Chapter 12

After a week, everyone thought that things had gone back to normal. Too bad, the flashbacks kept coming back. They haunted Jaden's dreams, turning them into nightmares. They crept into every corner of Jaden's life. They managed to weasel their way back into Jaden's thoughts, and Jesse hadn't noticed anything.

One night, while Jesse was on a camping field trip (A.N. don't ask; I just need a way for him to be away), Jaden was shivering in his sleep. He woke up with a start and ran to the bathroom to throw up. When he was done, he looked a wreck. His eyes had dark circles under them, he was drenched in sweat, his hair was plastered to his face, and his breathing came out in harsh pants.

"What's happening? I need Jesse. But, he's gone right now. He's on that camping trip with everyone else in the Obelisk Dorms. I'll just try to go back to sleep." He tried to reassure himself and drift back into restfulness, only to be woken up again by the terrors of his nightmares.

(A few days later)

Everyone had come back from the trip, feeling refreshed and ready to return to classes. When Jesse tried to go inside his room, the door was locked. He looked through the window, but the curtains were down. Where was Jaden?

"Jay? You in there?" he called. There was no reply. Jesse figured that with all the burglars these days, Jaden was trying to be safe. He went off to look for him in the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, Jaden was deathly pale. He was, in fact, inside the bathroom. His wrists were covered in blood, as was the rest of his body. In an attempt to rid himself of the nightmares, Jaden had desperately caused pain to every patch of skin he could see. His plan worked, somewhat. Now, he could only focus on the pain searing throughout his body.

Jaden had not eaten since the day Jesse left. He couldn't really concentrate on anything, with the hallucinations he'd been having. Or were they really hallucinations? Jaden was constantly harassed by trails of dark aura and slime leaking from walls, pouring onto him. Cruel voices would taunt him, telling him that he was tainted.

Tired of it all, Jaden had moved back into his own room and kept himself locked up in there. He spent his days staring into nothingness and waiting for something. He didn't know what he was waiting for; he just knew that if he was patient, it would come. Whatever it was that he was waiting for, it would come.

(Days later)

Jesse had been looking on top of roofs and inside caves for Jaden! He had scoured every rock and piece of paper until his fingers hurt. He had searched cafeterias and bathrooms (even the old Slifer Dorm ones; and trust me, you do NOT want to go there) but to no avail. Ironic, how it had never occurred to him to check the Slifer's own room.

When Jesse finally thought of his room, he sped down there like there was no tomorrow. For Jaden, that just might have been true. Jesse found the door locked. He had called the others to help him bust the door open. It didn't work. Jesse, being nimble as he was, decided to just throw himself right through the window. Luckily, it was open and he was skinny enough to get through without breaking anything.

Alexis was worried about Jaden, and quickly slipped in after Jesse. Chazz, not willing to admit that he was worried too, slowly crawled in. Syrus was having a minor nervous breakdown, but managed to climb through too. Everyone else couldn't fit, so they waited for them to open the door.

Jesse stared at the door. It was completely boarded up! No wonder they couldn't bust it down! He called out the window, "The door's all boarded up! I can't let you guys in!"

He, Alexis, Syrus, and Chazz then continued in the dark room, trying to adjust to the darkness. When Alexis finally found the light switch, she flicked it on, only to find the room in a complete mess. Books were scattered, clothes were all over the chairs and beds, but worst of all, there was a pungent smell of blood in the air.

They checked everywhere. Then Alexis screamed. Everyone came rushing into the room she was in. They were in for a shock.

There lay Jaden, on the bathroom floor. He was drenched in blood and had passed out hours ago. His body just couldn't take the stress anymore. He was breathing, but just barely.

Jesse picked him up bridal-style and walked to the window. "We have to get him to the infirmary."

With that, he carefully slid through with Jaden close to his chest. The rest followed suit and faced everyone outside, waiting anxiously.

When they saw a bloodied and pale Jaden in Jesse's arms, they practically freaked.

Jesse began to panic. In the time it took to find Ms. Fontaine, Jesse had pondered about why his love would do this to himself. Jaden, of all people, would go to the point of suicide. That thought brought tears to his eyes. 'When I say I can't live without you, I'm serious. I'd die before letting you suffer and leave me.'

Finally, settled down in front of the Emergency Room, everyone waited. They sat in stiff chairs or lingered in the hallways until exhaustion tore them apart. Jesse was the last to leave. And he was still standing by the door.

Ms. Fontaine came out with a sad smile on her face. "He's fine. But, I'm afraid he's in a comatose stupor. It's similar to a coma, only it's induced by constant physical, mental, and emotional stress for months, nonstop."

At these words, Jesse finally lost it. All shreds of sanity he had left were completely obliterated. He burst into a fit of rage and despair, screaming his heart out. As much as Ms. Fontaine tried to help the fighting teen calm down, he just ran off without a second glance.

'How could this have happened? I promised to always be there for him, and what did I do? I went and left him alone, in all his sorrow and pain. I don't deserve to be with him anymore. When he wakes up, I'll tell the others that he doesn't deserve what I've put him through. They can explain it to him, and who knows? Maybe he'll be happy to be rid of me. After all, what kind of boyfriend rapes his precious angel when he's in pain?'

His thoughts ran through his head, each one leaving more and more despair in its wake. Would things ever be set right again?