----------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Laughing Planet"
'Jendra's Story'
Recorded by Ziska Ames
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4
One Month Later
"So you and Shane have been going out for a month. Huh. I must
say, I didn't think your relationship would last." Jade commented over
lunch in the mall commons. School was starting soon and the girls were
on a shopping spree for back-to-school outfits.
"Yeah. I'm kind of surprised myself." Jendra said as she munched
on her salad.
"I think it's great. Shane's such a nice guy." Topaz said as she
lathered ketchup all over her fries.
"I agree. You guys are good for each other." Lapis stated as she
snagged a fry from Topaz. Topaz glared at her and moved her fries out of
Lapis's reach, and right into Jade's. "Hey! These are mine, guys!" Topaz
yelled as Jade stole two of her fries.
Jendra laughed loudly at Topaz's dilemma.
"Oh shut up." Topaz muttered as she put her fries in her lap to
protect them.
"So, what else do we need to do?" Jade asked.
"Shoes. I need shoes." Topaz muttered through her fries. Her
head was bent over as she gobbled them up quickly.
"I wonder what the guys are up to." Lapis muttered to herself.
"Straight five cards. No wilds. Open pot. No limit on bets."
Noki said officially as he dealt the deck. He was winning tons of money.
Maybe I'll buy Jade something.
"Hmm... give me two." Shane said. He tossed his cards in and
Noki gave him new ones.
"Three." Rob said.
"One for me." Noki pulled himself a new card. Hmm... full house,
not bad.
The bets raised quickly and Noki soon won fifty dollars to add
to his personal pot. Shane tossed his cards into the center of the small
circle.
"I'm out. I won't be able to afford to take Jendra out tonight
if I don't stop."
Noki's heart felt like a giant hand had grabbed it and squeezed
when Shane mentioned *her*. It had happened again. Twice, actually, in
the last month. Once during a water fight when he was dunking her, and
again during a circle meeting when she passed him the candle. He knew
what it was. They were bonded. Soul-mates. "I'll be back later guys. I
gotta go."
He stood up and left the room quickly. He leaned against the
outside of the door for a minute, before exiting the blue building.
Stepping out from the sliding glass doors he contemplated going home,
but decided to talk a quick walk.
He walked the streets till dark thinking. Finally, he came to a
conclusion. He had to leave Jade. He couldn't stay with her when he knew
he was meant to be with Jendra.
Jade opened her wood paneled door to find Noki on her steps. "We need to talk." He said in a pinched voice. His face was sad and Jade immediately knew what he wanted.
Jade nodded and stepped out of the way so he could come in. He
sat on the couch and looked at Jade. There was no expression on his
handsome face, but his tightly clasped hands revealed his nervousness.
"We have to break up." He said flatly. His head dropped as he
waited for her to comment on his decision.
Jade was quiet for a moment. She had suspected this would happen
for a while. She and Noki had been an item for a long time, three years,
but Jade knew that he wasn't hers to keep. "It's Jendra, isn't it? She's
your soul-mate." Noki's head shot up and he stared at her.
"How did you know?" his voice was quiet and slightly bewildered.
"I think I've known since that day at the Planet. I just didn't
want to admit it. I love you, Noki. But my love for you has changed over
the years we've known each other. She's your one and only, you can't let
her get away. But be careful with Shane. He may or may not understand."
Noki stood up and brushed nonexistent dirt from his pant legs.
"Jade, you are amazing." He gave her a quick hug and set off
into the night to find Shane.
Jade watched him stroll quickly away through the window and
wiped away a tear. "Good luck, Noki. I'm happy for you." She said softly
as she let the nearly transparent drapes fall, obscuring her vision.
"Hello, Mrs. Bragman. Is Shane here?" Noki asked nonchalantly.
He stood on the steps with his hands confidently in his pockets as he
addressed Shane's mom. She nodded and turned from the door to see Shane
standing behind her.
"Oh, here you are. Someone for you at the door." She left to
give them some privacy.
"Can I help you, Noki?" Shane asked indifferently. His face was
impassive.
"Yeah, you can. Come with me." Noki turned from the door and
started down the street. Shane followed closely. They walked in an
uncomfortable silence to the park. Shane lounged on a bench waiting for
Noki to speak. When he did say something, it wasn't quite what Shane
had expected.
"I want you to break up with Jendra." Noki said at last. He quit
pacing and stopped directly in front of Shane.
"Why?" was all Shane said. His voice was hard as his body tensed.
"She's my soul-mate."
"I don't believe you." Shane suddenly stood up forcing Noki to
move back. "I'm going to leave now." Shane turned and started to walk
away.
"Wait! What do you mean you don't believe me? You think I would
lie about this?" Noki's voice was hurt. Shane stopped and turned around
to stare Noki in the eyes. He thought a moment before speaking.
"I'll tell you what I believe. I think Jade dumped you. And now
you want Jendra so you made up some B.S. story about soul-mates so I'd
break up with her." Shane walked up to Noki and poked him in the chest.
"I suggest you move back, boy. She is my soul-mate, whether you
believe it or not." Noki's face was hard. He was mad.
"Make me move." Shane said spitefully.
They stood with their gazes locked for a moment in a silent
struggle. Finally Noki shrugged. "Okay." he said quietly.
He grabbed Shane by the shirt and slammed him backwards into a
tree. "Jendra is mine!" Noki yelled.
"No, she's not! She's with me." Shane gasped defiantly as he
struggled against the restraining hand. His air was being cut off.
"If you won't give her up gracefully, I'll make you." Noki said.
His voice was quiet and dangerous.
Shane's eyes widened as Noki drew his lips back revealing his
sharp teeth. His eyes glazed and turned a golden-green instead of their
natural forest green.
Noki suddenly lunged forward. He sank his teeth into Shane's
shoulder. Shane screamed as Noki gnawed on his arm. He struggled wildly
but couldn't break Noki's grip. Shane could feel the bark of the tree
pressing into his back through his thin tee-shirt. Blood spread down his
chin and dripped to the ground. Noki was mindless. He wanted to kill.
And Shane was there to be killed.
Suddenly, Noki's ears perked up.
"Noki! Shane!" He could hear frantic yelling in the park.
"Oh god. Lapis." He said thickly through a human mouth that
contained far too many teeth. He dropped Shane and ran. Shane slumped
to the ground as Jendra ran around the corner.
"Shane!" She yelled as she dropped to his side.
"Goodbye, Jendra." he whispered before fainting.
"Shane!!" She cried in agony as she cradled his head to her
chest.
"Mrs. Jones?"
"Yes, doctor? How is he? Is he okay." Jendra was frantic. They
had been waiting in the hospital for five hours while Shane was in
surgery.
"He's lost a lot of blood, but yes. He'll be fine in a month or
two." the official said as he checked his charts.
"Oh thank you! Can I see him?" Jendra asked.
"I don't see why not." The doctor said. He walked out of the
room. Jendra glanced at the others before following the doctor.
"Jendra." Shane said as she walked in. He looked terrible. His
arms were in casts and his head was wrapped up in bandages.
"Oh Shane. What happened?" she collapsed on the side of his bed.
"Noki happened. He wanted me to break up with you." Shane said
calmly.
"What?! Why?!" She yelled jumping off the bed.
"Sit down, Jendra. Because you guys are soul-mates. I didn't
want to believe it, but now I do. I know Noki. He may be wild sometimes,
but he'd never intentionally hurt anyone. He was crazed. He loves you.
He's your one and only. I know it'll be hard, but you have to forgive
him. You'll never know true happiness otherwise." Shane grasped her hand
as he talked.
"Oh Shane." she sighed as she collapsed on the bed again. "I
can't forgive him. Look what he's done to you! And how does he know
we're soul-mates?" She was mad. How dare he? It had to be a lie.
"When you touch your soul-mate you get shocked. And sometimes
you connect mind to mind. Those are two ways of knowing."
Jendra gasped as she remembered. So that's what that had been.
She had been wondering ever since that day in the Planet. "Oh, Shane.
What am I going to do?" She suddenly felt like crying but held back the
tears. She wouldn't cry in front of Shane after all that he had been
through.
"Forgive him. I do." Shane said softly. He looked into her eyes.
She could sense the sincerity there. She sighed again and looked away to
stare at one of the plain, colorless walls that are so characteristic of
hospitals.
"I'll try. For you." she finally said. She looked back to Shane.
"No." Shane said simply. "Don't do it for me. Do it for yourself."
Jendra nodded as she stood up. "I'll get the others."
Shane's voice stopped her at the door. "Guess there aren't any
more vermin in the circle."
Jendra looked at him closely. She had finished her change after
only one more exchange and Rob had been changed soon after her. "What do
you mean? You're human."
"No, I'm not." Shane said simply. "Being bit by a shifter, makes
you a shifter. If you survive the initial bite. Which I did." he said it
slightly spitefully, but also with a strange pride.
"You're a shifter now?" Jendra asked slowly.
"Yes." Shane stated softly. "My name... will be... Vanax."
"Lion..." Jendra translated. "Is that your shift?"
Shane nodded.
"I'll go find the others now."
When she got to the waiting room, she saw only a familiar blonde
head bent over in the corner. Noki looked up when she came in and tried
to smile. But he dropped it soon.
"Is Shane gonna be okay? I never meant to hurt him." Noki's
voice was full of self-hatred.
"I always thought you hated Shane." Jendra said avoiding his
question.
Noki shrugged slightly in a defeated way. "I've never liked
humans much. I guess I don't have a choice now. He's not human any more,
if he's still alive. He is alive. Isn't he?" Noki looked up again. His
face had the look of a lost little boy.
"Yes. He's named himself Vanax." Jendra said as she stepped
closer to Noki's huddled form.
"I guess that fits." Noki said with a ghost of a smile.
"Why? Noki, why did you attack Shane?"
"I was mad. Crazed 'cause he was with you when it should have
been me." Noki said it softly and Jendra barely heard him.
"We are soul-mates, then. It's true?"
"Yes. It's very true." Noki looked up suddenly and grabbed one
of her hands. He ended up on the floor on one knee.
"Jendra, can you ever forgive me? For what I've done to you and
Shane?" His voice was cracked with the effort of holding back tears.
Jendra bit her lip. She didn't know what to do. She sighed,
then realized the shocks were different. They were still there, but it
was different. Softer. More pleasant and not as scary. "Yes. I forgive
you." she replied with a gentle smile.
Noki stood up and hugged her fiercely. She buried her face in
his shoulder and cried happily. He pulled back to look at her. He gently
wiped away her tears, then kissed her softly.
(((Noki? This is like the first time...))) Jendra looked around.
His mind was sad. The corners were dark and dingy. But the center, where
she was, was bright as the sun. Light was all around her. She felt like
running and skipping through his mind, lighting up the dark places.
Making him forget the pain.
(((Yes, Jendra.)))
(((Noki, what's wrong with your mind?)))
(((It's from my parents. They were horrible people. They caused
my dark points. But you are my light. You burn away the darkness.)))
Jendra was pleased and she heard him laugh in her mind.
(((Oh, Jendra. I love you.)))
(((I love you, too, Noki.)))
"The Laughing Planet"
'Jendra's Story'
Recorded by Ziska Ames
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4
One Month Later
"So you and Shane have been going out for a month. Huh. I must
say, I didn't think your relationship would last." Jade commented over
lunch in the mall commons. School was starting soon and the girls were
on a shopping spree for back-to-school outfits.
"Yeah. I'm kind of surprised myself." Jendra said as she munched
on her salad.
"I think it's great. Shane's such a nice guy." Topaz said as she
lathered ketchup all over her fries.
"I agree. You guys are good for each other." Lapis stated as she
snagged a fry from Topaz. Topaz glared at her and moved her fries out of
Lapis's reach, and right into Jade's. "Hey! These are mine, guys!" Topaz
yelled as Jade stole two of her fries.
Jendra laughed loudly at Topaz's dilemma.
"Oh shut up." Topaz muttered as she put her fries in her lap to
protect them.
"So, what else do we need to do?" Jade asked.
"Shoes. I need shoes." Topaz muttered through her fries. Her
head was bent over as she gobbled them up quickly.
"I wonder what the guys are up to." Lapis muttered to herself.
"Straight five cards. No wilds. Open pot. No limit on bets."
Noki said officially as he dealt the deck. He was winning tons of money.
Maybe I'll buy Jade something.
"Hmm... give me two." Shane said. He tossed his cards in and
Noki gave him new ones.
"Three." Rob said.
"One for me." Noki pulled himself a new card. Hmm... full house,
not bad.
The bets raised quickly and Noki soon won fifty dollars to add
to his personal pot. Shane tossed his cards into the center of the small
circle.
"I'm out. I won't be able to afford to take Jendra out tonight
if I don't stop."
Noki's heart felt like a giant hand had grabbed it and squeezed
when Shane mentioned *her*. It had happened again. Twice, actually, in
the last month. Once during a water fight when he was dunking her, and
again during a circle meeting when she passed him the candle. He knew
what it was. They were bonded. Soul-mates. "I'll be back later guys. I
gotta go."
He stood up and left the room quickly. He leaned against the
outside of the door for a minute, before exiting the blue building.
Stepping out from the sliding glass doors he contemplated going home,
but decided to talk a quick walk.
He walked the streets till dark thinking. Finally, he came to a
conclusion. He had to leave Jade. He couldn't stay with her when he knew
he was meant to be with Jendra.
Jade opened her wood paneled door to find Noki on her steps. "We need to talk." He said in a pinched voice. His face was sad and Jade immediately knew what he wanted.
Jade nodded and stepped out of the way so he could come in. He
sat on the couch and looked at Jade. There was no expression on his
handsome face, but his tightly clasped hands revealed his nervousness.
"We have to break up." He said flatly. His head dropped as he
waited for her to comment on his decision.
Jade was quiet for a moment. She had suspected this would happen
for a while. She and Noki had been an item for a long time, three years,
but Jade knew that he wasn't hers to keep. "It's Jendra, isn't it? She's
your soul-mate." Noki's head shot up and he stared at her.
"How did you know?" his voice was quiet and slightly bewildered.
"I think I've known since that day at the Planet. I just didn't
want to admit it. I love you, Noki. But my love for you has changed over
the years we've known each other. She's your one and only, you can't let
her get away. But be careful with Shane. He may or may not understand."
Noki stood up and brushed nonexistent dirt from his pant legs.
"Jade, you are amazing." He gave her a quick hug and set off
into the night to find Shane.
Jade watched him stroll quickly away through the window and
wiped away a tear. "Good luck, Noki. I'm happy for you." She said softly
as she let the nearly transparent drapes fall, obscuring her vision.
"Hello, Mrs. Bragman. Is Shane here?" Noki asked nonchalantly.
He stood on the steps with his hands confidently in his pockets as he
addressed Shane's mom. She nodded and turned from the door to see Shane
standing behind her.
"Oh, here you are. Someone for you at the door." She left to
give them some privacy.
"Can I help you, Noki?" Shane asked indifferently. His face was
impassive.
"Yeah, you can. Come with me." Noki turned from the door and
started down the street. Shane followed closely. They walked in an
uncomfortable silence to the park. Shane lounged on a bench waiting for
Noki to speak. When he did say something, it wasn't quite what Shane
had expected.
"I want you to break up with Jendra." Noki said at last. He quit
pacing and stopped directly in front of Shane.
"Why?" was all Shane said. His voice was hard as his body tensed.
"She's my soul-mate."
"I don't believe you." Shane suddenly stood up forcing Noki to
move back. "I'm going to leave now." Shane turned and started to walk
away.
"Wait! What do you mean you don't believe me? You think I would
lie about this?" Noki's voice was hurt. Shane stopped and turned around
to stare Noki in the eyes. He thought a moment before speaking.
"I'll tell you what I believe. I think Jade dumped you. And now
you want Jendra so you made up some B.S. story about soul-mates so I'd
break up with her." Shane walked up to Noki and poked him in the chest.
"I suggest you move back, boy. She is my soul-mate, whether you
believe it or not." Noki's face was hard. He was mad.
"Make me move." Shane said spitefully.
They stood with their gazes locked for a moment in a silent
struggle. Finally Noki shrugged. "Okay." he said quietly.
He grabbed Shane by the shirt and slammed him backwards into a
tree. "Jendra is mine!" Noki yelled.
"No, she's not! She's with me." Shane gasped defiantly as he
struggled against the restraining hand. His air was being cut off.
"If you won't give her up gracefully, I'll make you." Noki said.
His voice was quiet and dangerous.
Shane's eyes widened as Noki drew his lips back revealing his
sharp teeth. His eyes glazed and turned a golden-green instead of their
natural forest green.
Noki suddenly lunged forward. He sank his teeth into Shane's
shoulder. Shane screamed as Noki gnawed on his arm. He struggled wildly
but couldn't break Noki's grip. Shane could feel the bark of the tree
pressing into his back through his thin tee-shirt. Blood spread down his
chin and dripped to the ground. Noki was mindless. He wanted to kill.
And Shane was there to be killed.
Suddenly, Noki's ears perked up.
"Noki! Shane!" He could hear frantic yelling in the park.
"Oh god. Lapis." He said thickly through a human mouth that
contained far too many teeth. He dropped Shane and ran. Shane slumped
to the ground as Jendra ran around the corner.
"Shane!" She yelled as she dropped to his side.
"Goodbye, Jendra." he whispered before fainting.
"Shane!!" She cried in agony as she cradled his head to her
chest.
"Mrs. Jones?"
"Yes, doctor? How is he? Is he okay." Jendra was frantic. They
had been waiting in the hospital for five hours while Shane was in
surgery.
"He's lost a lot of blood, but yes. He'll be fine in a month or
two." the official said as he checked his charts.
"Oh thank you! Can I see him?" Jendra asked.
"I don't see why not." The doctor said. He walked out of the
room. Jendra glanced at the others before following the doctor.
"Jendra." Shane said as she walked in. He looked terrible. His
arms were in casts and his head was wrapped up in bandages.
"Oh Shane. What happened?" she collapsed on the side of his bed.
"Noki happened. He wanted me to break up with you." Shane said
calmly.
"What?! Why?!" She yelled jumping off the bed.
"Sit down, Jendra. Because you guys are soul-mates. I didn't
want to believe it, but now I do. I know Noki. He may be wild sometimes,
but he'd never intentionally hurt anyone. He was crazed. He loves you.
He's your one and only. I know it'll be hard, but you have to forgive
him. You'll never know true happiness otherwise." Shane grasped her hand
as he talked.
"Oh Shane." she sighed as she collapsed on the bed again. "I
can't forgive him. Look what he's done to you! And how does he know
we're soul-mates?" She was mad. How dare he? It had to be a lie.
"When you touch your soul-mate you get shocked. And sometimes
you connect mind to mind. Those are two ways of knowing."
Jendra gasped as she remembered. So that's what that had been.
She had been wondering ever since that day in the Planet. "Oh, Shane.
What am I going to do?" She suddenly felt like crying but held back the
tears. She wouldn't cry in front of Shane after all that he had been
through.
"Forgive him. I do." Shane said softly. He looked into her eyes.
She could sense the sincerity there. She sighed again and looked away to
stare at one of the plain, colorless walls that are so characteristic of
hospitals.
"I'll try. For you." she finally said. She looked back to Shane.
"No." Shane said simply. "Don't do it for me. Do it for yourself."
Jendra nodded as she stood up. "I'll get the others."
Shane's voice stopped her at the door. "Guess there aren't any
more vermin in the circle."
Jendra looked at him closely. She had finished her change after
only one more exchange and Rob had been changed soon after her. "What do
you mean? You're human."
"No, I'm not." Shane said simply. "Being bit by a shifter, makes
you a shifter. If you survive the initial bite. Which I did." he said it
slightly spitefully, but also with a strange pride.
"You're a shifter now?" Jendra asked slowly.
"Yes." Shane stated softly. "My name... will be... Vanax."
"Lion..." Jendra translated. "Is that your shift?"
Shane nodded.
"I'll go find the others now."
When she got to the waiting room, she saw only a familiar blonde
head bent over in the corner. Noki looked up when she came in and tried
to smile. But he dropped it soon.
"Is Shane gonna be okay? I never meant to hurt him." Noki's
voice was full of self-hatred.
"I always thought you hated Shane." Jendra said avoiding his
question.
Noki shrugged slightly in a defeated way. "I've never liked
humans much. I guess I don't have a choice now. He's not human any more,
if he's still alive. He is alive. Isn't he?" Noki looked up again. His
face had the look of a lost little boy.
"Yes. He's named himself Vanax." Jendra said as she stepped
closer to Noki's huddled form.
"I guess that fits." Noki said with a ghost of a smile.
"Why? Noki, why did you attack Shane?"
"I was mad. Crazed 'cause he was with you when it should have
been me." Noki said it softly and Jendra barely heard him.
"We are soul-mates, then. It's true?"
"Yes. It's very true." Noki looked up suddenly and grabbed one
of her hands. He ended up on the floor on one knee.
"Jendra, can you ever forgive me? For what I've done to you and
Shane?" His voice was cracked with the effort of holding back tears.
Jendra bit her lip. She didn't know what to do. She sighed,
then realized the shocks were different. They were still there, but it
was different. Softer. More pleasant and not as scary. "Yes. I forgive
you." she replied with a gentle smile.
Noki stood up and hugged her fiercely. She buried her face in
his shoulder and cried happily. He pulled back to look at her. He gently
wiped away her tears, then kissed her softly.
(((Noki? This is like the first time...))) Jendra looked around.
His mind was sad. The corners were dark and dingy. But the center, where
she was, was bright as the sun. Light was all around her. She felt like
running and skipping through his mind, lighting up the dark places.
Making him forget the pain.
(((Yes, Jendra.)))
(((Noki, what's wrong with your mind?)))
(((It's from my parents. They were horrible people. They caused
my dark points. But you are my light. You burn away the darkness.)))
Jendra was pleased and she heard him laugh in her mind.
(((Oh, Jendra. I love you.)))
(((I love you, too, Noki.)))