Going Pro

Chapter 5: The Fateful Decision

Jesse Anderson and his friend, Julia Autumns, walked to the bike racks in front of the school. The coach and adviser of the Duel Monsters Team, Mr. Von, had taken Jesse to the classroom the team normally used and then tried to recruit Jesse for the team.

When Jesse respectfully declined, the teacher showed him a flyer for an upcoming tournament. Mr. Von said that Jesse had the makings of a real duelist, and that Jesse should take this opportunity to test his skills against other duelists that were at his level. There was going to be prospective sponsors searching for new faces in the dueling profession, so if Jesse managed to impress one of them, he might get the chance to participate in future tournaments by representing a company that would also pay for all travel and boarding expenses. Maybe two or three people out of these kinds of tournaments ever get scouted by a sponsor, but they were still amazing opportunities into the dueling profession.

"Jesse?" Julia asked.

"I just don't know," Jesse sighed. "Going to these things would require missing school and leaving home… and," he trailed off of a few seconds. Julia was about to ask another question. "It sounds like fun," he chuckled. "I'll just have to think about it."

"If it's any help, I think you should go too," she said.

"Competitions aren't really my thing, I just want to duel to duel."

"I would think competing would be your calling," Julia commented.

Jesse smiled, albeit sadly. "There's something else I am supposed to be doing, I just don't know what it is yet."

"Do you think the competitions could lead you to where you're supposed to be?"

Jesse was silent as he unlocked his bike. Most of the bikes were gone already. He wasn't in that much of a hurry to get home anyway. His mother wouldn't be there, so he only needed to tend to the animals.

"So I'll see you on Monday, okay? Don't forget about that economics paper," Julia said meekly, but it was still loud enough for him to hear her.

"Yeah, later," he said an rode off. He thought about what to do. What it would mean to go to such a competition, and what it would mean to pass up such an opportunity. He was well aware that he couldn't just wait around for life to happen. The only way he was going to find his destiny was to take some of it into his own hands. But what was the right choice? Go or don't go?

There was only one person he could ask. He wouldn't be able to answer either, but maybe talking to him would help. With that in mind, Jesse left his bike by the cemetery entrance and approached his grandfather's grave.

"Hey, Grandpa, it's me again," Jesse said as he sat down in the grass before the headstone. "I hope Mom's come to visit. We're doing fine by the way, though Mom said she was going to try to take on some extra hours at work to make ends meet. Keeping Jade is kind of hard on her financially. I'm doing my best too, helping out as much as I can and going to school… I wish I could talk to human spirits or ghosts right now, since I need your advice."

- - - - - - - - line - - - - - - - -

He felt like he was falling endlessly. It was an oddly gentle glide as the air shifted through his hair and clothes. When he opened his eyes, the sky was above him. Crystal clear azure was endless. He was warm. Looking to the side, he could see a temple at the peak of a mountain above a layer of clouds.

"Rome?" Jesse wondered aloud.

A high-pitch squeak echoed in his head in response. He had never heard that sound before, but it already seemed familiar. It was like a small animal trying to get his attention.

As he continued to fall at the gentle pace, the sun refracted in the light mist around the temple, creating a rainbow. Jesse found himself wanting to get a closer look. As soon as he moved his body, he could only gasp as he started falling rapidly and continued through the clouds. He shielded his eyes from the wind and the moisture.

He then heard a horse neigh loudly. It was close. But that wasn't possible. Horses can't be in the sky. They can't fly. Then he saw a shadow through the fog of the clouds, followed by another neigh. However, this time the sound was more familiar and not as loud.

The same sound happened again, and this time, Jesse woke up in his bed at home. He rubbed his eyes and reached for his glasses before he looked out the window. Jade was in her round pen asking for food. Jesse realized he had slept in a good few extra hours.

"Guess I should've have stayed up late playing my handheld," Jesse chuckled to himself before hopping out of bed. He quickly got dressed and brushed his teeth.

Jesse was going to take care of the chickens first, but found they were gone. They only owned three and they stuck together. He guessed his mother let them out of the coup when she got up so Jesse ran over to the small barn. With a quick slash of a pocket knife, he cut the twine on a bail of hay. They were beginning to run low, so Jesse knew they would need to buy more.

Jesse called for the cat, but it didn't appear like normal. Cats are pretty independent so Jesse knew the cat would be fine. He can just put out some cat food later. When Jesse went back into the house, he let the dog in with him and started on putting together something to eat.

There were some sounds coming from the next room so the dog ran in there. "Mom?" Jesse called into the house. Her car was here, so she was home.

"Yeah?"

Jesse picked up his bowl of cereal and stepped into the doorway of the front room. His mom was surrounded by boxes. It looked like she was packing. "What are you doing?"

"Just cleaning, but I have to put everything away before I can reorganize," she explained. "I want to either clean or replace the carpet in here, so I have to get everything out first."

"Oh, okay," Jesse said before eating his cereal while watching for a minute. "Why are you taking down the stuff on the walls too?" he asked.

"Might as well wash the walls too," she said. "I don't know when I will have another burst of energy like this, so I'm not going to waste it."

"I guess." Jesse thought it was bit excessive. The house never got that dirty. Maybe just kind of dusty sometimes.

"I put your new contacts on the bathroom counter, don't lose them this time," she said.

"Thanks!" Jesse said and quickly finished his cereal.

He stepped into the bathroom and saw the small case on the counter just like she said. It wasn't there when he was brushing his teeth. He opened up the container and looked inside. "Yep, two lenses, just what I need," he grinned. "One day I think I'll get that laser eye surgery thing folks keep talking about…" Jesse thought about it for a second and started to turn blue. "Or I'll wait until the technology gets a little better," he nodded to himself.

After he closed the container and set it back down, he went to his room and found his cell phone was lit up with a text massage. He picked it up and opened the message.

"Do you have secrets?" - From Julia. It was received only ten minutes ago.

"Huh?" Jesse quirked an eyebrow. That was a random question. Was something bothering her?

"Did something happen?" - Massage Sent.

Jesse put down his phone and got a notebook out of his bag. As soon as he opened it, his phone buzzed on the desk.

"I've been keeping a secret." - From Julia.

Jesse was confused. It was a strange way to start a conversation. If she didn't want to tell him something, he was fine with that. Sure they're friends, but they aren't so close that he would be upset over not knowing everything little thing about her.

"I think everyone has secrets." - Message Sent.

Jesse knew for sure he did. After how people treated him whenever he would speak to spirits, he quickly learned it was not an ability everyone possessed, and that it was not something to talk about freely. Until he entered high school and met Julia, he didn't have any friends, because they all thought he was either weird or insane. The only consolidation he ever received was from his grandfather.

He heard another girl in class tell Julia to stay away from him. The other girl had been in the same class as him before. Julia had asked why, and was told Jesse stilled talked to imaginary friends and that many believed he might be schizophrenic. Jesse figured it was best to let Julia believe it was just childhood prejudice and just stupid kids being stupid and making fun of the kid who still had imaginary friends.

Julia had just smiled softly and meekly said; "He doesn't seem like that anymore and he's actually really nice." Jesse knew she was a good person. He knew she had a kind strong heart, even if she didn't know it herself.

Another message caused his phone to buzz again. "I guess you're right, nevermind." - From Julia.

"Okay?" Jesse hoped she was alright.

"Are you okay?" - Message Sent.

He didn't receive an answer.

- - - - - - - - line - - - - - - - -

Jesse went out to the barn later in the early evening to check on the horse. The chickens were still out. Normally they were back in their little coup by now. No eggs today either. It was unusual.

Jesse was about to put more hay out for her when he noticed the hay it put in earlier was still there. "Jade, why aren't you eating, girl?" He hoped she wasn't getting sick. "Are ya looking for this?" Jesse grinned and held up an apple.

Jade nosed the apple and nibbled at it in his hand, but she didn't take it. Jesse frowned and dropped in on her hay to have later. Grooming the horse only took a few minutes. Her shoes were still looking good, mane kept as always, so Jesse decided to just stand there and pet her when he was done.

"I think I dreamt about you," he said. "First I heard another animal, one I've never heard before, and then a horse." Jade stood there, just shifting her feet a little as she looked at him. "I visited Grandpa yesterday, told him you're doing fine, but now it looks like you might need to see a vet if you can't eat." Jesse wasn't sure what the horse could have possibly got into that would upset her stomach so much. "I left the apple here for you if you still want it, gotta go," he said and ran back into the house.

He stumbled a little in his haste to take his shoes off. The dog almost made him trip too. Then he found his mom stacking up the boxes she had been filling in the front room. "Oh good, you're here, would you pick up that box, it's a little heavy."

Jesse looked to where she pointed and picked up the box. It was labeled 'books' so of course it was going to be heavy. "Where do you want it?"

"By the door," she said.

Jesse put the box down and turned to his mother. "I didn't see the chickens today," Jesse said.

"Would you also pick up those boxes and stack them on top of the other one?" his mother asked.

"Sure." He began moving them one at a time. "I didn't see the cat today either," he said as he walked through the oddly cluttered but empty room.

"What was that?" His mother didn't hear him.

"I didn't see the chickens or the cat today, Mom," Jesse pressed.

"Oh they're fine, don't worry about it," she assured him.

"Did you see them today?" Jesse asked after he set down the box.

"I saw them this morning," she said.

"Oh okay," Jesse said. At least they didn't disappear in the night. That would be awful. However, he thought she should have mentioned where she saw them.

"I'm going to get dinner started," she said and disappeared into the kitchen.

Jesse was about to tell his mother about the horse. If Jade needed a veterinarian, then his mother would need to know about it. It's not like Jesse would be able to pay for that service himself. He didn't have money.

As soon as Jesse finished moving the boxes, he followed his mother into the kitchen. She was putting some water on the stove to boil. "Don't forget to wash your hands," she reminded him.

Jesse pouted slightly and then looked at his hands. There was dirt all over them. After washing them, he dried them off on a towel. "Hey Mom, Jade didn't eat much if any of her food today, I think she might need a vet."

"I'm sure she's fine, Jesse," she answered. "But if this is only the first day she's gone without eating, it's probably better to see if there's actually a problem first, so if she's still not eating anything in a another day or so, we'll call the vet."

Jesse didn't like it, but was obliged to nod and go along with it. She had a point after all. It could just be a simple stomach ache and she could be fine in the morning. That thought didn't put his mind at ease in any degree.

He and his mother ate together is relative silence for several minutes. Jesse was almost done eating before either of them tried to make conversation. "How's school?" his mother asked. It was a generic question, but seemed sincere.

"I dueled on Friday," Jesse answered. "I won, so the team adviser tried to recruit me. I said no though."

"Why's that?"

"…I don't want to be a part of that team," he said simply. It was a half truth. Only one of the many reasons, but the easiest to explain.

"I see. Is there anything else new?"

"There's a tournament I'm thinking about entering, it's one with scouts and sponsors, and the adviser thinks I should enter," he said.

"That… sounds like quite the opportunity," she said.

Jesse nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"Is it something you want to do?" she asked.

"I don't know," he answered. "Kind of, but I asked Grandpa anyway…" he was going to say more but his mother set a cup down forcefully, causing him to pause.

"Jesse, you're too old for that little game anymore, you can't talk to spirits, do you understand?" It wasn't really a question. "I should have never let my father encourage you, I never thought it was last so long…"

Jesse didn't say anything. He got up, put his dishes in the sink, and went to his room. He slammed the door shut. If there was ever a moment he wanted to scream, it was now. Instead he fell on his bed and stuffed his face in his pillow.

"I'm not crazy…" he mumbled into the fluffy cushion. "I just… wanted to talk to him."

Talking to his grandfather's grave had made him feel a little better. It was the only time he felt he could be truly honest about everything, even his own uncertainties and doubts. But now, when his mother gave him that hopeless look, he wished he never went. He had decided, in the end, it was his decision to make if he participated in the tournament or not.

Jesse rolled over onto his pack and raised his hand above him before making a fist. The tournament would take him away from home for a weekend. Maybe some time away was just what he needed. "I'll do it."

- - - - - - - - line - - - - - - - -

Author's Note:

Until next time. I might take a break from this story for a bit. I don't know. I'm trying to get to the parts I'm more excited about quicker, but I don't want to sacrifice any the lead up. Conflicted.

If you are wondering about these "- - - - - - - - line - - - - - - - -" It's because the actual lines don't always show up, especially if you're like me and like to zoom out on the page for whatever reasons.