Chapter 5

When Jay finally woke the next morning he stretched and rolled over to face me. In a way I was disappointed he had woken, I was enjoying watching him sleep, he looked so peaceful asleep but then I think everyone looks peaceful when they're asleep, except for a few people, unfortunately I think I've known most of the people who don't.

"You ok?" he asked tenderly stroking the side of my face with the back of his hand

"Fine" I said catching hold of his hand and using it to pull him over to me so I could kiss him. Several minutes later Jay pulled away suggesting we went to breakfast.

Later that day I was sat in the café reading a magazine, I had read it before but I didn't have anything better to do. As I sat there Salene came into the café, she looked around and then came to sit next to me. I sighed and closed the magazine, she had a look on her face that tried to tell me she wasn't there for anything specific she just wanted a friendly chat, it didn't work, she was obviously there for a reason.

"What do you want?" I asked keeping my thumb in the magazine; trying to make it obvious I wanted to be left alone.

"Are you ok now?" she asked in a friendly motherly tone. Then I knew, Jay had told her what I had said about Zoot.

"I can't believe he told you" I said, her face took on an innocent look "Who told me what?" She asked innocently

"Don't play cute with me." I hissed my voice dripping with venom, someone was about to get it, and she was in firing range. "You think I've lost it don't you" I said beginning to raise my voice.

She dropped the act.

"Ebony we're concerned about you" she said

"Right, yeah" I said sarcastically "You Mall Rats are so concerned about me, since when?"

Salene stood up angrily "Since you started helping us and decided to come and live with us," she yelled

"Yeah right" I yelled back standing up so I could look her in the face "Until you need a scape goat"

"Well" yelled Salene in reply "I don't think we've ever been wrong about you betraying us before, Mrs. Ram"

"For your concern" I said snidely "I just had a bad dream, if you hadn't noticed its bin a kind of stressful week, what with helping all you ungrateful little rodents and risking my neck and everything"

"I think you count as a rodent yourself Ebony" yelled Salene "And an ungrateful one at that"

"Squeak" I said sarcastically and stalked off leaving Salene behind me gently simmering. Unfortunately for Jay I walked into him as I rounded the next corner, and I was still fuming about him telling Salene what I said, so I didn't hesitate to let go at him straight away.

"What the hell do you think your doing telling Salene I'm losing it?" I yelled in his face as soon as I saw him.

"I said you weren't well," said Jay holding out his hands to calm me.

"Well, for your information, it was just a bad dream, I am perfectly fine"

At this moment, just to complete the scene, Amber walked around the corner

"Whoa" she said, "I think winter has arrived" and backed back around the corner, I say Jay's eyes follow her.

"Typical" I muttered and walked past him back to our room.

Later when I had calmed down he came and apologized to me, grudgingly I gave in and we ended up making love.

For the next few days my life carried on what as what seemed to pass as normal. Zoot did not return and I began to wonder whether he had just been my imagination, but deep in my heart I knew really he was alive.