Chapter Three - Colleen's Goodbye

As Colleen rush's to meet Negan. Negan notice's Colleen is limping a little.

"I don't know what's happening." Negan replies. "I pulled her." He says.

And he lays the little girl down in front of colleen so she can treat her. And for the first time it finally sinks in what all just happened.

He had pulled a little girl instead of a weapon. And then everyone freaked out and Sam ah. Negan turns toward colleen. Who was now tending to the knocked out blue hair girl and covering her up.

"Colleen it's Sam. He's in trouble we got to go help him now." Negan says.

"No." Says colleen. She turns and looks at Negan. And then she stands up from the girl on the ground.

"No Negan, now I need you to tell me everything. All of it. But first let's get her inside and put some cloths on her ok? Help me get her in the house."

"Ok." says Negan.

And he reaches down and picks up the small naked girl for the second time. But this time he is fully aware that he is holding a little naked girl in his arms. With only a small blanket covering her. He quickly gets her inside and on the couch before turning and rushing out the room.

Colleen tends to the blue hair girl and cloths her.

Negan comes back in the room holding a home made bow. That looks as if it do more damage if used to hit someone. Rather then actually shooting a arrow.

"Now what are you going to do with that hunk of junk?" Colleen asks Negan.

"Something, I've got to go help Sam it will have to work." Negan replies franticly.

"Listen to me boy. Come sit down we need to talk." Colleen said as she patted on the seat next to her.

And then Negan explained everything that had happened to colleen.

She looked up eyes wide with a look that sent shivers down Negan's back.

"Oh I see." Colleen said. Still wide eye not blinking.

"What are we going to do?" Negan asked in a panicked tone.

"We've got to go help Sam." Negan says again standing up ready to go.

"No listen Negan. It's already too late for that now. Sit down and listen." Colleen said in a calm manner.

"You know your not supposed to have her right?" Colleen said.

"What do you mean?" Negan asks.

Colleen looks right at him. "Look Negan that girl is a fully formed weapon that's just been born. That's never happened before not once not even for the royalty. You a poor orphan pulling her isn't good. Not for the king anyways or anyone in high rank status.

She will help you rise to great heights that a poor orphan shouldn't reach. And that will give people hope and that's one thing the king doesn't want anyone to have.

To be honest there's no telling how high you two can go. Maybe even higher then a king who knows. But I do know that girl is very special. And that means you are as well. Sam knew they would take you away or possibly even kill you. So he fought so you could leave unharmed. Which in doing so during the pulling ceremony is highly against the law. Sam knew what was happening and made his choice. You need to trust and respect his decision Negan. The guards I'm sure didn't take his sins lightly.

Listen Negan they will never stop hunting that girl or you until your both in chains, dead or worse. Do you understand? You prove to the world that anyone can become strong or even stronger then a king.

Now I don't know how or why this has happened to you. But I do know that you will need to get strong fast in order to survive my boy."

Colleen finished with a warm smile in her eyes. Then they began filling with tears.

Colleen looked over at the little girl laying there.

"A fully formed weapon just born is let's say not common. You need to be very careful with her my boy. Tell people she is your friend or sister for now. Maybe from the old orphanage. And be sure to keep her safe protect her at all costs. From now on she is yours and you are hers Negan. Ok?" Colleen asks Negan.

"You have each other always remember that. Ok?"

Negan loos at Colleen intently. She was crying but seemed somewhat happy and warm.

"Colleen I will keep her safe I promise. But don't worry about her right now she's fine. We have to go help Sam!" Says Negan with urgency. Ready to jump up and run out the door.

Colleen gave Negan a serious look.

"No, you have to take her and go." She replied.

"Wait, what about Sam?" Negan asks starting to panic.

"I told you boy. It's to late for him now. Listen to me!" Colleen says.

Negan turns away trying to hide his tears welling up in his eyes.

"Where do I go colleen? What am I supposed to do?" Negan asked confused.

"Go get Sarah. She knows where you two can go and be safe ok?" Colleen looks down at Negan stepping up behind him and hugging him tightly.

"You know I've loved you everyday. Juat like you were my real son. And like I was your real mother." She smiles as tears are now pouring down her cheek.

"You gave me real love. So much love, and that's more then enough for me my boy. I'm sorry we never told you more about who we really are or were. But Sarah will explain more. Go and find her quickly. Take the girl and keep her safe."

Negan turns around in Colleens arms. Colleen now has tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Sam and I love you so much. And we will always be with you. Goodbye my son." Colleen said and as she did a tear falls off her cheek and splashes on the floor.

Negan watch's filled with sadness. As Colleen slowly turns to Ash and disappears into thin air.

"Wait, Colleen No!" Negan cries out in confusion and pain.

"What is going on? She just disappeared. Why did she just disappear?" Negan thinks to himself.

It was just like that magic scroll that floated by the pink hair girls head. Negan thought. She just vanished. It doesn't make any sense am I going crazy? He continued panicking and thinking about it. What was happening. He just couldn't get his head around it. Then he looked over at the blue haired girl asleep on the couch.

Go find Sarah she'll know what to do. That's what Colleen said. Negan thought out loud.

He jumped up ran out the door. Leaving the blue haired girl asleep on the couch in the cottage. Running through the woods he comes up in the town gate. He manages to sneak past the four guards posted there only by climbing a nearby tree and going over the gate itself which is no small feat.

He jumps off the gate behind a store that sells used cloths. He gets up and starts running again. Running as fast as he can down back ally's and street's. Now making his way to the school where Sarah attends.

"I have got to be careful if any guards see me I'm done for. And I can't let that happen. I have to know what happened to Sam and Colleen." He thought.

He continues running as fast as he can. Around corners over trash bins. This is one thing he was always good at. Running, moving quickly and quietly. He turns the corner and there it is.

The girls school for the gifted. Only nobles daughters get to go. Sarah got lucky since her uncle works there. They have one for boys as well. But someone like Negan would never have a chance to attend such a school.

"In any case how am I going to find her?" Negan thinks. He sits and thinks for a moment on how to find Sarah.

"Hmm, ah she said to meet her during her lunch today that's right. What time is it?" Negan say's to himself. As he looks around and see's a tall clock tower at the center of town.

"Ah nice perfect timing, hmm let's see." Negan say's to himself as he jumped up and run's around the corner.

He could now see a row of tables and kids sitting at them. There was some trees and a open grass area. And then he spot's her. "There she is under the tree with those girls." He thought.

Sarah was sitting there under a tree with two girls all eating their lunch's. Sarah just happened to notice Negan poking his head out from around the corner. He waves at Sarah to come here.

She waves back. Negan's waves with more intent to come over there to him. Sarah kind of annoyed now gets up. She walks over and around the corner where Negan was standing.

"What are you doing? And why didn't you come over?" Sarah asks Negan.

Negan looks at Sarah with a serious look. "Sam and Colleen are gone!" Negan says.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Sarah ask Negan in confusion.

Negan looks up at Sarah. A very serious look in his eyes. "Sam and Colleen are Gone!" Negan said again. This time with a scared tone.

Sarah's smile quickly disappeared. Sarah just stands there a moment eyes dancing from spot to spot as if she is building something in her mind. She stops turns towards Negan a very serious look in her eyes now as well.

"This can't be right. What happened?" Sarah asked panicking some.

Negan took a moment and began to explain. "We went to the pulling ceremony like we planed. And then I uh" Negan paused for a second and looked away.

"I pulled a girl." Negan said.

"What do you mean you pulled a girl?" Sarah asked.

Negan began to get frustrated having to repeat the story again. "A girl you know? Blue hair, cute cheeks and brown eyes. A little girl." He said in a matter a fact kind of way.

"And what happened to Sam? Where is he?" Sarah asked.

"Sam saved me. He threw me out of the church and held them back. While I ran home. Then colleen said to find you and then she just." Negan explained as he looked down and tried to hold back the tear's.

"I see." Sarah said softly and sadly cutting Negan off.

"I want you to explain it all to me in details. But first." Sarah looks around to make sure no one is watching them. Or has noticed them yet.

"Let's get out of here." She grabs Negan's hand and pulls him along. As she heads straight towards the back alley Negan had just used to get there.

As they are running down the back alley. Negan pulls his hand away from Sarah's she turns and gives him a look.

"You better keep up Negan." She says with a smile and increases her speed. Jumping off the side of the wall and over a trash can.

Negan smirks and uses the same trash can as a boost. To jump over to the next part of the ally where Sarah is now already ahead. He keeps pushing himself to catch up to her. Not knowing why really. It was just a feeling that he can't lose. Not now not ever.

What was just running before. Now for Negan had become a race. One he had to win. Clearly focused on his goal he lowers his head a bit. And let's his arm relax into the motion of his body running at full speed.

He bounces off walls around corners faster then he ever has before. He's catching up to her now. He gets on a straight path he's about to pass her.

And then out of no where. Right as he's going to pass her. Sarah reach's her arm out and grabs him by the collar and snatches his body back. Negan's whole body gets snatched backward into the wall. Thump.

"Oww, What was that about Sarah? Jeez." Negan asks.

"Shush be quiet idiot. You almost got us caught, look." Sarah replies.

And Negan peeks his head out from around the wall. Six guards we're standing all in a circle just outside the alleyway.

"Oh man that was close. I didn't even notice those guy's." Negan said softly to Sarah.

"Yeah no kidding." She whispers back. "Looks like you got some more catching up to do still. Speed isn't everything Negan." She says and smiles.

Then turns back to the guards. "Now let's see if we can get some intel about what's going on. Be quite and don't move at all."

Sarah hops up on a crate in the alley. Then reaches up to a clothes line and pulls herself up and onto a small ledge that a bird would have trouble landing on. Then she kneels over the side just a bit.

It's a perfect spot hidden right in plain sight. She pokes her head around to listen in on what the guards are saying.

"How many men are on the southern wall?" The captain asks a lower rank guard.

"Currently we have ten men at the southern and northern gate's. The west and east have five men each posted inside the gate and five men searching outside the town." The lower rank guard answers.

Negan looks up at Sarah on the ledge still. "What's going on?" Negan asks Sarah.

"Shush boy your going to get us caught." Sarah whispers to Negan. But with a sternness in her tone.

"Your going to get us caught." Negan mumbles under his breath in a mocking tone.

Negan turns and looks down the alleyway. Back towards the open street and sees a woman with blond hair just like Colleen's walking past. He can't help but think of her.

He stares off thinking to himself "What's going on? What happened earlier to colleen? She just disappeared. Colleen said go see Sarah so I did and now what. We just run back home. What about Sam? We should be headed to help Sam right now. But Sarah says we need to go home first. But why?" He asks himself.

"You know what, Sarah is taking this awfully well." Negan thought to himself. Looking up t Sarah again.

"I know she is a student at the gifted school for girl's. And that they teach more then just academics. Stuff like house work and even fighting skills and magic skills. I even heard her say once they had a ninja course there. But still she is pretty calm about all this. Or is it just that I'm so inexperienced in life period. Sarah has always been involved in social events and head of her classes a real prodigy. So I guess it makes since she would be good under pressure.

In any case we're the same age pretty much. So I just got to catch up with her." Negan's inner competitive spirit kicking in again.

Sarah hops down and lands in front of Negan. As if she fell out of the sky. "Hey boy, I've been calling you for a minute where you at?"

"Oh I'm sorry Sarah. I was lost in thought for a moment there. But I'm here now. So what's up?" Negan asks.

"Ok so it turns out. They have guards searching the whole town and the outside villages. For a young man at pulling age with brown hair and a small scar over his right eye. And for a little blue haired toddler girl. So they are looking for you both. And by the way it sounds like they mean to find you by any means needed." Sarah explains.

Negan turns towards the open alleyway. "Well guess we better hurry then." Negan pauses for a moment. "They even mentioned my scar huh?" Negan asks.

"Yea I thought it was kind of odd myself. The fact they even noticed your scar." Sarah said.

"Yea your right." Negan said in excitement as if he discovered a clue.

"It all happened so fast. Sam had me up and out the door before I even reacted. Then I ran out of town. And I was at home before I knew it." Negan said as he turned to Sarah

"Someone must know about my scar." Negan said in a sort of proud manner. "They must have told the guards who I was after the guards fought Sam. Or worse maybe they beat it out of Sam and he needs our help." Negan said as his face turned with a grim look.

"Sarah" Negan said panicking. "We should be going to save Sam right now." Negan said again as he turns back towards town. Ready to go.

Sarah steps out in front of Negan. "Look we don't need to be headed where the bad guys are. Everyone is looking for you Negan." She said.

"Nor should we be worried about who may have told the guards what." Sarah said. "Look as long as they don't have you or the girl we are fine." She said.

Sarah took a deep breath. "I need you to Listen to me Negan." She says as she grabs Negan's hands.

"Sam is gone Negan. No one can help him now ok? All we can do now is get you out of here safely. So he didn't die for nothing." Sarah explained to Negan as softly as she could.

Negan pulled away quickly snatching his hands back. "You don't know that!" Negan yells.

"Why does everyone keep telling me its to late for Sam? He wouldn't give up on us so easily. Why won't you help me Sarah? What are you hiding? I can tell you know something I don't. So tell me Sarah." Negan yelled

Sarah looked up at Negan. His eyes glaring at her. "Ok Negan, you said colleen disappeared right?" Sarah asks.

"Yes." Negan replied.

"Like when a magic scroll disappears?" Sarah asks Negan meeting his gaze.

Negan eyes widen some as he responds. "Yes. Just like that in fact."

Sarah gives Negan a warm soft smile. "Well that's because Colleen was a soul weapon Negan." Sarah said.

"Wait, what? No way." Negan said in disbelief.

"So your saying. The woman who cooked all my meals everyday. And was always there. Was a weapon the whole time?" And as he says it. It all clicks in his head.

All the times she would grab a scolding pan and not get burned pretending she was fine. Or when she went to chop wood with no axe. And then the way she claimed the cooking spoon was her weapon.

I knew no one has ever had such a lame soul weapon. it all made sense finally he felt the pieces connecting in his mind. He looks back toward the alleyway leading to the cottage outside town.

"So if colleen really was a weapon. That means her master was."

"Sam." Sarah said interrupting him.

Negan looked down at the ground. A mixture of emotion's bottling up inside him. "And that's how you know it's to late for Sam." Negan said sadly.

"Cause if colleen disappeared. It means it was cause Sam died." Said Negan as he looked away almost trembling now.

"Sam was one of the top duel wielding adventures with the guild. For quite awhile before settling down with Colleen here." Sarah told Negan.

"They used to call him Sir Sam the duel wielder." Sarah said.

So that's why colleen said not to worry about Sam. Negan thought. And why she sent me to see Sarah. She knew Sarah knew all this. He turns back to Sarah. "So how long have you known?" Negan asks Sarah.

"A few years." Sarah answers. "I learned a few years ago. I walked in on Colleen transforming into her weapon state. Her arm transformed into a axe head right in front of me. I freaked out a bit. And then Colleen explained it all to me." Sarah said.

"Explain what exactly?" Negan asks.

"Not now." Said Sarah. "Right now you need to get back to the cottage. Get the girl and then go to the iron hills and find father Jacob." Sarah said.

"Wait what? The Iron Hills?" Negan asked in a confused manner.

"Look we don't have time to finish talking about all this. I'm sorry I can't explain it all fully. Here take this pouch. It's not much but you will need it to get by. I'm sure Colleen sent you to me so I could help you with this." Sarah said.

"But you have to go to the cottage, get that girl and get out of town. I heard the guard say they were going to be adding more men on the eastern gate soon. And you got to get out of town before they get there." Sarah told Negan.

"Wait, what do you mean? Your not coming with me Sarah?" Negan asks.

"No." Sarah responded. "My place is here with my uncle and my people." She said proudly. And she grabs his hand once more and pulls him down the alleyway heading toward the cottage once more.

This time Negan doesn't pull his hand away and instead keeps pace right behind his old friend. And as they make their way down the alleyway. The trembling in his hands begin to steady before he lets go off her hand.

A few minutes pass as Sarah and Negan are getting closer to the eastern edge of town. Sarah looks back at Negan. Who was just slightly behind her now.

"Were making decent time. I think we should make it before the extra guards show up." Sarah says to Negan.

Who's now about fifteen yards behind Sarah struggling to keep up with her high speed. Their heading straight towards the eastern gate. Negan picks up his head a bit while trying to maintain his current speed.

Negan wonders to himself how Sarah is so much faster then he was. After all Negan considered his speed to be one of his greatest attributes. Then he remembers Sarah mentioning a technique she leaned at school. That helps one move faster then the eye can see.

"Hey Sarah. How do you do that shadow step technique?" Negan asks Sarah pushing himself a bit to catch up to her.

"It's the technique you said you could use a while back remember? The one that's supposed to let one move faster then the eye can see." Negan asked.

Negan wondered if that's what Sam used earlier in the church while fighting. Sarah looks back and slows her speed just a bit to let Negan catch up to her. "Shadow step huh?" Sarah says.

Looking at Negan she smiles and then turns her left foot slightly lifting the back of her heel. Negan sees her crouch some as if she was about to jump in the air. But instead she vanishes for about two seconds and then reappears right in front of Negan. Causing Negan to stumble a bit while running.

Sarah grabs his hand and pulls him back onto balance as they keep their pace moving down the back alleyway. Sarah now running alongside Negan. Negan looks over at Sarah and Sarah smiles a little.

"So that shadow step?" Sarah asks Negan. Sarah is smiling even more now trying to hold back her laughter.

"Yeah, That shadow step." Negan said somewhat annoyed.

Sarah giggles a little. Negan looks ahead and tries to push his speed up a little as Sarah is moving ahead of him just a bit now.

"That's crazy you moved over twenty yards in a instant." Negan said.

"Well technically It was two seconds. And I just kept up with you more or less." Sarah said looking back at Negan. "You just couldn't see it." Sarah explained.

"Well can you tell me how to do it?" Negan asks Sarah.

"Even if I could explain it all to you now Negan. You don't have the time to learn it. Plus we don't know what your attributes are yet." Sarah said.

Negan speed slowed a bit Sarah notices the pace change and said. "Well for now anyway."

Negan looks up. "What do you mean?" Negan asks.

"Well you have your weapon now. So as soon as you name it and figure out what your attributes are. Who knows what spells and abilities you can learn. Pretty much everyone can use shadow step though." Sarah explained to Negan.

"Yeah, your right." Negan said.

Negan got excited at the thought of being able to use magic. "Who knows what I can use." He thought to himself. "I just got to name my weapon is all." He said to himself out loud

And it hit him like a ton of bricks. Again realizing that his weapon is some blue hair girl who's at his house. And like a wave of horror the last few hours events wash over him piece by piece. Reminding him of all that's happen in just a few hours and all he's lost.

Negan shakes his head. In a attempt to clear his mind. I need to focus. Think of one thing at a time for colleen and Sam. He thinks as he lowers his head and starts to quicken his pace to catch up to Sarah. For now I just got to keep pace with Sarah.

They continue running down the back alleyway. As Sarah notices something up ahead. And in a instant she plants her feet and slide's to a stop.

She stop's just behind a stack of crates at the edge of the alleyway. The crates are just around the corner of the used cloths shop. Beside the east gate. Where Negan had just entered town not a hour ago.

As Negan finally catch's up to where she's standing. She reaches out and snags Negan back by his collar. Once again he gets yanked back into the wall of the building.

"Oww, Jeez Sarah you got to stop doing that." Negan says while he dusts off his shoulder and stumbles a little off the wall. Then steps up next to Sarah. "So what's up? Why did we stop like that again?" Negan asks.

"Well boy look up there." Sarah says and she points to the top of the gate wall. "Guards, ten in total now." Sarah says while looking down the alleyway and back around corner.

"Looks like we didn't make it in time after all." Sarah says while grabbing some cloths out of a crate behind the used cloths store.

"What are you doing?" Negan asks.

"Preparing things." Sarah replies. "Look here boy." Sarah says as she looks through a crate."I'm going to make you a distraction. You use it to get up and over that wall and home. Ok?" She says as she pulls out a shirt and looks up at Negan.

"Red or green?" She asks Negan.

Negan stares at her half annoyed half confused at what he is seeing. "Red I guess. Wait Sarah, you can't do this if you help me they will arrest you or worse." Negan said getting more serious in his tone.

Sarah tosses the green shirt back in the crate. "Oh most definitely much worse. They would most likely charge me with treason and may even go after my uncle as well." Sarah says in a rather calm tone.

Negan is a bit thrown off by how light she is making of the situation. "I don't get it." Negan says

"So why are you doing this? How is this smart?" Negan asks Sarah. Getting more annoyed at how nonchalant Sarah was acting about something so serious.

"Jeez calm down boy. I am Sarah Whales I'll have you know. And I do nothing without having a plan. You should know me by now Negan." Sarah said rather proudly.

"Listen I'm going to go distract them. You just make sure you are ready to go when I give the signal. You use the crates to pop up and over the wall ok?" Sarah asks Negan as she starts to rip and tear apart the red shirt.

"Yeah, I get that but still." Negan said worrying.

"Hey do you remember when we met Negan?" Sarah asks interrupting Negan.

"What? Um no actually." Negan replies.

"You've just always been with Sam, Colleen and I as far as I can remember. You always came over and we played almost everyday. But I can't tell you when we first met." Negan said a little surprised.

"Well you make me sound kind of like a stalker when you put it like that." Sarah says giggling a little.

"Oh I didn't mean it like that Sarah." Negan said quickly.

"I know." Sarah says. "But I don't mind even if that's what people thought." Sarah says looking at Negan's eyes now.

"I cant explain it. But I just knew I had to be by you side." Sarah said smiling looking up at Negan.

Negan had never seen this side of her. Sarah looked so pretty in that moment. The way her eyes sparkled he felt as if he would never feel sadness again. A warm feeling washed over him. As a moment passed and then the awkward feeling settled in and then exploded.

Sarah stepped back a bit away from Negan. And then finished ripping the shirt still clinched tightly in her hands. Negan fell back few steps and turned a bright red for a moment.

Sarah turns towards where the guards are huddled in a circle just in front of the gate. "I'll distract them." Sarah told Negan as she started to walk out from behind the crate's. "Oh one more thing. Make sure to get winter cloths from Colleens room before you head out." Sarah said.

"What are you going to do?" Negan asks Sarah.

She turns her head back and looks at Negan. Then she tilts her head slightly and says with a smile. "I'm Sarah Whales, So I'm going to take them down of course."