Part 28 ^_^
"Mr Wagner? Are you all right?"
Kurt looked up from his musings. "Difficult times," he said. "I won't
disturb the class, mein Herr." He went back to staring at the wood grain
on his desk.
Next thing he knew, there was a hall pass on it.
"Go see the counsellor, please. I'll give you the relevant details of
this class, later, when you can pay attention to it."
"Danke," said Kurt, and slunk out of the room.
Mr Kian was not an unkind man, he just had to know things. It made his
work more difficult when kids hedged around the truth.
"I understand something's been bothering you, lately?" he tried.
"Ja. Flashbacks."
That raised some eyebrows. He knew Kurt Wagner had a few traumatic
episodes in his past, but he was told that the boy was over most of
them. When all else failed, connect the dots. And one dot was Jimi
Szardos. "Is it something to do with Jimaine?"
"Yes. No. I don't know. I keep thinking - how long *was* I hanging
there on the cliff? I mean, *really*; in minutes and seconds?"
"Cliff?" Kian echoed.
"We fell off a cliff."
"You and Jimaine?"
"Nein, Stefan and I."
"M'*kay*... Who's Stefan?"
"Jimaine's twin brother. My best friend. There was a fight. We fell. I
wound up hanging on to a root with both hands, and him with both feet."
Kurt was staring into the memory. "He was going mad. Thought I was
trying to kill him. He wouldn't grab on. Cut my legs. Made me let go."
_Oh hell..._ "It's all right, Kurt," he whispered.
"It felt like forever, hanging on. After he fell. But how long was it,
really? And - I keep thinking that I've forgotten something - important.
Something from before."
"Before the fight?"
"Ja. I saw something when I woke up in the rain... Something
important. But when I saw the lines, I forgot about it."
Whatever 'the lines' were could wait. What the patient wanted to get
to was more important.
"M'kay. All right. I want you to take a deep breath and focus on being
calm, m'kay? Just relax, and imagine you're at home watching a DVD
that's made out of our memories, m'kay? There's no-one else around to
give you heck about hogging the remote, it's just you and the movie.
Now. You're watching the bit where you wake up in the rain, and you see
something."
"Ja."
"Freeze frame," Kian instructed. "You're not looking at the lines,
you're looking beyond. What do you see?"
"Colours," whispered Kurt. "Colours in the bushes. Someone... was
watching us."
"Do you know those colours?"
"Jimaine. She was watching us. She saw the whole thing. She was
*there* all the *time*... and she had the rope with her."
_Rope?_ "Does this mean anything to you?"
"She knew we'd be in trouble," Kurt had his eyes open, now. "She was
there, and prepared for it. She could have saved us *both*. Why did she
wait?"
"I'd have to ask her," said Kian. "If you like, I could arrange a
mutual counselling session, m'kay, and help you both through the
trauma."
"Nein. I don't think that's necessary. I'll talk with her today. At
lunch. Danke, Mein Herr," Kurt was bright and cheerful again. "This
changes *everything*." He was out of the office before Kian could
blink.
"Maybe you can tell *me* about it when you're done," Kian muttered.
"Jimaine. We have to talk."
Interesting. Her little influence had worked faster than she'd
thought. She smiled, and took his hands, adding a little extra 'zing' to
the magic. "Of course," she said. "I know just the place."
She lead him into the Ladies' bathroom. "No-one will think of looking
for us here," she said. "We can talk - or do whatever you like." She
embraced him, then, running a hand posessively along his chest, feeling
the muscles underneath.
Kurt held her by the wrists. "Jimaine. Please. I -- I saw you. You
were there, when Stefan tried to send me to Hell."
_*WHAT*?_ "What? *How*?"
"I saw you hiding, but I got distracted by Stefan and his lines. You
were *there*, watching everything."
_Oh hell..._ "Kurti, love, you have to believe me," she added magic to
her words and held his face, amplifying his credulity. Now for the lies,
"I was afraid. I found Mother's knife missing and I knew that Stefan had
to have taken it. He was ahead of me in the Way, I couldn't defend
myself against him. I took the rope, hoping I could tie him up, but I
never had the right moment. Oh, Kurti, I was so scared of him. I didn't
want you to die as well... I just *couldn't* climb down to you until it
was too late." Jimaine fell to sobbing.
Kurt held her, rocking her gently. "Ach... I have no idea what it must
have been like for you. Afraid of your own family."
"He was your brother, too," she said, sneaking her hands under his
shirt.
"Only in spirit," he said. "The both of us - we could go home when we
wanted to. We could take time apart. You lived with him."
"It's all over, now," said Jimaine, working her hands around to his
back, running them up and down his taut body. "All in the past. What we
have now is each other."
Kurt backed away. "*Jimaine*! Control yourself. Please. This is
serious."
"So am I," she said. She moved a hand, and the exit locked itself. "I
get what I want, Kurt Wagner; and what I want is *you*." Another
gesture, and he was bound to one plane of reality. "My time is running
out. You made a promise. I plan to see you keep it."
He was backed up against the wall, trying to wedge himself into the
corner. He even climbed up onto the counter, between the wall and the
mirrors. "Jimaine?"
"It won't be so bad," she said. "I even guarantee that you'll enjoy
the experience. It'll be *pleasant*."
Flows of magic made him want to relax, made his eyes droop.
Amanda wasn't feeling well. Something just dropped over her like a
net. A heavy net, sticky and cloying, that made her feel supremely
unwell. Her head swam. Her stomach roiled.
"Oh, God," she muttered. All the strength had gone out of her.
Mrs Henricks noticed her. "Are you all right, dear?"
Amanda barely managed to shake her head. "I think I gotta go to th'
bathroom," she said, her words slurring. "I don' feel so good."
Mrs Henricks helped her up and pressed a hall pass into her hand.
"Will you be all right on your own?"
"Should be okay," Amanda managed. "I can walk. This just came on so
*sudden*..."
"It's going around," said Mrs Henricks. "If you're not back before
class is over, I'll come check up on you, okay?"
"Okay," Amanda murmured, and staggered towards the Ladies' room.
Only to find that the door was locked.
And then the sick feeling mostly left.
She tried knocking.
{Knock knock knock}
"Hey. Is anyone in there?"
"Amanda," said the demon.
"She won't interfere," said Jimaine. "In fact, you don't want her to.
You don't want her to get in my way. She could be hurt."
"What happened to the door?" said Amanda, still on the other side.
"Open up in there."
Kurt managed to get past Jimaine, and started struggling with the lock
and the handle, though neither would budge. "Liebe! Get help!"
"*Kurt*? What are you *doing* in there?"
"Trying to get out!"
Fury overwhelmed her. "You. Will. *NOT*. Escape me!" She summoned all
her power, all her might, and turned towards him. "SPIRIT OF HECATAE! I
CALL UPON YOU TO BIND THE DARKEST SOUL IN MY SIGHT! BIND THEM AGAINST
*ALL* WILLFUL MOVEMENT!" she roared, "HECATAE, BIND THEM *NOW*!" and
unleashed the full might of her power.
A power that filled the room with its unearthly light.
And streaked straight towards the helpless Kurt Wagner.
And a wall full of mirrors.
"Mr Wagner? Are you all right?"
Kurt looked up from his musings. "Difficult times," he said. "I won't
disturb the class, mein Herr." He went back to staring at the wood grain
on his desk.
Next thing he knew, there was a hall pass on it.
"Go see the counsellor, please. I'll give you the relevant details of
this class, later, when you can pay attention to it."
"Danke," said Kurt, and slunk out of the room.
Mr Kian was not an unkind man, he just had to know things. It made his
work more difficult when kids hedged around the truth.
"I understand something's been bothering you, lately?" he tried.
"Ja. Flashbacks."
That raised some eyebrows. He knew Kurt Wagner had a few traumatic
episodes in his past, but he was told that the boy was over most of
them. When all else failed, connect the dots. And one dot was Jimi
Szardos. "Is it something to do with Jimaine?"
"Yes. No. I don't know. I keep thinking - how long *was* I hanging
there on the cliff? I mean, *really*; in minutes and seconds?"
"Cliff?" Kian echoed.
"We fell off a cliff."
"You and Jimaine?"
"Nein, Stefan and I."
"M'*kay*... Who's Stefan?"
"Jimaine's twin brother. My best friend. There was a fight. We fell. I
wound up hanging on to a root with both hands, and him with both feet."
Kurt was staring into the memory. "He was going mad. Thought I was
trying to kill him. He wouldn't grab on. Cut my legs. Made me let go."
_Oh hell..._ "It's all right, Kurt," he whispered.
"It felt like forever, hanging on. After he fell. But how long was it,
really? And - I keep thinking that I've forgotten something - important.
Something from before."
"Before the fight?"
"Ja. I saw something when I woke up in the rain... Something
important. But when I saw the lines, I forgot about it."
Whatever 'the lines' were could wait. What the patient wanted to get
to was more important.
"M'kay. All right. I want you to take a deep breath and focus on being
calm, m'kay? Just relax, and imagine you're at home watching a DVD
that's made out of our memories, m'kay? There's no-one else around to
give you heck about hogging the remote, it's just you and the movie.
Now. You're watching the bit where you wake up in the rain, and you see
something."
"Ja."
"Freeze frame," Kian instructed. "You're not looking at the lines,
you're looking beyond. What do you see?"
"Colours," whispered Kurt. "Colours in the bushes. Someone... was
watching us."
"Do you know those colours?"
"Jimaine. She was watching us. She saw the whole thing. She was
*there* all the *time*... and she had the rope with her."
_Rope?_ "Does this mean anything to you?"
"She knew we'd be in trouble," Kurt had his eyes open, now. "She was
there, and prepared for it. She could have saved us *both*. Why did she
wait?"
"I'd have to ask her," said Kian. "If you like, I could arrange a
mutual counselling session, m'kay, and help you both through the
trauma."
"Nein. I don't think that's necessary. I'll talk with her today. At
lunch. Danke, Mein Herr," Kurt was bright and cheerful again. "This
changes *everything*." He was out of the office before Kian could
blink.
"Maybe you can tell *me* about it when you're done," Kian muttered.
"Jimaine. We have to talk."
Interesting. Her little influence had worked faster than she'd
thought. She smiled, and took his hands, adding a little extra 'zing' to
the magic. "Of course," she said. "I know just the place."
She lead him into the Ladies' bathroom. "No-one will think of looking
for us here," she said. "We can talk - or do whatever you like." She
embraced him, then, running a hand posessively along his chest, feeling
the muscles underneath.
Kurt held her by the wrists. "Jimaine. Please. I -- I saw you. You
were there, when Stefan tried to send me to Hell."
_*WHAT*?_ "What? *How*?"
"I saw you hiding, but I got distracted by Stefan and his lines. You
were *there*, watching everything."
_Oh hell..._ "Kurti, love, you have to believe me," she added magic to
her words and held his face, amplifying his credulity. Now for the lies,
"I was afraid. I found Mother's knife missing and I knew that Stefan had
to have taken it. He was ahead of me in the Way, I couldn't defend
myself against him. I took the rope, hoping I could tie him up, but I
never had the right moment. Oh, Kurti, I was so scared of him. I didn't
want you to die as well... I just *couldn't* climb down to you until it
was too late." Jimaine fell to sobbing.
Kurt held her, rocking her gently. "Ach... I have no idea what it must
have been like for you. Afraid of your own family."
"He was your brother, too," she said, sneaking her hands under his
shirt.
"Only in spirit," he said. "The both of us - we could go home when we
wanted to. We could take time apart. You lived with him."
"It's all over, now," said Jimaine, working her hands around to his
back, running them up and down his taut body. "All in the past. What we
have now is each other."
Kurt backed away. "*Jimaine*! Control yourself. Please. This is
serious."
"So am I," she said. She moved a hand, and the exit locked itself. "I
get what I want, Kurt Wagner; and what I want is *you*." Another
gesture, and he was bound to one plane of reality. "My time is running
out. You made a promise. I plan to see you keep it."
He was backed up against the wall, trying to wedge himself into the
corner. He even climbed up onto the counter, between the wall and the
mirrors. "Jimaine?"
"It won't be so bad," she said. "I even guarantee that you'll enjoy
the experience. It'll be *pleasant*."
Flows of magic made him want to relax, made his eyes droop.
Amanda wasn't feeling well. Something just dropped over her like a
net. A heavy net, sticky and cloying, that made her feel supremely
unwell. Her head swam. Her stomach roiled.
"Oh, God," she muttered. All the strength had gone out of her.
Mrs Henricks noticed her. "Are you all right, dear?"
Amanda barely managed to shake her head. "I think I gotta go to th'
bathroom," she said, her words slurring. "I don' feel so good."
Mrs Henricks helped her up and pressed a hall pass into her hand.
"Will you be all right on your own?"
"Should be okay," Amanda managed. "I can walk. This just came on so
*sudden*..."
"It's going around," said Mrs Henricks. "If you're not back before
class is over, I'll come check up on you, okay?"
"Okay," Amanda murmured, and staggered towards the Ladies' room.
Only to find that the door was locked.
And then the sick feeling mostly left.
She tried knocking.
{Knock knock knock}
"Hey. Is anyone in there?"
"Amanda," said the demon.
"She won't interfere," said Jimaine. "In fact, you don't want her to.
You don't want her to get in my way. She could be hurt."
"What happened to the door?" said Amanda, still on the other side.
"Open up in there."
Kurt managed to get past Jimaine, and started struggling with the lock
and the handle, though neither would budge. "Liebe! Get help!"
"*Kurt*? What are you *doing* in there?"
"Trying to get out!"
Fury overwhelmed her. "You. Will. *NOT*. Escape me!" She summoned all
her power, all her might, and turned towards him. "SPIRIT OF HECATAE! I
CALL UPON YOU TO BIND THE DARKEST SOUL IN MY SIGHT! BIND THEM AGAINST
*ALL* WILLFUL MOVEMENT!" she roared, "HECATAE, BIND THEM *NOW*!" and
unleashed the full might of her power.
A power that filled the room with its unearthly light.
And streaked straight towards the helpless Kurt Wagner.
And a wall full of mirrors.