CHAPTER SIX
Jesse looked around him as he turned off the engine to the Audi. His heart went heavy and he swallowed at the realisation of where he had driven. He slowly got out of the car and walked to the large sign at the entrance that said 'Mansfield Public Cemetery'.
He hadn't been here a while. The last time he came was with his parents before their separation. Even then he didn't want to come. But his parents had made him. It was a painful experience. To come here meant that he had accepted it. Accepted her death. He couldn't do that. It had been easier staying away. Easier to forget that it ever happened. Easier to forget that he ever had a sister.
He had never talked about her. Not with anyone. Not even with Shalimar or Adam. Although he suspected that Adam knew, as he usually checks the background of the people around him. He was grateful though that Adam never asked him about her. As far as the rest of his teammates were concerned, he had told everyone that he was an only child. It was the truth after all.
Now as dusk began to set in, he thought again about what had brought him to this place. This place that he had kept in the far reaches of his mind, deeply buried beneath all his memories. It was time. Time to say the things he needed to say. For so long he had kept it inside of him. He had avoided thinking about it even. He had tried to forget. But today something happened that struck close to home. That awakened the need that he thought was too deeply buried for him to bring forth. More than anything, he needed to do this. He needed to say he was sorry.
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"Eleanor A. Kilmartin" the words inscribed on the tombstone jumped up at Jesse as he walked towards her grave.
It had been so long and he had worked so hard to repress the memories. The memories of her and of her death. And yet, seeing her tombstone, her grave, the place she was buried, drove him back to where he didn't want to be. To the reality that he did not want to face, to feelings that he did not want to deal with and to a world where he lived and she didn't.
He closed his eyes as he sank to his knees and for the first time since her death, allowed the painful memories of what happened that fateful day, to re-live in his mind.
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Emma was restless. She was worried. She felt she needed to do something to help Jesse but didn't know what. Finally after almost pacing the rec-room floor ragged and driving Shalimar crazy, she had retired to her room and slumped down on her bed. It was still early and she knew very well that there was no way she would be able to sleep.
No longer able to do nothing, she sat up and crossed her legs as she closed her eyes trying to reach Jesse with her mind, wherever he may be.
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Emma's eyes flew open as she looked around and saw that instead of her room she was in the driveway of a huge house and headed towards her were two people in their teens laughing and talking as they walked.
"I'm hungry" the younger boy said as he walked past Emma oblivious to her presence. "You're always hungry" said the girl as she playfully punched him on the arm.
"Do you suppose Maria prepared lunch for us today?" the boy asked. He was young, about thirteen or so, Emma guessed, and he looked oddly familiar.
"Fat chance. It's Wednesday. We never have lunch at home on Wednesday. You always have basketball practice today and I always stay back to drive you home. Cos that's just the kinda sister I am." The older girl added as she fondly ruffled the blond hair of her younger brother. She was pretty with stunning blue eyes and looked to be about sixteen.
"Well it's not my fault they cancelled practiced." The boy said smoothing down his hair as he glared at his sister with mock annoyance. By this time, they had reached the back door to the house which led to the kitchen and the girl reached in her knapsack for the house keys.
"What time are Mum and Dad coming home, Ellie?" The boy asked as they entered the house.
'Ellie'. The girl's name was Ellie. Emma had seen her before. She searched her mind for the memory but for now, it eluded her. Emma followed them in the house curious to know more as to whom these people were.
"I don't know. Mum's got her charity lunch at the club today and Dad will probably be working late, as usual. Oh and I forgot, Maria took the day off cause her mother's sick. Looks like it's just you and me kid." She said tossing her knapsack on the kitchen counter and going to the fridge to inspect its contents for anything edible that could pass for lunch.
"Let's see. There's a tuna sandwich. Still edible, I think." Ellie said as she looked up from the fridge and turned to her brother questioningly. Sitting on a nearby stool and with both hands cupping his chin, he made a face as he shook his head.
"No? How about, yesterday's leftover casserole?" She queried again and sighed as her brother rolled his eyes as he shook his head.
"Oh man, you're not an easy guy to please Jesse Kilmartin!" Ellie said bending down again to look back in the fridge.
Emma felt like she was frozen to her spot. Jesse! It was Jesse! No wonder he had looked so familiar. Emma took a good look again at the boy before her. His eyes shining of innocent youth. His face clear of all worries and his aura radiating of happiness and exuberance. Emma thought of how different this Jesse was from the Jesse she knew.
"Well then there's nothing else in here that you can eat." Ellie said straightening up as she finished rummaging through the fridge. "It looks like I'm gonna have to whip you something up myself. You'll have to wait though. I gotta go up and change first" she said leaving the kitchen, smiling as she heard Jesse groan in the background.
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Emma was confused at what she was seeing. Was she in Jesse's dream? Who was Ellie? Jesse didn't have a sister? She closed her eyes to recall a memory that was lingering on the surface of her mind. Ellie. She'd seen her before. And then it came to her. The images. The ones she saw when she had touched Jesse in the garage. That was her. That was Ellie!
A piercing scream broke the silence around her. Startled, she opened her eyes to see that Jesse was already running full speed towards the scream. Following suit, she saw with horror in her eyes as a man wearing a ski mask pointed a gleaming gun at Ellie.
"ELLIE!!" she heard Jesse yell as he ran towards his sister.
Emma instinctively tried to throw a psionic blast at the intruder but foolishly realized where she was. Standing there helpless, she watched as the events unfolded before her eyes.
Jesse, eyes filled with terror and wild panic, ran as fast as his legs could take him to where Ellie stood rooted and without so much as a second thought flung his young body in front of his sister's protectively just as the intruder pulled the trigger, before he made his escape.
Jesse instinctively held his breath as he braced himself for the impact of the shot.
The impact never came. Instead, he watched with complete and utter horror as the bullet ran right through his phased form. He heard a blood curdling scream as the bullet found its target followed by a sickening thud as Ellie fell to the floor.
NOOOOOO!!! He heard himself scream as he dropped to his knees beside his fallen sister. Ellie lay gasping for breath as blood began to pool around her. "Jes.Jesse" she said as she gathered enough effort to lift her arm to touch Jesse's face. "Wh. why..d..did yu..you .?" her sentence remained unfinished as she struggled to remain conscious as her vision blurred and a searing pain swept through her body.
"Ellie." Jesse whispered as tears streamed down his young face that was now streaked with a trail of blood left by Ellie's touch. Shaking uncontrollably, Jesse lifted Ellie's head into his arms. "Please Ellie! Please don't die. I.I didn't mean to.." He sobbed as he cradled Ellie's head and softly stroked her blood soaked hair.
Ellie let out a soft moan as she tried desperately to form words in her mouth but her effort was met with an unbelievable pain which racked through her body and left her gasping for air. She barely felt Jesse's hands on her chest as he desperately tried to stop the flow of blood gushing from her wound.
With her own heart bleeding, Emma watched the scene and the unforgettable look of helplessness and anguish in the face of the boy before her as blood seeped through his young fingers and as his sister's life slowly ebbed from her body.
Jesse looked around him as he turned off the engine to the Audi. His heart went heavy and he swallowed at the realisation of where he had driven. He slowly got out of the car and walked to the large sign at the entrance that said 'Mansfield Public Cemetery'.
He hadn't been here a while. The last time he came was with his parents before their separation. Even then he didn't want to come. But his parents had made him. It was a painful experience. To come here meant that he had accepted it. Accepted her death. He couldn't do that. It had been easier staying away. Easier to forget that it ever happened. Easier to forget that he ever had a sister.
He had never talked about her. Not with anyone. Not even with Shalimar or Adam. Although he suspected that Adam knew, as he usually checks the background of the people around him. He was grateful though that Adam never asked him about her. As far as the rest of his teammates were concerned, he had told everyone that he was an only child. It was the truth after all.
Now as dusk began to set in, he thought again about what had brought him to this place. This place that he had kept in the far reaches of his mind, deeply buried beneath all his memories. It was time. Time to say the things he needed to say. For so long he had kept it inside of him. He had avoided thinking about it even. He had tried to forget. But today something happened that struck close to home. That awakened the need that he thought was too deeply buried for him to bring forth. More than anything, he needed to do this. He needed to say he was sorry.
************************************************************************
"Eleanor A. Kilmartin" the words inscribed on the tombstone jumped up at Jesse as he walked towards her grave.
It had been so long and he had worked so hard to repress the memories. The memories of her and of her death. And yet, seeing her tombstone, her grave, the place she was buried, drove him back to where he didn't want to be. To the reality that he did not want to face, to feelings that he did not want to deal with and to a world where he lived and she didn't.
He closed his eyes as he sank to his knees and for the first time since her death, allowed the painful memories of what happened that fateful day, to re-live in his mind.
************************************************************************
Emma was restless. She was worried. She felt she needed to do something to help Jesse but didn't know what. Finally after almost pacing the rec-room floor ragged and driving Shalimar crazy, she had retired to her room and slumped down on her bed. It was still early and she knew very well that there was no way she would be able to sleep.
No longer able to do nothing, she sat up and crossed her legs as she closed her eyes trying to reach Jesse with her mind, wherever he may be.
************************************************************************
Emma's eyes flew open as she looked around and saw that instead of her room she was in the driveway of a huge house and headed towards her were two people in their teens laughing and talking as they walked.
"I'm hungry" the younger boy said as he walked past Emma oblivious to her presence. "You're always hungry" said the girl as she playfully punched him on the arm.
"Do you suppose Maria prepared lunch for us today?" the boy asked. He was young, about thirteen or so, Emma guessed, and he looked oddly familiar.
"Fat chance. It's Wednesday. We never have lunch at home on Wednesday. You always have basketball practice today and I always stay back to drive you home. Cos that's just the kinda sister I am." The older girl added as she fondly ruffled the blond hair of her younger brother. She was pretty with stunning blue eyes and looked to be about sixteen.
"Well it's not my fault they cancelled practiced." The boy said smoothing down his hair as he glared at his sister with mock annoyance. By this time, they had reached the back door to the house which led to the kitchen and the girl reached in her knapsack for the house keys.
"What time are Mum and Dad coming home, Ellie?" The boy asked as they entered the house.
'Ellie'. The girl's name was Ellie. Emma had seen her before. She searched her mind for the memory but for now, it eluded her. Emma followed them in the house curious to know more as to whom these people were.
"I don't know. Mum's got her charity lunch at the club today and Dad will probably be working late, as usual. Oh and I forgot, Maria took the day off cause her mother's sick. Looks like it's just you and me kid." She said tossing her knapsack on the kitchen counter and going to the fridge to inspect its contents for anything edible that could pass for lunch.
"Let's see. There's a tuna sandwich. Still edible, I think." Ellie said as she looked up from the fridge and turned to her brother questioningly. Sitting on a nearby stool and with both hands cupping his chin, he made a face as he shook his head.
"No? How about, yesterday's leftover casserole?" She queried again and sighed as her brother rolled his eyes as he shook his head.
"Oh man, you're not an easy guy to please Jesse Kilmartin!" Ellie said bending down again to look back in the fridge.
Emma felt like she was frozen to her spot. Jesse! It was Jesse! No wonder he had looked so familiar. Emma took a good look again at the boy before her. His eyes shining of innocent youth. His face clear of all worries and his aura radiating of happiness and exuberance. Emma thought of how different this Jesse was from the Jesse she knew.
"Well then there's nothing else in here that you can eat." Ellie said straightening up as she finished rummaging through the fridge. "It looks like I'm gonna have to whip you something up myself. You'll have to wait though. I gotta go up and change first" she said leaving the kitchen, smiling as she heard Jesse groan in the background.
************************************************************************
Emma was confused at what she was seeing. Was she in Jesse's dream? Who was Ellie? Jesse didn't have a sister? She closed her eyes to recall a memory that was lingering on the surface of her mind. Ellie. She'd seen her before. And then it came to her. The images. The ones she saw when she had touched Jesse in the garage. That was her. That was Ellie!
A piercing scream broke the silence around her. Startled, she opened her eyes to see that Jesse was already running full speed towards the scream. Following suit, she saw with horror in her eyes as a man wearing a ski mask pointed a gleaming gun at Ellie.
"ELLIE!!" she heard Jesse yell as he ran towards his sister.
Emma instinctively tried to throw a psionic blast at the intruder but foolishly realized where she was. Standing there helpless, she watched as the events unfolded before her eyes.
Jesse, eyes filled with terror and wild panic, ran as fast as his legs could take him to where Ellie stood rooted and without so much as a second thought flung his young body in front of his sister's protectively just as the intruder pulled the trigger, before he made his escape.
Jesse instinctively held his breath as he braced himself for the impact of the shot.
The impact never came. Instead, he watched with complete and utter horror as the bullet ran right through his phased form. He heard a blood curdling scream as the bullet found its target followed by a sickening thud as Ellie fell to the floor.
NOOOOOO!!! He heard himself scream as he dropped to his knees beside his fallen sister. Ellie lay gasping for breath as blood began to pool around her. "Jes.Jesse" she said as she gathered enough effort to lift her arm to touch Jesse's face. "Wh. why..d..did yu..you .?" her sentence remained unfinished as she struggled to remain conscious as her vision blurred and a searing pain swept through her body.
"Ellie." Jesse whispered as tears streamed down his young face that was now streaked with a trail of blood left by Ellie's touch. Shaking uncontrollably, Jesse lifted Ellie's head into his arms. "Please Ellie! Please don't die. I.I didn't mean to.." He sobbed as he cradled Ellie's head and softly stroked her blood soaked hair.
Ellie let out a soft moan as she tried desperately to form words in her mouth but her effort was met with an unbelievable pain which racked through her body and left her gasping for air. She barely felt Jesse's hands on her chest as he desperately tried to stop the flow of blood gushing from her wound.
With her own heart bleeding, Emma watched the scene and the unforgettable look of helplessness and anguish in the face of the boy before her as blood seeped through his young fingers and as his sister's life slowly ebbed from her body.