Chapter Nine: New Day, New Life
Day One:
She always looked so peaceful when she was asleep. There was never anger or bitterness or regret locked in her facial expressions or body language. It was just her.
He crouches down next to the sofa to look at her. She had slept in all of her clothes and it got under his skin. Temptation to strip her then and there made his heartbeat quicken, but again, he resists. There would be a different time and place for that.
For now, he shifts to his knees on the floor and nuzzles his face into the crook of her neck, kissing her skin passionately, letting his tongue smooth over her veins. Today, she slept heavily and must have been exhausted from the previous day or she was just hungover. Either way, his touch doesn't wake her, but just lets a gentle moan escape her lips.
Excitement roared through Kilgrave's body just by that single noise, and he breathes against her jaw line, before pressing his lips against hers. He kissed her hard and slow until she seemed to have woken up.
Her first instinct was to punch him in the throat and throw him all the way against the back wall. Even when she jolts awake, her hands lock in place before she can touch him, remembering his command from yesterday. Nothing he would disapprove of. Flying across the room and breaking his spine would probably be on the disapprove list.
Instead, she quickly pulls away from him and sits up, staring at him with wide eyes. Worst wake up call ever.
"Good morning Jessica…" His breath is still heavy with arousal as he stands up and looks down at her.
Did he always have to be so perverted?! With frustration, she wipes her lips with the back of her hand and snarls at him, the peaceful look she had, erased by disgust. What worsened her mood was that she could feel the very slight wetness between her legs. Shit. What was he doing to her in her sleep and why did her body enjoy it so much?!
"Let's just get this over with." She grumbles, seeing that he held the list of rules in his hand.
"So impatient." He was having fun teasing her but he had plans of his own prepared for the day, so he unfolds the paper and begins to read. From one, all the way down to thirteen.
"Great." Jessica shoves past him and heads straight to the bathroom. It had been too long since she had proper privacy. All these rules in her head made it hard to think straight on her own.
Something about last night didn't sit well with her. They were discussing the rules and then… and then he was staring at her. Angry and then happy, just like that. It didn't make sense. There was a hole, but she couldn't figure out what it was without having the full picture. Thinking about it so hard seemed like a wasted effort.
Before she knew what she was doing in the bathroom, she was scouring the cabinets for something, until she found a packaged, unused toothbrush, which she promptly used and then began to strip herself to get into the shower. Ah yes, rule seven. Healthy and hygienic. It made enough sense. Either way, it made these everyday tasks feel hollow and meaningless. Not even her time in the bathroom was truly hers anymore. Everything she did belonged to him.
When's she's finished, she dries herself off and re-dresses in her clothes she had worn two days in a row now. They smelled of salt water and airplane food and she knew she would have to get new clothes eventually. But clearly, she had no money and she sure as hell wasn't going to let Kilgrave go shopping for or with her. That would be another problem for another time.
Right now, she was just desperate to get away from him. As she's exiting the bathroom, she runs into the girl who was living there with them. Jessica almost forgot the this apartment belonged to two other people. The girl was younger than Jessica, no older than twenty-five, and she had long red hair, well past her shoulders. Most would consider her beautiful. But her cheeks were stained with dry tears and mucus ran down her top lip. Her skinny jeans had a wet stream down them from where she had peed herself, and even when she ran straight into someone, she keeps her eyes low, staring at the ground with an empty, glazed over look in her pupils. Like overnight, she lost her soul.
"I'm s-sorry…" Sniveling, she quickly steps out of the way.
Jessica's heart broke looking at her. It was like staring at a reflection into the past. That was her once. So terrified and confused, and lost. Jessica puts her hands on her shoulders and says softly, "Listen to me. I know what you're going through, and I'm going to make this right for you. I promise."
Still, she doesn't look up, but just whispers something barely audible. "H-he's inside my head."
"I know. But I'm going to -" When the girl hears the sound of Kilgrave coming out of the bedroom, she squeaks and runs back into the closet, shutting the door behind her.
He was dressed in a different suit than the one he had on yesterday. This one was dark blue, and it didn't make him look as ominous as the color purple did. He must have taken it from the man of the apartment.
"What did you do to that girl?" Jessica asks in a low, but threatening voice.
"You really want to start an argument, this early in the morning?"
"You really want to go around, sucking the life out of the people you control?!" Her fists clench just thinking about it. That girl was her. Fuck, she wanted to hurt him for it. And if she couldn't do that, she at least wanted to express how much she hated him for it. But her eyes catch a glimpse at the clock, as he rolls his eyes at her.
"Sometimes, you are absolutely insufferable."
"Forget it." The clock was about to hit nine. If she left on the hour, it would be easier for her to remember when she needed to check in with him next. She pivots on her heel and goes to the door, almost ripping it off the hinges when she opens it. "I'm leaving now."
Just before she was out the door, he grabs her wrist. "Where's my goodbye kiss?" He smiles and tilts his head, as innocent looking as possible.
"You're joking, right?" She glares, clenching her jaw.
"Do I sound like I'm joking?" His smile morphs into a smirk.
As fast as she possibly can, she wrenches her wrist away from his grip and sprints down the hall and into the stairwell, before he can command her to do it.
*****NEW DAY, NEW LIFE*****
By the time her first check in came around at noon, she really hadn't done anything productive. What would count as productive? Probably trying to find a way to get away from the bastard. But he had done a pretty damn thorough job with those rules. Covered all the bases. What else could she do to stop him? She had nothing.
What exactly did he expect her to do all day? Make friends? Bullshit. He wanted her to play the game. He wanted her to realize how truly helpless she was, day after day, doing nothing but wandering the city streets. He wanted her to willingly surrender to being his, and at least pretend to be in love, because apparently that would be less painful than this.
It felt good to be away from him though. To breath new air, even if it was highly polluted. At least it didn't smell of him. London was uncomfortable for her, nevertheless. New York was her life, and being away from it was like walking on eggshells.
But she had to get a feel for it, if this would be her new home for awhile. She had walked long and far, but London was twice the size of the entire NYC, so it was impossible to even see a fraction of it in one day, with no money for cabs. She was lucky today, to find a five pound bill stuck in a sewer drain, but that wouldn't get her a ride anywhere.
Close to noon, her feet ached from walking and her forced desire to be healthy made her stomach growl. With her only money, she bought a sandwich and some 'crisps' at a shop, and made her way to a public park where she say on a bench to eat.
Knowing she would need a phone soon, within minutes, she was friendly with an old man sitting next to her, whose name was Clyde. He let her borrow his phone, which luckily had international service. Jessica made up some excuse about leaving her phone at home and needing to text her boyfriend. The word 'boyfriend' in reference to Kilgrave, left a bad taste in her mouth. A mistake she wouldn't let happen again.
Right at twelve, she sends the text, reading: {Hey asshole. It's JJ. I'm at a park in the middle of the city, about to eat a sandwich, and talking to a nice old man who let me borrow his phone} - 12:00pm.
She holds onto the phone incase there was a response, which there was. {Having fun? - K} - 12:00pm.
{No, actually, I miss being around you so you can mentally abuse me 24/7. Text you in 3 hours baby. 3 } - 12:01pm.
Even through text, her sarcasm could be heard, and using 'baby' with the heart were just an added jab at him.
Handing the phone back to Clyde, she says, "Thank you. If he responds, just ignore it."
Clyde's eyes widen when he reads what has been sent and probably the message that Kilgrave responded with. "Everything okay between you two?" His soft tone and gentle face made his accent less unbearable to Jessica, so she smiles at him.
"We have our problems."
For awhile, she stayed with Clyde to let him tell her about his grandchildren while she ate. Being around Kilgrave and having to deal with his shit for so long, it was nice to talk to someone normal about normal things. Just being normal.
When she finished her food, Clyde wished her luck with her 'boyfriend issues', and they parted ways.
She was off walking again. Where? No clue.
On her stroll out of the park, she stops in front of a tree with a missing persons sign stapled to it.
Her name was Rebecca Mimms, and her parents hadn't seen or heard from her in nearly a month. Apparently, her apartment was abandoned too. But because she was twenty years old, and her parents were the only ones fussing, the police couldn't file an official report about it.
But Jessica stopped because Rebecca looked like Hope. Everything about the flyer reminded her of Hope. Hope Sholttman, missing for a month, searched for by her parents. Jessica could barely hold her sandwich down thinking about it. Thinking about how they all ended up dead because she tried to be the hero.
Wishing she could forget all about it and move on with her life, she turns away from the flyer and walks away. Surely London had it's own private investigators that could help them with this.
Yet, she didn't walk very far before she turns around.
"Shit." She curses under her breath, consumed by guilt as she tears the paper off the tree and shoves it in her pocket.
At least, this would give her something to concentrate on.
*****NEW DAY, NEW LIFE*****
{No, actually, I miss being around you so you can mentally abuse me 24/7. Text you in 3 hours baby. 3 } - 12:01pm.
Every sarcastic comment was like a pull at his thirst for her.
He debated on sending something back, and soon decided he couldn't help it. {Next time you call me baby, you'll be down on your knees. - K} - 12:02pm.
There was no time to be wondering what the look on her face was like when read it, because he was in the middle of business.
"You, step forward." Kilgrave says to the middle-aged man at the end on the line.
As he own experiment, he had selected three lucky, random people from the apartment building to come join him. He was smart enough to know that Jessica wouldn't be pleased if the two people they were living with turned up dead or missing. Random selection was a much safer bet.
When the man steps out of line, he turns to Charlie and Emma, who were the young couple living in the apartment. "You two, stand still and don't say anything."
Back to the middle-aged man, he scratches his head, not sure exactly what to say or how to say it. This was all very new to him. "Make your heart stop." He finally says after a moment of thought.
Immediately, the man lunges for one of the knives on the kitchen counter and starts pressing it into his chest, while letting out a low pitched wince.
"No, no no. You wanker." He scolds and shakes his head. "Stop. Drop the knife." He does so with quivering hands, his chest now running with blood. "Make your heart stop and don't move."
The man stares at him, seemingly confused. The command didn't compute with him, seeing that it sounded impossible.
This goes on for nearly a minute of just staring in silence. "Oh bloody hell. Alright -" Just as he's about to give up on it, the man groans, falls over on his back, twitches a few times and then lays completely limp on the ground. His eyes still open.
Kilgrave's jaw drops and he peers over his body in amazement. "You." He points the next man in line as one of his lab rats. "Check his pulse."
The man crouches down and presses his fingers to his neck, his look of horror increasing when he says, "He doesn't have a pulse."
From this confirmation, Kilgrave has to stop himself from jumping with excitement. "Without moving, put yourself in a coma. And you, give yourself a stroke." He orders the man crouching and the other woman who had been selected.
With the same slight amount of hesitation from each of them, eventually, they both collapse. The man, looking like he passed out, and the woman having a seizure on the floor.
This is what true power felt like. Having life and death wrapped around his finger, and everyone around him was a puppet on his strings.
His grin almost didn't fit his face as he turns to Charlie and Emma. "Put each of them back in their apartments. And bring me my next three subjects."
*****NEW DAY, NEW LIFE*****
At the times for the next few check-ins, Jessica stopped what she was doing and headed to a shop or pub to keep Kilgrave away from the truth. Saving Rebecca was her own secret.
Now, at nine at night, she sat at a bar stool, borrowing the phone of the stranger next to her. {Sitting in a bar, wishing I had money to buy a drink} - 9:00pm.
The past two times, she got one word answers. "Fine." He said both times. And now there was not immediate response at all. It made her wonder what he was up to.
But instead of wondering for too long, she unfolds the wad of papers she had printed out from the public library she spent most of her day in. Rebecca was a young, naive, predictable girl. With what she had in her hands, she could predict exactly where she was. By tomorrow, her parents would have their girl back.
"Uh…" Jessica turns to the woman beside her and asks, "Do you mind if I make a phone call too?"
"Oh, no problem sweetheart. Use it as long as you need."
"Thank you…" She says back. There were very few people like that in London, Jessica found out, as she had to nearly beg the past two times to use a phone. And it was even harder to find a phone that could text an American number. Besides that, she knew she would have to return soon, because she had no other way to eat anything, having no more money, and her need to be healthy urged her to turn back.
Now, she didn't know what had come over her but she wanted to call Rebecca's parents and tell them everything was going to be okay.
Dialing the number on the flyer, a tired sounding woman answers the phone, with a much heavier accent. "Hello?"
"Hi… is this Mrs. Mimms?"
"Uh yes… who is this?"
"I just… it's about your daughter, Rebecca."
"Oh! Oh!" Her voice immediately changes to one of fear, concern, excitement and anxiety all in one. Pulling the phone away from her mouth, Jessica can hear her calling. "Devon! Honey come here quickly! Yes! Yes! I have a girl here who knows something about Rebecca! Come quick!" Putting the phone back up, she say, a little out of breath. "Yes! Yes, you know Rebecca? You know where she is?! Is she okay?!"
"Well… I have an idea of where she might be and I'm -"
"Where?! Where is she? She's okay though, right?!"
"I'm not sure yet." Jessica sighs, realizing it might have been a mistake to call ahead of time. "But I'll know by tomorrow… and I'll give you a call then. Okay? Goodnight…"
"Oh! No! Wait! Please! How will we reach you?! Who are you? Can we at least know your name?"
This was just a mother, aching for her child. And she sounded so desperate that Jessica had to appeal to her more human side to not hang up. With another sigh, she says, "My name is Je-" Her mouth stops moving and she cursed in her head. Rule five. 'You cannot tell the truth about who you are…' Dammit. His voice was like an annoying echo in her mind.
But something cuts through his voice. A memory almost forgotten, yet still floating around in the back of her head. Something that Trish had said to her, what seemed like a lifetime ago.
Clearing her throat, she starts again. "My name is Jewel. And I'm going to find your daughter."
Author's note:
I apologize for this one being such a long chapter and the fact that it took me awhile to post. I've been a little sick so the chapters might come a little slower.
Anyway, this chapter was mostly to highlight what their life is going to be like. I definitely wanted to introduce Jewel as Jessica's hero-like counterpart, and show that Kilgrave is just messing around still.
If you noticed, it said Day One at the beginning of the chapter. I plan to write Day Two, and possibly Three and then I'm gonna start jumping around.
Thanks again!
