Disclaimer:
See Chapter 1.
Dedication:
Don't usually do this but, thanks to everyone who has reviewed (and also continues to do so) it warms the cockles of my cold heart ;D
This chapter is for Kaia Moonchild, Harry2 and TrueDarkHero. You guys rock.
Chapter 9: Bite to Break the Skin (Part 2)
Emma was staring at a sea of people. The mass heaved and swelled as the bright sunlight glinted off the plastic suits and gaudy jewellery. It was disorientating to say the least. However, one figure, face hidden beneath the depths of it's hood, caught her eye and she started forward. Dressed in a large dark battered hooded top and torn jeans, Jezebel looked quite the predator amongst the more conservatively dressed business sheep. With effortless agility, she slipped through the crowd, appearing to accidentally jostle people here and there. Then Emma recognised the calculated precision behind her actions. It was something she'd witnessed Remy do many times before.
She was stealing.
As she broke out of the crowd and rounded a corner, Jezebel suddenly slumped against the wall and cradled her head in her hands. Emma ran to her side and crouched uselessly beside her. She could hear her muttering.
"Fuck me, shut up, shut up, just shut the fuck up!" Her voice was hoarse and strained with pain. "I'm not like her, I'm not, I'm not sick, I'm not sick…Mum was sick, but I'm not…I'm normal!" She cried out in anguished tones, sweat beading on her forehead. Emma felt so helpless at sudden shift; there was nothing she could do to alleviate the situation. But she thought she understood Jez's problem; her mental shields were unable to handle the bulky mass of minds that the crowd represented. Thankfully, Gareth chose that moment to appear.
"Jez!" She didn't look up. "God damnit, Jez! I told you to tell me if the headaches came back!" He spoke with the kind of anger that stems solely from fear and concern.
"They never left…" She mumbled brokenly.
"What!"
"Got weaker, faded, never completely left…The white shark hunts me."
"What?"
"So many voices, can't stop talking. Do they know I can hear them?"
"Jez, kiddo, you're scaring me." Gareth knelt in front of her and shook her shoulders lightly, "snap out of it."
"Mum heard them too…She'd tell me about them when I was little… scared me…Then they took her away…Don't let them take me!" She suddenly became frantic, grasping his face and staring wildly into his eyes. "The white shark wants what is his, but if he catches us, we will be the prey!"
"Shh, shhh…It's alright. C'mon, let's get out of here." He moved behind her and hooked his hands underneath her armpits, hoisting her upwards and slinging her arm round his shoulder.
"We've got to stop meeting like this," He joked, half-heartedly.
"He comes…Why white? Such a pure colour…Not meant for scum…Only She should wear it…"whispered Jez, eyes becoming unfocused. "Anger and greed…Not good," She took a breath and sighed out, "run. He will hurt you…"
A razor-sharp voice cut into their conversation. "Hello Jezebel." Emma spun and saw a tall, heavy-set hairy man wearing a pristine white suit, leaning against a wall, observing Jez and Gareth. He was wearing vast amounts of cheap, chunky gold jewellery, had greasy slicked back black hair and a thin pencil moustache. He exuded an undeniable sense of menace and danger. "Well you have had me worried, luvvie, running off as you did. I've been looking for you for some time…I was afraid something had happened to you…And that would've been a shame, wouldn't it?"
"Fuck me wiv an iron pole…" Gareth muttered under his breath. The man was smiling, the expression eerily reminiscent of that of a shark's. Gareth really couldn't run with the weight of Jez holding him back. Despite this, he gave no sign he even thought of abandoning her. Instead, he pushed her behind him and stepped forward to meet their fate. "What do you want?"
"Jezebel knows what I want, don't you luvvie?" The man said, grinning evilly.
"No more. No more. Don't need, never helps. Always give MORE and they never go away…" Jez murmured, refusing to look at the man and hiding her face within the shadowy depths of her hood.
"Let her alone. Jez get out o' 'ere!" Shouted Gareth. The dark threat this man presented was obscene somehow in the bright light of day. Daylight should've been protection against such things and this failure added a confused sense of betrayal to the scene. Jez was incapable of moving, still lost in wherever it was she had gone and muttering inaudibly to herself.
"You aren't going anywhere. I want my money Jezebel. You owe me."
A confused look passed over Gareth's face. " 'Ow do you know Jez? What money?"
"She didn't tell you about me? Ah Jezebel, you little minx. Not telling your boyfriend about your uncle Jon." He gave what was probably meant to be a paternal smile. It wasn't. "This little bitch owes me fifty-two thousand three hundred and sixty pounds, fifty pence. But I can let that fifty pence go seeing as she's so dear to my heart."
"What for?" Gareth tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his hurt and confusion at Jez's deception and his horror at the amount of money owed was obvious.
"Well," Jon seemed to be enjoying Gareth's ignorance, "Seems after her poor mum's incarceration, the medical bills started to pile up. There's no NHS provision for private mental health care…So out of the kindness of my heart, I offered to loan her the money to allow her mother to stay in a proper medical institution…But then the poor thing started to have the same problems she did. And of course who else could she turn to but her loving uncle to help her. Unfortunately," Here he swept his arms wide in a show of fake regret, "even for my beloved niece I couldn't keep supplying her with the cure for free. Heroin is so expensive nowadays…"
"You gave her heroin for headaches!" Gareth exclaimed, horrified. Emma could only watch in shock as the drama was acted out in front of her.
The large man tutted. "Why not? Heroin was and still is used by doctors as treatment for acute pain. I think you are underestimating the sheer agony of these headaches little Jezebel has."
"You killed her." Jez's voice was quiet but clear. "Pain, blood and tears were wept before she died. Long after she ceased to speak she still screamed her suffering…"
"SHUT UP!" Jon shouted loudly, spittle flying. "You crazy little bitch, you don't know what you're talking about! Either give me my money now, or I'll take you home and make you work it off!" She whimpered, huddling into her hood, as he took several steps forward. Gareth mirrored his movements, trying to block him.
It didn't work. Futilely, Gareth swung a punch at his stomach, which was intercepted with a mocking laugh. "Nice try, boy." He gripped Gareth's hand in his own meaty fist and squeezed. Gareth let out an agonised yelp. He retaliated by kneeing Jon in the stomach and made him let out a startled huff of air. "You're pissing me off, you little wanker!" He kicked viciously out at Gareth's legs and he fell to the floor, groaning. Gareth tried to roll away from the hard blows raining down upon him, but it only made the man angrier and hit harder. The thud of cloth hitting flesh was dull and wet.
Emma was watching, jaw tense and hands clenching by her sides in repressed rage. Her eyes were reduced to glacial slits at the scene in front of her. What made this infinitely worse to watch, was to know that Jezebel had already lived this and there was nothing she could do to regain her innocence or avoid the pain. She was also wondering at Jez's powers. Had she been manifesting such finely tuned power at this age and before, even managing to recognise specific minds?
Her thoughts were cut short by the subject of them abruptly rising to her feet, hood falling back from her face and revealing it to be flush with anger and eyes flashing with rage.
"Jonas Gregory Smith." She intoned. He looked up so sharply in surprise, Emma was sure he had whiplash. The fury in Jez's voice was frightening to hear, but it was something else, something indefinable, that that made him step away from Gareth as though he'd been burned. He loomed over Jez, who stared up at him, amber eyes glinting with barely leashed rage. Emma's fists clenched, anticipating the blow to fall.
Instead, Jon crumpled to the ground, whimpering and mewling in pain and clasping his head. Emma could see blood leaking out of most of the orifices on his face. Jezebel looked down on he writhing on the ground before her and a completely feral smile, almost devoid of humanity crept across her face. "Can you feel it?" She whispered as if imparting a dark secret. "Know pain as I have known it." He let out a choked, strangled sound, his eyes rolling wildly back in his head and then went limp. His suit was spattered with red down the front from his nose, eyelids, mouth and ears. There was a yellow stain spreading from his crotch. Apparently he'd lost, or been forced to lose, control of his bladder and bowels.
The smell was disgusting.
Jezebel blinked. The frightening fury in her eyes flickered and then died. "Not again…It wasn't me…" She whispered in horror, staring at the bloodied man lying at her feet. Emma stared at the body too, remembering the same horror she'd felt when she'd manipulated a gang who'd kidnapped her into killing each other. That she hadn't meant for it to happen made no difference.
That had been the day she'd realised the world wasn't as black and white as she'd thought.
And despite what she knew some of the X-men would say, she couldn't find it in her to condemn Jezebel for protecting herself and her surrogate brother by using her powers. She understood the fear of watching a loved one get hurt and would not wish it upon anyone. Seeing Troy, the man who'd selflessly taken her in when she ran away from her family, killed by the gang he'd gotten mixed up in, right before her eyes was enough to haunt her dreams for many nights. And then when the same had happened to her Hellions…She was just glad Jezebel had been saved that at least…
"Gareth?" Jez called shakily, moving gingerly around the fallen man and racing over to him.
He groaned. "Ah, fuck, it hurts…" He sat up, cradling his stomach, "Jez? You alright?" She nodded. She seemed much better, eyes clear and alert and her body taut with readiness.
"He isn't though." She said, jerking her head in Jonas' direction.
"Well, give me wings and call me a fucking fairy…What happened?" He asked, amazed.
She ignored his question. "We've got to get out of here, he's never alone for very long. He'll have some friends looking for him soon. I'm surprised he didn't have any now for that matter." Thankfully, he went along with it.
"Let's go to that shop I was telling you about." She nodded and they set off down the alley in the opposite direction to the bustling street. Obviously they didn't want anyone remembering them coming out there. They hurried off into the warren of back streets that was London, Gareth seemingly none the worse for his experience. Emma followed at a more sedate pace behind them.
Their silence was broken by Gareth after they'd got a reasonable distance from the alley. "Jezebel…What happened back there? What was wrong with you? Who exactly was that fuckin' wank-shite?" He asked, cutting straight to the chase.
Jez sucked in a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair, managing to settle all of the errant hairs that were sticking up, flat. It was a nervous and endearing gesture that Emma couldn't help be charmed by. "Gareth…You wouldn't abandon me, right? You'll stay with me no matter what, right?" Dodging out of the way of a set of dustbins, he turned his head looking over his shoulder and stared seriously into her anxious gaze.
"Kiddo, despite all this bollocks going down that I really don't understand, I can safely say that nothing will ever make me do that to you. You're my 'little sister', I could never abandon you."
She gave a watery smile. "I love you too." His grave expression vanished and he smiled back. "I suppose I should start at the beginning…"She exhaled and then sucked in a fortifying breath. "My mum had…problems…When I was a few years old she'd already started shouting at people who weren't there. She had delusions, believed people said things that they didn't…Tried to block them out with alcohol and anything else she could get hold off…She lost everyone but me. I was only a child…She used to say I gave her peace because I 'didn't talk loud'. She didn't send me to school, I just ran riot around the neighbourhood," She shook her head. "suffice to say, the neighbours eventually reported her to the social workers…and they had her put away faster than you can say 'psycho'…She ended up in some dingy 'correctional facility' for women and they didn't even bother to try and help her. She was doped up to the gills most of the time and I never was allowed to visit her. My social worker sent me to live with my dear aunt and uncle…" Here she paused and her hazel eyes narrowed dangerously at an old anger.
"Let me guess, your uncle was a little too friendly?" Asked Gareth bitterly, Jez's mouth fell open and she stared at him wide-eyed. There was a long, awkward silence. Gareth sighed and shut his eyes, massaging the closed lids with both fingers and thumbs. Emma watched Jez eye him apprehensively. After a moment he spoke. "…Sorry. Something like that happened to me…and my own family wouldn't believe me. Told me I was a 'dirty minded faggot' who 'projects his own perverted desires onto others'. They disowned me after I kicked the fucker in the balls." A savage smile crossed his face. "But it was worth it."
Looking pained, she replied. "…No …Sometimes I imagined he was saying some weird and pervy things…But I was off my head half the time because of the headaches and then from heroin…I was never certain if what I was hearing or seeing was real…I hated living with them. My aunt was my mum's sister and she was completely under Jon's thumb. He ruled the house, her by a heroin supply because she'd do anything for the next fix, and me by pain or threatening to pull the money on mum's private healthcare…I regretted asking for it sometimes even though mum needed somewhere safe…I couldn't do anything right and paid for it. My aunt never protected me. For a long time I refused to break, but then I learned I could bend without breaking…" Jez's face was distant as she recalled the memories. "So I began to help out with his 'business'. It protected me only a little better, but it was something…I became a runner because I didn't go to school anyway and I had to find some way to pay him off that didn't involve whoring me out…So I'd go between gangs and dealers to advertise his drugs and set up meetings between them and Jon. He had his own people to back him up, so he was never worried about anything going wrong…He ruled the area we lived in. Everybody was afraid of him, even the police. That's how he got away with it." Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"What did he get away with?"
Jez's voice became remote and distant. "He used to hit me, burn me…I didn't care after awhile, it was only pain. But he used to play twisted 'games' with my aunt. He hooked her on heroin y'know? Then used to hide his stash from her. Tried to see how far she'd go for the next fix." She gave what sounded like a choked laugh. "Would you think I'm a horrible person if I said I didn't really care what happened to her? I hated her for being weak. I hated her for not caring about me. I hated her for not stopping him. I hated her for so long…But now I can't care anymore…" Her voice was full of pain and self-loathing. Emma felt something contract painfully in her chest. Her arm reached out towards Jezebel, then fell back, unseen.
"No," Gareth said quietly, accent absent and speaking with an eloquence Emma wouldn't have associated with him, "you're only human. You didn't really know her and were going through a traumatic time. She did nothing to engender your affection and that's not your fault. You were a child, you should've been the one protected. It was probably part of a defence mechanism in your mind and you can't be held responsible for it. You were focusing on keeping yourself alive. You should know by now that you can't save everyone." Jez's eyes watered, but no tears fell. Swallowing hard, she continued.
"She never gave me much affection. I was barely there to her; she only saw the next injection, the next high. But even that was better than Jon's abuse. One day he was bored and decided to test her self-control. Like a dog, y'know? Place a bowl of food in front of a starving dog and see how long it can go without eating it? He'd starved her of heroin for about a day and a half. She was crying and pleading with him and he was just laughing. The shakes and sweat had begun and she'd been vomiting most of the afternoon. He used to make me watch: "It's a life lesson for you, girl" he'd say. He left her alone in the room with the heroin and told her not to touch it or he'd break every bone in her fingers…" She stopped and didn't speak again.
"And she took it?" He prodded lightly.
Her face was blank as she replied and her tone completely devoid of expression. "All of it. I'll never forget the look on her face…For a minute her expression was one of complete ecstasy, like she had discovered another, better, world. Then it contorted in shock as her body reacted. Her heart went into overdrive while her skin and lips went blue as she stopped breathing. No sound escaped her lips, but I still imagined I could hear her crying out. She was frightened and yet at the same time relieved. She was tired of living… Jon was laughing, but I could feel he was scared. I tried to get to the phone but he stopped me. She was perfectly still and if you'd just glanced in on her, you'd swear she was just sleeping. Jon said it was "the stupid bint's own fault" and that she should've known better, but I noticed he stopped forcing the heroin on me as 'treatment' afterwards. It meant I had a harder time controlling my problems, but luckily he hadn't been giving it to me for long, so my body hadn't adapted and become addicted to it yet." Gareth gave a quiet sigh of relief.
"Thank fuck."
It was a sentiment that Emma silently echoed.
"The next week he took me with him to a particularly dodgy set-up. I think he was trying to prove her death hadn't affected him. I felt something wrong about the whole thing, but I didn't trust my senses and I couldn't my finger on exactly what it was…The deal was raided by the police. I panicked completely. I ran to a corner of the warehouse and curled up. I remember thinking; 'please don't see me please don't see me' over and over in my head. I was so messed up, I think I thought I was going to be put in prison with them…I heard footsteps coming towards me and I curled up even tighter, hoping they'd go away. Then they paused, about a stone's throw away. My heart was in my mouth, I was certain I was about to be grabbed…Then the strangest thing happened: the footsteps just carried on. They must've had a really good view of me, but they just left me there. I was too scared to move for hours, but eventually I got the courage. I never knew if the footsteps were another delusion or a random act of kindness…" She trailed off.
Gareth glanced over at her as he turned down another side street. "What happened then?" He asked gently.
"The headaches began to morph into voices more and more often. I'd hear them all the time, dozens of monologues that I just couldn't stop. When I got upset or angry the voices seemed to get even worse…I think -I know- I'm schizophrenic like my mum…I've been experiencing all the same problems she had…but I didn't say anything back then, I was too afraid they'd send me to an institute like her…and he wouldn't have paid for a good one like mum's…I ran away from Jon while he was still tied up in prison and went back to find my mum. She was on heavy-dose medication the private hospital provided her with...off her head most of the time. She refused to see me. She'd stopped eating, talking, living. She was self-medicating; said she wanted the voices to "shut the fuck up"…I've got to say, I understand the feeling…Eventually she overdosed. To the very last day, she refused to see me…it hurt. I think she didn't want to lose her resolve. If she'd seen me, she might have been guilted into staying alive and she was so tired of living… I only found out the full story after her death. The doctors didn't believe I was her daughter because I had no proof of identity…I was terrified of being traced by the police or any of Jon's mates (it didn't help the fact any ID I ever did have was locked up tight by him as well) at the time and she didn't actually want to see me even if I did have anything."
"Harsh."
She snorted in grim amusement. "That's one way of putting it. I didn't know what to do. I'd never been to school, had no proof of ID and had a violent gang leader with the police in his pocket, hot on my heels who'd be very pissed off I got away. So I ran to London. It's easy to lose yourself here. I was begging and living at Salvation Army most of the time. But I couldn't go there too often in case he had people looking out for me…Then I decided to walk through a dodgy area one night and met you." For the first time since she'd begun her story, Jez smiled. "I feel good now."
"I'm glad. I swear, there's never a dull moment with you around, kiddo. Don't worry, it just means we'll have to be more careful…" He paused and cleared his throat a little self-consciously. "I won't ever leave you." It was a promise.
There was a long, but comfortable silence as they both recovered from the intensity of their talk.
Finally Gareth broke the silence. "We're here." Emma had become so absorbed in following in listening to their conversation, she had not been paying any attention to her surroundings.
"Soho?"
"Yeah, we need to get right into the heart of it. But don't get overexcited eh? These sex shops…as interesting as their contents are…aren't what we're here for…"
Jez's pale skin turned a light shade of pink for a moment. "Lead the way." He strode forward, adopting a rolling swagger and turned the collar up on his jacket. They walked down the run-down street, Jez staring in fascination at the flashing neon signs advertising all sorts of strange things. Large double-decker buses roared past, exhausts spraying the air with thick fumes, obscuring their vision and irritating their lungs, making them cough violently.
"How come you never told me any of that before?" Shouted Gareth over the rush of traffic.
"I didn't know you well enough, I was ashamed too. And then there was never the 'right' moment. I couldn't exactly say: "Oh by the way, my mum was committed, I'm probably crazy too and I've had a completely disturbed life what with my uncle killing my aunt and being abused regularly and being forced to run drugs.". "She tried to smile, but Emma could see the hidden strain behind her hazel eyes.
"Oooh…'committed' that's a big word for an illiterate girl like you… " He grinned cockily, trying to regain their bantering air.
"Yeah? Well, unlike some, I spend most of my spare time at libraries reading..."
"The comic section doesn't count. Especially if it's got Ms. Frost in…"
"Shut up idiot!" Jez snapped and Emma saw her pale cheeks flush a light shade of pink again.
"Now, now, flattery will get you nowhere. I thought you were over that crush ages ago?" He remarked thoughtfully.
"There was no crush! Shut up!" She denied, agitated.
"Oh right, so that explains why for the past year and a half you've avidly devoured anything she turns up in and especially why you just can't shut up about anything she does…remember when she was in a coma? I thought you were going to hunt down the comic writers and kill them! AND I suppose it definitely explains why you sleep with that first picture of her you saw in your sleeping bag! "Emma's eyebrow raised and she smirked.
Well, well, well…
"Stop lying, you bloody liar! Why can't you just SHUT UP!" Jez hissed furiously at him, actually swearing in her embarrassment.
Gareth got an evil glint in his eye and began singing in a loud off-key camp voice:
"It's just, a little crush (crush)
Not like I faint everytime we touuuuch
It's just some little thing (crush)
Not like everything I dooooooo depends on yoooooooou…" The words were accompanyed by several exaggerated hip thrusts and pelvic grinds. Jez punched his arm hard and he darted away, still singing at the tops of his lungs:
"Sha la la la, sha la la la
Sha la la la, sha la la laaaaaaaa…"
They raced ahead, chasing and laughing. Emma's mouth quirked upwards fondly as she watched them. They really were…amazing, resilient…words simply failed her. To have lived through that and been able to come out of it, not unscathed, but unbowed at such a young age, took tremendous courage and strength. Jezebel was truly astounding. It gave Emma hope that she would recover now. Because really, what were her injuries now, when compared to what she'd already been through?
As she continued to watch their mock scuffling and fighting, Emma was impressed with the way Gareth had managed to completely change Jezebel's mood in such a short space of time. She seemed so happy and carefree now, darting agilely around and laughing at something he said. Iit was difficult to believe the darkness that had been revealed in the previous conversation. However Emma sensed, that somehow, today was doing a lot to heal old wounds and it was largely due to Gareth. She suspected that facing down Jon like that had also helped to banish some demons.
Eventually, they both calmed down. Or rather, Jez had Gareth in a headlock and was knuckling his head with her fist while promsing to flay him within an inch of his life unless he "ceased and desisted" all embarrassing displays. The shops and houses around them were gradually changing from industrialised conformative to more individual and quirky. The styles were also becoming more oriental and there market stalls selling all sorts of produce out of the local's houses. A small, white-bearded Chinese man tried to sell them a bag of lychee but they politely declined, with Jez stopping one of the children trying to sift through the contents of their pockets.
"So...You're gay?" Jez asked, awkwardly. Gareth glanced over at her curious, yet uncomfortable expression.
"Yeah, I'm queer as a one pound note."
She grinned. "Well, that certainly explains a lot."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, like why I caught you drooling over NorthStar in that comic last week-"Emma smirked. "Northstar" AKA Jean-Paul Beaubier, a French-Canadian mutant, was one of the few openly gay X-men. Emma knew there were more, but they stubbornly remained hidden, refusing to 'out' themselves from fear of rejection by their team-mates. She snorted. The hypocrasy within the X-men towards homosexuals was something she tried to correct and was meeting with slow progress.
"I was NOT drooling. I was appreciating."
"-Why you hit like a little baby-"
"Just 'cause I'm not a fuckin' butch like you!"
"-Why whenever we get the chance to wash, you always go first AND use all the hot water-"
"I like to be clean! You don't need it anyway, you scruffy little bint!"
"And as if that weren't enough, you spend hours doing your hair-"
"I like to look nice!"
"-When we always are filthy again an hour later…"
"That's your fault! You attract the dirt!"
Jezebel laughed aloud, a clear, joyful and melodic sound. "I'm joking, you big girl's blouse. It's doesn't explain your accent though…"
Gareth gave an embarrassed grin. "A little somethin' I cultivated."
"Oh yeah?" Jez looked sceptical.
"Well, partly it was to fit in on the street…Talking like a toff would've got me more bruises than my body could handle…"
Emma sensed there was more to the explanation. This was confirmed by Jez. "And…?"
Gareth looked slightly red now. "Ah, well…Some blokes found it very sexy…"
Jez hooted with laughter. "What did you say?" She asked then affected a heavy cockney accent. "Alrigh' darlin'…Fancy a bit of a slap an' tickle do yer?"
Gareth hmphed loudly, going red while pouting and muttered under his breath. "At least I'm not in the closet…"
Her eyes narrowed. "What's that?" She asked dangerously.
"I used to live in Dorset?" He said innocently. Emma snorted as Jez raised an eyebrow disbelievingly.
"Really…" She drawled.
"Ah! This is it." He said happily, switching her focus away from him.
They had stopped in front of a small, ramshackle shop. It had tattered, once-bright, faded banners outside. The windows were dusty with cobwebs clustering up on the inside of the window and there appeared to be no one inside.
"It's closed." Jez said, hitting the door frame in frustration. Gareth ignored her and pulled the handle. The door swung open and the jingle of a bell heralded their entrance. They stepped into the semi-darkness of the shop, their eyes needing a moment to adjust to the gloom. "How did you-?"
"歡迎" A scratchy, hoarse voice called out. Jez started, while Gareth put a calming hand on her arm.
"Relax kiddo." Then, addressing the voice, "Greetings Master Lee."
"Gareth, I have not had the pleasure of your company for quite some time." A hunched, wizened old man with a neatly braided white beard and wearing a dark purple robe, glided into view. Gareth bowed at the waist and nudged Jez in the side.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"Show some respect!" He hissed. Master Lee chuckled, his face crinkling in a friendly manner.
"Ah Gareth, there is no need for friend to bow to friend. Come, sit. I expect you have something you need assistence with…" Jez's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but Gareth showed no such signs. Master Lee ushered them into a side room and Emma stared around in interest. Lining every wall were hundreds upon hundreds of potion bottles. They were every shape and colour imaginable and each held all kinds of liquids and powders. There was a large wooden table central to room with an intricately carved cutting board on it, as well as a pestle and morter. A razor-sharp ornamental blade with a jewelery encrusted handle, lay casually on the corner of it.
The room was illuminated by an oil-lamp hanging from the ceiling and there were no windows. Depsite this, the room was oddly cool and there seemed to be a current of air filtering through.
After they had seated themselves, Gareth tried to begin, but Master Lee was having none of it. "Hush now. You both look as though you need some tea."
"I don't like tea." Jez's nose wrinkled in distaste and Gareth scolded her.
"You'll bloody well-ah sorry-ahem, what kind of englishwoman are you, anyway? Be polite."
"I think you'll like this tea Jezebel." Said Master Lee softly. Jez froze.
"How did you-?" She asked suspisciously.
"I have my ways." He said laughing. "I'll have my apprentice make it. Darren?"
"Yes Master?" A distant, youthful voice answered.
"A pot of Chamomile tea and three cups, please."
"Certainly Master." There was the sound of footsteps shuffling away.
"New apprentice?" Asked Gareth, interested and Master Lee nodded.
"Now, how may I be of service to you Jezebel?"
"How do you know I need help?"Emma watched in amusement as Gareth's head disspeared into his hands as he groaned at Jez's blunt question.
Master Lee seemed unoffended and in Emma's opinion, mildly amused. "I rarely see Gareth. When I am fortunate enough to do so, it is never for his own benefit. You are with him and he seems to care deeply for you. My conclusion was hardly a stretch. Now, how may I help you?"
Jez took a deep a breath and glanced at Gareth for reassurence and received a nod in return. She began to explain her mother's history of mental illness and the symptoms, including her eventual death. She then moved on to her own growing concerns and problems, revealing she was afraid she was schizophrenic like her mother because of them. Emma watched him carefully as he listened and noticed he seemed unsurprised by the account.
"And why do you think you have schizophrenia?" Jez stared at him.
"Master Lee, I mean no disrespect, but were you actually listening to anything I just said?" It seemed Gareth had decided to ignore Jez's behaviour at this point and was busily staring around the room.
Hearing voices isn't normal! It's a sign of madness! I mean, can you think of any other reason why I'm hearing them!"
"I'm rather surprised you can't, considering your reading choices."
Jez's brow furrowed in confusion, the wind knocked from her sails. "Huh?"
Changing the subject smoothly."And these voices…What do they say?" He asked calmly, as it were a normal, everyday query.
Jez's eyes became distant. "Depends on the voice …"
"I see."Just then, a side door opened and a young man stepped through it holding a tray with a tea pot sitting on it, steam wafting upwards from it.
"Your tea, Master." The man said, bowing after placing the cups before everyone and the pot in the centre of the table.
"Thank you Darren. This is Jezebel and Gareth. Gareth, Jezebel, this is my apprentice, Darren."Master Lee introduced them, while picking up the cup set in front of him and inhaling deeply.
"Hello." Jez said, examining him with a wary eye, while Gareth on the other hand, had a very different reaction.
"Ah, uh-Hello…er…I'm Gareth. Or Gar if you prefer…Ahah…" He stuttered and stammered,completely losing his cool and causing Jez to stare at him in amazement. Master Lee and Emma smirked at his reaction.
"Greetings. It's a pleasure to meet you both." He said, smiling charmingly at Gareth, who looked as if he'd been hit between the eyes with a hammer. An attractive, eurasian hammer with dark hair worn in a long intricate braid down it's back and a gleamingly white smile.
"Gareth, shut your gob before you catch something." Grinned Jez, cocking an eyebrow at him cheekily. She picked up her cup and sniffed cautiously.
"Shut up…" He muttered, going a dull red and cleared his throat. "Ahem, well Master Lee, I thought that you'd have something to help Jez…Is there a potion or tonic…?"
Master Lee was silent for a long moment.
"Jezebel, give me your dominant hand."
"What?"
"Palmistry is an ancient art, passed down from generation to generation. I'd like to read your palm before I decide how to help you." Looking confused, Jez nevertheless stretched forward and placed her left palm face up in his knarled old birds-feet hands. He scrutinized it, silently and tapped one finger against his lips. Then he released it. "You have travelled a long, hard road." Jez smiled mirthlessly. "The obsticles you have overcome, would've broken many far older and wiser than you."
"Thanks…" She drawled.
"But your journey is far from done. You still have many hardships yet to face and you must remain strong and unbowed, like a young sapling in the harsh north winds…"
"Great. I can't wait."The sarcasm in her voice was so thick it could've been cut with the ornamental blade on the table.
"Jez." Warned Gareth as she rolled her eyes.
"Sorry. I just don't believe in this kind of thing." Master Lee nodded understandingly. "Also, all that was pretty vague, anyone who listened to my story could've made the same assumptions. Besides it's not really going to be helpful is it?"
"Jez…"
"Well, I will give you a piece of practical advice then. Change your appearences."
"Why-Oh." A flicker of fear crossed Jez's face.
"You have made powerful enemies. The White Shark does not take being thwarted easily. But I think two boys should be able to evade capture rather easily, don't you think? Especially if their hair is changed."
"Ahem. I am a girl. Did the name not give you a clue?"Emma saw an annoyed look cross Jezebel's face and guessed the mistake had been made before.
"Jez!" Reproached Gareth.
"I was aware. But will those who are hunting you will be looking for a girl and a boy with long hair, correct? So I surmise that two boys with short hair will be able to pass unoticed." Gareth and Jez glanced at each other, seeming to communicate everything within just a look. Emma felt a flash of wistfulness. She would give anything to have a connection like that with someone…
"You'll need your hair cut this short." Gareth demonstrated, placing his hand on the lowest part of the back of her head, "Some parts'll have to be shaved into a more boyish style…"
"I'm going to need to bind these, aren't I?" She asked wearily, indicating the practically unoticable bumps underneath her baggy hoody.
Gareth grinned. "Looks like, kiddo."
"You don't actually need to cut your hair Gareth, I doubt Jon got a good look at you." Jez pointed out after a moment. "You could just dye it."
He looked taken by the idea and this was further cemented by Darren's innocent encouragement. "That's a great idea! I've got some dye upstairs, you can use it Gareth."
"Th-thank you." Gareth gave an idiotic smile and Jez snorted.
"What colour is it?" She asked sceptically.
"Blue. I think the exact tint is called 'Electric Blue'." Gareth paled slightly and Emma noticed Jez laughing silently into her hand.
He tried to back-pedal. "Oh no, I couldn't take it from you, I don't want to put you out. I'll just stea-ah buy some later."
"Oh, it's no trouble. Actually blue is my favourite colour, it'll be nice to see a friend using it." Darren reassured brightly and Jez's face went purple with the effort required to keep her laughter quiet. Gareth looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Yeah Gareth, be polite." Jez gasped delightedly, mimicking his words from before.
"Ah…well…I…" He sighed, giving in at Darren's hopeful face, "thanks. I'd be most grateful."Darren beamed happily and Emma saw Jez flick her wrist at Gareth as if cracking a whip and mouthed: 'Whipped'. Gareth sent a death glare at Jez that could've stripped paint.
"Darren, could you bring me the Cherry Plum, White Chestnut as well as Sweet, Rock Rose and Crab Apple, please." Master Lee's words were a gentle command that cut into their banter and refocused them on the matter at hand. After a brief bow, Darren started moving around the room collecting strange objects and flowers from various containers and boxes. Emma noticed with some amusement that while Jez was focused upon Master Lee's movments, Gareth could not tear his eyes away from Darren's trim body which was mostly hidden by a red and black robe.
"What are dried flowers going to do to help me?" Asked Jez disbelievingly.
Lee smiled. "Each flower has a property that will aid you in supressing those voices. The Cherry Plum removes fear of the mind giving way, White Chestnut relieves the user of unwanted thoughts, Sweet Chestnut deadens extreme mental anguish, Rock Rose is to prevent terror and Crab Apple heals self-hatred." Jez's eyes flicked sharply to his face, searching for any hidden sting behind his pleasant mask.
"But in the unlikely event it doesn't work try using Hyocaimus 200c. It's a homeopathic remedy for hearing voices, or desires to go about naked."Chipped in Darren helpfully. Gareth snorted loudly and covered his mouth with his hand, smirking at Jez's suddenly clenched jaw.
"Thank you. I'll be sure to remember that." She ground out.
"Jezebel," She glanced back at Master Lee. Emma saw that he had assembled all the plants; varying shapes and sizes of white blossoms, some with hints of pink pigment, round brown nuts and bright yellow flowers on the table top. "Would you prefer liquid or pill form?"
"Pill."
"Very well. It will take me about a week to mix and propotion all the ingredients correctly and to form the pills. You'll need to take them twice daily."
"How long will she have to take them for?" Asked Gareth worriedly.
Master Lee turned and stared into Jez's eyes. "For as long as she does not wish to listen. Remember; difference should never be reviled for difference's sake. To do so is to become both weak and foolish like those you despise." He seemed to be trying to convey something beyond his words and that's when it hit Emma. This man knew exactly what was happening! It was in the little clues he'd dropped throughout the meeting and in the way he was looking at her now. He seemed to be precognitive or perhaps something else…Emma started to wonder exactly how many people in this universe actually had mutant powers but hid, silent and afraid.
How different was this world to hers?
"That'll be for the rest of my life then." Jez remarked laconically.
He smiled mysteriously. "Perhaps. If that is the case, you will always be welcome to come here for refills. It will be free of charge as befits a friend of Gareth's." Gareth started to make protesting noises about charity but was told to shut up; loudly by Jez and kindly by Lee. He shrugged helplessly.
"Alright. I know when I'm beaten."
They stood up to leave.
"However, if you should change your mind…Neglecting to take them for one day and night should be enough to shake off their effects. Try to remain calm as well, extreme anger and other violent emotions cause the heart to work faster and burns up your metabolism which will stores the pills. Without them running through your bloodstream…Well. I think you know the consequences." He sounded grave and serious, then his mood lightened. "Come collect them in a week. Bring Gareth with you, he can show Darren around London for me, I can't get around like I used to anymore." Gareth turned an interesting shade of red again and made dangerous choking sounds. Jez grinned and whacked him on the back.
"It's not too much of an imposition, is it?"Darren interjected, hopefully.
"NO! I-I mean, of course it isn't. Ah, well-" Emma caught sight of Jez rolling her eyes as she dragged a now stammering Gareth out of the shop and smirked.
"It's just, a little crush (crush)…" Emma heard her mutter mockingly.
The scene changed…
So let me take this medicine
To quench my love
For violent things
My swan song will
Be like a bullet
Laced in anger
As the razor cuts a soft spot
On your heel.
(Each breath) is getting slower
(This war) is getting harder
To fight by myself
(Sick waves) of bitter fashion,
(Ripped down) the shields that I have
Tears rain from above.
Do you see?
The life I lead?
So follow me
Into the sun,
And I will bleed,
The poisons dry…
These bayonet scars never cease
To blind the light shed from the beast
And all we do is hate.
(Eyes shot) from constant visions.
(Angels) are rendered useless
Good has lost it's heart.
Do you see?
The life I lead?
So follow me,
Into the sun,
And I will bleed,
The poisons dry…
For you (For you)
For you (For you)
For you
Senses Fail, Bite to Break the Skin (The Legion of Dead remix)
Author Notes:
(collapses in an exhausted heap)…There. Hopefully that makes up (It bloody well better!) for the two short chapters and the embarrassingly long delay (the saga of TRYING to access this damn site -growl- not even funny so please don't hate me)
The homeopathic remedies are real and are used in treating schizophrenia (but they're not medically sanctioned, so do NOT use without talking to your doctor). As far as I could find, they are only available in liquid form and can be used just by themselves.
www dot naturallythinking dot com / product and www dot thehealingsun dot com are the sites I used for research…
Chamomile tea is used to calm the body and mind ease insomnia, lower stress, alleviate symptoms of PMS and counter allergies (in case you were wondering)
歡迎。- Simply means 'greetings' in traditional Chinese.
Some people have expressed interest in the songs…You can probably find them here: www dot kohit dot net or www dot mp3000 dot net - not sure but worth a look.
BTW - £52,360.50 is equivalent to US$99,547.80 (whistle…that's a lot of cash…)
Review! (c'mon after all that?)
I'm going to go sleep now…(snore)…