It was after school. Dean O'Brien was in one of the "boys only" student lounges at the Irish school. Some lounges and home rooms were mixed but some were for boys or girls only too to allow the kids to have gender specific activities too in their social time.

Dean was alone in that room throwing darts at a target. Everyone who had been there had cleared the area when they had seen him coming in picking up the darts to play with it. He was pretty good with using any weapons and if anyone of those guys upset him while he had darts in his hands they were done for. He had a short temper and was pretty ruthless.

Christian entered the room with a bottle of lemonade and found the place empty. He looked around "Dean. Where did everyone else go? I thought we were going to have a games tournament here this afternoon?"

Dean threw a dart and hit the bull's eyes "They left when I came in. Go try another one of the "boys only" lounges. They might be there. I don't know."

Christian sighed and walked to a couch and put his drink down on a table. He laid down on the couch while watching Dean throwing darts. He put his hands under his neck and said "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your girlfriend right now? I heard you just met a new girl. Don't you want to spend some time with her right now?"

Dean said flatly "We broke up." He then threw another dart at the target which hit the bull's eye again. He then walked to the target and pulled the darts out of the target's bulls eyes area. He walked back to his position to throw darts again.

Christian asked "Again? You want to play again. You hit pretty good last time. Try doing something else in this room. Like ... let me think .... Talk to the only other human in this room right now..."

Dean ignored him and started throwing darts "Christian. Leave me in peace. I am really not in the mood for your remarks right now."

Christian laughed "This is a lounge. People come here to hang out with other people and socialise mostly. So here I am. I came here to socialise. I have a comfy seat. So unfortunately or fortunately talking to you is my only option for socialising right now."

Dean said " Go to another lounge Christian. I told you. Leave me in peace. Seriously. I want to be alone right now."

Christian said "Loneliness won't help fill the voids in your life. Face up to your problems."

Dean turned around "Christian. What do you know about filling voids and solving my problems? What if I want to have problems?"

Christian chuckled "No one wants to have problems."

Dean said "I do. Now leave me alone." His focus went back to the darts that he was holding in his hand. He aimed a dart and threw it. It landed on the bull's eyes again.

Christian said "Why did you break up with your girlfriend this time?"

Dean said "She was not faithful like always. It is hard to find a faithful girl."

Christian said "It is actually even harder to find a faithful guy. Don't you agree."

Dean said "I do agree."

Christian said "You do?"

Dean sighed and turned around "Christian. What are you trying to do? Play 20 questions?"

Christian said "Pretty much. Yes."

Dean asked "What do you want to find out? Come out. Ask your questions. Then leave me in peace."

Christian said "I am trying to find out why you have so many unsuccessful relationships."

Dean turned around and aimed a dart at the target "The girls I date are not faithful..."

Christian said "And you are?"

Dean gave out a frustrated sight and turned around. He threw the darts on a table "Christian. Since when are you interested in commenting on my relationships and my unfaithfulness. What's it to you now?"

Christian said "You are right. I have never asked you or commented on your relationships until now. I did not think it would have made a difference and frankly it was not on top of my list of priorities or to do lists. I am asking you now since you are now attending this school. This means you may come across girls who maybe close to some friends of mine or be sisters of some of my friends. If you treat them like you treat your past girlfriends, it might bother me. And you know me. I do not like being bothered. This girl you broke up with today is from a different school that you brought here as a visitor for today to keep you company. Now you have sent her away. This means you will be asking a girl out from this school. It is my business to ask you about your relationships."

Dean said "Are you finished with your speech? All you had to say to me was, Dean don't go out with anyone from this school or anyone who is remotely in my circle. I have no problem with that. I would not have even cared to ask you why you are making this request. So there is no need for your 20 questions. I won't date any girls in your circle or in your school and that means you won't be bothered. Are we good now ?"

Christian said "Yeah. I guess."

Dean said "Great. Now you can leave me in peace so I can continue with my game of darts."

Christian said "Well. Now that we are talking about it... I want to actually quench my curiosity. I think every girl you have ever gone out with has been faithful and good to you. You are the one not being loyal and changing girl friends more often than an average guy... You used to have a girlfriend every few months and now your latest records is coming down to days... Why do you really break up with these girls and then call them unfaithful?"

Dean said "Look. I told you I will stay in my lane when dating girls and will leave your lane alone. That should keep you content."

Christian said "I am content. Trust me. If I am not content with you, I can assure you that you will know. Right now I want to satisfy my curiosity. Answer my questions. Besides, my grandpa is allies with your family in business and I just can't figure out why you act the way that you do when no man in your family or any man who works in your family acts the way that you do in terms of relationships. Everyone has one woman. I have not been able to come up with a logical reasoning and explanation as to why you act this way and why your family lets you get away with going out with so many different girls. You should take this as a compliment of some sort by the way that you have left me so baffled that I have found no list of possible reasons for how you act and don't have a clue where to start digging for answers. My best explanation is ... this is all because you are not as smart as what most people give you credit for. Well your relationships tell me you are not making wise choices. But again, you have had your smart moments in the past that is making me doubt that theory. So I would appreciate your enlightenment."

Dean sighed. He had enough and had heard enough of Christian's speeches for one day... He was done arguing with Christian. He walked to the table where he had left his glass of orange juice and took a sip from it. He sat down on a sofa and said "I want peace and would move to another lounge to get it. But I know full well you don't drop your questions unless you get answers. So fine. I will answer you. I don't want you chasing me around and throwing questions at me that I can answer with no problems right now. I hope you give me peace after that when I need to be alone."

Christian said "Blow me away with your logic and explanation Dean. Why do you break up with your girlfriends with the excuse that they are unfaithful? Answer this burning question."

Dean leaned back and said in. serious tone"Because ... They are unfaithful ... compared to her... Compared to .... Rose... The only girl I have ever loved..."

Christian found this new piece of information to be quite a big revelation. He waited for him to finish.

Dean looked outside the window and said "I don't know where to start..."

Christian said "The beginning."

Dean said as he was looking away. "Alright... Four years ago... When I was twelve.... I went to Chicago with my family. To attend a family wedding of a large Irish American crime family that we do business with us. I don't know how much you know about them. The McLoughlins. I don't think the Kavannaghs have any business relations with them. I doubt they do. The Mcloughins normally operate in Chicago. Not New York. But my father did do business with them.... So we went there and ... that's where I met her. That's where I met Rose..." He then took sip from his orange juice "You want the short version or the long version of what happened?"

Christian said "The long version."

Dean put back his glass of orange juice on the table and then picked up a tennis ball that was on the table and started playing with it with his hands as he continued "It was a few hours after the church ceremony when I saw Rose. During the reception party of the wedding. I had gone outside to play with the other kids while the adults were inside the party. You know. These wedding receptions can get boring."

Christian asked "You played games with her?"

Dean said "No."

Christian asked "No? She watched you play games with others? You watched her play?"

Dean shook his head "No. Neither. She was not a guest at the wedding. She was not related to anyone at that wedding."

Christian asked "Then why was she there?

Dean said "The answer would be pretty unexpected for you... Because.... You would think they would not be killing people on a wedding day..."

Christian said "Hold on. Was she there to die? So when you went to play outside they were killing this girl and you saw it?"

Dean took a deep breath. "I went outside to play. I was playing catch with the others. Then someone threw the ball far into the woods that surrounded the mansion of that family where the wedding reception was. Just then they called out to us kids to come inside to have food and drinks. I didn't go in... I ran into the woods to find the ball to bring it back. I don't know why I did it. Maybe it was fate. When I ran into the woods... that's where I saw her..." He took a another sip of the orange juice.

Christian asked "What happened? Was someone about to kill her when you saw her?"

Dean put down the glass and sighed "I reached a small clearing and then when I saw the scene in front of me I hid behind a bush. You know I have been raised around guns and have seen people die. But I was surprised to see such thing at a wedding. I wanted to know who those two people were who were a threat to Rose's life. So if they were enemies of the family who's wedding I had attended then I could run back and inform them. So I hid and watched to gather information..."

Christian asked "What was happening at that scene?"

Dean said "I saw Rose standing with a gun pointed to the back of her head. The man who was pointing the gun at her was laughing and taunting..."

Christian asked "He was taunting her and laughing at her? What was he saying to her?"

Dean shook his head. "No. The laughter and taunts was not directed at Rose. It was directed at her father who was kneeling on the ground and weeping a few meters away from Rose. The other man was standing behind Rose's father and taunting and laughing at him too. I remember the first words I heard the man who was holding Rose at gun point said "You can watch your twelve year old daughter die right here... Rose is her name ... is it... She will die... Right now...There is nothing you can do about it... Is there? Go on tell us... What are you going to do now if we shoot Rose right now? Huh? All the while Rose was totally silent and she did not show any emotions as the man was pointing the gun to her head. She was dead silent and not moving from where she was standing. It was as though she did not fear death and had accepted death. She did not beg or cry or anything. Any other kid would have."

Christian said "Who was this gun man? Did you find out?"

Dean said "Yes. Pretty much quickly when he carried on his taunts at Rose's father. He said "What's the matter.... You dare insult the Mcloughins and now you can't handle the consequences? The other man standing behind Rose's father's kneeling form also said things confirming he was employed by the Mcloughins. The two of them were laughing and taunting. Rose's father was kneeling , crying and begging them to not kill his daughter and spare her life. He was begging them to kill him instead and let his daughter go.... Are you sure you want to hear the rest? You asked for the long version... But I can cut it short."

Christian said "Go on... I have time."

Dean said "So yeah. I know it sounds crazy. But those two men worked for the McLoughlins. The same family who were holding a wedding a few meters away from the woods in their comfortable mansion. I have never seen any family who kills on wedding days and on the site of weddings. On top of that conducting mental torture. I was so curious to find out what the man had done. Did he deserve to watch his young daughter die like that in front of him? Had he committed the exact same crime against the McLoughlins? Had he murdered a daughter of a close friend in front of them or a personal crime similar to this to warrant this action urgently to be executed in the middle of the woods on a day of celebration? I had all these questions in my head."

Christian said "Why were they trying to murder her in front of her father? Did you manage to hear them explain? Or you just left after you found out these men were there on the order of the McLoughlins?"

Dean said "I stayed. My eyes were on Rose. She was so beautiful. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. But what fascinated me the most was her calmness. She was so unafraid and brave in the face of death. She was not giving the satisfaction of showing fear in what looked like her final moments in her young life to these men. So yeah. I carried on listening. They did talk about what Rose's father had done... And alot of detail. They wanted to prolong the torture for her father... In the process they explained what had happened..."

Christian asked "What was his crime?"

Dean said "He had committed no crime Christian."

Christian asked "What do you mean? So he was innocent? Then why did the men say to him he had insulted them then."

Dean said "I listened to everything they said and from what I heard... what he had done was no crime in my eyes... It was to them... He had... refused to sell his land, his ranch to the McLoughlins for the low price they had offered him. That was an insult in the eyes of the Mcloughins that carried a death sentence. Apparently the two men had gone to Rose's house and had captured him. They had brought him to the mansion to kill him. But Rose had come along. She had hidden herself in the trunk of their car. She had managed to come with them. Just when they wanted to shoot her father, she had asked them to kill her instead and let her father live. They liked the suggestion. The two men had told their boss who was no longer there in the scene when I got there and their boss had thought that was a fitting punishment. Rose's father had no one else beside Rose. His wife was dead and she was his only child. They lived alone at a big ranch and he wanted to sell the ranch and move home to inside the city, buy a small house and leave the savings in the bank for her college fund. That was why he had refused to sell the land and the ranch to the McLoughlins for the low price. So here she was hoping to die and save her father and being so brave about it. She was faithful to her father, to her family. She wanted to sacrifice herself to save her father. So you can see....Ever since I met Rose I can't ever love another girl. I compare every girl I meet to Rose. I compare their characters and compare it to the courage and loyalty that Rose had that day ... at the age of twelve for heaven's sake.... And you ask me why my parents and family are ok with me living like this... Well. They do believe me mostly when I tell them the girls are unfaithful. Sometimes they like my girlfriends to stay with me and I say no... They then think it's a phase as a teenager and ignore it. They say I can date different girls as long as I marry a girl when they tell me to in a few years when I am of an adult age."

Christian was totally blown off by the account fo what had happened. He was trying to get his head around that what this incident must have done to Dean. Was Rose dead or alive now?... Christian asked carefully "So... Do you want to tell me what happened next?"

Dean nodded "Yes... That is when I had seconds to decide. Rose was going to die unless I did something. I could not change their minds. Would they listen to a twelve year old. No chance. So I did the only thing I knew that was going to help. I attacked the gunman and disarmed him. Then... I shot both men who worked for the McLoughlins.

Christian was shocked "You did that? Serious?"

Dean said "Yes. It was an easy decision. I do not regret it and never will. I did not care for the consequences. Those men deserved to die. They were taunting and killing for no good reason. Refusing to sell your land is not a death sentence... I know they were following orders but I could not let Rose and her father die. I just could not..."

Christian said "What happened next?..."

Dean said "Well. The father and daughter hugged. The father kept crying while Rose looked relieved. The father turned to me and thanked me again and again. As he was doing it I brought him out of his emotional state by shouting that they need to run away and leave now. There was no time to waste. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins. I accompanied the father and daughter to their escape. I ran with them to the other side of the vast land. They climbed the fence of the Mcloughin property and we said goodbye. They escaped with their lives. That's how it ended."

Christian asked "What did the McLoughlins do when they found out? What did your parents do? Did you get punished?"

Dean shook his head "No one found out I helped them escape..."

Christian said "How is that possible?"

Dean said "I went back and buried the men. The means were there. There was shovel and large empty grave. They had even dug a grave for Rose's father there. I came back. I put those two men in that deep grave. It fit both of them in it. I covered them up and left. I went to find my ball and went back and played with the other kids who were playing tag when I went back. So here is the end..."

Christian said "So... you just went back. No evidence was found that you did anything.... No one knows about you and Rose?"

Dean said "No."

Christian said "Have you seen her after that day?"

Dean said "No. The last time I spoke to them was when they were climbing the fences to leave. I told them to leave their ranch behind and save themselves. The man did not stop thanking me...And Rose.... She..." He looked away and then swallowed hard. "She did not say much... She just hugged me as we said goodbye. She hugged me and whispered with the most beautiful voice I have heard. She said "Thank you for saving my father and I. I hope we meet again one day. I will always remember you and what you did for me and my father."

Christian said "I cant believe that was the end. Did you find out what happened to them after?"