Chapter 3:

It was two months after Jezabell had her art show. Two months since she met the mysterious Doctor; and two months since Ashley's death. Jezabell spent the first month in her studio, not coming out and refusing to see anyone but John. She spent hours just sitting and thinking. Whenever she tried to paint, the only color she wanted to use was a deep blue. When she wrote, all she managed to write was an apology letter to Ashley. Jezabell felt that it was her fault Ashley died. Her best friend needed her, and she just ran off with a strange man she'd never met before.

Finally, after a month of solitary, Jezabell went back into the streets of London and reunited with the rest of the world. She still felt guilty about Ashley, but never told anyone; not even John.

"Finally came out of hiding?" Allison asked her one morning. Jezabell, Allison, and Christine were having tea at Allison's house.

"You invited me over. How can I refuse a ginger?" Jezabell said. If you went by appearance, Allison was Jezabell's polar opposite. Allison had short, red hair and brown eyes, while Jezabell had long black hair and blue eyes. However, they really were extremely similar personality wise. They are both sarcastic, outgoing, and they know how to have fun. Christine was both different and the same as these two girls. She had blonde hair that went down to her chest and green eyes. She was about the same height as Jezabell- five foot six- and was in between Jezabell's thin-but-not-too-thin body and Allison's thin-but-still-has-a-bit-of-stomach. Allison was always the heaviest of the three of them, but she was never more than five pounds overweight. Christine was almost as sarcastic as Jezabell and Allison, and she was more outgoing. She was the boldest out of the girls and was never afraid to talk to a guy she was in-to.

This was the first time the three girls got together without Ashley. They all tried not to think about the fact that they will never be a foursome ever again.

After a while of sitting around and talking about random topics, there was a single knock on the door before it was swung open.

"Never fear, the guys are here!" Chris said, walking in with Evan and John right behind him.

"Hey guys." Christine said. Whenever one these friends was bored and wanted to hang out with another "gang member" (as Evan calls them), they just walk right into the house if it's unlocked. No need for knocking, or calling ahead; they just simply walk right in.

"What's going on females? Hey Jezabell, haven't seen you for a while." Evan said, sitting down in the black leather armchair.

"I know, I've been in secret." Jezabell said.

"New paintings or books?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I've been keeping myself separate from all my friends for an entire month because of a new book and painting." Jezabell was not planning on mentioning Ashley in anyway, but she hated it when Evan tried to lighten the mood by saying the wrong things. After she spoke, everyone stayed quiet for a minute.

"Oh, Jezabell, I like your necklace!" Allison said, referring to the necklace with a large blood-stone on it that Jezabell was wearing. "How did I not notice it earlier? Where did you get it?"

"Thanks. My mom gave it to me before she died, I think." The truth was, Jezabell had found it among her mother's things after her death.

When she was younger, Jezabell's room was the basement of their house because that was where he mother's office was and where she kept most of her things. Her father didn't love Jezabell and needed an extra room in the house. Since he wasn't going to step foot in the basement where the memories of his deceased wife, and wasn't going to get rid of Jezabell, so he put her in the basement. Jezabell had often gone through her mother's things and in one of her boxes, she found that necklace. She never wore it until her father died but even then not very often. She suddenly found the necklace very pretty, and almost never took it off.

"Oh cool." Allison said.

"Guys, I have an announcement to make!" Jezabell said.

"What is it?" John asked.

"You got a boyfriend!" Christine exclaimed.

"You won the lottery?" Chris asked.

"Okay, first of all, I still have a boyfriend, Christy. Just because Joey is out of the country for a few months, doesn't mean we aren't dating anymore. Second, Chris, I did not win the lottery, and even If I did you wouldn't get any money from me!"

"You're no fun." Chris said, slumping back into his seat.

"Oh well. Anyway, my new is that I am moving back into my house. I'm still using my studio, and I'm still going to hide out there when I don't feel like dealing with people."

"Wow, that's awesome! That means mattresses and couches are being put in! Thank god, I'm getting tired of that air mattress!" Christine said.

"Um, excuse me?"

"Oh, well see, when I go to a party or something and I drink, I can't go home drunk so I just sort of crash at your place. My mom doesn't care as long as I don't come home wasted. Of course, she doesn't know where I am those nights, but oh well." Jezabell rolled her eyes.

"Glad my house can be of service."

Jezabell didn't take part in many outings with her friends after that. Sure she went to a few parties, and hung out with them, but she spent most of her time in her studio or her house. Three more months had passed, and Jezabell had painted every day. Some things she painted in one day, some took up to four, but either way, she had about thirty paintings in one room. This one room was secret to everyone but herself. She always kept the door locked, and the lights were voice activated to one voice that wasn't even her own.

John was constantly trying to find out what she was doing every day, but she refused to tell him, or even give him a hint. Jezabell was good at keeping secrets and she was good at making sure other people knew when to stop pestering. This annoyed John a lot that she was keeping secrets from him. He always had thought that he and Jezabell had a closer relationship than that. He cherished their friendship so much, that he tried very hard not to ruin it, despite his true feelings for her. He always tried not to get mad at her, even when she bothered him most. One day, the two of them were hanging out in his family's pizza place when some bloke from an art magazine wanted to ask Jezabell a few questions.

"Jezabell Adams, one of London's finest artists. Tell me, how do you have time to both write and paint?" the interviewer asked.

"Well, I'm a fast painter, and if I have a good story plot, then I spend my time writing and only paint when I take a break from writing." Jezabell answered.

"Funny, I wasn't going to even ask about your painting and writing, because everyone already knows about all that. Except for, of course, where your studio is."

"I hope you don't ask where that is. There are only two people, beside myself, that are allowed to know where it is." This shocked John.

"Wait, two?" he asked. But of course, he was ignored.

"Of course, but I wasn't going to ask about that either. I'm interested in the real Jezabell Adams. I want to know about you and not your work."

"Sounds great, but I might need to know your name first, don't you think?"

"Right, sorry about that. I'm a forgetful person. My name is Kevin Meyers."

"Nice to meet you. Now we can start the interview."

"Thanks for the permission." Kevin smiled. "So, Miss Adams, how do you spend your free time?"

"I usually hang out with my friends."

"Always fun. And would this young man here next you be one of them?"

"No, he's just some guy that follows me around and buys me pizza." Kevin raised his eyebrows. "Of course he's one of them."

"You're a sarcastic girl. I like that." He smiled. "Do you have any boyfriends?" This question bothered John. Why would he ask her that? He also didn't like the answer.

"No, I don't have boyfriends, unless you mean guys who are friends. But I have one boyfriend."

"Oh? And what's his name?"

"I don't give out details of my friends without their permission. Sorry."

"No, that's fine." Kevin asked a few more questions, each one getting deeper and deeper. "What about family? Do you have any siblings? Mom, Dad?"

"Not anymore."

"They died?"

"No, they disappeared into thin air. Yes, they died."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, even if you really were." Kevin asked more questions about her life and her family, but Jezabell tried to keep the family talk to a minimum. It's not that it made her sad to think about it; in fact, she rarely let herself gat sad about it. She just doesn't like to tell people she barely knows her entire life story.

Once the interview was over, Kevin left and it was just Jezabell and John again.

"Two people?" John asked after a few minutes.

"What?" Jezabell asked, confused.

"Two people know about your studio?"

"No, you're the only one who knows."

"But you said only two people are allowed to know where it is."

"Yeah, two people are allowed to know, but only one knows."

"Who's the other person?"

"A man called the Doctor."

"The doctor? Doctor who?"

"It's just the Doctor, nothing more."

"Who is he?"

"Remember the day Ashley died?"

"How could I forget?" Jezabell explained to him how she helped this man with getting the weird alien creatures to leave, leaving out the part he was alien himself and has a spaceship disguised as a blue box. "So, he's some weird alien expert?"

"You could say that."

"Well, if you've only met him once, why are you letting him know where it is?"

"Because I trust him, I don't know there is just something about him that's really trustworthy and familiar. And because I have something to show him."

"What's that?"

"It's a secret."

"You and your secrets."

"You know you love them!"

"No, actually I don't. I hate them actually." With that, John got up and left.

"John!" Jezabell called after him, but he was already out the door. She sighed, and walked out too. She looked up and down the streets but didn't see John anywhere. She decided to just leave him be and not bother to look for him. Jezabell walked down the street and started heading to the coffee shop to grab a quick cup of coffee. She was turning the corner when she walked right into someone.

"Oh, I'm so- Joey?" she said. Standing in front of her was her tall, brunette boyfriend dressed in a black hoodie and jeans with a chain from the belt loop in the front to the back.

"Jezabell, I was just about to head over to your house! I'm back!" Joey exclaimed. He pulled Jezabell into a hug.

"I see that." Jezabell said, hugging him back. "When did you get home?"

"About two days ago. I would have gone to see you sooner, but my mom wanted me to rest and I had to unpack and stuff like that." He released her.

"Oh, cool. So how was America?"

"Great. Yeah, I saw my cousins and I went to quite a few museums. They have great art there, and history." Joey was big on history and art. He was fair at drawing, but not the best. He went to America to study history and art there so he could do something with history as a job. What he had recently became interested in, though, is being a crime investigator, but on old crimes.

"Awesome. Come to the coffee shop. I have a lot to tell you."

Twenty minutes later, the two of them were sitting at a table over two cups of coffee. Jezabell had told Joey everything that happened at her art show and how Ashley died.

"Ashley's dead?" Was all he could say.

"Yeah, it was shocking and terrible." Jezabell said. She was always bad at explaining how she felt a while ago when something happened. She never acted very sad about anything, at least not in front of other people.

"And she died from some alien thing?"

"Yeah, I would have expected you to hear about it on the news or something."

"I didn't watch the news much while I was there. I actually didn't pay much attention to any type of news. I guess I should have…I can't believe she's dead…"

"I know it's so… different without her. She was always who I talked to about everything. Now, I don't know who to go to." Jezabell sighed.

"You can always talk to me."

"I know, but there are just some things I can't talk to you about. Some things should only be discussed with girls. Plus, you're not always around."

"I can be. Jezabell, I'll always be here for you."

"Yeah, Joey, I know. But seriously, I can't tell you absolutely everything, you're a guy."

"Right, sorry, I just want you to know you can always talk to me."

"Yeah, I know." Jezabell started to get mixed feelings about Joey a few weeks before he left for America. He had seemed almost clingy and wanted to be with her all the time. She really liked him, but sometimes he could be a bit annoying. She was worried he was in love with her because she didn't love him. Of course she liked him a lot, but she didn't quite love him. "So, what else did you do in America?"

"Oh, well I just went around and saw the sights. I went to Washington D.C and got a tour of the Whitehouse and the Capitol Building. I also drove to Jamestown Virginia. You know the first American settlement?"

"Yeah of course. I know I didn't get to learn too much history, but I know that." Jezabell had never gone to school. Her father tried his best to keep her a secret and didn't allow her any education. She tried to do free online schools, but it only lasted a few months because once her father found out, he threw the computer at her and broke it with a baseball bat. He kept his own computer locked up so that she couldn't use it.

"Right, well, I also went to Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Oh, and I went to Los Angeles, California. It was great. You really should have come."

"Yeah, but I had writing and painting to do. Plus, I can't afford to do that much flying and traveling."

"I would have paid for part of it."

"I know, but I couldn't have you do that. I'm just not really one for traveling anyway. I mean, I like to, but I can't stand the long car rides or plane rides."

"Yeah, I get that."

Jezabell and Joey talked for a little bit longer before he announced he had to leave.

"I missed you." Joey said as they were leaving the shop. "I'm glad to be back."

"I missed you too, and I'm glad you're home." Joey leaned in and kissed Jezabell.

"I missed that too." He said when they released. Jezabell laughed.

"See you later, Joey." They both turned their opposite directions.

When Jezabell reached the pizza place, she checked to make sure no one was watching her, then went around back and took the "secret" door that lead straight to the basement. When she got to the basement, she turned on the light.

From where she was, it looked like an ordinary pizza shop basement. But when you go a little further, there is a door that is always locked. This door leads to Jezabell's little studio and apartment. There was one big room where she kept a futon, a television, and a desk with a computer on top. To the far side of the room was a counter that John had put in for her with a toaster-oven, a microwave, and a sink. There were a few plates and bowls stacked in the corner. A mini fridge stood next to the counter. Next to the futon, was another door that led to the small bathroom.

There were two more doors to the other side of the main room. Behind one door was a large room with paintings hung up all over the walls, as if it were wall paper. Underneath the paintings are other small random pictures that Jezabell painted and drew. The drawings can be visible in the spaces between pictures and where there aren't any paintings hanging. There are a few easels of different sizes standing around the room. There is a large cabinet where all of Jezabell's painting supplies are kept. This was her art studio.

Jezabell walked right to the other door. This room was slightly smaller. This room was her secret room, the room that no other eyes have ever seen. In here, there are paintings, drawings, and a few small sculptures of the one person, one thing, and one day she couldn't stop thinking about for the past five months. Jezabell opened the door to the dark room. There was a light switch, but it did not work. The lights were voice activated. The voice was not hers, but of the only person allowed to see what's inside this room. She had accidently recorded this man's voice on her phone. She pressed the button on her phone to play the fragment of the recording,

"Allons-y!" it said, and the lights turned on.