Notes: AHHH, GUESS WHAT???? I got a phone call from this high school I want to go to, THEY LIKED THIS ESSAY I WROTE AND WANT TO INTERVIEW ME!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!
::ahem:: Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. ^^ NEway, so glad to get this working again! School is really hard, especially when you're falling behind. ~.~ The good news is, MY DEADLINES ARE ALMOST OVER!! THE TORTURE HAS ALMOST PAST! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!! WAAAHOOOOOO!!!!
Er…got carried away again. ^^ Anyway, sorry y'all, no Dark Hand in this one. And yeah, the name of this chapter was taken from book two of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials"--great trilogy, I recommend it! Usual thanks applies. Love ya, O-chan! :)
THE DEMON WITHIN
Part Four: The Subtle Knife
At six in the morning the sun was just beginning to rise, painting the skies with a blend of pink and orange to announce its arrival; but of course Jackie could see none of this, for the Section 13 infirmary was underground. Lacking lights and windows, the room was consumed with darkness, and over the sleepless hours Jackie had developed a sense of loneliness. He wished that somebody--a nurse, a doctor, but preferably his family--would swing the door open and embrace him tightly. Jade would run to him and jump on him, and then talk his ear off. Oh, if only Jade would come bursting through that door! Or even Uncle! Yes, Uncle would help. Uncle would take care of him, just like he used to when Jackie was a child. Sometimes, Jackie missed those days, when he was carefree and held no responsibility…
But not usually, for then he was reminded of other things…
Jackie shook himself out of his reverie, and pulled the coverlets tighter around him, his bones aching with iciness. How he longed for sleep, to slip into oblivion and never return. To escape the cold that hammered against his body, the deep pain in his left side, the recent complexity in his life that originated from the arrival of Section 13. For the past three and a half hours he had lain awake on the less than comfortable mattress, and every time he shut his eyes, images of Captain Black's hand passing through his shoulder flashed before him; and when he snapped his eyes open, his mind filled with thoughts of normal life, and his heart yearned for human contact. He felt so isolated, so lonely, that he thought he might break down and cry. Oh, if only Jade or Uncle or even Captain Black were here, and he could hug them and release his tears.
Why he felt so depressed Jackie could not tell; nor did he question it, as he was too busy being completely enveloped in this feeling. Once or twice he had even tried to get up and find somebody-anybody! But as he heaved himself out of bed, the pain in his side became sharper, so much that he was finding it hard to resist crying out; so he eased himself on his back and took deep breaths.
Just to take his mind off the desolation that he found himself trapped within, he slid his hand over his side and touched the throbbing spot lightly; and every time it did, he couldn't feel anything. It was as if his hand were trying to press against the air. It actually felt rather nice…no pain, no nothing. But it was also very frightening and disconcerting, and pain instantly returned when he refrained.
This mystery only added to his rising panic. Now, more than ever he wanted someone near him, someone to assure him that everything would be all right, that this was only a bad dream and he would wake up presently. Driven by his emotions, he tore off his IV and forced himself to sit up As he swung his legs over the bed, the pain responded promptly, and he could feel the Shadowkhan's sword digging in his skin. Jackie's mouth was stretched open, speechless, and his eyes were wide, unseeing. And yet he remembered the solitude of that bed, and that alone was enough to force him to his feet, only to smash into the tiled floor.
Jackie groaned as he hit the hard ground, the fall amplifying the ache in his weary and chilled bones. He managed to lift himself slightly by using his elbows, but that was as high as he could go. Settling for this position, Jackie crawled along the floor, slowly, aiming to reach the door. But he only got as far as half way across the room before he felt himself shake with the effort and decided that this was too much. Out of breath, he turned on his back, and the pain stabbed his side more and more. He let out a muffled cry as his hands automatically cupped his side, but this only strengthened the pain. He could feel his eyes stinging with tears, and his sight of the door that was only a few feet away was blurry.
Suddenly, his wish came true: the door opened and the lights flickered on. It was Captain Black, led by a nurse, though Jackie had trouble seeing this. All Black could do was stand there with his mouth open, staring at his poor Chinese friend sprawled on the floor in a thin hospital gown, his face contorted with anguish. Black immediately ordered the nurse to call the other doctors and nurses, and then he knelt down to Jackie. He began to lift him up, and Jackie leaned on him for support; then Jackie collapsed into his friend's arms, freeing heavy sobs.
It took several minutes to get Jackie calmed down, and Black was not accustomed to comforting people--usually he was wrapped in his work and kept himself emotionally detached from other people. But right now he could sacrifice his aloft attitude for his friend's sake. So, rather tentatively, he let Jackie cling to him and sob, and he patted his back trying his best to make him feel reassured. That was the most he could do, though.
Soon, a herd of doctors and nurses were crowding around the two, Jackie oblivious, Captain Black feeling rather self-conscious--for the first time in his life, he was uncertain of what to do. Eventually Jackie's sobs lessened, and Black loosened his grip on him to look at his face: the china man hadn't an ounce of strength left, his face lined with exhaustion. In fact, with his eyes shut and his breathing now more steady and his head drooping somewhat, he looked almost asleep; but then his eyes slit open ever so slightly, blinded by what remained of his tears.
Black gathered himself on one knee and pushed himself up, carrying Jackie with him, who was still pressed against his chest. Carefully, he guided Jackie back to the bed and helped him as he clambered in. Then drew the blankets to his neck, for he was shivering again. Jackie shut his eyes and in moments he was sound asleep, while the doctors and nurses approached and examined him.
Black stepped back and let the doctors do their job. A nurse told him to go into the waiting room, but Black insisted to stay. The nurse agreed, and Black promised to stay out of their way. He stood in a corner, out of sight.
From within the cobwebs of his mind, an abandoned memory flooded back to Jackie through his dream. It was an object--though he could not grasp what. But there was some type of value associated with it, for Jackie remembered wanting it--but he also remembered despising it. Which was why he locked it up in an old cedar chest in the attic of Uncle's shop, never to be seen, never to be remembered again.
But now it *was* remembered, and could not be forgotten.
At length Jackie came to, his first thought being the mysterious object. He tried so hard to remember…what was it, a necklace? No, it wasn't jewelry. Oh yes, it was a knife of some sort! A pocket knife! And it rested in the old cedar chest in the attic. Jackie immediately tried sitting up, but a heavy cloak of fatigue made sink back into the mattress. He groaned a little, and then turned his head to see Black sitting next to the bed as he had earlier that morning. His face was drawn in concern.
"Do you feel better?" he asked, and Jackie nodded; it was true, too. The pain had abated since he woke up, and his sleepiness only added to the bliss. Jackie recognized this as the effects of pain killers.
"Now, Jackie," Black began firmly, "I don't want you to get up. All right? You need to recover your strength."
Jackie was about object, his mind set on the little treasure in the attic, but he was so tired and he felt he would fall asleep any moment. So he turned on his stomach, his head facing Black, and let his mind drift. He would get the knife later.
************
Captain Black wasn't there when he woke up. But he wasn't alone either.
"Good morning, Jackie!" Jade grinned widely and jumped into her uncle's lap as he tried to sit up.
"Good morning, Jade," Jackie said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. How long had he been asleep? It felt like days; his eyes were still heavy and his mind was thick with fog. "What time is it?" he asked, not thinking to glance at the wall clock.
Jade checked her digital watch. "Twelve-thirty. Oh, I guess that wouldn't count as morning anymore, would it?"
"Why aren't you in school?" Jackie asked, becoming alarmed.
Jade rolled her eyes. "Hellooo? *Saturday*?"
Jackie yawned again. "Is it?" He started to calculate how long he had been out, now that he was beginning to feel more awake. If today was Saturday and he last remembered it being Thursday… "Oh, not too long."
"What's not too long?" Jade asked, but Jackie shook his head dismissively.
Jade threw herself at Jackie, hugging him so tightly that he thought he might lose his breath. But he responded with another hug all the same. "Oh Jackie, we were so *worried* about you!"
Jackie could have sworn that he heard his niece's voice waver. So he pulled himself gently away from her to get a better look at her face: his worst fear was confirmed when he saw her huge eyes watery with the tears she was struggling against. Oh Jade, he wanted to say, Please don't cry! Everything is all right now, I promise you. I love you so much and I won't let anything bad happen… But he held his tongue and allowed Jade back into his arms, grateful that she couldn't see his own eyes quiver. He rubbed her back gently, and she sobbed.
At length she stopped and withdrew herself from him. She sniffed a little and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry."
"Don't be," said Jackie, who now felt terribly guilty. To think, he had run off and caused all this grief for his family. Such an insolent fool he was! And when he tried to apologize, he found that nothing would come out of his mouth but air. Finally he managed to spit out, "Well…Jade…hey, look…"
"What?" she said, sniffing again.
"Um…" he searched for the right words, "I…can understand you don't feel great." _Talk about lame,_ he chided himself. "It's not a big deal. I don't blame you."
Jade shrugged. "Yeah, I know. So how long are you stuck in here?" Jackie was astounded by the sudden change in the twelve-year-old's attitude, and he grinned.
"I am not exactly sure," he admitted.
"I'll ask Captain Black later," Jade said.
"When is Uncle coming?" Jackie asked.
"Uncle?" Jade darted her eyes away uncomfortably, and Jackie could feel his heart sinking already. "Well, see, I don't think he's coming soon…" When looked back to see Jackie's dismayed face, she said, "It's just that he's really busy! Researching, you know. You know how he is, 'Modern medicine has noooo power over ancient spells!'" Jackie chuckled at her imitation of Uncle.
"So are you going to ask him about that letter?" she asked, and regretted doing so; Jackie's expression immediately when grave, almost angry.
"Yes," he replied, his voice subdued and deep, as if he were being controlled by some outside force. It sounded rather strange because normally his voice was so light, and now it sent shivers up Jade's spine.
They shared an eerie and uninviting silence for the next few minutes, Jade biting her fingernails, Jackie staring past her, his eyes blank as if in a trance. Needless to say, Jade was less than comfortable. Finally, when she decided she could no longer stand seeing her uncle in the state he was in, she cleared her throat loudly. When that failed to catch his attention, she patted him on the on his head and said mockingly, "Jackieeeee, one mooore thing!"
At this he blinked, and then he turned his attention back to her. "Oh sorry, Jade. Did you say something?" He grinned cluelessly, looking as Jackie-ish as ever. This was strange indeed.
"Yeah," Jade said cautiously. "Why didn't you hear me?"
All Jackie could do was shrug. "Sorry. I…I guess I spaced out."
"I guess so!" Jade agreed. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Jackie grinned scratched rubbed the back of his head nervously; he didn't want to upset Jade anymore than she was already, but his approach wasn't exactly working. "Never better!" he assured her. And then he added, "Well, except for my side-but I'm sure the pain won't last too long."
Jade looked up at him warily. "Well, okay…"
"I promise you, I am just fine," he said, not really believing his own words. He hated lying, especially to Jade, but sometimes it was necessary.
…Of course, there was the one other time he had lied to Jade, where it wasn't at all necessary, though he had thought it was at the time. Valmont had yielded the Dragon Talisman, injuring Captain Black in the process. Jackie was so angry that he actually thought he could take down Valmont alone. So when Jade asked him what he was doing, Jackie lied--he told her he was just retrieving a Talisman. It only resulted in a broken leg, and a very angry niece.*
"Okay, then!" Jade said, her mood brightening; she would tell Uncle and Captain Black of his strange behavior later; there was no need to worry now.
Jackie sighed and leaned back into the bed. The biggest problem he was faced with was how to get into Uncle's shop long enough to get to the knife. He doubted that Captain Black would allow him to leave anytime soon, especially considering their last encounter…Suddenly, he had an idea, and he grinned. But he was also aware that it was a sneaky and deceptive plan, so he decided to refrain.
But the knife…
On one hand, this was wrong, cruel, and very out of character of him. But on the other, there was his prize, the beloved pocket knife. The object that he so dearly adored and desired, despite the fact that it was blasphemous; it had caused him so much pain, so much guilt, though the memory was hazy. In any case, he wanted it, he needed it…
And so he came to a decision.
"Jade," he said in a very polite and sweet voice, ignoring the pang of guilt he felt, "do you think you can do me a favour?"
"What is it?" she asked.
"Well…" Jackie hesitated. But his covet overtook him again, and he continued, "there's this thing I was wondering if you could get me…"
"Yeah…?" Jade persisted. Then she frowned. "Um, Jackie, I'm kinda broke…"
"Oh, no, you don't need to buy it! In fact, it's in Uncle's shop…" So he proceeded to explain about the old cedar chest in the attic, and the rectangular, black velvet box. "But don't open it," he warned. "It is very private. I would get it myself, but as you can see, I'm not very apt to get out of bed very soon…"
"Okay, no problem!" Jade said, eager to help.
"Oh, and one last thing," Jackie said. "Please don't tell Uncle you're bringing it to me-don't tell anyone. Hide it in your backpack, and bring it to me when you next see me. All right?"
Jade raised her eyebrow. There was something Jackie wasn't telling her, and she had a bad feeling about the whole thing. "I don't know. Are you sure you don't want to tell Uncle or somebody?"
"No, don't!" he exclaimed. "It is very private. No one can know. It'll be our little secret."
Jade's eyebrows were knitted in concern. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea, Jackie. Are you sure you can't wait?"
He shook his head. "No. It is very important. So will you please bring it and not tell anyone? Please?"
"Well…" Jade sighed in defeat. "All right. I'll get you it."
"And you won't tell anyone? You promise?"
"Yeah. Promise."
Jackie grinned at her, though his heart was beating with shame. "Thanks, Jade!" And just to convince her even more that he meant no harm, he wrapped her in his arms once more. But wished he hadn't made her promise, for this was a big mistake.
~-~-~-
So, why does Jackie feel so guilty about telling Jade to get a lousy knife? Why doesn't he want anyone to see it? These questions and more will be answered…later on!
*In reference to episode #107, "Bullies"- Highly recommended for anyone who likes either Valmont or Jackie or Captain Black! Yeah, I know, Jackie didn't actually break his leg in that episode, but he *should* have!
::ahem:: Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. ^^ NEway, so glad to get this working again! School is really hard, especially when you're falling behind. ~.~ The good news is, MY DEADLINES ARE ALMOST OVER!! THE TORTURE HAS ALMOST PAST! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!! WAAAHOOOOOO!!!!
Er…got carried away again. ^^ Anyway, sorry y'all, no Dark Hand in this one. And yeah, the name of this chapter was taken from book two of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials"--great trilogy, I recommend it! Usual thanks applies. Love ya, O-chan! :)
THE DEMON WITHIN
Part Four: The Subtle Knife
At six in the morning the sun was just beginning to rise, painting the skies with a blend of pink and orange to announce its arrival; but of course Jackie could see none of this, for the Section 13 infirmary was underground. Lacking lights and windows, the room was consumed with darkness, and over the sleepless hours Jackie had developed a sense of loneliness. He wished that somebody--a nurse, a doctor, but preferably his family--would swing the door open and embrace him tightly. Jade would run to him and jump on him, and then talk his ear off. Oh, if only Jade would come bursting through that door! Or even Uncle! Yes, Uncle would help. Uncle would take care of him, just like he used to when Jackie was a child. Sometimes, Jackie missed those days, when he was carefree and held no responsibility…
But not usually, for then he was reminded of other things…
Jackie shook himself out of his reverie, and pulled the coverlets tighter around him, his bones aching with iciness. How he longed for sleep, to slip into oblivion and never return. To escape the cold that hammered against his body, the deep pain in his left side, the recent complexity in his life that originated from the arrival of Section 13. For the past three and a half hours he had lain awake on the less than comfortable mattress, and every time he shut his eyes, images of Captain Black's hand passing through his shoulder flashed before him; and when he snapped his eyes open, his mind filled with thoughts of normal life, and his heart yearned for human contact. He felt so isolated, so lonely, that he thought he might break down and cry. Oh, if only Jade or Uncle or even Captain Black were here, and he could hug them and release his tears.
Why he felt so depressed Jackie could not tell; nor did he question it, as he was too busy being completely enveloped in this feeling. Once or twice he had even tried to get up and find somebody-anybody! But as he heaved himself out of bed, the pain in his side became sharper, so much that he was finding it hard to resist crying out; so he eased himself on his back and took deep breaths.
Just to take his mind off the desolation that he found himself trapped within, he slid his hand over his side and touched the throbbing spot lightly; and every time it did, he couldn't feel anything. It was as if his hand were trying to press against the air. It actually felt rather nice…no pain, no nothing. But it was also very frightening and disconcerting, and pain instantly returned when he refrained.
This mystery only added to his rising panic. Now, more than ever he wanted someone near him, someone to assure him that everything would be all right, that this was only a bad dream and he would wake up presently. Driven by his emotions, he tore off his IV and forced himself to sit up As he swung his legs over the bed, the pain responded promptly, and he could feel the Shadowkhan's sword digging in his skin. Jackie's mouth was stretched open, speechless, and his eyes were wide, unseeing. And yet he remembered the solitude of that bed, and that alone was enough to force him to his feet, only to smash into the tiled floor.
Jackie groaned as he hit the hard ground, the fall amplifying the ache in his weary and chilled bones. He managed to lift himself slightly by using his elbows, but that was as high as he could go. Settling for this position, Jackie crawled along the floor, slowly, aiming to reach the door. But he only got as far as half way across the room before he felt himself shake with the effort and decided that this was too much. Out of breath, he turned on his back, and the pain stabbed his side more and more. He let out a muffled cry as his hands automatically cupped his side, but this only strengthened the pain. He could feel his eyes stinging with tears, and his sight of the door that was only a few feet away was blurry.
Suddenly, his wish came true: the door opened and the lights flickered on. It was Captain Black, led by a nurse, though Jackie had trouble seeing this. All Black could do was stand there with his mouth open, staring at his poor Chinese friend sprawled on the floor in a thin hospital gown, his face contorted with anguish. Black immediately ordered the nurse to call the other doctors and nurses, and then he knelt down to Jackie. He began to lift him up, and Jackie leaned on him for support; then Jackie collapsed into his friend's arms, freeing heavy sobs.
It took several minutes to get Jackie calmed down, and Black was not accustomed to comforting people--usually he was wrapped in his work and kept himself emotionally detached from other people. But right now he could sacrifice his aloft attitude for his friend's sake. So, rather tentatively, he let Jackie cling to him and sob, and he patted his back trying his best to make him feel reassured. That was the most he could do, though.
Soon, a herd of doctors and nurses were crowding around the two, Jackie oblivious, Captain Black feeling rather self-conscious--for the first time in his life, he was uncertain of what to do. Eventually Jackie's sobs lessened, and Black loosened his grip on him to look at his face: the china man hadn't an ounce of strength left, his face lined with exhaustion. In fact, with his eyes shut and his breathing now more steady and his head drooping somewhat, he looked almost asleep; but then his eyes slit open ever so slightly, blinded by what remained of his tears.
Black gathered himself on one knee and pushed himself up, carrying Jackie with him, who was still pressed against his chest. Carefully, he guided Jackie back to the bed and helped him as he clambered in. Then drew the blankets to his neck, for he was shivering again. Jackie shut his eyes and in moments he was sound asleep, while the doctors and nurses approached and examined him.
Black stepped back and let the doctors do their job. A nurse told him to go into the waiting room, but Black insisted to stay. The nurse agreed, and Black promised to stay out of their way. He stood in a corner, out of sight.
From within the cobwebs of his mind, an abandoned memory flooded back to Jackie through his dream. It was an object--though he could not grasp what. But there was some type of value associated with it, for Jackie remembered wanting it--but he also remembered despising it. Which was why he locked it up in an old cedar chest in the attic of Uncle's shop, never to be seen, never to be remembered again.
But now it *was* remembered, and could not be forgotten.
At length Jackie came to, his first thought being the mysterious object. He tried so hard to remember…what was it, a necklace? No, it wasn't jewelry. Oh yes, it was a knife of some sort! A pocket knife! And it rested in the old cedar chest in the attic. Jackie immediately tried sitting up, but a heavy cloak of fatigue made sink back into the mattress. He groaned a little, and then turned his head to see Black sitting next to the bed as he had earlier that morning. His face was drawn in concern.
"Do you feel better?" he asked, and Jackie nodded; it was true, too. The pain had abated since he woke up, and his sleepiness only added to the bliss. Jackie recognized this as the effects of pain killers.
"Now, Jackie," Black began firmly, "I don't want you to get up. All right? You need to recover your strength."
Jackie was about object, his mind set on the little treasure in the attic, but he was so tired and he felt he would fall asleep any moment. So he turned on his stomach, his head facing Black, and let his mind drift. He would get the knife later.
************
Captain Black wasn't there when he woke up. But he wasn't alone either.
"Good morning, Jackie!" Jade grinned widely and jumped into her uncle's lap as he tried to sit up.
"Good morning, Jade," Jackie said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. How long had he been asleep? It felt like days; his eyes were still heavy and his mind was thick with fog. "What time is it?" he asked, not thinking to glance at the wall clock.
Jade checked her digital watch. "Twelve-thirty. Oh, I guess that wouldn't count as morning anymore, would it?"
"Why aren't you in school?" Jackie asked, becoming alarmed.
Jade rolled her eyes. "Hellooo? *Saturday*?"
Jackie yawned again. "Is it?" He started to calculate how long he had been out, now that he was beginning to feel more awake. If today was Saturday and he last remembered it being Thursday… "Oh, not too long."
"What's not too long?" Jade asked, but Jackie shook his head dismissively.
Jade threw herself at Jackie, hugging him so tightly that he thought he might lose his breath. But he responded with another hug all the same. "Oh Jackie, we were so *worried* about you!"
Jackie could have sworn that he heard his niece's voice waver. So he pulled himself gently away from her to get a better look at her face: his worst fear was confirmed when he saw her huge eyes watery with the tears she was struggling against. Oh Jade, he wanted to say, Please don't cry! Everything is all right now, I promise you. I love you so much and I won't let anything bad happen… But he held his tongue and allowed Jade back into his arms, grateful that she couldn't see his own eyes quiver. He rubbed her back gently, and she sobbed.
At length she stopped and withdrew herself from him. She sniffed a little and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry."
"Don't be," said Jackie, who now felt terribly guilty. To think, he had run off and caused all this grief for his family. Such an insolent fool he was! And when he tried to apologize, he found that nothing would come out of his mouth but air. Finally he managed to spit out, "Well…Jade…hey, look…"
"What?" she said, sniffing again.
"Um…" he searched for the right words, "I…can understand you don't feel great." _Talk about lame,_ he chided himself. "It's not a big deal. I don't blame you."
Jade shrugged. "Yeah, I know. So how long are you stuck in here?" Jackie was astounded by the sudden change in the twelve-year-old's attitude, and he grinned.
"I am not exactly sure," he admitted.
"I'll ask Captain Black later," Jade said.
"When is Uncle coming?" Jackie asked.
"Uncle?" Jade darted her eyes away uncomfortably, and Jackie could feel his heart sinking already. "Well, see, I don't think he's coming soon…" When looked back to see Jackie's dismayed face, she said, "It's just that he's really busy! Researching, you know. You know how he is, 'Modern medicine has noooo power over ancient spells!'" Jackie chuckled at her imitation of Uncle.
"So are you going to ask him about that letter?" she asked, and regretted doing so; Jackie's expression immediately when grave, almost angry.
"Yes," he replied, his voice subdued and deep, as if he were being controlled by some outside force. It sounded rather strange because normally his voice was so light, and now it sent shivers up Jade's spine.
They shared an eerie and uninviting silence for the next few minutes, Jade biting her fingernails, Jackie staring past her, his eyes blank as if in a trance. Needless to say, Jade was less than comfortable. Finally, when she decided she could no longer stand seeing her uncle in the state he was in, she cleared her throat loudly. When that failed to catch his attention, she patted him on the on his head and said mockingly, "Jackieeeee, one mooore thing!"
At this he blinked, and then he turned his attention back to her. "Oh sorry, Jade. Did you say something?" He grinned cluelessly, looking as Jackie-ish as ever. This was strange indeed.
"Yeah," Jade said cautiously. "Why didn't you hear me?"
All Jackie could do was shrug. "Sorry. I…I guess I spaced out."
"I guess so!" Jade agreed. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Jackie grinned scratched rubbed the back of his head nervously; he didn't want to upset Jade anymore than she was already, but his approach wasn't exactly working. "Never better!" he assured her. And then he added, "Well, except for my side-but I'm sure the pain won't last too long."
Jade looked up at him warily. "Well, okay…"
"I promise you, I am just fine," he said, not really believing his own words. He hated lying, especially to Jade, but sometimes it was necessary.
…Of course, there was the one other time he had lied to Jade, where it wasn't at all necessary, though he had thought it was at the time. Valmont had yielded the Dragon Talisman, injuring Captain Black in the process. Jackie was so angry that he actually thought he could take down Valmont alone. So when Jade asked him what he was doing, Jackie lied--he told her he was just retrieving a Talisman. It only resulted in a broken leg, and a very angry niece.*
"Okay, then!" Jade said, her mood brightening; she would tell Uncle and Captain Black of his strange behavior later; there was no need to worry now.
Jackie sighed and leaned back into the bed. The biggest problem he was faced with was how to get into Uncle's shop long enough to get to the knife. He doubted that Captain Black would allow him to leave anytime soon, especially considering their last encounter…Suddenly, he had an idea, and he grinned. But he was also aware that it was a sneaky and deceptive plan, so he decided to refrain.
But the knife…
On one hand, this was wrong, cruel, and very out of character of him. But on the other, there was his prize, the beloved pocket knife. The object that he so dearly adored and desired, despite the fact that it was blasphemous; it had caused him so much pain, so much guilt, though the memory was hazy. In any case, he wanted it, he needed it…
And so he came to a decision.
"Jade," he said in a very polite and sweet voice, ignoring the pang of guilt he felt, "do you think you can do me a favour?"
"What is it?" she asked.
"Well…" Jackie hesitated. But his covet overtook him again, and he continued, "there's this thing I was wondering if you could get me…"
"Yeah…?" Jade persisted. Then she frowned. "Um, Jackie, I'm kinda broke…"
"Oh, no, you don't need to buy it! In fact, it's in Uncle's shop…" So he proceeded to explain about the old cedar chest in the attic, and the rectangular, black velvet box. "But don't open it," he warned. "It is very private. I would get it myself, but as you can see, I'm not very apt to get out of bed very soon…"
"Okay, no problem!" Jade said, eager to help.
"Oh, and one last thing," Jackie said. "Please don't tell Uncle you're bringing it to me-don't tell anyone. Hide it in your backpack, and bring it to me when you next see me. All right?"
Jade raised her eyebrow. There was something Jackie wasn't telling her, and she had a bad feeling about the whole thing. "I don't know. Are you sure you don't want to tell Uncle or somebody?"
"No, don't!" he exclaimed. "It is very private. No one can know. It'll be our little secret."
Jade's eyebrows were knitted in concern. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea, Jackie. Are you sure you can't wait?"
He shook his head. "No. It is very important. So will you please bring it and not tell anyone? Please?"
"Well…" Jade sighed in defeat. "All right. I'll get you it."
"And you won't tell anyone? You promise?"
"Yeah. Promise."
Jackie grinned at her, though his heart was beating with shame. "Thanks, Jade!" And just to convince her even more that he meant no harm, he wrapped her in his arms once more. But wished he hadn't made her promise, for this was a big mistake.
~-~-~-
So, why does Jackie feel so guilty about telling Jade to get a lousy knife? Why doesn't he want anyone to see it? These questions and more will be answered…later on!
*In reference to episode #107, "Bullies"- Highly recommended for anyone who likes either Valmont or Jackie or Captain Black! Yeah, I know, Jackie didn't actually break his leg in that episode, but he *should* have!