Finding Cloe
Beaner-Bop
A/N: Ugh - Deadlines suck
Disclaimer: HAHAHAHA.
Chapter Six: Reading
Truth is beautiful - without a doubt; but so are lies. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Cloe…you aren't bad." Ved said to her for what had to be the hundredth time that night. The girl in question was laying on his bed, curled into a little ball, both of them fully clothed, but lying close to each other.
The girl in question shuddered lightly but Ved saw her body begin to un-tense slowly and smiled, finally able to see that he was getting some progress.
"You aren't bad at all…" He whispered, trying to get her to believe it as much as he knew it. When he began, he had no idea why. It was pretty easy to see that she was pretty far gone, but it was just like when he began searching for her in the first place - because he needed to, and because there was a chance.
It took a few more mumbles of 'You're not bad, you're good' but he had Cloe slowly turning back to him and looking into his eyes.
"Really?" She whispered, she winced, as though expecting him to hit her but she cracked an eye open to see him smiling at her.
"Really. You're…you…you're good Cloe." She smiled at him and Ved felt his chest letting go of something he didn't know it was holding when she smiled at him like that. He leaned down, resisting the urge to kiss her on the lips again, and instead kissed her on the forehead.
"Y-You're good to, Ved." Cloe whispered to him, before wiggling closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Ved closed his eyes happily and squeezed her to him, happy he was making progress.
He was about to go to sleep when Cloe nudged him softly.
"Ved?" She whispered, making sure he was awake before she asked her question.
"What?" He asked, somewhat groggily, trying to stay awake.
"Are the others good, too?" She asked him. Ved woke up a little more at that question, but wasn't sure that he heard her correctly.
"Wait, what did you say?" He asked her, yawning slightly.
"Are the others good, too?" She asked him again.
"Who-What others?" She sighed and rolled her eyes. Ved decided to take this as a good sign instead of an insult - his Cloe was shining through.
"The other bad children."
Jay was sitting on his bed beside Ebony silently as he turned the pages of the dream dictionary. He was able to grab a notepad and a pen from somewhere and began looking for the meaning of his dream.
If nothing else, it would show him that he was probably just worrying about Ved to much. His brother made his choice and that was that…
Jay swallowed and shook his head as his mother's voice entered his skull. You're the oldest Jay… She had said to him on her deathbed, I want you to take care of him, please. He…he doesn't know what he needs. But…She smiled sadly, neither do you, do you sweetie? Who knows… But I do know that you need him. He's not a man yet, Jay, and I know that you aren't either but, please…help him. Please…
His mother was strange, and she had light brown hair, the same as he and his brother did underneath all of that peroxide blond dye-
Jay stopped thinking for a moment before trying to shake his head of his memories before the epidemic. Thinking of his mother wouldn't help him with figuring out what was going on with Ved.
He looked down at what he had on the pad of paper so far, which looked something like this;
Writing (reading someone else's and seeing someone else do it) -
Tears -
Blood on Hands -
Quill and Ink -
Blot on Paper -
Ink poured into Ink Stand -
Gun -
He was beginning to feel nervous as he turned to the end of the book, looking for 'writing'. He swallowed nervously as he began to write down a shorter version of what it said.
Reading handwriting means deception in the group with someone I trust. Seeing Ved write means I can be my 'own best friend' by not letting others influence me.
He shook his head at that, and turned to tears quickly, his body feeling better for some reason, now that he was looking up his dreams. He shook his head at that thought, knowing that if Ebony woke up to see him doing this, she'd make him feel like an idiot.
When he got to tears, rolled his eyes and did as the book told him too Tear(s). See Cry.
He didn't roll his eyes though when he saw what Ved's tears meant.
He's in distress. I should do something about it…?
The book was confusing him, but he wrote down what it told him to. He winced as he looked at the next one on his list, scared to death of what it might show him. When he saw what it meant, he wondered if it was as bad as it seemed.
Be prepared for hard work.
He wrote down, looking confused. Quill and ink were next. He looked up just 'Ink' but it didn't matter. Quill and in, the blot on the paper, and the ink into inkstand were all covered in this one.
Period of sadness is coming up, might be betrayed by a friend in the future, be sure only to 'whisper secrets in trustworthy ears', and unexpected travel.
He shook his head in wonder. What are you up to, Ved? he thought to himself, trying to prolong the fact that he needed to look up the weapon that Ved used on himself in the dream…the gun.
Sighing, Jay finally began to slowly turn the pages, worried about what it was he was going to read. He read the definition quickly, and then began to write.
Injustice to someone close to me, I have to fight for them. Be warned of tempers, don't give way to them.
Jay put down the list and studied it silently before getting out of his bed, this time waking Ebony up completely.
"Jay," She said sleepily, "What the hell are you doing?" She asked, cranky that he woke her up.
"I'm going to find, Ved." He told her, "Go back to sleep."
And she did.
fin chapter-