Okay, so this chapter is pretty short. I'm going to try making future chapters longer, but who knows. Since this is my first chapter I'd like some feed back on how to improve future chapters.
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I sigh sinking down low into the water of my bath and close my eyes with a sleepy smile. I stay, silently sitting in my bath for a few minutes more listening to the rustling of the trees surrounding my house, the creaking of the old wooden walls surrounding me, and the chirping of the birds that inhabited the mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. I sighed again and sank lower so only my nose and the top of my head was above the cooling bath water before standing up and quickly wrapping myself in a soft towel to absorb the little heads of water clinging to my skin. I stepped out of the tub and walked to my room, my feet slapping against the wooden floor boards a elevating little foot shaped puddles, to get dressed in my night cloths. Once I had done that I glanced at the clock and, seeing that it was nearing 7:30 p.m., I made a mental note to start my evening chores soon.
I went downstairs to make myself a cup of hot chocolate in the few minutes before I began my evening chores. While I waited for the milk to warm, I stocked the fire place with wood and refill the pot of water on the mantle above the fire the keep the air from becoming to dry and then went back to the kitchen to mix in the chocolate and pour the warm drink into a mug.
I spent the next five minutes taking sips from my drink and listening to some dumb-ass reporter trying to cover up the fiasco in mission city last years as a terrorist attack. He wasn't fooling me though. I was there when it happened and I saw the giant ass alien robots, the small soled one being torn in half and the cube thingy being destroyed... But I didn't remember anything after that because I was knocked out by this weird wall of... Energy. And when I woke up it was to this weird voice in my head, which had never left, saying that it's name was jazz and that I need to help him or something like that. I hadn't really cared at the time because i was tried, sore and feeling a little sick to my stomach and I just wanted to go home.
I did, however, start caring once my old microwave came to life and started attacking me when I went to heat up my leftover pasta from the night before. That was when I really started to consider that maybe, just maybe jazz was telling the truth, so I started trying to talk to him more and as a result we became fast friends.
'Are ya finally gonna take a break?'
"Yes jazz. I'm actually taking a break." I could hear him snickering in my mind and I shook my head in exasperation.
I sat in silence for a while, watching the sun sink below the mountain range, Jazz was silent too as he watched the sunset through my eyes. It stayed like that in peaceful quiet for around 15 minutes before Jazz broke the silence.
'Hey... Sofia?' He sounded unusually quiet and timid. It concerned me a little bit that Jazz had went from being happy and carefree to quiet and timid so quickly.
"Yes Jazz?" He seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.
' ...D'ya remember when ya first started talkin' ta meh?' I smiled and laughed a little, taking another sip from my half empty mug, I certainly did remember that day.
"Of course I do," I smiled, remembering how started I when he responded to my first shy question, "I still don't understand why I was so surprised when you answered." Jazz gave a half hearted chuckle and went silent for a minute, seemingly thinking over what he was going to say next.
'So ya remember wha ah asked ya ta help meh with?'
I went silent, thinking about what we had talked about the first time when our friendship was still new, it had left a weight on my shoulders that had failed to alleviate with time.
I don't know how long it was that I sat there, mind blank and eyes unseeing, but eventually I was snapped out of it by Jazz giving me a mental shove and repeating my name with a worried tone colouring his voice.
'Sofie? Ya still here?' I shook my head and blinked my eyes to get rid of the dry, chalky feeling.
"Yeah... I'm here," my hot chocolate was cold by now so I quickly drank the last few mouthfuls and got up to put the dirty mug in the sink to wash in the morning and went about lighting a candle to provide me with light once the natural light of the sun disappeared and left me in the relative darkness of my house, "I'm just ... a little out of it."
'Yeah, Ah c'n tell,' He sounded amused and I could just imagine the smirk and the raised eye brow he was giving me, 'Ah guess we'll just talk about that favour later.'
"Yeah... I'll think about it okay?" Jazz seemed content with the answer and let the subject drop for the moment.
The sun has finally disappeared completely from view leaving me with the flickering candle as my only source of light. The candle flame cast dancing shadows on the old wooden walls of my cabin home; The golden colour of the wood, the rough knots, and the smooth sanded down, glossy areas reflecting the flickering light in shimmering arcs. The light then bounced off the ancient mahogany table table in the centre of the kitchen, it's glossy finish and rich dark brown colour reflecting the light magnificently. All around me were shimmering streaks, dancing shadows, and flickering warm yellow light that twisted and wove together into an intricate tapestry of illuminating light and blanketing darkness that was both disorientating and grounding at the same time.
A yawn tore it's way from my throat, breaking the peace of the moment, reminding me of how much I needed to get some sleep. It had been a long day and I was exhausted crime the tough day I had endured filling in for someone who had called in sick at the small cafe I worked at. The town is a few miles from my house is I had to drive for an hour to get there and then drive another hour once I had completed the horrible eight our shift filled with grumpy customers, and unhappy regulars that took their frustrations out on the workers, namely me, that filled and gave them third orders. so, when i got home in my 1998 Jeep Wrangler, feeling wrung out and stretched to the limit, I had wanted nothing more than to flop on my bed and sleep the rest of the day away but I couldn't. I still had to chop more wood, clean the gutters, sweep the deck, and feed the chickens, the cows, the pigs and the horse I kept on my land. But once those things were done, albeit reluctantly, I had proceeded to do nothing but spoil myself with rest and relaxation before completing my evening chores so I could continue being the lazy and childish slob I was deep down inside.
'Ya work to hard.'
I rolled my eyes at Jazz, amusement clear in my voice as I replied. "Yes, I know jazz. You've told me this a hundred times before."
Jazz laughed and we fell into a comfortable silence as I climbed the stairs, candle in hand, to the second floor and made my way to the big wrap around balcony that connected to to room by a set of glass doors.
Jazz and I had made it a sort of tradition to sit out on the balcony looking at the stars on clear summer nights like this one and we would spend hours just pointing out different star formation to each other and enjoying the quiet. It was a time when we could just unwind and enjoy each other's company at the end of the day.
I stayed out there with Jazz silently keeping me company for what seemed like hours, but in reality it had only been a few minutes, before I shivered in a cool night breeze. It had gotten steadily cooler the longer I stayed out there on the balcony until I was forced to retreat into the warmth of my cozy house, the cold night air becoming too frigid for my body to comfortably tolerate.
'Ya need ta sleep sofi.' I gave a half hearted snort and rolled my eyes a sarcastic reply on the tip of my tongue.
"Thank you so very much for the advice captain obvious." Jazz scoffed, but stayed silent after that, remaining that way until I climbed into bed and blew out the candle.
'So are ya gonna go out t' the hanger tomorrow?' I sighed. Jazz was getting restless again.
"Alright. We'll go out to the hanger so you can satisfy you curiosity. Besides... I need to do some more work." Jazz snickered, he could feel I was just as eager to finish my work as he was eager to see my work.
I yawned, snuggling under the covers again, and closed my eyes as I said good night to Jazz. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was the rustling of the trees, the wind quietly whispering lullabies, the familiar creaking of my home and the smooth voice of my mental companion whispering goodnight to me.
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So! What is it that jazz wants help with? And can anyone guess what her project is? Keep in mind how she notices a lot of detail and sounds in her environment.
And yay! Jazz isn't dead! I like the guy too much to just let him die so I brought him back!
