A/N: O. M. G. Here it is, as promised! A LONGER chapter! It's almost twice as long as all my other ones. They're normally seven pages long, this one was fourteen pages long but... only by a sentence so lets go with thirteen. I didn't know how else to end the chapter without feeling like I'm dragging what would be a five second scene in a movie out to be something like forty seconds. So it's thirteen pages.
Glad you all liked the German Manny speaks! Which is a little funny to me because I know a kid in real life named Manny but he's actually Mexican. Go figure, right? I had no clue for a minute that I was naming a Giant Snake after him but oh well... on with the story!
Disclaimer: I'm done trying to be creative with these things. It's enough to write a story about creatures I don't even own! Not to mention making up characters and keeping them IC. So, as usual, I don't own Monsters Inc. but I do own Jane and... well... basically all of the humans involved. Enjoy!
The adrenaline coursing through her veins sent cold shivers down her spine. It was an amazing feeling; one she didn't want to end so soon. Her body was so numb the only thing she could feel was her heartbeat. Everyone around her walked up to the line, each one of them feeling the same adrenaline rush she was. She was the smallest one in the line, surrounded by taller peers who were just as worn, sweaty, and tired as she was.
Jane listened for the mark to get into a ready stance, the runners on either side of her following suit.
What am I running for?
The announcer kept rambling on about rivalries between two local schools, one of which she was currently racing for. The girl took a look around at familiar faces she had classes with. Some moved away some time after this race, some died, and some dropped out due to teen pregnancies. But she still had no clue how old she was right now, why she was running, or whether or not her parents were here. Right now, her main concern was running all one-hundred meters faster than everyone around her.
Up until now she couldn't hear the hushed whispers of the crowd as they waited for the starting gun. Slowly but surely she started to hear it all. And when the starting gun went off, the crowd was suddenly louder.
Within just a few seconds Jane was flying on her feet, leaving all the others in the dust. At first she was confused as to why she was so far ahead so quickly. One glance over her shoulder… and they were gone. None of them were there anymore.
Come to think of it, the crowd was gone too. She could still hear the cheering, but saw no one sitting in the bleachers. But she kept running.
I'm not running for the school.
She was running to the beat of her heart, still audible over the cheering of the invisible crowd.
I'm not running because I want to.
The numbness started to fade away. Her body began to hurt like hell, and her lungs stung with each intake of breath.
I'm running for mom.
A hurtle appeared in front of her, which made no sense. Jane thought fast, and leapt over it as gracefully as she could, wondering why the hell there was a hurtle in a hundred meter dash?
I'm running for dad.
Another hurtle, which confused her all the more. Jane couldn't clear this one; her foot got caught and despite how nasty the fall was, and how she rolled uncomfortably for about five feet, she didn't hurt as much as she thought she would. The exhausted girl heaved herself off the ground, staggering to her feet and slowly starting to run again. After a moment of light jogging she was back into her sprint.
Last but never least, I'm running for Justin.
Her younger brother that she was always second best to. Jane bit her tongue thinking, running, barely making out the three figures sitting alone in the bleachers now in silhouette. Just because she fought with him, didn't mean at all that she hated him. And it wasn't his fault, no matter how much she did blame him, that mom and dad had liked him better. They just wanted a boy, was all. And she mostly blamed herself for not being one.
Jane's body began to shut down. Her legs stopped moving as fast as they were, and her lungs felt like they were about to collapse. Senses feeling more pain than necessary, hitting her all at once. She tripped over herself and started to fall.
And then she woke up.
"Finally," she heard a familiar voice growl.
She opened her eyes slowly to see Randall hovering over her. His mouth opened as if he was about to say something but froze, fronds sticking straight up. Before she could question this, scale by scale he disappeared just as Kate appeared in the doorway.
"There you are, sleeping beauty!"
Her now medium-length auburn hair was a mess, sticking out at odd angles. Jane almost forgot that she had cut it about a week ago, otherwise she would have flipped and gushed over the new style all over again. The younger of the two sat up just as the other leaned tiredly against the doorframe.
"Sorry I'm such a mess," Kate sighed, "Ali kept me up all night."
"Why's that?"
"Long story, but anyway-"
"AUNTIE!"
A six-year-old with eyes as big as Kate's, only bluer, with short black hair darted past her mother and practically tackled Jane off the bed. Jane flailed and fell back into the cushions, the lethal child clinging to her neck giggling and screaming, "Guess what happened last night!"
"Not now, Ali," Jane choked, attempting to pull the child off her, "Your mommy and I were talking."
Ali didn't say much more, but wasn't letting go either. Jane eventually gave up with a huff and turned to Kate for help. Her friend laughed and called for her daughter, who finally let go soon as she was promised a kid's meal on the way home.
"Oh, and here's the laptop," Kate smiled, handing it over to her friend while Jane lead them to the kitchen. She murmured a thanks and took it with one hand, while rubbing her neck with the other.
"Kids got a grip…"
"You know it," Kate sighed, "I've got some news, by the way."
"Good or bad?"
Kate bit her lip and gave Jane a sideways glance. When Jane rose a questioning eyebrow she pulled a chunk of loose hair and tucked it behind her ear, as if trying to appear casual. It didn't work.
"Kate."
"Jeanie hired a new girl."
"Okay?"
"Her name's Kylie… Browning."
Jane nodded slowly, avoiding eye contact with Kate. Not good. Not good.
…Not good!
"So then Ryan's back," she thought to herself out loud. Damn it, Jeanie. She hired her on purpose. Just to piss off Jane, and Kate knew this too; which is why she was telling her.
"If she wanted me to quit she could have fired me. I don't want to know that he's back," Jane groaned, burying her hands in her face. Randall was curious, standing a few feet away but still camouflaged, taking a seat on the floor near where the girls stopped.
He noticed that the kid was staring right at him, even though he was invisible. Randall held his breath, hoping the little brat would look away, but she didn't. He was curious how she could see him… so he moved, to see if it was just coincidence. Nope, her gaze followed him, watching him like a hawk. Randall lowered on all eights, slowly nearing her, sniffing her like he could see what made her different.
Almost at the same time, she reached out to touch him. Randall froze, too scared of what might happen if he pulled away. Ali's hand brushed his chest, and when she pulled away it was covered in oil and grease from Jane's truck.
He looked down to see that his entire stomach was covered in it, and that it hadn't turned invisible with him. The monster sighed, backing away from the girl just as her mother gasped and pulled her up.
"What did you stick your hand in?" she cried, carrying her over to the sink. When Kate's back was turned, Jane looked around behind her. Randall knew she was looking for him.
He appeared when he heard the sink turn on. Her tense gaze relaxed some once she saw he was there, then hardened again. "What are you doing?" she whispered low enough for him to hear.
"The kid could see me while I was invisible!" he whispered back.
"Because you're filthy!"
Randall was about to argue back when Kate turned around. He was invisible almost instantly.
"Hey Jane, what was that stuff?"
Jane shrugged, and looked where Randall was standing just as Kate turned back around. When Randall reappeared, she grabbed him by his shoulders and shoved him out of the kitchen, whispering 'Go, go, go!'
He had to admit, he was pretty offended.
"Hey!"
"Go take a shower or something! Before I wash you myself!"
Randall rolled his eyes and gave her a low hiss, before disappearing and leaving their conversation for good. Jane mocked his hiss with one of her own, turning back into the kitchen to see a confused Kate, who was scrubbing Ali's hands clean. Ali looked a little bewildered for some reason, which Jane probably knew why.
"You okay?" Kate asked, receiving a nod from Jane. The younger of the two pulled out a drawer under the counter and handed her friend a towel, which Kate used to dry Ali's now squeaky clean palms.
"Look, I'm sure Jeanie didn't know that it was the same Kylie you use to be friends with. She hardly even knows the story, anyway."
"Good, I'd rather her not know," Jane crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. When Ali was free from her mother's torment she immediately spotted the cat walking through the kitchen and chased it elsewhere. The strawberry blonde giggled with some amusement before frowning again.
"I'm really sorry, Jane. I had no clue she even turned an application in," Kate sighed, leaning against the counter, "I feel terrible for not stopping it when I could've. I'm sure it's more Kylie than it is Jeanie anyway."
"Did you see her?"
"Yeah."
"Does she still dye her hair black?"
Kate's lips pursed in thought, "Yeah, she's got about three inches of her natural color growing it, so she hasn't done anything in a while."
Jane rolled her eyes. Great, just great. Ex-best friend slash boyfriend stealer comes back from her eloping honeymoon to rub it in her face. How fantastic will work get now?
"If I punch her, I'm so fired," Jane groaned, pulling her own hair.
Randall didn't hear any of this, though. He was doing as he was told, taking a shower. Not because she told him to! That was not why! It was because he wanted to; and because he really was filthy. Actually he was so relaxed when settling into the hot water in the bath tub(a shower would have been too loud), he stayed there for maybe an hour, just soaking. No bubbles, no soap, no wash cloths; just straight hot water.
It not only felt good, but was extremely effective and helped him think a little more clearer.
And then he noticed something.
He had a freaking conscience towards Jane today.
What the hell?
He recalled himself pausing at the threshold of her doorway, perfectly capable of spying and invading the girl's privacy.
And he didn't. Not because he didn't feel like it, but because he was thinking of her and her right to privacy. Randall lowered into the tub where his mouth had gone under, and the water was just below his eyes. His fronds were folded back, just as relaxed as the rest of his muscles were. And then he thought of it again, and then he was tense.
Why? Why does this have to be so hard? Jane was practically more monster than half the people he knew and he hated it. But at the same time was more relieved that it was her who got to him first instead of those hunters. And their dogs. He remembered getting bit on the tail, and lifted said appendage out of the water. There was still a slight kink at the tip where it had gotten him too. The monster growled under the water, sending bubbles to float to the surface from his mouth.
Just more anger to burn in his goal to take Sullivan down.
Frank was a twenty-eight year old ex-tracker for Al's little team of poachers. At first you could say he joined because he figured the business would take off once they raised enough money to go to Africa or Australia; turns out Rattlesnakes, Gila Monsters, Scorpions, and Tarantulas sold cheaper than the man thought. All the money used to move from Tennessee to Arizona went to waste. So Frank left their business as an animal tracker to become a tracker in general; but not in a cleaner way some may take it.
He ran a hand through his fiery red hair before replacing the hat back on his head, his eyes never leaving the red light in front of him. It had been a long, long drive from Kentucky(where his 'office' now resided) to Tallulah, and he was finally here. He had to hand it to Al, if it were anyone else who asked him to do this he would've told them to go kill themselves. Frank made a left when the light turned to a green arrow, pulling his 3500 Dodge Dually into a parking spot in front of a cheap motel, purposely taking up two spots.
First things first, a nice long nap. And after that, he'll try to go over what little information Al had provided for his gator thief.
Moments later(after the prissy old blue-hair at the counter gave him his damn room key) he was laying on his back staring at the ceiling, thinking to himself as he drifted off. Now how old was she again?
"'Bout Jeremy's age, maybe a few years older."
Jeremy's what… nineteen? So this girl was between nineteen and twenty; pretty young. Young enough, anyway. Perverted thoughts aside, he went over other details. Long copper-colored hair. This annoyed him; there were so many definitions of long he had no clue which would be correct. And copper would somewhat define strawberry blonde, wouldn't it? Girls dye their hair that color all the time nowadays.
Frank groaned and rolled over face down into the pillows. He was going to be looking for this girl for days.
Josh spent a whole exhaustingly bright day helping his dad out with equipment. The rest of the hunting group which consisted of four other men did the same thing, only at their own homes. Just because he was ten didn't mean he had no clue what was going on. But it wasn't until now that he realized his father wasn't going to be… very nice to this girl at all when he finds this gator. Okay, alien since that's what everyone is convinced that it is now.
Jeremy's truck skid to a stop in front of the house.
"Home early or did you get fired for your crazy driving?" Josh huffed, attempting to walk around the yellow Hilux to reach the bed of Pa's truck hauling a camping bag. Jeremy slammed the door shut, opening the top to the camper shell to check whatever was in the bed.
"They wouldn't fire me for my drivin'. I always deliver on time!" the older boy scoffed, pulling out a box full of magazines. Josh couldn't help but stare at the 'YO' where 'TOYOTA' use to be on the back. He remembered helping his older brother pull off such a stunt; back when he was… what, six?
"What's in da box?" Josh asked, now curious and set the bag down to try to peek inside. Jeremy pulled the box out of his reach, sticking his tongue out while yelling, "Nuthin' you're old 'nuff to see!"
"I am too old enough, now lemme see!" Josh demanded, jumping for the box. His hand caught hold of a corner and he pulled it out of his brother's grasp, spilling its contents all over the driveway.
"Ewww!" Josh cried, immediately shielding his eyes. Naked girls! Really? Why? The boy still believed in cooties, for crying out loud! So… gross… "Yuck!"
"What, you tellin' me you like boys?" Jeremy flushed, scurrying on his knees to pick up the mess.
"That's so… Jeremy! I'm tellin'!" Josh gagged again, running for the house. Jeremy realized the possible danger of this and halted as soon as the threat was heard. The next thing he knew, the box was thrown completely to the ground and Josh was running for his life.
"Ma!" he called, bursting through the front door of the trailer, causing it to shake. He called for their mother again and screamed whenever Jeremy entered only seconds after the younger brother.
"C'mon you little-"
He was cut off by a broom smacking him in the face. Jeremy fell on his back in the middle of the kitchen seeing stars. Josh hid behind their mother in fear, still scared that he'd be dead either way. And he was right, only now his mother was after him.
"You two…!" their mother was frustrated. Her dark brown hair pulled into a loose bun that didn't hold very well, allowing strands to fall before her eyes. She looked like she was having it rough before the two stormed in. Josh backed away, expecting the worse.
"Jeremy has naked girls in the driveway! I saw 'em!" Josh cried, hoping that she'd redirect her attention to her brother. Too late; she swung the broom at him and landed on his back next to his brother, both seeing spots before their eyes.
"Ow…" Jeremy murmured, starting to sit up. "Get up," they heard Pa's angry gruff voice as he stomped into the kitchen, pulling both the boys to their feet by their shirt collars, "You two know better than to act like a couple 'a girls!"
"He started it!" The two cried in unison, both pointing fingers at the other.
"I don't care who started it! I'm finishin' it! Jeremy you go pick up yer porn before I run over it with the lawnmower. And Josh you better get washed up for dinner."
Josh immediately protested, "But Pa! Aint I goin' with you?"
Their father's hard look softened for just a moment, before growing hard again and shaking his head, "No. You taggin' along aint a great idea. You're stayin' here."
"But-"
"No buts! I'm leavin' after dinner, now go get washed up."
Both the boys departed in separate ways; Jeremy heading outside and Josh heading for the bathroom.
Dinner was the same as usual. Pa didn't talk that much and Jeremy kicked Josh's foot when the younger accidentally hit his shoe. And even after that, watching Pa leave was almost a normal ritual by now. Still, Josh sat on the front step watching the truck pull out, dogs howling in the back seat and sticking their heads out the window. He sighed and rolled his eyes when Jeremy took a seat next to him, pulling his hat off and brushing the dust off with his fingers.
"You worried about dad?" his older brother asked. Josh shook his head, watching the truck slowly pull away in the distance just as the sun started to set.
"'M worried 'bout that girl," he said solemnly, knowing very well what might happen to her. Jeremy shook his head in agreement.
When Kate left, Randall came out of the bathroom much cleaner than he was before. For a while he'd been scared to take baths or showers here in her home but… that hot warm water was so nice, he's never going so long without bathing again! He didn't use any soap really but he soaked until most of the dirt was gone at least. No way in hell was he leaving that bathroom smelling like fragmented soap.
He kept a towel on his head trying to dry between his fronds when passing the kitchen where Jane was… dancing?
Yeah, she was dancing; with her snake even. Snickers' tail was wrapped around the girls finger while it hung upside down, her other hand supporting the serpent's head. After Kate had left she needed a pick-me-up, and hooked her iPod to the speakers in the kitchen while she cleaned. Cleaning turned into dancing, dancing turned into singing, and then she went and grabbed Snickers and was now dancing to one of her least listened to songs in her library.
The bird was throwing a fit in its cage, fluttering around each time Jane spun, the cat skittering across the floor with a string of ribbon, and Sonic was following the girl's movement like an excited puppy. Every time she moved a little he lowered on his front paws in a crouched position, as if he was about to tackle her. When she'd spin he'd back up, run around her and do the same over and over again.
Randall was completely at a loss of what to think. She certainly had a bounce to her step but… really? Was she this lonely? She seemed happy, especially when the two and a half foot snake would rest its head on the tip of her nose when she held it out in front of her.
Jane didn't notice him at all. Her emotional turmoil over Kylie being back had disappeared the moment she was dancing. Snickers crawled down her arm and rested around her neck where it was warmest, and Sonic bouncing at her feet giving her barely any room to move. She spun around and stopped staring out the archway. In her peripheral vision she swore she saw that towel floating. It fell just as she turned to look at it, then decided she must've thrown it somewhere along the line. Shrugging the piece of cloth off, she turned off her T.V. before she realized something.
Randall could have been standing right there.
He actually could have been there for a whole five minutes.
The monster wasn't there for five minutes but he did turn invisible before he realized she would see him. Then soon forgot that he was holding a towel, which appeared to be floating. Without a second thought he dropped it, not knowing what else to do.
She shrugged it off when he thought he was in the clear, then stopped abruptly, turning slowly to stare at the archway again. Randall's fronds lowered while he started backing away, hoping to god she wasn't going to call him out.
Jane ran.
Straight out of the room and up the stairs like a frightened animal.
The next morning Randall woke up to the sound of the front door closing. At first he didn't want to get up, then realized something.
Her truck can't start.
Where the hell was she going?
Randall didn't even leap off the couch properly. He ran and slipped off of his bottom left hand, causing his entire landing to fail. His arm hurt like hell, and he cursed so loud the bird screamed in reply from the kitchen. When he reached the windows that had the best view of the driveway in the foyer, he felt retarded.
A silver Chevy Impala was heading down the driveway; probably Kate's car. He sighed with relief before tensing again, and recoiling from the window. Both hands grasped the side of his head like he was going insane.
"What is wrong with me?" he yelled at absolutely nothing. He was getting worried about her! For no reason! Randall let out a low growl that grew into an angry yell, getting ready to punch the wall. Okay, maybe not the wall but… something!
He had no clue Jane was feeling just as uneasy as he was right now.
"Thanks for giving me a ride to school, Kate," she said sheepishly, noting Kate's disheveled appearance and cup of straight black coffee in her hand.
"Don't mention it," Kate yawned, making a left out of the driveway. Jane rested her head against the window. She had that dream again. Of running a hundred meter dash that for some reason had hurtles. The same three figures in the stands, watching her with little to no interest. Jane closed her eyes and thought.
Maybe she wasn't running for her family. They didn't seem like that big of a part in her dream. And her mind this time wasn't thinking so hard like it had in the first dream similar to the second. She was thinking about Randall. And for some reason she couldn't control how far her thoughts were getting. Jane was scared that she was… actually racing for him in that one, rather than her family.
This made no sense at all but, hey, dreams never do. Though she will admit to running track back in high school to impress her parents, Jane knew very well that in her mind that's not what she was running for.
She fingered her long pony-tail for comfort, finger-brushing the strands apart even though there weren't any tangles to start with. Loose strands that didn't want to stay bound had fallen in her face. She blew them away only for them to fall in the same place as before.
Just as difficult as Randal-
Her face flushed beat red before she could finish that thought. Why was she thinking of him so much? Stop it, Jane… stop it, stop it, stop it! For a minute she tried singing in her mind and doing everything in her power to get the image of him standing there out of her mind. Why? Why won't he get out of her head?
"You okay?" Kate mumbled as they came across the first stop light in god knew how long. Jane sighed with relief when her friend broke her thoughts. Hurray Kate! She never fails! Jane smiled brightly and shook her head, immediately starting a conversation with her chauffeur.
One thing Fungus learned about Zack yesterday was that the monster, despite his old age and horrific appearance, had this childlike humor that concerned him more than what he was capable of. The large green monster's personality almost seamed like that of a young kitten torturing a smaller creature, like a bug crawling across the floor. The way he talks, sometimes a little sarcastically, is like pawing at the littler creature. Fungus was just glad he hadn't seen said kitten pounce yet.
And who could forget Manny?
He recalled that when leaving the apartment buildings, the large snake-like monster was a pile of green flesh guarding the door.
Sie sind genug glucklich zu leben ... diese Zeit, he laughed, slowly slithering out of the smaller monster's way. Fungus' first priority when he got home was to look up Germen. He didn't feel much better about what the creature had said after he figured it out.
Actually, that's an understatement. Fungus had nightmares all night, and started thinking twice about keeping his deal with Zack. Now he was at work during their lunch break, a cup of black coffee in his hands like it would help him any. But he was so exhausted, it didn't do much other than mobilize him. Fungus had bags under his three eyes, and his glasses looked a little lopsided as he took a seat at the table in the closest break room to Laugh Floor 'F'.
That was when Xavier peered into the break room, his eyes shifting nervously about it. When he saw that it was only fungus he hesitated for a moment, staring at the red monster blankly. Fungus returned the other monster's stare with a blank, zombie-like look of his own.
"Rough night?" Xavier asked nervously, rubbing a tentacle behind his head right about where his neck would be. Fungus just blinked. The orange one nodded and scurried to the snack machine, eyeing the candy wearily.
"What are you doing in here? I thought Laugh Floor G was still working," Fungus said wearily, watching him without really moving his head. Xavier stopped half way to the vending machine, the tentacles used for arms curled up nervously.
"I.. am being sent home early," he said over his slim shoulder, before pulling out a dollar from a side-pouch and feeding it to the machine. Fungus blinked slowly, becoming a little more aware of the situation. He watched the monster press in the code of his selection, and then eyed the candy falling to the bottom.
"You hate chocolate," Fungus stated matter-of-factly, sounding a little more aloof than he really was. Xavier winced under his accusation, turning a little to look at Fungus while using a foot tentacle to grab the candy, "Don't be ridiculous," he said coolly.
The smaller red monster watched as the other walked to the mini-fridge, and pulled out a smaller lunch-sized carton of chocolate milk.
"And you're lactose intolerant."
"Am not," Xavier denied, turning to face Fungus fully now. The smaller was too tired to be nervous, or scared. In fact, he really didn't care; he just wanted his damn coffee.
Little to his knowledge, the other was slowly breaking down under Fungus' tired gaze. If he kept this up he was going to explode, letting the other know everything.
"I've known you for years, Xavier. I know you hate chocolate. And I know you're lactose intolerant. That's all."
Xavier's eyes shifted around the room before landing guiltily on the items he had grabbed while being in here. He bit his lower lip and took a seat across from Fungus, setting the candy bar and chocolate milk down.
"Listen, whatever you do, call off your deal with Zack," he said quickly and quietly, like the very monster could be listening to their conversation this minute.
Fungus raised a brow. "What?"
"Call. It. Off."
"I was thinking about doing so today but… why?"
"He's crazy! He's planning on something, and I know it's not good," the other squirmed and winced when he heard footsteps nearing the door, then disappearing down the hall as the stranger passed. Fungus watched him wearily.
"Then why are you working for him?"
Xavier's head lowered a little guiltily, staring intently at the chocolate bar. Fungus did recall that he and his wife were expecting a kid right around the time Monsters Inc. was shut down after the 'conspiracy'. But then why hang around someone supposedly so dangerous?
"After M.I. shut down I couldn't find another job. Zack offered to pay me if I helped him with a few side jobs of his," he murmured, a tentacle curling around the candy bar, "Alice was a nervous breakdown. She didn't think we'd be able to make any money at all, which made me more desperate than anything to make at least enough to put food on the table for her. She eats so much now that the baby is getting bigger. So when I agreed to work for him M.I. reopened two weeks later, but if I quit on him now he'll sick Manny on me. It's not too late for you though, he's only really known you for a day."
Fungus blinked slowly. Wow. Mood killer. He stared back down at his coffee, before downing the rest of it and then giving the other a skeptical look.
"That doesn't explain the chocolate and the milk," he said, redirecting the conversation to the situation at hand. Xavier's eyes shifted to the side, then back at Fungus.
"They're for Alice," he said simply and stood up, taking the goods with him and leaving before Fungus could question him further.
The red monster straitened out his glasses, settling a wary gaze on the chair Xavier had sat in. His story was almost believable, until he looked up at the door and realized something.
Wasn't Xavier's entire species lactose intolerant?
Then that milk wasn't for Alice…
School.
She hated school.
She hated school so much she wanted to bomb it.
Jane yawned tiredly as she descended the steps of her community college, slightly zigzagging in her step towards Kate's car which was waiting patiently for her.
"Afternoon, sleeping beauty," Kate said, no longer a disheveled mess like she was earlier this morning.
"Off to work we go," Jane cheered tiredly, leaning the chair back so she would be laying down. Kate snorted a laugh, slowly accelerating towards Jeanie's Pets.
Jane fell asleep on the way there, dreaming of Randall laughing at her for dancing with the snake last night. She was so embarrassed, both in and out of her dream. And why was she worrying about his opinion on it anyway?
"Jane," Kate said gently, shaking her friend's shoulder, "We're here, sweetie."
Jane's eyes fluttered open so she could adjust to the bright sunlight before immediately dreading where she was. She crossed her fingers for good luck while stepping out of the car, allowing Kate to walk into the shop before her.
Turns out crossing your fingers doesn't bring you much luck at all.
Near the front counter being taught how to use the cash register by Jeanie was a girl slightly taller than Jane with shoulder-length black hair, a good amount of her natural blonde color growing from her roots. She had a slimmer build which Jane had always envied and a ridiculous amount of black eyeliner giving her a sort of gothic-raccoon appearance that was… somewhat complimenting on her green eyes.
Said eyes shot to the door and suddenly lit up with a small amount of mischief, giving Jane a nasty smile that to anyone else looked friendly.
Jane bared teeth in a nasty snarl in return, only to be cut off by Kate who immediately distracted her.
"Hey Jane, looks like the snake cages haven't been cleaned yet. Why don't we go do that? Oh! And Anthony was supposed to bring his rattlesnake in today so you could look at it! Remember when you asked him to bring Phoebe in? I think Meg said something about him bringing her in today to come see you so why don't we go to the back room- Hi Jeanie!"
Jane had no room to talk while being dragged to the back room as Kate said all of that. In one breath.
Kylie watched them leave, frowning some that she didn't get the tormented reaction she wanted from Jane.
Upon reaching the back room though, Jane froze when entering halfway in. A thirty gallon tank which use to occupy the Burmese that was sold a few weeks ago now had something much more… interesting sitting inside. Anthony, who was the same person holding all of those baby corn snakes a month ago, was a little off to the side playing with Snowball, Jane's blizzard corn that she decided to keep.
"Is that…?"
"Phoebe? Yeah, it is. Isn't she a beauty? Meg and I found her at a reptile show a few years ago. The only venomous snake we'd ever owned."
Phoebe was a seven foot Diamondback Rattlesnake curled up in the warmer side of her cage. She didn't look at all irritated, only tired. When Anthony neared her cage holding Snow ball the snake actually seemed to follow him, as if wanting out to greet him. The thought of his made Jane gush, immediately forgetting the wicked bitch of the west at the front desk.
"She. Is. So. Cute!" Jane gushed, taking Snow Ball from Anthony so he could pull her out. Phoebe crawled up to his shoulders and sat around his neck, eyeing everyone else warily. Kate was the only one keeping her distance quietly.
"Jeanie's going to throw a fit," Kate said with a smirk.
"More like have a cow!" Jane laughed, gently taking Snow Ball over to his ten gallon tank kept in the back and then returning over to Anthony. He pulled Phoebe carefully from around his neck and held the snake out to Jane. "Be careful," he warned as she took it slowly. Jane hadn't had a lot of experience with poisonous snakes, but she had held quite a few that had teeth. Not to mention the Phoebe was probably handled by Anthony every day. She was so well behaved around strangers and not even her rattle seemed to shake near them.
"How in the world did you get her to be so calm?" Jane asked in bewilderment, not believing for one second that she was actually holding a rattlesnake. Shouldn't this be impossible?
"When we brought her home she wasn't like this at all, but kept getting out. The more we handled her to put her back in her cage the more use to us she got and eventually let us hold her whenever we want. The trick is to be very calm though. She doesn't like it when people overexert themselves when holding her," he lectured holding out his hand, palm up, allowing Phoebe to arch around Jane's neck and back into his palm, "I found that last part out the hard way."
Jane winced at the though just as Phoebe's tail was left in her hand, and eventually slithered off her as well. When the rattlesnake was eventually calmly set back down, Anthony replaced the lid, Meg now appearing at her side.
"Oh my god," she growled, looking like she was about to punch something. Anthony pulled her into a hug, which didn't to much to help his fuming roomy/girlfriend.
"That Kylie chick is a total idiot! I tried to teach her how to care for and feed some of these animals; she tried feeding the Garter snakes' fish to the Ball Pythons!"
Jane laughed, earning a glare from Meg. She held her palms up in a surrender like motion but couldn't stop giggling. She was feeling better already.
"Don't get mad at her, Meg, she's just…."
"Just what? Making fun of me?" Meg growled.
"No, she's happy to know you don't like her."
Jane nodded in agreement, leaning on Kate for support. Meg was confused now.
"It's the same… Kylie that… eloped… with Ryan," Jane said between giggles, though why she was laughing about this now was a mystery to her. She'd officially gone insane. That had to be it…
"All right, girls, enough!" Jeanie called while entering the back room, oblivious to the hatred between two of her workers, "I need you guys to teach Kylie here how to clean the snake cages. She seems to know a lot about them, won't stop talking about 'em."
Jane glared.
She didn't know shit about snakes.
Meg was silently thinking the same thing, giving Kylie a nasty look of her own.
Anthony was confused and Kate was biting her nails hoping there'd be no nuclear war in the middle of their pet store.
There was a bell ringing up front, signaling that a customer was ready. Jeanie left the back room to help said customer, leaving Kylie sitting there in the lion's den.
"How was the honeymoon, bitch?" Meg snapped, cracking her knuckles. Anthony grew tense, ready to restrain his angry girlfriend if he had to. Mainly though, he was just glad she wasn't mad at him this time…
"Great," Kyle shrugged nonchalantly, walking up to the rattlesnake's cage. Phoebe eyed her curiously, slowly uncurling herself form her corner to watch the girl warily. Anthony saw what she was trying to do, and immediately shifted his guard from Meg to Phoebe's cage, holding her lid down on it.
"She's already been held a lot today, I don't want to stress her out," he said softly. Kylie giggled, seeming like she'd done this before.
"Oh no! On our honeymoon Ryan and I studied snakes for a while, even went down to New Mexico to see some of their native snakes."
Jane was fuming more than Meg was. Kate watched her more carefully than Phoebe was watching Kylie, swearing that her copper hair was starting to curl. She ground her teeth together in attempts to bite her tongue. Kylie knew nothing about the simplest life form on the planet; but she knew very well how to pretend. And she almost had Anthony convinced for a minute when she tried to open the cage, despite his grip on the lid. Meg watched, growing calmer after realizing something.
"Wait," she said softly, gently pulling Anthony off of Phoebe's cage, "I want to see if she can do it without getting bitten."
Anthony looked at her a little bewildered.
"If she's bitten we could be charged for attempted murder! Not only that but they'd kill Phoebe!"
"And if she's bitten we can tell them she was attack our snake without our consent," Meg whispered harshly. Anthony bit his tongue, not liking this plan at all.
Kylie was smiling at them, then looked back at Jane, looking a little smug.
"I've held a ton of these things, captive and non. I think I'll be fine," she drawled, pulling the lid back and setting it aside.
Phoebe didn't like this. It wasn't Anthony entering her territory. It was someone new, with a whole new scent and she didn't like it. The snake recoiled, rattling her tail as if to yell 'back off', not yet flashing any fangs. But Kylie wasn't discouraged, talking softly to the snake like she could calm it.
Jane had walked around to the side to get a better view of what would happen. Phoebe looked pissed, and she wasn't flashing fangs yet. But when Kylie's hand started to lower into the tank she swore the snake's jaw started to quiver.
Phoebe wasn't going to flash fangs first. It was clear to Jane that she wasn't going to give any warning at all.
"It's okay, little rattler," Kylie said lightly, almost touching the snake.
"What are you…!" Jane growled, running up to push Kylie out of Phoebe's territory.
Anthony, Meg, and Kate yelled in protest when Jane ran up to stop her. This wouldn't end well, she knew it wouldn't. She had to stop her before she did something more stupid, and got the store shut down.
Kate covered her mouth with both hands, feeling her rib cage tense up. Phoebe really was about to strike at Kylie and if she was bitten then it wouldn't be very good at all. But watching Jane charge at the idiot in order to stop her made her gut feeling so much worse. It was like watching everything in slow motion.
Jane felt no different by the time reached Kylie and shoved her real hard.
"Get away from her!" she cried, startling the other.
Phoebe chose that exact moment to strike missing Kylie's arm by half an inch due to the impact from Jane.
But she didn't miss the other girl, sinking fangs into the flesh on her wrist.
A/N: As always, review replies are down here!
But first I wanna apologize for making that cheesy scene of Jane dancing with her pets. It's not because I want to make anything about her more dramatic than it already is. My goal was to show a little bit more of her childishness, which I'm hoping you all know is a big part of her character... I try making it obvious sometimes but other times I forget what the hell I'm writing in the first place while typing this. xD So sorry if any of you took it a little worse than I intended.
By the way, what Manny said in Fungus's little flashback was "You are fortunate enough to live... this time."
Oh! And we get to see a little more of Jane's mysterious past! It's kinda out there but how else would it come out?
Okay, on with the replies.
Corvigryph- Hehe, yeah the summery throws me off sometimes when I go through some fanfictions and forget it's my own story. o.o Dunno why I don't register it fast enough but... oh well. Glad you love it so much and I was listening to that song the other day too, but now that I picture Jane singing it, it is pretty magical. Haha!
Lonelyfairy- Yeah none of her parents will sound very promising at all... unfortunately. I fell bad for doing that to her but... well... she needs torture sometimes. Honestly though I never expected a German talking monster was going to be so popular though. It makes me happy that all of you love him, so thank you! ^-^
BearsRUs- Yeah I almost forgot that too when I remembered that Jane drove herself back and forth to school and work. So I sorta broke her truck... -hides wrench behind back- Now Randall has to fix it! Well... at least look at it. I'm sure he'd end up poking it again later. =3
ClosetWerewolf808- That he is. That he is. Manny will have a much bigger part later than just insulting Fungus over and over again too, so I hope to keep you around til then! Thanks for the review! =D
Oriana- -Bows- Why thank you very much! And yes, Xavier is an actual employee though you don't really learn his name or hear him speak for that matter. He's only seen for like, a few seconds running into a door screaming and flailing his six tentacle-arms. He's the same species as Toni who owns the Grossery in the beginning though, if that helps some on his appearance. And I can't blame you for loving the villains, I always fall for them too man. They're all so charismatic! Dx
Mambo-Like-Dis- You know, you made me realize just how many bad guys I have in this story. I had no clue how intense it was getting up until that point but now I'm starting to see it. xD Also yeah, he sort of is but it's obviously driving him insane. Hope you liked this episode as much as the last! ;)
YouSpinMeRightRound- I'm glad you appreciate my random switching of points of views. Sometimes I feel kind of bad like I'm giving some people out there whiplash... but it helps build suspense too, right? At least I think it does... o.o; And yeah, I woulda socked him in the face too but that's one thing about Jane that makes writing her so difficult. She's the complete opposite of myself and can restrain herself a whole lot better than I can... And Randall's gonna regret not following her. Haha, he's just gonna explode x3
TheShiz- How in the world do you survive with little to no internet? o.o I'd die! Well I'm glad you have a little at all, cuz I'd be sad not to have you read and review my chapters. D: So now that this chapter is longer it can be a way of also making up for the gas used to drive to the library... if that works. And Fungus is bringin' sexy back! Can't you picture him with a gold grill instead of braces? Cuz I can. xD
darkreflection- Why thank you! Friday the 13 is an amazing day, I hope you enjoyed it as well!
Mrs. Marty McFlyyy- Whew! The first sentence in your review had me goin'. My mom uses the word 'two cents' to criticize me harshly, so that was a good one! I'm so glad you love the story and that you reviewed to let me know you're reading! The new movie coming out is going to be amazing, though Randall may or may not be in it... it's still Monsters Inc! Whooo! So thank you, thank you again for the wonderful review. And I love your name. Back To the Future is amazing. xD
I love you all! Thank you all so much for the amazing feedback and reviews!
