The Boat That Rocked (A Rocketshipping Fanfic)
Part Twenty-Five
The crunch of disturbed debris and the snap of twigs underfoot alerted the two women to someone's approach. The trees were glowing, flickering orange light shining on the tree trunks. Jaime stepped forwards, blade held out before her and waited.
Then Lisa appeared from the shadows of the forest, a first aid kit tucked under her arm and a fire torch in her other hand, abruptly halting on sight of the knife.
"Nice welcome." She mumbled.
Jaime relaxed, lowering her hand. "We need to move," she said, not bothering with greetings. "Then you can deal with Jessie's injuries."
The girl's head whipped around to look at the red-head, lifting the torch higher. "Yo-"
"We don't have time for that." Jaime cut her off. There isn't time for you to fuss over her. We need to move. We need to get to a safe place, especially with you here. With you here, there's an extra person I have to look out for. One more person who's in danger.
She sensed the girl's irritation but wasn't interested in hearing her complaints. She walked past her, snatching the torch from her grasp as she did, walking back into the forest. Both girl and woman followed behind her.
"Where are we going?" Lisa asked.
"Another part of the district. A building is a better place than out here. If it's another area, away from the building Jessie was kept in, we should be okay."
"Should be?"
"I don't think Alphonse is hanging around here anymore but…" she picked up pace. "I don't know if he's brought anyone else with him."
A tensed silence was Jaime's reply and they continued walking, the sounds of the night and their footsteps the only things to be heard.
Jessie's steps were slowing and Jaime could hear it when she stumbled, and with each stumble the woman took longer to recover.
After about the tenth time, Jaime stopped.
Lisa had been walking quite close and immediately bumped into her, muttering nervous apologies as she retreated.
Jaime ignored her and looked at the silhouette of the red head behind them. The torch was casting weird shadows across her face. She looks exhausted. She looks haggard and in pain. "Jessie, walk in front of Lisa."
"What?"
"Here, my red queen." Jaime leaned around Lisa, grabbing hold of the woman's wrist and pulled her forwards. She offered no resistance and was soon placed in between the two.
"What's the meaning of this?" She was obviously uncomfortable with Jaime's touch – her fear and hatred flaring up at the woman's proximity.
"You're going to trip over something and break a bone if you're not careful."
"I'll look after her," Lisa said, taking hold of Jaime's hand and firmly pulling it away from Jessie. "You just lead the way."
"Yes, ma'am." She turned around, continuing to move through the forest, the torch revealing their way.
"How did you get this?" Jaime asked the girl.
"Get what?"
"The torch."
"I found a fallen branch at the edge of the forest and asked Vulpix to light it for me."
Jaime remembered the small fox Pokémon she had seen in the girl's arms before. At least now they had something to use if Alphonse's men did turn up and attack. It wasn't just her, a knife, an injured woman and a girl.
Jaime wondered how old Lisa was, glancing over her shoulder and past Jessie to peer at her. Who cares? After this, I'm never seeing her again. If there's even an 'after'.
They reached the outskirts of the forest and another part of the district lay before them. This area looked less likely to collapse underfoot but the wilderness had definitely taken hold. Tree roots were wrapped around the foundations of buildings, the bricks green with moss, and the ground covered in forest debris rather than rotten tarmac and crumbling concrete.
Jaime led the other two further into the district until she picked a particular building that looked more stable and perhaps more comfortable than the rest.
She motioned for the two to wait and she went inside, searching each room and finding no one or nothing.
"Okay," she called down the stairs in a muted voice. "Come on up."
She heard the unsure footsteps as they entered the building and approached the stairs, Lisa behind Jessie with a guiding hand on the woman's back.
Once upstairs, Jaime led them into the best room she could find and leaned against the wall by the doorway. Lisa looked at her expectantly, her hand still on Jessie, and Jaime raised an eyebrow.
"Weren't you going to sort out her injuries?"
The girl seemed flustered for a moment and looked way, pulling the first aid kit from under her arm. "Let's sit over here." She mumbled to Jessie.
Jaime watched Lisa unbutton the woman's blouse and gingerly peel it away to reveal the full extent of her injuries. There was a sharp intake of breath as the girl had a closer look. "What did this?"
"An Arbok." Jaime answered, realizing that Jessie was too weak and focused on her pain to supply one herself.
Lisa stared agape at her, shocked. "An Arbok?"
Jaime looked straight ahead, blinking slowly, remaining silent and unwilling to expand on the story.
Lisa returned to tending to Jessie's wounds and Jaime closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. What mess has James got us all into? Then again, I was already in a mess to begin with.
She frowned at the thought of her life in the city, of her brother. I've had a messed up life.
"Okay…" she heard Lisa whisper and there was a quiet clattering and rustling from across the room. Jaime kept her eyes close, folding her arms across her chest and raising one foot against the wall behind her.
Moments past and there was a cold sensation on her lips.
Jaime jerked her head back, eyes snapping open, hand instinctively gripping on the knife and raising it.
Lisa was stood in front of her, holding a wet tissue up to Jaime's face, the first aid kit at her feet. "What are y-"
She was cut short by the sting of pain as the girl pressed the tissue once more to her lips.
"Did you really think I would just leave you with a split lip and a broken nose?" The girl mumbled quietly.
Jaime stared incredulously at her. What? "Why?" she asked, the question muffled.
The girl shook her head, taking the tissue away from her mouth, carefully wiping away the dried blood under her nose. "Thoroughness," she replied quietly. "Just take it as that."
The girl continued to wipe away the blood and clean the wounds, dropping the dirty tissues into a small bag. She looked closely at Jaime's face and she leaned away from her. She's too close.
The girl frowned. "I think your nose will have to be broken back into place."
Before Jaime could protest or even consider retorting, Lisa had reached up and with an audible crunch and snap, pain flared up in the centre of her face.
Jaime bent over, holding her nose, eyes watering. "What the – you did that on purpose!"
"Of course I did." The girl was pushing her back, pulling away her hands. "Looks better now," she smirked. "Actually looks like a nose."
Jaime glared at her but as the pain faded away, she realized that her nose did actually feel better than before. The girl crouched down and searched in the first aid kit, retrieving numerous things that didn't look like they would be painless. Maybe this is her way of getting back at me.
She closed her eyes and resigned herself to it. Might as well just let her sort out these wounds.
She felt the girl's gentle touch on her face, stinging liquid pressed against her lips making her wince, and after a while she felt a strip of something being placed across the cut.
"There you go."
She opened her eyes. "You're an idiot." She murmured.
"Shut it," Lisa narrowed her eyes. "It's thoroughness. You're not completely the enemy. Are you?"
Jaime didn't reply. The girl stepped back and Jaime relaxed in the personal space she had regained.
She glanced across the room and met a pair of cold blue eyes. Jessie had been watching them with an expression of chilling disgust and disbelief.
Ah, she obviously didn't think I was worthy of being treated.
"I'm going to look around." She pushed away from the wall and left the room before Lisa could react.
She brushed her fingers across her lips, feeling the strips that were holding the wound closed. A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. She really is an idiot.
-#-
Jessie shifted, lifting herself up, groaning as pain hit her shoulder and neck. Lisa rushed over to her, hands on her arms, holding her back. "Be careful! I've only just bandaged it all."
She glanced downwards and saw that beneath her blouse, her shoulder and neck had been carefully bandaged, though small spots of blood were already showing on the white cloth. "Thank you." She sighed, collapsing back against the wall.
She looked over at the doorway and Lisa followed her gaze. "Why did you help her?"
Lisa looked back at her. "She helped you, right? She got those wounds from saving you."
Jessie laughed once, grimacing as the movement struck her with pain. "She isn't a hero, Lisa. She's scum. She's just like that man– insane and twisted."
"She saved you, Jessie." Lisa spoke quietly, looking downwards and not meeting Jessie's eyes.
"She didn't save me. She got me out, but she didn't help me. She couldn't care less about me."
She let him point a gun at me. She let him shoot Arbok. She ordered Arbok to attack me and she let it happen. She let it all happen and she did nothing.
"She couldn't care less." She repeated.
Lisa lifted her gaze to look at Jessie. "She went to get you out. It was all part of the plan."
"Plan?" she frowned.
"James' plan."
"W-wha-what?" She tried to lift herself up again but Lisa restrained her. "What do you mean 'James' plan'?"
"James is home, Jessie," Lisa said softly. "He's back."
"He's trying to save me?" she breathed. Alphonse and Jaime kept mentioning his name but I didn't really believe it. I didn't believe it was my James. It couldn't be. But it is. He's really here. And he's trying to help me. He made a plan to save me. Does that mean he remembers?
She didn't want to believe it – didn't want to get her hopes up – not yet. She licked her lips and swallowed, her throat dry. "Does…Does he remember?"
Lisa shook her head. "He doesn't."
Of course he doesn't.
But…but there must be something. "How long has he been back?"
Lisa suddenly stiffened, something flitting across her face. She bowed her head, hiding her expression. "He's been back a bit."
He didn't come back for me then. Jessie closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall, tilting her chin upwards. But that doesn't really matter though, does it? He's back and he made a plan to save me. That's everything.
-#-
It hurts.
My body is on fire.
The world is flashing black and white, grey lines blurring everything else out.
Where am I?
Where's Meowth? Is he okay?
Alphonse? Is he still here? Where did he go?
What about Jessie?
Jessie.
Is Jessie safe?
Why isn't Jessie here?
Jessie?
Jessie, I'm scared. It's scary here. I don't want to go back.
The shadows are here. They're calling me. I don't want to go.
Jessie, don't leave me again. Don't let me go. I don't want to lose everything – not again.
Please, someone.
Someone stop them.
Please.
Don't let me go.
A/N
Hey guys. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story!
Just thought I'd say something about Jaime and Lisa. These two are my favourite characters - particularly Jaime. And it surprises me everytime when someone says they hate her but then again it shouldn't surprise me. Jaime and Alphonse represent everything that's wrong in a way. Anyway, I do keep pondering on how the story should end for Jaime. Should Jaime have a happy ending or a bad ending? I suppose I'll just have to see how the story goes!
When I write this, sometimes I have an idea of what will happen next but as I write, the characters take the story in a completely different direction. So you never know where everyone will turn up.
Am still loving University! But I didn't do chemistry at A Level so when we had a two hour lecture and the woman was just throwing off chemistry terms really quickly and scarily, I got into a bit of a panic. But! I will read up on what I have to when I know more! And hopefully I will cope okay with the work and get an awesome degree! *prays and hopes*
Anyway - I feel like people haven't liked the recent chapters as much as the previous ones but I may be wrong.
Continuing on...
Thank you again for reading!