Shadowy Reunion
Chapter 2: Reunion
By: Magelet
Jenny woke up and shivered, pulling her comforter tight around her. Christmas and she had no one. She needed to be
held, to be kissed: to be loved. She wished with all her heart right now for Julian. She held his ring that she wore almost
religiously like and engagement ring to her lips. Reaching to her bedside table she grasped the silver rose that he had given
her twice. The whole while she'd had her eyes closed, imagining Julian here with her, imagining that she could feel his
presence even in the shadows. Holding the rose in her hand, she sat up and opened her eyes to the semi-dark room, looking
around. Next to her bed was a long, thin, white box with a single red rose on top of it.
A red rose.
The symbol of ever lasting love. Fidelity. She dropped her silver rose and it landed on her comforter-clad lap.
Shaking slightly, Jenny brushed her 'amber'-colored hair out of her eyes and reached for the box, pulling it up onto her bed.
She took a deep breath, clearing her mind quickly. Jenny slowly moved the rose, brushing the soft petals to her cheek as she
had the silver rose at first, smiling, and sighing gently; soft as Julian's touch or hair. Then, dead serious, she opened the
box and was surprised at what she saw.
A staff.
The glowing symbols on it were familiar to her, and she'd seen it before. It was the Shadow World's runestave. All
over it were little symbols. A slip of paper had several runes on it and was wrapped around a very sharp-looking knife. One
thought came to Jenny's mind.
Julian.
She pulled her ring off quickly and checked the inscription. It was still 'I am my only master'. Without another
thought, she took the knife and swiftly but carefully carved the shallow runes into the staff where they had been cut off.
She had been studying runes since Julian's un-making and knew what they were, their names, what they did, and how to use them.
She had studied all kinds - all the known ones. She went over their meanings in her mind. After a moment of looking at her
handy-work, she wondered if it needed charging. But the letters began glowing.
Brighter.
It grew cold. The runestave got so cold that she was afraid that it would freeze in her grip, her left hand with it.
The room's temperature itself was dropping, and growing a bit darker. The shadows in the corner or her dorm room flickered
and shimmered. They began to take a human shape, but not before she saw the eyes.
His eyes.
Blue. So impossibly blue, they were unmistakably Julian's eyes. His body took form. His soft, long-ish, icy-white,
hair; hard muscles; perfect facial features - they all appeared. He was wearing the outfit that she had last seen him in - a
dark duster and black pants with a white T-shirt.
"Julian!"
Jenny's eyes filled with tears, and for the first time since Tom had died, they were tears of joy. "Oh my god, Julian!"
She leapt out of her bed and ran over to him, flinging her arms around him. Yes, he was solid.
It was him.
"Jenny!" he said in surprise, "You know me? But I never told you my name, and you forgot what happened when you were
five!" He sounded so confused, but wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly to him. She buried her face in his shirt,
clinging to him, laughing and crying at the same time. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Jenny had calmed down
enough to talk sensibly.
Talk to him.
"Of course you've told me your name, you told me at the beginning the first game, and for my nightmare I remembered
what happened in my Grandpa's basement, then later, at the end, I remembered you. I'm really sorry I kept being so awful to
you, it's just that the games were so awful, and I thought I loved Tom, and I did, but I really actually love you, and..."
She stopped, choking up again. "I'm so glad you're back." She buried her face into his chest once more.
Crying softly.
"But Jenny, I don't understand. I know I've always watched you," He told her, stroking her hair. "but other than when
you were five, we've never met."
Chapter 2: Reunion
By: Magelet
Jenny woke up and shivered, pulling her comforter tight around her. Christmas and she had no one. She needed to be
held, to be kissed: to be loved. She wished with all her heart right now for Julian. She held his ring that she wore almost
religiously like and engagement ring to her lips. Reaching to her bedside table she grasped the silver rose that he had given
her twice. The whole while she'd had her eyes closed, imagining Julian here with her, imagining that she could feel his
presence even in the shadows. Holding the rose in her hand, she sat up and opened her eyes to the semi-dark room, looking
around. Next to her bed was a long, thin, white box with a single red rose on top of it.
A red rose.
The symbol of ever lasting love. Fidelity. She dropped her silver rose and it landed on her comforter-clad lap.
Shaking slightly, Jenny brushed her 'amber'-colored hair out of her eyes and reached for the box, pulling it up onto her bed.
She took a deep breath, clearing her mind quickly. Jenny slowly moved the rose, brushing the soft petals to her cheek as she
had the silver rose at first, smiling, and sighing gently; soft as Julian's touch or hair. Then, dead serious, she opened the
box and was surprised at what she saw.
A staff.
The glowing symbols on it were familiar to her, and she'd seen it before. It was the Shadow World's runestave. All
over it were little symbols. A slip of paper had several runes on it and was wrapped around a very sharp-looking knife. One
thought came to Jenny's mind.
Julian.
She pulled her ring off quickly and checked the inscription. It was still 'I am my only master'. Without another
thought, she took the knife and swiftly but carefully carved the shallow runes into the staff where they had been cut off.
She had been studying runes since Julian's un-making and knew what they were, their names, what they did, and how to use them.
She had studied all kinds - all the known ones. She went over their meanings in her mind. After a moment of looking at her
handy-work, she wondered if it needed charging. But the letters began glowing.
Brighter.
It grew cold. The runestave got so cold that she was afraid that it would freeze in her grip, her left hand with it.
The room's temperature itself was dropping, and growing a bit darker. The shadows in the corner or her dorm room flickered
and shimmered. They began to take a human shape, but not before she saw the eyes.
His eyes.
Blue. So impossibly blue, they were unmistakably Julian's eyes. His body took form. His soft, long-ish, icy-white,
hair; hard muscles; perfect facial features - they all appeared. He was wearing the outfit that she had last seen him in - a
dark duster and black pants with a white T-shirt.
"Julian!"
Jenny's eyes filled with tears, and for the first time since Tom had died, they were tears of joy. "Oh my god, Julian!"
She leapt out of her bed and ran over to him, flinging her arms around him. Yes, he was solid.
It was him.
"Jenny!" he said in surprise, "You know me? But I never told you my name, and you forgot what happened when you were
five!" He sounded so confused, but wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly to him. She buried her face in his shirt,
clinging to him, laughing and crying at the same time. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Jenny had calmed down
enough to talk sensibly.
Talk to him.
"Of course you've told me your name, you told me at the beginning the first game, and for my nightmare I remembered
what happened in my Grandpa's basement, then later, at the end, I remembered you. I'm really sorry I kept being so awful to
you, it's just that the games were so awful, and I thought I loved Tom, and I did, but I really actually love you, and..."
She stopped, choking up again. "I'm so glad you're back." She buried her face into his chest once more.
Crying softly.
"But Jenny, I don't understand. I know I've always watched you," He told her, stroking her hair. "but other than when
you were five, we've never met."