Jumper: Cent's Story

Completely sorry about the wait. I'm sort of going through "writer's block" again. I hate it when I get those. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the direction I am taking this story. I think we are getting really close to the end now. I have special plans ahead.

As summer break approaches, Cent and John are enjoying their relationship to the fullest and cannot wait to have the entire endless summer together. But... there is a great evil that seeks to destroy them. What will happen next?

Here is chapter twenty-three. Enjoy and review when you are done. I hope you like this installment. :)

Chapter Twenty-Three:

"Know Thy Enemy"

Shaw:

Travis Shaw was anything but patient. But, if there was one thing he had learned from being with Syndicate, it was to wait for the perfect moment to strike.

Shaw had spent the entire week tailing the precious little girlfriend, Cent Rice. He knew how much John had it for this girl and he was determined to strike when John was least expecting it.

Shaw figured out that Cent was a Jumper by researching her history. She was known for arriving on time in her classes and for arriving at school without using a school bus or a car. And besides, she owned a BMW, something that any girl or guy would use to drive to school with. It wasn't hard to figure her out. The rest of her history is blank. All of the reports on the documents are false and there were no traces of any Cent Mary Rice in New York City. He knew that Cent and her family were hiding, but not from them. He had an idea that they were hiding from another organization, one that desired to have themselves a Jumper, just like Syndicate does. But Shaw wasn't going to turn Cent or John into Syndicate at all. He had plans for them.

Shaw had always loved the term 'know thy enemy'. He knew that if he was to win against John Bale, which was easy to him, he had to learn his weakness and know how to make him come straight to him. Shaw knew that Cent was the key to making John come out of hiding. The boy was in love. But this was no ordinary love. John was truly in love. He had found... the one.

Shaw didn't understand love at all. He saw it as a stupid feeling that should be ignored. He figured that being in love was a weakness, not a strength. Why love someone when you are always left sad in the end? Why even bother to express your lovable side when you can be as dark as a human can be? These questions have haunted him for years and now he had the answers to them. Because they were weaknesses to have! It was the answer that drove him further away from his humanity.

Here Travis sat, in his Mercedes, waiting for Cent to come right out of those doors.

He had a plan set and he was ready to take her... alive.

His hand tightened over the handle of the twelve-inch knife. The chemical was fully loaded into the blade itself, enough to keep a Jumper asleep and inactive for six hours long, depending on how strong a Jumper could be.

He watched as Cent came running out of the school, she was smiling as she walked with her friends from the backdoor of the high school.

Surprise! his mind was roaring with excitement!

Putting on his sunglasses, Travis smiled and used his gloved hand to open the door. He stepped out and hid the knife in the sleeve of his fancy tuxedo. He began to walk towards Cent, getting all excited.

Cent:

Cent's time in Los Angeles had taken a strange turn for the better after her first time with John from almost a week before. She was more happy and more excited than ever to see him again. They had been meeting up almost every night now, which was driving her parents crazy, but they managed to compromise with her about it. All she had to do was be home by eleven and things were good.

Cent had decided to have John move into the nice beach house in the Caribbean. She liked having him there than back at his other place, here, in Los Angeles. It was too underground and too somewhat depressing. The underground lair was completely blocked off from the outside world and there were only a few windows to allow sunlight in, which happened to be bulletproof glass by the way.

John didn't really want to move into the beach house. He said that it reminded him of his times with his parents and that the house itself was a project he promised to finish for them. But somehow, Cent had managed to convinced him to move in. She remembered that Sunday afternoon like it was yesterday.

The sun began to set in the background of the Caribbean, Cent and John laid in bed together, hands intertwined, bodies right next to each other. The blankets covered their exposed skin and were locked into an embrace that made them 'one'.

John was on his back, while Cent rested her head on his chest, loving the sound of his calm heartbeat. John's arms were around Cent, holding her tightly against him. Despite that the pressure was a little hard on her rips, she didn't want him to stop. She wanted to be as close to him as she could possibly could, even if it meant being hurt by his embrace.

Cent had planned on coming back to John the night before, but she figured that her parents could use a goodnight sleep, knowing she was still under their roof. Tonight was different though. She had informed her parents that she would be with John all night and that she would see them in the morning before school.

In speaking of school, this week was the final week of school, right before summer vacation. Cent couldn't wait to have all of that limitless time with John. All she wanted was to have him all to herself.

Anyway, when she had arrived at the beach house tonight, her and John couldn't wait to be in each other's arms again. Things went from hugs to kissing and then to the best parts that they loved to do now.

After making love for the third time in their 'forever' relationship, Cent and John laid in bed in silence for almost an hour straight. They didn't care that about anything but just being in each other's grasp.

John twisted Cent's hair in his fingers, enjoying the feeling of her softness and her beauty.

Finally, Cent broke the silence.

"John?"

"Hm?" John kissed the top of her head.

"I was wanting to talk to you about your current residency," she blurted out.

John frowned and asked, "What's the matter with my hideout in Los Angeles? I thought you liked it."

Cent nodded and said, "I do, but I don't think you should stay there anymore. I worry about you."

"If this is about Syndicate, they will never find me there," John chuckled. "Not even Travis Shaw will find that place."

Cent supported herself on one arm and pushed herself up, staring into John's eyes.

"I'm not talking about your physical being, which I do worry about all the time, but I'm talking about your emotional being. I don't like that you live in a isolated place without much sunlight or the peaceful ocean. You have this place and you don't even live here. I think it is time that you started living here now. I would feel more comfortable if you did. Just so I know you are safe."

John smiled and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, gently.

"As much as I love this place..." he paused. A little pain escaped his throat. "... I cannot live here."

"Why?" Cent asked, pressing her cheek more into his hand.

John smiled again and explained.

"The reason I could never live here, is because this place reminds me of my parents. You see, I built this place in their memory and I found a reason to ignore the pain inside, but now that reason is gone. It is already hard enough that I have to live the memories of them, but to live in a place that constantly reminds me of them, that would drive me insane because of it. I'm not saying that I want to forget them, I'm saying that I don't want to feel that pain anymore." He paused again and leaned forward, kissing her on the lips. One hand on her cheek. "I only feel at peace when I am with you. It takes a lot to not remember when I am alone in this place. But when I am with you, I feel peace and I want to stay here. But only if you are here with me. I love you."

Cent cried her eyes out from hearing this and threw herself forward, fully embracing him. She felt his arms around fully around her too. She buried her face into his shoulder and cried.

"Please, do it for me," she begged and looked at him. "Can you please live here, for me? I want you to be in a place that is mine, since you gave me this place, I want you to stay here. So I know you are far away from Syndicate and away from that horrible Travis Shaw. Please?"

John smiled and kissed her on the lips.

"Of course," he responded. "I promise. I will start moving in tomorrow. It should be fast. Besides, I actually enjoy the hot tub I have installed."

Cent laughed and kissed him again, wanting to get her fair share of kisses.

With that, they fell asleep on the bed, wrapped in each other's embrace.

Cent smiled at the memory as she and her friends, Ashley, Emily, and Rachel exited the high school building. They listened to Emily as she told them about her date with James, who was now officially her boyfriend. He had asked her out a few days after the prom. It was like a dream come true for her.

"... then he kissed me," Emily smiled like a child. "He kissed me under the full moon. It was like something out of a fairy tale. I swear it this time, I'm in love!"

Cent and the others laughed.

"We know," Ashley giggled. "You have talking about James for a long time now."

"At least he has expressed his feelings for you," Rachel added in. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was in love with you."

Emily lowered her face and asked, "Does he love me though?"

They all stopped at the sidewalk and faced Emily, who was looking towards the ground.

"Is he in love with me?" Emily asked again. "I know he has feelings for me, but being in love is completely different from having just feelings. I want to know."

Cent's heart ached for her and she immediately got to thinking about her times with John and the moment they had finally realized their love for each other. Suddenly, she knew what to ask her.

Cent stepped forward and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Emily, does James look at you with puppy eyes?" she asked. "Eyes that seemed to follow you where ever you go?"

Emily looked up, shocked by the question.

"Y...yes," she answered.

Cent nodded and continued.

"Does he act like a gentleman? And I'm not talking like he forces himself to, but that you can really tell that he is just is being gentleman. Like as in acting like a real gentleman."

"Like what?" she asked.

Cent smiled and shrugged.

"Like, holding the door open for you or putting a coat on you when you are cold or even just helping you sit down in your chair. Anything like that."

Emily thought about it and nodded.

Cent smiled and then asked, "Does he ever force you into any position that other boys would do? Like pressuring you to sleep with him?"

Emily's eyes widened in shock.

"No, he doesn't even go anywhere near that soft of subject. In fact... it is like he doesn't even see me like that. I can sometimes tell that he only likes who I am on the inside."

Cent nodded, smiling as she heard the words. James was reminding her of John all over the again.

"Does he always seem to think about your well-being, both physically, mentally, and emotionally?"

Emily smiled and nodded, "Yes! I can just tell sometimes." She paused. "Cent, where are you going with this? How does this help me know if James is in love with me?"

Cent held up her hand to silence her and asked one more question.

"After the prom, how did James start looking at you?"

Emily thought about it for a while and said, "He was starting to look at me like you and John did at the prom. It was weird. He started spending more time with me and then he asked me out and things were just spinning out of control from there. He has never been able to stop caring for me. It is almost like he is..." Emily stopped and her eyes widened in shock at the realization she had just had in her mind.

Cent smiled and helped finish the last few words in her sentence.

"Like he is in love with you?"

Emily's shocked face turned into a huge smile and nodded as fast as she could.

Ashley and Rachel's mouths dropped in shock at what they had just witnessed.

Emily jumped up and down and kept saying, "He loves me! He loves me!"

Cent laughed and tried to calm her down.

"Hey! Calm down before you break a leg with that jumping. Besides, I think you should go tell someone how you feel, because I most likely grantee that James feels the same way. The idiot just needs you to help him fully realize it."

Without another word, Emily started running back up the steps and towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Rachel called out.

"To find James," Emily called back, just before disappearing inside the school. "I have to tell him I love him."

Ashley and Rachel looked at each and giggled.

"Cent, how did you know what to ask?" Ashley asked her.

Cent turned around and smiled.

"Lets just say that I know what it feels like to be in love myself," she responded. "Me and John have become something more than we originally thought. I love him with all of my heart and so does he. There is just no words to describe everything that has been happening between us."

Ashley and Rachel had tears in their eyes from just hearing the words from Cent. They also wanted to know that feeling also.

"Well," Ashley broke the silence, "me and Rachel are heading over to a Starbucks for some coffee. You want to come?"

Cent shook her head.

"No, I'm going to wait for John here."

Ashley raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright. Have fun, Cent."

With that, both Ashley and Rachel walked away and disappeared around the corner.

Cent smiled and walked towards the alley, waiting for her true love to meet her.

Shaw:

Shaw was tired of hearing those girls talk about love, boys, feelings, and all of that other crap that made him want to punk his guts out. But once he saw that Cent was all alone and standing in an alley, his smile and excitement retired.

Standing on the other side of the road, he approached Cent from behind. He walked slowly, wanting to feel the excitement escalate. He couldn't believe that the moment had finally come. The moment that he finally gives John no choice but to come directly to him, all because he had his pretty little girlfriend. Travis hated love so much. He wished he could just kill the meaning of love, so that it had no place in this world.

Just as he was about to enter the alley, he pulled out his knife and prepared to strike Cent from behind.

With a deep breath, he lunged himself forward... until someone appeared right in front of him.

John:

John didn't even see Travis from behind him. He had jumped facing Cent, not Travis. He didn't even see Travis dodge behind the dumpster, completely covering him from sight.

"Hey, beautiful," he came forward and moved his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. "I missed you."

Cent laughed and spun around. Both her hands went on his face, pulling him towards her, and she kissed his beautiful lips.

"Hey, right back at you," she laughed and kissed him again. "I missed you too."

John laughed and moved forward to kiss her again... until he heard something from behind him.

Spinning himself around, fully alert, he kept Cent safely behind him, using his body as a shield to protect her.

Behind the dumpster! his mind shouted toward where the sound came from.

Cent was worried now.

"John, what's the matter?"

He didn't answer at first.

"I don't know," he said calmly. "I think I heard something behind that dumpster. I'm going to go see what it was."

Cent's eyes widened in fear.

"No!" she protested, moving her arms around him, making sure he doesn't move. "Just jump away! Just away with me! What ever it was, we can just leave it! Just... please... just away with me."

Forcing himself to let go of the need to find out, he calmed himself down and turned to face Cent again. He grabbed ahold of her and jumped away.

Shaw:

Travis Shaw emerged from the back of the dumpster and smiled to himself as he saw they weren't there anymore.

As much as John wanted to kill them right there in the alley, he knew that he wasn't prepared to take them both on. He needed to stick to the plan. Besides, he wanted to be satisfied with killing John and Cent too. He wanted his plan for vengeance to go actually as he wants it to.

"Enjoy this extended time, John!" he violently whispered. "Because I will get your little princess soon! And then, you have no choice but to come to me! I will kill you and then your little girlfriend! Just wait and watch!"

With that, he walked back to his Mercedes, letting his knife slip back into his sleeve.

He got back into the car, started it up and drove off.

This game was far from over!

Cent:

Cent and John appeared in the living room of the beach house.

There was more furniture now, thanks to John moving into the house. He had taken up residency in the master bedroom, which was Cent's idea.

Both Cent and John held onto each other, not even daring to let go.

Finally, Cent looked at him and asked, "What was that about?"

"Sorry," he kissed her. "I guess I'm a little paranoid."

Cent giggled and said, "I know. In speaking of which, you have been acting on full alert since Sunday. Why is that?"

John looked straight in the eyes, unable to talk.

I can't lie to her, he said to himself. I don't want their to be any secrets between us. Never!

Sighing, John explained.

"Last Saturday, after you left, I received a phone call from Travis Shaw."

Cent gasped in shock.

"He made threats to kill me... including you. That was why I have been so alert for the past week now." He paused to take a breather. "When I heard that noise in the alley, I feared that he had finally come for us. He wants me dead... and you too." Tears appeared in his eyes. "I'm so sorry for endangering you and your family. All I seem to be is a walking time bomb."

Cent cried too and kissed him.

"You are not a time bomb!" she fought back. "Travis Shaw is to blame for his mistakes, not you! I knew the risks of loving you and here I am, still here because I love you! I can take care of myself. I can't live without you, John. If Travis wants you, then he will have to go through me! He can have the world, but he can't have you! I want let him!"

John chuckled and kissed her back.

"You are one amazing girl, you know that?"

Cent smiled and said, "I have my moments."

Taking the next few minutes to calm down, they sat on the couch and held each other.

"What do you want to do today?" John asked as he stroked Cent's hair.

"Well," Cent thought about it. "I want to go swimming."

"Alright, lets go change."

With that, they both disappeared into the master bedroom, returning a minute later, in their bathing suits. They didn't waste time as they ran out of the beach house, down the deck, and jumping off into the ocean that lied before them.

For this long moment, nothing disturbed them. Not even Travis Shaw.

Oh boy! Travis Shaw is really going out of his mind to get John! Who likes the way I have created this villain?

Anyway, I'll try to end this story with a few more chapters. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. :)

Please review. I'll try to have another chapter posted tomorrow. :)