A/N: So, chapter seven-WAIT WHAT? Yup, chapter seven. "What, she completely ignores us for like, two months, then suddenly she finds the impulse to update three times in a week?" "Yup!" "She must have multiple personalities or something!" "What are you talking about, multiple personalities?" "Oh nothing..."

LISTEN UP PEOPLES! I really want to write a One-shot, and I have like a billion ideas running around in my spacious brain, but I am also notoriously known for my indecisiveness, which is why I am letting YOU GUYS choose the subject for me:) *Giggles* There's a poll on my profile with a bunch of my ideas for one-shots so go onto my profile, pick the one you think would be the most interesting! The most popular one will be written! So go, vote now. Do it, now. Now. Do it. Why are you still reading? Do it. Now.

Chapter Seven:

In the Dead of Night, Near a freshly dug Grave.

"Are you it's...?"

"It's fine. No one is here anymore,"

"It really far, are you sure you're fine with living so far out?"

"I'm fine with it as long as no one lives here. And plus, it's not like I have much of a choice,"

"It's actually prime, the plantation fields are just over that dune,"

"Is it...Safe? I mean, for Sara to be living in such a desired place..."

"I pass by here most days, never seen a soul around. In any case, I can always spread a little rumor about the place being invested with Zekes while training my squad,"

"Gossip travels like wildfire,"

"Especially when people have little else to do,"

"Mhm,"

They were standing at the edge of the road, at the start of a long straight driveway that lead to an out of the way house. Jess and Sara both admired the place Edilio had lead them to, it certainly was a prime spot. Edilio himself stood next to the girls, looking a slight bit please with himself. Jess decided then and there she would never be able to repay him for what he was doing, the corners he was cutting for them.

"Thank you."

"Just trying to help-"

"You didn't have to, you weren't forced to do any of this. You did anyways, so thank you."

It was Jess speaking, but at her words, Sara lifted her head from it's gloomy slump to look at the Hispanic boy.

"Thank you..." Her voice was soft, quiet, but clear and genuine. She hadn't said much since the whole "Michael" incident, unless a question was directly aimed at her, she kept to her quiet self. It was clear the guilt was eating away at her, but she still went along with all of Edilio and Jess' preparations to have her relocated.

Edilio looked at the ground, but it didn't obscure the slight blush forming on his smooth tanned cheeks. Jess felt the corners of her lips want to rise up at the sight but she fought it, keeping her cool.

"You're welcome."

Edilio had chosen to help them for many reasons. One, the primary one, was to save Sara's life. It was unspoken, unmentioned, but they all knew or had guessed that Sara was very powerful. Three bars at least, if any of them could hazard a guess, they would lean closer to four. If anyone found out, it wouldn't just be the mob after Sara, it would be Sam's estranged twin brother as well. Edilio felt it was his responsibility as mayor to protect her from both scared kids with razor blade embedded lightsabers to telekinetic sociopaths. Not just for her sake, but for anyone who tried to harm her. The girl was dangerous, and while he couldn't deny that she was a good person, one of the few left, she had to be kept away from other people.

And there was that niggling satisfaction he got when he was consciously doing something he knew would make Jess happy. What. The. Hell.

They began to trek up the driveway together, it was nearing sunset now, their shadows being elongated by the angel of the suns rays. Jess watched the alien looking forms move in sync with their steps, a feeling of apprehension over took her. There was something in the back of her mind, something that wanted to be remembered, but Jess couldn't. It was the feeling you got when you forgot something important before realizing it. So she mentally went through all the things they had talked about. Healed by Lana, done. Relocating Sara, in process. They would bury Michael tonight, in the dark so no one would see the fate that had befallen the boy. But there was still something...bugging her. Jess pushed it away as after affects of a stressful day.

They approached the house, no one spoke as Sara laid the small bag of possessions she had brought from her old home on her new bed. It was a cozy house, small and uncluttered. They said goodbyes there, Jess and Edilio making their leave. Edilio had said no to Sara's offers of help in burying Michael, stating that by the law, she was no longer allowed to set foot in Perdido Beach, but in truth he didn't want her to have to face what she did again. He and Jess would take care of it, then they could put this whole thing behind them.

He and Jess walked side by side down the driveway, he was very conscious to her movements for some reason, noting the new t-shirt she was wearing after coming back from being healed. Apparently it was one of Lana's, her having let her borrow it after her old one got trashed from the blood. He also noted the few drips of blood on the right thigh of her jeans, he noted her jeans. Her legs, very long legs. Yes, she was quite tall, almost as tall as he was-Wait, what?

Edilio forced all inappropriate thoughts out of his head. Really, what the hell. He shook his head, glad that Jess wasn't looking at him right now, the blush he was sporting was NOT something he wanted her to see.

~I~I~I~I~I~I~I~I~

Jess was trying to keep her gaze on the ground in front of her moving feet. She went over everything that had occurred today. Woke up. Check. Ate lunch. Check. Broke open a frozen door. Check. Got shot. Check. Saw a human Popsicle. Check. Realized she might have a very, very slight crush on the town mayor. Check. Hence the keeping-eyes-on-the-ground, as to avoid thinking of that fact that here they were, alone together. Going to go bury a body. Perhaps that last part was a bit of a damper.

When they arrived back in town - having been silent most of the walk back - Jess followed Edilio quietly to the town square. It was now dark out and Jess nervously put her hand in her pocket, feeling for safety the metal of the switch blade she kept there, along with resting her other hand on the hilt of the hunting knife sheathed in her belt. You didn't walk around unarmed in the FAYZ, period. Especially at night. It was better to avoid the streets at night in general, but Jess felt a bit more at ease knowing she was with the town mayor, people didn't mess with Edilio, even before he earned his title.

They walked towards the graveyard, Jess stood back as Edilio numbly climbed in to the backhoe and wordlessly turned the ignition. Jess watched as he began to dig a new hole next to the dozens of other graves, she wondered how he did it. How he could dig the graves of fallen kids, for every child who had died and left a body to bury. She couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like.

She admired his strength to do that which no one else would. To do those tasks which needed doing. Graves needed to be dug, he dug them. Perdido Beach need a mayor, he was it.

The grave was soon deep enough, and Edilio climbed out of the backhoe and walked towards her. He was stopped by a timid looking girl who had run up to him. She couldn't have been older than twelve years old.

"Who's it for?" The girl asked, not needed to elaborate.

"A boy, his name was Michael. Do you know anyone named Michael?" Edilio asked her.

"Um...No I don't think so,"

"Go home, kid. Get some sleep," Edilio said gently. Then he continued to pace towards Jess. "Let's get this over with," he said to her and began to walk in the direction of Sara's old house.

Once they were at the half frozen house, Jess and Edilio went to work. They didn't speak unless needed, not having to and not wanting to. They wrapped Michael in a large tarp before carefully detaching him from the frozen ground. They carried the tarp covered body out of the house, Edilio leading. They didn't speak as they walked back to the town square, partly because they were both panting from the exertion of the task and partly because of the somber moment it was. They remained somberly silent as they lowered the boy's body into the freshly dug grave, Jess was grateful no one was around to witness the event. She helped Edilio use spades to cover Michael's body in soft earth. When he was sufficiently covered, Jess lowered her spade, stepped back from the grave and wipped her hands on her already stained jeans. She shocked herself with a single splotch of wetness crawling down her cheek, tingling it with a cold chill. Why was she crying? She wasn't close to Michael, she didn't even know him. This kind of compassionate weakness could mean death in the FAYZ.

She angrily wiped away the offending tear, more for the sake of her pride than of anything else. She refused to look at Edilio, hoping that he either hadn't seen the tear, or wouldn't mention it if he had.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Jess was nearly scared out of her own skin at the sound of the beeping. It had been so long without power, the sounds like beeps and other electronic based noises were foreign. Jess quickly accessed it was coming from her watch, something that she kept out of habit and a need to remember her old life more than a real need to know the time of day. She checked the watch, wondering if it was beeping because of low battery or...

Jess' breath hitched. She remembered what it was that had been bugging her for the past couple of hours. She remembered the special feature her watch had.

It was just after midnight. The new day was May 17th.

"It's my birthday,"

She snapped the button on the watch, causing it's silence. Her eyes green eyes were met with dark brown ones, his eyes showed interest.

"Fifteen?"

She nodded. She knew what it meant. At seven forty that following night, she would be given a choice. A choise to remain in this screwed up place, or to take her chances and plunge into the unknown.

And she's be lying to say she hadn't thought taking her chances

A/N: What's that? Her birthday? Shister, will she poof? Teeheehe, wouldn't you like to know =)

I will not be updating very much in the month of august due to the fact that I will be working full time. EEK! But I WILL try as hard as I can. Reviews always help *Hint hint*.

But that give you guys lots of time to vote on my Poll! So go, do it, vote, do it, right now, don't even wait until you're done reading this author's note, go do it, now...You're still reading, go vote. Now.

lol, still like me enough to review...?