Disclaimer: Bloody hell, it's been over a year since I updated. I know that this lack of updates is waayy beyond appoligy, but I'm gonna say sorry anyway. I'll try to get the next one out fast but there will be no gaarentees. I've got unfinished stories up to my ears, and most of them are ones I haven't posted. But anyway, I hope you enjoy this LONG overdue chapter, and I hope you don't hate me too much.
Ps: I know alot of words a spelt wrong, but I don't have a spellcheck option, so please don't review on my shitty ability to spell.
Chapter 1:
Don't Pity Me
"Jack!"
Thump!
" JACK!"
Thump!
" JACK!!!"
Thump!
Tip...
" AHHHH THE TABLES FALLING OVER!!"
BANG!!
" Owwww..."
Jack slowly opened his brown eyes to slits as he sat up in his bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared blankly towards whatever had just woken him. His vision was blurry with sleep, but soon cleared and saw Nik, Nak and Flak, all lying on the ground, and his obviously broken table beside them. He just shot the hurting Harvest Sprites an annoyed look as he swong his legs over the side of his bed and shot one of his hands in the air as he yawned.
" What do you three want?" He asked groogily. At the sound of his voice, the three Sprites, who were still lying on the ground, leaped up and started jumping around wildly, all yelling at the same time. Jack felt a veinpop on his forhead with annoyence as he put both his hands out and shut his fingers together like they were mouths.
" SHUT UP!" He demanded loudly. All three Sprites stopped immeaditly and just stared up at him with fearful eyes. Jack just sighed, content with the quite and looked down at the sprites. " Now, one at a time, tell me what the hell is going on here?"
Nak and Flak both pushed Nik in front of them as a form of volenteering. Nik just shot them both dirty looks as he made his way over towards Jacks feet. He looked up at the humen for a moment, before clearing his throat. He then leaped onto Jacks leg and began to sob.
" The Harvest Goddess has gone insane!" he wailed. From beind him, Nak and Flak both rolled their eyes, but Nik didn't notice them. " You've gotta help us! She'll kill everyone!"
Jack suddenly tenced up as he picked the Harvest Sprite by the back collar of his red coat and looked him in the eye. " Are you serious?" Jack asked him. " Or is this some kind of sick joke."
Before Nik could answer, there was a knock at his door. Jack got up and walked over to the door. He looked back at the Harvest Sprites as he thought about telling them to hide. But then he remembered that he was the only one who could see them, sighed and opened the door.
Jack caught Joe as he fell through the door frame. He was covered with blood, and had a thick smell of death and vomit wafting off him. Jack just dragged him over and sat him on his bed.
" Joe?" Jack asked causiously, sitting down beside him. " What happened?"
Joe just looked up at him. His face seemed to be devoid of any emotion. In fact, he didnt even look alive. His face was so pale it seemed as though all the blood in his body had dried up. He had black circles under his eyes, and they were red, from crying? He just stared at him, his eyes looking lifeless. What had happened?
" Jack..." Joe finally spoke, after staring at him for several very akward moments. He then just stared laughing. But it was an unatural, pained laugh that made the hair on the back of Jacks neck stand on end. " She's dead."
Jacks mind was working overtime by now. Dead? Who?
" Can you believe it?"
What? No...please. Her? Please not her.
" OH KATIE!!"
Please not Qw-
Jack stopped. He just stared at Joe, pity and pain constricting his chest as he did so. Joe had crashed. His head in his hands as he sobbed. His wails were loud, and could most likely be heard from the Village Square. Jack just put an unsure hand on Joes shoulder. He could always tell he had a soft spot for Katie. He was just glad it wasn't who he had had in mind.
" What happened?" He asked him gently.
At those words, Joes crying stopped abruptly. He just stared at his tear stained lap.
" I dont know." Joe explained, his voice still shakey. " She screamed, and I ran up. And she was just there, floating face down in Harvest Goddess Pond..."
Joe continued, but Jacks heart had stopped at the words 'Harvest Goddess Pond'. The Harvest sprites were right. The goddess really was insane. But what had happened to her?
" Joe?" Jack asked. " Can you take me to Katie?"
That was the wrong thing to say.
" Sure." Joe said, his voice filled with jeleousy. " She always liked you better. It's what she'd want."
" Its not like that Joe-"
" Save it." Joe spat as he stood. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a rotton black flower. He threw it on Jacks lap and stormed over to the door. " You should give her that too. It was probably for you. It was by her fucking body! She always picked flowers for you!" And with that he shoved open the door, burst out and slammed it with a loud BANG!
Jack griminced. He hadn't meant it like that. He had no interest in Katie for anything other then a friend. An attractive friend, but a friend just the same. Didn't Joe know who his heart really belonged to?
Jack sighed. He stood and with one last look at the harvest sprites he left the shack he called a home. So many questions were swimming through his head. Just what had happened to drive the Harvest Goddess over the edge?
----------
Qwen looked up from the blade of grass she was twirling in her slender fingers to see Jack making his way up the path. She had expected him to be running to the side of his love, but he seemed to have no emotion of the death. He just seemed confused as fuck.
" Jack!" Qwen called out. " Hey, over here!"
" Qwen!" Jack yelled as he rushed over to her. She had never seen him look so glad to see her. His brown eyes shone so brightly, but then again that happens when people are about to cry.
" I take it ya heard." She said, glancing over her shoulder at the bar/cafe, which was currently surrounded by mourning people. All Qwen got was a nod. She looked back at him, and they shared an akward silence for several moments. Jack was the one to break it.
" How ya taking it?" He asked, his gaze directing from the ground to Qwens maroon eyes. The blond shrugged.
" I dunno, I was never really friends with her. Sure, we knew each other, and we would say hi to each other on the streets, but we never really kicked it off, you know?"
" Yeah..." Jack said, looking to the cafe again. Qwen shot him a symphetic look.
" How are you taking it?" She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. She was surprised to see him blush a little at her touch. Jack just scuffed his booted foot on the ground.
" She was a good person." Jack said, glancing over at the Bar again. " And she was a good friend. I'll miss her..." he trailed pff, suddenly noticing Qwens eyes filling with tears.
" Oh Jack." She sobbed as she pulled him into a hug. " I'm so sorry for you! I know how much you loved her. Everyone knows. We're all greiving for you." She cried into his shoulder. Jack suddenly broke the hug and grabbed Qwen by the shoulders roughly.
" What is it with people in this town that think I love Katie?" He barked at her, his chestnut eyes glowing dangeriously. Qwen just stared at him, her mouth open in a small 'o' shape. " First Joe hates me, and now you pity me? She was a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. Got it?" Qwen nodded.
" I'm sorry Jack, it's just that I thought you two were always a good match for each other." She said, whipping the tears from her cheeks and smiling weakly. Jack sighed sadly, and let his arms flop down to his sides.
' She thinks me and Katie were an ideal couple. What about me and her?' He thought sadly as he turned to leave.
" I have to go see Wallace." He said, giving Qwen one last miserable look. " I'll see you around." And with that, he made his way slowly to the bar/cafe, his shoulders sagging. Qwen just stared at the Farmer until he reached the crowd, before sighing and walking back towards her Grandfathers carpenders hut.
----------
Jack glanced back over his shoulder, watching his crush make her way towards her Grandfathers lodge. He hated to be so cruel to Qwen, but how else was he supossed to react. His serect love imagining him with another women? If she loved him, and he did that, how would she react? Oh, if only that was the case.
The farmer gazed at his love for another moment before turning frontwards and making his way through the crowd of mourning people. They all quietted as Jack walked by, and whisperes erupted from their lips. He saw Joe out of the corner of his eye, hovering just outside of the crowd. He also caught the death glare that was sent in his direction, and winced. He hated to see Joe hate him so, but finding out why and how Katie died was more important. If only Joe knew Jack did it mostly to put the fishermens mind to ease.
Jack made it to the front of the crowd, which was just in front of the huge wooden dorrs of the bar/cafe. Wallace stood beside a table, with a bloodsoaked white sheet over a obviously humen figure. Jack gulped at the scene, and made his way over to the crying Wallace. He looked down to the old man, and smiled half heartedly at him.
" Just the boy I wanted to see." Wallace said, but something about his voice scared Jack. It had both a sence of excitememt and anger in it, so it was hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or not. His face was also completely emotionless, and he looked much like Joe.
" I wanted to give my last goodbyes." He said, looking to his feet. " And to give my sincerest apologies to you. She meant so much to all of us, but to none more then you." Jack immeaditly regetted his choice of words when Wallace was suddenly racked by sobs.
" You seem to be sincere." He said between sobs. " But I don't know what to make of you. I know Katie would not want me to blame anyone but her culperate for her death, but at the same time, if it wasn't for her continious habits of going up there to pick flowers for you, then it wouldn't have made it so easy for the murderer. You are as much at fault in my eyes as the culperate."
Jack was aware of the silence as the villagers stopped all other conversation to listen. " With all due respect, Katie was not a hard person to find. If anyone would want to kill Katie, then they could and would have done it sooner."
" Then who do you suppose did it, Jack?" A voice said, and Jack gasped. Jow had somehow made it to the other side of the table without him knowing, and had his hand on the white sheet over Katies supposidly mangled body. " Are you saying that none of us are guilty? Because this was no accident." And before anyone could stop him, Joe ripped the sheet from atop Katie, and the crowd of people froze.
Jack had imagined a discusting sight when Jow had first told him of Katies demise, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. From just above the breasts down, there was no damage, besides for the colouration from being in water for too long, but above that was beyond recognition. How Joe had known it was Katie was a mystery to Jack. For one, there was no nose, only a bloody gash where it should have been, and both eyes were missing. Her lips hung to her face by a thread of flesh, and the bite wound in her shoulder was oozing an unusual black puss.
Jacks stomach couldn't take that. He bent down and gagged, though no vomit was in his system from the lack of breakfast. Girls and women started crying, and he heard Bob shout at Tim to avert his eyes. Jack stopped his gagging and grabbed the sheet from Joe, pulling it back over Katie corpse. Jack was about to scream at Joe, but an old, shaking voice beat him to it.
" How DARE you!" Wallace screamed at Joe, who seemed even palier then he was. " Have you no respect for the dead?! How could you DO that to her? Expose her like that? Get out of my sight before I kill you!" Wallace was panting hard from the excitment, and it was more then his old body could take. By the end of his speach, he collasped. Jack rushed to his side and caught him.
" I suggest you leave Joe." Jack hissed, carrying the light, unconcious old man in his arms. " You have done enough, and I would also suggest that for the rest of you. Give Wallace some privacy."
The crowd immeaditly computed, leaving the scene in a hurried pace. Ronald stepped forward and offered to take Wallace to his room, and Jack placed the unconcious senior in Ronalds care. Jack made his way after the dispercing crowd, while Joe asked if he could help Ronald in anyway. When Jack was out of the anglers earshot, Parsley came up behind him.
" Jesus Jack, what did you do to Joe?" he asked the fleeing farmer. Jack glanced back at the Bonatist, sighed and slowed his pace.
" I asked him if he would take me to Katie when he came and told me she died." He explained, stopping completely and turning to Parsley. " As you can see he didn't take that too well."
" Don't take him personally. He is fueled with greif and jelousely right now, I'm not sure when he will warm up to you again." He explained, his voice obviously filled with pity for Joe.
" I don't think, I've never seen him so fucked up before. If he does forgive me, it will probably be on my death bed."
" I don't think he will hold a grudge that long..." Parsley said, more to himself then to Jack, before sending Jack a pitiful look.
" How are you taking it."
" Don't give me all that bullshit." Jack snarled. " If one more person says they feel bad for me about loosing my 'lover' I will smash them in the head with my fucking hoe." Jack said, emphesizing by lifting his hands over his head and bringing them down with a great force, just like he had a hoe in his hands. Parsley chucked lightly, and Jack noticed that was the first time he had heard laughter all day. " And besides, your pity should be towards Wallace."
Parsley nodded, and they continued their conversation all the way to the boundry of the forest, before Jack remember something very important.
" Hey Parsley, have you ever seen anything like this before?" He asked as he pulled a black, rotted flower from his pocket. Parsleys eyes widened as he took the plant gingerly from Jack.
" Never." He whispered, amazed by the new discovery. " It's rotten, but I've never seen anything with even a simiular shape to it. Why?"
" Because Joe told me he found it next to Katies body." Jack said darkly. Parsley gasped.
" I'll look into this for you Jack."
" For Wallace and Joe more then me Parsley." He corrected.
" Oh course." nodded Parsley. " I'll to check with Lyla and then go to Dia's and check through her library. Goodbye Jack." He said, giving a wave as he left. Jack waved back, before making his way towards his farm. Little did he know, two pairs of maroon eyes were watching him as he left.
Well, there it is. I hope that holds you over until next time. And by the way, it was Qwen watching him. Just to avoid any future confusion. Well R&R, and don't hate me if I take a long time getting the next chapter up. But I will try my best. TTFN!
Ja Ne
Nikooru-chan
