Rita Rochester sang in front of the crowd, she sang her song. The same song she sang every night. But it didn't matter, no one noticed. The only thing that mattered was that she was getting paid for it. Sure before, when she had started out, it had all been about entertaining and the singing part. The part that gave her this wonderful feeling, the feeling that started with the song and kept getting bigger and better until the applause. However that great feeling didn't end there, it stayed with her the rest of the night, and sometimes into the next day. But now the feeling was gone.
The feeling left when Rita realized she was singing to the same crowd every night, the same exact people. Drowning there sorrows in beer. The same people who could care less if someone was singing that night, all they cared about was betting, and poker, beer and money. It all came down to that one thing money, and since everyone in the bar had this constant want for money this need to always have more no matter what, she thought one night, that she shouldn't be different. She was just as screwed up as they were, is what had always said to herself.
The song was nearing it's end when the sound of the front door could be heard slamming down. Hmm, all the people who ever come to this Hell hole are here, she thought as she jerked her head to the entrance, throwing her black hair over part of her face. 'stupid hair,' she thought and she pulled her hair back with her hand.
The person who walked into the back had spiky black hair, and squinted eyes. He looked so familiar to her, but it couldn't be him, could it? He looks so much older than he should be right now. What has it been 2 years now, he could only be…. Then Rita reminded herself that here at Mack's Bar of Beer, they didn't check ID on the way in.
She hit her last note, and finished the song quickly not staying up there to bow to the few claps that could be heard from men so drunk that when they clapped they nearly fell out of their seats and had no idea of any of the words Rita had sung. Didn't know the meaning. Or some of them could just be killing a fly, there seemed to be a lot of bugs lately.
Rita took her normal seat at the bar, and swung her legs around to face Mack the bar tender and owner of Macks Bar of Beer. Who came up with such a stupid name, isn't it obvious that if it were a bar it would have beer there? Mack did of course.
"What would ya like doll?" Mack asked smiling with about four teeth, his face was grubby and he smelled like he hadn't taken a shower or done anything to clean himself in months.
" I know you like to forget, but the name's Rita and you'll call me by my name." Rita replied.
" Same as always," Mack said annoyed. " Rida?" Mack had used much emphasis on Rida.
Rita put her face in her hands and nodded a yes to Mack. When Mack delivered her a coke, Rita put her hands down, and took a sip of it. She was about to turn around, so that she would face outer bar instead, when she stopped in mid turn. There was the new guy, and now she had no doubts it was him.
" Oh my god." She muttered aloud staring straight at him.
" Didn't your mother ever tell you not to stare." Was the unlikely reply, at least for him.
" Actually, no she didn't have a chance, she died when I was young." Rita said coolly.
" Oh," and his expression changed, to the one she recognized better. " I'm sorry."
" It's all right, you couldn't have known." Rita squinted harder at him. " Are you… I mean. Is your name Brock by any chance?"
The teenage looked at her cautiously. " Yes, actually, how did you know."
" Because I know you, I used to well uh…"
" Sorry, but I don't remember knowing anyone named Rita." Brock said still looking at Rita with an even stranger look.
" How did-" Rita began but she was soon cut off by Brock.
" I accidentally heard your conversation with," glanced at the grubby barkeeper's name tag. " Mack over there."
" Oh," Rita replied bluntly. " The reason you don't remember-" she began, but then realized what she was about to reveal and tried a different approach. " Listen can we go outside, for this? It's kind of hot in here."
" Uh," Brock was unsure, I mean hadn't he always learned, not to go off with strangers? But there was something familiar about her. As if he had known her at one time, one time long long ago. " All right." He agreed after much argument with himself.
" Great," she said and the two made there way out the bar.
They had too make many detours around, the drunk which had passed out on the floor, or the ones that were about ready to kill each other over a game of poker. Or a subtle insult. But finally the pair made into the crisp night the stars shown brightly over head. Both breathed in the air, relieved to be out of the bar.
After much silence Rita tried to begin somewhere. " I uh, I mean I'm, I don't- Argh!"
" What's wrong?" Brock asked concerened.
" It's just I don't know how to tell you in a subtle way. Or anything it'd be too hard to do.
" Well, I don't mind go ahead and get straight to the point." Brock comforted.
Rita sighed and closed her eyes. Memories flew through her mind, memories of her past life. She felt something cool flow down her cheak and lifter her hand to wipe off the tears that had started flowing down it.
" Brock, I'm..I'm…." Then Rita stopped and after much silence she tried again. " Two years ago was the last time I saw you. You brought me to my hotel room, from… from a hospital. You were real nice to do that for me…."
" Oh my god, your…"
" Yes, I'm Jessie."
" We've been looking all over for you. Misty wanted to find you because of what was said in…in Jame's note to her… She's felt really guilty that she didn't full fill it for him. Look, you got to come back with me." Brock said looking surprised.
" I…I can't I mean I've got a new life now. I can't just leave it for…for whatever reason." Jessie argued.
" It's not that you can't it's that you won't. You think it'll be too difficult for you, but you can have friends now. It won't be as hard as you think." Brock paused a moment before continuing. " Look, I got to go. Here's the phone number of the hotel room I'm staying at, call me if you change your mind."
With that Jessie watched as Brock slowly walked away from her. She wondered if she'd ever see him again.
It was late at night, the bar had closed down and Jessie was sweeping up the floor. She sighed as she approached another broken bear bottle. Slowly bending down, she reached her hand out to pick it up.
" Ouch." The sharp edges of the bottle had made a cut in her finger. She watched as the blood started to flow out.
She sighed gingerly before moving behind the bar to get her purse where she always kept extra bandages. It seemed that she was always preparing for emergencies. More so then in her past life. Then a memory filled her mind….
They had just been blasted off again when the landed in a giant field of grass. Jessie moved to stand up and shuttered in pain. She looked down to discover her leg looked to be out of place. James had walked over to her with a concerned look on his face, " It looks like you've broken you're tibia. We'll have to set it back in place." He had said. She'd remembered thinking tibia? What's that? And it seems that she had said it aloud because James had answered her. " The front bone of your lower leg." Ow! She now remembered the pain but even in the torturous state she was in, her curiosity got the best of her. " James how do you know all of this?" He had smiled sadly at her before replying. " I wanted to be a doctor…You know save lives and stuff. Silly of me to think I could huh?" But Jessie hadn't said anything in return….
And that was what she found she was regretting now, that she hadn't said anything when she should have. James could've been a doctor, but something had stopped him, she had stopped him. Jessie felt the tears again and wiped them away. This is why I changed, why I made myself a different life here, she thought the pain piercing her.
She went back to sweeping up the bar. Making up new songs to sing in her head. Unaware to her however, someone was watching.
Brock got back to his hotel room late. He'd chose the scenic route around the town and had made quiet a few stops since then. Something in him told him Jessie wouldn't agree to come on his own, but possibly with a little persuading from someone. He smiled sadly as he sat on the perfect little bed in the middle of the room. Slowly, he reached out and picked up the phone dialing a number and letting it ring impatiently.
" Hello?" came a female voice from far away.
" Hey Misty, you'll never guess who I found over here." Brock replied.
" Who?" Misty asked anxiously.
" Jessie," there was silence on the other line. " Misty I want you to come out here, I don't think she'll come with us unless you're here to convince her."
" Wait, if she doesn't want to come with us then why make her." Her voice sounded pained with old memories.
" She's singing in a bar right now just to make money. She's probably even doing other jobs there too. Not the best place to make a good life for her." Brock argued.
Misty remembered James' note and sighed sadly. " All right, I'll be right out. I probably won't tell Ash I'm going he won't let me if I do. But don't worry I'll leave him a note, so he won't worry."
" Right, thanks a lot." Brock said.
" No need to thank me. I'm doing this for myself and James." She replied before hanging up.
The figure watched Jessie with a painful expression. This wasn't meant to be Jess, I'm sorry, he said aloud. Jessie suddenly looked up, she thought she had heard something, someone. She examined the room but saw no one. How strange…she thought.
" Hello?" She called but got no answer.
This…This couldn't be, I mean after these two years of not being able to come in contact with her…I can't suddenly be able to….Could I? The figure raced these thoughts through his head before speaking louder.
" Jessie…please don't be hurt…not because of me."
Jessie tensed and in her surprise at the sound of the voice she dropped the broom. Whirling around she searched the room again. Still nothing, no one… it sounds so much like, she thought, no, he's dead gone forever stop hallucinating. The figure walked up to her and put a hand up to her face. It went right through and Jessie shivered feeling suddenly cold.
" Jessie…go with Brock, go to a home that you can actually be loved in…" The figure said again.
Now Jessie was sure of it, " James?"
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Author's note: sorry to end it on a cliff hanger I just wanted to get this out to see how many people remember the story I wrote like a year ago. Thanks again Vickie for you're request, hopefully it's turning out like you wanted. If anyone else has a request for a story or cont. of a story I've written e-mail me at Valentino144@yahoo.com. Please review. And thank you to all who do review.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters in the story. Except Mack.
Review Please! ;)