luthor. What does that mean for you two? I know your names. If I tell my dad you two are messing with a friend of mine, l doubt your parents would be happy if you catch my drift. I’m gonna insist that you cease and desist this behavior.”

The boy standing over the lunch boy laughed. “Ha. Good one.”

With a smirk, Jessica’s savior replied. “Mason is my last name.”

Both boys glanced at each other. The collective looks on their faces gave off the impression that they were aware of who his father was. The boy holding Jessica released her. The one standing over the lunch box slowly backed away.

“I-I don’t wanna get into THAT much trouble!” One of the boys yelled out.

“Me either! Let’s go!” The other boy nodded. The two of them ran off, the items of the little girl’s lunch discarded on the ground.

Jessica was a little surprised. The only person who could make her bullies go away willingly was her older brother. Slowly, she looked up at the boy who helped her and wiped the tears from her eyes as best as she could. She placed her hands on her shoulders and winced a little.

“Danke. I-I mean, thank you.” She was shy and reserved, even in her current situation. “Um… I’m sorry, I dunno who you are, but they were scared. S-should I be scared too…?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. I don’t like throwing around my last name. For you, I made an exception. I hated watching them make you cry. It was the only way to stop them. My name is Victor Mason.”

The nice clothes he was wearing and his articulation at such a young age, she was amazed. She rose up from the bench and carefully stood before him, her eyes looking into his. His eyes were a shade of blue she’s never seen before, but they were so…

“I-I’m Jessica.” She couldn’t help but stutter a little. She was a very shy girl. “J-Jessica Sears… Thank you for helping me.” She’d seen a scenario of her parents meeting their friends and giving each other kisses on the cheek. Stepping forward, she stood as high as she could on her tiny black shoes and kissed Victor’s cheek.

Victor blushed. He wasn’t expecting that. “Nice to meet you.”

The imagery began to fade.

Jessica’s eyes open and she softly gasps. Slowly she sits up on the bed and gently touches her forehead with her right hand. “That wasn’t just a dream…” She speaks timidly, realization coming forth. It’s a memory she finally recollects prior to the tragic events of nine-eleven in New York City. She didn’t remember much of 2001 because it was such a frightening year in her childhood. But now that she’s beginning to remember, she climbs out of bed, wearing nothing but a loose-fitting black shirt that doesn’t belong to her and her purple boy shorts. Her bare feet walk along the carpet as she opens the door and looks around. “Victor…?”

“I’m in the kitchen, Jess.”

Jessica continues to walk until she reaches the kitchen. Victor, who is wearing a silk white robe, is seated at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and the business section of the New York Times spread on the table. Jessica walks over to join him. “Good morning.”

“Guten Morgen.” She reciprocates in her native tongue. She doesn’t seem to take a seat just yet, looking at him before she gazes into his eyes. That shade of blue, she knows it now. It’s azure… just like the boy’s eyes.

It’s no coincidence.

“I remember now.” She says softly. “It was almost seventeen years ago in elementary school. I-I know this sounds crazy, but we’ve met before the Knoxville Wrestling Institute.”

Victor nods as an acknowledgment that Jessica is correct. “Two boys were bullying you. I remembered how helpless you were. I didn’t have the physical strength to subdue them, so I used the only trick in the book I knew. My father’s reputation. He told me if I were ever in trouble, use our family name and everything would be ok. I hate using the Mason card. Still do. But on that day, I had to, and I don’t regret it.”

He takes a sip of his coffee. “I always knew. When we meet in KWI, it was clear to me you didn’t remember. I didn’t want to push it, so I opted to let it be. I am glad you remember now, though.”

Her eyes widen, shocked by the revelation presented before her. Victor knew all along and yet he chose not to say anything because he didn’t want to push the subject. “After the events of nine-eleven, I… didn’t remember much of anything before then. I was too young. But now…”

She takes a deep breath and folds her hands in front of her, feeling her shyness attempting to rise to the surface. It’s like being that little girl in the frilly purple dress again. Leaning in closer to him, she kisses his cheek like before and lulls her eyes shut. It’s the same feeling she had, the tiny sparks of joy floating around, the blush on her own cheeks as she slowly pulls away. “I’ll never forget again, Victor.”

“I’m glad,” Victor says with a smile. “Can’t say I have ever been a huge believer in fate. Moments like this occur and I think twice. Sometimes life can work out like a fairy tale. The road to happiness is never easy. We believe we have it figured out, but rarely do we ever. I’m more than happy to know our paths to each other took this journey. Can’t imagine my life without you. I won’t have to.”

“You promise…?” She whispers. Carefully taking his cup of coffee, she sets it on the kitchen table and takes a seat on his lap. She wraps her arms around his neck and looks into his eyes for validation. “Although… maybe we already made a promise a long time ago. I still can’t remember everything yet, but I have a feeling in my heart. Please tell me everything.”

“I would like to believe I never let you down. No plans to, ever. I promise, Jessica, I am not going anywhere. I firmly believe everything we have been through has led us to this moment. You’re my girl. My future wife. Mother to our kids that don’t exist yet. I am that certain my future is with you. We are one. We are whole. It's our time, now and forever.”

It’s like a poetic vow from the heart. Her blush brightens and her eyes shimmer in the morning light that shines through the kitchen windows. Jessica leans in one more time, only this time she presses her lips over Victor’s in a sweet, loving kiss. She embraces him, her blonde hair framing around her face, and she runs her fingers through his brown hair. What breaks the kiss for a moment is a surprise when he stands with her in his arms, holding her in a peculiar way.

Bridal style.

She looks into his eyes and feels her heart skip a beat. “Victor…”

“Yes…?”

“I need you… I love you...”

“I love you too, Jessica. I need you too.”

“Show me…” She smiles softly. They share a sweet little kiss before he carries her to the bedroom. His bedroom. And ever-so-softly, the door closes behind them.