Title: One Card Short of a Full Deck (Parts 3/3)
Author: Sara Dupras
E-Mail: starlit_kit@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild violence
Spoilers: general FG
Inspiration: Lyz's request to make the reader feel stupid by
misleading them in the plot...I don't know if I accomplish this or
not but it's worth a try.
Summary: Take another look at the title...if I told you anything
else I'd spoil the ending.
Disclaimers: The Forbidden Game and the characters therein belong
to L.J. Smith. No harm is intended. The author takes full
responsibility for her own insanity, and will deliver Julian
covered in chocolate sauce to Red's doorstep when she has done. Red
promises faithfully to return Julian to L.J. Smith in a relatively
unharmed state when she'd done with him. (This is what happens when
you ask Red to do your disclaimers).
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 1:
She was looking into the impossible blue eyes of Julian, the
Shadow Man. He was so beautiful...unnaturally so. But that was only
to be expected, of course, considering that he wasn't from this
world.
"You're dead," Jenny said faintly.
He smiled at her, oh so gently. "No, Jenny, I'm not...but you
most certainly are."
Her green eyes widened. Swallowing, she took a step backwards,
away from him. "Julian, I--"
He raised an eyebrow. "You what, Jenny? You're sorry that I
had to die for you? Do you want to play another game? What?!"
Her blonde hair swished back and forth as she shook her head,
trying to clear it. He was hypnotizing her with his angry eyes. If
she wasn't careful she wouldn't get a chance to escape from him.
Julian leapt at her, grabbed her wrists, and backed her
against the wall. "I loved you," he said bitterly. Raising one of
her clenched fists, he stared at the diamond engagement ring. Then
he looked at her. "I loved you; I died for you and this is how you
repay me?"
Jenny could feel her body start to react to the closeness of
his body. *Oh God, what's wrong with me?* After all these years and
he could still make her short of breath. She wanted...
Julian's face changed from anger to hunger. It was obvious
that Jenny was having the same effect on him. He let go of her
wrists, smiling when she let out a sound of disappointment. "What's
wrong, Jenny?" he asked bending closer to her so he could speak in
her ear.
Desperately, trying to grasp reality, she tried to push him
away. It was like trying to shove a cement wall.
"Hm?" His voice was silky soft.
"Go to hell," she whispered.
Tcking, he stepped back. "Still the same old Jenny, I see." He
looked off into the distance, thinking. Then he looked back at her
with a cold, cruel smile upon his lips. "How about one last game,
Jenny? For old time's sake?"
She shook her head as the tears brightened her green eyes.
"Please, Julian, why can't you just leave me alone?"
He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "Yes, one more game.
If you win, you live. If I win, you die." He laughed harshly as
shock contorted her feautures. "Well, really, Jenny, what were you
expecting?"
Shame flooded her heart as she started sobbing. "Julian,
please--"
He held up a hand. "I'm done playing games with you, Jenny.
This one's for keeps." With that he was gone. All around her his
laughter echoed.
Her knees buckled and she slid down to the floor. Wrapping her
arms around herself, she rocked back and forth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 2:
Tom walked down the cement walkway, eyes scanning the college
campus. *Where is she?* Sighing, he stopped. Tapping his foot
impatiently, he checked his watch. She was fifteen minutes late.
*Big surprise.*
"Tommy!"
Tom spun around, facing the direction of Jenny's voice. He
could feel his eyes widen as he took in her dishevelled state. Her
hair was flying in all directions; obviously unbrushed. There were
circles underneath her eyes. Her clothes were wrinkled and
mismatched. None of this bothered him, however, as much as her
eyes. Or rather the expression in them. Wild was the only way to
describe them.
"Oh God, Tommy!" Jenny nearly sobbed as she threw herself at
him.
Tom staggered backwards. Catching his balance, he held her
tightly, stroking her hair. "Thorny," he asked softly, clearly
bewildered, "what's wrong?"
Moving back slightly, so she could peer into his hazel eyes,
she choked out, "It's Julian...he's back."
Tom looked stricken. "How can you say that?"
"He came to me last night. In my dream like he used to do. He
told me that we were going to play one last game and that if I
lost, I would die. Oh God, Tom, you should have seen how angry he
was."
Tom could hear his heart beating in his throat. Clearing his
throat, he squeaked out, "Are you sure that it wasn't just a
regular dream?"
Angrily, Jenny stepped out of his embrace. "Of course, I'm
sure. I know Julian when I see him, Tom."
He held up his hands, placatingly. "All right, Jenny--"
"Besides," she interrupted, "when I woke up this morning, I
found this on my pillow."
He took the piece of paper that she handed to him. Grimly, he
read:
Once there were seven players
then there were two
They went to the place of layers
where the two worlds are pierced, it's true
That revenge is a dish best served hot.
Tom frowned. Jenny, who had been watching him closely,
narrowed her eyes in suspicion and fear. "What's wrong?" she
whispered.
He shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's just that this doesn't
seem to be Julian's style."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," he pronounced loudly and clearly, "that not only is
this too easy, it's not as polished as the others."
Jenny shrugged uncertainly. "It's a different game."
"No kidding," Tom murmured. He looked up at the sky
thoughtfully. "So what do we do now?"
"We wait, I suppose."
He gave a humorless laugh. "Well, that's definitely not like
Julian. It sounds like he's snapped."
Jenny gave him an odd look but said nothing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 3:
Tom rolled over in bed for the hundredth time that night. Who
was he kidding? Abruptly, he flipped on his bedside lamp; he'd be
getting no sleep tonight.
He walked over to his desk and sat down. Picking up the piece
of paper again he looked at it without reading it. By now he
already knew the words by heart:
Once there were seven players then there were two
*That's obvious enough.*
They went to the place of layers where the two worlds are
pierced, it's true That revenge is a dish best served hot.
The place of layers referred to the stacked cafeteria tables.
Where the two worlds are pierced meant Zach's garage. And the last
part: that revenge is a dish served hot was another reference to
the cafeteria.
*It's too easy.* As hard as he tried, he couldn't shake the
feeling that something wasn't quite right here. Julian was much
better than this piece of garbage he was holding in his hands.
Besides, all day he and Jenny had waited for something to happen.
Anything at all and absolutely nothing had.
And Julian wasn't noted for his patience.
He sighed, then ripped the piece of paper into tiny shreds.
He got up and started to pace. If Julian really had snapped
then that would go a long way in explaining things. Especially, in
the fact that he had told Jenny that he wanted to kill her. When
Julian had lain there in Jenny and Zach's grandfather's house,
dying, Tom could have sworn that Julian finally understood what
true love was. And if that were true then why kill her?
That brought up another interesting question. Just how was
Julian alive? Tom brushed a lock of dark brown hair out of his
eyes. Then he shrugged. *Someone must have just carved his name
back onto the runestave.*
He smiled grimly. It was a good thing that the others were
away at different colleges. Otherwise, they might be caught up in
having to participate in the game.
Tom went back to his bed and switched off the lamp. He
couldn't seem to stop thinking, though. *Tomorrow, I'll take Jenny
to Zach's garage. Maybe that's what we were supposed to do.* And
that was odd also. Not knowing what the game was or how to play it.
Again not Julian's style.
He wouldn't even have considered putting Jenny at risk by
purposely bringing her to the Shadow Man except by now he knew it
was better to get these things over with. It was much more
preferable than living with the fear.
Suddenly the phone rang. Dread washed over Tom. Warily, he
picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Tommy, please help--"
His breath whooshed out as the connection was severed. He
jumped from his bed, grabbed the keys to his car off the desk, then
ran outside. He hurriedly tried to insert the key into the lock.
However, he was shaking badly and dropped them. Fumbling, he picked
them up and tried again.
A cry of relief escaped his lips as he opened the door. In
less than a second he was doing eighty down a residential road. The
time passed as quickly as the scenery. Soon he was stopping in
front of her house.
Not even bothering to turn off the ignition or put on the
e-brake he dashed inside the house. The fact that the door wasn't
locked didn't escape his notice. *God, that can't be good.*
"Jenny?! Jenny!?" he shouted as he ran through the house.
Finally, he ended up in her bedroom. He came to a full stop at what
he saw.
The only light in the room was coming from a candle. Standing
in front of it was Julian. He looked strange, though...offbalance.
His glacier blue eyes weren't the same color that they had been.
And his hair was falling in disarray around his face. All in all he
looked perfectly insane.
"Hello, Tom," said a voice that sounded like water running
over a rock.
"Julian," he acknowledged, licking his dry lips. "Where's
Jenny?"
Julian threw back his head and laughed. Tom felt chills go
down his spine and goosebumps form on his arms. His heart tried to
beat it's way out of his chest.
"She's dead." He said it simply and without any emotion.
Tom felt his heart actually breaking. He let out a roar of
rage and lunged at Julian. He knocked him to the floor. Then as he
was shifting his weight to throw a punch, he stopped short.
*What the hell!?* Tom ran his hands lightly over Julian's
chest. And as the shock rippled through his body...he knew.
***
A girl wearing blue contacts and who had scissor-hacked hair
sat in a padded room, rocking back and forth. In her lucid moments
she was Jenny.
In her other moments she was Julian.
The End
(c) Sara Dupras (starlit_kit@hotmail.com)
Author: Sara Dupras
E-Mail: starlit_kit@hotmail.com
Rating: PG
Warnings: mild violence
Spoilers: general FG
Inspiration: Lyz's request to make the reader feel stupid by
misleading them in the plot...I don't know if I accomplish this or
not but it's worth a try.
Summary: Take another look at the title...if I told you anything
else I'd spoil the ending.
Disclaimers: The Forbidden Game and the characters therein belong
to L.J. Smith. No harm is intended. The author takes full
responsibility for her own insanity, and will deliver Julian
covered in chocolate sauce to Red's doorstep when she has done. Red
promises faithfully to return Julian to L.J. Smith in a relatively
unharmed state when she'd done with him. (This is what happens when
you ask Red to do your disclaimers).
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 1:
She was looking into the impossible blue eyes of Julian, the
Shadow Man. He was so beautiful...unnaturally so. But that was only
to be expected, of course, considering that he wasn't from this
world.
"You're dead," Jenny said faintly.
He smiled at her, oh so gently. "No, Jenny, I'm not...but you
most certainly are."
Her green eyes widened. Swallowing, she took a step backwards,
away from him. "Julian, I--"
He raised an eyebrow. "You what, Jenny? You're sorry that I
had to die for you? Do you want to play another game? What?!"
Her blonde hair swished back and forth as she shook her head,
trying to clear it. He was hypnotizing her with his angry eyes. If
she wasn't careful she wouldn't get a chance to escape from him.
Julian leapt at her, grabbed her wrists, and backed her
against the wall. "I loved you," he said bitterly. Raising one of
her clenched fists, he stared at the diamond engagement ring. Then
he looked at her. "I loved you; I died for you and this is how you
repay me?"
Jenny could feel her body start to react to the closeness of
his body. *Oh God, what's wrong with me?* After all these years and
he could still make her short of breath. She wanted...
Julian's face changed from anger to hunger. It was obvious
that Jenny was having the same effect on him. He let go of her
wrists, smiling when she let out a sound of disappointment. "What's
wrong, Jenny?" he asked bending closer to her so he could speak in
her ear.
Desperately, trying to grasp reality, she tried to push him
away. It was like trying to shove a cement wall.
"Hm?" His voice was silky soft.
"Go to hell," she whispered.
Tcking, he stepped back. "Still the same old Jenny, I see." He
looked off into the distance, thinking. Then he looked back at her
with a cold, cruel smile upon his lips. "How about one last game,
Jenny? For old time's sake?"
She shook her head as the tears brightened her green eyes.
"Please, Julian, why can't you just leave me alone?"
He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "Yes, one more game.
If you win, you live. If I win, you die." He laughed harshly as
shock contorted her feautures. "Well, really, Jenny, what were you
expecting?"
Shame flooded her heart as she started sobbing. "Julian,
please--"
He held up a hand. "I'm done playing games with you, Jenny.
This one's for keeps." With that he was gone. All around her his
laughter echoed.
Her knees buckled and she slid down to the floor. Wrapping her
arms around herself, she rocked back and forth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 2:
Tom walked down the cement walkway, eyes scanning the college
campus. *Where is she?* Sighing, he stopped. Tapping his foot
impatiently, he checked his watch. She was fifteen minutes late.
*Big surprise.*
"Tommy!"
Tom spun around, facing the direction of Jenny's voice. He
could feel his eyes widen as he took in her dishevelled state. Her
hair was flying in all directions; obviously unbrushed. There were
circles underneath her eyes. Her clothes were wrinkled and
mismatched. None of this bothered him, however, as much as her
eyes. Or rather the expression in them. Wild was the only way to
describe them.
"Oh God, Tommy!" Jenny nearly sobbed as she threw herself at
him.
Tom staggered backwards. Catching his balance, he held her
tightly, stroking her hair. "Thorny," he asked softly, clearly
bewildered, "what's wrong?"
Moving back slightly, so she could peer into his hazel eyes,
she choked out, "It's Julian...he's back."
Tom looked stricken. "How can you say that?"
"He came to me last night. In my dream like he used to do. He
told me that we were going to play one last game and that if I
lost, I would die. Oh God, Tom, you should have seen how angry he
was."
Tom could hear his heart beating in his throat. Clearing his
throat, he squeaked out, "Are you sure that it wasn't just a
regular dream?"
Angrily, Jenny stepped out of his embrace. "Of course, I'm
sure. I know Julian when I see him, Tom."
He held up his hands, placatingly. "All right, Jenny--"
"Besides," she interrupted, "when I woke up this morning, I
found this on my pillow."
He took the piece of paper that she handed to him. Grimly, he
read:
Once there were seven players
then there were two
They went to the place of layers
where the two worlds are pierced, it's true
That revenge is a dish best served hot.
Tom frowned. Jenny, who had been watching him closely,
narrowed her eyes in suspicion and fear. "What's wrong?" she
whispered.
He shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's just that this doesn't
seem to be Julian's style."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," he pronounced loudly and clearly, "that not only is
this too easy, it's not as polished as the others."
Jenny shrugged uncertainly. "It's a different game."
"No kidding," Tom murmured. He looked up at the sky
thoughtfully. "So what do we do now?"
"We wait, I suppose."
He gave a humorless laugh. "Well, that's definitely not like
Julian. It sounds like he's snapped."
Jenny gave him an odd look but said nothing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Part 3:
Tom rolled over in bed for the hundredth time that night. Who
was he kidding? Abruptly, he flipped on his bedside lamp; he'd be
getting no sleep tonight.
He walked over to his desk and sat down. Picking up the piece
of paper again he looked at it without reading it. By now he
already knew the words by heart:
Once there were seven players then there were two
*That's obvious enough.*
They went to the place of layers where the two worlds are
pierced, it's true That revenge is a dish best served hot.
The place of layers referred to the stacked cafeteria tables.
Where the two worlds are pierced meant Zach's garage. And the last
part: that revenge is a dish served hot was another reference to
the cafeteria.
*It's too easy.* As hard as he tried, he couldn't shake the
feeling that something wasn't quite right here. Julian was much
better than this piece of garbage he was holding in his hands.
Besides, all day he and Jenny had waited for something to happen.
Anything at all and absolutely nothing had.
And Julian wasn't noted for his patience.
He sighed, then ripped the piece of paper into tiny shreds.
He got up and started to pace. If Julian really had snapped
then that would go a long way in explaining things. Especially, in
the fact that he had told Jenny that he wanted to kill her. When
Julian had lain there in Jenny and Zach's grandfather's house,
dying, Tom could have sworn that Julian finally understood what
true love was. And if that were true then why kill her?
That brought up another interesting question. Just how was
Julian alive? Tom brushed a lock of dark brown hair out of his
eyes. Then he shrugged. *Someone must have just carved his name
back onto the runestave.*
He smiled grimly. It was a good thing that the others were
away at different colleges. Otherwise, they might be caught up in
having to participate in the game.
Tom went back to his bed and switched off the lamp. He
couldn't seem to stop thinking, though. *Tomorrow, I'll take Jenny
to Zach's garage. Maybe that's what we were supposed to do.* And
that was odd also. Not knowing what the game was or how to play it.
Again not Julian's style.
He wouldn't even have considered putting Jenny at risk by
purposely bringing her to the Shadow Man except by now he knew it
was better to get these things over with. It was much more
preferable than living with the fear.
Suddenly the phone rang. Dread washed over Tom. Warily, he
picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Tommy, please help--"
His breath whooshed out as the connection was severed. He
jumped from his bed, grabbed the keys to his car off the desk, then
ran outside. He hurriedly tried to insert the key into the lock.
However, he was shaking badly and dropped them. Fumbling, he picked
them up and tried again.
A cry of relief escaped his lips as he opened the door. In
less than a second he was doing eighty down a residential road. The
time passed as quickly as the scenery. Soon he was stopping in
front of her house.
Not even bothering to turn off the ignition or put on the
e-brake he dashed inside the house. The fact that the door wasn't
locked didn't escape his notice. *God, that can't be good.*
"Jenny?! Jenny!?" he shouted as he ran through the house.
Finally, he ended up in her bedroom. He came to a full stop at what
he saw.
The only light in the room was coming from a candle. Standing
in front of it was Julian. He looked strange, though...offbalance.
His glacier blue eyes weren't the same color that they had been.
And his hair was falling in disarray around his face. All in all he
looked perfectly insane.
"Hello, Tom," said a voice that sounded like water running
over a rock.
"Julian," he acknowledged, licking his dry lips. "Where's
Jenny?"
Julian threw back his head and laughed. Tom felt chills go
down his spine and goosebumps form on his arms. His heart tried to
beat it's way out of his chest.
"She's dead." He said it simply and without any emotion.
Tom felt his heart actually breaking. He let out a roar of
rage and lunged at Julian. He knocked him to the floor. Then as he
was shifting his weight to throw a punch, he stopped short.
*What the hell!?* Tom ran his hands lightly over Julian's
chest. And as the shock rippled through his body...he knew.
***
A girl wearing blue contacts and who had scissor-hacked hair
sat in a padded room, rocking back and forth. In her lucid moments
she was Jenny.
In her other moments she was Julian.
The End
(c) Sara Dupras (starlit_kit@hotmail.com)