Just a quick note to say thanks to all of you who have replied to this, your comments are appreiciated but I should warn you this story is kinda long (like 38 chapters) so I hope you hang around to read them all.
Chapter 9

I went and sat on my bed in my room, I had been so close to falling into Jay's arms again but I couldn't, I wouldn't let myself. Down that road lay far too much pain.

When I emerged for breakfast I was greeted with silence and astonished looks, the entire Mallrat tribe was staring at the bruise on my cheek.

"I fell," I snapped at them, annoyed at the attention the bruise was getting me. I sat down opposite Siva and proceeded to play with, but eat very little of, my food, she didn't notice. She was staring across the cafe at Lex and Taisan who were sat at a table together. They were sat close together, very close together.

"Look at that" hissed Siva, she was clearly upset. Although I really didn't want to hear about her problems with Lex I sat and listened, but all the time I could feel Jay's eyes boring into me from where he sat on the table behind me with Salene and Mega.

"Last night I gave him an ultimatum" She said "Her or me. I think he's chosen" her voice was far away and really not at all focused on me, obviously she just needed to talk and she didn't care whom it was she talked to.

"If Lex has a single brain cell in that head of his he'll choose you over that barmy bimbo" I told her trying to cheer her up but also trying to get of the subject of relationship problems as soon as possible.

"Yeh well" she sighed tearing her eyes away from Lex and beginning to eat again with the air of gloom still hanging around her "You ok?" she asked staring at my cheek. Self-consciously I moved my hand to cover the bruise slightly.

"Fine" I said in a frosty tone

"I just thought." she said nervously "Jay."

I choked "Jay!" I spluttered, "You think Jay did that?" it was almost funny it was so ridiculous I put her right "Jay didn't hit me, he may be slime but he's not that bad" I told her

Our conversation ended at this point because Salene began herding everyone together for the farce on city net where the Mallrats were to acknowledge Mega's supreme rule of the Technos and the city. She placed me next to Jay for the entire performance, I didn't speak to him but I got a chance to look at his new 'dress sense'. Salene had bullied him out of his Techno things saying they didn't fit in with the image we were trying to get across to the city. He was wearing practical army combats and had changed his war paint to the bare minimum in a black and green design. He looked great and all I wanted to do was kiss him and tell him to forget the last few days but I didn't, I couldn't, it was over. Finally the citynet broadcast was over and I could escape from them all back into my room.

Eventually I left my room, driven out by hunger, I made my way to the café. Just as I was passing the main staircase I heard voices

"She stood next me the whole time and she didn't say a word." that was Jay's voice and he didn't sound very happy. Quietly I made my way to the top of the staircase and peered over, what I saw banished any feelings of sorrow for Jay from my mind. Jay was sat with his head in his hands with his back to me and Amber was sat next to him.

"She'll get over it" she said her voice that special tone of comfort and love that Amber used so frequently when sticking her nose in other people's business.

"I wouldn't be sure" he replied his voice sounding leaden.

"Well neither would I" I yelled sarcastically from above them, how could he do this to me; tell her, her of all people. Both jumped and turned around.

"Its not what you think" Jay said looking remarkably guilty

"How do you." I yelled but Salene, Pride, Patch and Dee walking through the entrance interrupted me

"Ebony" said Salene something approachhing relief in her voice "Your ok" she said "And why shouldn't I be?" I asked puzzled by the looks on their faces and turning away from Jay and Amber, the slanging match had been postponed, for now.

"Java's escaped" said Dee

"Java's escaped?" said Jay in puzzlement "How?"

"We don't know," said Salene "All that's left of her presence is this" she held out a piece of paper

"You really should see it Ebony," said Pride watching me, the tone of his voice put me on my guard and I started walking down the staircase to find out what was on the paper.

Whilst I was walking down Jay stepped forward and looked at the paper. "Oh god" he said and handed back the piece of paper to Salene, by now I was quite worried. When she handed it to me I was nervous, wondering what could be so bad.

On the paper was a picture of me; it looked like it might be from reality space since it was in a tropical beach I had never seen before. But that wasn't what was so horrifying, written all over the picture in Java's tiny handwriting was notes and diagrams of ways to kill me and to make me suffer. Some of them were even painful to read, let alone to perform, I felt sick.

"She wrote this?" I asked my eyes still fixed on the sheet and it's writing.

"Yeh" said Dee "sick isn't it"

"Look at the back" said Pride

I turned the sheet over, on the back Java had written all the reasons why I deserved to die. They went in various different directions and frequently overlapped each other, some were unreadable. Half I couldn't remember doing and most of the other half happened when I wasn't with her and Siva.

From the corridor leading off the staircase came shouting. Turning and looking everyone saw Lex and Siva emerge around the corner, they didn't notice us.

"I don't care Lex" Siva yelled in his face "I don't care whatever excuse you give I just don't care any more, you made you choice"

"But Siva" pleaded Lex "I want." at this point both turned and realized the greater part of the inhabitants of the mall were watching them.

With one last evil look at Lex Siva turned and said cheerfully

"So what's up?"

Looking at each other the rest of us decided to ignore the argument we had just witnessed. "You need to see this," I said to Siva holding out the piece of paper to her. She took it and after reading it her eyes widened in horror,

"Java wrote this?" she asked

"Yeh, we found it in her room" said Pride "She escaped"

"She escaped?" repeated Siva in wonder

"Siva, would Java really try to kill Ebony?" asked Amber

"She's always had a thing against Ebony, but." said Siva

"And she's a spiteful bitch" put in Jay

Siva really wasn't listening to what the others were saying she was staring at the piece of paper "This isn't like her" she said sounding worried, everyones attention was on her instantly,

"What's not like her?" asked Pride

"This" Siva waved the piece of paper about for enphasis "Its just not her style, she's too careful to leave something like this laying around"

What are you saying?" asked Salene

"I'm saying either Java left this intentionally or she's lost it," said Siva sounding apologetic for what Java had or was going to do. I knew what she was saying was true but for some reason it didn't bother me much, Java was a problem I had dealt with all my life, this was just another development in the saga, I had bigger problems.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Salene

Siva shook her head and sighed,

"This is Java's element, this is what she's best at"

"Have we finished discussing my problem?" I asked. I was getting quite short tempered because I could feel Jay like a beacon next to me, and Amber next to him. "Fine, I'll be in my room" I said. Jay stepped forward

"Aren't you concerned?" he asked quietly, everyone else tried to look as if they couldn't hear our conversation.

"Why should I be?" I asked loudly "There's nothing I could do anyway" I turned away from Jay and walked off the image of his concerned face imprinted on my mind, in the background I heard Salene mutter

"That's our Ebony"