When Jenna started to wake the following morning, something ice cold and hard as concrete was being pressed against her aching body. She kept her eyes closed –her eyelids feeling too heavy to be opened at the moment– and she let out a small, low groan as she tried to turn around. Pain instantly shot through her entire body, erupting from her ass, legs, pelvis and arms all at once, and she immediately ceased movement as she flinched. As more feeling started to come to her body the more she woke up, she finally forced her eyes open, and her heart skipped a beat when she found herself groggily staring at a wall in front of her.
Clenching her teeth and trying to ignore the pain as best she could, she made herself start to turn from her side onto her back, confused as to why she was freezing, but as view of the ceiling and eventually the rest of the basement came into view, she finally realized she was laying on the cold, concrete floor a foot or two up and away from Bane's closed door.
She sat up immediately, recoiling yet again at the pain, and a shocked, squeaking noises escaped from her mouth when the thin blanket that had been draped carelessly over her fell down from her shoulders. Face reddening as she finally realized she was still naked, she immediately grabbed it and held it back up to her shoulders, leaning back as to not let her ass be exposed any more than it already was. Her heart was racing, and she glanced around the dim area with wide, frantic eyes. Her mind was relieved that she was alone in the basement, but her body had started to shake, not only due to its freezing state, but due to seething embarrassment and anger. Glancing down, she finally noticed that her purse, boots, bra, underwear and torn apart pants and shirt had been tossed around her, forcing her to instantly think back to the time she spent with Bane the night before, and finally she realized what he had done.
That fucking BASTARD! She cursed in her head, and she shook her head with thinned lips as she immediately started to stand up. She wrapped the blanket around her body, like a towel, faster than a lightening strike, and she continued to curse to herself as she collected her clothes, purse, and shoes. Once they were in her arms, she scurried over to her door, and once she managed to turn the handle, she furiously kicked open the door and stepped inside before she slammed it closed behind her with her foot. She let the clothes fall to the floor, new-found anger rushing over when she caught another site of her destroyed clothes, and she immediately sat down on her cot to catch her breath.
The pain her body was experiencing was somewhat harsh, but unfortunately, regardless of her nights sleep on the concrete with nothing but a thin blanket to cover her, her body felt rather rejuvenated in all the wrong ways. She shook her head as she leaned over to place her head in her hands, her flesh hot, and the more she tried not to think about the night, the easier it became to do just the opposite. She thought about the intensity of the passion, and the site of Bane's body as he fucked her. She bit her lip as she recalled her moans and how incredible the experience had been, and the last thing she remembered was laying in his bed as he exited the room, closing the door gently behind him. She had actually fallen asleep? Okay... she thought, but that wasn't what the point was here. Bane had kicked her out of his room anyway, fine, but he had just left her on the floor in the basement, naked for everyone to see? Suddenly, his decent act of covering her with a blanket didn't seem so decent anymore, if he had even been the damn one to do it in the first place.
With a sigh she turned around to lay down in her cot, her back facing the door, and she clutched the thin blanket around her, able to feel the cold air going through the fibers and stinging her exposed legs, but as she slid her eyes closed she ignored it, too lazy and weak to get under her thicker blanket. She felt exhausted suddenly, and all she wanted to do was sleep the rest of her life away, but knowing Bane, she knew that he more than likely had other plans for her that day.
As soon as the thought had approached her mind, she heard a door open, and she held her breath as heavy footsteps approached her door. She opened her eyes, hoping and praying that somebody was not about to come inside, but as luck would have it, the door opened suddenly, and she leaned up slightly before turning her head and straining her neck to look over her shoulder. As soon as she witnessed Bane making his way inside her room, that seething anger and embarrassment instantly returned, and she immediately laid back down on the cot.
Bane barely shut the door before he stepped into the room, and his eyes wandered over Jenna's curvy body beneath the blanket he had bestowed her with before they focused on her messy black hair, spilled all around her on the pillow, and only after he had approached the cot did he finally take a breath in to speak, but before he could even say one word, Jenna had beat him to it.
"Get out," she commanded sternly, glaring at the wall with cold eyes. Her brave words took Bane by surprise for a moment, but once the feeling faded as quickly as it had come on, he narrowed his eyes on her.
"You're commanding me to leave?" he confirmed. "That's not how it works arou-"
"I don't fucking care," Jenna spat, unable to control herself. "Get the fuck out."
Much to his dismay, Bane had risen that morning feeling rather... well... but that feeling was instantly fading due to Jenna's tone with him. Who did she think she was, speaking to him like that? She knew better.
She knew Bane to still be standing behind her, glaring down at her, and although her body was anticipating for him to inflict more pain, her mind was enraged.
"Get up," Bane said to her now. "You have places to be today."
"I'm not going anywhere," Jenna said.
"Oh really?" Bane asked. "That's what you think?"
Suddenly, Jenna turned around to glare up at him. "You can't just leave me on the fucking floor, ass naked after... after... after that. The fuck is wrong with you?"
This was the wrong thing to say entirely. Without warning, Bane suddenly lifted his foot to kick over the cot with ease, and Jenna gasped as she landed on the floor, the cot falling over her, but before she could do anything about it Bane was suddenly tossing it away from her, and bending down to grab her neck. He forced Jenna's body against the wall, and she immediately lifted both of her hands to his wrist to dig her nails into, but with memories of the night before, she knew her actions were probably not hurting him at all. His fingers squeezing her neck, however, was a different story.
"I find your tone to be amusing, and you're lucky I do because I know you know better than to talk to me like that," Bane began, his gaze heavy and cold as he stared into her eyes. Jenna felt her blanket fall past her shoulders, exposing her breasts and the upper half of her stomach, but she knew she was unable to do anything about this. "You're angry," he stated in a tone that suggested he was accepting of her anger, "but I was angry as well when I came back downstairs to find you sleeping in my bed, after I had told you to leave."
"No," Jenna spoke through the pain in a raspy, hoarse voice. "You told me to-"
"You disobeyed my orders," Bane snarled back to her, growing frustrated with her stubborn ways. "Why would I allow such a thing? What we did before doesn't matter." Was this a lie?
Jenna dug her nails into his skin even more as she tried to push away his hand. "You could have brought me in here at lea-" she was cut off suddenly when Bane squeezed on her neck even harder, and as she stared at him her peripheral vision started to go black as she went lightheaded.
"I could have," Bane agreed simply. "But I didn't." he paused for a moment, watching as Jenna's eyes started to slide closed, her breathing slowing, before he suddenly let go of her throat with such quickness it caused Jenna to jump back into consciousness as Bane stood up. "Get up, get dressed, and meet Barsad outside. Now," Bane added in a growl, and Jenna watched with hateful eyes as he turned to step out of her room, not bothering to close the door behind him.
She breathed in and out deeply, her neck starting to hurt now, as well, and with a pout she glanced down the floor. Her eyes found her purse, and although it was tempting to ignore Bane's command and instead look at how many missed calls and texts she had on her phone, she was not ready to be hurt again, so with a frustrated, sad sigh she finally stood from the ground.
After she had fixed her cot and placed the blankets back on top of it, changed into another pair of cargo pants and a plain black tank top, she tied her boots and ventured out of her room and toward the stairs. Bane's door was open, but when she glanced inside his room, unable to help herself, she saw that he was nowhere in sight, and as she started to ascend the stairs she hoped that he would not be outside. Fortunately, Bane was not outside either, and when she stepped into the nearly freezing air, she instantly crossed her arms over her chest.
As she approached the garage, noticing Isaac's truck was still pulled outside of it while various thugs walked around outside, placing things into the back of it, she debating with lighting up a cigarette, but the thought was abandoned when Isaac suddenly approached her out of nowhere.
"This needs to go in the truck," he said quickly as he handed Jenna a large box, and without thinking she held her arms out to take it from him, only to immediately wish she hadn't when the box instantly weighed her down, the object nearly falling from her arms. She caught it, but flinched a second later when she gave in to her weakness, and she set the box down onto the ground. Isaac's eyebrows furrowed at her actions, and he grew slightly curious again when he noticed the bruises on her arms and the way she made a face as she slowly stood back up. Upon traveling downstairs that morning, he had seen Jenna slumbering on the basement floor, but he hadn't allowed himself to think anything of it. Now, however, Isaac found her failed efforts to lift the box amusing. When she glanced at him now, she saw he was smirking.
"The hell happened to you?" Isaac asked, his eyes wandering over her arms again, and when he looked back to her face he saw she was glaring at him.
"Exactly what I tried to tell you last night," Jenna shot back. Isaac was still smirking, but as he thought back to what she had been trying to talk to him about, and the fact that she had been sleeping on the floor outside of Bane's door that morning, Jenna watched his grinning features melt away into a look of concern, and maybe even slight... disgust?
"What?"
Jenna rolled her eyes as she started to glance away, feeling slightly embarrassed suddenly. How was it that just when something somewhat okay started to happen, it was instantly overcome by something awful?
"You didn't," Isaac went on now, his cold blue eyes still staring at her.
"We did," Jenna emphasized, not liking the way Isaac was making this sound like it had been all her. "It just sort of... happened... I didn't-"
"That box needs to go in the back of the truck," Isaac interrupted, repeating what he had previously told her, realizing Jenna had mistaken his curiosity to mean that he wanted to talk about it. Jenna stopped short, her lips still parted, and her brow furrowed as she stared at him. But Isaac left her no time to say anything else, and Jenna watched as he started off toward the exit door. She turned and watched him disappear inside, and once the door closed she rolled her eyes to herself and turned back to the box, wondering what Isaac's deal was lately and how she was supposed to lift the box. What the fuck is in here, anyway?
Gritting her teeth, she bent down and struggled to get a good grip on the box, and once she did, she used her legs to assist with lifting the box, and she grunted as a spurt of pain shot through her body. She tried to ignore it as she started to walk over to his truck, and once she approached the bed, she used all the strength she had left in her to slid the box onto the truck bed. She didn't bother to do anything else with it, and instead she turned away from the truck and started over to the outside of the garage to light up a cigarette.
After she had taken a few drags, Isaac came walking through the garage to step back outside, and once he saw his truck was loaded and ready to go, he instantly glanced at Jenna as he reached into his pocket.
"Go to Karly's hotel and give her this," Isaac said in a tone that suggested he was all business as he handed Jenna a sealed envelope. As Jenna exhaled from her previous hit, she accepted the envelope before instantly glancing up at him.
"What is this?"
"Don't worry about it," Isaac replied as he started past her.
"Where are you going?"
"Don't worry about me," Isaac said as he glanced over his shoulder. "Do what I told you." Without another word, he opened the door to his truck and instantly climbed inside, and in one smooth action, he started the vehicle before instantly driving away from the garage, the engine loud as he mashed the gas. Jenna stared at the truck until he turned around the corner, and she felt slightly dizzy with confusion as she wondered why he was giving her such a cold shoulder. Just the day before he had been insanely helpful toward her. Actually, ever since she had arrived there he had been helpful. What, exactly, had changed?
Jenna sighed as she turned to step into the garage, deciding she didn't want to think about it. She grabbed the Challenger keys from the work bench, and instead she decided to dread going to see that Karly Trea-fuck-whoever, or whatever. She rolled her eyes as she mangled her name in her head. There was just something about this woman that Jenna did not like.
The ride went smoothly, and before Jenna had time to notice if she was doing anything wrong while driving or even going the right way, she found herself parking crookedly at the hotel. This was shocking to her, but Jenna knew she didn't have much time to sit and reflect on her improved driving, so instead she pushed open the door, stepped out, closed the door and locked the car before she started over to the entrance. Nobody was at the receptionist desk, so with a shrug to herself Jenna started over to the elevators, remembering Karly's switch of rooms. Once the elevator stopped, she stepped out of the doors and instantly headed over to room seventy-nine, and as soon as she left three knocks on the door, something occurred to her.
As soon as the thought entered her mind, Jenna heard someone step over to the door, and a second later she heard the door being unlocked. It opened a second later, and Jenna watched as Karly eased it open.
"Oh, it's just the hostage," Karly said, causing Jenna's eyes to narrow on her. "And here I thought somebody important was here." Despite her false, brave tone, it was evident to Jenna that Karly was insanely nervous, more than likely due to the fact that Jenna knew about her room change.
"You know, the weirdest thing happened down in the lobby," Jenna started, ignoring her previous comment. "Bane," she stated quietly before raising her voice level. "Arranged for you to stay in room fifty-three, but when I asked for you, they said that you were staying in this room? Any particular reason as to why?"
Karly glared at her, feeling angry with herself for not anticipating that Jenna was, perhaps, smarter than she looked. At the same time, however, she was expecting for Bane's crew to call her, not actually show up. Shit...
"I prefer to stay on the top floor," Karly said smoothly.
"Yeah, okay," Jenna replied as she rolled her eyes. "The truth, Karly, or I won't give you this." Jenna lifted up the envelope. Karly noticed it was addressed to her, the same handwriting appearing on the envelope matching the letter she had received inviting her out to Gotham, and she knew instantly that whatever was in that envelope was important.
"It's Ms. Treaffluw to you," Karly replied. "And I don't think that's the hostage's decision to make."
"I'm not a damn hostage, Karly," Jenna replied, ignoring her request, and Jenna had to wonder where all this annoyance was coming from. It wasn't new to her, before Bane, she had encountered many women she disliked greatly with Rodger at parties they went to. Jenna had established herself as someone to be respected, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let anything fly now, regardless of her situation. "Don't you think he'd be interested to know that you switched rooms without his permission?" Jenna tilted her head slightly as she waited for an answer. "You are, after all, working for him." Karly was glaring at her, and she let out a breath as she rolled her eyes to the right in thought. She finally gave in, and with another sigh she stepped back, opening the door further, and she nodded, inviting Jenna inside. Jenna couldn't help but to smirk as she stepped inside the hotel room, and as she glanced around she listened as Karly closed the door. Jenna had been busy glancing at the various items Karly had laying across her bed, but when she sensed Karly behind her, she instantly lifted the envelope up just when she felt Karly's fingers upon it. She turned around in just enough time to see Karly's face twist into a look of pure annoyance, and she rolled her eyes as she started past Jenna.
"You have to understand that while I'm willing to help out Bane," Karly started, her back to Jenna, and her eyes wandered over her long, while silk robe. "I have to protect myself. I was expecting a call from you people, not for Bane to send his prisoner here to deliver messages." She sat down on the bed and glanced over to Jenna as warm rage over-took her.
"Call me that one more damn time, and I'll see to it that Bane visits you personally."
"You don't possess that type of power," Karly accused with a smile, but she frowned when Jenna replied.
"You'd be surprised," Jenna retorted. "I'm not the hostage around here, but if you're not careful, the title may belong to you."
Where the hell was all this coming from? Jenna wondered. She stuck with her confidence and her dislike for Karly, but deep down, she had to wonder if Bane would approve of this. It wasn't that she was trying to please him, she just didn't want to get hurt any more than she already was.
Karly was glaring at her, and Jenna watched as her eyes wandered over her bruised arms. Her eyes lifted back to Jenna's, filled with cold annoyance, and she blinked before she stood up. "What do I have to do for you to keep this to yourself?"
Jenna smirked, the action only annoying Karly further. "You are as dumb as you appear," Jenna said with a grin, unable to help it. "You think you can buy me off? This isn't a game. I don't know how it works with your father, but around here, Bane isn't someone to deceit."
"You act like you actually know what's going on with his plans."
"I know more than you think," Jenna lied. The room grew silent, and a moment later Jenna stepped forward to hand Karly the envelope. "I'll be informing Bane of the new room you're staying in. It's funny how you seem to think you're calling the shots around here. You're hired help, babe... learn your place."
Without anything further to say, Jenna turned around and immediately started for the door, able to feel Karly's burning glare as she watched her leave the room. Once the door was closed behind her, Jenna couldn't help but to grin. She couldn't help but to be proud of herself with how she handled the situation with Karly. She had no reason to act that way, but Jenna couldn't help it. She was just satisfied to see that she had put someone, a professional in the crime business, in her place, especially when Jenna was new to all of this.
She was still grinning as she exited the hotel and approached the car, and once she was inside of it she immediately started the engine and slowly exited the parking lot, taking a quick moment to remind herself which ways to turn in order to get back to the warehouse. As she thought back to her and Karly's conversation during the ride back, Jenna felt more secure with herself in knowing there was something that she didn't like about Karly. If she was really, truly, trying to protect herself by staying in another room, wouldn't she have been more smart about that? How could she not have anticipated Bane would find out? And if she was really that frightened and paranoid, why even accept his offer in the first place? Jenna wondered. Jenna was left in the dark when it came to Bane's plans, but she couldn't help but to have a feeling that Karly might try to exploit them somehow. Jenna shook her head to herself suddenly. Why did she care? Karly was partially right when she called Jenna a hostage, but as far as Karly was concerned, Jenna was not going to give her that pleasure. But given the truth, why did Jenna care to wonder about Karly's place when it came to Bane. She felt her heart sink into her chest when she realized how crazy, but obvious the answer was. As her time at the warehouse went on, it was evident that Bane was becoming more than just an evil captor to her. But why?
To Jenna, Bane was a mystery wrapped in tempting, touchable muscles. His intentions for her had once been so clear, but what had caused him to completely change his mind? Why did he keep her around? Why was he so patient with her, and why didn't he pounce on his chance to kill her when she accidentally (or purposefully) took a tone with him? She knew he didn't allow even one mistake from any one of his crew, so why did he offer her a second chance so easily?
Jenna found that she questioned more than she knew about him. Why couldn't that giant belt he wore come off? Even more so, why couldn't that mask come off? Wasn't it uncomfortable? Did Bane himself ever wish it could come off? Why didn't he try? How did he sleep? What did his voice sound like before the mask obstructed his face?
And what the hell was that giant scar that crawled and twisted up his spine? What had happened? Where did it come from? Jenna recalled various, linear scars all over the sides of his bald head; where did those come from, as well? Jenna wondered about all of this more than she liked to admit, but she knew if she was to ask him, he would not give her a straight answer. She had asked him about where he came from and the mask at one point, but he had replied with such vague answers. All she knew was that Bane had to inject vitamins from food, rather than actually eat them. Or, was it all just a facade he put on, as part of his allure?
No, Jenna thought, just a few minutes away from the warehouse now. Bane wasn't like that. He didn't strike her as the type to put on a show for his own publicity. But how could anyone ever be so unique?
Maybe there would be a time when Jenna could obtain answers for all these mysteries, but for now, she knew, she shouldn't hold her breath. Bane seemed to have no desire in giving her complete answers. But why?
Jenna's inquiries left her feeling tired all over again as she parked the Challenger in front of the garage. She took the keys from the ignition and stepped out of the vehicle before she tossed them onto the work table. All she wanted now was to take a long, hot shower, and spend some time in her room with her phone. Granted Bane had instructed her to get rid of it, her curiosity was too strong. Who had tried to contact her? What was going on with Rodger?
It was clear that Isaac and the rest were not back from their own duties that morning, for his truck was nowhere in sight, and the warehouse appeared emptier and quieter than usual. As she headed down the stairs and toward her room for a change of clothes, she was hoping that Bane would have left as well, but due to this thought, she couldn't help but to jump when he suddenly stepped out of his room. She halted in her tracks, standing a good seven or so feet away from him, and her eyes betrayed her mind when they wandered over him. He wore his usual, dark gray cargo pants and combat boots, and this time a dark blue, v-neck shirt covered his upper half, the sleeves ending in the middle of his forearms. She swallowed as her eyes wandered over the exposed muscles there, the same feelings from the night before starting to overcome her, but she forced herself to lift her eyes back to his face when she instantly remembered what he had done to her in the morning. He was staring at her, glaring directly into her own eyes, and she wondered what he was thinking.
"Did you deliver the message?" He asked her suddenly, his voice breaking through the silence. Jenna idly nodded, wondering if she should express to him her strong doubts about Karly.
"She got really nervous when I told her I'd tell you about her room change."
"But, you already have," Bane pointed out as he crossed his arms, and he leaned against his doorway. "Why did you threaten her?"
"I don't trust her," Jenna answered, her eyes narrowing, but before she could go on, Bane was already speaking.
"You don't trust her, or you don't like her? Unless you have legitimate reasons as to why she is not trustworthy, I cannot stand here and listen to your petty reasons as to why she rubs you the wrong way."
"It's not like that," Jenna replied defensively. "God damn haven't I already proved that I'm not as shallow as you all think I am?"
Bane nodded his head side to side in thought. "Yes," he replied. "And no."
"That's helpful," Jenna mumbled as she started toward her room. But just as she started past him, her heart skipped a beat when she noticed him lean away from the wall and take a large step over to her before reaching out to take a hold of her arm. Jenna jumped slightly, but a feeling of annoyance instantly overcame her as she stopped in her tracks, and although she didn't want to, she allowed Bane to turn her around, his grip somewhat loose on her arm.
"Let go," she mumbled, avoiding his eyes, though she could feel the intensity from his gaze as he stared down upon her.
"You don't hold the authority to tell me that," Bane said in somewhat of an even tone of voice, and to further his point he squeezed harder on her arm, his fingers overlapping. Jenna flinched, and she tried to pull her arm away, but she knew it was useless. "Why don't you trust her?"
Jenna was frowning, and she still made a point to stubbornly keep her gaze away from him. "Don't worry about it," she retorted. This was entirely the wrong thing to say, and without hesitation Bane suddenly tightened his grip even harder on her arm, and he forced her backward toward the wall. Her arm bent at the elbow, Bane continued to clutch it as she held it against her chest, and he applied pressure on it to better hold her against the wall. Now, Jenna was forced to stare into his eyes, her mind dizzy with pain, and Bane could feel her heart racing from where his hand rested against her chest.
"You obtain so much progress, and then you backtrack so quickly with your snide comments and tones," Bane accused.
"So kill me," Jenna mumbled as she forced herself to look away, but she flinched again when Bane let out an incredibly loud laugh. Just when Jenna realized what she had said without even thinking about it first, Bane's hand was suddenly clutching her neck, and he continued to hold her against the wall as he squeezed. Jenna's eyes went wide as she brought her hands up to his wrist, and she dug her nails into his skin defensively, though she knew it was a useless attempt to free herself. Bane watched intently as she struggled to take in air, her lips parted, her eyes somehow getting wider and wider as she stared at him.
"But you don't want to die," Bane reminded her slowly. "Remember? You allowed permission of your family's death over your own. Are you prepared for all of that to have been for nothing?" He growled. Due to her mangled mind, Jenna stupidly tried to speak, but only a mess of faint gurgles and gasping escaped from her closed throat. Her vision started to blur and darken out around the edges, and Bane kept his eyes fixed on her intently as her hold on his wrist loosened severely. "If I squeeze any harder... your life will end in a mere matter of seconds. Is that really what you want?"
Jenna tried to shake her head, but when this proved useless and painful she parted her lips wider an an effort to speak her answer. Bane loosened his hold slightly to allow her frail answer to fill the area of the basement. "...no."
Bane loosened his grip even more. "Then perhaps you shouldn't say things you don't mean." He finally let go of her neck completely, and he watched as Jenna's hand flew to her throat as she finally sucked in giant spurts of air, her chest heaving up and down. Bane touched his fingers to her jaw after a short minute of watching her, and he tightened his grip slightly as he brought her head back up, forcing her to look at him as she continued to breathe heavily. "You must learn to control your anger," he advised. "Or else the things you say in the heat of your anger may lead to their reality."
His glare was burning as Jenna stared into his eyes, and although she wanted to push away his hand from her face, she knew her actions would not result well. So instead, she struggled to turn her head away from him, but Bane tightened his grip slightly as he forced her to look at him again. He could easily make out the pain and hot anger in her eyes, and she watched as his eyes suddenly and slowly roamed down her body. He stared at the bruises on her arms for a minute before his dark gray eyes traveled back up slowly. "Are you still upset with me?" He asked.
Jenna knew he was referring to that morning, and more anger and embarrassment filled her heart as she was forced to remember how she had felt upon waking up. "Wouldn't you be if someone did that to you?" She retorted, her eyes wandering away from his.
"Someone could certainly try," Bane mused. "But they would fail severely."
"Lucky you," Jenna mumbled. She knew she was testing Bane's patience –all she wanted to do was grab a shower and be alone– but either surprisingly or predictably, she wasn't sure which, Bane remained just as patient with her as always.
"Did you think I'd just let you sleep... in my bed?" He wondered.
"No," Jenna replied quickly, still not looking at him. "But you could have at least brought me to my own room-"
"Ah, yes!" Bane spoke loudly, causing Jenna to jump in slight surprise. "I could have carried your slumbering body to your own room, where I could have then proceeded to tuck you into your bed and leave you to sleep soundly and warmly. Maybe I could have even woken up a few times in the middle of the night to check on you, just to make sure you were alive and fine."
Jenna felt like dying right now, if she was being perfectly honest with herself. She hadn't expected Bane to bring up that night, and she most certainly did not want to talk about it. She knew he was mocking her, and trying to make her realize how ridiculous her expectations had been. She should know better, he thought, and while Jenna knew this too, some naive part of her hadn't actually expected Bane to be so careless.
"If you regret it so much now, then why didn't you stop yourself last night?" Jenna wondered truthfully. She listened to Bane's eerie breathing as he continued to stare at her.
"I never said I regretted it," Bane answered. "In fact I... rather enjoyed it. But for you to think it could... actually mean something... then perhaps I haven't been making myself very clear with you."
Jenna felt her face flush a hot shade of red due to Bane's confession, and she could feel herself disintegrating away into crumbs at Bane's feet. "I never meant to suggest that I thought it meant something," Jenna forced herself to say, and she couldn't help but to feel as though she was digging herself a bigger hole.
"Well good," Bane interrupted, but he paused immediately after he had spoke once Jenna started to finish her thought.
"But to just leave me outside of your damn door to be – be ridiculed?"
"Ridiculed?" Bane repeated. "I didn't know anyone to be ridiculing you today."
Why had she even said that? As far as she knew, no one had even seen her. But when she ventured upstairs that morning, she had been expecting somebody to say something. It was evident to her that Bane knew nobody had said anything to her, and she sucked in her lips as she shook her head.
"I thought so," Bane said, her expression clarifying that she had spoken without thinking again. "I told you leave my room last night and like I said, when I saw that you hadn't I took matters into my own hands. I didn't bring you to your room because I simply did not care. The issue is done and over with; there's no way to change it and there is no use talking about it or holding a grudge. Have I made myself clear or should I write it down for you?"
Unbelievable, Jenna thought sourly to herself. She tried to move away from him again, but Bane didn't allow this, and he watched her sink into her frustration upon being talked down to like a stupid child.
"Yes, you've made yourself clear, Sir," Jenna shot back sarcastically as she finally lifted her eyes to look at him. "Do I have your permission to go shower now?"
Bane grinned slightly. "You always have my permission," he replied evenly. He held her face for a moment longer, staring directly into her eyes as she glared back into his, and finally with a small, quiet chuckle, he let go, letting his fingers slide slowly from her soft skin, and Jenna sucked in a sharp breath as her heart skipped a beat. Without another word Bane started away from her, heading back into his room, and Jenna headed over to her room, struggling to ignore the lightheaded feeling that had overcome her.
–
After a long, much needed and soothing shower, and after Jenna had spent more than enough time washing her hair and shaving, she wrapped herself up in a towel and stepped out onto the old tiled floor. She headed over to the mirror, and after she used her hand to wipe away the steam, she stared at her reflection, her eyes wandering down her dark, wet and wavy black hair, and her plump, pink lips, until finally she stared into her own eyes. To her, her eyes held frustration and slight misery, but despite this and her aching body, the odd, healthy glow of her skin and overall appearance was unmissable. This made her frown deeper, and with a sigh and defeated shake of her head, she finally proceeded with drying off her body before getting dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing that day, with a fresh pair of underwear, of course.
After she had towel dried her hair to the point of water droplets ceasing to drip from the tips of her hair, she balled up her towel and dirty clothes and ventured downstairs. Bane's door was closed, and she knew that if she was to check her phone, now would more than likely be the opportune time.
Without missing a beat, she jogged to her room, immediately closing the door after, and she dropped the towel on the ground before she dragged over her purse as she sat down at the edge of the bed. She glanced up to the door as she reached inside, and once her fingers touched her cold phone, she pulled out it, kicked her purse away from her, and instantly laid down in the bed. She covered herself with the blanket before turning onto her side to face the door, and just in case she threw the blanket over her head, just to ensure she was completely out of site. As she waited for the phone to turn on, she brought her legs up, bending them at the knees, and she openly shivered as she stared at the screen. What seemed like long moments later, her phone had finally loaded, and she waited in silence for it to start vibrating with missed calls and texts.
But just when she gave in to her disappointment of realizing nobody had tried to contact her, her phone became alive with buzzing, notifications of missed calls and texts popping up onto the screen, and she watched the numbers increase as she waited for the phone to stop vibrating: five, six... ten... fifteen... sixteen...
Sixteen unread text messages, and ten missed calls. She bit her lip, deciding which to look at first as her heart began to race, and she decide to check the missed calls. The first seven missed calls had all been from Rodger, and upon scrolling down Jenna discovered that only three of them had been made by her parents the night Bane had taken her. Deep down she had been expecting this, but she couldn't help the sickening pang that went through her heart. She tried to ignore this, however, as she exited the screen to check out her text messages...
All of them were Rodger. Most were short, and some were long. The first few at the bottom of the screen started off casual enough, one thanking her again for her help with finding his snake, another inviting her out to party, and the one after asking why she wasn't answering her phone. From there, they became more frantic, and Jenna could hear Rodger's worried voice through the words he typed.
"Not sure what's going on... but I haven't heard from you all day. Call me."
"Still haven't heard from you, and your phone is still off. Is everything ok? Call me."
"I'm sure I'm getting worried for no reason, but we haven't talked in a few days and your phone is still off. Did it break? Did your parents take it? I guess if those are the cases then you won't be able to answer my questions... well, as soon as you see this, CALL ME."
"Hey? You there?"
"Hello?"
"Okay, it's been days, and even my parents are getting worried. We can't get a hold of your folks, and when we went there it looked like no one was home; no one answered the doors or anything. Please Jenna, I'm really getting worried. Call me, text me... let me know you're ok."
"I saw the news cast just now, about the break in at your fathers dealership? Some underground weapons warehouse or something? And that lady saying she recognized you? I know now this isn't doing any good, but I'm hoping that you're ok, and I hope that you can contact me soon."
"Did you get this?"
"Hello?"
"Jenna?"
And then they stopped. Jenna didn't realize how hard she was biting her lip until it suddenly became painful, and with a slight flinch she quickly released it. She stared at Rodger's last message, and another hurt pang went through her heart when she realized that last message had only been sent just last night. Frowning, she exited the text messages screen, unsure if checking her phone had been a good idea or not. Perhaps she should have just done what Bane had asked, and disposed of it, and left herself to never know how worried she had made her friend. She touched her thumb to the 'off' button, but just before she was about to press it, the phone vibrated again, startling her, and a shock ran up her spine when she saw Rodger was calling, right now. Her eyes widened as she held the vibrating phone in her hand, staring at the little icon picture of Rodger as it rang, and she could only imagine the terribly strong, false hope she was filling him with as the phone finally rang on the other end, sending the message to Rodger that it was finally turned on.
But when the phone went to voice-mail, Jenna closed her eyes, able to feel the immense confusion and hurt that Rodger was more than likely feeling at that moment as well. She waited a moment longer, seeing if he would leave a voice-mail, and she opened her eyes after the phone had vibrated again once more. But she saw that instead he had sent a text message. Without delay she immediately pressed 'view'.
"Hey, you there?"
Jenna stared at his words, wishing that she could reply, when the phone buzzed loudly again.
"You're phone is on finally, are you getting my messages?"
Jenna waited.
"God Jenna please answer! I'm so fucking worried. You've been declared missing, you could be dead for all I know. I haven't been sleeping at all. Just please reply and tell me you're alive and ok? Please."
Jenna bit her lip again as she hit the button to reply. She desperately wanted to reply to him, to let him know she was alive, but she knew it would be her death wish if or when Bane found out. But regardless, she found herself typing out a message anyway, not entirely thinking it through.
"Rodger I'm alive... though maybe not ok. I wish I could tell you where I am and who I'm with, but I can't. I'm in deep enough trouble as it is. My parents are dead, and I don't know much of what else is going on. But I'm alive, and I'll try to contact you as soon as I –"
The phone vibrated again, snapping her out of her daze, and when she re-read what she had just typed she shook her head to herself as she quickly exited the entire screen, not saving the message. Like hell she could ever send him that. Drowning in her own, self-induced misery, she read the new message Rodger had sent.
"Just tell me you're ok. Just send me two words. I NEED to know."
Jenna bit her lip again as she pressed the button to reply, and before she could stop herself, the message had been sent. "I'm ok."
She felt like crying as she finally forced herself to turn her phone off, and she closed her eyes tight as she waited, wishing she had never bothered to read the messages. Now, a few found nervousness had filled her entire mind and body due to her actions, and she had a terrible sinking feeling that things were going to get a lot worse if Bane found out.
But how could he? Jenna hadn't given Rodger any information, and she knew there was no way he could track her down by her phone or text, especially when her phone was turned off. Perhaps, just letting him know she was okay would be enough for now, and Jenna wouldn't have to keep her phone, like Bane had said. The thought made her feel a little better, but a more obsessive and stubborn part of her was not willing to give up her phone that easily. Bane had taken everything from her. Jenna felt firm in the fact that he was not going to take away communication from her best friend as well.
Footsteps echoing down the stairs and a door opening startled Jenna suddenly, and she gasped quickly as she immediately stuck her phone under her pillow and popped out from under the blankets. Staring at the wall and breathing in deeply the cool air, she listened as heavier footsteps –Bane's– proceed toward the stairs before somebody started to talk quietly. She waited, chest heaving up and down, for Bane or somebody to enter her room when the talking was done and footsteps were heard again, but nobody approached her door, and when she heard Bane's own door close again, she finally let out a sigh.
She would keep her phone, and she would keep in shallow contact with Rodger. She would not give him any vital information, no matter how big or small, for she was not about be the cause of her own death due to some stupid mistake and desperate attempt to keep in communication with her best friend. All she wanted was some sort of peace of mind in her hellish state of life, and she knew that contact with Rodger would more than likely help.
–
The day passed quickly. Jenna remained in her room for most it, struggling to keep herself from checking her phone, and when she went outside for a cigarette she took more time to smoke it than necessary, just so she could avoid her phone checking urges. The more she thought about it, the more she had to wonder if keeping her phone was a bad idea after all, but after figuring that hiding it securely under her pillow –Bane never touched her cot anyway– was a fine idea, she decided to stick to her plan.
Around seven o' clock, Jenna couldn't take the rumbling in her stomach any longer. Starvation was starting to get the best of her, so without a second thought she ventured out of her room, purse hung on her shoulder, and immediately started to the stairs, not even realizing that Bane had been stepping out of his room as well.
"Where are you going?" He asked her slowly as he watched her start up the stairs.
"To go get food, is that fine with you?" Jenna retorted back. But she allowed him no time to answer, and despite the nervous feeling that had crept up on her due to her tone, she continued up the stairs toward the exit door. She expected Bane to chase after her, grab her by the hair and drag her down the stairs before stomping on her face with his boot to remind her never to speak to him in such a tone, but he never moved. Instead, he stood by his door, watching her climb the stairs until she threw open the door to head outside. The fact that Bane had never come after her shocked Jenna, but she ignored the feeling and started toward the garage under the dark sky, realizing that Isaac and the rest were back now.
Isaac was in the garage, but Jenna ignored him as she approached the work bench. Isaac had stopped what he was doing, and he watched Jenna closely and she headed toward him and the work bench, but right when Jenna figured she could smoothly ignore him, he reached out to her grab her wrist just when she touched her fingers to the keys. Grunting, she clutched the keys tightly in her hand as she struggled to pull her arm back, but Isaac proved too strong as he held it in place, his blue eyes fixed on hers through the dim light.
"Where are you going?"
Jenna rolled her eyes. Bane had asked her that exact question mere seconds ago. "To the diner," she answered. "Let go."
"Do you have Bane's permission?"
"Jesus, can't anyone do anything around here without his permission? You're all like, sheep or something," Jenna mumbled as she tried to free her wrist again. Isaac squeezed on it tighter.
"Funny you should mention free-will," he replied. "Do you have his permission to leave by yourself, or not?"
"Yes, I have his permission," Jenna hissed. She figured that Bane's silence and lack of desire to follow her as his permission to let her leave, and after she glared into his eyes a moment longer, he finally let go of her wrist, throwing her arm away from him. Jenna disliked the immense anger she felt toward who she thought had been her only friend in all this, but Isaac had been treating her terribly lately, and she wasn't entirely sure what had changed. He stared at her with a look that could only be described as disgust for another moment longer before he finally turned around to march further into the shadows of the warehouse. Jenna started to move toward the car, and she couldn't help but to slump her shoulders when she heard Isaac's voice address her again.
"Where's my coat?" He asked her.
"In my room," she replied quickly. Trying to swallow back her frustration, Jenna unlocked the car and got in, deciding she was through with speaking to him, and once the car was started, she immediately cranked the heat, backed up slowly, and prayed that she'd able to find her way back to the diner her and Isaac had gone to what seemed like ages ago.
Jenna was beginning to scare herself with how quickly she was starting to learn her way around the area, and the car in which she drove. She hadn't even been entirely trying to remember how to get to the diner, her mind was focused on other things, but all she knew was that it was down in street and impossible to miss, for it was the only building located in the middle of nowhere. Before she knew it, she was parking the car at the side of the building, and with a rumbling stomach she stepped out of the car and hustled through the cold to step into the warm building.
The same 'Please Seat Yourself' sign was placed in the front, and without thinking she found herself wandering toward the very back of the building and sitting at the same table her and Isaac had. As she sat and pulled over a menu, a shiver ran through her, and she shook openly for a second before she glanced out to the rest of the diner, her eyes falling on a young waitress re-filling somebody's cup of coffee, and once she was finished Jenna turned back to the menu, trying to distract her running thoughts with deciding if she wanted pancakes again, or if she wanted to try something else.
Back at the warehouse, Isaac had made his way inside through the garage, and he walked silently through the building as he approached the stairs. The basement was empty, everybody else either outside at the old truck loading docks or upstairs, watching TV and playing pool. Isaac noticed Bane's door was open, and upon approaching his room he saw that Bane was inside it, sitting at his desk. Isaac knocked on the frame of the door, and he waited for Bane to turn around.
"Yes?" He asked.
"Jenna left to the diner," Isaac informed. "I was just checking that she had your permission to do so."
Bane turned around, but he grinned at Barsad's loyalty. "Yes," Bane finally answered. "She had my permission. In not so many words, but... it was granted."
Isaac's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at his boss, not entirely sure what he meant, but as long as Jenna had gotten his permission to leave, then he knew that was that. "Alright," Isaac finally said, and without another word he backed away from the door and immediately started toward Jenna's room. Pushing open the door, his eyes instantly fell on the various articles of clothing scattered about on the cold, concrete floor, and upon deeper inspection as he stepped further into the room, he noticed the majority of them to have been ripped apart. He stared at a ripped shirt for a moment, his mind instantly focusing back to what Jenna had been trying to tell him, and with a disgusted frown he shook his head and turned around, his eyes searching for the coat he had lent Jenna. He turned around again, facing away from the door, and he stepped up to the cot. He pulled back the blanket before throwing it back over the pillow, the pillow falling onto the floor due to the force, but this was no concern to him. His eyes had found the blanket that had been covering Jenna that morning when he had found her sleeping on the floor. He shook his head again as he reached out to pick up the thin blanket, recognizing it to be from Bane's room, and he tossed it behind him on the floor.
The coat still no where in site, he grew terribly annoyed as he bent down at the side of the cot. He kicked away her bag of clothes with his foot before placing his hand on the side bar of the cot, and he pushed it toward the wall to get a better look to see what was under it. Low and behold, he found his coat, but he rolled his eyes when he saw that it had been laying under a damp towel for God knows how long.
"Nice..." he mumbled to himself as he reached out to pick it up, disregarding the towel, and as he stood up he pushed the cot even further toward the wall. With a small grumble he turned to start toward the door, and after he shut off the light he pulled closed the door behind him.
From within his room and where he sat at his desk, Bane listened to Isaac start away from Jenna's room and head toward the stairs. As he ascended them, Bane wondered what he had gone into Jenna's room for, but just when he considered standing to go see, he realized that he didn't entirely care enough to do so. He knew that Isaac had to have known about what he and Jenna had done the night before. It was evident that Isaac had seen her that morning, for he had checked in with Bane for his tasks to be assigned, and now that he was in Jenna's room, his eyes had laid upon further evidence. But it wasn't that Bane cared that his right-hand man had seen; Barsad was not the type of man to gossip to the rest of the crew, but even if he was, Bane didn't care what his team thought. He was in charge, and his men knew that if they were to step out of line once, even if it was to just simply mock him, their life would end in a matter of a few seconds. But would Bane really kill them just because of that? No, Bane answered to himself. Maybe out of annoyance, but not because of them poking fun. If he were being truthful, he probably deserved it. He had had sex with his hostage... how exactly had that happened again?
He had admitted that he had enjoyed it to Jenna, and now, as he sat and reflected on that conversation, he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that. It had slipped past his mouth so naturally, and he had seen how she had reacted. Her eyes had brightened, her face had reddened, and her lips parted as she glanced at him, her expression clearly telling him that it was something she had been worried about. Bane had wanted to put a stop to their desires since the very beginning. After all of the failures, he had figured that finally allowing their bodies to be relieved of their cravings would do the trick, but now he feared that in doing so he had only caused a bigger fire.
He wanted to do it again. He'd be lying if he denied it. But he didn't like the fact that he wanted to. Jenna had left him craving her again, and this was starting to drive him up the wall. There was just something about the way that Jenna thought she could stand up to him that not only amused him, but even aroused him. Beneath her spoiled surface was a woman who demanded respect, and would do just about anything to get it. It was clear that she had once been someone amongst her like-minded friends who had loads of respect, but once Bane had taken her, that layer submerged itself under a bratty exterior. She wouldn't admit then, or even now, but she had been scared. But now that was fading away, and Bane knew that was exactly why she was starting to take to such a nasty tone with him. But it amused him. Her tones were annoying, but they were not what made him angry. He was happy to see Jenna standing up for herself, for she was definitely the type of person who would not take any shit from anyone. But what Bane didn't like was how Jenna was beginning to think she could rise above him. Bane would allow her to emit all the confidence in the world. He would allow her to go do what she wanted so long as she was smart about it, and he would allow her to just act her complete self around him, in fact, he wanted her to. But he would not tolerate Jenna acting like she was not under his complete and total command.
Although sex with her had been exciting, it had also been a terrible mistake, Bane realized now. He expected Jenna to understand she was his pet, and under his complete command... but sex, an equal act between two people, was sending her the completely wrong message. Although Bane had dominated the pain aspects, Jenna had dominated other aspects, and had inflicted torture on him that he never knew existed. This made her feel power over him, and he feared that she would use it to her advantage again.
What was terrible, however, was that deep, deep down, Bane wanted her to. She had been emitting confidence, and that was sexy. But with further thought, Bane discovered he was thinking in circles. He wanted Jenna to understand she was just a pawn under his control, yet at the same time he wanted her to rise above that? The fuck was wrong with him?
Bane grumbled to himself as he pushed his chair away from the desk, and he slowly stood up. He was still firm on believing that killing Jenna would be a mistake, but now it was for all the wrong reasons. He stepped over to his bed, reaching down to grab the bottom of his shirt, and with one, swift motion he lifted it from his body and over his head. He removed his arms from the sleeves and tossed it on the bed before he turned to start pacing around his room, the sound of his breathing filling the room. He was unsure of how to achieve what he wanted, especially when he was unsure of what exactly it was that he wanted from Jenna. He decided that all he could do was let the cards fall where they may, but in the process of doing so, he would ensure that Jenna understood her realities. Bane was in charge of her, and she would have to learn to start respecting that. One must give respect in order to earn it...
Somehow, it had managed to drop a good ten degrees during the hour Jenna had spent inside the diner. She wanted to feel as though she had taken her time enjoying a nice, big and hot plate of pancakes, but she had spent the vast majority of the time just thinking about Bane. Now, as she closed her car door, she felt exhausted as she openly shivered. She placed down a Styrofoam box onto the passenger seat, and she stared at it for a moment, hoping that Isaac would appreciate the fact that Jenna had generously thought to order him a burger. She remembered what he had gotten last time, and before she had decided to leave she ordered the burger and waited for it to be done, and she easily ignored the waitress' annoyed sighs when Jenna requested a box to take the fresh food home in.
"This isn't a take-out restaurant," the waitress had mumbled as she turned to go get the box, but Jenna ignored her with a roll of her eyes as she leaned back to wait. Now, Jenna focused on driving through the dark to get back to the warehouse, and she couldn't help but to worry about her encounter with Isaac. He had been filled with so much frustration with her lately, and Jenna had no clue where that was coming from. Depending on how he acted when she bestowed him the food, she decided that she would ask him what was going on, once and for all.
As luck would have it, Isaac was alone outside, enjoying a cigarette near the closed doors of the garage. Jenna knew his eyes to be on her as she pulled up to the warehouse to park the car, and he cocked an eyebrow when he watched her pick up the food box. She pushed open the door and stepped out, her keys jingling as she openly shivered, and she started around the car,
"Hey," Jenna spoke through clenched teeth, and Isaac couldn't help but to grin and shake his head when he laid eyes on her bare and goose-bump covered arms. Jenna ignored his actions and proceeded to approach him. "I got you this," she said, trying to speak in a pleasant tone, and she waited for Isaac to look back at her. "It's a burger," she went on awkwardly. Isaac idly blew out the smoke, ignoring the fact that it congregated right in Jenna's face.
"Thanks," he said, turning his head away, and as soon as he had a raging fire instantly sparked to life in Jenna's stomach. Her brow furrowed as she narrowed her eyes on him, but she tried to keep it contained as she continued to hold the box out to him.
"Don't you want it...?"
"Just set it down on the car," Isaac replied. "I'm not hungry."
Jenna bit her lip as she tried to hold herself back from screaming at him. "What the hell is your problem?" She asked as she fixed her purse on her shoulder, finally lowering the box, and she glared at the profile of his face as he took another drag. Isaac let out a low chuckle as he shook his head, exhaling the smoke.
"Don't worry about it."
"I will worry about it," Jenna replied as she took a step closer to him, the fire inside her warming her body. "You were so nice to me at first, and suddenly over night you're treating me like shit."
"Not shit," Isaac disagreed. "I'm treating you how you should be treated. Like a hostage. And a brat."
Jenna's mouth parted, her jaw practically touching the cold pavement beneath her feet. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She asked finally after a long moment. "What happened to me being brave, tough and fearless? What happened to you helping me?"
Isaac carelessly shrugged. "That's not important."
"You can't offer me a friendship and then suddenly turn your back on me," Jenna demanded, ready to continue, but she stopped short when Isaac suddenly faced her, his tired eyes wide and blazing.
"Listen to yourself! This isn't kindergarten! I was interested in helping you, but it's useless. It's all an act you put on so you can save yourself from death."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jenna asked as she lowered the box even more, feeling the burger more than likely fall apart from within the box. "The fuck did I do?"
"You know what you did," Isaac replied. "And it's sick. War is coming; we all need to prepare and carry out Bane's plans to perfection. But you? You're just a distraction, a roadblock. It's Bane's decisions and his orders, but I think you're nothing but a mistake, here to hold us back."
"Again, Isaac, what the hell did I do-"
"You fucked him," He finally replied, turning his body entirely toward her now, his cigarette nearly finished as he held it between his fingers. A pang went through Jenna's heart as her lips parted again, and a lump had risen in her throat. She was unsure which emotion to feel in dominance, for she felt a mix of confusion, rage, and embarrassment. "What was the point of that?" Isaac went on now, unable to stop himself from speaking without entirely thinking through what he was saying. Normally a logical and controlled man, Isaac couldn't help himself currently. "Important tasks are about to go down, and you're holding him back from-"
"You make it sound like it's not a group effort, Isaac," Jenna interrupted sternly as she glanced down slightly, his gaze too intense. "He was just as much a part of it as I was."
"I don't buy it," Isaac replied, although an interesting pang went through his own heart due to his words. "I have things to do," he finally concluded as he threw his cigarette onto the ground. "If you're not going to severely help out with anything, then just stay out of my way. I have a job to do."
The fire was out of control now. "Fuck you," Jenna finally said. "I mean that, Isaac. Go fuck yourself."
Jenna threw the food box at him, the box colliding with his legs, the burger falling onto the ground, and without another word Jenna turned to storm over toward the exit doors.
"Real mature!" Isaac called back, suddenly aware that yelling that to her only questioned his own maturity. There was more he wanted to say, but he swallowed back his words as he waved his hand at her instead, and he turned around, trying to ignore the ketchup that had gotten onto his pants.
Jenna felt like breaking something as she threw open the door. Her hands her shaking, both from the freezing temperature and anger toward Isaac. Was that really his problem? The fact that she and Bane had both shared a passionate moment? She was not distracting anybody, especially Bane, given that he had been just as much a part of that as she was, just like she had stated to Isaac. He had been so calm and collected before, rational... how had this suddenly changed everything?
What fucking ever, Jenna thought sourly to herself as she stomped down the stairs. She was over it. She was over everything. She was over Isaac, and she was over Bane. She was over the warehouse, she was over trying to impress anybody, and she was over trying to better herself.
Bane's door was open, but she ignored this as she continued on to her room. She barged through the door and snapped on the light, only to freeze suddenly, a cold shock running through her. Her bag of clothes had been spilled on to the floor, her cot pushed back against the wall with the blankets a mess, and her pillow was laying on the floor, stuck under the legs of the cot. Her lips parted as she stared wide-eyed at the pillow, and all she could picture was Bane discovering her cell phone. She broke through the ice that had covered her body and cautiously started over toward the cot, her purse sliding from her shoulder, and she swallowed as she reached out toward the blankets on the bed. She pulled them back slowly, and an intense, warm relieved feeling spread through her quickly when she saw her cell phone was still laying on the cot. Her heart continued to race, however, and she bent down slightly to pull the cot away from the wall. As soon as she picked up her pillow, however, she suddenly heard heavy footsteps behind her, and she jumped when she heard her door squeak. Without thinking she immediately turned around, startled when she saw Bane stepping into her room, and she quickly turned around to place her pillow down on top of the phone. Her body shivered, and she wondered if Bane had seen the phone after all. Who had been in her room anyway, and why had they caused such a mess? Bane's eerie breathing feeling the room, and as he stepped further into the room Jenna couldn't abandon the feeling of knowing she was about to be in deep trouble...
"How was dinner?" Bane asked casually, confusing Jenna slightly. She tried to keep herself composed, however, as she turned around, but she knew it was evident to Bane that something was up due to the way she sat ridiculously close to the pillow she had just placed down and the way she avoided his eyes.
"Fine," Jenna finally answered as she busied herself with removing her boots, trying to keep her shaking and shivering under control. Bane cocked an eyebrow as he watched her.
"What did you eat?" He went on to ask. It was evident to him that something was up with Jenna. She was avoiding his eyes more than usual, and her overall demeanor told him that something was making her ridiculously nervous.
Jenna swallowed, positive Bane's casualness was building up to an intense scolding. "Pancakes," she answered in a small voice. Above her, Bane nodded slowly.
"Pancakes," he repeated. "I've never had pancakes," he said suddenly, and this caused Jenna to slowly lift her head to look at him nervously, and Bane noticed this. "I imagine they would taste somewhat sweet, based on the scent they emit. Am I correct?"
Jenna slowly nodded, her heart starting to race faster. She held his eye contact for a moment, but right when she was about to glance away and finally remove her boots, Bane spoke up.
"You appear to be very... uneasy. Is something on your mind?"
Jenna swallowed. "No," she replied.
Bane continued to stare at her. "I don't believe you," he said. "You left here incredibly angry, and now you return appearing... guilty. What aren't you telling me?"
"Nothing," Jenna finally replied. "Um... who was in my room?"
"Why?"
"When I came back it was all... messy. Who was in here?"
"Barsad," Bane returned. "Although I don't know why."
Finally, Jenna remembered that Isaac had been wearing the coat she had borrowed. Clearly, he had come in here to look for it. But was making a mess really necessary? It was at the tip of her tongue to clarify that Bane had not been in here as well, but she knew asking that question would give her away entirely.
"He was just getting his coat that he let me borrow," Jenna said finally. "I remember now."
Bane kept his eyes focused on her, and he noticed her swallow again as he took a large step forward to stand directly above her. Jenna was staring at his knees, but this wasn't doing him justice at the moment. He reached out to take a somewhat firm hold of her jaw, and he forced her head up. Jenna's eyes found his, and she struggled to hold his gaze as he kept his fingers locked on her jaw.
"You're not... hiding something from me... because I know you know better than that, don't you, Jenna?"
Jenna tried to nod her head, but when this failed she was forced to speak, and she licked her lips before doing so. "Yes," she answered in a small voice. All the possible things she could be keeping from him ran though his mind, and he thought it to be ridiculous that the most obvious thing was the last to make itself known.
"You did dispose of your phone, correct?"
Oh my God... Jenna thought nervously to herself. What did she do now? "Yes," she spoke before she could think it through, and she found herself instantly regretting this. She anticipated for Bane to suddenly push her out of the way, search through her belongings and ultimately discover her phone, but instead he continued to stand in front of her, his fingers still clenching her jaw. She watched as his eyes rolled down and to the right, and once he noticed her purse on her floor, he let go of her jaw, pushing on her face as he turned around, and Jenna watched as he picked up her purse. He turned and stepped forward to her again, and he lingered over her sitting frame as he let the purse plop down onto her lap.
"Prove it," he said. Jenna stared up at him a moment longer before she finally glanced down to reach inside, and she started to pull out the contents of her purse. Bane watched her lay out the items next to her on the foot of the cot, and once the purse was empty, he nodded his head slightly when Jenna glanced up at him.
"Where did you put it?" He asked now.
Jenna's body started to shake again, and she wished that he would just go away. "A dumpster," she finally said, suddenly unsure if there were dumpsters around the building or not. "At the diner," she added quickly, thinking this was a good lie, but when Bane cocked an eyebrow she instantly took it back.
"Tonight?" He watched as Jenna nodded. "What took you so long to do it? Why not throw it away here?"
Jenna shrugged, entirely unsure of how to answer that, especially when her phone was still hiding under her pillow, not even five feet away from him.
"I forgot," she finally said.
"You didn't contact anyone with it tonight, did you?"
"Like who?" Jenna tried to distract him from the question. "My parents are... dead."
"Perhaps your dear friend, Rodger?" Bane asked, and a shock ran up her spine. Fuck, fuck, fuck...
Jenna struggled to keep her composure as she shook her head. "The phone was off and I threw it away."
"That's not how I meant for you to get rid of it. Someone could find it, and take it," Bane went on. "And when they turned it on, they would discover a lack of missed calls and messages, because of the fact that you did send a quick message to your friend. Or, am I incorrect?"
It was like he knew exactly what she had done! What did she do now? Was he able to see through her lie, or should Jenna continue at it? Her mind made a decision before she could agree. "No," Jenna finally said. "They wouldn't discover that. I did what you asked. I didn't think just throwing it away would be a big deal."
Bane stared at her for another silent moment. "Good," he finally said. "It would be a terrible shame to discover that you lied to me. But you're smarter than that," he stated as if this were a truth. "Right, Jenna?"
She hated when he said her name like that. She nodded as she finally glanced away from him. "Yes," she replied.
"Alright then," Bane said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
Jenna nodded, unable to recall a more awkward moment between them. A long moment later, Bane finally turned around and exit her room, and once he closed the door, Jenna finally released the large breath she had been holding. With shaking hands she replaced the items in her purse, and as she set it onto the ground, she was positive Bane did not buy her lie.
She finished removing her boots, and once this was done she changed into something more comfortable to sleep in, feeling even more exhausted suddenly. She was sure that she would be unable to sleep that night, however. Too many things were going on and distracting her from even the simplest of tasks. She was dreading tomorrow, but she figured she should try and enjoy the time she had before it approached. Even if that meant a restless, sleepless night.
Last week of school, and then its Christmas break time (sadly, the last one I'll ever have, haha). So that means LOTS of chapter updates!
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