CHAPTER TWO. YAY.
Jessica had been watching the ground go by as they flew. Finally Aage spoke to her, saying,
I'm going to land...hold on, it may be rough. Jessica nodded grimly and tightened her grip in the darkling's feathers, letting out a sharp yell that was cut off quickly by a hiss from the darkling,
Hush! The old ones know you're here, but you must stay on my back. I...have broken enough of their trust my bringing you here, and letting you lose will only anger them more. Jessica felt the blood rush from her face and her whole entire body go cold. These were not just the old ones that Rex had encountered. These were very, very old ones. Their shapes were massive, one of them giving off an eerie black steam that flowed along the ground, another with tentacles much like a jellyfish, but with spikes protruding from them every now and then.
The one that terrified her most, though, was the one that looked human it had a sneer permanently on its face, its skin shining eerily, as if lit from within. And this one...it looked like Jon. Her heart began to beat faster, she gripped Aage's feather tighter, and she felt the human-ling's satasfaction at her terror.
Welcome, human. It hissed smoothly. She couldn't find the words to reply, so Aage did for her.
Hello, this human...Jessica, has requested your audience, ancient ones. There was a hiss of anger from the jellyfish like one, which chilled Jessica to the bone.
Why? Why have you brought us this...this lowly piece of meat? She does not deserve anything but to be consumed. Jessica nearly fainted when they began to advance, but Aage let loose a shrill caw.
Stop! She has reason to meet with you, old ones. You know how much she's scared the young ones, and she even scares you with her lightning-hand. There was a moment of silence, and then the human-like darkling sent a command at Aage.
Let her down, runt. Now. It was not a request in the least. Jessica's eyes widened and she stiffened, but as the feather beneath her began to harden and feel sharp, she sighed and took three deep breaths before quietly sliding off of the raven darkling.
My name is your worst nightmare, my dear. Hissed the Jonathan-old one. Jesica looked at him as he walked forward, looking down at her with eyes like coals. And I would like to know why you, my prey, think you can come here and come away unharmed. Jessica clenched her fists, causing them to light up. The darkling's composure wavered for a split second, and that was all that Jessica needed to regain her confidence.
I came to make ou a deal. My half is up to you - but your half is to get me out of the midnight. I don't belong here, you all know that. And you all know that things have been happening since I've come to be a part of it. You can all feel it, as can I. The midnight is unraveling -- and as soon as it's gone, s will you all be. It's no coincidence that this all happened at the moment I became a part of the midnight, you can't deny that.
Jessica stood, her glare unwavering as she stared purposefully up at the old, old one. A wicked grin played across his human features.
Then why do we not simply kill you? Jessica faltered, but the argument came right to her head as she spat back,
You must undo what I've caused. SImply killing me won't solve the problem -- it will make it unsolveable. Her anger caused even the old one to take a step back as her hands crackled with energy. Although they were spirits, and could do no harm to one another, her powers were still frightening. The old one looked back at his comrades, who had stilled, even the one whose smoky tendrils seemed to flow of their own accord.
They knew that Jessica was right, she was the cause of the unbalance in the midnight and she had to be spat back out to fix it. But not without a price.
Okay, human. We will let you free. Jessica's delight drowned out his next thoughts, so he paused while she calmed herself.
But happiness does not come without a price. And the price you will pay to gain freedom is high.
Jessica's happiness was doused as a thought came to her head. Her hands slowly went out and dread settled into the pit of her stomach, as bitter and ugly as bile.
Ah...I see you know what that price is, girl. The jonathan-old one's smile grew to swallow nearly all of his features. These being had no concience, and they would get whatever they could out of this.
How...how much? Jessica whispered, her eyes wide and the dreadful feeling working its way out of her stomach now, beginning to spread throughout her whole body.
Oh, you will be much more than a 'halfling' as you call it. We will let you remain human. But like that Rex of yours, dear, you will not have it so easy. Jessica's eyes widened as she remembered the way that Rex acted. She didn't know of how he acted aorund Melissa. But she turned her features steely, and then asked,
How. Much. The old one laughed cruelly and put his hands on her shoulders, causing her to gasp, and then pain filled her form head to toe. She heard Aage screech and his thoughts filled her brain,
Stop, Cronos! You will kill her Do not break your word!! But Cronos, the darkling who had a hold of her, ignored his pleas. It seemed Aage was too human for them, his opinions did not matter. Jessica cleanched her fists, screaming at the top of her lungs, her throat raw. She had no idea what was going on. Finally the pain stopped. It was so abrupt, she fell to her knees, her forehead touching the ground, she felt the sand pushing an imprint into her forhead.
Felt? Jessica's head shot up and she looked around, seeing the darklings no longer. She leapt to her feet, feeling new energy in her body. She was free! A giggle of hysteria burst forth from her and she spun in a circle, yelling for joy and laughing like a little child.
Í"m free, I'm free, I'm free!" She shouted, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried for joy.
Almost, my dear. Came a slimy voice in her head. Cronos. Jessica stopped dead, a shudder passing through her.
She was far from free -- it was almost worth being trapped in the midnight.
She was one of them now.
Not quite...as I said, you are still human. But you are my host now, dear. You will be like Rex, but more. You are our little experiment, my dear. Your rice has not been paid in full yet.
Jessica felt dread rise in her stomach. And she finally realized what she had done.
Never, ever, trust a darkling.
Cronos' cruel laughter filled her head and then died away as he chuckled,
That is right. Because darklings are just that untrustworthy.
Jessica felt tears roll down her cheeks again -- but this time not of happiness. Quite far from it.
But what could she do? She had made her deal. And she would have to carry it out.
Don't think you've won, Cronos. I am much more powerful than you think.
Her only response was cruel, cold laughter.
Have fun getting back home, human. He said, causing Jessica to swear and start towards the city in the distance. If only it was midnight and Jon was here.
Oh yes. If only. But we don't all get what we want now, do we? Laughter followed that and Jessica shut his horrible, mocking voice from her head. At least she could do that much.
By the time that she got back to the campsite, midnight had fallen. Jonathan bounded up to her, whisking her up in his arms and twirling her around and kissing her before he murmured while the floated down,
"Jess, oh, where were you? I thought something had happened..." He sounded terribly worried. Jesica silenced him with another kiss as they made it back to the ground and replied to him once they broke apart,
"Calm down, Jon. I'm not going anywhere. Now without you." Melissa made a gagging noise and called back to them, "Take it somewhere else, I think I'm gonna barf!" Jessica grinned and pulled Jonathan along, him bouncing and carring her and him, spinning, up into the air. She laughed, her mind completely off the darkling that had itself situated in her mind. She felt completely human -- even the steel flashlight in her pocket didn't hurt her.
So, what was so bad?
She pushed the doubt out of her mind and focused on Jon. They landed and she bounced out farther from their campsite.
"So, did you find anything?" She asked him as they went -- she saw that they were angled towards a giant cliff a few miles away.
"We found Audrey and her friend, and they agreed to go find Melissa tonight. She said she felt them when we got to the campsite -- by the way, where were you?" Jessica hesitated, and then said as smoothly as she could,
"I was...looking around. I hadn't realized how late it was getting until midnight hit." She paused and then added, regarding the two girls, "So one's an acrobat too, huh? I wonder if we'll find any Seers or Polymath's around..." She didn't mention a fire-bringer -- because, frankly, she wasn't too thrilled about being one. It had gotten her sucked into the midnight and now turned into half a darkling.
No one else should have to go through what she did. She shook her head a bit to rid the thoughts from her mind, hoping Melissa was too preoccupied to notice them and turned to listen to Jon's reply.
"She said she didn't recognize the other seven midnighters out there, but it just might be because of the distance. When we went into town she said she swore she'd felt more than one seer out there. I think she's eager to meet them, not too sure why though." Jessica nodded, her thoughts roiling. Once they made it to the top of the cliff -- which turned out to have a hill at one end that they went to sit on -- they settled down. Jessica sat in between Jon's legs and he leaned back, staring up at the sky.
"I wonder if there's any other midnight talents we haven't figured out yet..." Jessica said thoughtfully. It would be great for there to be other talents -- finding them all would be so much fun. She wondered if there were people who could see the future, or someone like her or Jon with a physical. Maybe someone who gained strength during the blue time, or maybe they could have elemental powers...
"What're you thinking, Jess?" Jon asked her, resting his chin on the top of her head. She smiled and replied,
"What those people that Melissa can't identify might have as a talent. It would be awesome if there were elemental ones, or if someone could see the future..." Jon grinned and looked out at the sinking moon, thinking,
"Or maybe if one of them can really fly. Man, that would be even more fun than just jumping around..." Jessica laughed and said while taking his hand,
"I'm afraid you'd never want to come down if you could fly." He smiled more softly at her when she said that, twining his fingers with hers,
"I'd come back down for you."Jessica blushed and leaned back on him, just feeling happy for the first time in over a month.
But she frowned, her hand tightening around Jonathan's. Her parents and Beth...she would get to see them, but...she had to stay with Jon and Melissa.
"What's wrong?" He asked her moving to put his arms around her.
"We should get back to Mellissa now. The moon's going down." She replied. That wasn't the reason she had tensed up, it was the thought of not being able to see her parents even though she could bothered her. Jon looked up and frowned as well, nodding as he stood, pulling Jessica up into his arms and jumping off the cliff. She gasped in surprise as he held her against his chest. She hadn't really been expecting that. He gently let her go as they came down from their first jump, and Jesica was grinning like a child when they jumped again, and Jon laughed at the look on her face.
By the time they got back to the campsite, the two were laughing uncontrolably and tumbled to Melissa's feet, still stuck in a fit of giggling.
"Oh, shut up with you? You're making my head hurt." Jessica held up her hand as she tried to stop her laughter, only managing to get herself the hiccups and continue to giggle. Melissa sighed and then said, hoping it would shut them both up,
"Midnight ends in a few minutes, numbwads." Both of them froze, shock stopping Jessica's hiccups and Jon just...feeling horrible. This hour a day was not enough. Not at all.
They both sat up and Jessica put her arms around him, holding him tight as she whispered,
"I have something to show you, Jon. I want you to let go of me and close your eyes. And when midnight's over...look." She hoped that it would work, a desperate, clinging hope. Then she let go of him and stood, taking a few steps back. Melissa was looking at her, her eyes narrowed,
"Jessica...what...?" But midnight was ending. Jessica looked at her watch, and slowly counted down to herself,
"Five...four...three...two..."
Jon opened his eyes.
And stared.
Melissa was staring as well, her mind blank for once, nothing coming to it as an explinaiton for this. And Jessica knew. She knew this was going to happen, or else she wouldn't have said that to Jon...and she was trying desperatley to not think about something. Then she heard the voice.
Enjoy it while you can, Jessica Day. Jessica had a look of strain on her face as she fought to bury the thought.
"Jessica! What have you done?!" Melissa barked, sensing the mind of a darkling brush against her own. This one was many, many times more powerful than the one in Rex. This one could speak. Rex's couldn't speak. Why was Jessica's speaking?!
Jessica cast fearful eyes at the mindcaster and Jon ran over to her, putting his arms around her and putting his face ot her head, murmuring to her with tears leaking out the corners of his eyes. Melissa looked distressed, but knew that this could wait. Jon was too wrapped up in his surprise, joy, confusion, too many emotions at once, for Melissa to focus. Jessica had put her arms around him as well, not wanting to let go.
"Jon, oh, Jonathan...I--" Her words were silenced by his mouth over hers, taking in every second he could of her finally being with him. She gave in to his touch and they both sank to the ground. Melissa tried her best to keep her mind positioned on the flow of thoughts from those two, not wuite enjoying the lustful thoughts going through the couple's heads.
She walked farther from the two, buried in their own world, and thought about the two girls she'd talked to eariler. They said they'd seen others, and tomorrow midnight they'd have to go into town and finally rent a place. She'd give the two lovers a separate room, thank you very much.
"Jonathan..." Jessica breathed from behind Melissa. Jon's thoughts were getting to the point that Melissa wanted to slap him. But that wouldn't do her too good. When she turned ot look at her, she jumped. They were on the ground now, jesus christ.
"Okay, you two, break it up. If either of you gets AIDS we're fucked." Jessica giggled but didn't move from where she was, laying on top of Jonathan. Jon just rolled his eyes at her and put his arms loosely around Jess, saying,
"I wouldn't talk, Mel. None of us know what you and Rexy were up to." Jon grinned at the indignant look on Melissa's face, and the way it flushed.
"Ah-hah! I win." Jessica pounded on his chest in an attempt to make him shut up.
"Jon, stop pestering her. We need to get some sleep -- I'm exhausted." Melissa was iron about finding out what Jessica had done, though.
"Jess. You need to tell me what you did. Right now -- because if I don't know, and anything happens..." She shuddered, an image of Rex losing control going through her mind -- if he was that bad with a much less powerful darkling inside of him, what would Jessica be like?
"Well I..." She started, rolling off of Jon and sitting up. "I...thought that maybe the darklings knew how to get me out of the blue time," Melissa groaned. Mistake number one right there.
"And so, I called out to them, but I didn't really expect an answer." She paused and looked at Melissa who had her head tilted down as she thought,
"But you got a response anyway," she murmured. Jessica nodded, and then the image of her getting on the Raven old one and flying across the desert flashed through her mind. Melissa looked up sharply, her eyes wide and shock on her face,
"You rode on its back?" Jonathan looked up, alarm clear on his features.
"Jessica!" He cried out, causing her to whip around and face him, her voice steely,
"What else was I supposed to do? They can't harm me during the day. I'm free from them -- I could say whatever I wanted and they couldn't do a thing! The raven -- Aage -- took me to more old ones. These ones...they...their power scared me, Melissa. And they weren't even within ten meters of me. But they could bring me back from the blue time. And...I agreed to their terms." Jessica took a deep breath after that, reaching out for Jon's hand. He took it and pulled her into his lap, huging her close to him.
"Jessica. Do you know what the terms you blindly agreed to have done? Do you have any idea at all?" Melissa's voice rose a it and Jess flinched. Jon murmured in her ear and she nodded.
"All I know is what Cronos has told me. He...he's the darkling in my head." Melissa threw her hands up and groaned aloud, "Wonderful! Perfect! Not we have two of you crazy halflings running around! Is this turning into a trend or something?" Melissa hardly ever lost her cool -- Jess and Jon were set into a shocked silence until Jessica spoke up once more.
"But...Melissa. I'm not afraid of thirteen letter words. Steel doesn't hurt me. There must be something different about me, right?" Melissa looked over at the flame-bringer, her black hair falling in front of her eyes.
"I don't know, Jessica. I really don't know. I can't probe your mind -- when Maddy tried to do that to Rex...oh, I can't explain. But no. You'll have to figure it out on your own," A pause while she got into her sleeping bag, "For now, lets sleep, I'm exhausted. 'Night." Jessica shivered, and Jonathan pulled her closer, murmuring, "I'll still love you even if you turn into an ugly beast." Jessica smiled and replied, "I love you too Jon."
With that notion, Jess and Jon went to bed, sharing a sleeping bag considering there was only two. Neither had an objection to that.
Jonathan put his arms around her, murmuring a sleepy "'Night." Before falling asleep. And within moment Jessica was asleep feeling safe and warm. But not long after that, the nightmares began.
"No! N-no, don't!" Jessica's scream pierced the cool night air. Jon woke with a start, confused at first, but when he moviced Jessica's trembling, fear-stricken form, he held her tighter, murmuring to her.
"Shh, it's okay, Jess, it was just a dream, baby, hush." She put her head to his chest and bawled her eyes out, Melissa groaning and rolling her eyes. She hadn't caught what the dream was about, but what could it have been? Nothing too bad, because she was calming down. And no images flashed through her mind at all -- she would have remembered something this bad. Right? The uncertanty Melissa felt scared her; she had never felt this way before. Her answers were nearly always certain, and if she couldn't find an answer, she let Rex or Dess figure it out.
A shudder passed through her as a dreadful feeling build in her stomach.
What if the darklings had wanted to split them up? Rex had Dess, and they had Jessica...but now that Jess was taken over by an old one...no. That couldn't be it. Melissa shook her head violently to clear the thoughts from her head.
"J-jon, oh, no...I d-don't want to g-go back to s-sleep. P-please d-don't make m-me." Jessica stuttered fearfully through her tears. Jon nodded, kissing the top of her head and continuing to talk to her,
"No, no, it's okay, Jess, you can stay up, I won't make you go to sleep, I'll be here, I promise." Jessica had her arms against his chest in front of her and she balled up his shirt in her fists and buried her face in his chest again, the tears finally going away. He held on to her, keeping silent, until she looked up at him again.
"Jess, babe, what happened in your dream?" Jon whispered, fear for her in his eyes. If what Melissa and her had been talking about last night was true...
"I-I dont even know, Jon. I j-just...remember waking up comepletely t-terrified of something." She paused and reached for his hand, holding on to it tightly as if he was floating away.
"Don't leave me." She whispered. This took Jon by surprise.
"I wouldn't ever, Jess. Never." She smiled slightly through her tears and squeezed his hand, the fear suddenly melting.
"I love you." She murmured, her eyes drooping. Jon, although confused, replied, "Love you too, honey," His thumb moved back and forth on the back of her hand as he finally felt her relax.
"Mel, does this have to do with the darkling?" Jonathan suddenly asked.
"I have a feeling that that's true...but...but I'm not one hundred percent sure." Jon nodded, contuing to rub Jessica's hand and whisper sweet words into Jessica's ear while he fell asleep himself.
If he got the chance, he was going to make this darkling wish it had never come near his girl.