Second Chance

Chapter 8

Kidnapped!

Jesse yawned, blinking his eyes open and stretching his limbs. Sunlight poured in from a window – his window. He was at home. How? When had he gotten home? He wracked his brain for answers, trying to figure out what had happened.

Then, it hit him. Rebuilding. Griffon's attack. Hugging Leslie when he learned she was all right... He blushed at that thought; that was the closest he'd ever gotten to a girl – he never even hugged May Belle, or any of his older sisters. Not that they would let him, either.

"Well, I'd better get up," he muttered, more for his own benefit than for anyone else's, as the room was empty. Not even May Belle was in it. He did a double take – she never woke up before him, and it was sunny. He must've slept in. "Mom and Dad are gonna be so mad..."

With that, he hurried, changing out of his clothes – which, he noticed, were the same ones he wore yesterday; he must have gone straight to bed – and walked to the living room.

The first thing that he realized was the quiet – everyone was in the living room, but no one was talking. It reminded him of when Leslie died. His father was sitting there, grim-faced.

He looked around. Nancy was sitting in the chair, sobbing softly. Even Brenda and Ellie were sitting quietly, eyes downcast and worried.

"What?" he choked out, confused. That's when he realized who was missing. "Where's May Belle?"

Jack looked at Nancy, who nodded slightly; she felt Jesse could handle it.

"She's been kidnapped during the night," he said, handing Jesse a slip of paper. "And the kidnapper left this note."

"Jesse," Jesse read out loud, his expression darkening with each word, his voice lowering dangerously. "If you ever want to see your sister again, go to..."

He gasped; it was the Ruler. He'd kidnapped her, and taken her to... Death, he supposed; Death or... The letter said Terabithia. But why? What did May Belle have to do with anything?

Then he realized. To get revenge on him, of course – the same reason the malignant ruler of the Underworld had sent Griffon the day before. This was because of him...

With that thought, Jesse knew what he had to do. He ran out the door and down the path, ignoring his parents' pleas to come back. He ran to Terabithia.

The Ruler looked at the clearing he'd chosen. It was small, but very easy to occupy. He stood on the highest point, a hill that led into the trees.

He turned to face his prisoner, a small girl – Jesse's sister. His face twisted into a mad grin. He wouldn't kill her, of course – his rules did not allow him to kill anyone who wouldn't die without his intervention – but he could make her think he would. And it was necessary for Jesse to think so.

Jesse. The boy's name made him furious, but at the same time, he felt a certain sympathy for the boy – they were kindred spirits, after all. Perhaps, if the Elders had been more understanding, he might even have befriended the boy.

But, as it was, he hated the young Washington native, with his determination and the bond he shared with Leslie, who had been a Queen during her brief stay in Death.

His musing was interrupted by Jesse's arrival. Panting, out of breath, the Terabithian king still stood there, proud, ready to strike and defend his sister.

"So," the Ruler said, smirking. "You've come. You fool."

Angrily, Jesse charged up the hill. The Ruler pulled his hand back, punching the boy in the stomach.

"It's over."

And, with that, the Ruler vanished, taking May Belle with him.

Jesse lay in the clearing, gasping for breath. The punch, combined with the winded feeling from the earlier run, had knocked his wind out of him. Slowly, he stood, worried. May Belle was gone; the Ruler had her. And he was useless; he would not be able to save her, or protect his family, or Leslie. Just like at the creek...

He hadn't saved Leslie then. It was all coming back, all the inadequacies of the past three years. The guilt of not having been there. He could've done something...

He slammed his fist into the dirt; hot tears streamed down his face. He wiped them on his sleeve.

"Jess?" Leslie's voice. "Jess!"

He sensed, rather than saw, her presence, felt her guide his hand around her neck, let her stand him up. He felt as though he was somewhere else.

Everything stopped when he lost consciousness.

Leslie knocked on the door to Jesse's house, supporting the unconscious boy. Sweat rolled down her face; she'd had to drag Jesse from the clearing.

The door opened; Nancy Aarons stood there.

"Oh, hi, Leslie," she said. "Have you seen... Oh my God... Oh my God..."

She'd seen Jesse.

"Hello, Mrs. Aarons. I found Jesse unconscious in the forest," Leslie said.

"Come on in," Nancy said. "Lay him on the couch."

Leslie dragged Jesse to the couch, setting him down gently before sitting on a stool to catch her breath.

A/N: Sorry for the delay and the length; I've had writer's block and I've been very busy. Hopefully what I wrote makes up for it in some way, though I hope I didn't write it too confusingly.