Chapter 14

The summer passed with its usual longevity. The dry heat, the long days and the few breezes that filled the valley slowed time almost to a stop. The Amazons still worked and trained as usual, but only in the early mornings and late evenings, when the heat was less. During the middle of the day, the camp fell into a sleepy languor with groups of varying sizes in the meadows, by the lake, by the river or in the shade of some trees or of a shelter.

Banned from the central part of the camp, Jack made do with spending his days in the woody groves and grassy areas by the lakeside. Jetta and Hope were almost always with him; Hope was more often present than her mother, however, and increasingly so as Jetta's 'bad days' became more frequent. At first, they had spent every day in each other's company, often with a number of Jetta's older acquaintances. Alkaia herself had spent many days with the small group, although Morgaine, the raven-haired general who had immediately seared herself into Jack's mind as a female version of Lex, tended to keep her distance and remain aloof.

On days when Jack was left alone with Hope, Jetta usually being cared for by Leila and Lana, he had often found Jewel waiting for him at the pool. They had spent many hours talking there, telling each other stories of battles and home and their respective tribes.

"It is always amusing," Jewel had said one day, "to see how people vary in their views of others, no matter how long they have known them. I remember Alice telling us about your tribe: her sister, you, your leaders. You are very like her description at first, but there is more to you than she has seen: a part of yourself you keep hidden. The others also seem very interesting people. Your leader in particular: Amber. She, I would like to meet."

"Hah, yeah, Amber's something else sometimes!" Jack laughed, playing with Hope's hands in an attempt to remain headache free for a day. "But they've all had their moments."

"Hmmm," Jewel mused, contemplating the glittering surface of the lake. "You have spoken of many such "moments", but there is something you have missed out. Something rather surprising, considering Alice's stories."

"Oh?" Jack's brow creased and he suddenly found the ground before him very interesting. "Wh-what... What's that?"

Jewel focussed her sapphire eyes on Jack's expressive countenance, readying herself to gauge his reaction.

"Ebony."

"Ah," Jack remained looking at the ground, his hand absently resting on his daughters head, preventing her from pulling herself up and into reach of his hair and causing her to swing her arms around wildly trying to grasp something that was not quite in reach.

"Alice told me what you told her."

"I see."

"Either you are very false, Jack, or loyal and dutiful to the point of stupidity!"

"Am I."

Hope finally figured out what was impeding her movement and reached chubby hands up to pull at her father's wrist. Jack glanced at her then returned his gaze to the grass before him.

"I'm needed here," he said, his voice, like his face, devoid of feeling.

"I do not dispute that. Your daughter needs you. Jetta, even, needs you. But that is not what I am referring to and you know it.

"What can I do? I can't leave. Not now, not as things are. I care for Jetta, I always have. She's the mother of my child, for Pete's sake!"

"That does not mean that you should give your heart to her when it belongs to another. She does not expect that much of you, why should anyone else?"

"I haven't given her my heart," Jack's frown deepened and he closed his eyes. "I can't and she knows that. I can give her everything else, though. Until the end."

"Even though you do not know how long that will be?"

"It doesn't matter how long. Long or short, she needs me here until then and, while I'm here, I will do everything I can to make the time she has left easier. Happier, maybe."

"You have already brought more happiness into her life than any other, Jack. You gave her Hope."

Jack's frown lessened as he looked over at his daughter, wrestling his hand out of her way, then increased as he yelled out when she grabbed his finger and bit it!

"She is growing strong, like her mother," Jewel laughed as Jack nursed his hand and cradled the troublesome infant in his other arm.

"Thanks, I think!"

"What will you do... after?"

"Head back to Liberty," Jack shrugged. "See if Ebony is willing to take me back and my daughter with me!"

"And if she is not?"

Jack grinned.

"Then I'll just have to think of a way to change her mind!"

****

Ebony sat in the furthest corner of the old electronics store. With any luck, Ellie wouldn't notice she was in here and Amber wouldn't notice she was missing. She had begun to wonder if coming back to the mall had been a good idea: it had been bad enough living there when she and Amber hated each other, now the over-enthusiastic, high-principled leader was mothering her more than she did baby Bray!

It had been around about three months since they, Ebony, Paul and Lex, had arrived back where it all started. Three months and she was still having trouble taking in all the changes! KC was back and Gel was trailing after him like a lovesick puppy. Trudy was a little more spaced than usual and kept talking about Bray, even after Ebony had told them of her experience. Luke and Ellie had married. May had left, again! Amber was pregnant, but Jay wasn't talking to her! Pride appeared to be trying to tame pigeons! And Ryan and Brady had turned into the mall's new private detectives!

It was enough to cope with when she had just got back, but the added goings on in the city and in her own life had kept her reeling. At first, it had just been a simple case of catching up on the somewhat bizarre level of news and relating her story first to Amber then, at Amber's request, to the entire mall. There had been a lot of news from both sides and, once it had all been exchanged, one might have thought life would return to simplicity but no, not here. Instead Ebony found herself trying to re-learn everything she ever knew about her fellow Mall Rats; well, apart from the fact that Trudy was a part-time fruitcake!

Lex hadn't told anyone that he had even met she and Jack in Liberty, let alone that they were now in a relationship which had been suddenly put on temporary but indefinite hold because of Jack's disappearing act! When he showed up with both Ebony and Paul in tow, everyone had rushed to ask how they were and where had they been. Everyone except Ellie. The girl still seemed to have this idea fixed in her head that Ebony was out to get rid of Jack. She knew that they had both left that same night, during the party. She knew that Ebony had come back and that Jack had not. Therefore, in her mind, she knew that that meant that Ebony must have caught up with Jack and killed him, no matter what Ebony said. Lex was no help: he and Paul had been told to stay well out of it and not say anything about Jack's, somewhat dubious, whereabouts!

Now, whenever she got the chance, Ellie would see it as her moral duty to grill Ebony on Jack's last known movements, as long as there was no one, such as Luke, there to see her. Ebony had thought she knew all the hiding places in the mall, but she'd found at least a dozen others since she'd had to hide from Ellie! She just hoped the whiny nuisance wouldn't come looking for her here!