TWENTY-SEVEN

I sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, gazing through the nearby window. The sky was still dark, but it wouldn't be very long until sunrise. An hour or so at most. Although I'd managed to get a few hours of sleep, I still felt tired. A strange stillness hung in the air, and I instantly snapped to attention. Something didn't feel right. It was as though the house itself was holding its breath in anticipation. I didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary, but my instincts told me to be wary.

I got up, shouldered Buster, and headed into the hall, hurrying back to the sitting room as quickly as I could. The driver was still there, just as I'd left him a few hours ago when we'd last swapped shifts on the watch. I went over to him as he stood up from his chair.

"Anything?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Dunno. Sephiroth seems different today."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I went down to see him a little while ago," the driver answered. "Just thought I'd check in on him again, you know. Asked when we'd be leaving for Midgar, but he completely ignored me. Acted like I wasn't even there. So I left him alone and came back upstairs."

I didn't like it. When I'd gone to see Sephiroth yesterday, he'd at least acknowledged me, even if it was just to send me away. It didn't make any sense. With a sigh, I went into the bedroom, opened the hidden door, and descended into the basement again. When I entered the main lab, it was empty, but I heard soft laughter coming from the short hall off to the left, so I followed the sound and went inside.

At the end of the passageway was a small library filled with yet more bookshelves on the walls. In the middle of the room, Sephiroth sat behind a polished wooden desk in a high-backed leather chair. In the light of the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a single thick book was spread open before him. He didn't look up at first, absorbed as he was in whatever he was reading, and it wasn't until I stopped in front of the desk and part of my shadow fell across the page that he paused.

"Who is it!?" he demanded.

I replied with a question of my own. "What's going on?"

Now he did look at me, and his eyes narrowed when they met mine. "Hmph. I've been expecting you… betrayer."

"What the hell…?" I stared at him. "Betrayer?"

He stood up and glared darkly at me. "Indeed. You're nothing but an ignorant, selfish traitor, avile betrayer of those who came before you. An unworthy heir to the legacy of those long gone."

I shook my head. "Sephiroth, I don't understand."

"Of course you don't," he said. "So I'll tell you. This planet originally belonged to the Cetra. They were a people for whom endless travel was a way of life. They would arrive, settle the planet, and eventually move on. And at the end of their long and difficult journey, they would reach their promised land and find supreme happiness."

Sephiroth went on. "But then, those who had grown tired of making the journey ended their travels and built homes for themselves, choosing an easier life. They took what the Cetra and the planet had so graciously provided andgave nothing back in return!"

"What's that got to do with me?" I frowned.

He pointed at me. "Those are your ancestors, traitor."

I sighed, trying to understand both what he was getting at and what had happened to him. "Sephiroth…"

"Long ago, a great disaster struck the planet," he continued, ignoring me. "Your ancestors escaped by hiding like frightened children. However, the Cetra sacrificed themselves to save the planet. Afterward, your people multiplied like rats. All that remains of the Cetra now is what's contained within these reports. And what came of them…"

"So where do you come in?" I asked.

Sephiroth strode right up to me, almost in my face, and his voice was laced with barely contained rage. "Don't you understand? Think about it! An Ancient known as Jenova was discovered perfectly preserved within a layer of rock approximately two thousand years old. And soon thereafter, the Jenova Project was begun in earnest."

I blinked. "The Jenova Project? What was it?"

"A program with a singular purpose," he explained. "To develop and produce people who could harness the power of the Ancients. That is, the Cetra. And I am the one who was created."

"Created!?" I gaped, my eyes wide. "Are you serious!?"

He nodded. "Yes. Professor Gast—genius scientist and director of the Jenova Project—made me. I am theproduct of advanced bioengineering and genetic research. Shinra's perfect monster…"

My jaw hung open. "How could he do that? Sephiroth…?"

"Out of my way," he ordered, brushing past me and storming angrily down the hall. "I'm going to see my mother."

Sephiroth moved quickly, his long strides taking him through the lab and into the basement tunnel before I'd taken more than a few steps, and by the time I got there myself barely a minute later, he was already gone. I hurried down the corridor at a dead run and raced up the stairs two at a time, my heart pounding with fear. It seemed like it took forever for me to get to the top, but when I did, I almost wished I hadn't. Sephirothhad already left, but not without making his mark.

The driver was still sitting in his chair where I'd left him, but he was dead. In his chest was a single stab wound, a narrow slit on his dark blue uniform surrounded by a small circle of blood. A chill swept through me as I suddenly understood what had happened. Sephiroth had caught the driver totally by surprise, running him through in one swiftstroke before he had even realized he was being attacked.

Then I remembered the village and all the other people here, and my head shot up in alarm. I gasped, my blood freezing in my veins as the full impact of what I was seeing suddenly hit me like a punch to the face and I staggered backward, paralyzed for one horrible moment. Sephiroth was enraged, completely out of his mind, and certain to unleash a murderous rampage on his way back to the reactor.

Whirling around, I sped out into the hall and raced down the stairs, hoping and praying I wasn't too late and that Sephiroth would ignore the town and everyone in it and simply head on into the mountains without stopping. But the wickedly bright orange glow I saw through the windows told me he hadn't. Moving even faster now, I yanked open the front doors and skidded to a halt outside, my eyes wide.

Nibelheim was burning.

Fire was everywhere. Every building, every last home and shop, was in flames. The roar of the inferno filled my ears, and huge, billowing gray plumes of smoke choked the air in every direction. The oppressive heat of the blaze made me sweat even from here in the mansion's front yard, but it was nothing compared to the raging firestorm that burned within me. I clenched my fists and stared at what Sephiroth had done, unable to move for a moment as I took in the horrific sight.

With an effort, I snapped out of my paralysis and rushed through the gate and into town, heading into the midst of the devastation. Bodies lay scattered all across the ground like broken dolls, and the water tower had become a giant torch. Coughing, I raised my arm to shield my face as the smoke swirled around me. I was just looking around and trying to make sense of it all when I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey!" It was Zangan. "You! You're still sane, aren't you?"

I turned to my right to see him standing there and pulling at some of the debris. His skin was bright red, and he was covered with ash and bits of wood from all the doors, walls, and fallen timbers he must've punched through to save whoever he could, but he seemed alright. He had his fists up and ready, though, as he faced me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Should've listened to you, though."

"Nevermind that now," Zangan brushed it off and lowered his arms. "I need your help. Hurry and comehere!"

I was at his side seconds later. "What can I do?"

He pointed. "Check that house over there! I'll get this one!"

"On it!" I agreed.

When I saw the one he was talking about, I realized it was mine and bolted straight for it. On my way, I almost tripped over one of the bodies. It was the other soldier, my friend. I quickly knelt down to check on him,sighing in relief when I realized he was alive. Then his eyes fluttered open and he looked at me, wincing in pain.

"Sephiroth…" he breathed.

I patted his shoulder. "I know. Just hang in there."

After easing him over to a pile of debris and helping him sit up, I left him there for now. There wasn't much else I could do for him, so I rushed onward to my house. It was burning, smoke pouring out of the windows. The front door lay on the ground, wrenched off its hinges, as I ran inside and called out frantically for my mom.

"Mom!?" I yelled. "Are you okay!? Say something!"

But she didn't answer. Half the main room was caved in, and part of the ceiling had collapsed from the heat and the flames. I didn't see her at first—the smoke was so thick I nearly choked as it stung my eyes. But as I looked back at the pile of broken beams, burnt singles, and shattered bits of what had once been the ceiling, I found her.

She was trapped under the rubble, lying flat on her stomach, and all but buried underneath the rubble. Ignoring the pain, I started to pull the wreckage off her, tossing as much as I could aside as I tried desperately to save her. A thin line of blood trickled from her mouth and down the side of her face, and more surrounded a narrow slit in the middle of her back. It was just like the one I'd seen on the driver, and I knew right away what had happened and that she was gone.

ButI couldn't bring myself to stop. Although my mom wasn't moving and her eyes were closed, I kept trying to dig her out. I worked furiously, tears blurring my vision and fury in my heart, and didn't wanna believe the truth. I didn't stop until what rubble was left was too large and heavy for me to move. Then I gently stroked her cheek.

"Mom…" I sighed, bowing my head.

She was dead. And at that thought, I snapped my head up, the anger flaring within me, and swore to end this, to find Sephiroth and stop him no matter what it took. Then I left the house, hating what had happened and that I hadn't been able to save Mom. So many others had died along with her, all because of Sephiroth. I didn't wanna believe what he'd done, but I couldn't deny what I was seeing, what I'd lost, the pain in my heart. It was all too real, a nightmare come to life.

I shook my head. "Terrible… Sephiroth, how could you…?"

Moving on, I went back to where I'd met Zangan. He was outside the inn now, tending to someone he'd managed to save from the furnace. As I drew closer, I saw it was the photographer. He was bloodied, burned, and covered with ash, but he was alive, if only barely. His eyes opened when I knelt down next to him for a moment.

"Am I… gonna die?" he murmured, looking at me.

I took his shoulder. "Not if I can help it."

Zangan gazed intently at me. "Go after Sephiroth. I'll do what I can here, then catch up to you later."

"Right," I agreed. "I'll stop him. Where's Tifa?"

"She's been trying to help whoever she can," he answered. "As for her father, I believe he's gone on ahead to the reactor to find some way to put an end to this madness before it's too late."

The sound of screams behind me suddenly drew my attention, and I spun around to face back the way I'd come. The field by the mansion was burning now as well, and in the midst of it stood Sephiroth. He cut down two villagers who'd been trying to run away, running them through with hardly a thought. Then he paused, standing within the flames, and gazed at me, his eyes cold and cruel and utterly alien. And as he smirked coldly at me, I knew thatthe man I'd known was gone.

Then I realized that, just like the rain the other day, the flames didn't seem to touch Sephiroth at all. He seemed to repel it somehow, and there wasn't any sweat, ash, or dust on his skin. I doubted he even felt the heat. He just stood there amidst the fire, his sanity gone and his glowing green eyes like pale shards of ice as they met mine.

For one endless moment, we just stared at each other, Sephiroth and I, our gazes fixed on each other, and it was then that I knew I hated him. I hated what he'd become, what he'd done. There was no turning back. It was him or me now, and if I had to follow him to the endsof the world in order to destroy him, I would. Whatever it took.

And then, Sephiroth turned and walked away, his long strides taking him slowly through the blaze. At first, all I could do was watch him go as the inferno swirled hungrily around him. His long, silver hair flowed out behind him almost like a living thing as he made his way up the winding path leading to the mountains. And the reactor.

Narrowing my eyes, I lifted my arms in front of my face and charged right through the fire, sprinting across the burning field after Sephiroth. I felt sweat on my skin as I wove through the flames and tried to catch up, but he was eerily fast, slipping away and disappearing up the trail while I was still in the midst of the firestorm. By the time I finally emerged from it on the other side, he was long gone.

I hurried into the mountains, jogging as quickly as I could but notso fast as to wear myself out. I didn't wanna be out of breath when I finally caught up to Sephiroth. He stayed well ahead of me, but I wasn't worried about not finding him—I knew where he was going. I also spotted a dark form flitting from shadow to shadow now and then, and as far as I could tell, it was heading to the reactor as well.

When I got to Mt. Nibel, the bridge was still out, hanging down from either side of the ravine in its two broken halves. After slowing to a walk, I found a narrow path nearby and climbed carefully down to the bottom of the gorge. Then I hurried back up through the caves and dark, barren slopes until I finally reached the reactor. I'd caught a few glimpses of that other person in the distance ahead of me, but not enough to know who it was just yet. I had my suspicions, though.

When I went into the reactor and started heading through the core, I wasn't very surprised when I saw Tifa ahead of me. She'd been the one I'd spotted on the way here. It made sense, since her father had come here to try and stop Sephiroth. But he'd failed.

On the small platform at the far end of the main walkway, Tifa knelt in front of the doorway and cradled her father's body in her arms as tears slid down her cheeks. He was dead, a single stab wound in his chest, and next to him lay Sephiroth's katana. I sighed and lowered my head, feeling terrible for Tifa, and although I'd never really gotten along very well with her father, I still hated that this had happened to him. While I listened to Tifa as she cried over his body, I swore yet again that I'd make Sephiroth pay for everything he'd done tonight.

"Dad…" Tifa sobbed. "It was Sephiroth, wasn't it? He did this to you! I hate it… all of it! Sephiroth, SOLDIERs, mako, Shinra… I can't stand it anymore! I'm just so sick of it!"

Before I could call out to her or even move from where I stood on the main walkway, she grabbed Sephiroth's katana and stormed through the doorway, her face a mask of rage and grief, fury, and determination. She couldn't hope to beat him, and I suddenly realized why he'd left his blade there for her to find. He must've known she'd come after him and had put it there as bait after killing her father.

Frantic now at the thought of Tifa going into a fight she couldn't win and furious with Sephiroth for toying with her and slaughtering so many people, I ran across the walkway to the platform and hoped I wouldn't be too late. Stepping carefully around her father's body, I rushed through the doorway after her as fast as I could, knowing what I'd find and desperate to save her. I didn't wanna lose her, too.

Sephiroth stood at the top of the stairs with his back to us in front of Jenova's chamber, his arms out wide. The door was still closed and locked just as it had been on our first visit, and off to the side, I saw the body of the monster he'd killed still laying sprawled in front of its pod. And ahead of me was Tifa, brandishing the Masumune with her eyes locked on him. She didn't seem to know I was there.

"Mother…" Sephiroth murmured. "I've come to see you. Please, open the door. We have much work ahead of us…"

Tifa glared up at him. "Sephiroth! How could you do that to my dad and everyone else!? You came to our town to help us! Not to rip away all that we love! What kind of a monster are you!?"

She charged up the stairs, yelling at the top of her lungs and bringing the katana up to strike. But just as she reached Sephiroth and swung the blade at him, he spun around, sneered, and seized it by the hilt, abruptly halting its momentum. All I could do was watch helplessly as Tifa fought to keep her grip on the weapon before he wrenched it away from her and brutally slashed her right across the chest.

I froze, staring in horror as Tifa tumbled down the stairs toward me, blood all over her body. The door at the top slid open at almost the same time, but I was hardly aware of it, my eyes locked on her. She landed just a few steps above me, and while Sephiroth went inside Jenova's chamber, I rushed over to Tifa, everything else forgotten.

"Tifa!" I called to her.

She stirred, barely conscious. "Cloud…? You're here? You promised… you'd come save me… when I was in trouble…"

I gently cradled her in my arms and laid her down out of the way in front of one of the pods. "I will, don't worry. Just try to hold on. Sephiroth isn't gonna get away with this, I swear!"

"You can't… beat him…" Tifa murmured.

"Let me worry about that," I assured her, taking her hand.

Her skin was clammy and cold, and blood was everywhere. Her shirt had been sliced open as well where she'd been slashed, and it was soaked. Letting go of her, I brushed a few strands of hair from her face, then took a potion from my pocket and helped Tifa drink it. The bleeding slowed a little, but the wound didn't close much—it was too deep and too serious. I could only hope it would be enough to stabilize her until this was over. Gently squeezing her hand, I rose to my feet, rage swirling inside me, and ran up the rest of the stairs to the door.

It was time to end this.

I didn't know how I was gonna beat him, but I didn't care. Somehow, I'd find a way. I had to. For Tifa, Mom, and everyone else Sephiroth had hurt and killed. And for my home, for Nibelheim, the place I'd been born and raised. Now it was nothing but ash and smoldering cinders, and the people I'd known were wounded or dead.

Sephiroth was in the next room, standing in front of the containment unit that held Jenova. A long, thick pipe roughly a foot in diameter, filled with a murky red fluid, wound its way up to Jenova's holding tank like a feeding tube. I couldn't see the thing itself, but in front of it and attached to the tank was an eerie, almost angelic figure of sculpted metal. It didn't have any arms or legs, just a body, head, and a pair of large, outstretched wings to either side. Its female face didn't have any expression at all, and its eyes were a pair of black, empty sockets.

"Mother…" Sephiroth murmured, gazing up at Jenova's tank and the dark angel protecting it. "I've had the most wonderful idea. We'll take the planet back together. Starting with the promised land. It belongs to us, so let's go find it, as we were meant to do."

I walked up to him, my blood boiling. "Sephiroth! How could you do this!? My family… my friends… my home…"

He laughed, still looking at Jenova and her silent guardian. "They've come again, Mother. Those weak, pathetic fools. Your power, magic, and knowledge are far superior, and it is your destiny to rule this world. They would take it from you, those worthless creatures, but don't fear, for I am with you. I will always be with you…"

Then he reached up, grabbed the metal angel in both hands, and tore it off the holding tank. Sparks flew from the flattened cables that formed the statue's hair and from its severed waist as fluid leaked from the small tubes connected to its face and its wings broke apart. Once he'd thrown it aside, Sephiroth gazed at Jenova herself.

It was like a woman, but definitely alien, with mottled, purplish-blue skin, and her arms were folded behind her. She had two short red wings, their ends ragged and irregular, and her silver hair swirled lazily around her within the pale fluid filling the tank. The feeding tube was connected to her abdomen amidst several other coiled, pink organs floating around her. They looked almost like intestines, and on the end of one was a large eyeball. The sight make my stomach turn.

On her head and secured with four thick bolts was a metal device of some kind with a plaque that had her name embossed on it in large, bold letters as well as a few lines of smaller type with what looked like dates. I couldn't be sure, though. Jenova's lips were full and her eyes—the ones in her head, that is—were open. One of them glowed brightly with a wicked pink light. I swallowed, wondering how aware she was of what was going on around her but not wanting to find out.

This thing was an Ancient? I couldn't quite believe it. But whatever it was, Shinra was keeping it alive. And although I thought I was beginning to understand Sephiroth's feelings—his pain, anger, and sense of betrayal after finding out he was just a lab experiment—it didn't excuse what he'd done. Nothing could. And he had to answer for it.

I took a step toward him. "What about my pain!? The grief of losing my family and friends, my home… all gone. It's just the same as yours! I know why you did this, but it's wrong!"

"Grief?" Sephiroth finally faced me, his arms out wide and his blade in his hand. "Why should I be sad? I am the chosen leader of this planet. And I will take it back from you fools for the Cetra. So tell me… what do I have to be sad about? There is nothing."

I shook my head. "I trusted you, Sephiroth. I looked up to you. But… no, you're not the man I used to know!"

Then I drew Buster, ready to fight even if it was hopeless as I gripped the hilt tightly in my hands and glared darkly up at my enemy. Sephiroth just sneered and hefted the Masamune, as prepared for battle as I was. It was inevitable, and it was unavoidable. We stared at each other, our eyes blazing with hate, and prepared to attack.

"And there you have it," I said. "The end of my story."

Wedge gaped at me. "What!?"

Barret stared at me in disbelief. "Now wait jus' a goddamn minute, merc! You sayin' that's it? There's no more?"

"I don't remember…" I sighed.

"You gotta be shittin' me…" Biggs breathed.

Lena's jaw dropped. "You're not kidding. Talk about a cliffhanger… you had us on the edge of our seats, Cloud!"

"Sorry about the ending," I said.

"It's alright,' Marissa assured me. "We'll figure it out."

Barret scratched his head. "It don't make any sense. I know I'd sure as hell remember somethin' like that."

I understood my friends' frustration, and I felt it myself. Somehow, I'd survived my encounter with Sephiroth, but I didn't know how, why, or what had happened. I only hoped I'd find the answers eventually. All I could do for now was set out after him and bring him down. Did this have to do with those strange headaches I'd been having? I wasn't sure. All I knew was that I had to find out the truth.

"So what happened to Sephiroth?" Aerith wondered.

I shrugged. "I don't know, Aerith. But in terms of sheer skill, there's no way I could've beaten him. Not a chance."

She nodded. "I see… so something else happened, then."

"But what?" Marissa asked.

"I wish I knew," I said, not liking that I didn't.

Jessie hadn't let go of my hand for a moment, and she'd squeezed it gently when I'd been talking about what had happened to my mom and Tifa during Sephiroth's rampage. It hadn't been easy recalling that dark night from five years ago, and I didn't need to look at Tifa to know how hard it had been for her to hear it. But having all our friends there had really helped us both to get through it.

"We'll find the answers, Cloud," Jessie promised. "Just like Marissa said. And I'll help you however I can."

"Thanks," I told her.

She went on. "So… any idea about Sephiroth?"

Tifa thought for a moment. "Official records say he's dead. At least, that's what I read in the paper. But now…"

"You can't trust the news, Tifa," Aerith reminded her. "Shinra owns it lock, stock, and barrel. And they wouldn't have wanted word of what happened in Nibelheim to get out. So I'm sure he's alive, especially with what happened at the Shinra Building."

She nodded. "You're probably right, Aerith."

"It'd be a huge scandal," Marissa said. "So there's gotta be a coverup of some kind. Nibelheim's far from here, right?"

"Across the ocean, yeah," I agreed.

She went on. "So it's probably a good bet most people around here don't even know anything went down at all. Only that Sephiroth left on a mission years ago and supposedly died."

Wedge shivered. "Shinra would really cover up the destruction of a whole town? And all those people?"

"Believe it," Jessie spat, her eyes narrow.

"Ain't no low them bastards won't sink to," Barret agreed.

Tifa clenched her fist. "Not one."

"I've gotta know the truth," I said, to myself as much as the others. "I stood against Sephiroth and lived. Why didn't he kill me? How did I survive? What really happened that day?"

"I'm alive, too," she added.

Aerith frowned. "A lot this doesn't make sense. Jenova was there in the Shinra Building, wasn't she?"

"Yeah," I said. "Shinra shipped her there from Nibelheim."

"But she was gone by the time we escaped," she reminded us. "Did someone else carry her outta there?"

Tifa shuddered. "Sephiroth. Was it him…?"

"I'm sure of it," I answered.

Barret grimaced. "None of this makes any damn sense! You do the thinkin', SOLDIER boy. I ain't got a clue."

Wedge nodded. "You're not the only one…"

"Cloud…" Tifa murmured, her eyes on mine. "When Sephiroth cut me… how bad was it? How close was I…?"

I thought of that horrible moment when she'd been so cruelly hurt. It wasn't something I liked to remember. All that blood, holding her in my arms, how weak she'd been. Her loss would've been the worst of all, and I was very glad that, as mysterious as it was, she had survived. Her friendship meant a lot to me—still does, in fact—and I was determined to keep my promise and be there for her.

I swallowed. "I thought I'd lost you, Tifa. Tore me apart."

"I'm here now," she smiled. "And I'm not leaving. I just wish I knew how I survived. I still have the scar, you know."

"Cloud has one, too," Jessie added.

Tifa blinked. "He does?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's in the middle of his chest. Looks like an old stab wound, maybe. I saw it when he and I… well, you know. When we were having some late night fun together."

"Oh…" Tifa chuckled. "I see."

"Yeah, well…" I blushed, my cheeks burning. "I wish I knew how I got it. The scar, I mean. I can't remember."

Jessie pursed her lips in thought. "Probably has to do with that day, with Sephiroth. There's a lot we don't know yet, but we'll put the pieces together sooner or later, Cloud. I promise."

"Right," I agreed.

"I…" Aerith sighed, her face pale. "I never knew… the Ancients… the Cetra… Jenova… Sephiroth… and me."

Tifa looked sharply at her. "It's not your fault, Aerith."

"Shinra wanted to create people like me and my mother," she said. "Like the Cetra. That's why they were there."

"No!" Tifa insisted, her voice firm and unyielding. "Nibelheim was was destroyed by Sephiroth, not you. And whether he and Jenova were Ancients or not, it doesn't matter. They're the ones responsible for that, them and Shinra, for bringing it about.

I nodded. "She's right, Aerith. Don't take on."

"Thanks, guys…" she smiled.

Aerith relaxed then as Lena patted her shoulder. I fully agreed with Tifa that what had happened to our village wasn't Aerith's fault. Being a Cetra didn't make her responsible. And I wasn't convinced that Jenova and Sephiroth were Ancient themselves. Something else was going on, and I intended to find out what it was.

"Quite a fascinating story, this entire tale…" Red said.

Jessie laughed. "Sure was. Ready for another?"

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"Well, I've always kept my own past mostly to myself," she went on, more serious now. "But with all that's happened and with what's ahead of us, I think I should tell you guys what I can."

I glanced at her. "You sure? If you need to rest…"

"I'll be fine, Cloud," Jessie assured me. "And yeah, I'm tired, but… I wanna get this out first, especially since we're already all here together. By now, most you know at least some of it. I just wanna show you how it all fits together. I owe it to you guys."

As she said that, her gaze went over to Barret, who gave her a small smile. "Go ahead, girl. It's awright."

"Okay," Jessie said, taking a breath. "Here goes…"