Chapter 3 - Ebony

When I woke up I was laying in the double bed in the room Jay and I shared, groaning I turned over and saw Siva sat next to me staring into space. Somewhere in the background I heard muffled noises that sounded like shouting and banging.

"Siva" I groaned, my head throbbing as I said it, she jumped and turned towards me "What happened?" I moaned

She lifted a glass of water to my lips and as I drank it she told me "You banged your head" the drink made me feel a lot better and I sat up in bed, she handed me the glass with the remaining water in and I sipped it as we talked. Suddenly I remembered everything, the fight with the Technos, my fight with Jay and Zoot, Zoot? I glanced about the room to check Zoot wasn't standing in the corner or something.

"He's in another room," Siva told me

"Who?" I said startled, Zoot was in another room?

"Jay," she told me

"Oh, yeh" I said sighing with relief, she was talking about Jay

"Salene wouldn't let him sit with you," she told me "she said after you argued." the sentence trailed off

"How long have I been out?" I asked her

"Over a day" she told me "Patch said you needed the rest"

I nodded, suddenly the muffled noise in the background increased I turned my head to try and hear it properly

"What's that noise?" I asked Siva

"Oh that" she said as if just noticing it "That's just the city kids"

"City kids?" I said, as Siva began to explain I stopped her "Not now" I told her "My head still hurts" I sat back and thought for a minute, now I knew Zoot wasn't anywhere in the near vicinity because Siva would have mentioned him I decided my next priority was Jay, the world would probably make a lot more sense and look a lot better once I had spoken to him.

"Siva, could you find Jay please" I asked, I finished the glass of water and put it down on the table, my head felt a lot clearer.

She looked a bit guilty and confused, too much for such a simple request "Umm well, Patch said we weren't to leave you alone." her voice trailed off nervously, very unlike my sister.

"Why?" I demanded

Her eyes refused to meet mine as she said, "Because, you might start thinking you saw Zoot again"

I was about to protest I had seen Zoot when I realized they obviously thought I thought I saw him because I had hit my head, they didn't know I saw him before I hit my head. I decided to play along; if I said I had seen him they would just think I was ill.

"Siva" I said in my most matter of fact voice "I'll be alone for a few minutes, what harm can it do?"

She sighed and got up, as she opened the door the noise increased, what had the Mall rats done this time?

When she had gone I sat thinking for a moment trying to make sense of it all. Suddenly a strange breeze started and began to play around my braids a strange voice accompanied it calling out in a whisper "Ebony, Ebony, can you hear the chaos?" my breath caught in my throat, he was back. As I watched frozen in terror I saw Zoot's ghostly face appear in the mirror on the opposite wall, He seemed to mock me

"No" I whispered "No" and then I got angry, with myself for seeing him, and for him for being there. I picked up the glass I had put on my table earlier and with all my strength and anger I flung it at the mirror as hard as I could. It hurtled towards the mirror and as both smashed into a thousand pieces they seemed to hang in the air for a second or two before falling to the floor. The wind and the voice went as the image shattered into a thousand pieces. As I sat there in stunned silence Jay and Siva burst through the door.

"Ebony, what is it?" asked Jay staring in horror at the smashed mirror, I smiled weakly, they wouldn't believe me if I told them I had seen Zoot. Quickly I made up some weak excuse about holding the glass as I tried to get out of bed and slipping, I don't think either really believed me but it was all I was offering.

Siva seemed to realize me and Jay wanted sometime alone, she disappeared quickly closing the door behind her. When she had gone Jay stood by the side of our bed nervously, the last conversation we had was never really finished and this brought tension to the air. Eventually he perched on the side of the bed and tried to hold my hand, I pulled it away, he was the one who was uncertain about us, and, much as I wanted him back, I was going to let him know it. He bent his head as if to acknowledge he was guilty then looked up at me

"I'm sorry Ebony" he told me "I'm sorry I hurt you, I didn't mean to" he took my hand again and I let him, I knew I shouldn't give in that easily, but I was melting, I just wanted him to kiss it better "I saw you lying there and" his voice broke, concerned I stroked the side of his face "I want you" he whispered

"Not Amber" I asked, he looked hurt

"Not Amber" he told me "She wants Bray and I want you" Usually I would have freaked at the suggestion that if I or Bray didn't exist Jay and Amber could be together but Jay was so close to me and I could see deep into his eyes, full of love and compassion, for me, I let it pass. Gently he lent in and kissed me, softly, fully, I responded with the same tenderness, this was what I wanted more than anything, me and Jay, in a world of our own.

He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead on mine "I love you" he whispered

"And I love you too" I whispered back, we kissed again with the same feelings and tenderness but with more passion, finally Jay broke the kiss

"Salene told me I wasn't to wear you out," he told me

Staring into his eyes I asked mischievously, "What were you planning to do?"

In a voice that sent shivers down my spine he whispered, "I have plans" we kissed again more passionately. Eventually I broke the kiss.

"I have to get up now," I told him. He stole a final kiss and with a sighed "Fine" he moved to let me get up.

As I freshened up he lay back on the bed and explained what had happened whilst I had been out. Basically the Mall Rats had told the city, via City net, that that for the time being they and Mega would run the city and the games would be shut down. The kids hadn't liked this and were outside the Mall defenses demanding the Technos be reinstated with Mega in charge and no Mall Rat influences and the games be brought back on line. At least they weren't demanding Ram I thought, it showed one thing had improved.

Finally I felt ready to face the rest of the tribe; I walked along quite slowly with Jay's arm around my waist to support me. We went to the café where I could sit in the center of things. Dee and Patch were sat on a sofa in the corner with Patch's arm nervously around Dee. On a table near us Trudy and Amber were sat talking quietly and feeding Brady and Baby Bray. Outside the café I could see Pride and Salene with their arms wrapped around each other with Mega next to them watching the city kids. On another table near us Siva sat in sullen silence next to Lex who was chatting animatedly to Taisan, barely acknowledging Siva's presence.

Salene and Pride wandered into the café with Mega beside them

"Ebony" Salene said brightly when she saw me with her usual motherly attitude "Are you ok now?" she asked

"You had us worried there for a minute" Pride put in. Warning signals went off in my brain, they were talking about Zoot, I had to change the subject quickly

"You know me" I said sarcastically "I'm not that easy to get rid of" Jays arms tightened around me warning me to be nice to the Mall Rats "So, what are you gonna do about our uninvited guests?" I asked. Hearing the topic being brought up everyone came in a bit closer around where Jay and I were sitting with Jays arms around me, they obviously wanted to know as much as me.

"We should let them have what they want" put in Lex, typical Lex comment, he probably had some kind of dodgy deal on the go he need the Technos for.

"Give them the game back?" said Salene

"Maybe" said Lex with a shrug

"Lex you've seen what those games do to people" said Pride as usual getting annoyed with Lex

"You know this thing we've been trying to set up, democracy" said Lex sarcastically "Its where the Majority rules, and its seems to me the majority rules here, they want the game"

"We understand that" put in Salene "But are they fit to decide?"

"They're always gonna choose the Technos" said Lex "If you hadn't noticed they gave them electricity"

"Well, we can hold out for a week" said Amber calmingly, typical, perfect Amber "Lets see what other options present themselves"

Everyone agreed with perfect Amber, I saw Jay looking at her and smiling, that smile. I quietly fumed, in our room I had been prepared to ignore the attraction between Jay and Amber, I had wanted him back so much, but now when I saw him smiling at her I was furious.

"Jay" I said getting his attention back "Will you help me back to our room" I put plenty of emphasis on 'our'. After saying bye to the Mall Rats Jay helped me back to the room and helped me into bed, kissing me he said

"Get some rest, I won't wake you when I come to bed"