Author's Warning/Note: Contains major angst factors, and I'm sure you'll cry. I did, but if you don't that's okay. If you do, then remember that crying is good for you, pansy.
Author's Apology: I didn't mean to call you all pansies. I simply wanted to say that. Sorry.
Fallen
Part 2: Rebecca-May 22, the Day Before
I suppose that there are some who think that fate shouldn't be tampered with, that we are all supposed to live and die at a point in our lives. The same people probably never ran into the power of the Phoniex, or the power of despair like the one I encountered today.
I was on the Aurora when I spotted him, and at first I thought it was our Jules, the innocent one that blushes so much when I look at him some ways and is so eager to help us all out. He was near the door, writing something quickly on a piece of paper when I noticed that his hands were shaking, and his hair was a little too long to be Jules. We always made sure that Jules had his hair cut, but that was too long for any of our tastes. I slowly and quietly (very hard when you're in a dress) went over until I was behind him. He paused and sighed. " I know you're there."
I felt my heart almost cry. The voice was Jules, so were the movements, but he could never do that. I couldn't do that for a while until someone snuck up on me too many times. What had happened?
The man turned and looked at me, and I nearly fainted at the sight of him. He was Jules Verne, he was my friend, but his eyes were in deeper and darker circles then I have ever seen in anyone but people held in prison for years upon years, and his eyes were more haunted the Phileas'. I felt ready to cry, but it was my surprise when he backed up against the table, both of those brown eyes wide with some sort of fear or remorse or both. His mouth was open a little, and I could now see that his clothing was in the worse shape I'd ever seen it. What had happened to him in such short time? We had only seen him a week ago; what passed between that week to make him so sad, so scared of me?
" Rebecca," he whispered my name like it was something not said out loud, and I tilted my head to take him all in before he lowered his eyes and fell to his knees. I started to move to him and saw his shoulders shaking, and when I looked at the side of his face tearstains showed me how dirty his face was. He turned to look at me in my eyes, and he seemed a little confused. He blinked at me, then said, " What day is today?"
" It's the 22nd."
" Of May?"
I nodded, and he seemed to have let something register in his mind. I heard him whisper, " I have time. I can make it right."
" Jules?"
He turned and looked at me, his eyes a little wide and scared, " When's Fogg coming back? Is Passepartout here?"
" Phileas is on an errand with Passepartout to a gentleman's club. He'll be back shortly. What's so important?" I shouldn't have asked that, but I had to know what made him so sad, what caused him so much grief. Had it been something that he thought I would hate him for? What?
" Rebecca," he started, then stopped. Slowly he reached out a hand and touched my cheek.. His own hand was not the soft or somewhat callused thing I hoped it to be, from touching it before, but it was raw from some sort of scrapping or rubbing along hard surfaces too long. It wouldn't take a week to do this.
" What's happened to you?" I whispered, feeling ready to cry. I lifted my hand and touched his on my cheek, and he flinched, almost scared of my touch or of me.
Jules licked his lips, and withdrew his hand, " I…I'm from the future. From a time I don't think should exist. I need to talk with Fogg. Tomorrow he's going to go pick me up so we can have lunch here, and I'll make a terrible mistake that will cost his life. I have to talk with him soon."
" You have you're chance," Phileas' somewhat angered voice came from the door, and we both turned to look at him.