Author's Note: I'm sixteen now! It's weird! Okay, so I've been 16 for a week now, but...
As for Cassie's dream, a lot of it was foreshadowing much of this chapter. And Freak Apple, for guessing a part of the dream right, you get a puppy! Or a kitty! Or a ferret! Or all three, if you desire.
And a request -- if you could, please mosey on down to www.fictionpress.net and review my new story, Project Olympian. I'll warn everyone now though, it's pretty heavy. Not gonna be a happy story, at least not at first.
But please review it? As a birthday present? =P
Okay, about Cassie's French/English switch, I apologize and I've fixed it. I'm going to try and make sure it never happens again. And in this fic anyway, I'm having Jake and Rachel be related through their mothers. Why? I'm going with the theory that both of them are Jewish, and if so, the relationship must be matriarchal. I happen to know this from experience because while my Dad, whose mother is Jewish, is considered a Jew; I'm not considered as such because my mother is a non-religious plebeian. Evil, evil, evil lineage.
I HATE my period because I'm having it TWICE in the SAME month. Sorry to all my male readers for that. =P
Chronicle One
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear." -Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)
Chapter Seven
-Jake-
And my life has gone from normal to beyond all possible weirdness.
I guess it all started with my brother Tom, kind of. I'd been hanging out at the mall with my friends when he'd shown up to give me some news I never even saw coming. What was this news, you ask?
My parents are getting divorced. I'll tell you the truth; I'm still kind of shocked about this. They always seemed like they were happy with each other, and I never did hear them getting into any arguments. It's weird, to tell the truth.
Then again, I never noticed the way my parents never talked to each other anymore. Just like they were tonight.
My family was eating dinner. Steak and salad with extra tension and a side of mashed potatoes or corn.
Tom wiped his mouth with his napkin. As I sat there watching my older brother, I fought an urge to shiver.
You see, things have been weird with my brother as of late. Tom, the same Tom who wanted to be a pro basketball player ever since he was a kid, gave up the varsity team. Tom's been getting real into this new club called The Sharing, which gives me the willies. I don't know why, either. The Sharing is pretty cool.
It's kind of like a Boys and Girls club for every kind of person on the planet. Harmless, right?
I thought so, too, until the moment my brother went into a seizure when we went to visit.
Add that to a flashback I had warning me about my own brother, and maybe you can see why I feel nervous.
Oh, and you did read that right. I had a flashback, but not to any part of my life that I can recall.
I don't think I'm crazy, though. Or if I am, there are four other crazy people on the ride to insanity with me.
One of them is my cousin Rachel, who looks like a cover model but acts like Joan of Arc minus the army.
Another one is Marco Jones. He's a cool guy and he likes to crack jokes. I have my doubts on his sanity, though, since he's convinced that Spidey is a match for Superman. The two of us were best buds in our flashbacks.
Then there's Tobias Avan; a dreamy kind of kid who gets bullied a lot. I have to admit; I don't know him that well.
The last member of our Circus of Crazies is Cassie Branch. I think Cassie is one of those people that can catch all the things between the lines, or at least, that's the feeling I get when I'm around her. I don't mind, though.
Out of all of us, Cassie is the one who remembers the most about our flashbacks. I kind of wish she didn't.
Because she remembers a spaceship, getting chased by bladed monsters, and some kind of an alien.
She described it as "kind of cute, except for the tail" and "like a furry blue deer-scorpion-thing that could talk".
What none of my friends know is that I remember something like that, too. Except what I remember isn't "kind of cute". It's more like "kind of terrifying". I haven't told anyone, though. Not Rachel, not Marco, and not Cassie.
I've only told Rachel sketchy details of what happened to Tom that night. She hasn't come to our house since.
I almost told Marco everything. I would have; too, if it wasn't for my suspicions that whatever is wrong with Tom also extends to Marco's mother. His dead mother, by the way. Neither one of us has mentioned the whole thing since.
I've thought about telling Cassie, which I know is kind of weird since I've only known her for about a week.
It feels like I can trust her with this, though. Like I can trust her not to tell the others if I ask her not to. It feels like Cassie might understand why I haven't mentioned it, which is because, to be honest, I'm afraid to.
I'd have to give it some thought.
"So Tom," My dad said as he cut into his steak, "How was school today?"
Tom swallowed down a piece of steak. It seemed so normal, so regular. It wasn't. "School was good." Tom said.
My dad laughed. "School was good? Come on, you can tell me a little more than that." He said.
"Maybe he doesn't want to, Steve." My mother said her voice cutting through the air like a knife.
My dad glared up at her. "Maybe it's none of your business, Jean." He said.
"Are you suggesting my children's lives aren't any of my business?" My mother asked, outraged.
"No, of course not." My Dad said his voice meek and quiet.
We ate in silence until the end of our meal. Then I went up to my room to play video games.
Video Games provided a good distraction. They were a good way to keep my mind off the question bugging me.
When had my parents gotten so bad, and how could I have not noticed?
I went through my stack of CDs and cartridges quick, just switching from one game to another, sometimes from one system to another, in mere minutes. I couldn't keep my concentration, but maybe that was just because my heart wasn't in it at all. It was about half an hour later that I heard the soft, pleading rapping at my door.
Just asking to be let in.
Tom.
The first time, I didn't reply. Or the second. I guess that saying about how "the third time is always the charm" is right, though, since that was when I got off my butt and opened the door to my big brother.
Or maybe I'd just gotten tired of the knocking. I think it was a mix of both, if you ask me.
"Can I come in?" Tom asked as he breezed past my doorway into my room. I just rolled my eyes. That's Tom for you.
Tom closed and then locked the door behind him. It was odd since Tom wasn't the kind of guy that tended to lock doors. I mean, he's not some paranoid freak who jumps at everything. He's a normal guy who doesn't lock a door.
Unless he needs to.
"I need to talk to you, Midget." Tom said, using his old nickname for me. It'd been a while since I'd heard it.
Just for your info, it's a bit of inside joke between us. I'm pretty big for my age, almost as tall as Tom. Almost.
Tom flopped himself down on my bed right above the Shrine of Games and Dirty Clothes. I stayed standing up next to the door, studying my brother. He looked distracted and nervous. Worry was written all over his face.
"Jake." He said. My brother's voice was soft and kind of sad. I wasn't used to hearing it that way; Tom's an upbeat guy on the whole. He's not a total goofball but he isn't morose and Mr. Serious. Sometimes I wish I was more like Tom. No, scratch that. I've always wanted to be more like Tom, but then again, who could blame me? Sure, it's all hero-worship but compared to me, Tom's like some kind of demigod. He's great at basketball and okay in school.
The girls like my brother and, hey, he isn't stuck having weird flashbacks.
But now I knew a part of my world was crashing down. My image of my perfect brother was being shattered just by the tone in his voice. That was the first time that I noticed it, though: my brother wasn't perfect. He got sad, angry and confused. Just like me. He was only human.
You so sure of that? The voice in the back of my head asked, recalling The Sharing and Marco's warning.
Those times were flukes. I mean, who could trust flashbacks? Tom was just Tom. It was that simple. Right?
My brother's eyes turned to me, soulful and sad. They're a lot like my eyes, you know.
"How are you feeling about all this? Mom and Dad, I mean?" he asked.
I looked at him, stunned. I hadn't expected that and, to tell the truth, I wasn't all that sure if I wanted to answer.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't know." I said, and as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they were the truth. I mean, looking back on the past few years, the split-up kind of made sense.
I could see sort of see how my parents had gotten unsatisfied with each other, but it was still a huge shock to me.
"Our parents never even fought." I said to Tom. "I mean, it's all so weird. One day, I think they're a happy couple, but then? BAM! Divorce." I looked down at my carpet. When did it get so stained? "Just like Rachel's parents."
I went over to the bed and sat next to Tom.
"Except there was more warning with Aunt Naomi and Uncle Dan." Tom said as he clasped his hands and put them underneath his head as he lay it down on my bed. Tom's face melted from sad to a look of amusement.
Tom smiled. "Man, do you remember the fights they used to have?" He asked me.
"Remember Grandma chasing Uncle Dan out with her broom?" I asked him.
Tom and I busted out laughing so hard we could've busted a gut. We were remembering one Thanksgiving about seven years ago, not long before our aunt and uncle's divorce. Rachel and I had been eight, Tom was nine, and our cousin Jordan was six and our baby cousin Sarah was just about three. Aunt Naomi and Uncle Dan had gotten into a row over Naomi's cooking. Our Grandma got so mad at them she banished Aunt Naomi to the kitchen until she calmed down, and uncle Dan was forced to enjoy the backyard. And yes, forced by broomstick.
"That was crazy, wasn't it?" Tom asked me, and I nodded in agreement.
Then we both inhaled deep. "Hey, Tom? Who do you think we'll live with?" I asked.
"We'll, we're both over fourteen so we can choose which parent to live with." Tom said, looking thoughtful.
"I've never even thought about something like that." I said.
"Neither have I." Tom said, his voice hushed. "I guess, for me, it depends on where Mom or Dad will live."
I looked over at my brother, confused. "Why would that be so important?" I asked.
Tom jerked in, I guess, surprise. Then he turned and smiled at me. "You know I want to go college here." He said.
"Oh yeah." I laughed to hide my nervousness. "I'd forgotten." He said. The thing was, Tom's words made me feel weird. I couldn't get rid of the feeling that there was something my brother was hiding.
Then Tom sat up. "Hey, I know something that'd cheer you up." He said, now getting off of my bed.
"There's this new kid on our team. He's kind of weird, but I've never seen anyone this good." Tom said.
"Really?" I asked. "Who is this kid?"
"Ax Ishtil." Tom said. I almost jumped, remembering the weird kid Cassie had brought to our lunch table yesterday. The kid Tobias and Marco had met.
The one we all suspected was one of us. "Say what?" I asked.
Tom laughed. "It's a weird name, isn't it? Well, he's a weird guy. I hear he's, like, a superhuman genius." He said.
Tom's eyes seemed to glimmer with an idea. I almost asked him what he was thinking but the moment seemed to have passed. So I asked the other question that had been lingering deep in my mind.
"Hey, Tom?" I asked my brother. He looked back at me.
"You know that night at The Sharing? The night you fainted?" I asked.
"Yeah, and for the last time, would you stop bugging me about it?" He demanded.
"This isn't about that." I said, finding my voice grow tired. Odd enough, it was a familiar feeling for me.
"There was an old guy there. I think his name was Victor Trent. He took you to the hospital after you fainted. Tom, how do you know him?" I asked.
Tom ran a hand through his hair and exhaled sharp. "He owns our chapter of The Sharing. Didn't I tell you?"
I shook my head. "Nope." I said.
"Oh, could've sworn I did. Oh well." said Tom, then he smiled.
"I can take you to practice tomorrow if you want." Tom added, letting the invitation hang in the air.
Then, before I could say a thing, he left my room and closed the door behind him. It was close to midnight that I got to sleep, thoughts of my brother's odd behavior filling my head.
That morning was when everything went into motion.
It started out like most other days. Wake at some insane hour and go through the motions of eating, dressing and getting ready with a zombie-like grace. Followed by that heroic run to the bus because my brother was being a pill and refused to drive me like a responsible, caring, loving brother would.
After that was the rip-roaring squeaky ride on the bus with odd, strange freshman and seniors who gave me dangerous looks. It was a slice of heaven compared to what was going to happen.
The bus skidded to a stop in front of the school.
As soon as I regained my balance, I walked out to meet up with Marco. It was kind of a ritual, I guess, that we'd developed in the past week. Meeting up with each other before school felt almost, well, natural.
Like it was something I'd done my whole life, even though I hadn't. For a moment I wondered about the friendship we'd had in our flashbacks. We both remembered being best buds. I wonder how long we'd been that way?
Maybe I'll never know. What matters more is the friendship Marco and I have now, am I right?
At the moment Marco looked somewhere in between peeved and bothered. So did Rachel, who was next to him.
I ran up to my once-best friend and my cousin. "What's up?" I asked them.
Rachel was biting her lip. "Cassie hasn't shown up." Rachel spit out, worry lacing her voice.
I almost felt my jaw hit the ground. "Say what?" I asked.
"Most of the time, Cassie's here by now." Rachel said. "We hang out near the gym until the bell rings."
"And Cassie's a no-show." Marco interjected.
"Great." I hissed, feeling adrenaline pumping through my veins. "Well, I don't think we should panic yet." I said.
I started pacing around as I explained myself to Rachel and Marco. "It's possible she's just late. I mean, maybe her parents were driving her to school and they got caught in traffic. Maybe Cassie's sick. There's no reason for us to go into full-blown panic mode. I mean, come on, this is California, New Jersey. What's to fear?" I asked.
"The fact we live in New Jersey." Marco commented. I glared at him.
"And we've been flashbacks where there's no doubt we have some enemies." Rachel added.
Rachel's words stopped both me cold in my tracks. I felt a pang of guilt and familiar fear.
Familiar fear for the suspicions I had that my own brother, Tom, was one of the "enemies" Rachel mentioned.
I felt guilt because of the accusation I'd thrown at Marco. The accusation that maybe his dead mother was one of our "enemies" as well. I know it seems like a jump, but from what he'd told me about his own flashback, well...
I think I'm right.
I don't want to be, though. I hope to whatever powers that may be that I'm not right in the slightest.
Because, if I am, then I can't even trust my own brother. Which is just great since I can't seem to trust my other family members to be honest enough to even get into an argument. And yeah, I am just a bit bitter.
Marco laughed. I didn't like the sound of it; it was rough and bitter. Not like when we were joking around.
"Yeah, Xena over here is right, Big Jake." Marco said, pointing at Rachel. Both Rachel and I stared at him.
"Marco, what did you just call me?" Rachel asked.
"I just called you Xena." Marco replied, looking kind of worried that Rachel might beat him up or something.
"Heh, I like that." Rachel said with a wide grin spreading all over her face.
I took a deep sigh then coughed. "Back to the topic at hand?" I implied to my two compatriots.
Both Rachel and Marco looked embarrassed but gave me their full attention, so I went on with my plan.
"Now, okay, Rachel's right. It is pretty clear that we had some kind of enemies in, well, whatever our flashbacks are. So it'd be a good idea for someone, in other words, Rachel, to check up on Cassie." I said.
"Do you have any classes with her?" I asked Rachel, who shook her head.
"No, but I walk with her after first period." Rachel said. "What if she's not there?" Rachel asked.
"You could call her." Marco suggested, but Rachel shook her head. "Can't." She said. "I have gym after that."
"Then I'll do it." I said. Both Rachel and Marco looked at me. I don't know what they were thinking. I'm not very good at reading people, but I think they were kind of suspicious of me right then. They didn't have any reason.
Okay, I'll tell the truth. I was worried about Cassie. I didn't know her very well; in fact, the longest conversation we'd had was over our book reports. Still, that didn't mean I wanted to see anything happen to her.
I mean, I liked her. Not in a crush kind of way, I swear, but she hadn't been anything but nice around me. Most of the girls I know aren't like that; they're kind of rude to me. It comes from being "Tom's Cute Little Bro".
Cassie didn't know I was the little brother to the former Basketball Star of GWHS and I don't think she would care even if she did know. It was a nice change. Besides, she and Rachel seemed to be turning into best friends.
That's just my guess, though. If I'm bad at reading people, I'm horrendous at reading girls.
Rachel was smiling at me. I'm not sure I want to know why. "Either of you boys have a pen?" Rachel asked.
Marco pulled one out of his pocket and tossed it to Rachel. She caught it and then rummaged through her binder for a sheet of paper. She tore a sheet out of one of her spirals and wrote something on it real quick, folded it up, and then handed it to me. I took the sheet and unwrapped it while Rachel put everything back.
It was Cassie's phone number and address. I looked up at my cousin, grateful. "Thanks, Rach." I said.
Rachel shrugged. "No problem." She said with a smile. Then the bell rang and the three of us went inside.
I heard from Rachel about an hour later. She was running, which had a lot to do with the way her English class was at about a whole different side of the school from my Spanish class. Did I ever mention my cousin runs freakishly fast? Well, she does. However, even though she'd sprinted like a madman to reach me, my cousin's hair and makeup remained perfect. I don't know how she does that. It must be some weird female talent. I think it runs in our family because both my mom and Aunt Naomi seem to share this strange little trait.
"Jake!" Rachel shouted, catching me by the arm. She pulled me away from the crowd of kids where'd I'd been and dragged me aside to the much safer end of the hall. She waited for the crowd to thin out before she talked.
"I waited a minute for Cassie and she didn't show. She's not here, Jake." Rachel said, her voice grave.
"We're near the pay-phones, I'll call her place." I said. Rachel's face seemed to relax and she sighed in relief.
"Good." She said, but then her face grew disturbed. "I think I should tell you something first, Jake." Rachel said.
My cousin exhaled in her anxiety and faced the brick wall near us while she talked to me.
"I don't have any proof of this, but I think Mr. Chapman might be behind this." Rachel said with a sigh.
"Mr. Chapman as in our-Principal slash Melissa's-Dad Mr. Chapman?" I asked. Rachel nodded.
Melissa Chapman is Rachel's best friend. I kind of knew her on-and-off since we were kids. Not very well, of course, but I knew Melissa Chapman. We'd hung out more than a few times. I guess you'd call us close acquaintances. The two of us were never friends. I also knew Melissa's Dad, my principal, Mr. Chapman.
"Melissa told me her Mom and Dad has been acting weird, kind of like they're robots or something. Then yesterday, in Algebra, Mr. Chapman called Cassie up to his office. She wouldn't tell me what happened but Cassie was upset, I could tell. I don't know what's up, but I'm worried." said Rachel.
Rachel's words sent a shiver down my spine. Mr. Chapman had never seemed like a threat or anything but a good, if somewhat overbearing guy, but I'm not naive. I know good people can do horrible things behind closed doors. And if that was the case, then I didn't know what I'd do. Cassie and Melissa didn't deserve that.
"Maybe he's one of them." Rachel said in a hushed whisper. It made me recall Marco's words to me.
They were Marco's exact words about Tom. "God, I hope that's all." I said in a hushed voice. Rachel nodded.
Right then, the bell rang. I jumped fifty feet in the air. "Oh crap! Mr. Snape is going to kill me!" I shouted.
Rachel sent me a look of pity. "Coach Melody's gonna be mad, but all I'll get is lunch detention." She said, wincing.
"I should just skip class and say I was sick. It's better than whatever Mr. Snape will come up with." I said.
"Yeah, you're right." Rachel admitted, then waved. "I've gotta get to class. See ya!" She shouted as she ran off.
There's a pay phone near the office and since I happened to be near it, I decided Biology could wait.
I had $2.50 my parents had given me for lunch money. If worse came too worse, I could eat the terror that was the $1.50 school lunch. So I took Cassie's number out of my pocket and put fifty cents into the phone's coin slot.
I dialed Cassie's number and waited for a response. I got Cassie's answering machine. I freaked and didn't leave a message, so I had to call again. This time I used my brain.
"This is Jake Berenson." I said. "I'm a, uh, a friend of Cassie's from school. I'm calling to ask, um, if she could please give me my ID back, I kind of need it. Um, my phone number is 555-5432. Please call back." I said.
That was when I did something stupid that I don't recommend to those of you at home.
Let's just say it's a good thing the halls were empty so no one noticed me ditching school.
I don't think there's ever been a time in my life I've ever wanted to be a bird more than I did that day.
Not even when Tom was kicking my butt in Mortal Kombat 3. Or that time I peed my pants in kindergarten.
I was feeling very cranky by the time I reached Cassie's barn. Yes, you read that right, I said barn.
And did I mention I felt cranky? But walking for an hour through unholy hot weather can do that to a boy.
My crankiness is the reason I started pounding on Cassie's door.
I didn't expect her to open it.
I stared at Cassie. Short little Cassie, still dressed in the overalls I'd seen her in yesterday. "Hi Jake." She said.
"Uh, hi." I said. "Can I come in?" I asked.
Cassie stepped to the side of the door and beckoned me in. So I went. Cassie motioned to the pale green couch in the living room and I sat. She sat down next to me without saying a single word.
"I got your phone call." Cassie said. I stared at her in a mix of surprise and, I admit, outrage.
"Then why didn't you answer?" I asked. Cassie frowned and looked down at the carpet.
"I didn't want anyone to know about this." She said, her voice quiet. "I even fooled my parents, they think I'm sick."
"Oh." I said. "Wait, what is 'this'?" I asked Cassie. She looked away from me.
"I'm going to The Sharing today." She said.
Then and there I started to panic, memories of my own visit to The Sharing flooding my mind.
"What? When?" I asked, trying to keep myself under control.
"Whenever they open." Cassie said.
"You can't!" I shouted. Cassie started at me, confused and maybe a little afraid. "Why not, Jake?" She asked.
"Because." I answered, feeling like an idiot. Then I screwed up my courage. I'd have to tell her the truth.
No matter what Cassie might make of it. No matter what that would risk of her making of Tom.
"Look, I went there earlier this week." I told Cassie. "I went with my brother Tom. We were going to, well, work out something. But then, Tom started...I thought he was having a heart attack, or maybe a seizure. It was like he was possessed. He told me to run. Run as far as I could from The Sharing." I told Cassie. She'd looked away.
"Cassie?" I asked, trying to sound gentle. She turned back to me. I think there might've been tears in her eyes.
"It's just like Mr. Chapman." Cassie said, looking both sad and bothered. Then she pulled something out of her breast pocket. A small tiny white card that was kind of like a business card. She handed it to me.
It read THE SHARING
.
"Mr. Chapman gave it to me the first time I was in his office." Cassie said.
I just blinked. I hadn't known Cassie had been to the principal's office more than once.
"Right before he gave it to me he started having what he called a migraine." Cassie told me, her brows creased.
"But there was something fishy about it right from the start." Cassie said, frowning. Then she smiled at me.
"Jake, I have your ID Card upstairs in my room. Do you want to go get it?" Cassie asked me.
"Um, sure." I said as I got off the couch with Cassie. I looked up at her staircase. "Where's your room?" I asked.
"It's the one on the far left." Cassie said. "You can go now if you want." She added with a smile.
So I did. It wasn't until I was in Cassie's room (or what I think was her room, anyway) that I heard the door slam.
I ran downstairs as fast as my legs would carry me.
Only to find that Cassie took it upon herself to leave while I was upstairs.
So I wrenched the door open, slammed it behind me, and ran after her. She didn't have much of a headstart.
"Cassie!" I shouted, running to catch up with her. Cassie just sped up. I did the same, thanking God that I'd always been a good runner. In a blur of moments, I'd caught up with her. Much like Rachel had done, I grabbed Cassie by her arm and pulled her closer to me. I was determined that she'd listen to me.
"Jake, let me go!" Cassie cried, pulling her arm away from mine. I winced at the anger in her eyes.
"I'm not leaving until you listen to me." I said.
To my surprise, Cassie didn't run off again. She stood there, not far from her barn, ready to listen to me.
So I started talking. And asking questions. "Why are you doing this?" I asked Cassie.
Cassie hesitated. "I," she faltered. "I have my reasons." Cassie said.
"That's it?" I asked. "Look, I'm telling you that place is dangerous. You don't want to go!" I shouted.
Cassie smiled at me. A meek, sad kind of smile that made my heart break. "You're right, I don't." She said.
"I'm scared of that place but I'm also tired of Mr. Chapman harassing me." Cassie admitted.
"And I don't want to see him start messing around with you guys, either." She added, looking at me.
"But Cassie, that's crazy." I said. "What good would going here do to stop Mr. Chapman?" I asked her.
"It'll get him to stop bugging me about going." Cassie fired back at me. I gave up on that. She had a point.
"Still, you don't have to do this for the others or me. We don't even know each other!" I told Cassie.
"You sure about that?" Cassie asked me with a sly smile. I just gaped at her. "Think about it." She added.
"You and Marco only met a couple of days ago, right?" Cassie asked me. I nodded.
"But it feels like you've known each other a lot longer, doesn't it?" Cassie asked me. I nodded in agreement.
Cassie smiled. "It feels that way for me, too. Except, you know, with Rachel. No offense to Marco or anything but I don't feel half as close to him as I do to Rachel. But he seems like a good guy." She said with a shrug.
"I know I sound crazy but this feels like something I need to do." Cassie told me, her voice soft.
Even to this day I'm not sure what made me do it. Like I said earlier, I didn't want to see Cassie get into trouble.
I'm not sure why, but the thought of her running into whatever was going on at The Sharing saddened me.
I wanted to stop that from happening in whatever way I could, but it didn't seem like Cassie would budge.
So I guess I did the next best thing. Maybe it was some of that feeling of familiarity influencing me.
"I'll go with you." I said, feeling my face flush red when I looked at Cassie. "I don't want you go alone."
Cassie smiled at me. "Thanks, Jake." She said. Then she hugged me, which was just embarrassing.
We went back to Cassie's house and grabbed some money. We also raided the phonebook for both the number and address to The Sharing. About four minutes later, we trekked out on our mission to infiltrate The Sharing.
Just so you know, we didn't walk. The public transportation system is wonderful if you're poor and need a ride.
Cassie and I didn't talk much. We just told the bus driver we wanted to go to The Sharing and that was that.
After that we just sat next to each other in silence.
About halfway through the ride I found myself looking at Cassie. Her hands went from being clasped tight together to being wrung in worry and then the cycle repeated itself again. She was also taking deep breaths.
She was also looking back at me.
In a flash we both looked the other way, as far from each other as we could manage.
Which was good since I didn't want Cassie to see me blushing.
I occupied myself with thoughts of what would happen to us, or about talking to Cassie, but I didn't have the nerve.
"Sharing. Anyone stopping at The Sharing?" asked the bus driver.
Cassie and I got up and walked to the door of the bus. The driver turned to us with a Dad-like smile.
"You take of yourselves, ya hear?" He demanded. We said we would.
Then we were got off the bus and were left standing in front of a large building with these words on the front:
The Sharing - Building a Better Life
"They are open, right?" I asked Cassie as with both stood nervous and uncertain at the front.
Cassie's brows creased. "They should be, the fliers say they open at 11:30." She said.
I looked at Cassie. I had no clue what she was talking about. "What fliers?" I asked her.
"You've never gotten one?" Cassie asked. I shook my head.
"Everyone I know in The Sharing has a lifetime supply. They're all over town, too." Cassie informed me.
It was not comforting information. For some reason the thought of fliers for The Sharing being plastered all over town sent me into a cold abyss of sadness and dread. Weird, I know, but it's what I felt.
"I don't see any fliers." I said, looking around and back at the building. "Or any people, for that matter." I added.
"That's odd." said Cassie. "I hear this place is always full of people."
"Well, it is eleven-thirty, but my brother makes it out to be a party house." I joked. Cassie laughed.
"So, do we knock or just let ourselves in?" I asked Cassie. She walked up to the door. It was unlocked.
Cassie and I shared a Look. "I say we let ourselves in." I said.
So I went up to the door and opened it, then pulled a fake bow.
"You first, mademoiselle." I joked. Cassie giggled and we walked in.
The building looked the same as it did when I'd gone with Tom.
Except for one exception: it was abandoned.
"Where is everyone?" asked Cassie. "Shouldn't there at least be a secretary?"
"I don't know." I said. "But there were a ton of people when I came."
Cassie and I walked, alone, through The Sharing building. Black and white tile reflected from the floor. White walls with black trim on both bottom and top surrounded us. The silence could drive you mad.
At least Cassie was there with me. It was a relief to not be alone.
We crossed the lobby, or what I'm guessing was a lobby, and Cassie and I reached a hallway.
The hall was a bit less unnerving than the lobby. Might've had something to do with the fact that the hall had carpet.
"So why did you come here?" Cassie asked.
"I thought we went over that, Madame Crusader." I said.
Cassie shook her head. "No, you've said you went with your brother. Why did you go then?" She asked.
I paused before answering. "Um, because." I muttered.
Cassie gave me a disappointed look. "Oh, come on." She said. "You don't want to give me more explanation?"
At first I wanted to tell her that no, I didn't want to get into any more detail. But I was going to have to admit it sooner or later, whether I liked it or not. Avoiding the truth wouldn't help. So I told Cassie.
"My parents are getting a divorce." I said, my voice just above a whisper.
Cassie looked at me, her face reflecting shock and pity. "Oh, Jake." She whispered. "I didn't know." She said.
"Don't worry." I said. "You're the only one that knows, besides Tom. I haven't even told Rachel." I added.
"Have they," Cassie paused. "Have they been fighting long?" She asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.
I shook my head. "No. The closest they've come to a fight was last night. But they don't talk, either." I said.
Cassie looked like she wanted to say something, or do something, but she couldn't think of what that could be.
That was enough, though. Just knowing she cared was enough for me. It was enough of a comfort for now.
Then I turned to Cassie and grinned. "Don't we have a mission to get to, Madame Crusader?" I asked her.
Cassie's expression turned to one of surprise for a second but then she was smiling at me. "Of course." She said.
So we continued down the hallway and went to the door there through another hallway, and so on and so forth, and so on and so forth, until I was wishing Cassie and I had located an elevator somewhere. It didn't erase the fear and dread I was feeling as we went on, though. Fear and dread increased by every hallway we found, fear and dread amplified by each door we opened. Fear caused by the fact that we hadn't been caught.
Because, you see, we were still alone.
Cassie and I crossed another doorway and that was the first time I heard them. The voices. The voices of slaves, slaves who had lost even lost their right to speak, but I didn't know that at the time. I just heard them.
Cassie must've heard them, too, because she'd stopped walking and we both stared at the wall near us.
Cassie and I pressed our ears up against the black and white wall and listened. I heard muffled words.
"First order of business." said a voice. "Kids at the high school are," more muffled words, "Bandits."
Cassie and I looked at each other for an answer. Neither of us had any idea what the voice meant.
"But, Visser!" cried a woman's voice, followed by muffled noise. "Recruitment efforts are..."
Then we heard the gunshot and the scream. They pierced through the wall, more than loud enough to be heard.
I raced to the door nearest to me, then I looked Cassie in the eyes. I saw trust there.
It was then that I knew, for the first time, Cassie was willing to follow me to end of anything. Then Cassie nodded.
I flung the door open and we raced inside. We saw a darkened room, with meager light.
Flash!
There was more noise than there had been the other day. Or maybe my human ears just heard it better.
There was a deep sloshing, swooshing sound, almost like gentle surf breaking on the shore. That sound was nice.
The other sounds were much, much worse. Crying, terrified screams, shouts, and triumphant laughter.
The Yeerk Pool.
"Jake!"
Cassie's arm caught me before I fell.
I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes. The two of us were lucky enough to be hidden from view.
We could see everything, though. Cassie helped pull me up to a sitting position, so I could stay hidden.
"Was it another flashback?" Cassie whispered to me. I nodded and peered over to look.
I did not like what I saw. There was a woman with short brown hair, dressed in a salmon suit, lying dead.
I was quite grateful I couldn't see where the gunshot wound was but it was obvious there was no hope for her.
Then my eyes caught the man with the gun. He was middle-aged and bald. Dressed in black.
I knew that man.
He was Victor Trent.
"It's him!" I hissed before I was even aware of what I was saying. Cassie looked over at me, confused.
"What are you talking about?" She asked. Her eyes were drilling into mine for an answer.
I turned away from Cassie. "I saw him when I first went to The Sharing." I said. "I saw him," my throat closed up.
"What did you see, Jake?" Cassie asked. Her voice was patient but I knew she wanted an answer soon.
"You know how you mentioned you saw him in your flashback?" I asked her. Cassie nodded.
"Well, I think I saw something like that when I first saw that man. Except it was like a, like a perversion of him."
"Something's not right about that man." I continued. "I don't think he's human. I think he's an enemy." I added.
Cassie turned to stare at me, shocked. "You mean you think he's after us?" She asked me.
I wanted to tell her that I didn't believe that, but that night at The Sharing, I knew I had met my foe.
"Maybe." I whispered, then I turned back to what was going on below Cassie and I. "He's speaking!" I said.
Victor Trent tossed his gun to a guard in the back of the room. The guard caught it with the ease of a cat.
Victor Trent sneered. "Foolish humans, can't they design better weapons?" He asked no one in particular.
"I don't believe I'll be adding guns to my weapons supply." Trent said. "Thank you for the trial, though, Iniss 256."
Then Victor Trent kicked the dead body. Cassie grabbed me and pulled me down to keep me from kicking him.
"Back to the topic at hand." said Victor Trent. "As I've been informed, a certain object has been reported found."
There was a murmur of questions swarming through the crowd below. This pleased Victor Trent to no end.
"What is this object, you ask?" Victor Trent said. "None other than the crowning jewel of the Andalite scum."
Cassie and I both looked at each other. We had no idea what an Andalite was.
Victor Trent was smirking as he spoke, delight dancing in his soulless eyes.
"I speak," Victor Trent said, "Of the Escafil Device."
A tumult of passion swept through the crowd. There was cheering and clapping, and shouts of delight and shock.
"Jake?" Cassie asked me, her voice not above a whisper. "What's an Escafil Device?"
The words brought a strange chill through my body, but I ignored it. "I have no idea." I said.
I was still looking at the crowd below us. "But I think we should--" I started saying, before I heard someone.
"What of the Andalites?" asked a man in a khaki shirt, black pants, and brown loafers.
"What of the Andalites?" Victor Trent repeated, aiming his remark at the man. "We have defeated them all."
"There is no Andalite threat on this planet. Even the Great Prince Elfangor is dead, you fool." said Victor Trent.
"Elfangor?" Cassie repeated. She sounded shaken, which was just how I felt.
I felt as if I knew the name Elfangor but I can't tell you from where that could be. I don't think I want to know.
Then I took a deep breath and said what I'd intended to. "I think we should leave before they find us." I said.
Cassie nodded in agreement. "Okay." She whispered.
We both got up then and ran for the door we'd left open. No one ever heard or even saw us.
We shut the door behind us, just like we shut all of the others we'd gone through.
The lobby was still empty we reached it, thank God. Cassie and I got out of there as fast as we could.
We half-walked half-ran to another bus stop two blocks away. Cassie and I ended up sitting on a bus stop bench.
We didn't speak for about five minutes while we waited for our bus. Cassie was the one to break the silence.
"Jake," Cassie said, "He killed that lady."
"I know." I whispered.
"You were right." Cassie said. "Victor Trent isn't human. He can't be." She added.
"I don't think the rest of them are, either." I said. "I mean, do you know what an Escafil Device is?" I asked her.
Cassie shook her head. "I don't know but it sounds kind of familiar."
I lowered my head. I'd gotten that feeling, too, when Victor Trent had mentioned it. But I didn't want to admit it.
"Yeah." I said, then I bit my lip. "Cassie? If they aren't human, then maybe Mr. Chapman isn't, either." I said.
Cassie nodded as she took in my words. "You might be right." She said. "But then, everyone in The Sharing..."
Her words chilled me to the bone. Her implications scared me. Everyone in The Sharing, tied in with the crazy bunch we'd found there? Tied in, no, a part of that group that just let Victor Trent shoot one of their own?
It wasn't possible, was it? Could it be that all of those kids who went to The Sharing weren't even human?
Could all of those kids, some of who I'd known for life, just be fake? Could my own brother be a fake?
No. No. It couldn't be true. It wasn't true.
"I doubt it." I said, not sure if I was trying to convince Cassie or myself. "All of them? That's a bit of a stretch."
"I guess so." Cassie agreed, but I could see the doubt playing in her eyes. The truth I could not, would not accept.
Looking back on it, I was lucky our bus arrived before either Cassie or I said anything. We both boarded and asked the driver, a hairy old woman, to drop us off at our homes. Then we paid and sat down in silence again.
It wasn't until we were about a minute from my place that Cassie and I spoke to one another.
"Jake?" Cassie asked me, her voice quiet.
"Yeah?" I asked her, still mulling over what happened earlier.
"If you want, I was thinking that we could go for coffee sometime and, you know, talk." Cassie said, looking away.
I looked at her, feeling confused. "You don't mean a date or something, do you?" I asked her.
"No!" Cassie yelped, blushing. "No." She said. "I mean, just to talk. About today. Or your parents." She added.
I looked at Cassie. I felt stunned. Sure, the experience we'd just shared might've created a bond between anybody, but I've never met someone who would offer me their friendship so soon.
But I was very thankful for it. If I needed anything now, after stumbling upon The Sharing's secret, was a friend.
"Sure." I said with a smile. Then I added, "Thank you, Cassie."
She just shrugged, like it was nothing at all. Like her action didn't mean all that much. Even though it did, to me.
Then the bus stopped in front of my house. I got off but not before telling Cassie goodbye.
Then I watched as the bus went on to take her home.
The first thing I did when I got home was to erase the message on our answering machine.
It was from Mr. Chapman, telling my parents I'd gone missing from school today.
The rest of the time I vacillated between figuring out what I'd tell Tom when he came back, what I'd tell Rachel, Marco and the others and trying not to think about what had happened to Cassie and I at The Sharing building.
When I wasn't busy with that I played video games or shot hoops in my room. I didn't leave the house again just in case one of my neighbors might report me to my parents. I could only hope their kids wouldn't tell any of them.
Tom bought the story I told him and we both agreed not to mention my school skipping to our parents.
The rest of the night went on tense as usual, at least ever since I'd found out about the divorce-to-be.
Except this night there wasn't a heart-to-heart with Tom.
That was replaced by nightmares of a blue-deer-scorpion thing, a man with a gun, and a blue box.
Reader-People-Thingy...okay, where'd my vocabulary go?! (reader response)
DH - Glad you like it so far, and sorry the update was so long, but the new chapter's up, so yay!
Neri - The only thing I coulda done to make the bus-chasing scene more a Spiderman ref would be to have Rachel come storming up to stop the bus. I have unhealthy crushes on both Tobey Maquire and Peter Parker (swoon!) Speaking of movie refs, both Marco and Ax' initals have movie refs in them -- but that wasn't intentional. I didn't figure it out 'til I gave them last names. Oooh, and you're right about all this Spidey/Tobias stuff. And Rachel's pretty MJ-like, don'tcha think? Note to self: Write upside-down kissie-scene for the bird and the beauty. I'm gonna go with Tobias having gray-blue eyes. My sister has them, and they're beautiful. It also means Birdboy's eyes will look a bit like Ax's. Cool, huh? You get a hint at the Yeerk's plans in this chappie. Chapman will continue da evilness. As for the repressed memories stuff, that's just the Ani's theories (okay, more like Ax's theories) on why they're having flashbacks. And I'll have a better explanation for this when the time comes, but that's pretty much what the Ellimist did. He erased everyone's memories, but they all still recall their lives as Animorphs if just a little bit. Kind of like the Loren/Elfangor thing. And Dude will show in Tobias's chapter.
Stormwing - Yay, reviews! I love reviews! Actually, this fic has gotten more reviews than anything I've written. It's kinda scary. Aw, don't worry, Rachel will probably call Marco an asshole more than once when she's with Tobias. And yes, I know Chapman's weird, but he's meant to be. And I actually like Chapman a lot but he's just Weird Bad Guy of the Moment. Read into that what you will. I hope I kind of explained Cassie's reasoning in this chapter, and whoa, Cass ain't gettin' yeerked! But I need to bring Aftran in here somehow. Aftran was cool...oh wait, I know how! Yay! Ooh, cinnamon buns! I love those! And yep, Cassie talked back. And Ax did squeal, glad someone caught that. But he has his reasons! The whole "ruin your reputation" thing, remember? Marco's gonna be a jerk for a while. Ax seems to bring that out in him. As for Melissa, well, you'll see. Cassie's teacher is named after and based on a Buffy character. Hope you like the HP ref!
Puar Briefs - The search is giving you an error because of the "-" in my Author Name. Just type in "Jinako" on the search. I'm the only one here, so you'll find me. As for the English/French swap, like I said, I'm sorry and the previous chapters have been fixed. And I knew I spelled Sacajawea right the first time! Curse you, unreliable sites found on Yahoo! _ Now, I'm not going to change Antigoine, though. The first reason is that the play is kind of important to Cassie's story. Secondly, I'm stubborn. =P You may have read Antigoine in Ninth Grade, but I just read in my early Sophmore year, and I find it better to write life as I know it. Each state educational system and ISD are different, too. But I'm making text files with lots of little info now so that I don't mess up the continuinty as stuff like that. And I try to research when I can. Back to the rest of the review now -- god save us all if Crayak finds out what Toomin did? Will he? I'm not telling. =P And hawks in a dresses lead to nightmares. @_@ Glad you liked Ax's stuttering. I feel it was 00|_ 2. Loren does kick bum, but hey! Rach was awesome! And she'll kick major arse in this fic. Marky, Johnny, Joey and CJ? I feel...confusion. Who? Oh, and Angsty!Marco will show up a lot. Though Crayak and Drode might not have much to do with his angst. Oh, and Angsty!Goku is good. ^______^
Lisa-Ann - You are loved, you are loved! Rejoice! Ack, two weeks with brats?! You have my upmost sympathy. And, um, nopers...it's not the thinga-whoosa-ma-whatits. Cassie's dream is brought about by "not-so-powerful" forces. Ahh! Papers! I forgot about my English papers...eeek. Glad you liked the chap, too!
Alara-Sirinial-Amalon - Wow, glad you like the fic!
Doctor Strangelove - The meat cleaver may not be for me, but, well...just don't make me use the FEET OF DOOM. Oh, Tara ref? Why, I've no idea what you're talking about. And yep, all dreams with be Restless-refs. Especially since I'm planning a Restless-esque chapter anyway. And maybe a "Once More With Feeling" kind of chapter, too. Cassie's cool, I like her. And skunk babies shall rule the planet alongside my new baby kittens. Willow/Cassie? I'm, um, scared now. Can't say I love Kennedy, but if Willow's happy with her, I won't complain. And I liked Riley! But I now I'm the only one who did. Damn you, Buffster, and your dumping of decent boyfriends...**cough** Ignore me. And a "Boys Will Be Boys" sequel? Have I mentioned how much I love you lately? =P Man, I hope I don't end up pitying Jake. And yeah, Rachel will help Marco and Ax, but not in the direct way I think you're thinking of. 'Least...not at first. =D
RasberryGirl - Nope, it doesn't take place in the start of the series. The fic starts in their Sophmore year. Actually, the green just represents Cassie herself. I wrote it as her favorite color, and all the colors (except the white bag) represent the others, too, so there's your hint to dream interpreting. Huh, you're right about the J/C being junior high-ish. Hope this chap's dose was a bit more mature. And Ax didn't register sans-guardian, Loren registered him. Sorry, I should've explained that.
Lavenderangel - Woohoo! Go Cassie! And I'm glad you liked the C/A friendship bit. Oh, and Cassie is still very understanding. And, hey, lookie! Was that Jake-comfort I just saw? =P Not a bad idea about Tom. Hmm. And, yes, I know both Marco and Ax are a little creepy. I apologize, they'll mellow out. And it's good you don't mind them as a couple. **coughs** (I'm a big fan of that couple. Yes, I am odd.) Glad you like your plushies and enjoy your angsty scenemaking! As for that scene, it'll show up in a twisted way or form VERY late in the fic. Years from now, probably.
DawnOfEast - It's okay if you didn't review. I'd like it if you started to, though. =P And Ismene is actually the sister of Antigoine (the heroine in the play Cassie was researching), but it is a reference to Cassie and a lot of what she'll go through in this fic.
DJ Eagel - Two people on a Freak Apple high? YAY! And, sorry, Cassie went to The Sharing anyway despite the toenail beating she got. Glad you liked the chapter, and unless I'm some freaky guy who has periods twice a month (still angry 'bout that, sorry), I'm pretty sure I'm a girl. If not, something is wrong.
Freak Apple - You know what I just figured out? You're almost-always the first person to review this fic! Thank you! **huggles** It's okay, I think I made the dream too vague. I'm sorry. But you got some of it right! And yep, Rachel'll keep teasing Cassie. Sorry my update was late! And the gay-straight alliance...um, well, my friends are lazy. I think I'll need to borrow some of those meanness pills myself, so I can kick their rears into gear. =P