Jenny woke up in a daze. She thought she had a nightmare….but any trace of one was long gone when she came to. The first thing she noticed was how warm and comfortable she was. Then she felt the cold, lump in her hand.
She hadn't seen that ebony stone in a while, and waking up to find it in her hand now was a little stunning. She was swept away by a wave of confusion as she took in her surroundings, but by the time she sat up and took a good look around everything came back to her.
The trap. Her friends. Her hands. The memories-
Julian's memories.
The room was the same as before, just a bed and a dresser, but this time there were a few more doors. There was one to her left, another to the right, and one parallel to her across the room. Somehow she knew just by looking at it that this door was the one to take her back to her friends.
She moved carefully, lifting the covers gently and picking herself up with ease, as if anything she touched would burn like a flame. Yet, she felt no pain in her arms, only an odd tingle. Her leg, however, gave a tight pinch as she stood up on it. Other than that, she seemed fine-on the outside.
Inside, she really didn't know how to feel. She was puzzled with the lost sense of time, hollow with the remainders of yesterday's pain, and dealing with a great deal of doubt and uncertainty with every beat of her heart. She only felt similar to this when her and Tom broke up the first time. Yet, it hadn't been this strong.
Her first instinct told her to leave. She was in Julian's place-she was in his grasp. In some world half-way between Earth and the Shadow World. The obvious choice was to leave, like she always had. She approached the door without thinking, but her hand froze right above the handle. At first she didn't know why she was hesitating. She should go back to her friends. She should talk to them, make sure they're okay, and figure out how to get Zach, Summer, and Audrey back.
However, if her friends were behind this door, then Tom was there, too. She couldn't see him. Not now. Not for….a while. And if she did face her friends, what could they do? How were they going to get their friends back? How were they going to fix anything-even themselves?
But what else could she do if she didn't go to them?
The idea came, and Jenny felt something pinch deep inside her chest. She couldn't call it guilt like she had been all this time. No, it was different now.
If she were to stay here, in a world created by the man that loved her….
He had given her the door to leave after all. But there were two more doors in the room. She had a feeling Julian wouldn't show up anytime soon, and she couldn't face any other familiar face anyway….
Her hand fell from the handle.
She probably should feel guilty or wrong in some way for deciding to stay-for going against everything she had fighting for the past year and a half-but right now she frankly didn't care. She was too hurt to do anything else, and Julian did say she could have anything she wanted….
And right now all she wanted was to be alone. And maybe take a hot shower for once.
Her stomach rumbled, but the hunger wasn't devastating. She felt that if she ate something she would throw up immediately. So instead of wishing for some food, she imaged some running water somewhere close by and put the rock back in her pocket.
She walked up to the left door and only hesitated for a second. She really shouldn't have been surprised by the bathroom she walked into. It looked familiar, like her own bathroom back from home, only something was off about it. Everything seemed the same, shower on the left, toilet and sink on the right, but there was the slightest change, something so small but so different that it threw her senses off; like the thin trim of gold that lined everything, or the tiny hints of diamond embedded in the glass shower doors, or even how her usually clear sink handles looked as if they were carved from a real crystal.
It was only when jenny opened the shower door that the difference was obvious. There was no shower head, but a ring of holes in the ceiling above her, and instead of handles there were two carvings-the runes, encircled awkwardly and glowing a deep crimson. One was the rune, kenaz, for fire and the other was Isa, for ice. Even staring at it and blinking a million times couldn't convince her it was real. It was right there and yet Jenny hesitated on going near it. There was no way….
She just barely grazed her finger against the rune and as she said its name aloud there was a rumble behind the wall, then water began to pour from above in a gentle stream. Hot water, from the fire rune. A running shower….from the runes. It was the most exotic thing she'd ever seen. It fascinated her, to think something so mystical could actually exist-for her to use.
She really shouldn't….
But the water was the perfect temperature and nothing sounded better right now then to relax in the stream after a day like that. So Jenny stripped her clothes, being cautious of her leg, and stepped inside. There was one moment of panic, of the slight memory that Julian was always watching her, and still she closed the door behind her.
She felt everything about her, all the sickness, all the dirt, all the hate; it all washed away from her with the scorching water. To feel the burn on her hands, to run her fingers through her hair and breathe in the steam-she had never been so relieved.
There was even a tiny bar of soap carved magnificently like a swan, down to the very last feather that proved Julian was just showing off. But it smelled amazing. Like vanilla cookies with a hint of something fruity-something familiar. She must've smelled a candle like this in the store before that the Shadow man had taken from the depths of her memory because it was so delightfully, calmingly familiar.
She didn't know how long she was in there for but she didn't get out until she got a little dizzy, and her leg started to ache. There was a towel waiting for her, but her clothes had vanished from the tile floor. Any other time she would've been mad or irritated, but right now she was kind of numb-no, mellow was more like it. Not surprised, but not angry either. She couldn't really say she was amused, but…
What was she going to do now? She wasn't going to sit here naked. But she couldn't leave either. She returned back to the bedroom, everything unchanged. She expected maybe something eloquent or fancy to be laid out for her like in the movies, but there was nothing. That's when she saw the other door.
Wrapped in only a towel she moved to the door on the right side of the room, leaving wet footprints in the delicate carpet. She expected anything but ordinary as she opened the door. The lights came on automatically to reveal the extended walk-in closet. Clothes lined the walls on either side of her, from shirts to skirts to blouses and dresses, and it looked like it never ended. Jenny believed that if she kept walking that the clothes would seriously never stop for hours, and if she turned around she would still be in the same spot she started in, as if she had never moved, like something out of an old video game. Besides the numbers, the clothes themselves were unbelievable. The rich fabrics, the finest silks and cottons that only millionaires wear, and even the material was unrecognizable; things clearly not from Earth told from just one touch.
They were all beautiful, of course; there were clothes from fancy to simple, from cold to hot. And Jenny thought Audrey's closet was exquisite. The need to look through every one of them was slightly tempting, but Jenny had never been spoiled before. She never needed to be greedy because she always thought she had everything she needed.
Well, that was…until now.
Now she was curiously gazing through each one because….because…she had nothing else to do, right? She had nowhere important to be any time soon. And she wasn't going to stay naked all day.
She knew she was making excuses, but it was all she could do. She couldn't just accept this whole heartedly after denying it for over a year. She still had a little amount of pride she was too fond of. It was hard to let it go so easily. And even if something was yelling at her-common sense, her conscience, whatever- there was another part yelling at her, too. An exhausted part that was begging for her pride to give in-just for once. Jenny was still battling it all out, but in spite of everything she continued through the closet.
Now she knew how Julian felt.
She finally chose a simple red blouse that cupped her shoulders and hips with a slight V-neck, and a pair of black pants that she couldn't tell what they were made of. They cut off slightly like jeans, leaving her wound exposed to some fresh air. She couldn't say she wasn't interested in anything else, but after the past 24 hours it didn't feel like the time to play dress up.
A little further in, she saw an endless rotating stand of shoes, but she didn't bother. There was a break in the clothes for a moment where there sat two mirrors; one full length on the left and a vanity table and chair on the right. Covering the table were different amounts of jewelry and make-up, rings from fresh metals or necklaces made of God-knows what. There was a hair pin she fancied for just a moment, of a black and white butterfly with a red ruby in the center of each wing, but she didn't dare to touch it. Instead she grabbed the simple black brush and, staring in the full length mirror, combed through her wet hair.
Her reflection looked tired. There was a scar on her cheek, and bags under her eyes. She had more color in her face than the time she saw her reflection, but there was still something off. Even bathed and dressed as if everything was normal, something shown in her eyes or her skin that spelled disturbance.
Too soon, she left the closet. She felt better, more relaxed that was for sure. Yet, she didn't feel…herself. Maybe it was the clothes or the room or just being alone, but there was something missing. She walked over to the final door, the one to take her back to her friends. Whatever she was missing, she knew it wasn't her friends. She still couldn't see them. At least not yet. She needed to get herself back first. To make sure the Shadow Men hadn't taken that as well.
But how to do that…
Last time Jenny had felt like this, she had gone swimming. After Julian's game, late at night when nothing made sense she took a nightly dive into the water. But she couldn't go home this time. So Jenny pictured a place, just a simple image, any city would do, then opened the door.
A part of her thought it wasn't going to work. All she had pictured just an ordinary beach with water and sand. If anything, that's all she expected to see when she opened the door-just the beach. Not an entire foreign island.
The beach stretched on for what seemed like forever. Various trees and foliage covered the left side while the shore met water in such an elegant touch on the right. It looked like a moving picture through the doorway, but she felt the change in temperature wafting at her, the sound of the waves crashing deep inside her skull like some kind of entrancement.
Slowly, she stepped through the door and landed on the beach. Like walking through the door into the Shadow World, one step and she was somewhere else-and it felt real.
When was the last time she was on the beach? It was Summer's birthday, she remembered. It was all the blonde wanted, to suntan with the girls and play chicken with the guys in the water. That all ended in a huge mess since the sky was overcastted and the water was freezing. Still, it was fun because they were all there, and that was all Summer could've hoped for.
Now she was stuck in the Shadow World being-
No, no, don' think about that.
Jenny was glad she hadn't put any shoes on. The sand melted beneath her toes as if it was real-the warmth comforting. The sun kissed her skin from every direction, basking her in such a gentle heat. Even the breeze carried that wonderful saltwater scent as it traveled through her wet hair. It just felt so nice, so….right.
Jenny sauntered down until she reached the shore. Looking back, the door had disappeared among a row of palm trees and heavy plant life, marking a very strong curtain of curiosity to peek past it. Still, she took a step closer to the water, an inch more, until the tide came up and splashed over her feet. The icy touch shocked a sense of delight in her. Real or not, it was perfect.
So without thinking about anything else Jenny sat down on the sand, letting her feet stay in reach of the water, and just stared. She didn't care for how long, she didn't care if this illusion was a simple reel on repeat playing over and over again. She didn't think about anything. She didn't try to figure anything out or make a plan or have to worry about food or their parents or their lives. She just sat there, breathed, and stared.
Although, after a while it was inevitable that her mind drifted back to the truth. When she thought about it, in a way she could understand everything. Coming from everyone's side, she could understand why no one told her. A part of her even understood why Tom had done such a thing.
But that didn't erase the hurt.
It had been around that time that everything had started to fall apart. Maybe that was why Tom had stressed so much about him not deserving her. She hated him-a part of him really hated him for doing it, but she still loved him. She would always love Tom, but she couldn't go back now.
She assumed it didn't matter in the end. She was going to die soon anyway, so she wasn't going to die with any regrets. She wasn't going to forgive and forget, but she could, at least for a while, pretend that everything would be okay. When she saw them again she'd smile and not go into the topic until everything with these God forsaken Shadow Men were dealt with. She definitely wasn't going to spend her last hours sulking over it.
So Jenny laid back for a while, letting her hands play in the warm sand and watching the fake clouds go by. She felt better. It still hurt, of course, and her leg tingled oddly, but she felt better. At least she wasn't crying or going insane.
There was a slight change in the atmosphere after a while, a small alarm that told her she was no longer alone. Jenny sat up and turned, where Julian was waiting for her. He was only a couple feet away, but he looked distanced from her, as if waiting for her permission to join her. The black vest he wore was sleeveless and cut sharply in a V-neck, showing off his sleek collarbone. The black pants hugged his hips with a metal belt, like something out of a Punk Rock shop. His hair shone even brighter out here, the white standing out greatly against the bright blue sky and emerald green tops of the trees. Surrounded by so many colors and hues, he looked so separated from the world, but oddly fitting in at the same time, like some sort of twisted picture.
Jenny didn't say anything. She didn't feel the need to. She only looked back to the water, suddenly aware of the sand that coated her arms and feet. It was probably all in her hair, making her nervously run her fingers through it. Julian gently sat beside her, not too quickly, not too gently-more like cautiously, lowering himself down before bending his knees to the side. All while his eyes watched her like a hawk to its prey with the most interested gaze.
They sat like that for a while. Julian didn't even say anything. Jenny didn't know if she wanted him to. She didn't know what to say herself. But his presence struck something odd in her. She remembered her arms-what had happened-how they felt completely normal. She remembered the memories so vividly, how Julian hadn't wanted her to see them, how beautiful she looked in his eyes. She finally looked back at him, only he was looking away from her this time.
"You've been here once before, you know" he said suddenly, casually. "You may not remember, but you were at a place much similar to this. When you were younger. Your parents'… anniversary trip sometime after you were born. Only on Earth it was much more vibrant."
Jenny let out a sigh as she imagined her parents taking their toddler on a vacation trip like this. Had he been there at that time? Or did he get them from her memory? "Did…." Her own voice surprised her. She didn't even know what she was asking. "Did you…put this here?"
"Only after you wished for it." He looked at her now, those impossible blue eyes melting every bit of common sense in Jenny's head.
Jenny couldn't look away from that captivating gaze, and for once, she wasn't too sure she wanted to. He was even smiling so impishly, as if he was the cat that had just caught the mouse and was savoring the moment.
"How old was I?"
"About two years old."
"Where were we?"
"On the magnificent shores of Cote d'Azur."
"Is there a place like this in the Shadow World?" Jenny didn't even know how she asked such a thing. She was speaking without thinking. "Like the Shadow Park?"
Julian took a breath before answering. "In fact, yes. Although everything is not so lively…" he looked around them as he finished, picturing everything drooped and died in color and lack of life. "Nothing ever is."
Jenny looked back to the water, wincing in silence as the cold came back and hit her feet. Something wasn't right. Never had they sat here and talked like this. Not this calmly, this humanely. Not since….the cave.
That's when Jenny finally noticed that he knew everything about her. At least all the things that Jenny never knew about herself. And all she knew of this man was that he was evil, he controlled fear, and he loved her. He loved her so much.
"What's your favorite place?" She asked on a whim. Her voice grew tight as she asked it, the anxiety of the situation finally kicking in. "I mean…if you had to pick one."
Julian cocked his head slightly as he looked her over. For once his shoulders were relaxed, making his posture look off; he didn't seem so perfect all of a sudden. His eyelashes drooped dangerously. "Right here."
Jenny felt herself react; she felt the embarrassment rise in her cheeks and the urge to raise the corners of her mouth. But she looked away before it could happen. "Of all the places in the world, even the ones you could create, you pick a beach?"
"As I recall you picked this beach first," he countered, and Jenny finally let herself smile. "In fact, it's one of the dullest beaches in existence, considering all the places I could create with a single thought. You could be lying with a white marmoset, servants attending to your every whim, and instead you chose simply sand."
"You make it sound so boring," she said back slowly. "Considering you made it." He gave her a dreary look that made Jenny smile with victory. She was wrong. They were still playing. It was just more…gentle, was the only word for it. Nothing was on the line this time, except for maybe time itself. And right now Jenny could really care less about that.
"I guess it is boring…. But I don't care. Audrey always said she'd drag me to Paris some day because the shores there were….unbelievable."
"The offer is still open."
For a second Jenny didn't understand. And when she did she only gave him a blunt look, one that denied him all with her eyes. Julian only smirked at her, a familiar smirk, one that was just so pleased with himself.
Jenny looked back at the water, and for just a second she forgot-As she watched the sun hit the water in a slight spark of light, she forgot about it. For just a second, she forgot that she wasn't on Earth. She even forgot that the Prince of Darkness, the man that had tried to kidnap her and kill her friends, was sitting right beside her.
That was until he touched her.
His fingers were grazing her neck, so gently, almost unnoticeable, but everything about Julian was noticeable. Remembering that fact made Jenny surprised she had even forgot it for a moment. But everything about him made Jenny unable to look away at times, making her look again and keep searching until she found something new and captivating. And his touch was as soft as moth's wings, so exotic, so enticing.
His fingers danced up her neck to her cheek where he caressed her only slightly. She could feel his gaze burning into her as his touch danced on her skin. It felt rude to smack him off in such a situation, and she didn't really...find the need to. It was always like this, like when he first touched her she couldn't find any reason to push him off. As if it wasn't the right moment. Like back in the cave-there wasn't any room for arguing or fighting.
So she just looked back at him, but now his gaze was gone, and his fingers pulled up-into her hair. "If I was forced to choose a place," he started to say. "It's somewhere very far away, and yet humans see it every day. Somewhere very dark, and very cold. My reasons for such a place being there's a light there. This place was the first I saw this light, so small-like the first spark of the flame." As he spoke his fingers played in her hair, just one spot. Until something cold and hard slipped between his fingers that planted itself perfectly behind her ear. "And ever since I've watched it grow into a magnificent fire-releasing such a compelling glow-a shine that could even entrance the Shadows."
As he finished speaking, he let his fingers trail out of her hair in the slowest way possible. Reaching up, Jenny felt the shape of a butterfly in her hair-the hair pin- the one from the closet.
All at once Jenny felt…flattered. A little embarrassed, a little touched. Of course, he would still talk about her. Of course he had been watching her. He always had. Even now he couldn't take his gaze off her.
Finally noticing it….Well, it wasn't like it was a bad thing. It was actually a little… a little nice.
Jenny couldn't help but smile, but she didn't let him see. "So you were watching me earlier."
"But of course." He said it with such tease that it made something in Jenny finally let go-something came out, like a held back laugh.
"And must you always talk like that?" She asked, "So sophisticated? So…wise?"
"What other way would you prefer?"
Jenny didn't even think on it. "Absolutely none," she said, finally smiling completely. She couldn't hold back anymore-she couldn't find the strength to-couldn't find the need to. "Because if you started talking like…Michael or a redneck or something, I'm sure I'd go insane."
It was very odd. There was a light feeling inside her-not a giddy, Summer type of feeling. But a warmer feeling that settled densely inside. It was odd, but comfortable and strangely unexplainable; something she couldn't for the life of her give it a name or try to shake it off. Instead the feeling only increased when she tried to imagine Julian talking in such an arrogant way and she burst into a fit of laughter.
Surprisingly, when she looked back at him, he looked very content with himself, satisfaction glistening in his eyes, and his whole presence was relaxed. "There it is again," he said very subtly, as if to himself. "That shine. Marvelous…"
Shyly, Jenny looked away, trying to bite down that smile, but she really couldn't. The water splashed her feet again and another odd thought came to her.
Here she was, on a mystical beach, wearing foreign clothes, with a shadow demon beside her after refusing it all this time. But now she chose to stay…. Hell, she was going to die soon anyway. Might as well make the most of it.
"My friends are safe, right?" she asked without looking at him. "I mean… Dee and Michael."
"As they'll ever be."
Jenny hesitated only slightly, then tried to stand up. "Good."
Her thigh gave an odd pressure, but there was no pain. It felt almost as normal as her hands did.
Julian was standing now, too, also watching her leg. Before he could question it, Jenny gave him a smile. "You said I could have anything I wanted, right?"
Without waiting for an answer, Jenny turned and dove into the next upcoming wave of the water. The coldness was a shock and when Jenny surfaced at least she knew she wasn't dreaming. Her clothes hung heavy on her, her eyelids burned from the cold and she just prayed her leg wouldn't give out somehow. "Jesus," she gasped as she wiped her face. "You couldn't have made this any warmer?"
At first Julian only stared at her, the confusion easily scattered across his face before the amusement and shock was too much and he laughed. For once it sounded like a normal laugh, if a Shadow Man could laugh normally. Usually Jenny only heard him chuckle darkly or give a frustrated chortle of some kind. But this was more relieved in a way-almost human.
"My apologies, Jenny. If I had known, I would've made it scorching." His eyes widened on the word before returning to normal. A simple gesture, like bobbing the eyebrows, that made Jenny feel completely powerless.
Jenny didn't say anything except splash in his direction. Yet, he was gone before it reached him, appeared in a different spot on the shore, hands behind his back, shaking his head at her. "Careful Jenny. Playing Marco Polo with the Shadow Man can be very dangerous."
He was teasing her. Like always. Just the way he smiled above her like this made her feel childish.
And yet, she was smiling back. "Polo." She splashed again, and he appeared in a different spot, only closer. Something wild shone in his eyes now. The mouse was playing back, a plot twist, a change in the game.
Before he could get the upper hand again, Jenny found the sand bank and immediately let out a deep gasp. "Ow ow! Oh God." She suddenly grabbed her thigh where Julian was there in seconds, grabbing it as well.
"Does it hurt?" He questioned, the excitement gone and replaced with concern.
Jenny was hunched over practically under him so when he appeared she was able to use his shoulders as balance. "No, no. It's just…remember what I said before…about Shadow Men being gullible?"
As Julian gave her a queer glance, she yanked him fiercely and tossed him right into the water behind her. The shock on Julian's face as he sat in chest-high water utterly soaked was so foreign and so hilarious that Jenny couldn't find any air to breathe. She was panting and almost crying when Julian clicked his tongue at her. "Oh, Jenny. Really. You should know better."
Seeing that wolf hungry smile, even under the wet silver bangs that stuck to his face, made Jenny's stomach flip. She turned to run and she was surprised she made it to the line of trees. The sand dissipated into dirt, and the trees were so thick, so crowded that hardly any light shone through. All Jenny could see were the darkened outlines of the trees and the vines hanging everywhere.
Running into the jungle was like running into another world. It was dark and humid and utterly mystifying. As she ran to the center and looked around for the pair of blue eyes awaiting from the shadows, she couldn't tell if everything was moving with her or if nothing was moving at all. At one point it seemed like the darkness itself was moving toward her, creeping in on her, ready to trap her forever-
"Marco," the voice was so chilling, especially when Jenny couldn't find it.
She turned in circle after circle, slowly venturing deeper into the jungle. The vines only increased, hanging lower and lower toward her. She felt like he was trapping her-playing with her from the shadows where Jenny couldn't see.
"That's not fair."
"Marco." It sounded to her left, so with a gasp she turned only to see something move in the shadows. The vines swung after it, dangling so eerily close to her. She tried to follow it, but then it was behind her, above her, before her. She kept turning after it to the point where she tripped over a tree root, gasping but not falling. The laugh bounced off of every tree, unable to pinpoint which direction it came from. Even at a time like this he was still such a tease.
And Jenny felt very playful herself. In the moment, she felt like being a little tease, too. "Polo."
As soon as she saw the shadow move again, she pretended to be frightened, over-dramatic like an actress from a very old horror movie-and hid in a wall of vines. When the shadows moved across from her, she backed herself against the nearest tree, the vines covering her pathetically.
"Marco."
Jenny actually found herself holding back a laugh. She suddenly felt like she was playing a game-which she was, of course, but not so wicked this time. This time she was actually afraid to say it back, afraid to get caught, like she always had been when playing this game in the pool.
Then again, she was waiting for him to catch her. Of what he would do when he did. She wasn't playing with her friends this time. She was playing with the Prince of Shadows-and how astonishingly exciting it was.
She tried an attempt to sneak by the shadows, maybe find a break in the trees where she could find the beach again, but suddenly she was caught. A vine was stuck on her shirt. When she went to pull it off, she found another on her pants. And on her back. Now her arm. It was like they were alive, trying to bound her in place, wrapping around her wrists like snakes.
Jenny jumped away immediately, ripping them off her before she could get trapped. A strike of fear hit her heart as she just barely got them off-of what Julian would have done if she was bound like that in the darkness as his.
That chuckle came again.
Sternly, Jenny shouted, "That's cheating!"
"I never cheat." This time, his voice came in a lot clearer, a lot more real than just a whisper in the shadows-and it came right in her ear.
Jenny hardly got the chance to turn around before he grabbed her.
She gave a surprised shriek as the world shifted around her, and hit the water. The sand was long gone from her reach and the cold was everywhere. Jenny surfaced from the shock only to see the shore as tiny as a pebble in the distance.
Before Jenny could comprehend, Julian's hands were on her waist. The second she tried to pry him off, he grabbed just her sides-which were now exposed since her shirt had risen in the water-and they were sensitive. She jerked as a laugh escaped her, then she cursed herself for laughing. She tried again and he grabbed her by the stomach, tickling her once again. But it wasn't a boyfriend teasing a girlfriend playful type of tickling. No this was clearly different. When he grabbed her in such a sensitive area that was never so sensitive before it was like electricity running through her very skin to the point of no control. It was like a tug of war, in a way where Jenny couldn't control herself, but Julian could, keeping her perfectly afloat and yet making her squirm and squeal.
"Ok, ok! Stop-no, ah! Stop! I'm sorry!" She was finally able to pull away, but Julian didn't let her go far. He reeled her back in by her shirt, but she turned, keeping her back to him which was never a good idea normally. It especially wasn't a good idea in the middle of the ocean entirely at his mercy.
"Ah ah ah," he said, his lips tickling her ear. His arms were wrapped around her now, his body pressed firmly against hers from behind. "See, we Shadow Men don't accept apologies. We take payments." His fingers which moved like flames across her icy skin tingled up her throat, to her chin, and turned her head towards him. Suddenly looking into those blue eyes while momentarily glancing at his lingering lips made Jenny feel certain she was going to be eaten alive at any moment. "What exactly will you give me, Jenny?"
He sounded so threatening in the question that a spark of fear struck through her. God, it was like back in the more games store, when Jenny first met him. So carefree. So mischievous. Such a player.
And Jenny liked it.
Before she could think about it, she faced him, having to kick her legs to keep herself afloat. "What is it this time?" With every word she moved closer, putting her hands on his shoulders and leaning in ever so close. "Another riddle? Three gold coins? Or…a kiss?"
An alarm was going off. She never acted this way. Never. She had never even played like this with-The alarm was ringing, and Jenny ignored it.
She could tell she had him by the way his eyes widened and his grip tightened on her hips. Just as he was tilting his head up to meet her lips, Jenny shoved all her weight on him, forcing him under the surface, and jumping away before he could pop back up. But, as if he saw it coming, something dragged her under right after him.
It was so sudden that Jenny's eyes opened under the water, and before she could panic and resurface for air, something brushed her leg. She turned and a pair of white jaws went swimming by. A shark, and a big one at that, passed right by her, not even three feet away. She saw another one in the corner of her eyes and she swam back up with fear eating at her heart.
"Julian!"
His chuckle was cruel, but oh, so playful. "What's the matter, Jenny? Don't like the fish?"
"That's not funny," she snapped, but as soon as she looked back at him another one brushed her leg. Then another, causing her to frantically paddle backwards until she hit Julian; it was only then did the sharks stop hunting her and began circling the two of them. When Jenny tried to move away, a shark would come closer. If she simply let go of Julian, she would feel one brush against her feet.
"I'll call them off…." Julian let the words trail off until Jenny looked back at him. Before she could insult him one bumped her hard, teeth scraping against her skin, and she practically jumped on top of the Shadow Man.
The trap was obvious because now she was completely against him, staying up only by clinging to his shoulders with his hands upon her back. Her knees were clenched to his waist, keeping her above the surface, leaning over Julian's head-who had it tilted back to meet her flustered gaze. He held her there, staring into her eyes with such a wild smile-so pleased to have her caught.
Jenny couldn't do anything but sigh. "You're despicable. You know that?"
Julian's amusement only increased. It shone in his eyes so much they were an electric blue. "But of course."
Jenny didn't know why she didn't turn her head or swim away. She knew he wouldn't let the sharks hurt her. She knew he couldn't force her. And she knew he was going to kiss her, as payment, and yet she still let him. Maybe the cold had numbed her common sense, or made the heat of his body seem so warm that it was addicting, and that was why she allowed him to pull her completely into his embrace; to the point where her upper half of her body was out of the water and leaning on him, literally drowning in the twilight kisses he was giving. And when his lips moved across her cheek and to her neck the shivers she received traveled to her very core and she lost herself.
The next thing she knew, she was laying on the shore. Her legs were being hit by the crashing waves while little shocks of electricity were sparking everywhere Julian touched. His hands were simply running down her arms, across her stomach, and it just felt…felt so good. When the water would seep up her back, the icy touch would shock her enough to arch her back-right into Julian's touch. His hands were wide enough to grasp her whole body, sliding up her stomach to her ribs dangerously slow. Instead of tickling her, this time his touch sparked something-lit a fire deep down inside her gut; one that was excited and wild and untamable-
By anyone except for Julian.
And his lips-God, when he gently kissed her neck and left a trail around her throat to the other side, Jenny was completely lost in it, sparking that wild side even further. She didn't know how long he did it for, but Jenny understood how someone could get seduced so easily by the Shadow Men-He had done it before, hadn't he? But Jenny had never even paid attention to any of it. She had always ignored it, but now-
Now she was pulling his face down to hers. Now she was paying attention to the white-hot kisses. She was noticing the pleasure of his lips against hers, of his body resting atop of hers, of the silk running between her fingers as her hands came into his hair.
Something pinched in her palm-something painful and sudden that seemed to wake her up. She looked to her hands and could clearly re-imagine what they looked like hours ago-bloody and dismembered, shredded and lost. She almost lost her hands and now…..
Julian finally picked himself off of her, pushing off the sand to gaze down at her. The sun shone off his wet body, making everything up to his hair glisten like diamonds. If Jenny thought she had seen Julian looking feral before, then this was ten degrees beyond feral. His eyes were wild now, exalted with the thrill, making those blue eyes seem even more impossible. The sight of him above her-trapped under him, with her skin still burning from where he touched-where he kissed- It made her stomach drop, and she pulled away.
At least, she tried to, but Julian didn't even bother to move, keeping her there, gazing down at her. He was caressing her with his gaze alone, not having to touch her-not having to say a word. Yet, somehow looking at her was enough. Just by looking at her, Jenny forgot where they were. She forgot what they were running from. She forgot that time existed. She forgot that he was inhuman. She forgot that after everything that had happened and suddenly being here-she forgot about ever hating him.
He let the back of his fingers gently drag down her cheek, across her chin, onto her throat. He was gazing at her, but not so much into like he usually did, seeing things no one else could see, not even Jenny. No, this time he was merely staring at her flawless skin and golden hair; how all that she was, all of her entire being was here in his hands-was his. She was his.
Surprisingly, Jenny found herself touching him, too. Her hand lifted, feeling as though it weighed a ton, and softly rested on his cheek. He was only surprised for a moment before he closed his eyes in bliss at her touch. Then he pulled her hand off and kissed it, his lips burning like the raw touch of ice. He kissed her fingers, her wrist, her arm, her shoulder-before he got to her lips, Jenny heard herself say, "Do you really think we'll be able to stop them?"
She meant his ancestors, of course. If stopping them, and getting her friends back, and staying in one piece was really possible.
Julian lifted his head, making sure there was as little space between their faces as possible. He could've said something cocky. He could've not answered her at all. Yet, seeing her under him like this, completely relaxed, entirely vulnerable with sand in her hair, the water crashing behind them-everything so alien, everything unknown-everything his- made something inside him cringe.
And that was fear. The fear of losing her. Of losing this-this moment-right here right now.
His eyes darkened for a moment. Jenny had only seen a look similar to this when she was in danger-in the cave, when she was suffocating, when she almost lost her hands. "I'll do everything in my power to keep you alive."
Jenny wanted to say something. She needed to. She had to, but Julian silenced her with a kiss-a soft, mundane kiss that made even the ocean hiss into silence.
She had been staring at the door since Julian brought her back. It hadn't been long. She had stared, changed her clothes, stared some more, found some shoes, and returned to staring again. She knew it would bring her to her friends this time. Where they were or what they were doing wasn't the problem. It was just simply…well, her friends. How only half of them were there, and how one of them…
Jenny finally found the strength in her legs to move and opened the door. She had been through worse than this. Hell, she had walked through fire before-real or not. She could walk through the damn door and deal with what was on the other side. A little heartache, a little guilt. It wouldn't matter soon anyway. Even if Julian swore to protect her, how else were they going to stop his ancestors without her death?
She was expecting a simple room, maybe her grandfather's living room again-maybe even a room from one of their memories-like Abba's room from Dee's mind. She wasn't expecting the school library. She entered from between two large bookcases that led into the corridors of other bookcases and halls of knowledge that their school held. For a school library it was very nice; two stories, a lobby on each floor, some of the tallest bookcases in the most labyrinth-maze like structure ever built. It was so easy to scare someone by hiding behind one of the corners.
Walking out, she was on the second floor. The main table in the center reading lobby was scattered with food wrappers, opened magazines and papers, as if a messy study group had just left. Behind it was the railing that curved into two staircases, leading down to the replica reading lobby with a matching table and chairs. Jenny could hear their voices echoing from below. She moved carefully to the balcony, the metal railing cold under her grip.
They were right there. Dee was kicked back in a chair, her army boots on the table, not even looking at the magazine in her hands. Michael was across from her, hunched over and eating something out of a Styrofoam carton. Between them, off to the side, was Tom, lying face-down on a couch. His back was covered in bandages and gauze-bloody gauze.
They were alright-seemed like it. Michael was even laughing, until he looked up and saw her. "Jenny!"
Instantly they jumped up, mind Tom who could only sit up on his elbows. Jenny met them half-way down the stairs where Michael hugged her like a child who missed their sibling. Dee embraced her like a warrior, patting her on the back and smiling proudly.
"We were a little worried," Michael began loudly until something snagged in his throat and his voice slowly trailed off, "When Julian-suddenly dragged you off….like that…."
"We knew you were all right," Dee said with a wide grin. "Shadow demons can't get rid of us!"
Jenny barely held her smile. "Yeah. Just…needed a little time to heal, right?" She lifted her hands for emphasis, watching their reactions go from utter disbelief to complete relief.
Michael was saying something about more information they found on the Egyptians power, but once he stepped out of the way for her, Jenny was parallel to Tom. He was looking at her over his shoulder, but he dared not say anything. Maybe he should have. Maybe she should have said something, but as Dee and Michael backed off, there really wasn't anything left to say.
And odd enough, Jenny wasn't upset by it. She wasn't holding back tears or unable to look at him like she thought. She wasn't happy by the situation, but she wasn't breaking down either. In fact, she was damn relieved to see Tom in front of her; of the boy she loved with two of her good friends safe and sound. And to show it, she walked over to him without a word. Before he could say something, she leaned down and kissed him on the head. It wasn't much, but at least she wasn't angry at him. She even managed a small smile from him, not the Tom Locke smirk, but Tom Locke, nonetheless.
"How's your back?" She asked as she sat on the side table in front of his couch.
"Numb," he answered a little sheepishly. He laughed a little after, nervously, oddly. "Don't know if that's a good thing or not."
"I think it is."
Dee jumped into the conversation with, "Hey, you're not dead, right? I'm happy about that."
Michael cheered with a soda in hand. "Yeah!"
"Me, too," Jenny added. It didn't come out as chipper or relaxed as the others. No, it came out much more relieved, more honest. Tom looked at her and there was something unsaid in his eyes, something sad and right at the tip of his tongue. Due to it, there was a change in the tone of the air.
Dee noticed it more than Michael, call it girl's instinct. So she started to pull him away. "We'll go get the books we found." Before the spaniel could argue she shoved him away down a hall.
It was only silent for a minute before Tom dropped his head. "Jenny, I-"
"I know."
"No, no, you don't!" He looked back up. "Jenny, I-I never meant to… God, I'm so stupid. They should've taken me, not-"
"Shut up." Jenny was surprised by how strict she sounded, but it got his attention. "Don't ever say that. You don't deserve that. No one does."
"But-"
'Tom, I… I'm never going to like what you did, but…You're right. We were broken up. And we were….Everything was messed up. What happened wasn't just your fault. I don't have the right to blame you for everything…"
"I never meant to hurt you, Jenny. I just…felt so wrong. With him and you and everything-"
"I know…"
There was a pause. Then, despite the pain, Tom forced himself to sit up more. He reached out and grabbed her hand. The touch wasn't as comforting as Jenny wished it could be. "I love you, Jenny. I always will. But…"
Now she felt like crying. Not because what they had was officially over once and for all, but because after everything he stilled loved her. And she still loved him, of course. And at that moment she wished things had gone better; she really had. She wished Julian had never came into her life. She wished everything would just disappear and Tom would hug her and walk her home like before.
But then again, she was thankful Julian had appeared. It was looking into her love's eyes right now that made her realize she was thankful for everything. As cliché as it sounded, she was. She loved everything. She loved them all.
And to lose it all so suddenly…. It hurt, but apart of her had hardened. The part of her that Julian had changed, she assumed, had made her strong enough to accept it.
"I love you, too. I'm sorry."
"Me, too." He gave her hand a squeeze, then let it go as he hissed in pain. He dropped back down, groaning at the open lashes still in his back. Jenny put a hand on his shoulder until the tension in him relaxed as the pain settled. After, they looked back at each other, and laughed.
They were stupid. They were all really, really stupid.
Jenny wiped away the few tears she allowed to pass through while Tom rested his head on the arm of the couch. "So," he said tiredly. "You'll still come to my games, right?" Then he added, almost cautiously, "Thorny?"
Jenny started to answer automatically until something pinched inside her. She was stabbed with guilt with the fact that of course she wouldn't be there. There was even the chance that he wouldn't be playing, even if he did make it home-not with those injuries. The old nickname didn't help at all. Still she choked out, "I'll be in the front row-with Summer and everyone."
The surprise registered in his eyes, but he couldn't respond. Jenny stood up right as Dee and Michael came back from the corridor of books, arms full of novels. Judging by the odd look in their eyes, they heard everything.
"I already swore to it," Jenny said. "This game doesn't end without them coming back. All of them." Then Jenny gave a look around them, knowing that if the Shadow Men could hear her they would know she was talking directly to them. "We're getting them all back. Alive. Summer. Zach. And Audrey. This ends. Now."
A light flickered on then. It caused Michaels' ears to perk up, and Dee to smile. "Hell yeah!"
…
"Jenny, wake up."
Jenny jumped awake, lifting her head from the table. Oh, God, how long had she been asleep? Sheesh, she forgot how much swimming takes out of her. She immediately sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Sorry, sorry-Where were we?"
"We did it."
"Did what?"
"We can use the Egyptian runes!" Dee all but shrieked from excitement, which was odd coming from level-headed Dee. "Look, see, it's these symbols here." Grabbing the heavy leather book of her Grandfather's, she placed it before Jenny and pointed out each marking. "It's the ones for light and travel, like a bridge, you know? It makes, like, a light tunnel. They actually used these to move."
"What?" Jenny couldn't wrap her head around it. "What do you mean?"
Michael was right beside her, his cocker spaniel eyes shining and tail wagging. "It's a lot like the runes. We have to mark the territory and activate it somehow, only this time we don't need blood. Show her Dee."
"No. I did it first. You try it."
"No way! What if I get stuck?!"
"C'mon, you baby."
Michael pouted, but the temptation was obvious by the slight bite of his lip, and he gave in. "Okay, okay, watch."
He ran over to the back of one of the tall bookcases behind Jenny and using the small pocket knife he carved the two symbols into the wood, almost overlapping each other. Then he grabbed a couple lamps from one of the working desks and turned them on, pointed at the markings in the wood. He pushed them back far enough where the light covered most of the bookcase.
"Now, now, do it, Dee."
A couple rows down, Dee did the same only without the lamps after Michael tossed her the knife. Once everything was set, Michael was basically jumping in place. "'Kay, Jenny, ready?"
"Sure?"
He said the runes aloud, starting with Atum-Ra, the symbol for light. Then he said "Ankh," the symbol for eternal breath as he drew a straight line across his lips. Then he put his hand on the wood, over the carvings, and finished with "Djew."
Jenny didn't know what happened. She must've blinked and missed it. Something twinged in the air. All three lamps flickered and sparked out almost instantly-And Michael was gone. Jenny almost jumped out of her chair until he appeared from the bookcases a couple rows down where Dee was-Where she had carved the runes.
"Ta-da!" he gave a few proud bows even though Jenny was too stunned to applaud.
"How in the hell-"
"Dee did it first!"
Jenny's wide gaze shot to her, but the warrior shrugged mildly. "I was the test baby. Tom figured it out."
Amazed, Jenny spun on her heels to Tom who laid carefully on his side now, trying not to look too proud. "We figured…what were they using them for? Besides mummification, we learned they were probably using them in the pyramids."
"It's like teleportation," Michael was rambling, like it was some kind of new video game that he was suddenly an expert on. "The light is the energy source. The-The Ankh, that is used to be able to breathe between the dimensions. The bridge is made through the light and depending on how much light there is, we guess, you can freaking get somewhere else!"
"But the symbols have to be carved on the other side of your destination, through something solid, obviously. That way this little light tunnel we make has somewhere to end."
Tom cut back in. "It makes sense for the pyramids. It was how they were able to make the perfect death traps for their pharaohs and stuff without getting lost themselves. They just carved the symbols in as they went and…teleported out."
"And no one else could get out, even if they knew how to use the symbols-"
"-because there's no more light in the pyramids!"
Jenny had to remind herself how to breathe. She even had to sit herself back down. It was…impossible! "Oh my God… Guys, This… That's amazing!"
Dee sat back down with her. "We were thinking-while you were gone- What if we made this into a trap? With the Shadow Men?"
Michael added. "They can't use this power, so they can't stop us."
"We'd be using light against dark!"
"But," Tom jumped in, "that will only surprise them. We would just-slip through their fingers. They would just turn around and grab us-"
"But it's a freaking light tunnel. If we can alter it somehow-"
Dee interrupted Michael, "But how are we going to do that? If we want to make it into a trap, we'd have to erase the other side while they're still in there. If it's even possible."
"But wouldn't that just stun them?" Tom rebutted. "That won't just make 'em give up. How are we supposed to get the upper hand?"
A thought came to Jenny then. "Maybe Julian could help." It struck an odd chord in the room, of course, but by now the group seemed to be used to it. "Maybe he could cause a distraction of some kind, or we cause the distraction with these symbols and he could, like, lock them down-like Dee said. Force them to give us back Summer and them."
Dee shrugged. "That could work. Maybe he can open up where he's keeping them and we could do a retrieval run."
"Oh, I don't like that." Michael whined as he came back around the table, standing by Tom. "What if we get stuck in there? Then we're all screwed!"
"He wouldn't let that happen." Surprisingly, it was Tom who said that, and he said it with complete proper honestly. "At least not to Jenny."
"Well that's a given."
Jenny felt her eyes grow a little heavy. Her mind was trying to fall back asleep. Somehow she didn't think Julian would come and rescue her for a nap this time.
Rescue her… Like the cave. What exactly had they talked about in the cave? They had talked about Julian.. About the Shadow Men. How they just exist-and how they are ended.
That's right! Julian said something about a…a stave? The Stave of Life or something. Carved in, carved out. That was right.
As soon as the thought came, it died. That was the Shadow Men's power. There was no way they could get to that. Unless…Julian could…..
"I think," Jenny heard herself say, "if we're going to stop them, we have to play their game."
"What?"
"I mean, not literally. They're playing with us. Cat and Mouse. That's what they do. It's all about games. We'll play their games of Shadows, but not without a little light."
A dangerous smile slowly crawled onto Dee's face. "The mouse strikes back. I like it."
Just like that, the words were coming out. Jenny stood up and laid more books before her, pointing and explaining. "We could build a trap, but the likeliness of that working is improbable. What we need is a game. We're playing Hide and Seek right now. So let's hide in the fireplace-" She motioned for the symbols of light. "-And light their asses on fire when they come at us. Michael, you could be the distraction-"
"What, no way!"
"Metaphorically. You're the sitting duck. Dee can be…the spark. Lead them to us. Where Tom-sorry, but with your blood we can use the runes to snag them in place. So you'll be waiting behind Michael. If we have all the symbols set up-in a line, maybe, like the stick on a dynamite, we could light it up as soon as the close is clear. If we use these symbols to move around, to get back and forth with each other, they won't be able to grab us."
Just like that, it was so clear. A plan so crazy that it just might work. It actually got everyone on their feet, mind Tom who was doing his best to sit up.
"But how will we get their attention?" Tom asked.
Michael added, "If we sit there exposed they'll attack from somewhere else-we'll get screwed."
Jenny thought on it for a minute and it was the list of runes that told her the answer. She could see it so easily-she had always seen it. But now…
"Me," she answered tightly.
Tom immediately interrupted, "No."
"I'm the one-"
"No, Jenny!"
"We already said so, Sunshine." Dee grabbed her hand. "No sacrifices."
Jenny pulled away. "No, I have to-With Julian. He won't let them take me. If I get their attention, Julian could help me get back to you guys-help us activate the trap."
There was a pause-one where the hope of this plan actually working was slowly rising. Until Michael said, "And? What if it doesn't work?"
"What if he can't protect you?" Tom snapped. He actually pulled himself to sit up, hovering painfully over a knee that he tucked up on the couch. "What if they take you? Then what? Then we're-"
"Then you go home!" Jenny was surprised she had snapped back. "They can't take you unless you're with-Ugh! Look, this can work. What else can we do?"
She could see the doubt in their eyes. She'd be crazy to admit this plan was foolproof. She didn't even know if Julian would agree to it. But she watched her friends slowly accept it, slowly begin to nod and sigh away the frustration-the fear.
"Fine," Tom said. "Say it does work. Say you can get their attention and Julian drags you away at the last second. Then they chase Dee to Michael and they come to me where we do what?"
"You sit in your own trap. One that'll-hurt them or trap them," Jenny answered.
Michael added, "But there's more of those things, right? What's to stop them from attacking us, too?"
"The right," Dee answered simply. "First of all, they don't have that. And second, the Shadow Men don't seem very resentful. They dragged their own kind into Limbo for entertainment. I don't think they'll be willing to help a few cousins out now."
"Yeah, that's true."
Jenny was so shocked she could cry. This could actually work. They could actually end this. Even now they were pulling together the Egyptian symbols they found, figuring out which ones could work together and which ones would not. Then throw in the runes and-
She immediately reached for her grandfather's book; the one that had been laid out in front of her the whole time. She saw something small move and blamed it on the lack of sleep. That was until the words she started to read really did move-across the page. The ink all but melted through the paper, soaking up something inhuman.
Jenny had seen hallucinations before. She had seen the Ancient Shadow Man's tricks. She should've been used to them in the slightest bit or at least prepared to fight it in some way-but still she gasped aloud.
The print on the paper swirled and morphed, as if the ink was liquefied again. The letters turned to figure-four in fact. Two very curvy ones, one wide, and one flat-no, injured. That one was Tom. By himself, sitting alone in the trap. The other was Michael-and Dee. She knew just by seeing the ink mystically flow across the papers.
It was their plan, she realized. The one they were just forming, the one where Dee led them Michael, who led them to Tom and the trap. She could see them working it out, the figures followed by a hazy grey form-the Shadow Men. When right in the middle of the awkward movements, something like black flames came up from the bottom bindings of the book and enveloped them all. The figures faded in a blink.
The cloud moved. Two more figures appeared. A shiver up her spine told her it was her-her and Julian, being the distraction. As soon as they appeared, something happen. The page ripped, making her jump. The figure representing Julian in such sharp, clear lines seemed to be torn apart, little dots and markings of the ink spreading away, thinning out until there was nothing. Then the grey cloud consumed her figure.
They were stupid. They were so stupid, she realized.
The page turned, the ink melted more. Another page. The words were different. They moved around, shifted into one single sentence. One more page. Then they were all flipping. In an instant the book slammed closed, slapping the whole library into silence.
It was their plan. They showed her the trap they just made up. They showed it falling apart.
They knew. The Shadow Men knew. They always knew. They were five steps ahead of them. They've known everything all along and now they knew their plan-their only plan. And they were going to stop her-her friends-even Julian. They were all going to die.
The touch on Jenny's shoulder was cold. She didn't bother to look up to see which friend was yelling at her. She could hear the panic starting to grow, which means they had seen something, too. They saw the book, maybe they saw the images, but not the sentence. No, she knew without being told. They wanted her and her alone to see that.
Just like that, all hope in the world died. Just from that one line:
"What was it? Hey-Jenny! Did they show you something? Jenny, answer me!"
And seven stars fell into darkness from the choice of one comet…
Meaning seven were going to die because of one-of her. Unless there was a trade valuable enough-one for the price of seven. Which meant going back to plan A.
"Jenny, what did you see?"
"N-Nothing," she heard herself say. "It was nothing. Let's get back to work…."
Jesus these chapters just get longer and longer. So um yeah, nearing the end here. I think the next chapter will be the last…depending on how much I type, it might be in two parts, otherwise its almost over! Gosh! So much progress since the first chapter. Anyway, about the next chapter it might be rated M for a very mature scene. I'm not too sure how I'm going to write this yet but I'm giving a warning now so be advised. I don't want to ruin the story so…we'll see what happens J review please!
Until my next update.