Whew...I updated pretty fast on this chapter X3 Thanks to February vacation I've been able to put my ideas together and such for this chapter AND next chapter which is gonna be the most important...according to my plans now at lease XD I hope you guys enjoy this one, it's a bit of a doozy XDXD
Disclaimer: If I wrote LOTF, Percival would have pronounced his middle name as it's written, "Wemys" and not "Williams" o.O It just annoys me to no end T.T
Chapter 7
Twilight had just begun to set in, and the island was bathed in a darkness that made the world around just distinguishable. Jack realized as he made his way up the rocky slope of Castle Rock that it was a whole new trail in the dark, and after not doing so for quite a while keeping his footing became increasingly difficult. When he found a good spot to rest on the crevice of a large rock, he leaned back onto the towering wall of the mountain and admired the bright golden and yellow tones which adorned the opposite portion of the sky, and looked to where they began mixing with the darkness of the approaching night. He moved his attention towards the ocean before him, a seemingly infinite black body whose waves made it sway with life. Feeling a cold wind brush against him, he decided to move to the oncoming cave quickly in order to make a warm fire. As Jack trod onward, he silently prayed that Ralph had fallen asleep so he would not have to face him again, and as he lost the ability to control his emotions the courage he gained during the day seemed to dissipate.
As he made his way up to the mouth of the cave, unfortunately, he found that his prayer had not been answered. Ralph sat on the opposite side of the cave, assuming his usual positioned that he made look quite casual after doing so for days on end. Jack took in a quick breath and, regaining his stature, entered the cave. Ralph's eyes did not flinch from their spot on the floor, and Jack became a bit anxious. 'I needn't make conversation, what's the point?' Jack thought to himself, unconsciously heading towards the small pile of driftwood he had made the day before. 'He seems content enough anyhow.' He picked up a good portion of the pile and moved it haphazardly towards the center of the cave, where ashes lay from the previous fire. With the bundle of wood he created a sort of teepee-like structure, and satisfied with his work he stood up and went to retrieve two other sticks to create a source of friction that would, inevitably, start a fire. Unbeknownst to Jack, Ralph had begun studying his actions, and his eyes widened at what he had begun to do.
He watched Jack expertly rub the two stick together, and remained silent while a tiny stream of smoke emerged from the sticks. Jack continued until a spark appeared, and a small flame broke out. While he began to blow on it to spread it out, Ralph sat in shock. He though, 'If he could do that with two sticks...they wouldn't have any need for...' He breathed carefully in, held the oxygen in his lungs, and released.
"Where're Piggy's specs?" he said, almost in a whisper, and Jack's eyes lifted to meet Ralph's. When he realized he had begun to blush, he lowered his head towards the fire and continued to blow on it. After a while, he spoke. "Why do you care? You don't light the fires anymore." "Where're Piggy's specs?" Ralph repeated, this time with greater force. Jack looked up at Ralph once more, and realized that the boy had become rather angry. "They'll serve you no purpose, you fool. It's not as if he needs them anymore." Ralph stood as quickly as he could, leaning on the wall, and shouted, "You're savage! An animal! How could you even think of speaking that way?!" Jack began to rise, but backed off when Ralph began to speak again, this time with greater indignation as memories of his dear friend Piggy and his terrible death erupted in his mind. "Don't you realize a human life was taken, Jack Merridew?! He wasn't some pig, he was a human!" He lowered his voice and said, "You're a monster." Jack stood and stormed to where Ralph stood fragilely against the rock wall. He stopped when they were dangerously close, and began speaking quietly, but severely. "You're speaking as if I killed him. You want the specs so badly, go get them; they're on top of the god forsaken mountain. We don't need them anymore anyhow." Ralph breathed shallowly, but kept his eyes locked onto Jack's. "I'm giving you permission. Go get them if you want them so badly." Jack back up no more than an inch after realizing how close he was to Ralph, and waited for him to make a move. After looking him over, reality struck. 'W-What am I thinking? He can't walk up the mountain; he can barely stand,' Jack thought in apprehension.
He noticed that Ralph began to turn and said loudly, "Wait...wait a minute." He thought for a moment. The boy looked towards him, waiting for Jack to speak. He stood dumbfounded for a moment, letting his eyes trail outside of the cave, and Ralph lost his patience. "I'm going up to get them now." "N-No!" Jack stuttered, "No...I'll...I'm going to get them. Sit down." Ralph raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, and lowered himself down to the ground. Jack walked briskly towards the cave's exit. Ralph watched him anxiously. 'What on Earth is he doing? What's gotten into him?' he thought, aghast.
The meeting between himself and Roger popped up in his mind, and he began to see what the boy was really talking about. Jack had certainly undergone some sort of change, but what this might have been was beyond him. He began to mold explanations as to what could be running through his mind. 'He could be toying with me, but...in such a queer way. He's never acted this way before. Could he want to cooperate with me?' Ralph began to brighten up. 'Could he finally want to be rescued? Perhaps he doesn't want to admit it, but that's definitely a possibility.' He felt his mouth twitch into a smile, but shook it off. 'I must think logically. He couldn't have changed his mind all of a sudden, that'd never happen.' The bit of hope Ralph had of somehow pulling together to get off of the hellhole of an island began to disintegrate.
Absently Ralph watched the entrance to the cave, and became startled when Jack crept around the corner and walked in. He threw the glasses at Ralph with a single movement and stationed himself in front of the fire, which had strengthened during their argument. As he took up a twig and prodded the burning sticks, blackened with the intense heat, Ralph inquired with half of a voice, "Why'd you-" "For Christ's sake, look at yourself; you can't climb a mountain. I didn't think you of all people would lose your sense of logic." The words that were spoken involuntarily shocked Jack, and to hide his embarrassment he got up and stood in front of the cave's entryway. Ralph watched as Jack folded his arms and leaned on the wall, with the same solidity as the rock around him.
'Only you could make me say something like that,' Jack thought, allowing the cool evening breeze to tousle his red hair. Ralph watched the warm light emitted from the fire, and noticed how it sank into crevices in the cave that would have otherwise been darkened by the nighttime. He spoke absently, "Why won't you kill me?" Jack twitched slightly. "What changed your mind? What're you thinking...?" Jack did not move at all, but spoke angrily, "Why should I have a reason? I just don't feel like it. I-I don't know, I just don't care." A pulse beat in his head.
Ralph glanced at him, and watched the firelight dance across his tanned back. "How can you just change your mind-" The pulse beat louder. "Why do you care so much, Ralph?!" Jack had turned around, and his crystal blue eyes stared at the blonde madly. He breathed harshly, and after hearing Ralph's name spoken aloud for the first time in what seemed like ages, out of his own mouth no less, his heart began to race at an alarming rate. Ralph looked at him, utterly baffled.
Jack looked down to the floor, eyes wide with fury and lungs aching from working so hard. He realized that shock was creeping up on him as it did before, but he found that he could not move. The struggle to run outside against the shock that froze him paralyzed his body further. 'This is ridiculous, I've got to gain control over myself. I shouldn't be reacting like this to something so small!' He realized, however, that this was not as insignificant of a thing as he would have liked to believe, and that he was now a slave to his unpredictable emotions that Ralph, the target of his crippling infatuation, brought on. How he longed to express his unbreakable feelings, to hold Ralph in his arms, to feel his heart beat against him. To release himself from this inner prison could allow Jack to once again possess control over himself, and to finally love Ralph with all of his might. The pulse continued to beat.
'There's no way...I'll never have these things; there's no way he could even begin to understand. Not here. Not now. Never.'
Ralph continued to stare at him, completely unaware of his internal conflict. He hated to admit it, but the sight of Jack, the violent leader of a pack of equally violent boys, gasping for breath and barely moving frightened him. He got up with ludicrous care. "Jack...what's wrong with you?" Hearing Ralph's voice pulled Jack back to reality, and without looking at him he said, quivering, "I'll be back later. Don't - don't leave. I'll be back." Holding his ribs to bring comfort towards his burning lungs, Jack walked out, not looking back.
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The jungle, entangled with creepers and sharp foliage, made Jack's mad dash from the mountain increasingly difficult. The darkness that devoured the island did not help matters, but he drove onward without stopping for breath. Exhausted from running so far and having to break through the jungle's natural barriers, Jack pulled out his knife and began to slash madly at anything in front of him, tearing up leaves and plants of all sizes. As the task wore on he decided to stop, sliding down the side of a tree to the grassy floor of the wilderness. He breathed harshly and loudly, feeling tears escape his eyes but not caring enough to wipe them away. Suddenly he felt a rush of anger and frustration and, while pushing himself to the grass, he shouted and pounded in a delirious, energetic frenzy. Dementedly, he sat up, took up his knife and turned towards the tree, his target. A storm of knife stabs came towards the tree, and Jack made sure that he did not miss. He continued to stab the tree until the side of it was mangled and damaged profusely, and upon finishing the task he fell to the ground. He sobbed openly in great despair, providing additional hurt to his lungs and chest.
After his prolonged episode of cries and sobs, Jack turned to his side and, with his knife, pierced the moist soil. He spoke aloud without being fully aware. "R-Ralph...you - I...you're making me crazy!" Letting more tears escape, he began plowing through the dirt with his blade, still unaware of what he was really doing. "Why - why...you, why you, I don't understand, I don't..." He understood perfectly. The boy whose fair hair rustled in the gusts of sweet ocean wind, whose bright, golden eyes sparkled in excitement and happiness, whose voice was soft and comforting, whose presence made those around him feel safe and comforted, the one who had everything he wanted, everything he loved. More tears fell to the ground, which absorbed them as if they had never existed.
For a while he lay very still, sniffling and allowing more tears to drip effortlessly from his reddened eyes. After a while, however, he realized how late it had gotten and simply wanted to sleep away the rest of his inner turmoil which did not cease even then. Wiping away the salty moisture from his face, he stood up with great difficulty and began making his way back to the cave, the haven, where the one he cared about more than anything lay soundly sleeping.
He did not realize that from behind fanning tropical leaves gleamed a set of gray eyes, who disappeared after Jack soundlessly into the night.
OOH YEAH CHIBIFIED CLIFFHANGER!!! Next chapter coming real soon guys, hope you enjoyed this one!!!
