Disclaimer: same as before, despite many wishes on several shooting stars.
Many apologies for not writing for so long. Never underestimate the power of writers block, I know I never will again
Five
When everyone had dispersed after dinner, Shalimar thought it would be a good time to have a talk with Jesse. When she did find him, he was sitting by the reflecting pool. His feet dangling over the side and his concentration totally on the book in his lap, he looked younger than he was. She was happy for him and worried at the same time. It seemed that every time the past caught up with them it didn't always have a positive result. Maybe this time it was different, but you never knew.
Shalimar walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder. He was looking at a photo album. It was filled with pictures of him and, presumably, Pheonix when they were kids. The two of them at a zoo, a martial arts tournament, at birthday parties, and other places. They had been that close, so close that the album was filled with pictures of nothing but those two and their families.
"Happy times," Jesse murmured. Shalimar smiled and sat down next to him. "Those times were happy even after her mom died and when I started showing signs of my mutation."
"They're always happy times when you have someone to share everything with. Someone you don't have to keep secrets from."
"Tell me about it, if I hadn't had Phee to talk too I'd have gone nuts."
"Now its your turn huh?"
Jesse turned the page, "I guess so, the problem is I don't know what to do."
"Well, maybe you shouldn't do anything, just be there for her."
"Maybe," he frowned slightly, "but that's always the hardest thing to do. I just feel like I need to do something, and not being able to do anything just makes me feel even more helpless."
"When in truth that's when you tend to be your strongest sometimes. Just the fact that she knows that you're there for her can help her more than you think, " Shalimar put a hand on Jesse's shoulder as she looked down at the pictures.
"Yeah I guess," he paused gazing down at the pictures with Shalimar. He sighed, "I just don't like the idea that she's hiding something from me. We've always told each other everything."
"We all have secrets, you told her everything?" She raised her eyebrows at him smiling. He smiled back.
"Yes everything, even my most embarrassing secrets. I told her everything because I knew I could trust her not to tell anyone," his gaze wandered down to the photo album. Shalimar looked down then suddenly giggled pointing at one of the pictures.
"God you guys are so cute," She smiled wide. Jesse looked at the picture she was pointing at and saw that it was a Halloween picture. They were six and four and that year Jesse had dressed as a clown whereas Pheonix had dressed as a tiger. They spent the next several moments in silence flipping through the pages of the album. Shalimar watched as the farther they got into the album, the older the two got. She suddenly found herself wishing she had had a friend like that growing up.
"Do you really think her dad's death wasn't a suicide?"
"I don't know," he frowned. "He never seemed the type, but that doesn't say much. I know one thing he wouldn't leave Pheonix on her own like that. No matter how old she was, her life was his and he always wanted to make sure she was taken care of."
"Sometimes people get desperate," he had stopped flipping the pages and she reached down and turned the page for him. "They can do things that they never would normally."
"True, but if there was ever a time that he would have committed suicide the death of his wife would have been it. My mom used to talk about how much he loved her and that the only thing that kept him from running away from the problem was Pheonix," Jesse's frown deepened and he let out another deep sigh.
"Well if anyone can find out what happened its Adam. He'll get to the truth," Shalimar gave Jesse's a shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Jesse nodded slowly.
"I know he will."
Many apologies for not writing for so long. Never underestimate the power of writers block, I know I never will again
Five
When everyone had dispersed after dinner, Shalimar thought it would be a good time to have a talk with Jesse. When she did find him, he was sitting by the reflecting pool. His feet dangling over the side and his concentration totally on the book in his lap, he looked younger than he was. She was happy for him and worried at the same time. It seemed that every time the past caught up with them it didn't always have a positive result. Maybe this time it was different, but you never knew.
Shalimar walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder. He was looking at a photo album. It was filled with pictures of him and, presumably, Pheonix when they were kids. The two of them at a zoo, a martial arts tournament, at birthday parties, and other places. They had been that close, so close that the album was filled with pictures of nothing but those two and their families.
"Happy times," Jesse murmured. Shalimar smiled and sat down next to him. "Those times were happy even after her mom died and when I started showing signs of my mutation."
"They're always happy times when you have someone to share everything with. Someone you don't have to keep secrets from."
"Tell me about it, if I hadn't had Phee to talk too I'd have gone nuts."
"Now its your turn huh?"
Jesse turned the page, "I guess so, the problem is I don't know what to do."
"Well, maybe you shouldn't do anything, just be there for her."
"Maybe," he frowned slightly, "but that's always the hardest thing to do. I just feel like I need to do something, and not being able to do anything just makes me feel even more helpless."
"When in truth that's when you tend to be your strongest sometimes. Just the fact that she knows that you're there for her can help her more than you think, " Shalimar put a hand on Jesse's shoulder as she looked down at the pictures.
"Yeah I guess," he paused gazing down at the pictures with Shalimar. He sighed, "I just don't like the idea that she's hiding something from me. We've always told each other everything."
"We all have secrets, you told her everything?" She raised her eyebrows at him smiling. He smiled back.
"Yes everything, even my most embarrassing secrets. I told her everything because I knew I could trust her not to tell anyone," his gaze wandered down to the photo album. Shalimar looked down then suddenly giggled pointing at one of the pictures.
"God you guys are so cute," She smiled wide. Jesse looked at the picture she was pointing at and saw that it was a Halloween picture. They were six and four and that year Jesse had dressed as a clown whereas Pheonix had dressed as a tiger. They spent the next several moments in silence flipping through the pages of the album. Shalimar watched as the farther they got into the album, the older the two got. She suddenly found herself wishing she had had a friend like that growing up.
"Do you really think her dad's death wasn't a suicide?"
"I don't know," he frowned. "He never seemed the type, but that doesn't say much. I know one thing he wouldn't leave Pheonix on her own like that. No matter how old she was, her life was his and he always wanted to make sure she was taken care of."
"Sometimes people get desperate," he had stopped flipping the pages and she reached down and turned the page for him. "They can do things that they never would normally."
"True, but if there was ever a time that he would have committed suicide the death of his wife would have been it. My mom used to talk about how much he loved her and that the only thing that kept him from running away from the problem was Pheonix," Jesse's frown deepened and he let out another deep sigh.
"Well if anyone can find out what happened its Adam. He'll get to the truth," Shalimar gave Jesse's a shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Jesse nodded slowly.
"I know he will."