OK everyone, bonus chapter here 'coz I still feel really guilty 'bout the horrible updating. I'm trying to fix that so please forgive me. Ch.15 is going to be posted soon too, so I hope everyone forgives me. RL is seriously impossible to please. T.T'
Disclaimer: I only own Jo McCrae. Livy Aston belongs to flowerpower71. Peyo owns the Smurfs, Johan, Peewit and all other characters in this universe. I just wrote the storyXDD
Peewit nodded, still holding the rattle closely. Jo had felt awful, entering the jester's room without his permission, and by touching one of his possessions, getting him all down like this. Peewit sighed, looking over to Jo, still clutching the rattle. "I-I'm sorry…" he quietly said.
"Sorry? Why? I'm the one who came into your room without asking, and then being a snoop. I'm the one who should be sorry." Jo replied.
Peewit walked over to where Jo had originally found the rattle, placing it back in its spot. Once the rattle was back where it's supposed to be, Peewit turned back to Jo who was slightly hugging her arms in a guilty gesture. "Still, I really should not have barked at you. Sometimes I act out my bad side."
"You call that your bad side? Dang, your bad side's better than my good side." Jo said, trying to get a laugh. To Jo, whenever things went bad, she had a habit on making humor out of it. It was something she picked up from her father…
Peewit though, didn't laugh. That was strange. He was normally the one to make up those cheap jokes, or laugh at any joke no mattering how stupid – unless it backfired on him that is. Jo hung her head, still feeling the guilt at her. "Erm…Peewit? Are you okay?" Peewit again didn't reply. He said nothing, nothing at all. Jo walked closer, snapping her fingers. Peewit blinked twice, looking over at the raven girl.
"Are you okay?" Jo repeated.
"Uh, sorry…again. I was just thinking." Peewit replied. Jo glared at him, confused. "What did ya mean that was all you had?" Jo asked, recounting what Peewit had told her after she apologized on discovering the rattle. Again, Peewit said nothing having Jo feel a little ignored. Before she could say anything and figure out why he wasn't paying, he said in a soft voice, "My dad made it for me."
Jo's eyes widen to the mention of "Dad". She didn't hate the word, she couldn't, but it brought up too many dark memories for her despite the good ones. But many times, bad overruns good. Peewit sighed heavily, looking over to Jo, but now he was the one to be surprised. "Jo? Are you okay? You look…pale."
"I-I'm fine…just stupid memories."
Jo sighed, her blue eyes glancing down to the floor. "I'm guessing," she began, "your parents ain't here anymore, right?" Peewit didn't speak, but he nodded. "Yeah, uh, but I won't bore you."
Jo shook her head, "It's okay Peewit, you can tell me. Uh, that is, if ya wanna."
Peewit shrugged, taking a seat on his bed. Jo walked over, sitting next to the jester. Peewit thought a moment and simply explained, "I didn't always work in the castle. I used to be a thief in the woods." Jo was stunned. Peewit? A thief? She had a difficult time picturing good-hearted Peewit wearing a ski-mask and stealing from people. "But before that, I did have a family. My dad was a carpenter, and he made that rattle for me. I really liked it; call it my first musical instrument if you will. I made up songs with it all the time."
Jo smiled softly, imagining a toddler Peewit, shaking his rattle happily. His parents would probably dance or clap along with him. It was a cute scene in Jo's mind, but she cut it off to be attentive to Peewit. "I couldn't have asked for a better life. They were all I really had too, considering a lot of the kids made fun of my height or appearance sometimes. I loved them so much."
"They sound like great people, Peewit."
Peewit smiled, a stray tear sliding down his cheek that he hurriedly wiped away. "Then it happened…a fishing accident. We were on a boat out in the ocean. I, obviously, was fooling around with my rattle. I was trying to make music to cheer up the mood since we didn't catch anything yet. My parents were laughing and smiling with me, but I guess I was too close to the side because I tripped over the boat and fell into the water."
Jo gasped, both her hands shot up to cover her mouth. Oh Peewit…she thought. Jo could only imagine how scary that would have been for a young child. She wasn't sure what to say…"I'm sorry" or "I can only imagine" or "how horrible" all sounded wrong. So, she did the worst thing she could've done…nothing. Sometimes that was the best thing to do, but it's hard when something inside you is screaming at you to do something useful. To make the other feel better. But some things you couldn't help.
"My mom, she jumped in after me and saved my life. But, something was holding onto her dress and she was pulled back under. My dad,"
There it was that word again…
"He caught me and put me on the boat, then dived in to save my mom. I never saw them again. I waited on that boat for a while until some other fishers came by. They asked what I was doing and I explained the whole thing. One of them went under but when he came back up, he didn't have my parents with them. I was scared. When you're a kid, you don't understand when someone dies…but it eventually hits you when they never come back."
"I know how ya feel." Jo said much to Peewit's shock. "You expect them to always come back, that everything will be as it was before. It was just a joke. But it's one deadly joke. A cruel joke. And it hits you, they're not coming back, ever. No matter how long you wait for them…their not coming."
Peewit slowly looked up at the raven girl, curiosity, shock, and horror all written on his face. "T-that's right…" he whispered. "That's exactly how I feel." Jo seemed emotionless as she now stared down the floor. Peewit, meanwhile, was reading her body language and trying to digest what Jo had said. In less than a minute, he got it. Someone she loved died…
And died in a horrible way…
When she was too young to understand…
"Who are you thinking about, Jo?" Peewit asked, curiously. Putting the pieces together, he knew that Jo wasn't just mindlessly looking at the floor, she was thinking of the person who died. Jo was caught off guard by the question, being snapped back into reality. "What?" she questioned.
"Who are you thinking about?"
"Why do you assume that?" Jo looked at Peewit oddly, trying to cover up her distraction. "Please Jo, you explained the feeling like you been through it yourself. You're too abstracted suddenly. Did someone you love…pass?"
Jo turned her head away, staring blankly at her feet. "Well…yeah…"
"Can…can you tell me?" Peewit asked, staring at Jo with his light blue eyes.
Jo blushed slightly. "Um…well…it's my dad." That's why she went pale, Peewit thought, remembering how white Jo's face went when he mentioned his dad had made the rattle. "What happened?"
"He was sick…very sick…" Jo explained. "You see, in the future, there's this deadly illness, it's called Cancer. There's no real cure for it. There's treatments but, that's if you catch it on time. Very few, lucky people, have survived." Jo felt tears prickle her eyes, "My dad wasn't lucky…"
Take a breath
I pull myself together
Just another step till I reach the door
You'll never know the way it tears me up inside to see you
I wish that I could tell you something
To take it all away
Five-year-old Jo was happily sitting in the living room, drawing in a book her mom bought for her. She was drawing a picture of her family. Despite her age, Jo's parents thought she was very talented in the arts (even in karate but that was for fun) "There, finished." Jo smiled, admiring her picture. "Time to show mommy and–"
Jo was interrupted as she heard violent coughing coming from the kitchen. "Daddy?" Quickly, Jo jumped off the couch, forgetting her picture, as she ran into the kitchen. She gasped at what she saw.
Sometimes I wish I could save you
And there're so many things that I want you to know
I won't give up till it's over
If it takes you forever I want you to know
"Daddy!"
Jo's father was on his knees, on arm gripping the table, supporting him. He was coughing fiercely. Jo tried to call him, but he wouldn't reply. Her father had been sick for a couple months now and Jo didn't understand why he wasn't better yet. Worried and scared, she ran out back where her mother was gardening. "Mommy! Mommy!"
Her mother jumped, dropping her watering can as Jo burst through the backdoor. "Joannie! How many times have I told you to not sc–"
"Daddy needs your help! He's not answering me!" Jo cried. Quickly, her mother ran inside calling Jo's father's name in panic, leaving Jo outside…alone and frightened.
When I hear your voice
It's drowning in a whisper
It's just skin and bones
There's nothing left to take
And no matter what I do I can't make you feel better
If only I could find the answer
To help me understand
It has been less than a week since that day…and Jo's dad was in the hospital. Jo didn't know how a flu ended as this. It was the end of summer, well, technically it was over, and her father seemed just fine before. In fact, all through the summer, there wasn't one day they weren't together. Her dad took her and her mom everywhere from amusement parks to picnics to just drawing at home. Granted, he did have a horrible cough and near the end of summer, he became too tired to play with Jo anymore. But now he was in the hospital.
Jo was scared of the hospital. Ever since her dad was taken there, his appearance slowly changed with every visit her and her mom had to see him. Their last visit which was a couple hours ago, Jo's dad's hair was almost completely gone. He tried to make a joke of it. He said, "It's my new hairstyle! Do you like it? Maybe you should get the same!" Jo had giggled and shook her head, claiming she liked her hair. Then her dad proceeded, "What! You don't like it? Well, I should call back the Barber and tell him this." Jo was laughing at her dad and wondered how someone with so much spirit was so sick.
Sometimes I wish I could save you
And there're so many things that I want you to know
I won't give up till it's over
If it takes you forever I want you to know
Jo got more worried within each visit. Her father looked older than his twenties. He was only twenty-eight years old and yet, he looked like he was forty. All his hair was gone and he was always sleeping. Sometimes he would manage a smile and say, "I love you," to Jo and her mom. Her mother was always in tears on their visits, but she tried to hide it for Jo's sake who still didn't understand what was happening. She had no idea that her father's days were being counted.
That if you fall, stumble down
I'll pick you up off the ground
If you lose faith in you
I'll give you strength to pull through
Tell me you won't give up cause I'll be waiting if you fall
Oh you know I'll be there for you
On their next visit, Jo wanted to make her dad feel a little better, so she decided to show him the picture she never ended up revealing. It had been sitting in her art book, under her bed since the day she drew it. Digging for her art book, she eventually found it and threw it on her bed, tearing out the picture so she could give it to her dad.
The trip to the hospital was like every other…silent. Once arriving to the hospital, Jo's mother walked up to the desk to make sure Jo's dad was available at that time. Jo waited a few feet away, her picture clutched in her hands. She was snapped out of gaze when she heard her mother screaming. Jo turned to her mother who was slowly falling to the floor, sobbing heavily. The nurse behind the desk came around and caught her in a hug. Jo was confused so she decided to visit her dad herself since she knew where his room was, coming here so many times. She wandered down the hall where the elevator was. She walked in, pressing the button to bring her to the next floor. Once the doors opened, she hurried to her father's room, but when she arrived, he wasn't there…
(Ahahaha)
If only I could find the answer
To take it all away
"Daddy's not with us anymore, Joannie." Her mother told her that night after her crying episode. "Why? Where'd he go?" Jo asked. "He's with the angel's. He's in Paradise."
"Why did he go without us?"
"Sometimes Joannie, people have to go there alone. Daddy was very sick, you know that, and now, the angel's came for him."
"Is Daddy coming home soon?" Jo asked. Her mother made a strange sound, and shook her head. "Will I ever see Daddy again?" she questioned. Jo watched her mother look up, tears in her eyes again, "Someday Joannie…but not today."
Sometimes I wish I could save you
And there're so many things that I want you to know
I won't give up till it's over
If it takes you forever I want you to know
(Oh)
I wish I could save you
I want you to know
(Ohohh)
I wish I could save you (oh)
Jo let the tears fall freely down her cheeks. She had waited for days by the window, waiting for her dad to come home. He wasn't at the hospital so she assumed he had to come home eventually. Paradise sounded nice, but she knew he'd come home. Or so she thought. It didn't take long for reality to finally catch up, and then she cried for days. Her dad was gone, that's all it was. He was gone and she would never see him again. What hurt her most is she found out he had this illness for a long time and that explains the summer. He wanted to spend time with his family before he died.
"My dad didn't deserve to die, Peewit…he did everything for me. He loved my mother and me so much. I can't think of one person who didn't like him. Cancer took him and I remember when I was younger…I wish it would've taken me too. I missed him…" Jo began to cry into her hands.
Peewit placed a hand on Jo's shoulder. Sitting down, he was about her height. "I don't think we can choose whose right to die or not." He informed. "Sometimes we can control things, but sometimes we can't. Sometimes we have to accept reality no matter how unfair it is. Trust me, I know. My parents meant the world to me…and I can't help but feel guilty." He said, tears staining his cheeks.
Jo couldn't help but hug the blond. Peewit was surprised, but took the opportunity to hug the raven-haired girl back. Peewit was somewhat disappointed when Jo let go, but quickly pushed away that thought.
"Don't feel guilty, Peewit. You was just a lil' kid. You didn't know better…besides, I believe that everything happens for a reason." Jo sighed deeply, "Even my father's death."
"Your father was a good man, Jo." Peewit said.
"Yeah, well, I guess not yet since we're in the past." She smiled. Peewit smiled along, but frowned when Jo did. She sighed and placed her hands on her lap. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder why people're born if they die 'fore they had time t'make a life. I mean, my dad was young; he hadn't even done anything yet. What was his reason?"
"To find love and have you."
Jo looked over to Peewit, amazed by what he said. "What?" she asked, just to hear it again. Peewit blushed and repeated, "Well, your father was to find love, and the main reason, have you. You can carry on the family line. It doesn't end with him." Jo smiled. Just the thought of Peewit thinking about her was heart-warming.
"Thanks Peewit…it's been bugging me but now…I know my father's reason." Once more, she hugged Peewit. Peewit felt his cheeks go red as his heartbeat quickened. He was sure Jo was able to hear it. Again, she slowly pulled away. He looked over to her, her cheeks slightly red as she nervously pulled some hair away from her face. "Uh…sorry…"
"What for?"
"Hugging you just randomly like that. Sorry…"
"Don't be," Peewit said having Jo look at him, a look of confusion. Peewit caught himself, his eyes widening. "I, uh, I mean, don't be silly…it's okay…uh, yeah…"
"Um…okay?" Jo chuckled. She stood up, straightening out the wrinkles that were created in her tunic. "Well, I should prob'ly go. I'm, kinda still trespassing into your room. It won't happen again." Jo said, walking over to the door. She opened it and looked back at the red jester. "See ya 'round." And she was gone.
Peewit sat on his bed for a while, thinking about Jo. Wow, she is really pretty. Maybe I should – Peewit! What are you thinking?! Not only is she from the future and Johan's descendant…she would never date you. I mean, she could do better than me and – oh no… Johan's descendant! What's Johan going to think?!
Jo closed the door to Peewit's room, then leaned against it for a moment thinking about what just occurred. "Er…that was…unexpected." She told herself. I never seen such bright blue eyes…I mean, mine're so dark and…why'm I thinking 'bout his eyes? OK, I need t'go now, Jo thought, walking away from the blonde's room.
Jo wandered downstairs, feeling rather thirsty. Coming down the stairs, she heard soft footsteps coming over. Jo crouched down behind the stairs' railing in an attempt to not be seen until she identified who was walking about.
"Livy?" Jo asked, jumping up. Livy was surprised and confused to see Jo – hiding behind a railing. "Hey Jo," she waved. Jo leaped up and sat on the railing, sliding her way down next to her bestie.
"Girlie, you'll never believe what happened!" Jo exclaimed, running over to Livy.
"You'll never guess what happened to me!" Livy informed when Jo reached her.
"I think I like a guy!" the two said at the same time, both excited and smiling. Suddenly, it hit them to what the other just said. "Wait, what?!" they said again. "You like a guy! I do too! OMG! We gotta stop talking at the same time."
"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
― Mother Teresa
Another chapter ^^ Adventures 're on the way ;) Special thanks to flowerpower71 who helped with Peewit's backstory. Thanks girlie ;D
The song is "Save You" by Simple Plan.
Since I already did the disclaimer, I'm just gonna take up some time. OMG, is the gang falling for one another? :3 (Duh) LOL well, it's gonna take more than Cupid's Arrow and the Love Bug for these teens to realize they was made for each otherX) Hmm, does everything truly happen for a reason? (Strokes imaginary beard)
Well anyway, in all, just thought I'd also leave off with a side note saying I'm thinking about changing the rating of this story to T. (Explained this before) Not really anything (really) bad is going to occur, but just to be safe and also 'coz I'm retartedXDD
Thanks for reading and if you enjoyed it, like couples, kittens and cookies, please leave a review in that box below, thanks ^^
CartoonCaster21 is out! Peace! :D