Yeah! Two updates in one month! (just barely). I'm on a roll, baby! I feel like I'm in need of some serious congratulations after this chapter; 6,850 words - and that's without counting these ridiculous author's notes. Anyway, congratulations to the three people who got the teaser, I hope that it kept you going until now. So this is it! The grand reveal! What do you think Jack is? Well, you're about to find out!
Remember that cloud I was floating on? Yeah, well now it felt more like a prison cell.
Jack had managed to go from ignoring me, to being my best friend, to being my warden. It was like I couldn't do anything without him knowing about it.
Ever since I'd gotten attacked by those 'thugs' - I still wasn't convinced about that by the way - Jack had cranked up the protectiveness to full power. I mean, I understood that he cared about me and wanted me safe, but there was no way that his behavior was normal.
Every morning he would be waiting for me at the school gates, he'd walk me to class and be right outside the door when the bell rang. He'd spend every free moment with me, take me to karate, take me home and send me texts only five minutes later to make sure that I was okay.
It was becoming borderline obsessive.
What made it worse, though, was the fact that he was being completely relaxed about it, as if practically stalking me was a completely regular way to behave. I didn't have it in me to be angry at him, though. I knew that as crazy as he may have been acting, it all came from a good place.
He had been so attentive and caring the day after the incident. He hardly let me leave the bed - unless it was to pee -, assuring me that Milton would bring me all of my homework. He had made me pancakes for breakfast, which he knew was my favorite, and brought me painkillers - lots and lots of painkillers.
When I had regained some of my energy, I had insisted on stretching my muscles, sick of flinching whenever I turned my head. He had reluctantly complied, helping me walk around the room, assisting me with some basic stretches and even giving me a massage, which I had to admit made me feel very good. Even if it was over the clothes.
By the end of the day we both agreed that I needed to go home - my dad would flip if I was out two nights in a row. Jack drove me back on his motorcycle - although he made sure to park a few houses down, just in case Izzie or Marie spotted us. I didn't want either of them accidentally bringing it up in front of dad, even though only one of them actually spoke English.
It was safe to say that my dad wasn't too pleased that I'd supposedly decided to sleep over at Grace's house the night before, giving him only an hour's notice. When I had checked my phone that morning I had had several new messages from him, most of which Jack had already responded to as me. The general message was that he was disappointed in me, and that we were going to have a serious talk about independence when I got home.
And he wasn't kidding. As soon as he had gotten back from work, he sat us both down and started lecturing me on the values of trust, and how I mustn't abuse of his trust in me by making last-minute plans with my friends on school nights.
Speaking of school, Jack had somehow managed to call in on my father's behalf and report that I was ill, therefore avoiding me any further problems with dad.
When he had asked me about my stiffness, I made up some lie about extra cheer practice and a rather messy pyramid that didn't end very well. He had thankfully believed me and shrugged it off, not bothering to wake me up as I slept through almost the whole of Saturday.
But back to the subject at hand. I was getting really tired of Jack's antics, and I was beginning to suspect that he knew more than he was letting on. The only times I had seen him truly unnerved were anytime I was hurt, and that day at the cinema when we bumped into Brody.
I hadn't thought much of that sleazy, arrogant asshole upon first meeting him, but the more I thought about this whole situation, the more it seemed to fit; When Jack had started avoiding me, it had been straight after their row. He wouldn't tell me anything about it, but my gut was telling me that something big was going on.
I needed more answers, so I went to the one person who I was sure would tell me everything I wanted to know.
"No." Jerry crossed his arms in front of him, an unwavering resolution on his face.
I turned on the puppy dog eyes. "Pleeaassee? Come on Jer, it's not like I'm asking you to re-enact nine-eleven, here."
He scoffed. "No, you're just asking me to tell you all about my best friend's arch enemy."
"Aha! So I was right, they do hate each other." Now we were getting somewhere. "So, like, how did that happen?"
"Listen Kim, for the last time, I'm not gonna - "
"I can get you a date with Mika" I interrupted, knowing exactly what it would take to get the information I needed.
"Sold," he answered without hesitation, and I just hoped that Mika would forgive me.
I had managed to escape the watchful eyes of my warden by feigning a stomach ache and leaving my french class ten minutes early for the lunch break. I'd waited outside of room B13 where Jerry had physics - without Jack - and dragged him by his ears all the way over to the library. I knew that he was the person most susceptible to revealing secret information, and he was also the most easily bribed.
"Brilliant. Now, about Jack and Brody..." I prompted, watching him pause, thinking over his decision, before finally concluding that it was worth it for a date with a hot girl.
"Brody is...well, Brody's Jack's cousin, on his father's side." I was pretty shocked at that, not expecting them to actually be related. I urged him to continue.
"His mom - Jack's aunt - is a city councilwoman who married a lawyer, Tom Jenkins. Together they have a lot of power over Seaford, and their huge-ass amount of money meant that they ended up raising a real bratty, demanding, spoiled son. Brody's always had everything handed to him on a silver platter, but Jack just has this natural charisma going for him, you know? And that always made Brody insanely jealous of him. Ever since they were kids, the little rat's always wanted to be more like Jack, but when he finally realized that he couldn't, I guess he just settled on trying to make his life miserable instead. He's always causing Jack problems with their family. In Freshman year, Brody even went as far as stealing Jack's girl, Donna Tobin. Not cool, man."
I don't know where it came from, but I suddenly felt a huge pang of jealousy at the thought of Jack with another girl, no matter how long ago it was.
"I mean, the girl was kind of a bitch and all...and nobody really liked her...but still, it's just not cool. Anyway, after Brody lured her into the dark side she transferred to Swathmore, and nobody's heard of him since. All in all, the moral of the story is that Brody is a huge douchebag that should be avoided at all costs. He's like a snake, Kim. Like that weird ass snake from the jungle book, he definitely shouldn't be trusted."
He seemed like he was finished so I gave him a nod. "Thanks, Jerry. That really helped me understand things. I'll make sure you get that date I promised you."
"That is so swag, Kim. Oh, and can you tell her to wear red? She always looks so good in red," he sighed dreamily and I smiled. Hopefully Mika wouldn't hate me too much.
Okay. Deep breaths, Kim. You're fine, you're just about to walk into the dragon's den, but that aside, you're fine.
I was way beyond nervous. When Jerry had started talking about Brody's jealousy for Jack and his need to see him fail, I knew that I had to go and pay him a little visit. I knew how absurd I was being, thinking that he had something to do with my attack the week before. But something just didn't feel right about the whole situation, and my gut was telling me that Brody definitely had some part to play in this whole ordeal. And my daddy always told me to trust my gut. Of course, he was speaking about karate at the time, but I was confident that the same rule applied here.
I had been shocked to find that Brody had a small house all to himself; After memorizing his father's name, I did some intensive research - consisting mainly of looking up his name in the phone books - and found his home number. It was his wife who picked up - Jack's aunt - and when she asked who I was I clenched my teeth, having to improvise with no caramel jollywhoppers anywhere to be seen, and told her in my best 'posh' voice that I was working with him on a Spanish project and that he'd neglected to give me his address or phone number. She seemed confused that I was unaware of his living arrangements, but after I told her that I was new to the school, she seemed more trusting and willingly handed over the information.
So there I was, standing outside his door, hand poised to knock and a taser in my bag, just to be safe. After all, if he did end up being behind all these terrible things, I might just need it.
I took one final deep breath and brought my knuckles down on the hard wood door, knocking three times. I waited a few moments before I saw the door knob turn and the door swung open, only it wasn't Brody that I saw on the other side.
"Hey there." The tall, blonde surfer-esque guy standing at the door looked me up and down appraisingly, his gaze lingering on my chest for a little bit longer than I was comfortable with.
"Hi," I greeted him stiffly. "Is Brody home? I need to speak to him."
Surfer dude flashed me a charming smile and stepped aside, letting me in. "Sure thing, beautiful," he didn't have that Swathmore sound like I had expected, sounding like a fully-fledged Californian. As he turned around and led me down the hallway towards a flight of stairs, he introduced himself : "The name's Dustin by the way."
When I didn't answer him he looked at me curiously, his right eyebrow lifting up slightly. "And you are?" He prompted, leaving me no choice but to answer him.
"Ashley. Ashley Walker." That didn't mean that I was going to answer honestly.
He smiled at my answer, obviously pleased for some reason. "Right on," was his response. "So how do you know Brody? I'm one of his closest friends and I've never seen you before." I didn't recognize him either. He must not have been there the day of the little altercation.
Good, that made it easier for me.
"Oh, I met him a few weeks ago at the cinema. We got along pretty well and he told me to drop by. I'm not surprised he hasn't mentioned me; we hardly know each other yet."
He seemed to buy into my story, and even looked slightly happy at the fact that Brody and I weren't serious.
"I can dig it," he nodded, more to himself than me it seemed, and before I knew it we were on the second floor, in front of yet another wooden door. Although somehow this one seemed much more ominous.
Dustin knocked on the door and waited a moment for the confirmative "Come in!" shouted from the other side. Surfer boy swung the hunk of wood open and gestured for me to step in before following.
"You got a visitor, boss." He announced. "A pretty one, too."
I took a moment to look around the room. It was nice; dark blue walls that were covered in posters of skimpy women - okay, maybe not so nice - , a leather sofa in a corner to my right, currently occupied by a large brown dog; a flat-screen TV and gaming station were positioned at the optimal angle for viewing pleasure and there was even a small kitchenette to my right. I allowed my eyes to wander across to the other side of the room where I saw a large, black desk covered in piles of paper, behind which sat a rather bored-looking Brody supporting a rather drunk-looking teenage girl in his lap, giggling between sloppy kisses planted on his neck.
He lifted his head up at Dustin's introduction and his eyes widened slightly as he seemed to realize who I was.
"Kim?" he pushed the pretty brunette's head away from him, and in her inebriated state the shove sent her toppling to the ground.
"Owie," I heard her cry from the floor. "What was that for?"
"Get out, Monique," he ordered with authority. "You're drunk." And drunk she was; she could hardly stay upright as she staggered towards me, sending me a small glare before exiting via the door.
Once Monique had left the room it was only Brody, Dustin and I.
"Well well well," the little weasel said as he got up from his rather comfortable-looking swivel chair.
"Out of all the people who could've possibly walked through my door you, Kimberly Crawford, were the last person I would've expected."
From the corner of my eye I could see Dustin look back and forth between Brody and I, perplexed, obviously confused at my odd name change.
Brody seemed to notice this, as the next person he sent out of the room was the laid-back blonde.
Once the door was once again shut, it suddenly dawned on me that I was in a room alone with the very person who might wish me harm.
I was in way over my head.
"So," Brody broke the silence. "What brings you, of all people, to my humble abode this fine day? Somehow I doubt that you're here for the pleasure of my company," he smirked, making me feel less and less sure about my plan.
I squared my shoulders and stood up straight, hoping to come across as confident and unafraid. I was actually neither.
Predictably, the weasel saw straight through my false bravado, and the sardonic grin on his face only grew larger.
"Maybe you're here to do some spy work for our dear friend Jack." His tone was mocking, but he still narrowed his eyes as he spoke, and I scoffed at his use of the term 'friend'. As if.
"Please. I'm here alone, Jack has no idea. I had to tell him that I had a family outing just so that I could get him to leave me alone for a few hours. And I'll have you know that I have better things to do on a Saturday afternoon than do some stupid spy work for Jack. Not that he'd ever ask me to."
He seemed amused with my response, but before he could further condescend me with his sarcastic remarks I told him :
"As a matter of fact, I have some important questions that I'm afraid only you can answer."
Brody raised a brow, intrigued, and leaned back casually against his desk, folding his arms across his chest. He was dressed in dark blue jeans and a green polo shirt, the gel keeping his brown hair slicked back only making him look like even more of a douche.
"Well go on then," he urged when I didn't continue. "You've peaked my interest; you can't just stop now."
I narrowed my eyes at him in distaste. He could be really handsome if he wasn't always wearing that stupid fucking smirk.
"I want to know if you had anything to do with my attack last week." I figured bluntness would be the best method with Brody. He looked surprised at my inquiry, but the bastard still had that stupid smile on his face, as if he was pleased that I had asked him.
He seemed to think over his answer for a few moments, before finally just saying "Yes."
I was taken aback. Did he really just admit to having orchestrated my assault? What the fuck?
"What?! Why - "
"Because you belong to Jack," he spat out the name like it was poison, abandoning his silly pretense of friendship between the two of them.
"And I want to hurt Jack. Very much so."
I stared at him, incredulous. Did he hear what he was saying? Was there any type of filter in that big head of his? This was ridiculous.
"Okay. Listen here, buster; I know you may think that you're the fucking kind of the universe, but that does not give you a right to go around assaulting people just because you don't like them!"
"Well technically I didn't do any of the assaulting myself, and it's not you that I dislike, It's Jack. I'm actually starting to find you quite interesting."
"Yeah? Well get ready to be positively fascinated because I have had just about enough of this whole mess! Because of you, I nearly died! And before that, Jack would hardly speak to me! He kept telling me that he was protecting me - now I know who from - and it took a week and a really good push-up bra to get him to open up to me again! And now he's gone all prison warden on me, never letting me out of his sight! If my arms weren't still sore I'd have socked him in the head by now!
"And what's all this about me being 'Jack's girl'? You keep saying it as if I'm some kind of possession. Well Newsflash, you misogynistic sociopath! I belong to no one! I'm a free woman and I am certainly no one's 'girl'!"
I finished my rant, chest heaving and cheeks burning up, and Brody just stood there, staring at me in fascination, as if he's never seen an angry girl before in his life. And with his people skills, I found that hard to believe.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, he pushed himself up off of his desk and approached me, standing so close that I was tempted to pull out my taser right then and there.
His face mere inches away from mine, he looked me dead in the eyes.
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
He didn't say it meanly, or mockingly; he seemed genuinely perplexed. Maybe that was what caused my head to fall and my eyes to swell up, my emotions overwhelming me to the point of tears.
"No," I whispered, frustrated beyond belief. "No, I don't. I want to, so much, but nobody will tell me. I feel so lost, and I don't know what to do. I just wish I had the answers." My voice almost broke near the end, and I tried desperately to contain the unshed tears that threatened to fall at the blink of an eye.
I didn't dare look Brody in the eyes, not quite in the mood for his condescension, but I was shocked when I felt a warm hand come to rest on my shoulder, giving me an almost reassuring squeeze.
"I like you, Kim. I really do. You've got spunk, and I like that a lot. And I want to give you the answers you're looking for, so I hope that you're not too mad at me for this."
I was about to ask what the fuck he was talking about, when I felt something hard hit my head, and the next thing I knew all the lights were out.
What...The fuck...
I had no idea what had happened, but for some odd reason I found myself waking up, my head pounding, in the middle of an unfamiliar, empty room.
A failed attempt at moving my arms and legs informed me that I was tied up to a chair, and that was when I remembered the whole scene with Brody, the fact that he had ordered an attack on me, and the hard blow that had knocked me out cold.
Loud noises from above were a sign that I wasn't alone in the building, and the loud sigh coming from behind me told me that I wasn't alone in the room.
"Well," I recognized the voice as Brody's. "I see that you're finally awake. Took you long enough, although I must say your timing is impeccable. The fun is just about to start."
I could hear him chuckling from behind me, but as far as I craned my neck, I couldn't manage to see him.
"Brody, you little son of a bitch, what the fuck did you do to me?"
"You seem like a smart girl, Kim. Figure it out," he answered dryly.
I sighed, frustrated at his constant snark. "Yeah, I get that you knocked me up and tied me to a chair, but I'd like to know why!"
"Well you should have just asked that in the first place, then"
"Brody, I swear to God -" A loud crash resonated from above us, and I realized that there must have been one hell of a fight going on up there.
Brody sighed then, and I could hear him start to pace behind me, the sound of his feet scuffing the floor making my eyes twitch.
Those poor shoes.
"Look, I'm doing this for you, okay? You said that you wanted answers about Jack and I figured that this was the perfect way to get them. Frankly I'm astonished that you weren't aware already; If I were that delinquent then I'd have claimed you long ago."
I ignored that last comment; the guy was clearly insane.
"Oh, so assaulting me is gonna get me answers? Was that absolutely necessary?"
"Yes, it was. You had to be in danger for it to work. Or at least think that you were."
I scoffed. "Yeah, well, mission accomplished. I now feel very unsafe. Now would you mind untying me? Or am I not scared enough for your liking, you fucking sadist?"
"Just shut up, okay? I'm really not in the mood right now. Because of you, I had to pass up a very interesting evening with Monique." I could practically feel his eyes burning into the back of my head. "You should consider yourself lucky that I was generous enough to help you."
"Lucky? How would you feel if I attacked you and held you captive? Huh?"
I heard him chuckle. "Yeah, right. I'd like to see you try."
Suddenly the noises from upstairs became louder, and agonizing screams resonated through the walls.
Brody let out an almost impatient sigh. "God, he is taking forever. Sorry doll face, but it looks like we're gonna have to speed things along, here."
I was about to ask him just what the fuck he was talking about when I felt the cool sting of a metal blade being pressed up against my throat, and suddenly I didn't feel so sarcastic any more.
It dawned on me that, while Brody might not seem like much, I was tied up to a chair, and he was holding a knife. It was clear that in this setting, I did not have the advantage.
"Brody, what are you -"
"Aaahhhhh!" The sound of a body tumbling down a flight of stairs brought my attention back once again to the fighting going on in the building, apparently getting closer and closer to us.
"Brilliant." For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why Brody was so happy. "Looks like you're gonna get your answers awfully soon."
I had absolutely no idea what he was going on about and I was beyond scared, but when the door to the room abruptly burst open, a tall, shirtless guy tumbling down to the floor and groaning in pain.
I gasped at the sight, but immediately regretted it when I felt the blade nick my neck from the movement, stinging my flesh as I felt a small drop of blood trickle down onto my collarbone.
Suddenly a ferocious roar-like sound could be heard from out in the hallway, and not a second later, something strode into the room that would've made me fall right off of my seat if I wasn't so tightly bound to it.
It was...it was like something out of a fantasy movie.
Almost like a human but...not quite; it was tall, maybe seven feet, big, strong arms and legs, coal black skin that seemed to be made from marble. It was completely bare and its body was like that of a large, human male except...without the genitals. Rock-hard abs - literally - were present on its chest and its whole body seemed to be covered in these glowing red, tribal-like markings. Its head was without hair and its eyes...those were what got to me the most. They were completely void of any pupil or iris. Just black, like a void, staring straight into my very soul.
"Jack, so glad you could make it!" Brody beamed, and my eyes widened, confused.
"What the fuck is going on here?!"
The creature came closer and I tensed as the blade against my neck pressed closer.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the sing-song voice my captor used only reinforced my theory that he was absolutely crazy. Well, that and he fact that he wasn't completely bat-shit flipping out at the thing that had just entered the room.
The thing in question stopped in its track, sending Brody a glare unlike any other glare I'd ever seen before. It chilled me to my bones, and for the umpteenth time since I'd come to Seaford, I felt like my life was seriously in danger.
But then its eyes flickered to me, and there was no anger there. Even though they were pure darkness, I was still able to find the softness behind those eyes, the way its gaze seemed to bore into me with a tenderness that made me shiver. There was only one person who had ever looked at me like that, and it suddenly dawned on me.
"...Jack?" No, it couldn't be. This...this thing, however beautiful it may be was not Jack. It couldn't be.
"In the flesh," Brody answered me, and I could practically hear the smile in his voice. "Well, maybe more like 'in the stone'."
Nobody laughed at his little joke.
"But..how?" I whispered, more to myself than anybody else.
"I think lover boy over here would feel more comfortable answering that with some pants on, don't you think, doll face?"
The creature emitted a mean-sounding growl-like noise, and if I'd been Brody, I'd have been shaking in my fancy expensive shoes.
"Tut tut tut," the little weasel reprimanded, and out of the corner of my eye I could see him shaking a long finger. "You wouldn't want me to hurt your precious little Kimberly here, now would you? It would be such a shame to have to mess up such a beautiful face."
The creature said nothing, and after a moment of silence, Brody threw it a pair of large, denim jeans.
The thing bent down slowly, never taking his narrowed eyes off of Brody and gently tugged the pants on, although they seemed to be quite a tight fit.
Once the jeans were all fastened up, it just stood there for what seemed like a decade before the little weasel sighed impatiently.
"Well come on, then. We haven't got all day."
The creature seemed reluctant for a moment, before bowing its head and tensing its muscles. A moment later it started to shake uncontrollably, the sight making my eyes widen in horror, and bit by bit its thick stone exterior starter crumbling off, creating a cloud of dust all around us.
The cloud hung in the air for a solid minute before dissipating, leaving in the place of the beautiful creature an angry and half-naked Jack, glaring at Brody as if he were the devil himself.
"Let her go," were his first words since entering the room, and the rage that filled his voice made me tremble slightly.
"Don't worry there, mister black belt, I have every intention of letting her go. Although before I do, I feel that it's important for me to remind you that killing me on my property is a big no-no, and in case you were entertaining any dark or gruesome thoughts about beating me to a pulp, you might want to consider your girl here for a moment and how she's probably on the verge of a mental breakdown."
Jack looked contrite, obviously wanting nothing more that to bury Brody six feet under, but eventually complied, nodding his head in defeat.
"Just let her go."
My captor acquiesced, dropping the blade from my throat and untying the knots that bound my limbs to the wooden chair.
Once I was completely freed, I pushed myself up onto my feet, only to have my knees give way and sent me toppling to the ground. I it hadn't been for Jack and his strong, warm arms, I'd have had one hell of a fall.
"Whoa, there. I've got you, don't worry." I felt confused. The tenderness and affection in his voice was a complete contradiction to the creature that was standing in front of me only minutes ago, looking ready to kill. Still, I was too exhausted to move by myself and his touch felt so good that I didn't let myself protest; I needed him.
As soon as he had me steady on my feet he pulled me to his side, supporting most of my weight as he helped me hobble along to the door - or at least, what was left of it.
Before we crossed the threshold, I couldn't help but turn back for a moment, finally coming face-to-face with Brody, who was still standing behind the wooden chair, hiss eyes boring into me like a hot poker.
What was it with these guys and their over-the-top intensity problems?
"Why are you just letting me go? You went through all this trouble...what for? What was the point?"
He looked back at me, a mischievous grin on his face that made me extremely uneasy.
"The point, my dear Kimberly, was to get you answers. And I'm pretty sure you'll get some now."
His gaze flickered to my left, where Jack was standing. "But rest assured," he warned.
"This is definitely not the last we'll be seeing of each other. Not by a long shot."
I didn't remember much after leaving that room; stepping over passed-out bodies, climbing up stairs, stepping out into the cold night air. I hadn't realized how late it was. Dad would be freaking right now.
Jack and I hadn't exchanged a word after climbing onto his motorcycle, apart from to tell me that he had called my dad to tell him that I would be studying with him all night. I was grateful for that, although I couldn't quite bring myself to express it.
My mind was blank as we drove around the streets, the cold night air whipping my bare arms. I was surprised that Jack's body still felt warm beneath my hands.
Yet again, I had been surprised in many ways that night.
I had expected him to bring me back to my house, or even his house, so when he pulled his bike to a stop outside of the local park, I as a little perplexed. Why had he brought me here? Was he going to kill me? Did I know too much?
Even as I had these thoughts I couldn't make myself feel afraid. I knew that Jack would never hurt me. Hell, he'd just rescued me. My own knight in stone armor.
We walked silently over to the swing set, each of us sitting down on a swing and gently rocking back and forth.
"My dad used to bring me here when I was a kid," Jack told me after a few minutes of painful silence.
"The swings were my favorite," he continued, looking off into the distance. "I used to love the feeling it gave me, that dropping sensation in the pit of my stomach would make me laugh so hard. If I swung myself high enough, it would almost feel like flying. When I couldn't go any higher, I'd beg my dad to push me, to make me go all the way over the top. He laughed when I said that, he told me that if I swung too far, I'd end up flying, all right. Flying straight into the ground." He chuckled at the memory. "One day, we -"
"Jack, why are you telling me this?" I didn't want him to tell me all of hist hear-warming childhood memories, not now. Not when I was close to pulling all of my hear out and enrolling myself into a mental institution. I just needed answers.
Jack gave me a sad smile, main eye contact with me for the first time since Brody had let me go.
"I don't know, I guess I just wanted you to see that I really am a normal person before I go and destroy your image of me completely. I've been trying so hard not to scare you away, to give you a choice, to ease you into things...but that fucktard just had to go and mess everything up, as usual."
"Jack, just tell me. Spit it out, what's the deal with you? How come, not even an hour ago, you were standing in that room made completely of stone, looking like some weird-ass X-men character? You're driving me crazy here, I feel like I'm going insane!" I was on the verge of tears. I felt like my life was falling apart before my eyes, my whole world was being shattered. I needed him to tell me that I wasn't crazy; that I did see what I thought I saw.
But then again, that would also mean him telling me...
"Kim, I'm not like you."
"Yeah, no kidding, Sherlock, what tipped you off?"
He sighed, obviously frustrated, and ran a hand through his messy, wind-blown hair. "What I mean is...Kim, I'm not human. Shit, that sounds too weird, doesn't it? Wait, let me try again." He paused for a minute, deep in thought, and I waited patiently for him to continue.
"You see...have you ever heard of vampires of werewolves? Stupid Jack, of course she has," he reprimanded himself, and I almost wanted to laugh. Almost.
"The...the creatures you see in twilight or the vampire diaries are nothing like they are in real life. In this world, vampires don't suck blood and werewolves don't have abs or long hair. I mean, maybe some of them do, but...never mind, that's besides the point. What I'm trying to say is..." He took a deep breath. "The supernatural world exists, but it's nothing like you see on tv or in films...the reality is much less teen-angsty. Not only that, but...there are other creatures out there that the world doesn't know about. Like fairfolk, for example, or...or gargoyles. Which is what I am."
I stared at him, incredulous. "You're a what?"
"A gargoyle," he repeated. "A supernatural race that came to the world thousands of years ago. My kind was created by these higher beings - the fairfolk - to help battle the vampires and werewolves which, coincidentally, they also created. We gargoyles were actually the ones who came up with the whole stone -monsters-to-decorate-buildings thing, sort of an ironic little inside joke among us.
"Anyway, we were created to protect the human race - that's you, by the way - from the bad guys. Once that was over, we pretty much just tried to blend in, integrate your society, build lives of out own. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of things that go 'bump' in the night out there, wreaking havoc where they can. That's where we come in.
There aren't that many of us left anymore, but at least for California, each big family is attributed a sector of land by the council - yes, we have a councel. Don't ask, it's ridiculously boring - and it's out duty to protect that land."
"That's what Brody was talking about when he mentioned 'territories' that day." I intervened for the first time since he started his little tirade. I suddenly came to a realization. "Oh my God, is he a gargoyle, too?"
Jack's face scrunched up in displeasure. "Unfortunately, yes. It's also one of the reasons I couldn't break his puny little neck today; you can't attack a gargoyle on his own land. Fortunately for Brody, he has a lot of land. Or rather, his daddy does."
"Oh my God, this makes so much sense now," I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't crazy, Jack was just a gargoyle. Which, upon further consideration, wasn't that sane of a conception, either.
"It does?" Jack asked, visibly perplexed.
"Well, not entirely, but it sure beats my theory that I might be going insane. I was really worried for a while, there." I cast him a relieved smile, but he just stared at me, slack-jawed and baffled.
"Kim, I'm not sure if you realize this, but I just told you that I'm a supernatural being that, historically, has only ever existed sitting on the tops of churches, or singing along with the hunchback of Notre Dame. How are you not freaking out!?"
"Jack, please. If you'd been through everything that I have today, you'd be relieved as well, trust me."
I frowned then, suddenly realizing something. "To be honest, the only thing that I'm upset about right now - apart from the whole kidnapping thing, of course - is that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about this sooner."
"That's what you're upset about?" He really didn't get it, did he?
"Well how would you feel if your best friend had been keeping this massive, life-changing secret from you? That they didn't trust you enough to share their pbvious burden? That's hurtful, Jack. And although I know that your intentions were good, it still hurts."
His eyes grew softer, then, a hint of sadness in his gaze. "All this time...Kim, I thought you'd think I was a monster, that you'd run for the hills. I couldn't risk that. I needed you here with me. I still do, Kim."
I reached over and grabbed his hand, looking deep into his beautiful brown eyes.
"Jack, let's get one thing straight right now. You are not a monster. A freak, maybe," he chuckled at that and I smiled. "But never a monster. Not to me. To me, you're just Jack. Weird, crazy, overly-protective Jack who just happens to be a gargoyle. Besides, I've watched every season of Teen wolf and True blood; how could I not find this cool?"
The look he gave me was a mix of relief, gratitude, affection, tenderness...it was almost enough to make the tears come back. He must have felt so lonely, not being able to share this with anyone outside his family - that is, if his family even knew. He was so brave.
"You are something special, Kim. You really are."
"Of course I am."
He squeezed my hand.
"Of course you are."
Tadaaaaa! Please don't hate me, I know it might seem lame that Jack's basically just made of stone, but I think that it really adds something unique to the story (especially considering I kind of came up with it a few weeks ago.)
In the next chapter we're - yes, me too, since I have no idea what I'm doing - going to discover a little more about these mysterious gargoyles. Should be fun :D
Oh, and I'm not doing another one of those teaser things, I don't think that I'm going to have the time. Boo.
I also thought that I'd just share with you that I don't have the slightest clue as to where this story is going. Like, none. But that's what makes it fun, right?
I wasn't planning to make Brody the way he is, either, but I kind of like him like this. It makes things more interesting. Although I'm not hating him as much as I should, in fact I actually find him quite irresistibly insane. Whoopsies, I guess I just have a thing for guys with mental issues.
I'm looking at you, Moriarty! He's my bae.
Anyway, please please please tell me what you thought about it, I would really appreciate the feedback.
And remember, don't do school, eat your drugs and stay in vegetables!
-CCC