illutia mist: Yes! I updated it! Finally!
Natsume: (Rolls eyes) Took you long enough.
illutia mist: Well, why don't you try being ME? (Glares at Natsume)
Natsume: Nope. Weakling. (Sticks out his tongue)
Jacklyn: But this weakling has tortured us for a long time in this fic.
illutia mist: Right. (Smiles haughtily)
Jacklyn: (Glares at the 28th Piece script) This has to end now. (Lights up a lighter in her hand)
illutia mist: No! (Snatches the script away)
Natsume: You don't own us.
illutia mist: I own her. (Points at Jacklyn)
Mikan: And Bourne Severity belongs to Ryuamakusa4eva.
Jacklyn: Give. Me. The. Damn. Script. (Walks approaching me with the lighter)
illutia mist: Ruuunn! (Runs away)
Jacklyn: You stupid freaky author! (Chases illutia)
Mikan: (Sweat drops) Uh…hope you enjoy this piece…
-x-
Small Pieces of You
-x-
28th Piece: Shattering
"I…don't know what you're talking about."
Jacklyn must congratulate herself for even managing to give a comeback at Bourne's surprising question. However, inside her body, her heart betrayed her. The tiny source of her life was thumping so hard that she felt it would explode in any second if the blonde-spiky haired lad asked her another shocking question.
She cursed to herself. Of all people inside the academy, he had to be the one who found out about her secret nightlife. But then, she would be doomed if the one who discovered it was a teacher.
'This might be better,' she induced herself. 'Maybe I still can erase his suspicion, if I'm lucky that is.'
Bourne raised an eyebrow slightly, unconvinced by her lack of knowledge about his question just now. "I'm perfectly sure that you know what I'm talking about, Jacklyn-san."
She swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty.
What would she do now?
"Uh…maybe you're mistaking me for someone else?" She gave him a nervous grin.
"Am I?" he inquired. "With the long black hair and mask, you're no different than Little Angel."
"I don't know who Little Angel is…"
"Really…?"
Jacklyn nodded, eyes glued to the floor. But no matter how much she wanted to divert her attention toward another thing to lessen her nervousness, she couldn't help feeling Bourne's scrutinizing gaze on her.
Was her lie that easy to be seen through?
All this time, she managed to keep her secret from her friends and teachers. She knew that some of them might have suspicion when she told them the reason why she was sleepy or late, but no one of them ever asked her furthermore like what Bourne was doing right now. Not to mention he was a new student who had not stayed long in the academy.
Jacklyn blinked. Something clicked inside her head.
How did he know she was Little Angel?
Not only her nickname, he also knew her disguise when she was Little Angel!
Jacklyn looked up at him with wide eyes, only to find him giving her a curious look when he saw her shocked expression. The questions about how he knew about her disguise and who he was filled her head. They almost slipped out of her mouth, if it was not for the loud crashing sound suddenly coming from outside the room, which was followed by the faint murmur of a female.
Jacklyn clamped her mouth shut, swallowing the questions back to her throat. The sound of trolley being moved was heard next, getting fainter and fainter as it moved away from the room she and Bourne were in now.
When silence dawned upon them once again, Bourne sighed and stretched his hand to the right side of her, making the girl jump back in surprise. He raised an eyebrow at her strange reaction, blood-red eyes searching for the reason in her orbs.
Jacklyn braved a look at his hand, only to find out that it was actually reaching for the doorknob. Her cheeks reddened a bit at her foolish misunderstanding. She then focused her gaze to the floor again while moving a bit to the side, giving him more access to open the door.
Without waiting anymore, Bourne opened the door and walked out. When he passed her, he muttered in a low voice, "I'll keep an eye on you."
Her eyes widened a bit at his declaration, but before she could say anything, he had gone. She was left dumbfounded at the door with jumbling thoughts and mixed feelings between fear and anxiety. Her knees felt weak all of a sudden and she leaned her side on the door before her legs gave up on her weight.
Oh, God, she had been careless by wearing her secret disguise just because she believed no one in the academy would recognize her, except Natsume. This was bad news. Really, really bad.
Trying to calm down herself, Jacklyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
It did not do much. She still could feel the uneasiness tugging her somewhere in her mind.
"…Damn it…"
Her secret was in the edge of discovery.
-x-
Bourne was on his way going out of the academy hospital when he spotted three middle school girls standing in the middle of the lobby, just a few meters in front of him. An invisible smile made its way across his lips when he recognized one of the girls.
Hotaru looked at him with an impassive gaze, hands dangling on her sides. She waited for Bourne to get closer to them before she questioned him, "What are you doing here?"
Bourne shrugged. "Visiting someone. What else?"
The inventor lifted an eyebrow. "…Who's that girl?"
"Which?"
"The one you dragged out of Hyuuga's room."
"Ah…" He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I have no idea."
"Bourne…"
He lifted one hand in front of her face and gave her a knowing look. "I have another thing to do now. Can I talk to you later?"
Hotaru stared blankly at him for a while, trying to comprehend his unspoken sign. Her eyes searched for his blood-red ones in silence before she closed her eyes, heaved a soft sigh, and nodded. "I'll see you later then."
Bourne inclined his head briefly to both girls before putting on his earphones and walked out of the hospital in calm gesture. Hotaru watched his back in wary, knowing the boy was hiding something from her. It might be the remaining clues she needed to complete the puzzle.
"Hotaru?"
Her gaze flickered to the brunette, who seemed to be watching her and Bourne since minutes ago. Worry was evident on her face. Shaking her head, Hotaru took Mikan's hand and led both of them out of the hospital. Besides, it was no use for them to stay there longer. They were not allowed to visit the fire caster anyway, and she had no intention to do that. She just came into the hospital to find Bourne. Besides, all of their friends had gone back to class to prepare for the next period.
"Hotaru, are you okay…?"
"I'm fine." She kept her gaze forward. "Don't worry."
Mikan was not convinced by her best friend's short answer, but she knew Hotaru would not tell her more than that. Squeezing the inventor's hand lightly, she managed a smile to form on her lips. "You know you can tell me if there's something bothering you. I'm ready anytime you want me to hear it," she chirped.
Though not saying anything, Hotaru threw the brunette a small smile and grasped her hand tighter.
Mikan grinned back at her for some time before it finally faded away the next second, replaced by a surprised gasp. Her feet stopped moving, forcing the other girl to discontinue their journey. Her eyes were not on Hotaru anymore. The pair of brown orbs were now staring at the receptionist, who currently was talking to a boy she was familiar with.
"Jack?"
On cue, the said boy ended his conversation with the receptionist and turned to the two girls, smiling when he found out who just called him. "Hi there, Mikan! And…"
"This is Hotaru Imai! She's my best friend!" Mikan chimed in.
"Ah, right. Imai." The orange-haired boy nodded, giving the inventor a warm smile. Hotaru, with an uninterested face, nodded back.
"By the way, what are you doing here?" the brunette asked, tilting her head in wonder.
"Well…" He scratched the back of his head. "I'm visiting Jacklyn?"
Both girls blinked, stared at each other, and looked back at the boy again. "You said…Jacklyn?" Mikan questioned in unsure.
"Yeah," Jack confirmed, letting out a soft sigh. "I couldn't find her in her room this morning. She also didn't come to the class. So I tried to search for her here. Guess what? They said she's being hospitalized since yesterday."
"Narumi didn't say anything about her entering the hospital," Hotaru cut in. It irked her curiosity to find out more and more odd things happened just in one day.
Jack put on an annoyed face. "I also want to know why. It's impossible for her to enter the hospital if it's not for something serious, isn't it?"
So it was not just her who sensed the strangeness in Narumi and the black-haired girl after all.
"So, how's she doing now?" Mikan asked, tried to lessen the serious atmosphere that currently lingered around Jack and Hotaru.
The orange-haired lad shook his head. "I didn't find her in the room where she's supposed to be resting in now. I found the window wide open though, and I think she ran away through there, even though her room is in the third floor."
Hotaru's forehead creased. "Wait. On which floor is her room?"
Jack looked at her and blinked. "Uh…third?"
Her eyebrows bent down, suspicion visible on her face. "How in the hell she could run from the third floor? Does her alice enable her to do that?" Come to think of it. She had not found out about the black-haired girl's alice since the lass came to the academy.
Jack shrugged, a secretive smile on his face. "Why not?"
That raised her interest. "And what could it-"
"Oh, crap! I have to go now!" Jack exclaimed all of a sudden, cutting off whatever Hotaru was about to say. "Well then, I'll see both of you later in class then!" He grinned at both girls before turning his back to them and walking out of the hospital.
Hotaru mumbled incoherent words under her breath in annoyance, her amethyst eyes glaring at the spot where Jack disappeared seconds ago. Just when she was about to ask what the girl's alice, which might be one of the missing puzzles she needed, the orange-haired lad had to interrupt her question and flee away. She could not understand why everyone seemed to avoid her today when she needed answers to her questions, even though they might do it by unintentionally.
This puzzle had been too complicated. She needed to straighten the tangled thread, soon, before it turned even more complex for her to understand.
"Hotaru…"
"Hm?" she responded, though not once diverted her eyes from the hospital entrance.
"Where's Youichi?"
Only when her best friend asked the question did she turn her attention to the brunette, fully. "He's gone?"
-x-
"I'm doomed…" Jacklyn mumbled as she stared at the wide green field spreading in front of her. "I'm seriously doomed…"
After being confronted by the red-eyed boy, the black-haired girl eventually ran back to her room and changed back into her uniform, while taking off her wig and just leaving her mask on. She could not risk to let herself be seen by anyone else and leak her secret out. If she happened to be spotted by someone later, she would rather be seen as Miss Angel. With the decision in her mind, she opened the window widely, and flew out using her wings.
At that time, there was no one in the field yet, seeing the next period had started. She used this chance to rest her wings and sit on a branch at a rather large tree, pondering over what she had just gone through in the hospital.
Swaying her legs, Jacklyn looked up at the blue sky and moving clouds, soft sighs often heaved through her lips. Though that sunny day was so beautiful and bright, she could not help but feel otherwise. Her shoulders slumped slightly, as if there was an invisible burden being dropped on her from the sky, and she felt tired all of a sudden. Even the gentle breeze could not wipe off her gloomy mood away from her.
"Oh heaven, what did I do wrong that you hate me so much?" she whined for the umpteenth time, closing her eyes and sighing again.
She, for sure, did not know why all of this must happen to her at once. Problem after problem came approaching her these two days and it seemed like they would not stop just right here. She just could feel it. She sensed another problem would come soon, though she did not know when.
"Miss Angel…?"
But not this soon.
Swallowing, Jacklyn craned her neck down from the sky. Her eyes soon met with a pair of familiar green eyes, which stared at her curiously from under the tree. "H-hey!" She cringed at the way her own voice sounded, rough and awkward, just like someone who was just caught doing something illegal.
She faked a cough, clearing her throat, and then put on her usual smile on her face. "You're cutting off your class again?"
Youichi looked thoughtful for a while before he nodded.
Jacklyn did not miss his strange deed. The young boy was silent than usual when he was around Miss Angel. He never acted like this. He always looked cheerful and enthusiastic whenever he talked to the fake angel. This silence was so unusual and it intrigued her much.
She decided to find out whatever it was.
"Youichi? What's wrong?" Jacklyn asked softly, showing her concern.
The said boy shook his head and trailed his gaze down to the green grass, hands dangling limply on his sides. The drawing alice user tilted her head in bewilderment, not understanding even a bit of his unusual quietness. "Hey?"
"…Will you lie…?"
She blinked. "…Pardon?"
"…Will you lie if I ask you an important question?" he repeated and lifted his head, giving her a sharp stare.
Jacklyn was taken aback a little by his gaze. She did not see the gentleness in them like the one he always wore when she met him in Miss Angel form. This one was stronger, full of determination, and, somehow, there was a hint of anger swimming inside them.
Why was it? Did it have something to do with the question he wanted to ask her?
"…What is it?" she asked warily, both hands gripping the branch she was sitting on harder. Uneasiness developed inside her bit by bit as she waited for the words, which had yet to come out of the boy's mouth. "Youichi?"
"Stupid sketchbook girl…"
Her heart jumped at the nickname, her breath caught in her throat. Jacklyn pressed her lips together, trying to hold back a surprised gasp that was about to slip out of her lips when he mentioned the pet name he gave her in their first meeting. She thought he would not be interested in her plain, undisguised self since he always showed his bored expression whenever he saw her. Almost immediately, the worst possibility crossed through her mind.
'…Oh no…it couldn't be that he already…'
Just when her heart already hammered behind her ribs hardly, Youichi turned his head away, breaking their eye contact. "…Do you know…the stupid sketchbook girl who seems always wondering around Onii-chan recently…?"
"…Eh?" Jacklyn blinked. "Uh…is something wrong with her?"
"…No…"
"Then?"
He was silent.
Soft breeze blew passed them in between the long pause. Jacklyn continued staring at Youichi, demanding an answer, but the boy said nothing even though seconds had passed and still refused to meet her eyes.
That made her even more confused…and annoyed. She was not in the mood of playing questions and answers if this silence kept going on, especially when she was having a bad day. However, the boy seemed to be oblivious at this and she could not blame him for that since he did not know what she had just gone through.
But this silence…
It would make her crazy in any second if he did not utter what exactly he had in his mind.
Sighing, Jacklyn softened her face and, trying not to sound intimidating, she asked in a low voice, "Youichi, what are you trying to say?"
"…Feather…"
"…Huh?"
Youichi raised his head. "You haven't given me any feather for days."
Jacklyn laughed guiltily, fidgeting on the branch she was sitting on. "Sorry…I'm…uh…a bit busy…"
"Can you give me one now?" He gave her his cute pleading look.
She could not refuse after seeing his expression. "Fine, fine," she chortled and lifted the wing-shaped sketchbook hanging on her neck.
Youichi watched intently as she opened the book and started to doodle something on it, soundless all the time. Just in seconds, the black-haired girl finished her sketch and put her hand on it. She concentrated on her Alice and, in no time, the white feather appeared in her hand, its shape exactly like those ones she had given him before.
Flapping her wings, Jacklyn jumped from the branch and landed on the ground, right in front of the young boy. With a smile on her face, she bent her body a bit and shoved the feather in front of his face. "Here you go!"
Again, he did not make a direct move to grab the fluffy thing. He stayed still, his green orbs eyeing the girl in silence.
The older student tilted her head, the smile never wavering from her lips. "Come on. Take it."
After another five seconds of staring, he moved his little hand and clutched the end of the feather, bringing it in front of his chest. His eyes were impassive as he watched the corners of her lips tugged up higher in a satisfied smile.
"Hug me," Youichi commanded, opening his arms as wide as he could.
Jacklyn blinked once, smiled wider and bent down a bit to wrap her own arms around his small figure. She could feel the boy's hands gripping her upper arms. His calm, warm breath fanned her cheek. At that time, Jacklyn had no suspicion at his sudden request, though she faintly sensed his stiff and unsure motion when he was about to embrace her back.
"Miss Angel…" she heard the boy mumble as she closed her eyes.
"Hm?"
"…I'm sorry."
Before Jacklyn could take his words into her mind, she was suddenly being pulled roughly toward him. Next, with a hard tug on the corner of her mask, her one and only disguise slowly came off and she immediately pulled back on impulse, covering her now bare face with her hands. Her white mask fell on the grass right in front of Youichi's shoes.
"What-"
"…So this is your true face…" Youichi murmured while bending down to pick up the fallen mask.
Through the gaps between her fingers, Jacklyn watched him caress the corner of the mask with his thumb. She dragged her gaze up and gulped in anxiety when she could not read his expression. The elementary student had his head down, his long fringes covered a half of his face. The only thing that assured her he was unhappy was his strained lips.
"Liar."
Jacklyn, for once, felt a sharp prick in her heart. It hurt even more when the boy looked up at her. His angry green eyes penetrated through her being.
"You've been playing unfair," he hissed, throwing the mask he held to her feet, "sketchbook girl."
Jacklyn shook her head, still trying to cover her face though it was no use again.
"I…didn't mean to…"
He threw her a glare, impeding more words to be spoken out. "Once a liar, always a liar," he spat before turning his back to her and walking away, not even bothering to sneak a glance at her.
Once he was out of sight, Jacklyn leaned her side on the bark of the tree and lowered her hands to her mouth. She closed his eyes and breathed out a surrendering sigh. "Oh God…" she whispered. "What have I done…?"
'Liar.'
She moved her gaze to the neglected mask near her feet and crouched down. Stretching her hand, she touched the edge of the mask thoughtfully and bit her lower lip.
Maybe…maybe she was a liar after all. There were so many things she could not tell anyone. So many secrets she had been keeping all this time. So many lies came out of her lips because of it.
And she was not sure she was going to stop them soon, even though she knew someone would get hurt one day.
"…I'm sorry…" she mumbled, bending her head down. "I'm sorry…"
-x-
He stomped as hard as he could on his way to the class, not caring if that would draw people's attention to him. He did not mind if the world thought he was angry. He was as hell infuriated anyway. And it was a good thing that most of students were in the class for lesson at that time.
Youichi gritted her teeth while glaring to no one in particular, his hands clenched into tight fists. His feet, in anger, brought him to the corridor, which led to the Dangerous Ability class. When he turned at a corner and saw the familiar door at the end of the corridor, his awareness returned and he heaved an annoyed sigh. He took a step backward to the corner and leaned his back on the wall.
Damn. He was so stupid.
He should have known there was no angel for real in this world, and yet he still believed there was one when he saw her for the first time. The trace of doubt disappeared when he saw the pair of beautiful white wings on her back.
However, that was not real.
Youichi slammed his fist against the wall once and seethed. How could he be so foolish all this time? He had showed the fake angel his emotions, more than necessary. That girl must be smirking behind her mask the whole time, thinking he was such a fool, while playing with his feelings.
He should have just held onto his prior belief.
Slamming his fist on the wall again, he threw his head back, hitting it against the sturdy partition lightly for his stupidity. He closed his eyes in irritation and slight tiredness after cursing and stomping. Briefly, an image of the winged girl with long black hair inside his so-called brother's recovery room crossed his mind.
She was the one who triggered his memory about Miss Angel the moment she presented herself in the room. Was she the same person with the sketchbook girl who had tricked him all this time? Though the length of their hair was different, he could not help but feel suspicious.
"Crap," Youichi groaned before sliding down the wall and clutched his head in distress. More curses followed shortly. He felt worse, his irritation flaring up. Just by thinking about the fake angel, he felt like to destroy something. His hand curled into a tight fist, almost crushing the white feather he held.
"Just what in the hell have I done?"
All this time, he had been a fool.
-x-
"You're back already?"
Bourne stopped walking and lifted his head up when he heard the familiar voice. Just as he had thought, Persona was standing on the wall beside the door to his dorm room with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "How was it?" the man asked, not moving from his spot.
Bourne took one of his hands out of his pocket and let it dangle on his side as he leaned his weight to her right foot. "The girl? Yes, I met her there."
"And?"
He raised an eyebrow. "And what?"
"Did you manage to find something suspicious about her?"
Bourne's lips curled into a small, yet mysterious smile. This time, it was Persona's turn to lift one of his eyebrows.
"Interesting, yeah," the younger male replied simply before moving closer to the masked man. "She's quite secretive, don't you think so?"
Persona sneered. "And so are you."
"Am I?" Bourne remarked, stretching his hand out to the doorknob, a small golden key in between his forefinger and thumb. He pushed the key into the keyhole and turned it until he heard a small 'click'.
"If you're not, then why don't you tell Imai the reason behind your sudden appearance in this academy?"
The spiky-haired lad glanced at the man through his shoulder. Persona smirked and detached himself away from the wall. "I'm waiting for the right time," Bourne muttered, his eyes darkening a bit as he darted his gaze back to the doorknob. "And now is not the time. Not yet."
"Then when will it be?" Persona queried while fixing his white mask, which started to come loose.
"That day will come eventually," Bourne stated, pushing the wooden door open. "But not now," he added before ambling into his room and closing the door behind, leaving the masked-man standing in silence thinking about the answer he just gave.
Persona heaved a small sigh and took a few steps towards the door. Lifting his fist up, he knocked on it and inhaled. "Since Natsume isn't conscious yet, you'll have to replace him doing a mission tomorrow night," he said, loud enough for Bourne to hear. "Take a rest for this one day, little brother. You'll need it for the next mission."
Silence was the one answering him.
The older male shook his head and turned away, making his way out of the dorm, thinking it would be better if he left the lad alone this time.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, the said boy was staring at the floor in silence, hurt filling his eyes and his lips pressed into a thin line. Closing his eyes, he sucked in a deep breath and ambled to the inviting bed. Once he was close enough, he threw himself on the soft mattress and exhaled, though his face did not completely relax.
The incident that happened in his old academy came into his head. Behind his closed eyelids, he could still remember the horrible and painful view. The anguished screams and desperate pleads still rang clearly in his ears. Red filled the picture. He could hear his name being called, yet he could not do anything but watching those innocent people being slaughtered, one by one.
"Damn." He brought both of his hands onto his face, hoping it could cease the horrendous images away. However, instead of getting better, the illusions became worse. It was more vivid, more dreadful.
More bloody.
"Damn…Damn…Damn…" he hissed, his fingers pressed painfully against his skin. "Damn! Leave me alone!"
The nightmare never did leave him.
-x-
That night, the temperature was a bit colder than the previous night. Night wind was blowing a bit hard, sending cold to those who did not wear sufficient clothes outside the dormitories. The sky was dark, and cloudy. Not even one star was seen sparkling up there. Even the moon was hiding behind the dark clouds.
For Jacklyn, this gloomy condition really reflected her feelings now.
Standing in front of her window, the drawing alice user stared off into space, watching the endless darkness in the sky. Her fingers rested against the cool surface of the window, moving once in a while drawing invisible doodles. Soft sighs escaped from her lips from time to time, adding to the murky atmosphere she emitted around her.
She just could not believe how things could get worse just in two days, and that did not only bring physical pain to her. Just by remembering Youichi's expression when he accused her for lying to him, her heart ached, painfully.
She wished she could dismiss the thought away, forgetting the incident like it never happened in the first place. But it seemed so hard to be done. His pained look and venom words refused to vanish just like that.
"You can stop wasting your breath, you know."
Jacklyn rolled her eyes. "I can waste my breath all I want," she mumbled before turning to the door with a frown on her face. "What are you doing here anyway?"
The intruder smiled and closed the door behind him gently. "Just want to see how you're doing," Jack replied in ease as he sauntered to her bed, making himself comfortable on the small-sized mattress. "I heard from the blonde-haired teacher that you entered the hospital this morning. I came to visit you at lunchtime, but surprise! I found an empty bed in the room instead."
The said girl paled. "…Did Narumi tell everyone about the reason behind my absence?"
Jack blinked. "What if he did?"
The black-haired girl closed her eyes and gave out a long sigh.
This was bad. If Narumi knew she was hospitalized, that meant the hospital had informed the academy, especially the teachers, about their finding. It was worse enough to be found unconscious with the wounded fire caster in the middle of the night. But no. It had to be even worse by finding her in her disguise and wings. She was sure the academy would find out about her secret occupation at night, soon, if she did not do something.
But what could she do to divert the suspicion?
"I'm kidding," Jack's playful voice came into her ears. "That teacher didn't say anything about you. I pestered him so he would tell me why you were absent today. I wondered why he hid it though."
Opening her eyes, Jacklyn glared at the orange-haired boy. "I seriously will kill you for making a joke in this kind of situation one day."
He gave her a wide grin and lay on her single bed, letting out a content sigh when his back made contact with the soft cushioned furniture. "You won't do that, creator," he murmured, his eyelids dropping. "You love me too much to do that."
She snorted. "Keep on dreaming, boy."
"I will…" he hummed and then opened his eyes to look at her. "What's wrong, creator? You look rather annoyed today."
"Yes. It's because you're making joke in the wrong time and wrong place."
"Hey, hey, I did it to lighten the gloomy air I felt when I entered your room."
"You made it worse."
"Jeez, you're really not fun at all." He ruffled his hair in submission.
Her eyes narrowed sharply at him. "So what?"
Yes. She was not in the mood to play any kind of his joking game right now. This morning had started with a bad occasion, where Bourne just confronted her about her identity when she visited Natsume. It resulted in her reckless escape from the hospital in case someone would see her with her wings and met Youichi at her hideout, which then made the little boy hated her so much when he found out she was Miss Angel; the female he often talked to these weeks.
She was just having a bad day and he hoped she would laugh at his comeback? Hah! He wished!
"No, seriously, creator, what's wrong?" Jack's tone was soft. She could even feel there was a concern in his usual light, cheery voice. If she did not know him better, she might think he was worried about her.
Or so she thought.
"I'm fine," she grumbled, staring at the floor. She did not want anyone to see her in the misery she created on her own. She knew she could just forget about the bad events she had gone through, but the word Youichi said…it was unavoidable. It was carved so deep in her head, in her mind. "I'm really fine."
"Liar."
She flinched. Her heart ached again.
'Liar.'
Placing one hand on her chest, she clutched her pajamas as if she could lessen the pain by doing it. Her eyes were closed as she took a deep breath and then heaved it out.
She knew it. She already knew it for goodness's sake. Why was everyone so eager to rub it in her face?
"Jacklyn."
His voice was even softer this time, coaxing her to lift her head up meeting his gaze. The pair of blue eyes stared at her warmly, no anger or irritation in them even after she retorted all his words in rude manner. Her heart stirred. His smile, somehow, sent a calm and friendly vibe into her, wiping away her sorrow bit by bit from inside.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but closed it again when the words died on her tongue and went back down her throat.
Her eyes stung all of a sudden and her throat tightened with whatever feelings she wanted to scream out. Jacklyn swallowed with difficulty and pressed her lips together, trying to prevent any kind of pathetic sound escaping from her mouth.
No, she was not going to cry and look feeble in front of anyone. Not even her own creation.
"Jacklyn, come here."
But his voice was so enticing and she was not sure she could ignore it easily.
Exhaling, Jacklyn took one step, two steps towards him. She stopped a few times on her way to the bed, where the lad was lying comfortably while watching her, but she did not back away.
No.
Even though she wanted to, she could not do it.
His deep blue eyes, which currently were focused on her, hypnotized her, telling her not to stop before she reached him. The voice and the gentle look on his face…they were calling her, lulling her to him. It was not long until she lost her control of her own body. They moved on its own, not even showing hesitation on the rest of her way to the mattress.
When she finally stood before him, Jack widened his smile and patted the empty place next to him. Jacklyn, without being told by words, knew what he meant and just obeyed by climbing onto the bed and curling herself up. Closing her eyes, Jacklyn let out a shaky breath as she felt a pair of strong arms came around her keeping her warm. She wondered, could a drawing feel this warm and nice for real?
"It's late now," Jack whispered while running his hand through her hair. "Don't think of anything again. Just sleep."
She did not reply, just fisting the fabric of his shirt to keep him in place, and buried her face on his chest.
"Sleep. Tomorrow, everything will be fine again." He kissed her forehead and her throat tightened even more, so tight that she felt it hard to breath.
"I hate you." Her voice wavered. Oh, how she hated him for his optimist thinking and his persuading voice. Even so, she could not deny that she liked them. His voice and his gentle touch, she really needed them now.
Jack, as if he knew she did not truly mean what she said, stayed still on his position while his fingers traced circles on her back, soothing her. His lips lingered on her forehead and, instead of a frown, she could feel them curling into a smile. "I know."
She bit her lower lip and pressed her face against his chest harder. A small tear leaked out of the corner of her eye before she gave up her consciousness, diving into a dreamless slumber.
--To be continued--