Jace

The medicine had worn off by the time I woke up the next morning. I looked at myself in the mirror and considered staying in bed all day.

I went to get my hair brush from my bag and brushed my hair. Then I washed my face like I always did. I went to find my bag at the foot of the bed. I quickly undressed and put on a Green Day heart grenade t-shirt with my black jeans from yesterday. I then washed my teeth twice since I had vomited last night.

Today I decided to just use concealer and just a tad bit of eyeliner.

By the time I finished and left my room everyone was eating breakfast except Seto.

"Hey Jace, why'd we leave early?" asked Yugi.

"I was tired. Guess I'm not fit for this." I lied.

"Well Yugi won!" declared Joey.

"Whoa" everyone screamed. I joined in the cheering. After that I served myself some coco puffs, my favorite cereal since childhood.

It felt good to drink cool milk and munch on puffs. Once everyone started talking about dueling I turned on my iPod and started listening to Paramore's album "brand new eyes".

"Give me attention I need it now, too much distance to measure it out, out loud, tracing patterns across a personal map, and making pictures where the lines overlap"

I soon took out my sketch book and started drawing the hospital I stayed in, and then I drew Claire on the next page.

"No one is as lucky as us, we're not at the end but oh we already won, no one is as lucky as us"

I then started drawing what Karen, Jimmy, Jared, Lacey, and I must look like from a bird's eye view when we lay on the grass in a circle.

"call me over, tell me how, you got so far, never making, a single sound, I'm not used to it, but I can learn, nothing to it, I've never been happier"

First came Karen, her Asian hair that was always fine, the oval face I knew so well, and last her harajaku way of dressing.

Jimmy, her boyfriend- in-the-making, has muddy brown hair that's always messed up, boyish features, punk rebel clothes, and his eyes told you he is high and screwed up.

Lacey was another story. She seemed like the type of girl that was head cheerleader. Ha. She has model type face, high cheek bones, perfect skin, beach blonde hair that she streaked her hair with charcoal dye, and her uniform of t-shirts with sayings, ripped leggings and black mini.

Jared was next to Karen, leaving a space for me. He had an expression that most people mistake for "stoned", but he was just wondering. His hair was dark chocolate almost raven, long and lean, black misfit shirt, pierced lip and ear.

Everyone had bags under their eyes.

I always had trouble doing self portraits, but I tried my best. I drew my layered raven hair, frayed by my attempts' to curl it. My face often described as elfish, and maybe it was. I was the shortest of my friends, and didn't have big boobs or a big ass. I drew my favorite t-shirt, a pink Floyd "the wall" shirt that I had gotten for x-mas, my white skinny jeans, and triad necklace.

"No one is as happy as us, we're not at the end, but oh we already won, no one is as lucky as us"

It took an hour but I was finally done. Plus I had "Where the Lines Overlap" by Paramore on repeat the whole time.

When I finally looked around the room I noticed Seto had walked in and now everyone was talking about the next match.

A few minutes later everyone got up to take a look through the port holes to see the view. Feeling left out I followed everyone out. I heard Mokuba say how high up we were, but I tuned him out.

"Now I've got a feeling if I sang this loud enough you would sing this back to me, I've got a feeling, I got a feeling, you, would sing I back to me"


"Aw man, the view up here is great!" exclaimed Duke.

"I wish I had thought to bring my camera," sighed Mai.

"Well no one knew where we were going," Tea commented.

"Serenity, won't this be a story to tell, and you just got your sight back," asked Joey.

"This is so amazing, I love it up here," Serenity responded.

"Jace you should come over and take a look," Tristan said.

Yugi gave me a weary look as if saying, "I don't think that's a good idea sis."

I probably should have listened to his expression, but my pride won. "Mkay," I said, and headed over to a window.

Yeah, I lasted long. I immediately started to feel queasy when I saw just how far up we were. Land was just blotches of green and blue for the sea. "Jace are you okay," asked Yugi.

"Of course she isn't, she's turning green," spat Seto.

Flashback

"The plane is loosening oxygen and altitude fast, we ask that you please remain calm and put on your air mask thank you." Mom came over to me and put my mask on and strapped my seat belt on. "Honey whatever happens don't unbuckle the belt, please." Then I looked at over at dad then back to mom. I hear a thunderous noise, and suddenly their gone.

"Jace, listen to me your all right, your fine," someone said.

"She's all pale is that good or bad?" another person asked.

I remembered mom and dad, I felt like I was falling. I screamed, I need help.

"Her pills find her medicine," some yelled. I felt myself get higher. Was the plane alright? Where was mom? I looked for something to grip on. I found something soft, but firm.

I wondered what it is. Then I continued to scream for help. I was put down. Where? It had to be something soft. "She won't let go. You found her pills now how do we get her to take them," someone asked.

"She wont I'm looking for a shot she should have." Someone else said.

"Found it said," the same voice.

I felt a sharp jab in my arm. Then my mind stopped thinking about. . . Why was I worried? Why was I sobbing? "Yugi leave," a familiar voice said, but whose?

"She's my sister," another familiar voice said. Then a door opened and closed.

I felt whatever I was on dip down a bit more. "Shh, its fine. I'm here, nothing bad is going to happen," the familiar voice said again.

I reached out to the place the voice come from but was too scared to look. As a response two strong arms embraced me. I felt my mind clear up more and remembered what happened, but I was on meds so I didn't flip out.

"Seto, is it you," I asked.

"Mmmhhm," he responded.

I got the guts to look up at him. He was looking at me with a. . .worried look I had never seen on him before.

"Don't ever scare me like that again Jace," he whispered into my hair.

I just nodded, as I suddenly realized that I was lying in bed with Seto Kaiba. "I must look like crap," I said.

"Yes, but I think it works for you," he responded.

"Then I'll have to do this every day," I joked.

He gave me a serious look. "Kidding," I amended.

"That's why you didn't watch Yugi's duel isn't it," he questioned.

"Yes, and I, that god, wasn't ever looking out or down," I answered.

His arms gently unwounded from around me. Then he cupped my face and softly kissed me. I started to kiss him back. It was a kiss we both hungered for. It was both gentle and passionate. And it was over too quickly.

"You should rest," he stated.

"But I already did, and I don't want too," I whined.

"I'll stay here if you'll rest," he compromised.

"Then tell me a story," I probed.

"I only know sad ones," he whispered.

"You must know I don't care if it's sad," I retorted.

"Fine. There once was a family of two boys and their parents. They all loved one another. They weren't very rich, but always worked for what they wanted, and had what they needed. One day their parents died and left both boys to a family who didn't want them, and took their money for their own selfish interest. Once the boys had no more use they left them at an orphanage to fend for themselves. The end." He finished.

"That wasn't a very good ending," I whispered.

"Yet it's a real ending. Showing how not always the good guys win," he responded after a minute.

"Well even then there's always some amount of hope," I stated.

"Not always," he concluded. Before I could contradict him he kissed me and said, "We better go or they'll think I murder you," he spoke.

He got up and left. I soon went to wash my face with warm water. I sat on my bed thinking over what just happened.