"Please, I feel bad but-" began Mara, her hair was crimped slightly, it had been a few days, and she just couldn't live with the guilt that she had upset her best friend in the entire world
"You feel bad?" he spun round. His eyes dark. Half of his hair swept back, the other half falling hotly over his eyebrows. He loomed over her, a look of disgust and sadness on his lips. "You feel bad?"
"Yes." She said, eye brows furrowing "I feel terrible, it's just that Mick's back and-"
"Leave me alone."
"You're over-reacting!" she called.
"You know something?" he asked her, head up, clean face and eyes looking down at her "I actually thought you were smart." He took a deep breathe, as if willing himself to continue "I can't believe I ever thought that, I can't believe thought that we would be…" he couldn't finished. Blue eyes glittering dangerously, he turned and began to walk away
"Why are you being so mean?" she yelled, running up to him, not prepared to let it end like this
"What?" he asked her, she was getting sick of his questions. "Can I tell you something about life and you Mara?" he asked. His voice was sharp and venomous now "Nice guys finish last, that's why I treat you trash. I'm acting how you want me to act! Since you only go out with bad guys! Mick, Eddie… So, I'm giving you my best try, treating you the way you want me to."
She stopped watching him, she opened her mouth to say something. But now words came out. She looked up at him, hoping for some sort of affection to flood his eyes, but it didn't "Jerome," she chocked out "Please…"
"I'm giving you what you want, treating you like trash," he shrugged
"I don't want that," she sobbed. He smirked down at her, laughing
"I know."
"Are you going alone dear?" asked Trudy, swiping the table with a damp cloth
"Yes, I'm only going to visit an old friend," smiled Mara, sweeping her hair out of her face
"Do you have money for the train?"
"Yes thanks, I'll be back in time for dinner," she laughed walking out the door. Mara smiled to herself for the first time in a while, she'd been pretty down lately no doubt because of her lack of contact with Jerome, not that she was willing to admit that out loud. Only safely in her mind.
She stepped onto the train and handed the man her ticket. The train was small and red with different compartments so that there was no one in the hallway. Mara decided she didn't want to go into a compartment so she leant against the gold railing and starred out of the window, watching the scenery fly by. Her feet crossed on the red carpet as she watched green mush with gold.
When the train entered a dark tunnel Mara had to clamp her hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. In the reflection in the window stood Jerome. Standing there in all his utter brilliance, a face she had ignored for so long. Hair that always turned away when she entered the room. His lovely long lean neck up for display again, he looked like he was wearing a black shirt, obviously top buttons undone, but she couldn't be sure because of the lighting and she dared not turn around.
She caught his eyes in the reflection they looked darker now, what from? she did not know. They watched each other for a while, she could feel his body heat behind her now
"Fancy seeing you here." Smiled Jerome, but it wasn't the kind smile she use to get from Jerome, it was a sly cunning one. The one Jerome made when he was ready to ruin your life. Mara couldn't find it in herself to speak "What are you doing?" he asked, a very thin layer of disgust obvious in his voice
He watched her open her mouth, then close it again. Not knowing what to say, and he didn't blame her. The situation was far beyond awkward. He didn't know what she was doing on the train, but he was here to go visit his aunt the only person in his family that ever spoke to him, his train of thought was interrupted when Mara's phone rang. Jerome knew for a fact it was Mara's phone as it was a whistling ring tune. He listened intently
"Hello?" answered Mara, Jerome wanted to smile at the fact that she didn't even check to caller ID, so careless and carefree. Whenever he wanted to answer the phone, he always had to check, if it was his parents, Alfie, Mick or Rufus. "Oh hi Jenna, are you alright?"
"Sorry Mara, I don't think you can come over today, my mum's really ill,"
"Okay, don't fret Jen, it's alright." Soothed Mara. Jerome was ever so slightly stunned at the fact that she was soothing someone who was standing her up
"No, it is not okay Mara, see you're already on the train, about half way here aren't you? I've made you come all this way for nothing, you've wasted you money and time, I'm sorry."
Jerome understood this now, Mara was going to visit an old friend. And this was the type of friend Mara had, someone who still kept in touch even when one of them was in boarding school. Someone who felt bad when it was out of their hands. Someone just like Mara.
"Breathe Jenna," reminded Mara smiling "Some other time alright? It was a really nice idea though, I'll continue the trip, but instead of going to your house I'll stop of at the library than grab something to eat."
"Okay, if you're sure. Have fun May," she said "I'll pay you back promise," before they both hung up . Mara slid the phone into her pocket and turned to look back up at Jerome who she'd forgotten was here for a moment.
"May?" questioned Jerome, neither of them had moved so there was only about the space of a thin paperback book could fit between them. Jerome did everything in his power not to focus on how she smelt, so sweet
"Yeah, she doesn't like the name Mara so she came up with the name May," answered Mara, looking down.
"Why doesn't she like the name Mara?" he asked curiously.
"I don't know." She said shortly, and Jerome remembered that he was ignoring her. That he couldn't joke around her, that he couldn't spend time with her simply to have fun. He wasn't even meant to be here, so he turned around without another word.
He reached his stop and exited the train, heading straight for his aunt's house.
"Jerome!" cried his pale skinned aunt with white hair that looked slightly lavender. "How have you been?"
"Same as always Aunt Maggie," he laughed. They went out for lunch and they chose a table near the window, and Jerome almost did a double take when he saw Mara in the corner, on a table all to herself. Normally he would of laughed and called her loner, but there was two reasons he didn't. One, his Aunt would think he was crazy. And Two, she didn't look like a loner at all. She looked perfectly happy, with her nose in a book, and a cup of hot chocolate beside her. She was wearing a silver bureau, which was nestled near the back of her head. Her black hair fell softly from her head, her eyes so focused on the book that she hadn't even noticed him
"Do you know that girl Jerry?" asked Maggie, Jerome tried not to tell her how much he hated that nick name, but how grateful he was that no one in the house called him that.
"Yeah, she's in the house I'm in for boarding school." He answered, trying to be as brief as possible without looking rude, he didn't want to upset the only family member who would talk to him.
"You two friends? Why don't you go say hello?"
"We're not really friends." He answered briskly
"Well maybe one day you will be." She sighed as she stood up "I'm going to the loo." As she pottered away. Jerome smiled at her back, before returning his gaze to Mara, only to see her talking to the waiter, he looked about their age, spiked up brown hair and a kind face. Jerome listened, thanking once again that he had great ears.
"I'm fine thanks," she smiled up at him, trying to return to her book
"Are you sure?" he asked, smiling. Mara sighed
"I'm sure,"
"Why are you here alone, surely you must have a boyfriend?" he asked, leaning down towards her
"I wanted to come alone." She answered, not answering his obvious flirting
"So I guess you mind if I joined you,"
"I would like to be alone," she answered politely, sipping some of her tea
"I'm good company," Jerome didn't realise what he was doing until he was standing beside him
"Hey babe, I'm back," said Jerome, using a fake accent. Mara starred at him wide eyed, as Jerome slid in next to her and kissed her cheek.
"I'll be of then," said the waiter, walking away head hung.
"Jerome!" she cried, she looked torn between hugging him and pushing him away "What are you doing here?"
"Relax. I just came to get that creep gone, it was sickening." Before standing up and walking back to him table. He was back just in time for his Aunt. Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Throughout the lunch Jerome kept glancing at Mara, who was starring at him shamelessly, book now forgotten.
"I think that girl likes you," said Maggie, without turning around
"They all do," he smiled, his eyes meeting Mara's with a questioning and smug look. Jerome and Mara entered the train together, and sat in the same compartment, but they didn't speak to each other. They just sat there, Jerome glaring at her with everything he had, and Mara squirming. They heard the train coming to a stop
"Bye Jerome," she said hesitantly, but Jerome just left without a word. She sighed to herself, before standing up and walking a few feet behind him the whole way back to the house.
"Prom Everyone!" cried the teacher "A wonderful idea from our vice president Mara," the teacher beamed at Mara, and Amber and Nina quietly congratulated her. Jerome sat at the back of the classroom, listening. Prom, ah, something that happened once a year, that all the girls made themselves pretty for. Every time Jerome had lines of girls asking him, and he picked the prettiest, or the one that spoke the least, or the one he had promised because she'd done him a favour. This year though, he knew he wouldn't do that. There was only one girl he wanted to go to prom with, and that girl already had a date there, so he would be attending alone. If he couldn't have her, then he would have no one.
"Oh! You lads all look dashing," gushed Trudy, clapping her hands at the four boys, Fabien and Jerome were in black trousers, white shirts, bow ties and slick black jackets. Mick was wearing exactly the same but with no bow tie, and Alfie was wearing the same but with a loose thin long black tie. Fabien was obviously going with the new Nina. Mick, much to Jerome's distaste was going with Mara. Alfie had finally gotten his wish and was going with Amber. And Jerome and Patricia were going alone. Jerome had thought about asking her but he decided out of it in the end, although he enjoyed spending time with the goth chick, he wasn't up to it.
"We're ready!" shrieked Amber from upstairs, and the four dressed up girls walked down the stairs. Amber looked amazing, but to Alfie there was no difference, to him she was always beautiful. She wore a long deep blue dress, with one ruffled sleeve and her hair all pushed onto the other side. Nina, much to Fabien's joy had her hair down and slightly frizzy, she wore a dark purple dress that cut of just above the knee, she wore flat pumps. Patricia, looked like she hadn't put much effort into tonight but she still looked lovely, a dark blue dress, with glitter covering the bottom, black tights and gold shoes. Jerome and Mick starred as Mara walked behind the rest of the girls, much less self confident, she didn't like what she was wearing but she looked wonderful in it. The other girls had done a good job with her hair and makeup as well. She was wearing a sleeveless long black dress that grazed the floor, it had a neck tie, with a dark blue pendant. Her hair was up with in a fancy bun with a few curled back tendrils hanging lose. Her makeup had been done so well you could barely notice it among her brown sparkling eyes. But her face was flawless and her lips a darker pink. She was wearing heels, big black yet thin heels, making her only a centimetre shorter than Jerome.
"You look beautiful babes!" exclaimed Mick, taking her hand and twirling her round. Jerome looked away. This was exactly why he shouldn't dream of her, shouldn't remember holding her.
"Aw, you're all so lovely," sobbed Trudy, hugging each one of them and ushering them down the hall and outside.
"Where are the others?"frowned Mara, she couldn't see anyone else from their house. And even though it was lovely for Mick to pay her such attention, she couldn't help but wonder…
"Who cares? I've been gone a weak, I just want to be with you," he smiled, kissing her.
"I'm going to go uh, powder my nose." Said Mara lamely, escaping his arms and walking down the corridor. Her shoes made a slight clicking sound against the empty corridors, when she heard voices coming from their French class, and she could hear Nina's worried voice. They were probably trapped inside. She tried the door gently, and like she thought, it was locked. As she was the school rep she had the key on her, and she unlocked it and walked in. Shocked. Everyone else was sitting down at their desks, but they all looked terrified, she slowly turned to look at who was sitting in the teachers seat, because she had a terrible feeling it wasn't a teacher. She saw an odd man with blackish grey hair and pinkish skin. He looked evil, and he was holding a time-turner with what looked light red electricity. But Mara knew it was impossible, you couldn't keep electricity in glass.
"Whose this?" Rufus glared at the others
"Let her go," Nina pleaded, as Mara stayed frozen on the spot. "She doesn't know anything,"
"Rufus Zeno?" Mara asked quietly, as she watched the man. He roared at her before slamming the classroom door and moving the desk in front of it
"Sit." He demanded. She sat at her normal spot at the front, something she just had to do or she'd feel even more uncomfortable
"How do you know him?" asked Jerome from the back, in disbelief
"Exactly my thinking." Said Rufus, standing in front of her "Who are you?"
"Mara," she answered. He laughed at her once. It sounded almost mad "Okay, Mara. How do you know me?"
"You- You can't be you," she laughed, manically. "You look exactly the same but that's- impos-" she stopped short deep in thought, before whispering, although it made no difference, the classroom was so quiet you could hear her anyway "You haven't aged a day," she turned to see how everyone else was reacting and soon her eyes locked with Jerome's. They held an emotion, something she hadn't seen in a while. She turned away from his intent stare. He looked down at her
"How do you know me?" he asked again.
"You haven't aged, that's not possible, you have to age, the cells inside your body mean you have to, this was ten years ago. You can't be here, you can't look like this, you-" She got slapped sharply across the face.
"You can't do that!" cried Nina "Leave her alone!" roared Jerome, and the rest of their cries mingled together. Jerome watched in horror, as Mara was hit. This was Mara, she wasn't meant to be in this situation. But he was a curious boy, he was born a curious boy, he thrived on it, lived on it, and needed to know for certain whatever it was he was curious about. And right now, watching Mara, curiosity burnt through his veins, it was in his blood. How could she know about Rufus? Where had she been when she met him ten years ago? How had she gotten into the classroom? Why had she left Mick to come look for them? Had she come looking for all of them? Or just someone in particular?
"How do you know me?"
"I-" she stuttered "I don't." she answered, lips down. She wasn't going to say
"Answer me girl."
"No."
"Do you want to die?" he asked her
"You can't kill any of us." She answered, by now the others were all staring at her. What was she playing at?
"Do you want to take that chance?" he lunged at her. Mara stood up
"There are, security camera's in each classroom,"
"No one will check them for a couple of days, by then I will be gone," he said simply
"I know, but what matters is that they see it's you, Rufus Zeno!" she yelled loudly Then adding to them all "There are also microphones,"
"Why does that matter?" Mara pulled out her phone, and waved it in front of him
"Hey no phone's." he growled, reaching forward to grab it out of her hand, and as soon as he did, he screamed and fell down to the ground, unconscious. They all ran forward creating a circle around his body
"What did you do to him?" asked Nina, shocked and relieved
"I'm so sorry," Mara whispered, shaking her head "I tazered him," she spoke quietly
"Don't be sorry, you saved us," encouraged Fabien, squeezing her arm, a gesture that didn't go completely unnoticed by Jerome. But Mara just shook her head, stepped over the body, moved the desk gently and breezed out of the room.
"What happens if she tells someone?" asked Alfie
"Shouldn't we call her back?" said Amber stepping forward
"Guys, she has a lot to take in. Have some faith in her, she won't tell anyone, and she won't try to find anything else out today," soothed Nina. But Jerome wasn't so sure. This was Mara. And Mara was like him, she lived and breathed curiosity. Now she was probably hiked up on it, she would find out today, there was no doubt in his mind that Mara would come back to the school tonight. But he would sort it out himself. Jerome helped heave the body into the van that took it to the police, it was over. For now. He went home and changed out of his tux, into his red shirt and black jeans. Slipping on some trainers. He ducked under the covers
"Night man," said Alfie, not bothering to change or get into the covers and beginning to snore. Jerome smiled, he didn't react at all after he'd starred danger in the face. Jerome supposed this was why he liked Alfie, he could fall in the dirt, pick himself up, dust himself off and jump in the dirt again to prove it didn't bother him. It was silent in Anubis house, and Jerome's eyes were open. Listening. For a moment he was about to sleep, to give up. But then he heard it, the sound of a foot on the eighth stair. And if he strained his ears as much as he could, he could hear anxious breathing. Mara was up and ready for action. He slipped out of his room and hid in the shadows, without making as much as a sound. He was good at this sort of thing. He watched Mara walk out of the door, and he followed. She walked into the school, the back exit was always kept open, there was no need to lock it to the teachers. Jerome hid in the shadows of the lockers as Mara crept into the classroom where everything had happened that evening. She came out moments later, not looking satisfied, like something didn't make sense, something didn't add up, and she couldn't for the life of her figure it out.
"I didn't think good girls wondered around the school at night," came his silky smooth voice, Mara spun round, glancing into the shadows, until her eyes came across to sparkling blue orbs
"What are you doing here?" she asked, as he stepped out of the shadows, he was wearing the red shirt again, the one that made him look unbelievably evil, yet more handsome than ever. His blond hair, which had been swept far off into the side for prom, to give him a more sophisticated look, had now gone forward, making him looking younger, more adorable. And more handsome. Balancing everything out.
"I could ask you the same thing," he said stepping forward. The after pausing for a moment he said "Why did you have a tazer on you?"
"Never know," she shrugged, Jerome smiled at her
"How did you take things that happened today?"
"Jerome, I-I don't understand, how could he? That's not possible, it goes against everything, it's not natural. I don't get it!" she cried. Jerome looked at her with sad understanding eyes. "I've missed you," she added. Jerome raised his eyebrows, she was acting more blunt than usual
"Don't they all," he sighed. Rubbing his face with his hand. Not now, please not now, he couldn't deal with his feelings now, everything was so confusing.
"Don't act as if I was one of your many girlfriends Jerome, please. I've missed you, you and your annoying words and teasing comments. I've missed how you thrive on practical jokes and laughter. I miss how you use to smile at me. I miss you Jerome. I miss all of you, every single part of you, I miss you!" she sobbed, tears now falling from her eyes, Jerome regarded her with careful eyes. This was Mara, and even now, with her sobbing his name, with her looking so beautiful, so kind and fair and just. Jerome knew what to do. He knew that if he comforted her again, his heart would break, he wouldn't be able to handle another rejection. And although he missed her too, and everything she said made him happy, made him so happy, that she liked him. Made him so happy. Yet so sad. So Jerome turned from the weeping girl he loved and walked away. He made no footsteps as he disappeared out of the hall.