//Gah… Getting into Ralph's head is a picnic compared to finding out what Jack is thinking.  I'm not even sure this is entirely in character, so please tell me if you think something is off.  I hope this meets the expectations of all you wonderful readers.  This is the first chapter, and it's very short, but don't let that put you off.

Disclaimer:  I don't own Lord of the Flies.  Nope, not even a little bit.

Warnings:  This is a continuation of "Nightmares and Reality."  That means slash (boys likin' boys) and swearing.//

What Shadows Hide:  Conflictions

"I won.  I don't need you anymore."

The words pounded in Jack's brain, lined in fire and ice.

"And you'll just be an animal, a Beast."

He hissed in anger, abandoning any pretense of calm and just running, letting his anger fuel him.  People on the sidewalk scattered, yelling after him to watch out; he ignored them and kept the pace steady.

"And now it's time for you to go."

How dare he?  Did he really think Jack would allow this?  After so much care, so much time, so much damned effort he was not about to be denied.

He slammed the door to his house open and bolted up the stairs, ignoring his parents who yelled after him.  They could rot in hell for all he cared.

Jack threw himself down on his bed and tried to calm his ragged breathing.  The fading afternoon sun danced on the ceiling; he watched it for some time before turning the problem over in his mind.

"I don't need you anymore."

Jack sneered at the sunlight, unaware that his hands were starting to ache from being clenched in fists so tightly.

As if that would end it.  As if one simple statement could stop this.  Jack closed his eyes and relaxed himself, trying to find some peace.

It wasn't that easy.  Could Ralph really have thought that it was that simple?  God, did he think Jack would have chased him after two years if he could be dissuaded by one stupid argument?

This wasn't about sex.  This wasn't about intimidation, fear; it wasn't about that.  Could Ralph really be that naïve?

He hadn't wanted or needed anyone in any way before meeting Ralph.  He couldn't have cared less about his parents and he had no siblings.  Jack wasn't the sort of kid who made friends easily, but he hadn't wanted friends.  He had had the choir, his own little group in which he was the undisputed leader.  Then Ralph showed up and threw everything he knew for a loop and Jack had been in new territory for the first time: admiring someone, wanting to know someone else from the inside out and become a part of him.

It wasn't as simple as one statement, one argument, one refusal.  It wasn't as simple as lust or even obsession.  The fact was that Jack needed to be able to categorize and label Ralph, to leave him behind in some finished corner of his mind and be done with him.

And the only way to do that was to know everything that made Ralph tick.  Everything that made him laugh or smile or cry or scream in rage.  There was no other person who was so damned mysterious to Jack, and he didn't like it.

It didn't matter if Ralph needed him or not.  Jack needed Ralph, and he wasn't going to let Ralph get away from him.  Not until he was good and ready.

//Review if you like, flame if you have to, blink in confusion if you just don't get it.//