Night was always the worst. Jack knew she was in for a night full of bad dreams after her first day of school. Dinner was a quiet affair and after the friends retreated to Sandy's bedroom to work on their homework. Jack had finished everything before dinner so she was leaning against the bed reading a book.
"What are we going to do about Claude?" asked Tooth when the silence became too much for her.
"Absolutely nothing," replied Jack, not looking up from her book. "We keep our heads down and let it blow over. He'll move on and it will come to nothing."
"But he forced himself upon you!"
"And he was punched for his troubles. Seriously, we don't want to draw even more attention to ourselves right now. Or at least I don't want to draw more attention because while you may make friends easily, I do not. I'd rather just blend in and finish the year as quickly as possible."
"We'll keep an eye out for him but I agree with Jacky, darling," said Nick in his jovial tone. "I doubt that idiot will bother us again. Now, I'm going to shower and I think we should all get to bed since we have school tomorrow."
They dispersed and Jacky went to her room, turned on her television, and read more of her book. Aster walked in wearing flannel pants and a grey muscle top, also carrying a book. He hopped on to the bed with Jack and began reading without a word.
"What are you doing here, Aster?" asked Jack, eyes still on the ink stained page but no longer moving.
"You're going to have nightmares and they are going to be worse after today, so I thought it would be easier just to start the night in this room and save us both the time," shrugged Aster.
"I'll be fine," said Jack, peaking up at him through her bangs.
"I also like your bed more than mine, it's much more comfortable."
At that moment Sandy walked in with a pillow and blanket and waved, jumping on the bed as well. He signed his explanation to Jack, that he wanted to be there to help her and to watch a movie, and Jack just rolled her eyes in defeat. Deep down she was happy they cared so much but outwardly she had a difficult time showing it.
That first month of school flew by and soon it was February. Tobias had decided to redo the basement in his spare time and it was the first weekend of February when he finally let the kids down there, the work complete.
The basement itself was large with a small kitchenette and two full baths. Tobias had transformed it into a large bedroom, five four poster beds with curtains that could be open or closed sat in one half of the room and the other half was a reading/ hanging out area with a television, books, food, and couches and armchairs.
"This is amazing," gushed Tooth, flying around the room, taking everything in, and running back to hug Tobias. "But you already gave us our own rooms, why this?"
"I realized you all are more comfortable close together," shrugged Tobias. "I know that having boys and girls stay together is not suggested but I feel like you all are a special case. Most nights at least three of you are not in your own room, so I figured I would just take out the middle man and let you all have one large room together. You can pick your bed and if you want to keep your own room, that's fine, I just thought this should be an option as well."
"Thank you," said Nick, hugging Tobias as well.
Sandy signed his thanks and also hugged the man. Tooth glared at Aster until he shook Tobias's hand and gave him a small smile. The two had been getting along better as Aster slowly warmed up to him but he still kept the older man at bay. Tobias felt it went deeper than just protecting Jacky but was willing to let Aster tell him on his own time. Jack, for her part, just nodded and gave Tobias a smile. While she was willing to let Aster touch her and Tooth could hug her every once in a while, she was still unsure of physical contact and rarely initiated it.
"This is very kind of you," said Jack, her appreciation seeping through the words. "You didn't have to do this."
"I know, but I want you all to be comfortable here and think of this as your home now. So, what are your plans for the day?"
"We were thinking about going to the park," said Tooth. "But first I think we should get our stuff all set up down here. Then we can go to the park. And maybe later the store!"
"Or not the store," muttered Aster under his breath, making Jack snigger.
"Just be careful," advised Tobias. "I am heading out of town at noon and I should be back by Tuesday afternoon, so try not to get into too much trouble."
Tobias went to pack and the kids each claimed beds. Jack took the middle bed, Aster and Nick took the beds on her right and left, and Sandy and Tooth had the beds on the ends. It didn't take long to get their stuff set up and by the time Tobias left they also headed to the park to enjoy the brisk weather.
The park was nothing special, a field, a small playground, and an area for wheeled tricks. Jack climbed the nearest tree, a large, firmly branched one, and everyone joined in, even if Tooth did stay on the lowest branch, afraid of going much higher. Jack did not stop until she was on the slim top limbs that swayed and bent under her weight in and the wind, her head poking out to take in the view. Just a week before she had been allowed to take of her walking cast and hadn't realized how much she missed climbing trees until she was back in one. There was something magical about them that made her feel untouchable and immortal, as if she could just jump up and let the wind fly her away to anywhere else. It was from that vantage point in the tree that she noticed the slim black figure walking through the alley across the street from the park.
"Hey, guys," said Jack, squinting, attempting to recognize the person. "Do you see that person in the alley?"
"No," said Aster slowly.
"There's no one there, Jacky," said Tooth, peering at the alley with her unblocked view.
"That's strange," replied Jack, shaking her head in confusion. "I could have sworn I saw someone there. Oh well, I must have imagined it."
"I'd rather not risk it, though," said Aster. "Let's call it a day and go back home."
"No!" cried Tooth. "We just got here. You're being paranoid. Look, nothing is going to happen, okay? We'll be fine, let's just enjoy the day. I'm tired of being cooped up inside all the time."
"I'm sure it was nothing, Aster," assured Jack, although her face did not look convinced. How about we go for a walk?"
Aster grumbled but agreed and they spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the town. As dinner approached, they bought Chinese take-out with some of the food money Tobias had left them and brought it home to eat while watching a movie together in their basement. At home, Tooth got plates and drinks and brought them down stairs with Nick and Sandy while Aster and Jack searched for napkins.
"You still think you saw someone?" asked Aster, reaching high into a cupboard to retrieve the paper supplies.
"Yes," sighed Jack, leaning against the counter. "I think I saw the same person several times but I never got a good look at them. And we were walking around so much that I don't know if the person was following us or not. I mean, I'm sure it was nothing."
"Yeah, I'm sure it was nothing."
They walked to the living room which housed the door to the basement. Jack's favorite part of the entire house was that door. It was a bookcase that slid back to show the basement door when the proper books were pulled in order. She loved the idea of a secret room, it made her feel like she lived in a castle or fairy tale. Aster slid the bookcase shut behind them and locked the basement door since they would probably spend the rest of the night down there and Tobias was out of town. Like Jack, he was not entirely convinced that all was well and did not want to risk anything.
Tooth had picked a chick flick and they set up all the different food cartons on the table to try as the previews began. It wasn't until twelve minutes into the movie that they heard a noise upstairs. Nick hit pause as they all froze to listen, heads slightly tilted in concentration. There it was again-footsteps and doors opening.
"We did set the alarm, right?" whispered Aster.
"I didn't," said Jack and Sandy indicated that he didn't either.
Nick and Tooth both shook their heads and Aster's eyes got wide.
"Maybe Tobias is back early?" suggested Tooth, uncertain hope coloring her tone.
"Jack!" called the voice upstairs in a singsong voice. "Oh Jack! Come out to play!"
Jack stood up, wide eyed and staring at the shut door that hid the stairs as if it would burst open at any time.
"Pitch," choked out Jack, trembling.
"Nick, help me move the bookcase and couch in front of the door," said Aster softly. "Tooth, turn the television off. Sandy, make Jacky sit down."
They all jumped to their jobs, Tooth shutting down the movie, Sandy leading Jack to her bed to sit, Nick and Aster barricading the door. They could still hear Pitch searching the house and it sounded like someone had joined him but they could not tell for sure. As soon as the door was blocked, Aster joined Sandy and Jack on her bed while Tooth and Nick brought the food over in case anyone got hungry during their wait.
"Jacky, it's all going to work out," whispered Aster, his arm around her shoulders. "Listen to me, the door to the basement is like a combination lock, even if they find it they will not be able to figure out the combination. We blocked the door. I'm not going to let him get you, I promise."
"Girl!" screamed the all too familiar voice of her father, making her cringe.
"How did he escape?" hissed Tooth.
Aster scooted back on the bed with Jack, pulling her close and trying to stop her shaking.
"Come on, girl! You know you have to pay for ratting us out! If you give yourself up now I promise we won't hurt your little friends."
"He's lying," whispered Aster, kissing the top of her head. "He can't find us. He can't touch you. You do not have to do as he says."
"Jacky, we're going to protect you," said Nick, his voice as soft as he could make it. "All of us."
Even Tooth nodded though she looked like she was going to burst into tears.
"Fine!" screamed her father. "You just condemned everyone to a painful ride. Even if you're not here right now, just you wait, missy. You will regret it when you come back. I can wait."
It was going to be a long weekend.
* Not too bad of a cliff, right?
fairykind girl- Glad you like the story so far. And you're from Oklahoma? That's so cool! What's it like?
Galimatias- Yes, Hooray Aster!
Guest- Claude is...interesting. Just wait, you shall see.
Darlene10104- Well, this one wasn't as much of a cliff, so that's good, right? And I'm still unsure if Jacky and Aster will date...we shall see, I have story lines for both but I have yet to pick one. I love protective Aster too! He reminds me very much of my best friend who does not like most people but if he is your friend he is the best friend you could ever have...only he is super overprotective (which is kinda funny). And lastly-tada! Pitch is BACK! And he brought Jack's dad!
Magiccatprincess-I know, right? Life would be way simpler if there were no idiots but the world would be a lot less crowded...a lot...
jesusfreak200-I'm glad you like the story so far! I love doing that, finding a story, reading it, and then reaching the stopping point and being all, "Um, hello, update now because I got spoiled with so many chapters. I must read more." But then again, I am a reading/writing addict...
As usual, I am so thankful to you all and I do so enjoy hearing your opinions, guesses, and desires. Always-Ari