Disclaimer: I own nothing related to L.J. Smith or her books.
Note: Okay, after all the reviews that I got for the last chapter, I think there is a couple of things I should explain.
I killed Tom off- Yes, I did because this way, it will be easier for me to write about Julian and Jenny. This way, Tom cannot come between Julian and Jenny. (Plus, I kind of wanted the real book to end with Julian and Jenny getting together. Not Tom and Jenny.)
And I know Tom understood about the ring. Well, maybe he understood for a while. But, maybe, after a while, he got sick of seeing it every time he and Jenny were together. Maybe after a while he just wanted her to forget all about Julian and the Shadow World like he had done. Who knows?
Okay, I thought that might clear a couple of things up. I like that you guys called me on that stuff, though, because it keeps me on my toes. Anyway, sorry it took me so long to get out the next part. I am hoping that the chapter after this one will not take as long to write. Thanks everyone. And please review.
Jenny unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside slowly. She was exhausted. It seemed as if the days dragged by anymore. Long endless minutes stretched into even longer hours. Everyday, she would come home to her lonely apartment and feel as if the energy had been drained out of her. That day was no different.
Jenny closed the door behind her, careful to lock it. She was always very conscious of always locking her door. It had become quite the habit to lock it right after she entered the apartment. Of course, there had been a time before when she would not have been so careful. There had been a time when she would not have cared so much. After all, Jenny Thornton had always seemed to land on top. Before, nothing bad had ever seemed to happen to her. So, she was able to take the whole world for granted. That is, before she had met Julian.
Meeting Julian had thrown her whole world upside down. She had realized the reason she had always seemed to land on top all through her life was Julian's doing. He had made her world seem as perfect as it was. He had made sure nothing bad had ever happened to her. Julian had always watched over her, protected her, even before she had known who he was.
But, Julian was gone now and so was the ability to take everything for granted. Jenny couldn't help but be cautious of everyone and everything. Her time in the Shadow World had taught her to fear.
Sometimes a glimmer of her old self would shine through and she would feel that she was just being paranoid, but the old Jenny never stayed around too long. And the new Jenny would sink back into her pit of caution and uncertainty. She was never sure about anything anymore. Jenny never took chances. She did not want to even think about the chance of making a dangerous mistake as she had in the past with Julian. The mistake of underestimating him had almost cost her one of her friend's lives.
Jenny walked through her apartment to the bedroom in the back. She stepped through the doorway and shed her coat onto the floor. It fell into a heap on the carpet, but jenny took no notice of that. At that moment, she didn't really care that it wasn't hanging nice and neat in her closet. All that mattered was that it was off her.
Jenny stood next to her bed and slipped her shoes off slowly. She stared at the pattern on the quilt of her bed. Her eyes really did not see the red and green colors of the blanket, though. She seemed to look farther away than the colors or the design they made. Her mind was on other things.
"Julian," she whispered as she sank down onto the bed, her legs curling up underneath her.
It was funny how that name still made a chill run through her body, even after the years that had gone by. Right after the whole Julian episode, Jenny had tried to think up a beautiful place for Julian to go, as she had promised him before he had disappeared. She had hoped with all her might that he had ended up in the place she had created for him. It was a beautiful place with happiness and love and light. She knew how the Shadow Men craved light.
But, then after a while, Jenny had just wanted to forget that the whole thing had happened. She had wanted to just get on with her life and forget about the nightmares of before. She had refused to even think about Julian. She was afraid to feel too much for a boy that had taken her on the most wild and dangerous adventure of her life. So, every time her mind had turned to anything related to Julian, she had simply changed her train of thought to something entirely different. Something happy. Something safe.
Jenny still wore the ring he gave her and she knew that she would probably never take it off. It was a part of her, a reminder of what had happened before and the person she had become because of it. She had grown accustomed to it being on her finger and after a while, she had forgotten it was even there. It was just another piece of jewelry, she had told herself. But deep down inside, Jenny knew it meant so much more to her than any old ring would.
But, in the last few days, Jenny had been faced with thinking of Julian a lot. It had started just days before when she had been sitting in her literature class. As usual, she was wearing the ring Julian had given her so long ago. She had been paying attention to what the professor was saying until Jenny had felt the strangest sensation on her hand. Heat seemed to envelope her fingers. It wasn't a burning sensation, but merely a feeling of warmth. All in all, it hadn't even been that uncomfortable, just strange.
Her gaze had traveled down to her hand and her eyes had widened as she had realized that her ring was glowing. The ring that Julian had given her was glowing.
She had tried not to show her surprise, her fear, but her mind was ablaze with thoughts. Why would it be glowing now, Jenny had thought. Julian doesn't exist anymore.
Jenny had then tugged the ring off her finger and tucked it into the pocket of her jeans. It would do no good to have others see the glowing ring and question it. Then Jenny had tried to turn her attention back to what the professor was saying. She tried to act nonchalant, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. But, her heart had been pounding against her chest. The class had seemed to go by in a blur after that because Jenny had not been able to concentrate on anything that was going on around her.
She laid her head down on the pillow of her bed. She felt the cool cloth under her cheek, but it did not comfort her as she felt a single tear slip down her cheek. Another tear followed the first one as emotion overcame Jenny. Alone. She felt so alone.
.............................................
A few hours later
Julian stood in the shadows of the room, watching quietly. He had been there for quite a while now, just watching as she slept. He had an overwhelming urge to go lie next to her on the bed, gather her in his arms and run his fingers through her hair. But, he stood where he was, in the shadows where he felt he belonged.
He had arrived at Jenny's apartment just a few short minutes after she had. He had quickly let himself in. It was an easy job; Shadow Men did not have to worry about locks or keys. And then, making sure she could not see him, Julian had followed the sound of crying to her room, where he had found her lying on the bed crying softly.
The tears that had flown freely down her face had unnerved Julian. They had pierced straight into his heart and had made him feel a pain that he had not felt in a long, long time. He had almost lost control and let her see him standing before her. But that, he knew, could not happen. He had to stay hidden form her in order to protect her.
It was not a surprise to Julian how every bit of feeling that he had had for Jenny had come crashing back to him in those few minutes. She had meant so much to him years before and it seemed as if nothing, not even being wiped from existence, had changed for him.
As he had watched her cry, he had wanted so badly to comfort her and tell her that everything would be okay. It was a strange feeling, this new gentler Julian. He was not used to it at all. But, Jenny had done that to him, had made him a better person.
And as he watched her, Julian had realized why he was really on this silly quest. It had seemed strange to Julian that Ezra had not just come up to the mortal world and gotten Alyx himself. At first, Julian had just figured that Ezra was punishing him, making him be the one to bring Alyx to her fate. But, now Julian knew the real answer. The quest for Alyx was a ploy to get Julian to the mortal world. What Ezra really wanted to do with Julian was torment him with Jenny. White-hot anger had flooded Julian's belly as he realized this. Ah, Julian had thought upon realizing Ezra's plan, the real game.
Ezra was well aware of what Julian's only weakness was- Jenny. That's why Ezra had picked Julian to go to the mortal world, so he would not only get Alyx but also see Jenny and know what he could not have with her. They both knew what a shock it would be for Jenny to see him again. She would definitely not expect to see him and he did not want to scare her as he had before. He did not want to upset her life as he had before. For all he knew, Jenny might hate him for everything he had done in the past. Julian could just picture the hatred in Jenny's soft eyes and it cut him to the bone. No, he would not allow her to know he was near.
Leave it to Ezra to think of this nasty game, Julian had thought.
He had to stay in the shadows, he knew. But, Julian knew it would be hard. He felt helpless.
Jenny had closed her eyes and fallen asleep as she cried softly and Julian had retreated to the shadows of the room to watch her or perhaps to watch over her and protect her as he had before.
Now, he stood watching as she turned over in her sleep, a soft sigh escaping from her lips. Julian wondered what she was dreaming about and he hoped that whatever it was beautiful. He wanted everything to be beautiful for Jenny. If only he could reach out and touch her. Just one quick little kiss on her cheek. That's all he wanted.
Julian took a step forward. If only he could.....
"No Tom," Jenny moaned as she tossed and turned on the bed.
Julian stared at her in silence. Tom, he thought, anger coursing through his mind. And where was Tom? He wondered. Where was Tom when it was obvious Jenny needed someone so badly?
"No!" Jenny cried out in her sleep and Julian realized that her dream had turned dark. She started to whimper as she tossed and turned, the blankets and sheets twisting around her body.
He stepped back towards the wall, wishing that he did not have to see her suffer. But, wasn't that Ezra's intent? To see Jenny suffer made Julian suffer and nothing could be sweeter to Ezra than Julian's suffering. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Julian swore he heard Ezra laughing.
"NO!" Jenny cried out again, but this time she sat straight up in bed, her eyes wide with fear. Her breath came in short gasps as she looked around the room for anything comforting. She raised a shaky hand to her face and touched her forehead as she tried to calm down.
"It was just a dream," she whispered to herself, trying to convince herself that that would be the last nightmare she would ever have to endure. "No big deal."
Julian melted even further into the shadows of the wall.
"Just a dream," Jenny whispered again, her hand falling from her forehead to land on the soft blankets around her.
And then she froze. Her heart pounded with fright, but Jenny tried to stay calm.
She had the oddest feeling that she was not alone in the room. If asked, Jenny would not have been able to explain why she felt that she was not alone. After all, she had not seen anyone in her room when she had woken up. There was just some innate sense inside of her mind that was telling her that everything was not okay in that room. Someone or something was there even though she could not see it.
Jenny looked around the room slowly, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness of nighttime. Her eyes fell over her desk, with her college books piled high and then her closet, which was closed. Then her eyes moved on past the doorway to the hall and on to the wall that was parallel to her bed. The blind was up on the window, allowing moonlight to sprinkle in across her hardwood floor. She stared hard at the shadow just beyond the window, in the darkest corner of the room.
Julian swallowed hard and concentrated even more. She can't see me, he told himself as he threw up barrier after barrier in his mind. There is no way she can see me.
And yet, Jenny was still staring at the corner as if by some miracle she could see him. "Julian?" She asked tentatively and Julian almost died right on the spot.
She cannot see me, he thought again. Look away, Jenny.
Jenny looked away from the corner and shook her head. I must be going crazy, she thought sadly. Julian wasn't there, she knew. He was gone, taken out of existence by his own people. She closed her eyes and pictured his face in her mind. The light blue eyes, the shockingly white-blond hair.
Damn Ezra, Julian thought, clenching his jaw as he watched another tear fall down Jenny's cheek. Damn him!
Jenny reached down slowly to her jeans pocket and pulled out the ring Julian had given her. She may not have worn it on her finger for the last few days, but she had kept it close to her just the same.
Julian watched, his eyes wide with surprise. So, she had kept his ring. And, he thought, very much pleased, she wears it still.
Jenny held the ring up in the moonlight. It glowed as she turned it slowly, a sad little smile on her lips. The ring reminded her of Julian and how he had been the last few minutes that they had been together. He had not been the cold, cocky boy that she had seen while playing the game. No, he had cared and it had been then that he had given her his final gift.
The inscription, Julian thought as he watched. He tried to remember the words that he had written on the inside of the ring.
"I am-," Jenny started out loud.
".....my only master," Julian finished, forgetting himself completely. He was just please with himself for remembering the inscription after all the time that had passed.
Jenny gasped and turned to look back at the corner where the moon's light did not seem to reach. Her eyes were wide with fear.
The ring dropped from her hand to the blanket on the bed.
To late, Julian realized that Jenny had heard him.
Okay, well, what did you think? Please review. Thanks lots. Hopefully the next part will be out soon.
Note: Okay, after all the reviews that I got for the last chapter, I think there is a couple of things I should explain.
I killed Tom off- Yes, I did because this way, it will be easier for me to write about Julian and Jenny. This way, Tom cannot come between Julian and Jenny. (Plus, I kind of wanted the real book to end with Julian and Jenny getting together. Not Tom and Jenny.)
And I know Tom understood about the ring. Well, maybe he understood for a while. But, maybe, after a while, he got sick of seeing it every time he and Jenny were together. Maybe after a while he just wanted her to forget all about Julian and the Shadow World like he had done. Who knows?
Okay, I thought that might clear a couple of things up. I like that you guys called me on that stuff, though, because it keeps me on my toes. Anyway, sorry it took me so long to get out the next part. I am hoping that the chapter after this one will not take as long to write. Thanks everyone. And please review.
Jenny unlocked the door to her apartment and stepped inside slowly. She was exhausted. It seemed as if the days dragged by anymore. Long endless minutes stretched into even longer hours. Everyday, she would come home to her lonely apartment and feel as if the energy had been drained out of her. That day was no different.
Jenny closed the door behind her, careful to lock it. She was always very conscious of always locking her door. It had become quite the habit to lock it right after she entered the apartment. Of course, there had been a time before when she would not have been so careful. There had been a time when she would not have cared so much. After all, Jenny Thornton had always seemed to land on top. Before, nothing bad had ever seemed to happen to her. So, she was able to take the whole world for granted. That is, before she had met Julian.
Meeting Julian had thrown her whole world upside down. She had realized the reason she had always seemed to land on top all through her life was Julian's doing. He had made her world seem as perfect as it was. He had made sure nothing bad had ever happened to her. Julian had always watched over her, protected her, even before she had known who he was.
But, Julian was gone now and so was the ability to take everything for granted. Jenny couldn't help but be cautious of everyone and everything. Her time in the Shadow World had taught her to fear.
Sometimes a glimmer of her old self would shine through and she would feel that she was just being paranoid, but the old Jenny never stayed around too long. And the new Jenny would sink back into her pit of caution and uncertainty. She was never sure about anything anymore. Jenny never took chances. She did not want to even think about the chance of making a dangerous mistake as she had in the past with Julian. The mistake of underestimating him had almost cost her one of her friend's lives.
Jenny walked through her apartment to the bedroom in the back. She stepped through the doorway and shed her coat onto the floor. It fell into a heap on the carpet, but jenny took no notice of that. At that moment, she didn't really care that it wasn't hanging nice and neat in her closet. All that mattered was that it was off her.
Jenny stood next to her bed and slipped her shoes off slowly. She stared at the pattern on the quilt of her bed. Her eyes really did not see the red and green colors of the blanket, though. She seemed to look farther away than the colors or the design they made. Her mind was on other things.
"Julian," she whispered as she sank down onto the bed, her legs curling up underneath her.
It was funny how that name still made a chill run through her body, even after the years that had gone by. Right after the whole Julian episode, Jenny had tried to think up a beautiful place for Julian to go, as she had promised him before he had disappeared. She had hoped with all her might that he had ended up in the place she had created for him. It was a beautiful place with happiness and love and light. She knew how the Shadow Men craved light.
But, then after a while, Jenny had just wanted to forget that the whole thing had happened. She had wanted to just get on with her life and forget about the nightmares of before. She had refused to even think about Julian. She was afraid to feel too much for a boy that had taken her on the most wild and dangerous adventure of her life. So, every time her mind had turned to anything related to Julian, she had simply changed her train of thought to something entirely different. Something happy. Something safe.
Jenny still wore the ring he gave her and she knew that she would probably never take it off. It was a part of her, a reminder of what had happened before and the person she had become because of it. She had grown accustomed to it being on her finger and after a while, she had forgotten it was even there. It was just another piece of jewelry, she had told herself. But deep down inside, Jenny knew it meant so much more to her than any old ring would.
But, in the last few days, Jenny had been faced with thinking of Julian a lot. It had started just days before when she had been sitting in her literature class. As usual, she was wearing the ring Julian had given her so long ago. She had been paying attention to what the professor was saying until Jenny had felt the strangest sensation on her hand. Heat seemed to envelope her fingers. It wasn't a burning sensation, but merely a feeling of warmth. All in all, it hadn't even been that uncomfortable, just strange.
Her gaze had traveled down to her hand and her eyes had widened as she had realized that her ring was glowing. The ring that Julian had given her was glowing.
She had tried not to show her surprise, her fear, but her mind was ablaze with thoughts. Why would it be glowing now, Jenny had thought. Julian doesn't exist anymore.
Jenny had then tugged the ring off her finger and tucked it into the pocket of her jeans. It would do no good to have others see the glowing ring and question it. Then Jenny had tried to turn her attention back to what the professor was saying. She tried to act nonchalant, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. But, her heart had been pounding against her chest. The class had seemed to go by in a blur after that because Jenny had not been able to concentrate on anything that was going on around her.
She laid her head down on the pillow of her bed. She felt the cool cloth under her cheek, but it did not comfort her as she felt a single tear slip down her cheek. Another tear followed the first one as emotion overcame Jenny. Alone. She felt so alone.
.............................................
A few hours later
Julian stood in the shadows of the room, watching quietly. He had been there for quite a while now, just watching as she slept. He had an overwhelming urge to go lie next to her on the bed, gather her in his arms and run his fingers through her hair. But, he stood where he was, in the shadows where he felt he belonged.
He had arrived at Jenny's apartment just a few short minutes after she had. He had quickly let himself in. It was an easy job; Shadow Men did not have to worry about locks or keys. And then, making sure she could not see him, Julian had followed the sound of crying to her room, where he had found her lying on the bed crying softly.
The tears that had flown freely down her face had unnerved Julian. They had pierced straight into his heart and had made him feel a pain that he had not felt in a long, long time. He had almost lost control and let her see him standing before her. But that, he knew, could not happen. He had to stay hidden form her in order to protect her.
It was not a surprise to Julian how every bit of feeling that he had had for Jenny had come crashing back to him in those few minutes. She had meant so much to him years before and it seemed as if nothing, not even being wiped from existence, had changed for him.
As he had watched her cry, he had wanted so badly to comfort her and tell her that everything would be okay. It was a strange feeling, this new gentler Julian. He was not used to it at all. But, Jenny had done that to him, had made him a better person.
And as he watched her, Julian had realized why he was really on this silly quest. It had seemed strange to Julian that Ezra had not just come up to the mortal world and gotten Alyx himself. At first, Julian had just figured that Ezra was punishing him, making him be the one to bring Alyx to her fate. But, now Julian knew the real answer. The quest for Alyx was a ploy to get Julian to the mortal world. What Ezra really wanted to do with Julian was torment him with Jenny. White-hot anger had flooded Julian's belly as he realized this. Ah, Julian had thought upon realizing Ezra's plan, the real game.
Ezra was well aware of what Julian's only weakness was- Jenny. That's why Ezra had picked Julian to go to the mortal world, so he would not only get Alyx but also see Jenny and know what he could not have with her. They both knew what a shock it would be for Jenny to see him again. She would definitely not expect to see him and he did not want to scare her as he had before. He did not want to upset her life as he had before. For all he knew, Jenny might hate him for everything he had done in the past. Julian could just picture the hatred in Jenny's soft eyes and it cut him to the bone. No, he would not allow her to know he was near.
Leave it to Ezra to think of this nasty game, Julian had thought.
He had to stay in the shadows, he knew. But, Julian knew it would be hard. He felt helpless.
Jenny had closed her eyes and fallen asleep as she cried softly and Julian had retreated to the shadows of the room to watch her or perhaps to watch over her and protect her as he had before.
Now, he stood watching as she turned over in her sleep, a soft sigh escaping from her lips. Julian wondered what she was dreaming about and he hoped that whatever it was beautiful. He wanted everything to be beautiful for Jenny. If only he could reach out and touch her. Just one quick little kiss on her cheek. That's all he wanted.
Julian took a step forward. If only he could.....
"No Tom," Jenny moaned as she tossed and turned on the bed.
Julian stared at her in silence. Tom, he thought, anger coursing through his mind. And where was Tom? He wondered. Where was Tom when it was obvious Jenny needed someone so badly?
"No!" Jenny cried out in her sleep and Julian realized that her dream had turned dark. She started to whimper as she tossed and turned, the blankets and sheets twisting around her body.
He stepped back towards the wall, wishing that he did not have to see her suffer. But, wasn't that Ezra's intent? To see Jenny suffer made Julian suffer and nothing could be sweeter to Ezra than Julian's suffering. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Julian swore he heard Ezra laughing.
"NO!" Jenny cried out again, but this time she sat straight up in bed, her eyes wide with fear. Her breath came in short gasps as she looked around the room for anything comforting. She raised a shaky hand to her face and touched her forehead as she tried to calm down.
"It was just a dream," she whispered to herself, trying to convince herself that that would be the last nightmare she would ever have to endure. "No big deal."
Julian melted even further into the shadows of the wall.
"Just a dream," Jenny whispered again, her hand falling from her forehead to land on the soft blankets around her.
And then she froze. Her heart pounded with fright, but Jenny tried to stay calm.
She had the oddest feeling that she was not alone in the room. If asked, Jenny would not have been able to explain why she felt that she was not alone. After all, she had not seen anyone in her room when she had woken up. There was just some innate sense inside of her mind that was telling her that everything was not okay in that room. Someone or something was there even though she could not see it.
Jenny looked around the room slowly, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness of nighttime. Her eyes fell over her desk, with her college books piled high and then her closet, which was closed. Then her eyes moved on past the doorway to the hall and on to the wall that was parallel to her bed. The blind was up on the window, allowing moonlight to sprinkle in across her hardwood floor. She stared hard at the shadow just beyond the window, in the darkest corner of the room.
Julian swallowed hard and concentrated even more. She can't see me, he told himself as he threw up barrier after barrier in his mind. There is no way she can see me.
And yet, Jenny was still staring at the corner as if by some miracle she could see him. "Julian?" She asked tentatively and Julian almost died right on the spot.
She cannot see me, he thought again. Look away, Jenny.
Jenny looked away from the corner and shook her head. I must be going crazy, she thought sadly. Julian wasn't there, she knew. He was gone, taken out of existence by his own people. She closed her eyes and pictured his face in her mind. The light blue eyes, the shockingly white-blond hair.
Damn Ezra, Julian thought, clenching his jaw as he watched another tear fall down Jenny's cheek. Damn him!
Jenny reached down slowly to her jeans pocket and pulled out the ring Julian had given her. She may not have worn it on her finger for the last few days, but she had kept it close to her just the same.
Julian watched, his eyes wide with surprise. So, she had kept his ring. And, he thought, very much pleased, she wears it still.
Jenny held the ring up in the moonlight. It glowed as she turned it slowly, a sad little smile on her lips. The ring reminded her of Julian and how he had been the last few minutes that they had been together. He had not been the cold, cocky boy that she had seen while playing the game. No, he had cared and it had been then that he had given her his final gift.
The inscription, Julian thought as he watched. He tried to remember the words that he had written on the inside of the ring.
"I am-," Jenny started out loud.
".....my only master," Julian finished, forgetting himself completely. He was just please with himself for remembering the inscription after all the time that had passed.
Jenny gasped and turned to look back at the corner where the moon's light did not seem to reach. Her eyes were wide with fear.
The ring dropped from her hand to the blanket on the bed.
To late, Julian realized that Jenny had heard him.
Okay, well, what did you think? Please review. Thanks lots. Hopefully the next part will be out soon.
