Jumper: Cent's Story
This next chapter is a special one. A friend of mine has agreed to star in my story as a minor character. She is a new regular on fanfiction and goes by the profile name GeekyZoee. She is a very important friend of mine and I hope that you enjoy her character in this story. I will be naming the new character "Zoe" after her.
Anyway, this chapter will refocus back on Cent a little bit and will also see what Travis is up to as well. Oh, yeah, we will also get a small point of view on Millie and David together too.
On her last day of school before summer, Cent meets up with an old friend. John finds himself making a decision of his own, one that will change his life. Meanwhile, Travis begins his revenge against John.
Please read and enjoy the next installment to my story. :)
Chapter Twenty-Five:
An Old Friend & A Vengeance
John:
Friday was the longest day in John's life.
After the recent nightmare from last night, John didn't take any chances of going back to sleep. Instead, he decided to walk around Los Angeles for a while. He didn't care if he gets the attention of Syndicate or Travis Shaw. They already knew he was in the city, so it didn't matter on how careful he was when by himself. It was being with Cent that worried him the most.
Cent was the reason for him lowering his defenses. Before he even met her, he was always jumpy and a little paranoid. He never got the chance to relax or have fun without looking over his shoulder. But once he met Cent, everything changed. He wasn't scared anymore. She made him happy and brought back his smile. And she completed him too.
Despite with everything that has been happening with Shaw and Syndicate, John was determined to never let Cent go. He was in love with her and nothing was going to change that. Not even Shaw himself.
That was also why he was visiting an expensive jewelry store in the downtown part of the city.
John looked at every ring he could find, trying to study the type that Cent would like.
Some part of John made him think that he was crazy to be doing this. Him and Cent hadn't even completed a full month in their relationship. Not to mention that Cent still had another year of school to go.
But another part of him just knew that he needed to do this. He was in love with Cent. Besides, he can wait till she completed her senior year. But he just knew that he needed to do this now. He couldn't wait any longer.
"I see a young man in love," said a voice from behind him.
John turned to see an old man behind him.
Just from the suit the old man was wearing, he could tell he was an employee.
John smiled and asked, "What gave it away?"
The old man smiled back and replied, "I could see the love in your eyes." He stopped and raised an eyebrow. "And the fact that you keep looking at each of those rings over and over again. I was once in love like you, back when I was much younger."
John reach out his hand and introduced himself.
"John Bale."
The old man smiled again and shook his hand.
"George," he replied. "So, who is the lucky girl?"
"Actually, I'm the lucky one," John said. "The girl I love is Cent. I'm just trying to pick out the perfect ring for her. Since I'm going to be with her forever, I want to see her smile forever. I want to begin off right with her and maker her happy."
George smiled and said, "Now here is a true man! I have never heard anyone speak like that in a long time. I have seen men come through here, always just picking out a simple ring and not even considering if the girl will like it or not. Not to mention that the modern society has screwed up the idea of love. I missed the good old days when boys were polite to girls and never once treated them like trash. For men and women today, it is always about themselves. True love is about who you love, not just yourself. People are always suspecting to be loved without even providing the love in the first place. I'm proud to see that you are one of the few young men today to remember that."
John smiled and said, "I owe that to my old man. He taught me how to treat a woman and how to act around them too. But the one important thing he taught me was that I always protect and hold onto the woman I love. To never let her go and always show her just how much I love her."
George nodded in agreement and said, "Wise old man. He must be proud that you have found your true love now. Just like he will be proud on your wedding day."
John's face dropped.
"Actually, my father and mother died a while back."
George's smile disappeared.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Nothing to be sorry about, it was a long time ago. I best thing I can do now is live my life to the fullest. And I want to start by marrying the girl I love."
George clapped his hands together and walked up to the counter, where tons of rings lied before them.
"Then we have work to do," he blinked towards John and smiled. "Lets see if we can find Cent's wedding ring."
John smiled and joined him as they searched through the rings. One by one.
Cent:
Excitement rose inside Cent as she sat in her seat for the final hour of school. She stomped her feet, silently, as she looked at the clock. Every second and minute made her more excited as she waited for the moment when the final bell would ring for the entire year.
The good news about being in high school was that school always gets out early on the last day of school. Instead of ending at three thirty as usual, it was going to end at noon. Every semester test was already done and all that was left were the final few minutes.
Cent had a great time with her friends Ashley, Emily, and Rachel during lunch. They talked about what they were going to do for the summer break and what they will do when they return for their senior year. But most importantly, they also talked about what they will do when they finally graduated and move on with their lives.
Emily and James had officially become a couple now. They were always together whenever they got the chance. It reminded Cent of her parents and of course, herself and John too. It was beautiful to see true love at work and doing a great job at it. Cent could tell that Emily and James were meant for each other and were going to get married one day too.
One thing that Cent was going to miss about school, was the fun moments she has with her friends. It was going to be a little lonely with Ashley, Emily, and Rachel for the next three months of summer break.
Cent wondered what will happen next year for her and parents. She wondered if they will remain in Los Angeles or be forced to leave. If the people who kidnapped her father years ago found them in Seattle, then surely they could find them now. Not to mention that she had finally learned about Syndicate and Travis Shaw from John. It left like the entire world was against them. But at least the thought of staying with John made her feel better. Because no matter what, John and her had the ability to jump and that was the one thing that will always connect them. And if things do go south, there always the private island in the Caribbean. They could always meet up there in times of crisis.
Finally, the school bell rang for the final time.
Everyone shot up from their seats in the classroom, cheering and throwing papers everywhere.
Cent ignored them and ran out of the classroom.
The only thing that Cent had with her was her purse as she exited the school. She had cleared out her locker the day before and didn't have to bring anything else with her for the final day of school.
As she rushed down the steps, eager to go meet up with John at the beach house, she accidently bumped into someone.
"So sorry about that...", they both said at the same time.
Cent stopped as she looked into the eyes of someone she once knew from a long time ago, for a slit second. Her eyes widened.
The same girl nearly walked off until she looked back and completely stopped in her tracks.
"Cent?" the girl's eyes widened with shock.
"Zoe?" Cent said back, her mouth hung open.
Zoe was a friend of Cent's back in Seattle. The two met in the elementary school and had been best friends since then. Zoe was a year older and a grade ahead of her. The best thing about her was that she always helped Cent out with her homework and taught her the hardest parts of Math too. They did everything together. Went to movies, talked about boys, shopping, and even teamed up in class too, which also included gym. They never once argued and never once lied to each other.
It sadden Cent that she had to leave Seattle without even saying goodbye to her. She remembered begging her parents to let her see Zoe once more and just say goodbye for the final time. But her parents were always protective and cautious and didn't let her, out of fear that it would only get Zoe herself in danger.
Zoe and Cent both planned on going to the dance party back in Seattle. Cent remembered when they were excited to go to with their dates. Zoe was going with her high school crush, Alex. Cent of course was going with Jack. They had spent days preparing for that special moment, until some of enemies of Cent's parents came looking for them. That one moment ruined everything.
Before Cent knew it, Zoe came forward and hugged her.
Cent smiled and hugged her back.
"Is it really you?" Zoe asked as they took a step or two away from each other. She smiled as she looked at Cent, just so happy to see her.
That was one of the many things that Cent loved about Zoe. She was always smiling. It was hard to make her cry, angry, or even sad. Zoe was always the happy. It was also that same happiness within her that made others smile as well. The girl's smile had a way of making others smile. She was a bright light that just wouldn't stop shining through the darkness.
Cent smiled again and said, "Yes, it's me. I'm so happy to see you Zoe."
Suddenly, Zoe hugged her again, squeezing with all of her might.
"I'm so happy to see you too!" she said with excitement.
Another thing that Cent loved about Zoe also, was that she loved to give lots of hugs. I girl was just hug-giver machine. But that was one of the many things that her so beautiful and perfect. Everything was just great around her.
Cent hugged her back and said, "I'm so happy to see you too. I've missed you so much."
They parted again and smiled at each other.
"Okay, you got to tell me, what in the world happened to you?" Zoe jumped right into the questions.
Cent's frown and asked, "Aren't you mad at me for leaving without saying goodbye?"
Zoe smiled and said, "I wasn't mad at you, but I was upset that I didn't get to see you again. I mean, you and your family leave out of the blue and are never seen again. I spent the last four months trying to find out what happened to you."
Cent's heart nearly broke into two.
How could I have done this to her? she thought.
Zoe smiled again and said, "How about we talk over at a Starbucks. I found one yesterday. We came catch up there."
"Sure," Cent smiled. "How long have you been in Los Angeles?"
They began to walk down the sidewalk, ignoring the loud cheers of teenagers as they came rushing out back door of the school.
"Only for a full week," Zoe answered. "I got accepted at the University of California, Los Angeles. I finally got my chance at becoming a professional writer."
Cent smiled and took Zoe's hand.
"I'm so happy for you!" Cent cheered. "You're finally moving up in the world! I always knew you would be become a writer one day! But I never thought you would come to Los Angeles. What happened to joining the University of Seattle?"
"They didn't accept me," she explained. "My mom convinced me to try out for Los Angeles universities, so I did and got accepted to UCLA. I was scared about moving down here. I guess I didn't want to leave home, especially Seattle. I just love that city so much. So many memories and so many good times. Remember when we went to go see The Avengers together last year?"
Cent and Zoe giggled.
"Yeah, I remember," Cent said. "We laughed so hard when the Hulk started bashing Loki against the floor like a little Barbie doll."
"And when Thor said Loki was adopted, now that was funny."
They both laughed.
Both Zoe and Cent order the same coffee together at Starbucks and sat down at a little booth together.
They quickly went into small details about themselves and what has been happening for the last four months.
As it turns out, Zoe just moved into one of the dorm rooms at the university and has taken a job as a waitress at a fancy restaurant, which pays good money. It was hard for her to leave Seattle. Her whole plan was to stay there and make her career as a writer at the University of Seattle. But some part of her was happy for the change to move to Los Angeles instead. She still planned on visiting her parents every Christmas and summer vacation.
Zoe loved writing her stories back when she was younger. Cent would always be the first to read them and tell her how good they were. She had an amazing imagination and how she wrote her stories were great and amazing. Cent convinced her to take creative writing classes and start looking towards college to find some more experience in story writing and computer skills too. In speaking of computers, Zoe turned out to be great at it and was able to get through word processing very easily. Computers soon led to videogames and movies too. Both of which Cent and Zoe enjoyed doing together.
Cent stuck to a minor story that things were going well for her. That she has met new friends and is planning on going to college too. But she kept the details about jumping, secret organizations, John, and her current situation under wraps.
"Okay, now that we have gotten the whole 'how are you doing' thing out of the way, I still have big time questions for you," Zoe smiled and pointed towards Cent. "First question, what on Earth happened? Why did you guys move all of sudden?"
Cent swallowed and took a drink of her coffee.
"It's complicated," she said, barely. "I have to show you in order for you to believe me. Can you wait till afterwards? I promise I will tell you everything when I finally show you what I mean. It will make more sense then."
As much as Cent didn't want to involve her into this, she knew that she couldn't just turn her back on her best friend. Last time was out of her hands, but now she has the opportunity to tell her the truth and see how she takes it. It hurt her that she kept her jumping ability a secret from her for so long. Even during the times when they were together in Seattle caused her hurt inside. Some part of her hoped that Zoe would understand that it was all to protect her from others.
Zoe smiled and said, "Of course. I can wait till then. Besides, we have to catch up on other things. And I know that you didn't just ditch me on purpose. I figured that you and your family left for a reason. Not to mention that some weird people came asking about you. I figured that must have been the reason why you guys left, but I still don't know the full details yet." She took another drink of coffee. "Alright, ask away. I know you have a million questions to get off your shoulder."
Cent smiled and asked, "How much changed after I left? How did you do for that time period I was gone?"
Zoe sighed and said, "Everybody was wondering what happened to you. I mean, even the teachers did too. But as usual, things went on and soon enough, everybody just stopped asking. I, on the other hand, tried searching for you. Even when school ended three weeks ago, I kept wondering what happened to you."
Cent allowed a small tear to escape down her cheek. She took one of Zoe's hands and held onto it.
"Are you and Alex still together?"
Zoe made a sad face and said, "No. I mean, we dated after the whole dance. I went with him to the dance party and I had my first dance and kiss with him. It was almost like a fairytale coming to life."
Cent smiled.
"We dated for a while, afterward. I really enjoyed it. It felt nice to have someone to spend time with. Someone you can actually share a whole new relationship with. But when the final days of school came, I realized that we both were going to be separated by thousand of miles away from each other. Even if I did get accepted to that university in Seattle, me and Alex wouldn't be able to see each other."
"Where did Alex get accepted?" Cent asked.
"He went Miami. Or he will be going there by the end of the month. Anyway, I knew that we couldn't do a long distance relationship like that. I talked with him at our favorite restaurant and I told him that we should end things before we go our separate ways. A part of me wanted to cry, because I still had that crush for him. But at the same time, I knew I was doing the right thing."
Cent frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, my feelings for Alex are just a crush, nothing more. I mean, my feelings would have grown over time for the three months in our relationship. Feelings usually develop in a relationship. I knew that I couldn't truly love Alex. Maybe I could, if we had more time. But I knew that things wouldn't work out with a long distance relationship. So, I talked with him and he agreed with me. He was sad too, you know, to end our relationship. He actually liked me and he wished that things would have turn out different between us. Maybe it could have, if only we had more time to allow our feelings to build." She took another drink of her coffee again. "After we broke up, I was sad. I finally understood why a break-up hurts. It seems that no matter what, you just cannot help but feel sadness for a break-up. I remember crying for through the night afterwards."
Cent had tears in her eyes from just hearing this and it broke her heart.
"Oh, Zoe, I'm so sorry," she said, tearfully. "I wish I was there to help you through it. Like friends always do."
Zoe smiled and said, "You don't need to apologize. I know you couldn't because you had your problems at the moment. Besides, I got over it real quickly. I came to realize it was for the best and that I was giving Alex the chance to be loved by someone who will be able to provide the kind of love I couldn't. And I was also allowing myself to get a taste in how the men are down here too." She smiled, playfully. "I couldn't help but notice how hot they are here. Seattle doesn't have men this close to how they are here."
Cent laughed.
"Oh, Zoe, I do miss these girl talks with you," she stopped laughing and her smile disappeared. "How is Jack?"
Zoe knew what she meant.
"Jack was actually sad that you left," she explained. "He told me that he was actually going to ask you out on a date after the dance. He said that he wanted to begin a relationship with you and see where it goes. In fact, he helped me look for you."
"Really?" Cent was caught off guard. "For how long?"
"Until the end of school. He was pretty worried about you and he even admitted that he liked you more than he thought he did. But he figured that it would be best to let you go and move on. I felt bad for the guy. He was kind and sweet. I heard rumors that his family is moving away from Seattle after his senior year. Jack hasn't decided if he will stay in Seattle for college or go off to somewhere new."
Cent sighed and said, "I really made a mess of things back in Seattle. I really liked Jack and I blew my chance to have something with him. But then again, I think it was for the best. I actually found... someone."
Zoe's eyes widened with shock and excitement.
"Really? What's his name? Are you in love? Does your parents know?"
Cent laughed and said, "His name his John Bale and yes, my parents know about him. In fact, they accept him and allow me to be with him." She paused and swallowed. "And I am in love with him."
Zoe nearly jumped where she sat in the booth and said, "Oh, Cent, I am so jealous of you! How can you beat me to true love already?!" She took a drink of coffee, drinking what was left of it. "Okay, tell me everything! How and when you guys met? Is he handsome? Hot? American? Does he love you? And most importantly..." She paused. "... have you guys done it?"
Cent giggled and waved her off.
"Stop it, Zoe!" she laughed even harder. "You're making me laugh."
Zoe laughed along with her.
Finally calming herself down, Cent answered, "We met in school and have went to the prom together. And yes, for your information, he is handsome, hot, and very much American. He is indeed in love with me, as I am with him. And to answer that last question... yes... we did do it."
Zoe's eyes lit up again and smiled.
"How..." she was caught off guard. "... how was it?"
Cent smiled and leaned in closer.
"It was amazing," said in a happy, calm voice. "I mean, you know how they say that your first time is better with someone you love? Well, it was like that, only better. And to add to it, John was only concerned about me. I've seen that guys only do it for themselves, but John is different. You can tell that he wants to, since he is a guy and all, but he was only willing to go there when I was ready. He explained that he didn't want to hurt me emotionally or mentally and that he thought it was best we should wait till I was ready. But it was then that I realized that I was ready and that John was my true love. He loves me for me, not for my body or anything else. And I love him for who he is too. We have a love that will last forever. I know we will never lose each other. I just love him so much. I truly do."
Zoe had tears forming in her eyes and she wiped them away.
"I wish I can fall in love like you," she said. "I hope that I find true love too."
Cent smiled and said, "You will. I know that you will. You just need to look for him. And I bet he is right here, in Los Angeles."
Zoe smiled at Cent and took her hand, holding it tightly.
"Do you want to order more coffee?" Cent asked.
Zoe winked and said, "Of course I do! We have some lost time to catch up on!"
Cent smiled and got up with her.
They both got in line and talked until their turn was up.
Shaw:
Shaw sat in his Mercedes, researching through his computer and waiting for his moment to make his first move in his plan for revenge.
After the little incident from yesterday, Travis was preparing to make no more mistakes. He knew what he needed to do and he knew just how to kidnap little miss Cent Rice. If he couldn't get to her in her school, then he would have to try by kidnapping her inside her own home.
His car was parked one house down from where the Rice residence was. He waited for almost an hour, trying to get the chance to sneak into the house.
One of the many things that Syndicate taught Shaw was how to know when a Jumper was home or not. Even when the lights were off or when I Jumper was sleeping, a Syndicate operative can easily tell when someone is home. It was all a matter of knowing where to look and when to go.
Shaw knew that one of Cent's parents were home, but he wasn't in mood of murdering anyone else. He knew that tonight was the was night that he finally kills John Bale. The one Jumper who got away from him. He needed John gone in order to concentrate on his later missions to hunt down Jumpers.
Besides, he figured he could just tell Syndicate about the couple and get promoted for finding not one but two Jumpers. Or maybe he could Cent to the mix and make it three. The again, he would love to see John's face when he kills Cent in front of him. But how she would go out was the question. If he chooses to kill her, he could go for a gun shot to the chest or head. Or maybe slice her throat. Or maybe stab her in the heart. So many choices, but only one can be chosen. Maybe he can do all of them and make John watch.
Either way, he was going to kill John Bale and he was going to rid the world of him forever. No matter what, their little rivalry was going to end. Tonight.
Finally, Travis had enough of waiting and decided that he was going in. He didn't care if he had to kill the parents to get his revenge. Patience was usually his strong point, but now he was willing to break that rule.
He smiled and sat the computer on the passenger seat. He grabbed his knife put on his sunglasses.
Exiting the car, he walked across the road and across the lawn to the front steps of the house. He didn't have trouble picking the lock. He was taught how to do these things when he did his training with Syndicate. The agency was known for never taking chances. Every field agent was suppose to do trained in every way possible.
Travis studied the house as he walked through it. He had a great way of knowing the characteristics of a house. He could tell that there was happiness and love everywhere he went. It made his skin crawl as he sensed it.
When he arrived in the living room, he saw a man sleeping on the couch, snoring.
Travis smiled and pulled out his knife. He walked forward, silently and stealthy. He arrived just inches from the man and studied him. He brought the knife to his throat, just barely touching the skin.
So many ideas ran though Travis's head. He wanted to cut the man's throat. He wanted to see Cent's face when she sees that her father is dead. He started to think that leaving both Cent's parents alive was a bad idea. He felt the urge to kill him. He really wanted to. He just needed to. So badly.
Travis loved it when he had a life in his hands. He loved the feeling of taking a life and watching everything about just simply disappear.
Right there and now, Travis made his decision and prepared himself to press the knife into the skin of the man's throat.
Suddenly, a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Honey, I'm home!" a woman's voice came from the upstairs master bedroom.
Damn that woman! Travis roared to himself.
Thankfully, the man didn't hear anything and continued to snore in his sleep.
Travis quietly and quickly backed away and moved out of the living room. He right next to stairs and waited till the woman came running down the steps. He watched as she disappeared into the living room.
Smiling to himself, Travis moved up the steps and easily found Cent's room.
He hid in the small closet of her bedroom and silently closed the door.
And so, the hunter waits, patiently, for his prey, Travis smiled at the thought to himself.
David & Millie:
As soon as Millie arrived back from work, she couldn't wait to get her hands on David. She hated being away from him and always counted the seconds until she saw her loving husband again.
David was the only person in her entire life to show love to her. All of her past boyfriends were all jerks and disloyal to her. The worst of them was Mark, who cheated on her multiple times. But once David entered her life, things changed. She experienced true love and knew that no matter what, he was the one for her. She will always love him for everything that he has done for her.
The problem she had about David was that she didn't approve of the time he stole three million dollars. But then again, he was young and on his own back then. He left his father and needed to survive somehow. His theft never hurt anyone, except for the bank, who happen to make that kind of money everyday.
As Millie ran down the stairs and into the living room, she found David, asleep on the couch.
Rolling her eyes, she jumped forward and yelled, "GUESS WHO!"
Before David could awake or even move, Millie crashed into him.
David moaned in pain and chuckled.
Millie laughed and kissed him in the lips.
Getting her joke, David wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife and kissed her all over her face.
Millie kissed back and got on top of him.
"How is my sexy wife doing?" David asked, placing his hands on her hips.
Millie smiled and said, "Fine. But I'll be great if you take me to Paris right now and ravish me at a fancy hotel."
David raised an eyebrow and said, "My, my. Aren't you in a romance mood tonight. By the way, do you happen to know where Cent is?"
Millie kissed him and said, "Most likely with John. I swear, those two are in love. I can see it in their eyes. Doesn't it remind you of us?"
David nodded and said, "Yes, it does. But I think John has my number. I feel bad for the kid. Lost his parents to a homicidal maniac and forced to go on the run from an evil organization, all alone. And yet, he happens to be so honest and full of love."
"But at least he has found true love. It makes me happy that our daughter is in love. I was worried that our moving around would ruin whatever chance she had at marrying and having children. And to make things better, this boy turns out to be like us. What are the odds, huh?"
"Yeah."
They kissed some more.
"Are you going to take me to a hotel in Paris or what?!" Millie teased.
David smiled and grabbed his check book off the small glass table.
"Looks like Cent and John aren't the only ones who will be ravishing tonight," David winked and wrapped his arms around his loving wife, kissing her on the lips.
Before they knew it, David and Millie jumped to Paris.
Wow! That was the biggest chapter I have ever written! And so many point of views too! :)
Okay, who enjoyed that chapter? Is it getting exciting or what?
Anyway, I would like to thank GeekyZoee for allowing me use her for this story. I enjoyed writing her character into this story and I hope that all of you did too. And by the way, if you guys want, please check out her very own "Jumper" story. It's a sequel to the movie and it is very good. She is a first timer on this website and I want all of you to go easy on her. If I find any reviews that seem to hurt my friend's feelings, then you will be hearing from me. But anyway, thank you so much GeekyZoee for allowing me use you for my story. I cannot wait to write more about you in the next chapter that is coming up.
Please review! :)