Chapter 8

Several hours later I lay in my bed trying to sleep, but I couldn't. The absence of Jay's presence beside me was like a gaping hole. Suddenly I heard knocking on my door, I sat up wrapping the sheet around me even though whoever it was couldn't see me and I was fully clothed

"Who is it?" I called out in trepidation; no answer came back except a solitary knock. Shock permeated my system, I knew that knock, and I knew that code, too well. I tried to tell myself it was a coincidence, it had to be, but when I opened the door and saw those milky eyes staring back at me I knew it wasn't, it was him.

As soon as I opened the door he pushed it open and walked in. I didn't try to stop him, there was no point. He shut the door and turned the lock. All the time he did not blink, his eyes fixed on my face, exactly as I remembered him.

After a minutes silence I whispered, "You aren't real," pointing at him I said a little bit stronger "You can't be real"

"Oh Ebony, I am real, I am so real" he said as he grabbed my wrist. I could feel his physical presence; he was still strong so strong. He lifted my hand and made me touch his cheek, I tried to pull away but he held on tighter.

"Am I real?" he asked

"It's impossible" I whispered staring into his pale eyes, looking for something to tell me he wasn't real, nothing showed itself, they still glared with the same hatred as ever.

"Am I real?" He demanded as he increased the pressure on my wrist until I thought it might snap in his fingers.

"Yes" I gasped trying to free my wrist from his steely grip. He dropped it and I cradled it to my chest, there were red marks imprinted on my wrist where his hand had been.

"Ebony, return to me" he whispered, like a snake about to pounce "You know the power of Power and Chaos, rule with me" His eyes seemed to draw me in, like they hypnotized me, but I pulled away, that part of my life was over, I was a different person now, not the queen of the locos anymore and I never could be again.

"No" I whispered "No, you have no power over me" As I said that his face twisted grotesquely, raising his hand he hit me sending me sprawling across the floor on top of my already injured wrist, as I fell I hit a shelf. As I lay on the floor groggily with the shelf half across me he shouted manically

"No power, no power. Ebony I have all the power in the world over you, all the power" the manic ness, the sheer conviction in his voice terrified me and I shrank as far away from him as I could. Slowly he bent over me until his face was inches from mine and hissed "I will make you regret you ever said that, I will make you beg me to take you back, I will make you wish to die" with those chilling promises he left my room leaving me lying on the floor shaking. On my face and wrist nastily colored bruises were already beginning to show.

As soon as the mall rats were asleep I left the room and began to roam the mall, I couldn't sleep, my room was like a prison cell trapping my thoughts of Jay and Zoot within it. I made my way onto the roof, the freedom and the open space on the roof beckoned to me.

I sat on the roof for a long time watching the eerily silent roofs of the city. Twice I had ruled over all of that, twice I had found someone to love, twice I had lost them to Amber and twice Zoot had asked me to rule with him. It seemed in this city I was doomed to things in pairs, and never good things. After a while dawn came, casting its strange light across the roofs of the city, I felt somehow my time on the roof was over. Driven off the roof I went to the café.

It wasn't until I was next to him that I saw Jay sat just inside the doorway, thankfully he was sat the opposite side to the multi colored bruise on my face which despite all my efforts with make up still showed its glorious colors.

As soon as he saw me he jumped up and grabbed my wrist stopping me backing away as I had been planning on doing. Unfortunately he grabbed the wrist Zoot had and the pain was so intense I cried out. He immediately let go his face concerned. Where he had gripped my wrist the long sleeved top I had put on to hide the bruising and swelling on my wrist pulled away and the bruise was revealed. His eyes opened wide.

"Ebony what happened?" he asked staring at my wrist in horror. He held it tenderly, like it was something precious but I snatched it back to myself.

"I just sprained it" I snapped at him but as I did I unconsciously turned to look at him revealing the angry bruise on my face which up till then I had kept hidden.

He gasped "And that?" he asked reaching out to touch it, I didn't knock his hand away as my head told me to, his touch, his concern it felt good and I wanted it to continue. I looked into his eyes and I felt myself drawn into them.

He began stroking my cheek gently. "I love you," he whispered.

His words twisted on my heartstrings pulling me out of my Jay induced trance, I smacked away his hand, he looked hurt.

"What. Did that wh0re turn you down?" I hissed at him spitefully. Quickly I turned and walked out before he had chance to answer and before he could draw me in again.