Chapter 35
I didn't know what time it was when I was woken by screams. I sat up panicked not knowing where I was or who was screaming. After a few seconds orientating myself I remembered the events of the last day and the fact that Ebony was sleeping in a bed just behind me.
When I reached the bed I found Ebony turning and muttering in her sleep, I couldn't make out any of the words but I got the general idea that she was scared. I sat down gently beside her putting my hand gently on her forehead, which calmed her tossing immediately.
"Ebony" I called out quietly "Ebony"
Suddenly she sat up straight screaming
"SShhhhhhhhhhhh" I told her pulling her rigid body into my arms and stroking her hair.
"Jay" she sobbed into my arms "He was there"
"Zoot?" I asked stoking her hair calmingly and gently "Where?" I asked curious to know what she saw
"I-In the white room" she sobbed with so much terror and fear in her voice I didn't dare ask anymore for fear of what I might find out.
"Its ok now" I told her trying to calm her down as her sobbing finally slowed "I'm here, it was just a dream, just a dream" I told her. Looking at me she laid back down onto the bed as I stoked her hair back I bent down impulsively and kissed her forehead. Her eyes watched me for a moment and then she closed them and I sat there watching her breathing slow down. When I thought she was deep enough asleep I got up slowly and silently and made my way back to my armchair.
The next morning when I woke the bed was empty, I panicked, where was Ebony? Had someone taken her? Had she run away? Or done something to herself?
Running outside I yelled "Ebony? Ebony?"
As I looked around my heart racing wildly I saw her face appearing around a tree.
"I'm here," she said as if she was surprised I was looking for her.
I sighed in relief, nothing bad had happened to her. She came out from behind the tree and walked up to me. I noticed the bruises on her face had gone down very slightly, probably in a week or so's time they would have gone completely.
When she reached me she slipped her hand into mine
"Were you worried? I only went outside" she said. I could feel her tiny had in mine, it felt so natural and right
"I was just being stupid" I told her slightly apologetically "Lets go inside and get some breakfast" she nodded and we wandered into the hut hand in hand.
The first week continued pretty much the same, I did all the necessary work for us to live in the hut while Ebony spent her time wandering outside or sitting in the trees presumably trying to come to terms with what had happened. Sometimes we would sit together quietly or talk about insignificant things, we never talked about what happened, I wasn't going to push Ebony about it and she obviously didn't want to talk about it so we didn't, I also didn't want to push about us, we both knew how we felt but holding hands or sitting together was enough, I didn't want to rush her and she was in no rush to rekindle our passions so we didn't, for then knowing was all we needed. She continued to have her episodes and nightmares; there was little we could do about them even though they scared us both. The second night when she woke I had got her to lie down and I thought she was sleeping so I got up to leave but her eyes snapped open and she said pleadingly
"Don't leave me, please"
"Ok" I told her settling back down against the wall behind her bed and as she fell asleep I stoked her hair and told her I loved her. I must have fallen asleep there because when we woke in the morning I had my arms around her. We didn't really say much about it. What was there to say? But after that we slept together in the bed.
Ebony I actually remember very little about the day Zoot died, again. Jay told me I looked out of it and I was, all I remember is a jumble of disjointed memories but I think after what I had been through I had a certain right to be out of it.
The first week we were alone in the hut I spent a lot of time alone trying to deal with things and sort out my head. Jay just let me be and for that I was grateful, I didn't want to talk to anyone I just wanted to know someone was there for me. Jay was there, he didn't try to push me to talk or in our relationship, he just sat back and let me do things the way I wanted. My nightmares and episodes were at their worst that week, I had about one everyday but thankfully Jay was there to comfort me and tell me it was going to be ok.
Towards the end of the week Salene came with more food and news, Zoot had been cremated by the Mallrats, this time they had watched him go and without him the new Locos were crumbling, Java didn't have as much control as she would like. In the second week I began to relax more, Zoot was really gone, he wasn't coming back and with out the Mallrats or the city watching me I could relax properly.
It was the second day of the second week when things between Jay and me moved on slightly . We were sat by the stream, Jay was leaning on a tree and I was leaning back on him. He had asked what my sisters were like when they were younger, my account of Siva was reasonably truthful but I was quite nasty about Java.
"What about Ved?" I asked turning to face him
His head lolled back as he laughed before saying "Ved was a complete nerd"
"Ved, a nerd?" I said in disbelief "Jay, your [I]darling[/I] brother even dared to come onto me" I told him
"Good taste runs in the family," he told me with a grin before adding to his earlier statement with "That was before he hit puberty of course"
"And what about you Mr. General" I asked him "Before puberty of course" I said and then as I moved backwards in anticipation of how he was going to react I added cheekily "Coz we all know what you were doing after puberty"
He moved towards me menacingly "I was a nice child, unlike you I suspect" he said as he grabbed me "little miss poison queen"
As I laughed and pretended to try to get away I tried to tease him
"Betya were an award winning scout"
"Yep" he told me holding me closer and tighter so I couldn't get away. Then we were kissing, just kissing, not slowly or passionately or suddenly or softly, kissing like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I didn't know what time it was when I was woken by screams. I sat up panicked not knowing where I was or who was screaming. After a few seconds orientating myself I remembered the events of the last day and the fact that Ebony was sleeping in a bed just behind me.
When I reached the bed I found Ebony turning and muttering in her sleep, I couldn't make out any of the words but I got the general idea that she was scared. I sat down gently beside her putting my hand gently on her forehead, which calmed her tossing immediately.
"Ebony" I called out quietly "Ebony"
Suddenly she sat up straight screaming
"SShhhhhhhhhhhh" I told her pulling her rigid body into my arms and stroking her hair.
"Jay" she sobbed into my arms "He was there"
"Zoot?" I asked stoking her hair calmingly and gently "Where?" I asked curious to know what she saw
"I-In the white room" she sobbed with so much terror and fear in her voice I didn't dare ask anymore for fear of what I might find out.
"Its ok now" I told her trying to calm her down as her sobbing finally slowed "I'm here, it was just a dream, just a dream" I told her. Looking at me she laid back down onto the bed as I stoked her hair back I bent down impulsively and kissed her forehead. Her eyes watched me for a moment and then she closed them and I sat there watching her breathing slow down. When I thought she was deep enough asleep I got up slowly and silently and made my way back to my armchair.
The next morning when I woke the bed was empty, I panicked, where was Ebony? Had someone taken her? Had she run away? Or done something to herself?
Running outside I yelled "Ebony? Ebony?"
As I looked around my heart racing wildly I saw her face appearing around a tree.
"I'm here," she said as if she was surprised I was looking for her.
I sighed in relief, nothing bad had happened to her. She came out from behind the tree and walked up to me. I noticed the bruises on her face had gone down very slightly, probably in a week or so's time they would have gone completely.
When she reached me she slipped her hand into mine
"Were you worried? I only went outside" she said. I could feel her tiny had in mine, it felt so natural and right
"I was just being stupid" I told her slightly apologetically "Lets go inside and get some breakfast" she nodded and we wandered into the hut hand in hand.
The first week continued pretty much the same, I did all the necessary work for us to live in the hut while Ebony spent her time wandering outside or sitting in the trees presumably trying to come to terms with what had happened. Sometimes we would sit together quietly or talk about insignificant things, we never talked about what happened, I wasn't going to push Ebony about it and she obviously didn't want to talk about it so we didn't, I also didn't want to push about us, we both knew how we felt but holding hands or sitting together was enough, I didn't want to rush her and she was in no rush to rekindle our passions so we didn't, for then knowing was all we needed. She continued to have her episodes and nightmares; there was little we could do about them even though they scared us both. The second night when she woke I had got her to lie down and I thought she was sleeping so I got up to leave but her eyes snapped open and she said pleadingly
"Don't leave me, please"
"Ok" I told her settling back down against the wall behind her bed and as she fell asleep I stoked her hair and told her I loved her. I must have fallen asleep there because when we woke in the morning I had my arms around her. We didn't really say much about it. What was there to say? But after that we slept together in the bed.
Ebony I actually remember very little about the day Zoot died, again. Jay told me I looked out of it and I was, all I remember is a jumble of disjointed memories but I think after what I had been through I had a certain right to be out of it.
The first week we were alone in the hut I spent a lot of time alone trying to deal with things and sort out my head. Jay just let me be and for that I was grateful, I didn't want to talk to anyone I just wanted to know someone was there for me. Jay was there, he didn't try to push me to talk or in our relationship, he just sat back and let me do things the way I wanted. My nightmares and episodes were at their worst that week, I had about one everyday but thankfully Jay was there to comfort me and tell me it was going to be ok.
Towards the end of the week Salene came with more food and news, Zoot had been cremated by the Mallrats, this time they had watched him go and without him the new Locos were crumbling, Java didn't have as much control as she would like. In the second week I began to relax more, Zoot was really gone, he wasn't coming back and with out the Mallrats or the city watching me I could relax properly.
It was the second day of the second week when things between Jay and me moved on slightly . We were sat by the stream, Jay was leaning on a tree and I was leaning back on him. He had asked what my sisters were like when they were younger, my account of Siva was reasonably truthful but I was quite nasty about Java.
"What about Ved?" I asked turning to face him
His head lolled back as he laughed before saying "Ved was a complete nerd"
"Ved, a nerd?" I said in disbelief "Jay, your [I]darling[/I] brother even dared to come onto me" I told him
"Good taste runs in the family," he told me with a grin before adding to his earlier statement with "That was before he hit puberty of course"
"And what about you Mr. General" I asked him "Before puberty of course" I said and then as I moved backwards in anticipation of how he was going to react I added cheekily "Coz we all know what you were doing after puberty"
He moved towards me menacingly "I was a nice child, unlike you I suspect" he said as he grabbed me "little miss poison queen"
As I laughed and pretended to try to get away I tried to tease him
"Betya were an award winning scout"
"Yep" he told me holding me closer and tighter so I couldn't get away. Then we were kissing, just kissing, not slowly or passionately or suddenly or softly, kissing like it was the most natural thing in the world.
