Willa stood outside her brother's penthouse door. It had been
necessary to sweet talk the doorman, but ten minutes later she had made her
way up the elevator unannounced. Pulling up her ever-slipping hem she
reached out a hand and tapped lightly on the door. It was mere moments
before the door swung open and she was standing before the puzzled face of
her oldest brother. The puzzlement was soon replaced by happiness as he
realized who was standing outside the threshold.
"Wills! What on earth are you doing here?" He asked, gathering her up into a tight hug before setting her down to look at her. "Short as ever, I see."
"Couldn't let you have the fun of being the black sheep all on your own, now could I?" she replied, smacking him on the arm for the remark about her height. Jerry shook his head.
"You're not a black sheep like me, Wills. You're just a tad off white. More of an eggshell." he turned to call back into the penthouse. "Jax, we've got company!"
Jax appeared from his bedroom, still tucking in his shirt and attempting to straighten his dark blonde hair. When he noticed the girl standing just inside the doorway his face lit up.
"Willy!" he cried, catching her as she flew across the room and into his waiting arms. Hugging her tight for several moments he finally released her and then asked the standard follow up question, which always seemed to follow the exclamation of her name: "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think I'm doing here, baking bread?" Willa asked, shaking her head in disgust. "I broke out of the nunnery!"
Jerry laughed at her declaration, but Jax just shook his head.
"Willy, it's a school, not a nunnery."
"If you call two hundred girls in uniform being taught by nuns a school, I've got a time share in Florida to show you." She replied, hands flying to her hips defiantly. Jerry laughed again.
"Wills, that's not how the saying goes . . . " he began to explain, when Jax interrupted.
"Do mom and dad know you're here?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Willa shook her head and Jerry stopped laughing.
"They're going to go out of their minds with worry when they find out you left school."
"Well, it's less like I left and more like I got kicked out." She added sheepishly.
"How?" Jax asked, burying his face in his hands.
"Strip poker." She replied, shrugging her shoulders at the questioning look Jerry shot her.
"I've got to call them."
"Go ahead. Tell them I want to stay here. I'll go to PC High. I have enough money left over to get my apartment back." She replied, sitting down on the couch and nibbling on the candy necklace strung around her wrist.
"Money left over from what?" Jerry asked, sitting down next to her.
"I sold my bike for airfare. I know Mr. Jamison will let me have the apartment again for next to nothing."
"You sold the bike? You loved that thing." Jax said, surprised.
"If I had called mom and dad they would have just stuck me in another school." She replied, tugging at a few of the strings hanging from the bottom of her pant leg.
"Well, at least we won't have to worry about you crashing into a tree and dying anymore. Thank goodness for small mercies." Jerry said, watching as Jax picked up the phone to dial home and be diplomatic with their parents. Willa sat back, knowing that her newfound independence was in the bag now that she had her golden brother going to bat for her on the phone. Jax began to speak to the voice on the other end of the line and Willa turned to Jerry.
"So Jers, what you been up to?" she asked, tucking her legs under her and snuggling down next to him.
"Not much, Wills, and yourself?"
"Also, not much. Met anyone special?" she asked with a grin, and he shook his head. Her grin widened as she patted his head. "Not to worry, kitten. It's only a matter of time."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Jerry and his young sister both stood and made a mad dash toward the sound. There was a brief struggle before one of them could heave open the door and greet the UPS man. The UPS man was accosted by the sight of three Australians, one arguing loudly on the phone and the other two wrestling on the floor.
"I've got several heavy packages her for a Miss Wilhelmina Jacks." The man spoke loudly, attempting to capture someone's attention. Finally Willa looked up and smiled brightly at him.
"That's me. Where do I sign?" she asked from her spot on the floor, reaching up for a pen. The man looked at her oddly but handed her the sheet anyway.
"Uh, on the X." he replied, surveying the scene again. Willa scribbled something at the X and then passed the sheet to Jerry, who had gained the upper hand during Willa's brief moment of signature making and now sat between her and the UPS man.
"Jerry, be a dear and hand this to the man. Can you leave the boxes in the lobby? I'll call a cab in a bit to have them picked up." she asked, returning her attention to the battle at hand. The UPS man nodded and left quickly, forgetting to shut the door behind him.
"What's in the boxes?" Jerry asked, attempting to free his arm of the small girl's iron grip.
"My stuff. I had it shipped from school." Willa replied, crawling out from under his knee and capturing his cell phone. Several moments later she was speaking with her old landlord and agreeing on an outrageously low rent. Jerry coughed when he heard the quote.
"What did you do, sleep with him?" He asked, and Willa quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Finishing her conversation she smacked him on the arm.
"I used to tutor his daughter in French. She got a scholarship because of her score on the French AP test. He likes me." She replied, smacking him again. "Slept with him. You're a dirty man, Jerry."
By this point Jax was just hanging up with their parents and sighing deeply.
"Well, it looks like you're spending the rest of the school year here." He spoke, catching her as she again flew into his arms.
"Thanks, Jas. I knew you'd come through for me." She spoke, using Jerry's phone to dial a cab.
"Where are you going?" Jax asked, sitting down on the now empty couch.
"Home, Jas. Home!" She replied with a giggle and then started to walk down to the lobby. Once she was out of earshot Jerry turned to his younger brother.
"You're not going to tell her about Brenda?" He asked, eyebrows denoting grand surprise. Jax shook his head.
"Not yet, not until the Alcazar thing is cleared up. You know Willy, she'd just charge in and get herself hurt." Jax replied quietly.
"She'll be mad when she finds out you didn't tell her." Jerry warned, and Jax nodded. "You're going to see Brenda now?"
"Yeah, she's at the cottage."
Hours later Willa had moved most of the boxes up to her apartment and made a few phone calls. She was just at the top of a small ladder hanging Tibetan prayer flags across the living room when there was a knock at the door. Hopping down off the ladder she raced to the door and threw it open, face lighting up as her old friends Tarpon and Damien gathered her up into a tight group hug.
"Hey kids!! You came!" She cried, patting Tarp's dark hair affectionately and kissing Damien's cheek, causing him to blush profusely.
"Of course we came, Willy. We've been wondering about you." Tarp replied, handing her a bag of Oreo's and moving past her into the living room. Damien nodded.
"Yeah, that school's no correspondence policy is a real drag. It's a good thing you broke out when you did." Damien added, handing her a bottle of Dr. Pepper and following Tarp. Willa watched them pass and then glancing down at the items loaded in her arms.
"Aw, housewarming gifts. Aren't you boys sweet?"
She followed them into the living room where Tarp had climbed onto the ladder and completed the prayer flag hanging and Damien sat on the floor tapping on a bongo drum.
"It's freezing in here, Willy. Don't you have any heat?" Tarp asked, climbing back down off the ladder and perching himself on a nearby windowsill. Willa shook her head.
"Won't get turned on till the morning. I've got plenty of blankets, though." She assured them.
"I don't know, Will. It's like the depths of hell in here. Reminds me of that movie, The Exorcist. I can see my breath." Damien added, looking up at her as he continued to tap on the drum.
"I'm forced to agree. I'm not entirely sure you won't freeze to death here tonight." Tarp agreed, picking up her guitar in the corner and strumming it. After several more strums he began to pick out a tune and Damien backed it with a beat. Willa began to hum as she sat down on the floor, grasping a braid between her fingers and loosening it. Soon her humming had become singing and she softly followed the tune with words:
When I speak I cross my fingers, Will you know you've been deceived? I find a need to be the demon A demon cannot be hurt (heard?)
By the time they finally finished playing it was late and Willa's hair fell in kinky honey blonde waves over her shoulders. Getting up off the floor and standing on her toes she stretched out her stiff muscles and followed her friends to the door.
"Hey, you guys know where I can find a job?" She asked, watching them pull on their coats and shoes.
"Full time or part time?" Damien asked, tugging on his hat.
"Part."
"We're hiring at the Stop n' Save. The boss is the devil incarnate but the hours are flexible and the pay's enough." Tarp offered. Willa thought for a moment.
"What is it, a Supermarket?"
"A drug store. Small one. Night shifts are easy, all the management leaves around five and we close at nine." Damien added.
"You both work there?" She asked, and they nodded in reply. "Sounds groovy. I'll check it out tomorrow."
"Sleep well, Junglebunny." Tarp spoke, kissing the top of her head and leaving the room. Damien nodded in agreement and hugged her tightly before following, closing the door behind him.
Meanwhile, across town:
"Luis, put down the gun. Let him go." Brenda pleaded, clutching Jax's arm tightly.
"You see Brenda, I can't do that. It's progressed far beyond that now. Can't you see why I'm doing this? You asked me to do this, begged me to keep you away from him. This is your fault." Alcazar sneered, waving the gun wildly at them both. Jax tried to move in front of her but she pushed him back.
"Don't you dare blame her for this. You're the one holding the gun here." He spit out, struggling to hold himself back.
"You're right, Jax. I am the one holding the gun. Let's go, Brenda." He replied, looking over to where she stood. There was silence.
"You promise you won't hurt him?" She said suddenly, and Jax spun her around to face him.
"No, Brenda. I won't let you do this. I just found you, I'm not about to lose you again." With these words Jax rushed the gun. A shot rang out and Brenda screamed. Jax hit the floor hard, and Brenda followed him down quickly to shield his body with hers.
"Get up, Brenda. He's going to die now, anyway. We're leaving." Alcazar spoke venomously.
"That's right, Alcazar. You are leaving." Came a voice behind him, and Luis spun to see who had spoke. Sonny Corinthos stood a distance away, a gun aimed for his heart. Sonny raised the gun a centimeter or two and another shot rang out. This time Brenda didn't scream, just tightened her grip on Jax. When she looked up Luis was on the floor and Sonny was coming toward them.
"Call an ambulance!" She yelled desperately, attempting to keep Jax alert. "Hang on, Jax. Please don't die on me."
Just then Jason entered the house and surveyed the scene. Brenda looked up again.
"Help her." Sonny ordered, checking Alcazar and the window simultaneously. Brenda watched him closely.
"Is he dead?" She asked.
"No." Sonny replied simply, noticing the flashing lights approaching the cottage. "The ambulance is here."
"Wills! What on earth are you doing here?" He asked, gathering her up into a tight hug before setting her down to look at her. "Short as ever, I see."
"Couldn't let you have the fun of being the black sheep all on your own, now could I?" she replied, smacking him on the arm for the remark about her height. Jerry shook his head.
"You're not a black sheep like me, Wills. You're just a tad off white. More of an eggshell." he turned to call back into the penthouse. "Jax, we've got company!"
Jax appeared from his bedroom, still tucking in his shirt and attempting to straighten his dark blonde hair. When he noticed the girl standing just inside the doorway his face lit up.
"Willy!" he cried, catching her as she flew across the room and into his waiting arms. Hugging her tight for several moments he finally released her and then asked the standard follow up question, which always seemed to follow the exclamation of her name: "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think I'm doing here, baking bread?" Willa asked, shaking her head in disgust. "I broke out of the nunnery!"
Jerry laughed at her declaration, but Jax just shook his head.
"Willy, it's a school, not a nunnery."
"If you call two hundred girls in uniform being taught by nuns a school, I've got a time share in Florida to show you." She replied, hands flying to her hips defiantly. Jerry laughed again.
"Wills, that's not how the saying goes . . . " he began to explain, when Jax interrupted.
"Do mom and dad know you're here?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Willa shook her head and Jerry stopped laughing.
"They're going to go out of their minds with worry when they find out you left school."
"Well, it's less like I left and more like I got kicked out." She added sheepishly.
"How?" Jax asked, burying his face in his hands.
"Strip poker." She replied, shrugging her shoulders at the questioning look Jerry shot her.
"I've got to call them."
"Go ahead. Tell them I want to stay here. I'll go to PC High. I have enough money left over to get my apartment back." She replied, sitting down on the couch and nibbling on the candy necklace strung around her wrist.
"Money left over from what?" Jerry asked, sitting down next to her.
"I sold my bike for airfare. I know Mr. Jamison will let me have the apartment again for next to nothing."
"You sold the bike? You loved that thing." Jax said, surprised.
"If I had called mom and dad they would have just stuck me in another school." She replied, tugging at a few of the strings hanging from the bottom of her pant leg.
"Well, at least we won't have to worry about you crashing into a tree and dying anymore. Thank goodness for small mercies." Jerry said, watching as Jax picked up the phone to dial home and be diplomatic with their parents. Willa sat back, knowing that her newfound independence was in the bag now that she had her golden brother going to bat for her on the phone. Jax began to speak to the voice on the other end of the line and Willa turned to Jerry.
"So Jers, what you been up to?" she asked, tucking her legs under her and snuggling down next to him.
"Not much, Wills, and yourself?"
"Also, not much. Met anyone special?" she asked with a grin, and he shook his head. Her grin widened as she patted his head. "Not to worry, kitten. It's only a matter of time."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Jerry and his young sister both stood and made a mad dash toward the sound. There was a brief struggle before one of them could heave open the door and greet the UPS man. The UPS man was accosted by the sight of three Australians, one arguing loudly on the phone and the other two wrestling on the floor.
"I've got several heavy packages her for a Miss Wilhelmina Jacks." The man spoke loudly, attempting to capture someone's attention. Finally Willa looked up and smiled brightly at him.
"That's me. Where do I sign?" she asked from her spot on the floor, reaching up for a pen. The man looked at her oddly but handed her the sheet anyway.
"Uh, on the X." he replied, surveying the scene again. Willa scribbled something at the X and then passed the sheet to Jerry, who had gained the upper hand during Willa's brief moment of signature making and now sat between her and the UPS man.
"Jerry, be a dear and hand this to the man. Can you leave the boxes in the lobby? I'll call a cab in a bit to have them picked up." she asked, returning her attention to the battle at hand. The UPS man nodded and left quickly, forgetting to shut the door behind him.
"What's in the boxes?" Jerry asked, attempting to free his arm of the small girl's iron grip.
"My stuff. I had it shipped from school." Willa replied, crawling out from under his knee and capturing his cell phone. Several moments later she was speaking with her old landlord and agreeing on an outrageously low rent. Jerry coughed when he heard the quote.
"What did you do, sleep with him?" He asked, and Willa quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Finishing her conversation she smacked him on the arm.
"I used to tutor his daughter in French. She got a scholarship because of her score on the French AP test. He likes me." She replied, smacking him again. "Slept with him. You're a dirty man, Jerry."
By this point Jax was just hanging up with their parents and sighing deeply.
"Well, it looks like you're spending the rest of the school year here." He spoke, catching her as she again flew into his arms.
"Thanks, Jas. I knew you'd come through for me." She spoke, using Jerry's phone to dial a cab.
"Where are you going?" Jax asked, sitting down on the now empty couch.
"Home, Jas. Home!" She replied with a giggle and then started to walk down to the lobby. Once she was out of earshot Jerry turned to his younger brother.
"You're not going to tell her about Brenda?" He asked, eyebrows denoting grand surprise. Jax shook his head.
"Not yet, not until the Alcazar thing is cleared up. You know Willy, she'd just charge in and get herself hurt." Jax replied quietly.
"She'll be mad when she finds out you didn't tell her." Jerry warned, and Jax nodded. "You're going to see Brenda now?"
"Yeah, she's at the cottage."
Hours later Willa had moved most of the boxes up to her apartment and made a few phone calls. She was just at the top of a small ladder hanging Tibetan prayer flags across the living room when there was a knock at the door. Hopping down off the ladder she raced to the door and threw it open, face lighting up as her old friends Tarpon and Damien gathered her up into a tight group hug.
"Hey kids!! You came!" She cried, patting Tarp's dark hair affectionately and kissing Damien's cheek, causing him to blush profusely.
"Of course we came, Willy. We've been wondering about you." Tarp replied, handing her a bag of Oreo's and moving past her into the living room. Damien nodded.
"Yeah, that school's no correspondence policy is a real drag. It's a good thing you broke out when you did." Damien added, handing her a bottle of Dr. Pepper and following Tarp. Willa watched them pass and then glancing down at the items loaded in her arms.
"Aw, housewarming gifts. Aren't you boys sweet?"
She followed them into the living room where Tarp had climbed onto the ladder and completed the prayer flag hanging and Damien sat on the floor tapping on a bongo drum.
"It's freezing in here, Willy. Don't you have any heat?" Tarp asked, climbing back down off the ladder and perching himself on a nearby windowsill. Willa shook her head.
"Won't get turned on till the morning. I've got plenty of blankets, though." She assured them.
"I don't know, Will. It's like the depths of hell in here. Reminds me of that movie, The Exorcist. I can see my breath." Damien added, looking up at her as he continued to tap on the drum.
"I'm forced to agree. I'm not entirely sure you won't freeze to death here tonight." Tarp agreed, picking up her guitar in the corner and strumming it. After several more strums he began to pick out a tune and Damien backed it with a beat. Willa began to hum as she sat down on the floor, grasping a braid between her fingers and loosening it. Soon her humming had become singing and she softly followed the tune with words:
When I speak I cross my fingers, Will you know you've been deceived? I find a need to be the demon A demon cannot be hurt (heard?)
By the time they finally finished playing it was late and Willa's hair fell in kinky honey blonde waves over her shoulders. Getting up off the floor and standing on her toes she stretched out her stiff muscles and followed her friends to the door.
"Hey, you guys know where I can find a job?" She asked, watching them pull on their coats and shoes.
"Full time or part time?" Damien asked, tugging on his hat.
"Part."
"We're hiring at the Stop n' Save. The boss is the devil incarnate but the hours are flexible and the pay's enough." Tarp offered. Willa thought for a moment.
"What is it, a Supermarket?"
"A drug store. Small one. Night shifts are easy, all the management leaves around five and we close at nine." Damien added.
"You both work there?" She asked, and they nodded in reply. "Sounds groovy. I'll check it out tomorrow."
"Sleep well, Junglebunny." Tarp spoke, kissing the top of her head and leaving the room. Damien nodded in agreement and hugged her tightly before following, closing the door behind him.
Meanwhile, across town:
"Luis, put down the gun. Let him go." Brenda pleaded, clutching Jax's arm tightly.
"You see Brenda, I can't do that. It's progressed far beyond that now. Can't you see why I'm doing this? You asked me to do this, begged me to keep you away from him. This is your fault." Alcazar sneered, waving the gun wildly at them both. Jax tried to move in front of her but she pushed him back.
"Don't you dare blame her for this. You're the one holding the gun here." He spit out, struggling to hold himself back.
"You're right, Jax. I am the one holding the gun. Let's go, Brenda." He replied, looking over to where she stood. There was silence.
"You promise you won't hurt him?" She said suddenly, and Jax spun her around to face him.
"No, Brenda. I won't let you do this. I just found you, I'm not about to lose you again." With these words Jax rushed the gun. A shot rang out and Brenda screamed. Jax hit the floor hard, and Brenda followed him down quickly to shield his body with hers.
"Get up, Brenda. He's going to die now, anyway. We're leaving." Alcazar spoke venomously.
"That's right, Alcazar. You are leaving." Came a voice behind him, and Luis spun to see who had spoke. Sonny Corinthos stood a distance away, a gun aimed for his heart. Sonny raised the gun a centimeter or two and another shot rang out. This time Brenda didn't scream, just tightened her grip on Jax. When she looked up Luis was on the floor and Sonny was coming toward them.
"Call an ambulance!" She yelled desperately, attempting to keep Jax alert. "Hang on, Jax. Please don't die on me."
Just then Jason entered the house and surveyed the scene. Brenda looked up again.
"Help her." Sonny ordered, checking Alcazar and the window simultaneously. Brenda watched him closely.
"Is he dead?" She asked.
"No." Sonny replied simply, noticing the flashing lights approaching the cottage. "The ambulance is here."