Ok, I have one more Chapter. But since I have to work, translating goes very slowly, so I dont think you will hear much of this story in next time. Perhaps theres a beta, who is able to translate my German into much more better English?
Thanks for your nice revs!
The Tape
"What... whart are you both doing here? Have I forgotten something?" he asked.
Jen and Jack looked at each other. It was Jack who raised a brow and took a little piece of paper out of his jacket.
"When you have not written it, who else?" He gave Dawson the paper.
"At Dawsons. 9pm," read Dawson aloud. "Thats not my handwriting."
Jack and Jen turned and watched the grey rain. Their mimics said they were not very amused about this joke.
"Ok, come in and take the wet clothes off. If you want, we could talk a little. I just wanted to watch a film or two."
Dawson invited them to come in an after a second Jen and Jack decided better to take the chance, not wanting to go out into the rain again.
"Stupid joke. I knew it was not your handwriting, Dawson, but I wanted to know if here is everything ok," jen said and followed Dawson to the Kitchen where he made three cups of warm cacao.
Dawson did not mention the latest events but took the milk aut of the freezer.
"Does not matter. My parents are not at home and while you are here we can have a nice evening anyway."
Again it rang and Dawson jumped al little, filling the cups with milk.
"Ich will go," Jack said and disappeared out of the kitchen.
Dawson looked over to Jen but she only shrugged.
"Not my day," he sighted and Jens brow rised.
"Something wrong?"
He shook his head and Jack returned, disturbed.
"Then nearly the whole gang has arrived," he murmured and after him a wet Joey Potter entered the kitchen.
"Hi Dawson. I got a strange letter from you but… it is not…"
"...not from Dawson," Jack finished the sentence. "Is it from Pacey?" he asked and took a closer look at the paper.
"I dont think so," Dawson sighted and took one more cup out of the cupboard.
Joey could tell Dawson knew something.
"You know where he is? I have tried the whole afternoon to find him since youve called."
Jen now, too, knew there was something going on. She glared at Dawson but he tried to avoid her eyes giving everyone a cup. The again it rang and again Dawson jumped.
"Dont worry about him, he is ok," he said shortly to Joey.
"Is it him?" Jack thought aloud when Dawson went outside to open the door.
They had not spoken for a long while. Pacey did not want to talt about it, with no one. Not even with Steve himself. He did not want someone do know about it. Not his family, not his friends. He even did not want to know it himself. Why could he not forget? Why could all those damn memories not just go away? Why did they still hunt him after this two long years? And the dreams had returned now that the day had come nearer it had happened. Nobody. Nobody should know it. It was allone his problem and noones else.
"Your father is a Sheriff. You could have gotten help, Pace. Both of them would have been snapped."
"Cant you just go away?" Pacey screamed out of nowhere. "Why are you so interested in it? Why are you interested in what I am doing? Why do you want it to become public?"
Pacey run his hands through his short brown hair. He was trembling like a leaf, his whole body shaking. Steve tried to give him some comfort by rubbing his back and his shoulders. It was clear to him Pacey had not gotten over it at all. And Steve was sure he would never deal with it if there would be someone who helped him through. To keep silent would never bring Pacey out of it...
"Because it will defeat you, Pace. And I cannot just let it happen."
"Two years, man! Why could you not just forget about me? No, you have to rescue me!"
"Forget about you! Pacey, how could I forget? How could I ever forget about this?" The last sentence was full of bitterness. "Nobody has forgotten you, Pacey. I know, you are not happy here... you are lonely... but we did not forget you. Karen told me to send her greetings to you. We always considered what happened to you and what you were doing. While the tests, while classes, always. We always tried to imagine what happened if you had made another decision."
"Karen..."
"She is in Europe since half a year and finishes her studies of art. She has become very good and will get a job in a gallery. We talked a lot about you."
"You have told her?" The question was filled with angst not with anger.
Steve shook his head.
"No," he whispered. "No, but it would have made it easier for me. I know it is ridiculous to say that to you but it was a hard time, for me, too... Sometimes Id wanted to speak with someone about it."
Pacey loohed at him and noticed the hearing device.
"It did not recover..." he stated.
"No. The hearing loss did not get any better."
Pacey reached for the beer and offered it to Steve.
"I do not drink."
"Then you did miss something."
Steve made a halfhearted move.
"We both did."
Longer silence followed.
"How long are you going to stay?" Pacey asked.
"I dont know. I should work... I still have have to perform my dissertation. But you know... We get the time, we need."
"That means theres no chance you will go away in two minutes?" Pacey took one more sip of his beer.
"Do you want me to go?"
Pacey did not answer.
"I have something brought for you. You could call it a present."
But Steve did not take it out yet.
"Oh, I am lucky."
Steve snap.
"You dont even know what it is!" he said like it was the best thing in the whole world.
But then he again became grave. He thought about realy doing this. It would be the last chance for the truth to come out. But that was not his decision. Either Pacey would work up the past or finish up with it and swamp it out. He knew the better choice but could not talk Pacey into doing something. He was a sports doctor, no psychiatrist.
So he took his jacket and after a moment he searched in the pockets for something. He shook his head and went through all the pockets again. Then his moves became nervous, then panically.
"On, no!" he said toneless.
"What, oh no?" Pacey asked, looking at Steve, knowing he would not like the explanation.
At this moment he could not even imagine how less he would like it. Steves glare was full of shock and regret. Again he searched through his pockets.
"Where is it?" he screamed and searched a fifth time the jacket. "Where is the damn tape!"
At this Pacey looked up and the first time at this evening he showed an emotion.
"What tape?" his eyes widened.
Steve looked at him horrified. Full of sorrow.
"Hi Dawson! Everyone arrived yet?" Drue jerked into Dawsons face when he opened the door.
Dawson shook his head and immidately wanted to close the door when Drues foot did not allow that.
"What do you want, Drue?" Dawson gritted his teeth but talked as quiet as possible.
"Oh, I thought you could need some company... and a good video?" Drue waved with a cassette.
It was not the ones you can buy in a shop.
"What is it?"
"A surprise," Drue wispered. "I just dont know it myself but it is marked with P.W.," he said than it should mean something to Dawson. "Pacey Witter," he said when Dawson did not get it.
"Where is it from?"
Something in Drues mimic did tell Dawson he was not allowed to take the video. But Drue only smiled and Dawson shook his head.
"You are an idiot, you know that?"
"I can watch it on my own if you are not interested. Just thought I should give you the chance. Perhaps we can disclose a secret or two?"
Dawson tried to get the cassette but Drue brang it out of his reach.
"Ah! How dare you?"
Dawson looked inside to make sure noone of the other would come out.
"We will not look at this tape," he said with as much conviction as he could.
"Then I will not go on your nerves and make me a nice evening with it. Come on. What can it show? Paceys IQ-test?"
Dawson opened the door and let him in. He did not want Drue to look at this video.
The others were totally stunned when Dure entered the kitchen.
"What is he doing here?" Jen asked giving Dawson a glare.
He wondered if Jen knew something about all of this when he saw her staring.
"I will go now," Joey said and took her jacket. "I did not know this would end in a meeting of crocks."
"Hey, I did not know, he was coming, Joey!" Dawson tried to defend himself.
"Thats right. He did not know." Drue grinned.
"This was your idea?" it was a statement of Jack.
Drue was too happy. All thought so. He was up to something and only Dawson knew to what.
"I dont care whose idea it was but I have got better things to do than to spend my evening with you," she snorted to Drue and went away.
Dawson could not say something to her. She was gone. Joey sure was very concerned about Pacey, mor she wanted to show. Jen and Jack watched her leave and seemed to follow while Dawson gave Drew a glare. But he did only wait until they heard the front door close and then he went on.
"That will be the night of revelation!" he began his dramatic speech and made theatralic movements with his arms. "A secret around our friend, soon will be discovered. Tonight is the night." He hold up the tape.
"What is it?" The agony in Jens voice was not to be overheard.
"This, dear Jen, is the question of the day. It could be everything! Paceys IQ-test, or what he did wrong at the public school. Perhaps it is the night with Tamara Jones?" He looked at the cassette from all sides.
The eyes of Jen and Jack fixed Dawson. Disgust. Shock. They wanted an explanation that Dawson did not have.
"How did you come to it?" Dawson asked.
"Steves jacket," he shrugged.
"You have stolen it?" Dawsons voice shrieked.
"Who is Steve?" Jack was helpless.
He did not understand a word.
Dawson did not know where to start. But Drue did know.
"An old friend of Paceys, who knows where he knows him from? He just finished his dissertation in sports medicine, he says. But I dont believe that becaus he says also Paceys IQ is far beyond room temperature. They met at a public school but dont ask me what this all means," again he waved with the tape like it was the answer of all this and went into the living room.
The others were to surprised.
"Hes gone mad!" Jack stated.
"What kind of test?" Jen asked but saw Dawson right into the eye.
But Dawson followed Drue who just tried to find the on-button on the recorder.
"Wait!" he said and Drue looked up to him. "Not here..." Dawson whispered like someone could hear them.
"Why not? It is as good as every other place."
Dawson turned and saw the others that were standing now before the kitchen-door.
"No, lets watch it upstairs."
Dawson needed now some comfort, some more familiarity than he could find in this living room. Although it was still his house he wanted some more... privacy. He wanted his own room.
"This afternoon somebody visited me," he explained to Jen and Jack. "Steve, that guy from school was there to find out my address. He knew from Pacey we were friends and waited after school here. We had a little talk... It was strange. When he was gone I gave Joey a call but Pacey was nowhere. Then I went to the Witters where they told me about the IQ test. It looks like Pacey made the test two years before not long before Jen came to Capeside. The Witters said, Pacey failed it but Steve says the opposite. More he did not tell me."
Jen shook her head. That was dumb. She knew Pacey was not stupid but she could not imagine him in a IQ test.
"Dawson, thats..." she tried but he disrupted her.
"That was not all of it, Jen. That whole thing becomes more and more disturbing. We found Pacey this evening. He had hit the bottom rocks. I ve never seen him like this. Steve even spoke of suicide."
Jen laughted. That was absurd.
"Dawson, what are you talking about? Pacey would never do such a thing. I would have known."
"I thought so, too."
Jen could tell from Dawsons face he was serious and did believe what he had said. She thought of Pacey laughing, smiling, his blue eyes, this eyes that always have had this glimmer of melancholie inside. She needed to sit down and grabbed a chair to her left. Then Dawson went on.
Jack too sat down and listened carefully. He could not believe it yet but he needet to hear it all.
"Did he..." Jen began.
"No, he just sat in the wood and drank. He was not very happy we disturbed his little party I can tell you. Then I had to go because our beloved Drue inflicted himself to us."
"Hey," Drue protested. "Thats not an everyday news. How now? Do you guys to see the video or not?"
"You are crab," Jen snapped.
"Because of this you wanted us here?" Jack asked. "No, thank you. I will not look at this. No one of us will do that! Dawson, I will go now. Thank you for the cacao."
Jack took his jacked and wanted to leave the room, when Drue rised.
"Well if you are not interested... but i am sure the student magazine will."
"You would not do that," Dawson threatened.
"What do you want to do against it? Beat the hell out of me like this Steve?"
Neither Dawson nor Jack normally would do such a thing. It has always been up to Pacey who showed up in a shining armour to rescue the day. And if that meant to get rough... But he was not here... Jack made wide steps and clenched his fists. Drue had gone too far. Whatever this cassette was about, they should not watch it without Paceys permission.
"Jack, no!" Dawson shouted and held Jack up.
Drew had taken one step back. Jacks hand was already at his collar and with the other he was ready to punch. But then he stoped. Drues mom was still able to destroy Andys plans for the future and so he did not do what he wanted so much.
"Dont dare, Jack," Drue said.
Jack loosened his grip of him. Drew seemed now quiet and serious.
"Upstairs or here?"
"Upstairs," Dawson whispered and went first to show him the way.
Jen followed and Jack was the last one who arrived in Dawsons room. It was dark and Dawson did switch the TV on. When everyone had found a place to sit Dawson pressed the play-button.
The shot was unclear. They could only see a bright blurred bar in the midscreen. The background was dark and they could not see it.
Only some seconds later the automatic zoom was finished and the picture they saw was sharp. That bar had chanched in a metallic stick. But this too was a feint. When the camera zoomed away Dawson could see it was nothing more than a three centimeter long darning needle.
Drew turned disappointed to the others. He sat in front of the bed while the others were on it.
"A needlework video? I do not wonder Pacey is ashamed of this."
But soon it became obvious this was no needlework video at all. Now the room became sharp and the furniture in it seemed old and massive, made of dark wood. The camera swayed one time over the whole room. It was lightened by candles. Dawson found the light pretty good for that it came only from the candles.
At first you could see the old door... it was shut and seemed to be very heavy. Then it wandered across an old garderobe, a person standing in front of it, wunderfull but somehow sinister. Jack would have called her a witch. The girl was no older than 18 and was redheaded. The hair flowed down her shoulders like fire and her green eyes glimmed with an intensity that was strange. Her lips were of a full red.
She kissed into the camera and took then something from the cameraman. It was the needle. Shel hold it into the camera to show it clear. She wore a nice red top and black hotpants.
Dawson shook his head. What was this? What place and who was that girl?
Jen at his side sighted. She did not want to see that. It was obvious ridiculous.
"Thats a Lara and Zona production. I am Lara and will guide you through our evening," she introduced herself and took one step closer to the camera. "I hope you will enjoy it very much... I for my part will. This will bekcome an interesting production with the theme: things only two cranky brains could think of. The start will be made by my sister Zona."
The camera was hand over when Lara took it and another girl was now on the screen. She must have been the twin of Lara because she looked like her in every detail except her hair was ravenblack. Her lips were lilac but her eyes were of the same intensity like Laras. She was even wearing the same clothes, only her top was lilac, too.
"Thats me," her voice was a little lower and sensual like hell. "I am honored to have the first turn. But now to the event we all are waiting for. I want do introduce the subject to our viewers," she said with a happy smile on her lips and showed into another direction.