Slipping Away
by Corycian Muse


Xanda: Thank yooou! A nice first review is always a good omen (what am I on about?) Yep, I started this because I had writer's block on the other story, and I don't normally write in first-person (it can get quite annoying). Thank you again! n.n;

MoR: lol! Well, I needed her on the ship for the future of the story, and I suppose she could be there, seeing as Menardi's her older sister and they needed to somehow get back to Prox. lol (again)! I know Agatio and Karst should have been together, but I don't like the guy much, and tend to forget about him, the poor bloke. Well, he'll be there in Prox (hopefully), unless I forget him again. Thanks so much for the great review (as always)!


Please read, review, and enjoy! ...

Chapter Two: Three Years Before (part II)

Her chin was rested on her arms, which in turn were folded upon her bent knees, and her glazed eyes bore upon the broken, jagged edges of the jetty, it's wicked, sharp splinters sticking up, or out into the gentle, rippling waters. The grass swayed about her, brushing against her legs, and yet, for all the calm atmosphere, beautiful and bright under the azure skies, how could she possibly feel happy?

Her tears had run dry. Now it was worse; now she had to deal with the aching pain in her chest, knowing full well that it would never leave.

What she didn't realise was that her friend had been watching her all the while, and that he was getting increasingly worried for her.

She had been like this for two days; ever since the storm.

Jenna mumbled a few inaudible words under her breath, before pursing her lips again. She had not blinked in a long time, and her gaze was constantly focused on the ever-changing glitters and sparkles of the clear water. It was a caressing, gentle thing to watch, and again, her lips were moving, murmuring to herself. Slowly, she moved her sight down the river, before it disappeared round a curving meander. There, her gaze rested once more. The sky reflected upon the rippling surface – clear and blue.

"Jenna?" Her head shot up, and she jerked her sight over her shoulder. Isaac stepped slowly down the bank, and came to a stop next to her, before dropping down into the long grass. "You know, sitting here reminiscing isn't going to help," he murmured, and immediately faltered when Jenna shot him a hard glare. "However," he tried to press on. "Mourning will help you… to heal…?"

"Just who do you think you are?" Jenna snarled, her eyes teary. "Can't you hear yourself!" She paused, and took in a deep breath. "You will never understand what I'm feeling, because I've lost my entire family! Everyone who was important to me! They're dead!"

Isaac flinched, and drew back. He glanced at her seething, tear-stained face warily. "You're forgetting," he said quietly. "I lost my father as well."

Jenna did not answer.

"Well," Isaac continued quietly. "My mother sent me to come and tell you that you're staying at our house, at least for the meantime. Just until we get over… all of this." His voice seemed all over the place, Jenna noticed.

"Is that an order?" she asked, staring down into the waters.

Isaac shook his head gently. "No, and you know it. But it's for the best, isn't it? Anything's better than you living alone in your house, with no one beside you. Come on, Jenna," he said, carefully putting an arm around her shoulders, and to his hidden surprise, she did not shrug him off. "It's hard, but what's happened cannot be changed. Now we have to try and get over it."

One last tear trickled down her cheek at his words. She looked away from everything, closing her eyes to it all, and biting her lip. Her heart ached so painfully, she wanted to wrench it out – she wanted everything to go dark. She wanted to be somewhere warm and familiar, where she didn't have to think, or speak, or be. "Tell Dora that's fine," Jenna managed to say. "Tell her I'll get what belongings I need later on – I can't be bothered to do it now."

Isaac pulled her close, as comfortingly as he could. He had already had his own fair share of tears and hurt, but Jenna had lost a lot more. Perhaps, it was how he dealt with his own loss, by taking care of her.

When time had passed a little longer, Isaac sat up straight, allowing Jenna to draw back slightly. "I'll go tell her," he said in his calm voice. "I'll be back in a minute." Jenna nodded, and he got to his feet to return to his house. He knew that as soon as he entered through the front door, he would have to deal with his mother's own sorrow, but it was something that would hopefully come to pass. He was determined for things to get better. He couldn't keep his mind on his father's death. He couldn't. Not at all…

Jenna waited, rocking herself gently.

The grass swayed behind her; the trees rustled. A hand lay on her own, and guided her to her feet. "Let's go for a walk," Isaac murmured.

"…Okay."

Together, they walked in silence, through the still and lifeless village. The heat rippled in the distance where the Sun's rays were naked upon the ground. Isaac stepped up onto the flat granite rocks to the west, and turned to take Jenna's hand once more, and help her up. She seemed so sickened. Her head was bowed and her movements were slack. Seeing her so unlike herself, it hurt him. Of course he understood why, but it didn't stop the pain of having to watch it. He squeezed her fingers. "Come on; I know where to go that would be nice." He added a little life to his own step, as they jumped down on the other side, into the long grasses.

There was no path to take. It was a gentle sloping hill, leading up into the steeper grounds of the foot of Mount Aleph, where the shelter grew. Isaac loved the trees and the ground beneath his feet. It was natural for him, it was a part of him – something he was connected with. He loved the green leaves against the blue above him, and the little windows of sky between the branches, and the bluebells dappled with light, and the forest glades graced with soft ferns.

The heat was overbearing, and when they entered the shade of the trees, it was like a breath of fresh air. It had been a while since Isaac had gone this way from the village – the last time he couldn't remember. It was the borders of this very forest, which were the borders of the village, and how far they were allowed to go. Why they had to stay within the 'zone', Isaac had never come to learn.

Stepping over logs, and wading through the bluebells without trying to do too much damage, Isaac led Jenna onwards, and she followed in contented silence, her cinnamon-brown eyes flowing over the surrounding area. "Last time we came here," she mumbled, and Isaac stopped to glance over his shoulder at her.

"The last time," he repeated quietly. "I don't remember it-"

"- The last time we came here," Jenna continued, interrupting him. "Was when we were trying to see how far out from the village we could get without being caught."

"I do remember," Isaac answered, continuing to walk again while guiding Jenna.

"And we played that trick on Garet to go forward out of the forest first, and you and Felix ended up having an argument, like usual."

"He always thought he knew best, just because he was older," Isaac said in a grumpy, yet wistful voice. He smiled to Jenna behind him. "In ways you and he are similar. Jenna… you'll always have those good memories to hold on to. You still have me – and Garet." He sighed. "I know we aren't family, but you'll never be entirely on your own. We've all lost something…" He thought of his father, and pursed his lips, gulping.

When the fields and the village could no longer be seen behind them, Isaac stopped, and sat down under an oak, pulling Jenna down beside him. "Let's stay here for a while," he said, tilting his head slightly to listen to the voices of the trees. He didn't realise that Jenna was watching him with a quizzical expression.

"You're just a typical Venus adept, aren't you?" she murmured, flicking him on the cheek to get his attention back.

Isaac frowned. "What's so typical about it?" he asked, rubbing the side of his face tenderly.

"Well, you sitting here under the tree – it's something Felix would have done. And now you're doing it and he's… gone." Jenna paused, looking away. "And now…"

"And now, you're being the quiet one," Isaac said gently, "Just like Felix used to be."

The faintest smile graced Jenna's lips, her expression sad and distant. She leaned her head on her knees which were brought up to her chest, and she looked at him sideways. "How is Dora?" she asked, changing the subject.

"… She's…" Isaac didn't know how to explain it. It was too easy, saying she was mourning, or that she was sad, or sorrowful. "She's fussing over everything," he said. "It gets her mind of things – it's how she deals with father's death." The last words caught in his throat, enough for Jenna to notice. Gently, she leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" she muttered. "We should come here every day, when it's lovely weather like today. We should come with Garet, and Aaron could come as well – if Garet doesn't mind – and we could have picnics. Kay could come too, and Dora, and Mr. and Mrs. Jerra. That would be great fun! We'd be like one big family."

Isaac laughed quietly, under his breath. "Well, Aaron would probably come, much to Garet's dislike. I'll never know how annoying little brothers can be; I'll just have to take his word for it. As for their parents, well, they're normally busy. Kay, I'm not sure about, and -" Jenna suddenly put a finger to his lips, silencing him. She shook her head slowly, smiling again as she leaned in.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered, amused at his confused expression. "It's not important."

"Jenna…" Isaac managed to say, slightly bewildered. She leaned back, and rested against him, closing her eyes, and he slowly put his arm around her shoulders.

They sat there, together, for a long time in the shade of the tree, until the air began to cool, and Mount Aleph's shadow began to lengthen across the land. The trees rustled and the birds sang, and bees hummed softly while the grasses around them swayed.

"We should go back," Jenna finally said. She had never really known such a long, comforting silence. It was better than any spoken words – she felt refreshed. "I need to get some clothes, and other things you wouldn't like to know about from my house, if I'm going to be staying with you."

Isaac nodded, stretched, yawned, and got to his feet. Jenna got up beside him, and they travelled back down into Vale at an easy, lazy pace. The village was still covered in a thick silence, and they moved along the pathway, feeling as though they were disturbing the stillness in the air. It was very different to up by the mountain.

Eventually, they came to a stop.

"Isaac, I -" Jenna started hurriedly.

"I'll see you in a while," Isaac intervened, and felt her aura relax. "Take your time, Jenna. Take as long as you want. I'll always be at home." He laughed dryly. "When you get back to my house, I'm sure Mother will have warm food on the table for you, whatever time it is. When I left she was baking some bread, so who knows what she's cooked by now!"

Jenna smiled. "Thank you," she mumbled, and turned away. Isaac watched her sadly, and he sighed, before leaving for his own home.

It was the most perplexing time of the day. It was twilight, between day and dusk. Vale was lucky enough to even know this special time, though they weren't aware of it.

Jenna paused before the wooden steps up to the front door, and she gazed down the bank at the broken dock. The river still rippled around its stilts; calm and gentle waters. It seemed impossible to think that only two nights ago it had become a raging torrent that carried a death sentence upon its frothing, deadly waves. Despite the heat, Jenna shivered. She felt empty and cold. She took a step back, and tore her gaze from the scene.

Inside the cottage was dark, empty, lifeless, icy cold, frighteningly lonely. Unfamiliar.

Unthinkingly, Jenna stopped by the wooden door on her left. It was open. Shadows moved in the room, eerie reminders of what was once real. Chimes tinkled as a breeze entered through the open window like a dying breath. It was stuffy, and uncomfortable, and Jenna's mind began to spin. She swayed slightly on her feet, and her eyes opened wide, reaching out to clutch the doorframe.

The chimes sang again; the ghostly curtains swayed. The shadows reached out to her.

"Hold on…" A faint whisper. Air brushed against her cheek, and it terrified her.

Gulping, Jenna lurched forward, into the room.

Staring at the chimes, she reached up and knocked them to the ground where they lay, silent, and dead. Stepping over them, Jenna grabbed the open window and slammed it shut. Then, without another glance around her, she half-ran from the room and shut the door behind her, before leaning against it, breathing heavily. Her forehead was clammy, and she felt sick. Slowly, Jenna covered her mouth with a shivering hand, and shut her eyes hard, until it hurt.

The silence tormented her.

Gathering her thoughts, she set off to her own room to collect what possessions she needed; clothes mainly, as well as a few other things. A little, carved wooden box which contained her precious memories, a large blanket she'd known ever since she could remember with the overwhelming smell of her mother, a couple of books, and a simple necklace – the one she usually wore, if she ever wore any jewellery. Lastly, she took a comb, and some hair pins, and anything else she came across, and managed to fit most of it into the leather sack. Sighing, Jenna heaved it all out of the room, shut the door behind her, and left through the front door of the cottage.

Living with Isaac didn't mean she couldn't come back to her home at any time, it merely meant she was living with someone, and being 'looked after'. It was a silent agreement that many were aware of, that no fourteen year-old girl should live alone, haunted by the deaths of her family. It was anything but healthy, and it was anything but safe.

Jenna managed it to Isaac's house, and, dropping the sack on the ground (her arm was starting to hurt painfully by now), she knocked on the door. It opened pretty quickly.

"Hello," Isaac said, sidestepping past Jenna to immediately take up her belongings.

"Thanks… and… thank you for taking me in - and for today…"

The light from inside the house reflected in Isaac's blue eyes. "It's fine," he said slowly. "You're a friend… I'll do anything to put that smile back on your face; for you to be the old Jenna again."

Her expression was faintly surprised. "I haven't changed," she whispered.

"No… but if you were to never get over their deaths, then perhaps it could happen, and I would never be able to bring you back."

There was a thoughtful silence. Jenna bowed her head, and looked away. She understood what he meant, and the realisation dawning on her was astonishing. How could he think so deeply about something like that? Others would take it as it came, but Isaac was trying to prevent it, trying to prevent her from becoming a ghost, lost somewhere in her mind where she couldn't be brought back. Something panged emotionally in her chest, thinking about it: longing, sadness, misery, despair, fear… hope.

Grief spread across Jenna's face. "I was so close!" she suddenly burst out despondently, throwing her arms around Isaac.

She began to cry, and the sky darkened around them, stars forming in the sky.

Isaac gently hugged her back. "I know…" he murmured into her hair. "I know. But now you're safe. Now you're going to get better, right?"

"Okay…" Jenna sniffed, drawing back and quickly wiping her eyes, blinking. "I feel better tomorrow morning – you always do."

"Let's go inside, where it's cooler," Isaac said, a comforting smile on his lips. With her sack on one arm, he took her hand in his own and led her into the house. He dropped the sack carefully outside one of the bedroom doors, and continued into the main room, where Dora was busy with plates and cutlery.

She paused, and glanced over her shoulder to see her son, and Jenna, just behind him. "Oh!" Quickly drying her hands on a towel, she rushed over to them both, and threw her arms around Jenna, pulling her into a bear hug. "Oh, Jenna, dear… Everything will be fine! You can stay here as long as you want, okay? Well, I've made a lovely dinner, I hope you both enjoy it all – I've been working at it all day!" She pulled away from Jenna (who was by now, finding it hard to breathe), and motherly kissed her on the cheek, brushing stray hairs from her eyes.

"I'm okay, and thank you for taking me in," Jenna croaked, noticing Isaac's horrified expression, and feeling – with surprise – her own touch of amusement.

"Are you sure, Jenna, dear?" Dora pestered.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Well, you two come and sit down then to eat."

The food was lovely. As Isaac had said, Dora had cooked a fresh loaf of bread and its gorgeous smell hung in the air. Jenna ate to be polite, but her appetite was dwindling that evening. Not much was spoken, but the atmosphere was relaxed.

That night, Jenna took her belongings from the sack, and threw the worn leather thing into the dusty wardrobe. It was the spare room she was in while she stayed with Isaac, which suited her fine. It didn't change how strange everything felt though. It was something she was going to have to get used to.

Jenna sat on the edge of the bed in silence, staring at the open window.

The breeze ruffled through the curtains.

"Hold on…" She remembered the voice through the wind chimes. She remembered the horrific incident of that night, haunting her vision.

Jenna sighed, and fell back on the bed. The scene replayed in her mind, over and over, taunting her. It may never leave her thoughts, or her dreams, but she would never speak of it out loud again. Never.

It was time to look to the future.


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