Disclaimer:
I don't own the Matrix or Agent Smith. If I did….you un wanna know. I worked hard on this. So read.
It was a cold, starless night. Jayde Hallicord rolled over in her sleep. The same dream every night. What dream, you may ask? Well, it wasn't really a dream. It was an image of the room she was in, slowly fading to black. And then nothing happened. Not much of a dream, but it was never anything else. A soft breeze slipped through the slightly open window. Jayde opened her eyes and sat up, glancing around the room. She looked over at the open window, and got up to close it. While she was awake, she turned over and looked at her best friend; the computer. She sat down at the little desk, and logged on. A message popped up on the screen.
"User: Keiryuu Kasuko has sent you a message. Would you like to accept?"
Jayde looked at the screen for a moment, and then clicked yes.
~Keiryuu Kasuko: Hey.
Jakako17: Who is this?
Keiryuu Kasuko: It's Tristan.
~
Tristan Conway. One of Jayde's four friends, and the youngest of them. Jayde tried to smile a bit, but couldn't find the energy. 'Keiryuu Kasuko'…she thought. 'Odd name.'
~Jakako17: Nice SN.
Keiryuu Kasuko: Can't sleep?
Jakako17: Nah.
Keiryuu Kasuko: I've been having weird dreams.
Jakako17: That's wonderful.
Keiryuu Kasuko: Doesn't it sometimes feel like its more real when you are dreaming than when you are awake? (A/N: Cliché! I'm sorry!)
Jakako17: I don't have dreams.
Keiryuu Kasuko: That's crazy talk. You gotta be thinking about SOMETHING while you sleep.
Jakako17: Well, I don't, ok?
Keiryuu Kasuko: Whaever, J. You're crazy.
~
The little black phone on the desk started to ring. Jayde rubbed her eyes and glanced at it. The quiet rings filled the room and almost seem to bounce off the walls in the dark silence. 'Who's calling this late?' Jayde thought, irritated.
'If it's Tristan, I'm going to kill him.'
~Jakako17: brb
Keiryuu Kasuko: Ok.
Jayde picked up the phone.
"Hello?" She answered sleepily.
A soft, mellow, yet intimidating voice answered her back.
"They know you know. They're coming for you."
Jayde pulled the phone a few inches from her face and stared at it 'No greeting…' she thought. Most likely someone that knew her, expecting her to recognize the voice. The voice was, however, one she had never heard before. She glanced at the phone, assuming that she and Tristan were the only ones awake at this time. She rested the phone on her shoulder, and rolled her eyes, making her dizzy, since she was half-asleep. .
"Tristan, why the hell are you calling me this late? I'm going to kill y-…"
Click.
The line went dead. "Lovely." She slammed the phone down on the receiver,
stumbled over the clutter in her room, and sat back on the computer.
"I'm going to give him a piece of my mind…prank calling me, what kind of ass is he? Amusing himself like that…"
~Jakako17: You've got SOME nerve, boy.
Error: User Keiryuu Kasuko is not available. ~
With that, the screen blacked out, leaving Jayde in the dark. She began to fish around in the darkness for the light switch. She reached up to the pull-chain lamp, and tugged on the chain. Nothing happened. She sighed, and reached for it again "C'mon, power. Don't quit on me, dammit." She thought out loud. Nothing happened. The power was out.
"Great, just great. I had to be left by myself and the fucking power goes out!"
She was about to just get back in bed, when she heard a knock at the door….
"Oh my fucking god…" She mumbled.
"Now what…?"
She stumbled over more clutter, and fell, catching the doorknob with both hands.
"Who is it?" She said sleepily.
There was no answer.
"God damned pranksters…" She peeked through the peephole, and saw that there were, indeed, people at the door. She opened the door a crack, allowing the light from the hallway flow into the room, having her squint her eyes a bit.
"Who is it?"
The people didn't answer. She swung the door open, allowing the light burst into the room, causing her to completely shield her eyes. After a few seconds of blinking, she fully opened her eyes to find three men in black suits.
She stared…and rubbed her eyes.
"Look, whatever you're selling, I'm not interested, ok? Piss off."
One of the men stepped up to her. He drew in closer.
"You're going to help us, Ms. Hallicord…"
Jayde took a step back, and feel back, onto an empty cardboard box.
"What the fuck is your problem?!" She shouted. "I'm not interested."
The man stepped into the room after her.
Jayde searched around for the handgun that she kept for emergencies.
"Who the hell are you!? Answer me or I'll shoot, I swear…"
The man removed his shades, revealing the most gorgeous eyes Jayde had ever seen.
"I am an Agent. Agent Smith. And you ARE going to help us, Ms. Hallicord."
Jayde stared into his eyes, and felt reality fading fast. The unreal feeling when you're having an odd dream, and you don't know if you are awake came over her. The bright light that shone through the doorway faded away, until it was complete blackness.
Jayde woke up, at about 12:30p.m., the next afternoon. She rubbed her eyes, and looked around the room. She tugged on the chain on her lamp. A glow of light filled the room.
"The power is on. Was that a dream?" She mumbled to herself. She got up out of bed and got dressed. She wore a black turtleneck tank top, with one pink and white striped arm warmer. Her nails were painted black, as were her lips. She wore a black leather skirt, with mesh tights. Her shoes were lace-up platforms, about six inches high. Not typical for a twenty year old woman. But, Jayde was a rebel. She brushed back her short, red-streaked black hair, and was about to apply the enormous amount of eye shadow she always wore to the lids of her emerald-green eyes, when the phone rang, making her jump.
She recalled the phone call from her "dream", that seemed so real. Was her dream coming real? She shivered thinking about it. She wanted to answer the phone, half-way thinking that she was being stupid, it was a dream and she would let voice mail pick it up for nothing. But something else made her question whether it was a dream or a premonition. The first side won. After three rings, she picked it up.
"Hello?" She answered in a shaky voice, clutching the phone as tight as possible without breaking it.
"Jayde?" A familiar voice answered. Jayde sighed. It was Diane Watson, another of her friends. Jayde smiled, and relief swept over her. Then she thought of what happened next, with the man at the door, and shuffled her feet, looking at the floor. A small smidge of disappointed fell over her. She snapped back to reality, and responded as quickly as she could.
"Hey, Dee." She said so fast she thought she might bite her tongue.
"Jayde, are you okay?"
"Yeah, just had a weird dream."
"Do tell!"
"Nah…" She said, her voice drifting. The only thing on her mind was the man from her "dream". 'What did the guy on the phone say?' She thought. 'Oh, right. They know you know. They're coming for you.' Was that what she wanted to hear? Did she want to hear that, answer the door, and find the man with the gorgeous eyes staring at her, speaking to her in that soothing voice. Jayde shook her head. Mr. "Agent Smith" was a DREAM. Yeah, a dream.
"And the silences are breeding!!" One of Diane's favorite sayings. A bit over-used, but it still got Jayde to smile. When they were in ninth grade, they made up a theory that silence is gelatinous, and that it multiplies. (A/N: You had to be there 6_6)
"Yeah, yeah." Jayde said, instead of the usual small smile she had when Diane said that, she just stared straight ahead, expressionless. "Had a pretty fucked up dream, it's probably going to stick with me for a while." She said weakly.
"I wish you'd tell me."
"Nah. Anyway, what's up?"
"Well, Niravan and I were going to meet up at the mall, and we wanted you to come. And we're going to bring Tristan." Niravan Cobain was Jayde's best friend since seventh grade. They never stopped being friends, even though there were many fights, and depressions. And Tristan…as mentioned afore, was the youngest of the four friends, and also the most quiet. Jayde liked to piss him off by telling him how 'cute' he was.
"Hah. That means I have to bring Ryan along, right?" Ryan Adams was the oldest of the four, and was rumored to have a 'relationship' with Tristan (A/N: 6_6). Anyway, he and Tristan were almost never seen apart.
"Yeah."
"Ok, sounds good, when should I meet you?" Jayde asked, smiling for real. She was anti-social, but never missed the opportunity to hang out with her group of friends. So long as she didn't have to meet new people, it was all good.
"Leave NOW. The three of us are going, and it'll take you time to pick up Ryan. We'll meet you in the food court."
"Sounds good. See you there."
Jayde hung up the phone and sighed. She WAS hoping for the phone call from her dream. She DID want to see Mr. Gorgeous Eyes again. "Those eyes…" Jayde thought out loud. Then she shook her head. "I can't be attracted to a DREAM!! I'm going to see my friends! What, it's been two weeks since we all got together?" Remembering this, she got up, grabbed her purse, and stomped out the door.
Jayde and Ryan sat at the table next to Taco Time in the food court, waiting for Diane, Niravan, and Tristan.
Ryan brushed back his hair, and leaned back in the chair. He had black hair, deep green eyes, like Jayde's, and wore the same black trench coat everyday. "You look funny." He said rather bluntly.
Jayde glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Thank you. I love you too."
"I didn't mean like that. I mean, you look….well…you don't look 'all there' today."
"Whatever." Jayde shrugged, staring off into space.
Diane, across the food court, at the cheap teriyaki place, waved at Jayde and Ryan.
Diane was about Jayde's height, and had long, wavy, sandy-blonde hair that always seemed to look perfect, whether there was a slight breeze of heavy gust, it always looked well kept. She had light blue eyes, and a face you could trust.
Niravan waved both arms around.
Niravan had dark hair and eyes, and was, indeed, the crazy one in the group. Mesh seemed to be her best friend. She never wore any other shoes than her Converse. Her basic appearance closely said 'rebel', and she was totally one of those people you just WANT to be friends with, and she managed to do this without being a perky bleached blonde bimbo with a fake smile. She waved her arms so frantically that she smacked Diane, who punched her in the side, and with this Niravan slammed into her, almost sending her into the wall. It soon turned into World War 3.
Ryan stared, and got out of his seat. "They're over there. Let's go, and TRY to break that up."
Jayde got up, with a spacey look on her face. "Right."
Jayde and Ryan, managed to get the two under control, and they all settled down at a table, and Tristan joined then shortly after, taking a seat next to Ryan. (A/N: 6_6). Tristan was a boy (they called him a boy, because he was the youngest.) with short dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was the 'short' one. Well, he wasn't really short, but looked like it when he stood next to Ryan, who was about 6'1". (A/N: No joke. He's TALL O.O) The others ate food from various stands, while Jayde just sat, a can of coke in front of her, staring ahead, looking at nothing.
Tristan glanced over at Jayde. "Hello? Anybody home?"
Jayde turned towards him. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm okay. I had a weird dream."
"You said you didn't have dreams."
Jayde stopped, and stared at him.
"When did I say that?"
"Last night. On AIM."
Jayde looked at the floor, then back at Tristan. What the hell? That was a dream. Is it possible that it could have been real? But if it was, how could she have woken up? 'It had to be a dream' she thought.
"Huh? That was part of my dream. You IMed me, the phone rang, the power went out and-…" She stopped herself from going any further. Not only could she not explain what happened, she didn't WANT to.
Niravan stared straight at her.
"And…?" She asked, staring at Jayde.
"None of your fucking business."
"Well!!" Niravan crossed her arms and turned away. (Sarcastically.)
Ryan grinned. "Jayde has been having NAUGHTY fantasies!"
Jayde slammed both hands on the table, sending the opposite end up.
"Oh my god!!" She screamed. "Take that back, you ass, or I will dump this coke over your head!!"
Ryan jumped out of his chair, and smiled. "I don't take back."
Jayde jumped up and chased him around the table with the coke.
Ryan jumped over a chair. "Jayde, if you even mess up my face-paint…."
Ryan painted designs under his eyes. Sometimes flames, or jagged lines. Always in black, and applying it was very time-consuming.
Jayde grinned, threw the coke at him, and bulls-eye, hit him RIGHT on the head, spilling the soda all over his hair and face.
Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny mirror, and flipped it open, staring at his tiny reflection.
"JAYDE!!!!"
"Hah!!"
Jayde and her friends. Youthful adults. That was them, and they were wonderful the way they were. Jayde was twenty, as mentioned before. Ryan was twenty-one, Tristan was nineteen, Niravan was twenty, as well as Diane.
A man approached Jayde, and rested a hand on her shoulder.
'Oh god. Not Aloysius.'
Aloysius Cavenaugh was a tall good-looking man with black blue streaked hair, and ocean blue eyes. He was twenty, like Jayde, and had been trying to ask her out since seventh grade. Jayde, however, wasn't comfortable starting a relationship, and was a bit anti-social. Her group of four friends was all she needed. And she had a theory that every first relationship ends. She didn't want to start one, and end up getting her heart broken. She planned to stay single, but her father didn't approve. She was the last female member of the Hallicord family capable of having a child. 'I don't WANT a daughter/son!' She always thought or said. 'I like being alone.' It wasn't all true. She was lonely, in her little apartment. She wanted to love somebody. She wanted love, but was frightened of it. Aloysius was a very nice guy, but wasn't the one for her. Her father would say, "Why don't you give him a chance?" She almost said yes once. She DID say yes once, but stood him up, after having a nervous breakdown over it. She still felt horrible about it.
She turned around, and Aloysius smiled at her.
"J, I'm having a party at my place next Saturday, I thought you might like to go…"
Jayde sighed. 'I'm going to turn him down again....' She thought. She looked at the floor. 'I'm ripping his heart out, aren't I?' I'm such a bitch.' She squirmed a bit, feeling terrible about herself.
"I…can't….you know I'm anti-social…"
Aloysius frowned a bit. "J, it's another man, isn't it?"
Jayde shook her head. "No chance. I'm not ready."
Aloysius smiled a weak smile. "Ok, then. See ya."
With that, he walked over, to the arcade.
Niravan slammed her fist down on the table.
"I woulda gone with him!!"
Tristan looked over. "Yeah, J. You're really destroying him."
Jayde covered her face. "I know, okay?! I'm SUCH a bitch…but he's just not for me…and I AM anti-social…"
Ryan sat down, and tried to re-apply the paint. "Whatever, J. You're going to find someone. Someday, Ms. Anti-Social."
Jayde sighed. She looked over at the watch store to her right. A man in a black suit wearing shades emerged. Jayde practically jumped from the table.
Diane looked up at her. "What's up, J?"
Jayde shook her head. "Nothing. Excuse me…I have to use the ladies room." And she started heading towards the store.
Niravan yelled after her; "That's not the way to the ladies room!"
Tristan shook his head. "Strange girl."
Jayde rushed over to the store and stood right in front of Agent Smith.
He removed his shades at looked her in the eyes.
"Are you going to help me, Ms. Hallicord?"
Jayde tried to remove her gaze from his eyes, and failed. She stepped back a bit; trying to clear her throat that she felt was closing up.
"How do you know my name?"
"I know a lot about you…"
Jayde stepped back more.
"What do you want from me, Smith? And how did you do that….dream thing…?"
"Don't bother asking. You're going to help me."
"What do you want?! No!! No questions!! Get away, stalker!!"
Smith grabbed Jayde by the collar before she could run.
"You approached ME, Ms. Hallicord."
Jayde squirmed a bit, then grabbed his hand and pulled away, and ran back over to her friends.
Ryan stood up. "Was that guy bothering you?! If he was, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind…"
Tristan grabbed his arm and set him back in his seat. "Like you could do anything."
Ryan crossed his arms and pouted. "I could've yelled at him or called the cops."
Niravan looked over at Jayde. "Uhm, are you okay?"
Jayde just stared ahead.
Tristan looked at her concerned.
"What's wrong?"
Jayde shook her head. "Nothing. I'm okay. Hey Ryan, can you get me a coke?"
Ryan narrowed his eyes at her. "No way in hell."
Jayde grinned. "Fine. I'm getting it myself."
She got up and walked over to the teriyaki bar and stood by the counter.
The guy walked up to the counter. "May I take your order?"
Jayde nodded. "A diet Coke."
"Is that all?"
"Yep."
He handed her the drink and she went back to sit with her friends.
She looked over her shoulder to see Smith walking up to the table.
Ryan stood up. "Ah, there's that guy again. If he hurts you, I'm gonna show him a thing or two…"
Diane laughed. "He probably tried to sell her something, and she turned him down."
Jayde sat there, frozen.
Niravan waved a hand in front of Jayde's face. "Hello?"
Ryan stood up and walked over to Smith.
"Hey, if you even try to hurt my friend…"
Smith picked Ryan up by the collar, and threw him against the wall.
Ryan lay on the ground, unconscious. Tristan stared in horror, and ducked underneath the table,
Diane got up and ran off, but not before throwing a taco in Smith's direction. After that, she just ran like hell.
Smith approached Jayde. And drew in close, so close, she could feel his breath. Jayde liked this feeling she was getting, but refused to accept it. This guy was creepy. Too creepy. How did he know all this about her? No. This wasn't right. Smith grabbed her by the shoulders, and she began to squirm. 'What does he want?' She thought. 'Why me..?'
Niravan walked over and kicked Smith in the shin. "SHE DOESN'T WANT ANY GOD DAMNED COOKIES, BOHEMITH!!"
Smith frowned at her, an expression that was not so different from the one he always had.
"I am not going to introduce myself again." He raised one hand to send Niravan across the court as he did with Ryan.
Jayde grabbed his hand. "Don't you dare hurt my friend, psycho!!"
Smith twisted Jayde's hand, but did not proceed to attack Niravan.
Niravan looked both ways, screamed really loud, and moshed her way out of the mall. She swung the glass doors open and ran outside, not even glancing back.
Jayde struggled to get her hand back.
Smith drew in closer to Jayde. "You WILL help me."
Jayde broke free of his grasp, and backed up.
"I don't know what you want help with…."
She turned, and spun around, kicking him in the face and breaking his shades.
Jayde started to run through the mall, Smith following close.
"Those martial arts lessons came in handy…" She said out loud.
People in the mall turned their heads to see a young woman being chased by a man in a black suit. A few people called the cops on cell phones or pay phones. People could be heard talking about, some pointed, but no one tried to do anything, they just stood there and hollered, like French people. (A/N: ^_^0)
'Oh my dear fucking god….' Jayde thought. 'Please let this be a dream…please let me wake up. Smith isn't real, right?' She ran through the many halls, in and out of stores 'He's not real, Jayde!' She told herself as she ran past the shoe section in Nordstrom, Smith still chasing her. A man stopped her. "Can I help you, miss? We have this new line of-.." Jayde pushed him. "Get the hell outta my way, I'm being stalked!!" She kept running. Her chest was starting to hurt, and she felt like her legs were going to give out on her. And that she was so focused on running away, she could easily turn her ankle and break it. Her breath was running short, her lungs were about collapse, but all she wanted to do was RUN. 'He isn't real!' She spotted the escalator. She had always been nervous getting on those things, fearing that she would slip. I n all dreams she has had a about falling, she would seem to fall for hours, and then wake up. 'If it's a dream…' She thought. 'I'll wake before I fall!'
She stood at the edge, and gripped the hand rail. She was shaking with fear, but kept thinking over and over 'It's a dream, Jayde.' She kept trying to convince herself. 'It will be painless'. Smith stepped in closer to her.
"You're going to help me, right?"
"You…"
She backed up until her heels were barely touching the moving steps. She could just barely feel the moving steps scraping against her heels.
"YOU aren't real!!!"
She let go of the rail and let herself fall. As she felt a sharp pain sear through her, she quickly realized that this was reality, and she may be falling to her death. She threw her arms out, as if to grasp the air and stop herself from falling. She managed to catch a glimpse of something that seemed to be Smith reaching out to catch her. She hit the stone cold floor, blood spilling out one ear, barely breathing. She shut her eyes and allowed the pain to fill her, hesitantly awaiting her death. She drifted off, not noticing the crowd that surrounded her or the one who barely saved her.
Jayde woke up two weeks later in Overlake hospital. She glanced around. She tried to move a bit, but was frozen all over. Her entire body was aching in pain. "It wasn't a dream…why am I alive?" She glanced at the little table next to her bed to see a picture signed by her friends, and her mom and dad. She smiled weakly, and closed her eyes.
'I can't believe I survived that. Maybe I should just stay asleep.'
After opening and closing her eyes for about fifteen minutes, she left them open. It had all been real. The chase, the fall, and now this. And…Smith…he was real. Why did he want her to help him? Why couldn't it be someone else? Who exactly was he? WHAT was he?
Jayde blinked.
"It's over. This hospital is creepy, I'm in pain, but that's the last of him. No more Smith." She said out loud to herself.
Then she frowned to herself. Smith scared her. He chased her. He was stalking her. But those eyes…and there was just…something about him that gave her a feeling she never felt before. It was indescribable. You couldn't be told what it was; you'd have to feel it for yourself. Somehow, she wanted to see him again…
"No!" She said out loud. "Why would I?!! He's crazy!!"
She tried to roll over, but when she even twitched, an indescribable feeling of pain rushed through her body.
A nurse stepped into the room, holding a clipboard.
"Jayde Hallicord?"
Jayde turned her head to face the nurse, and barely nodded.
"That's me."
The nurse looked at her and smiled that fake smile that you see on all nurses.
"You have a visitor."
Jayde blinked. Diane, maybe. Or it could be Niravan. Ryan, or Tristan. Or maybe her mom or dad. Or….Aloysius. Coming to give her a million tons of sympathy, roses and stuff. Jayde sighed at that thought.
"Who is it?"
"He didn't give a name… but, he's the one who brought you here. Surely you know him."
Jayde blinked.
"Send him in."
The nurse nodded, and left the room.
It had to be one of her friends. Or Aloysius. Maybe her father. "Anna and Niravan didn't bother to come…damn them." She sighed. It was a suicide attempt, what she had done. Wasn't it? She was only trying to run away. To run away from what seemed to be a nightmare, but was in fact, reality. So, it was suicide. She had allowed herself to fall, even though she had realized that it was stupid, when it was just a little too late. She looked over at the picture. A smilie face. How original, she thought, rolling her eyes a bit, but smiling. 'They do care, even if only a little.' She thought. She had decided the one visiting her must be Aloysius. Ryan had been unconscious, Tristan probably ran like the coward he was, and her father certainly wouldn't have been there to find her near-life-less body on the floor of the department store.
The door opened.
Jayde tilted her head towards the door. "Aloy…-"
She stopped immediately when she saw a familiar figure. Tall, black suit, shades in one hand, and those gorgeous eyes one could easily get lost in.
Jayde stared at him up and down, blinking in disbelief. 'No…' she thought. 'It CAN'T be…'
"Smith…" She said quietly. She was happy in some sort of twisted way, but more scared than anything else.
Smith nodded, and set his shades down on the table.
Jayde frown and tried to look away. "So, what do you want help with?"
Smith cleared his throat.
"I DID want you to help me with something."
"Why are you here…?" She asked, shutting her eyes. "You are the REASON I'm here. You scared me, you hurt my friend, you drove me crazy, and because of you, I almost committed suicide trying to escape from a dream that was, in fact, reality. I think I've made it clear that I want to get away from you. Why are you here? Do you want to drive me over the edge and have me ACTUALLY die??"
Smith drew a bit closer. "No."
Jayde tried to tilt her head away from him, but in all reality, she didn't WANT to. She wanted him to come closer, but was denying the thought. She grabbed the sheet of the bed she rested on, and gripped it tightly, feeling her nail dig into her palm through the thin fabric.
"What DO you want from me, and why can't you get it from someone else?"
Smith grasped her hand, drew in very close, so that she could feel his breath.
"It had to be you." He whispered, softly, but he was close enough that Jayde could feel these words.
Jayde opened her mouth to say something, and Smith pressed his lips against hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Jayde felt like squirming for a moment, then relaxed herself, giving in completely. A completely new feeling filled her body and mind. She could feel his warmth spread through her. She didn't want his to ever stop. 'Oh my God…' She thought. 'I'm in love with a dream…' 'Don't let me wake up!!' Her first kiss was from a dream. Or so it seemed, before. Now it was real. More real than anything she ever experienced in her life. She would have a grudge against him for hurting her friends, yes. But for now, she just wanted to take in this moment. Let it take her over, and make her believe this was happening. She didn't want a relationship…but this was SO right…
Smith parted his lips from hers, and kneeled beside her.
"Now, are you going to help me?"
Jayde stared for a moment, in a sort of disbelief, and then nodded as well as she could, even though she still had no idea what he meant. The why and reason were gone, and all that was left was the feeling. (A/N: Ummm… It was a cool quote….huh?)
"Yes."
A/N: Yeah, I'm going to write more. I don't care if you hate it, nothing is going to stop me from writing this fic. Ja.
I don't own the Matrix or Agent Smith. If I did….you un wanna know. I worked hard on this. So read.
It was a cold, starless night. Jayde Hallicord rolled over in her sleep. The same dream every night. What dream, you may ask? Well, it wasn't really a dream. It was an image of the room she was in, slowly fading to black. And then nothing happened. Not much of a dream, but it was never anything else. A soft breeze slipped through the slightly open window. Jayde opened her eyes and sat up, glancing around the room. She looked over at the open window, and got up to close it. While she was awake, she turned over and looked at her best friend; the computer. She sat down at the little desk, and logged on. A message popped up on the screen.
"User: Keiryuu Kasuko has sent you a message. Would you like to accept?"
Jayde looked at the screen for a moment, and then clicked yes.
~Keiryuu Kasuko: Hey.
Jakako17: Who is this?
Keiryuu Kasuko: It's Tristan.
~
Tristan Conway. One of Jayde's four friends, and the youngest of them. Jayde tried to smile a bit, but couldn't find the energy. 'Keiryuu Kasuko'…she thought. 'Odd name.'
~Jakako17: Nice SN.
Keiryuu Kasuko: Can't sleep?
Jakako17: Nah.
Keiryuu Kasuko: I've been having weird dreams.
Jakako17: That's wonderful.
Keiryuu Kasuko: Doesn't it sometimes feel like its more real when you are dreaming than when you are awake? (A/N: Cliché! I'm sorry!)
Jakako17: I don't have dreams.
Keiryuu Kasuko: That's crazy talk. You gotta be thinking about SOMETHING while you sleep.
Jakako17: Well, I don't, ok?
Keiryuu Kasuko: Whaever, J. You're crazy.
~
The little black phone on the desk started to ring. Jayde rubbed her eyes and glanced at it. The quiet rings filled the room and almost seem to bounce off the walls in the dark silence. 'Who's calling this late?' Jayde thought, irritated.
'If it's Tristan, I'm going to kill him.'
~Jakako17: brb
Keiryuu Kasuko: Ok.
Jayde picked up the phone.
"Hello?" She answered sleepily.
A soft, mellow, yet intimidating voice answered her back.
"They know you know. They're coming for you."
Jayde pulled the phone a few inches from her face and stared at it 'No greeting…' she thought. Most likely someone that knew her, expecting her to recognize the voice. The voice was, however, one she had never heard before. She glanced at the phone, assuming that she and Tristan were the only ones awake at this time. She rested the phone on her shoulder, and rolled her eyes, making her dizzy, since she was half-asleep. .
"Tristan, why the hell are you calling me this late? I'm going to kill y-…"
Click.
The line went dead. "Lovely." She slammed the phone down on the receiver,
stumbled over the clutter in her room, and sat back on the computer.
"I'm going to give him a piece of my mind…prank calling me, what kind of ass is he? Amusing himself like that…"
~Jakako17: You've got SOME nerve, boy.
Error: User Keiryuu Kasuko is not available. ~
With that, the screen blacked out, leaving Jayde in the dark. She began to fish around in the darkness for the light switch. She reached up to the pull-chain lamp, and tugged on the chain. Nothing happened. She sighed, and reached for it again "C'mon, power. Don't quit on me, dammit." She thought out loud. Nothing happened. The power was out.
"Great, just great. I had to be left by myself and the fucking power goes out!"
She was about to just get back in bed, when she heard a knock at the door….
"Oh my fucking god…" She mumbled.
"Now what…?"
She stumbled over more clutter, and fell, catching the doorknob with both hands.
"Who is it?" She said sleepily.
There was no answer.
"God damned pranksters…" She peeked through the peephole, and saw that there were, indeed, people at the door. She opened the door a crack, allowing the light from the hallway flow into the room, having her squint her eyes a bit.
"Who is it?"
The people didn't answer. She swung the door open, allowing the light burst into the room, causing her to completely shield her eyes. After a few seconds of blinking, she fully opened her eyes to find three men in black suits.
She stared…and rubbed her eyes.
"Look, whatever you're selling, I'm not interested, ok? Piss off."
One of the men stepped up to her. He drew in closer.
"You're going to help us, Ms. Hallicord…"
Jayde took a step back, and feel back, onto an empty cardboard box.
"What the fuck is your problem?!" She shouted. "I'm not interested."
The man stepped into the room after her.
Jayde searched around for the handgun that she kept for emergencies.
"Who the hell are you!? Answer me or I'll shoot, I swear…"
The man removed his shades, revealing the most gorgeous eyes Jayde had ever seen.
"I am an Agent. Agent Smith. And you ARE going to help us, Ms. Hallicord."
Jayde stared into his eyes, and felt reality fading fast. The unreal feeling when you're having an odd dream, and you don't know if you are awake came over her. The bright light that shone through the doorway faded away, until it was complete blackness.
Jayde woke up, at about 12:30p.m., the next afternoon. She rubbed her eyes, and looked around the room. She tugged on the chain on her lamp. A glow of light filled the room.
"The power is on. Was that a dream?" She mumbled to herself. She got up out of bed and got dressed. She wore a black turtleneck tank top, with one pink and white striped arm warmer. Her nails were painted black, as were her lips. She wore a black leather skirt, with mesh tights. Her shoes were lace-up platforms, about six inches high. Not typical for a twenty year old woman. But, Jayde was a rebel. She brushed back her short, red-streaked black hair, and was about to apply the enormous amount of eye shadow she always wore to the lids of her emerald-green eyes, when the phone rang, making her jump.
She recalled the phone call from her "dream", that seemed so real. Was her dream coming real? She shivered thinking about it. She wanted to answer the phone, half-way thinking that she was being stupid, it was a dream and she would let voice mail pick it up for nothing. But something else made her question whether it was a dream or a premonition. The first side won. After three rings, she picked it up.
"Hello?" She answered in a shaky voice, clutching the phone as tight as possible without breaking it.
"Jayde?" A familiar voice answered. Jayde sighed. It was Diane Watson, another of her friends. Jayde smiled, and relief swept over her. Then she thought of what happened next, with the man at the door, and shuffled her feet, looking at the floor. A small smidge of disappointed fell over her. She snapped back to reality, and responded as quickly as she could.
"Hey, Dee." She said so fast she thought she might bite her tongue.
"Jayde, are you okay?"
"Yeah, just had a weird dream."
"Do tell!"
"Nah…" She said, her voice drifting. The only thing on her mind was the man from her "dream". 'What did the guy on the phone say?' She thought. 'Oh, right. They know you know. They're coming for you.' Was that what she wanted to hear? Did she want to hear that, answer the door, and find the man with the gorgeous eyes staring at her, speaking to her in that soothing voice. Jayde shook her head. Mr. "Agent Smith" was a DREAM. Yeah, a dream.
"And the silences are breeding!!" One of Diane's favorite sayings. A bit over-used, but it still got Jayde to smile. When they were in ninth grade, they made up a theory that silence is gelatinous, and that it multiplies. (A/N: You had to be there 6_6)
"Yeah, yeah." Jayde said, instead of the usual small smile she had when Diane said that, she just stared straight ahead, expressionless. "Had a pretty fucked up dream, it's probably going to stick with me for a while." She said weakly.
"I wish you'd tell me."
"Nah. Anyway, what's up?"
"Well, Niravan and I were going to meet up at the mall, and we wanted you to come. And we're going to bring Tristan." Niravan Cobain was Jayde's best friend since seventh grade. They never stopped being friends, even though there were many fights, and depressions. And Tristan…as mentioned afore, was the youngest of the four friends, and also the most quiet. Jayde liked to piss him off by telling him how 'cute' he was.
"Hah. That means I have to bring Ryan along, right?" Ryan Adams was the oldest of the four, and was rumored to have a 'relationship' with Tristan (A/N: 6_6). Anyway, he and Tristan were almost never seen apart.
"Yeah."
"Ok, sounds good, when should I meet you?" Jayde asked, smiling for real. She was anti-social, but never missed the opportunity to hang out with her group of friends. So long as she didn't have to meet new people, it was all good.
"Leave NOW. The three of us are going, and it'll take you time to pick up Ryan. We'll meet you in the food court."
"Sounds good. See you there."
Jayde hung up the phone and sighed. She WAS hoping for the phone call from her dream. She DID want to see Mr. Gorgeous Eyes again. "Those eyes…" Jayde thought out loud. Then she shook her head. "I can't be attracted to a DREAM!! I'm going to see my friends! What, it's been two weeks since we all got together?" Remembering this, she got up, grabbed her purse, and stomped out the door.
Jayde and Ryan sat at the table next to Taco Time in the food court, waiting for Diane, Niravan, and Tristan.
Ryan brushed back his hair, and leaned back in the chair. He had black hair, deep green eyes, like Jayde's, and wore the same black trench coat everyday. "You look funny." He said rather bluntly.
Jayde glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "Thank you. I love you too."
"I didn't mean like that. I mean, you look….well…you don't look 'all there' today."
"Whatever." Jayde shrugged, staring off into space.
Diane, across the food court, at the cheap teriyaki place, waved at Jayde and Ryan.
Diane was about Jayde's height, and had long, wavy, sandy-blonde hair that always seemed to look perfect, whether there was a slight breeze of heavy gust, it always looked well kept. She had light blue eyes, and a face you could trust.
Niravan waved both arms around.
Niravan had dark hair and eyes, and was, indeed, the crazy one in the group. Mesh seemed to be her best friend. She never wore any other shoes than her Converse. Her basic appearance closely said 'rebel', and she was totally one of those people you just WANT to be friends with, and she managed to do this without being a perky bleached blonde bimbo with a fake smile. She waved her arms so frantically that she smacked Diane, who punched her in the side, and with this Niravan slammed into her, almost sending her into the wall. It soon turned into World War 3.
Ryan stared, and got out of his seat. "They're over there. Let's go, and TRY to break that up."
Jayde got up, with a spacey look on her face. "Right."
Jayde and Ryan, managed to get the two under control, and they all settled down at a table, and Tristan joined then shortly after, taking a seat next to Ryan. (A/N: 6_6). Tristan was a boy (they called him a boy, because he was the youngest.) with short dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was the 'short' one. Well, he wasn't really short, but looked like it when he stood next to Ryan, who was about 6'1". (A/N: No joke. He's TALL O.O) The others ate food from various stands, while Jayde just sat, a can of coke in front of her, staring ahead, looking at nothing.
Tristan glanced over at Jayde. "Hello? Anybody home?"
Jayde turned towards him. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm okay. I had a weird dream."
"You said you didn't have dreams."
Jayde stopped, and stared at him.
"When did I say that?"
"Last night. On AIM."
Jayde looked at the floor, then back at Tristan. What the hell? That was a dream. Is it possible that it could have been real? But if it was, how could she have woken up? 'It had to be a dream' she thought.
"Huh? That was part of my dream. You IMed me, the phone rang, the power went out and-…" She stopped herself from going any further. Not only could she not explain what happened, she didn't WANT to.
Niravan stared straight at her.
"And…?" She asked, staring at Jayde.
"None of your fucking business."
"Well!!" Niravan crossed her arms and turned away. (Sarcastically.)
Ryan grinned. "Jayde has been having NAUGHTY fantasies!"
Jayde slammed both hands on the table, sending the opposite end up.
"Oh my god!!" She screamed. "Take that back, you ass, or I will dump this coke over your head!!"
Ryan jumped out of his chair, and smiled. "I don't take back."
Jayde jumped up and chased him around the table with the coke.
Ryan jumped over a chair. "Jayde, if you even mess up my face-paint…."
Ryan painted designs under his eyes. Sometimes flames, or jagged lines. Always in black, and applying it was very time-consuming.
Jayde grinned, threw the coke at him, and bulls-eye, hit him RIGHT on the head, spilling the soda all over his hair and face.
Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny mirror, and flipped it open, staring at his tiny reflection.
"JAYDE!!!!"
"Hah!!"
Jayde and her friends. Youthful adults. That was them, and they were wonderful the way they were. Jayde was twenty, as mentioned before. Ryan was twenty-one, Tristan was nineteen, Niravan was twenty, as well as Diane.
A man approached Jayde, and rested a hand on her shoulder.
'Oh god. Not Aloysius.'
Aloysius Cavenaugh was a tall good-looking man with black blue streaked hair, and ocean blue eyes. He was twenty, like Jayde, and had been trying to ask her out since seventh grade. Jayde, however, wasn't comfortable starting a relationship, and was a bit anti-social. Her group of four friends was all she needed. And she had a theory that every first relationship ends. She didn't want to start one, and end up getting her heart broken. She planned to stay single, but her father didn't approve. She was the last female member of the Hallicord family capable of having a child. 'I don't WANT a daughter/son!' She always thought or said. 'I like being alone.' It wasn't all true. She was lonely, in her little apartment. She wanted to love somebody. She wanted love, but was frightened of it. Aloysius was a very nice guy, but wasn't the one for her. Her father would say, "Why don't you give him a chance?" She almost said yes once. She DID say yes once, but stood him up, after having a nervous breakdown over it. She still felt horrible about it.
She turned around, and Aloysius smiled at her.
"J, I'm having a party at my place next Saturday, I thought you might like to go…"
Jayde sighed. 'I'm going to turn him down again....' She thought. She looked at the floor. 'I'm ripping his heart out, aren't I?' I'm such a bitch.' She squirmed a bit, feeling terrible about herself.
"I…can't….you know I'm anti-social…"
Aloysius frowned a bit. "J, it's another man, isn't it?"
Jayde shook her head. "No chance. I'm not ready."
Aloysius smiled a weak smile. "Ok, then. See ya."
With that, he walked over, to the arcade.
Niravan slammed her fist down on the table.
"I woulda gone with him!!"
Tristan looked over. "Yeah, J. You're really destroying him."
Jayde covered her face. "I know, okay?! I'm SUCH a bitch…but he's just not for me…and I AM anti-social…"
Ryan sat down, and tried to re-apply the paint. "Whatever, J. You're going to find someone. Someday, Ms. Anti-Social."
Jayde sighed. She looked over at the watch store to her right. A man in a black suit wearing shades emerged. Jayde practically jumped from the table.
Diane looked up at her. "What's up, J?"
Jayde shook her head. "Nothing. Excuse me…I have to use the ladies room." And she started heading towards the store.
Niravan yelled after her; "That's not the way to the ladies room!"
Tristan shook his head. "Strange girl."
Jayde rushed over to the store and stood right in front of Agent Smith.
He removed his shades at looked her in the eyes.
"Are you going to help me, Ms. Hallicord?"
Jayde tried to remove her gaze from his eyes, and failed. She stepped back a bit; trying to clear her throat that she felt was closing up.
"How do you know my name?"
"I know a lot about you…"
Jayde stepped back more.
"What do you want from me, Smith? And how did you do that….dream thing…?"
"Don't bother asking. You're going to help me."
"What do you want?! No!! No questions!! Get away, stalker!!"
Smith grabbed Jayde by the collar before she could run.
"You approached ME, Ms. Hallicord."
Jayde squirmed a bit, then grabbed his hand and pulled away, and ran back over to her friends.
Ryan stood up. "Was that guy bothering you?! If he was, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind…"
Tristan grabbed his arm and set him back in his seat. "Like you could do anything."
Ryan crossed his arms and pouted. "I could've yelled at him or called the cops."
Niravan looked over at Jayde. "Uhm, are you okay?"
Jayde just stared ahead.
Tristan looked at her concerned.
"What's wrong?"
Jayde shook her head. "Nothing. I'm okay. Hey Ryan, can you get me a coke?"
Ryan narrowed his eyes at her. "No way in hell."
Jayde grinned. "Fine. I'm getting it myself."
She got up and walked over to the teriyaki bar and stood by the counter.
The guy walked up to the counter. "May I take your order?"
Jayde nodded. "A diet Coke."
"Is that all?"
"Yep."
He handed her the drink and she went back to sit with her friends.
She looked over her shoulder to see Smith walking up to the table.
Ryan stood up. "Ah, there's that guy again. If he hurts you, I'm gonna show him a thing or two…"
Diane laughed. "He probably tried to sell her something, and she turned him down."
Jayde sat there, frozen.
Niravan waved a hand in front of Jayde's face. "Hello?"
Ryan stood up and walked over to Smith.
"Hey, if you even try to hurt my friend…"
Smith picked Ryan up by the collar, and threw him against the wall.
Ryan lay on the ground, unconscious. Tristan stared in horror, and ducked underneath the table,
Diane got up and ran off, but not before throwing a taco in Smith's direction. After that, she just ran like hell.
Smith approached Jayde. And drew in close, so close, she could feel his breath. Jayde liked this feeling she was getting, but refused to accept it. This guy was creepy. Too creepy. How did he know all this about her? No. This wasn't right. Smith grabbed her by the shoulders, and she began to squirm. 'What does he want?' She thought. 'Why me..?'
Niravan walked over and kicked Smith in the shin. "SHE DOESN'T WANT ANY GOD DAMNED COOKIES, BOHEMITH!!"
Smith frowned at her, an expression that was not so different from the one he always had.
"I am not going to introduce myself again." He raised one hand to send Niravan across the court as he did with Ryan.
Jayde grabbed his hand. "Don't you dare hurt my friend, psycho!!"
Smith twisted Jayde's hand, but did not proceed to attack Niravan.
Niravan looked both ways, screamed really loud, and moshed her way out of the mall. She swung the glass doors open and ran outside, not even glancing back.
Jayde struggled to get her hand back.
Smith drew in closer to Jayde. "You WILL help me."
Jayde broke free of his grasp, and backed up.
"I don't know what you want help with…."
She turned, and spun around, kicking him in the face and breaking his shades.
Jayde started to run through the mall, Smith following close.
"Those martial arts lessons came in handy…" She said out loud.
People in the mall turned their heads to see a young woman being chased by a man in a black suit. A few people called the cops on cell phones or pay phones. People could be heard talking about, some pointed, but no one tried to do anything, they just stood there and hollered, like French people. (A/N: ^_^0)
'Oh my dear fucking god….' Jayde thought. 'Please let this be a dream…please let me wake up. Smith isn't real, right?' She ran through the many halls, in and out of stores 'He's not real, Jayde!' She told herself as she ran past the shoe section in Nordstrom, Smith still chasing her. A man stopped her. "Can I help you, miss? We have this new line of-.." Jayde pushed him. "Get the hell outta my way, I'm being stalked!!" She kept running. Her chest was starting to hurt, and she felt like her legs were going to give out on her. And that she was so focused on running away, she could easily turn her ankle and break it. Her breath was running short, her lungs were about collapse, but all she wanted to do was RUN. 'He isn't real!' She spotted the escalator. She had always been nervous getting on those things, fearing that she would slip. I n all dreams she has had a about falling, she would seem to fall for hours, and then wake up. 'If it's a dream…' She thought. 'I'll wake before I fall!'
She stood at the edge, and gripped the hand rail. She was shaking with fear, but kept thinking over and over 'It's a dream, Jayde.' She kept trying to convince herself. 'It will be painless'. Smith stepped in closer to her.
"You're going to help me, right?"
"You…"
She backed up until her heels were barely touching the moving steps. She could just barely feel the moving steps scraping against her heels.
"YOU aren't real!!!"
She let go of the rail and let herself fall. As she felt a sharp pain sear through her, she quickly realized that this was reality, and she may be falling to her death. She threw her arms out, as if to grasp the air and stop herself from falling. She managed to catch a glimpse of something that seemed to be Smith reaching out to catch her. She hit the stone cold floor, blood spilling out one ear, barely breathing. She shut her eyes and allowed the pain to fill her, hesitantly awaiting her death. She drifted off, not noticing the crowd that surrounded her or the one who barely saved her.
Jayde woke up two weeks later in Overlake hospital. She glanced around. She tried to move a bit, but was frozen all over. Her entire body was aching in pain. "It wasn't a dream…why am I alive?" She glanced at the little table next to her bed to see a picture signed by her friends, and her mom and dad. She smiled weakly, and closed her eyes.
'I can't believe I survived that. Maybe I should just stay asleep.'
After opening and closing her eyes for about fifteen minutes, she left them open. It had all been real. The chase, the fall, and now this. And…Smith…he was real. Why did he want her to help him? Why couldn't it be someone else? Who exactly was he? WHAT was he?
Jayde blinked.
"It's over. This hospital is creepy, I'm in pain, but that's the last of him. No more Smith." She said out loud to herself.
Then she frowned to herself. Smith scared her. He chased her. He was stalking her. But those eyes…and there was just…something about him that gave her a feeling she never felt before. It was indescribable. You couldn't be told what it was; you'd have to feel it for yourself. Somehow, she wanted to see him again…
"No!" She said out loud. "Why would I?!! He's crazy!!"
She tried to roll over, but when she even twitched, an indescribable feeling of pain rushed through her body.
A nurse stepped into the room, holding a clipboard.
"Jayde Hallicord?"
Jayde turned her head to face the nurse, and barely nodded.
"That's me."
The nurse looked at her and smiled that fake smile that you see on all nurses.
"You have a visitor."
Jayde blinked. Diane, maybe. Or it could be Niravan. Ryan, or Tristan. Or maybe her mom or dad. Or….Aloysius. Coming to give her a million tons of sympathy, roses and stuff. Jayde sighed at that thought.
"Who is it?"
"He didn't give a name… but, he's the one who brought you here. Surely you know him."
Jayde blinked.
"Send him in."
The nurse nodded, and left the room.
It had to be one of her friends. Or Aloysius. Maybe her father. "Anna and Niravan didn't bother to come…damn them." She sighed. It was a suicide attempt, what she had done. Wasn't it? She was only trying to run away. To run away from what seemed to be a nightmare, but was in fact, reality. So, it was suicide. She had allowed herself to fall, even though she had realized that it was stupid, when it was just a little too late. She looked over at the picture. A smilie face. How original, she thought, rolling her eyes a bit, but smiling. 'They do care, even if only a little.' She thought. She had decided the one visiting her must be Aloysius. Ryan had been unconscious, Tristan probably ran like the coward he was, and her father certainly wouldn't have been there to find her near-life-less body on the floor of the department store.
The door opened.
Jayde tilted her head towards the door. "Aloy…-"
She stopped immediately when she saw a familiar figure. Tall, black suit, shades in one hand, and those gorgeous eyes one could easily get lost in.
Jayde stared at him up and down, blinking in disbelief. 'No…' she thought. 'It CAN'T be…'
"Smith…" She said quietly. She was happy in some sort of twisted way, but more scared than anything else.
Smith nodded, and set his shades down on the table.
Jayde frown and tried to look away. "So, what do you want help with?"
Smith cleared his throat.
"I DID want you to help me with something."
"Why are you here…?" She asked, shutting her eyes. "You are the REASON I'm here. You scared me, you hurt my friend, you drove me crazy, and because of you, I almost committed suicide trying to escape from a dream that was, in fact, reality. I think I've made it clear that I want to get away from you. Why are you here? Do you want to drive me over the edge and have me ACTUALLY die??"
Smith drew a bit closer. "No."
Jayde tried to tilt her head away from him, but in all reality, she didn't WANT to. She wanted him to come closer, but was denying the thought. She grabbed the sheet of the bed she rested on, and gripped it tightly, feeling her nail dig into her palm through the thin fabric.
"What DO you want from me, and why can't you get it from someone else?"
Smith grasped her hand, drew in very close, so that she could feel his breath.
"It had to be you." He whispered, softly, but he was close enough that Jayde could feel these words.
Jayde opened her mouth to say something, and Smith pressed his lips against hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Jayde felt like squirming for a moment, then relaxed herself, giving in completely. A completely new feeling filled her body and mind. She could feel his warmth spread through her. She didn't want his to ever stop. 'Oh my God…' She thought. 'I'm in love with a dream…' 'Don't let me wake up!!' Her first kiss was from a dream. Or so it seemed, before. Now it was real. More real than anything she ever experienced in her life. She would have a grudge against him for hurting her friends, yes. But for now, she just wanted to take in this moment. Let it take her over, and make her believe this was happening. She didn't want a relationship…but this was SO right…
Smith parted his lips from hers, and kneeled beside her.
"Now, are you going to help me?"
Jayde stared for a moment, in a sort of disbelief, and then nodded as well as she could, even though she still had no idea what he meant. The why and reason were gone, and all that was left was the feeling. (A/N: Ummm… It was a cool quote….huh?)
"Yes."
A/N: Yeah, I'm going to write more. I don't care if you hate it, nothing is going to stop me from writing this fic. Ja.