For the following week, Jenna began to entertain ideas centered around Isaac, and all of the ways he could have been, and continued to help her through her time of isolation. She knew it was safe to assume one-hundred percent now that Isaac had not been allowed to have any sort of contact with her. Not only had her theory proved itself when Isaac had struggled to ignore her, or how he had so obviously been holding himself back from conversing with her too much when she finally did get through to him, but when Bane had appeared upstairs, Isaac had been quick to retreat to his room. What a stupid rule, Jenna thought. And of course it had to happen just when they had gotten on a better track.
Isaac had been the only one to have ever helped her. He had even helped her when he was instructed not to, by assuring her that she had not killed Rodger. Whether Jenna believed the validity of his words or not, Isaac had still helped her. Now, Isaac was her light in the dark tunnel again. Now, Isaac was the only good in Jenna's life, even if she couldn't converse with him like before. But Jenna had become so accustomed to just thinking, and since she couldn't talk to him, she would think about him.
In the beginning, Jenna imagined Bane's rule to have never occurred. Granted her punishment would not have made sense, but in Jenna's mind, she was free to abandon any logic if she wanted to. She would still have been allowed to talk to him; perhaps she could have still gone outside for cigarettes with him, or used his shower to avoid using the bathroom on the main level. She would have openly let him check her arm, and this time around, she would wholeheartedly listen to his advice, and she now had the strong desire to take it. But what would advice would he give her when she expressed her troubling concerns?
"Just listen to Bane," he would tell her. "Be glad you get to at least come outside still. It could be worse, right?" Here, he would grin, and a small laugh would escape past him, which in turn would cause Jenna to smile and laugh slightly as well. If this was her past reality, Jenna would realize that eventually he was right. Although they would both have no idea how truly terrible it actually could be. Being isolated for so long, being haunted by vivid nightmares and dealing with confusing dreams was proving to wear Jenna out more than any physical activity ever could. But if this scenario was a reality, and occurring at a better time, Jenna knew she more than likely would have argued with Isaac on that, claiming there's no way it could worse than this. Jenna rolled her eyes at her mind-rendered self. No wonder Isaac had tried to end their friendship, and was hesitant about starting it up again. Now, Jenna understood what he meant. She wouldn't want to be her friend either.
She left behind her freshly angered ways, letting them die down before she continued on with her fantasies. In her mind, she would display herself as the person she was ready to be right now: open to advice and help, and ready to appreciate it, not take advantage of it. In this world, she would be clean. In this world, she wouldn't be so socially deprived. In this word, her nightmares wouldn't seem so bad, and in this world, her life would be a little more manageable. Jenna believed Bane didn't realize the severity of what he had done, by breaking apart her and Isaac. Nobody had ever helped her the way he had. Ever. Not even Rodger.
Her mind wanted to scold her for all the ways she had wronged Isaac, but she would not allow the thoughts to come through. She was sick of feeling depressed and furious; now, she wanted to feel happy or content, and if not happy, then she wanted to feel nothing at all.
By the end of that week, Jenna began to think of ways Isaac could have helped her even with his command to stay out of contact with her. Granted, he would be going behind Bane's back – something Jenna knew he would never do, no matter what– it was something exhilarating to think about. Whenever she went upstairs during her five minutes, if Bane wasn't around, perhaps they could have had a quick exchange of words, no matter what the topic was. It would cause Jenna to smile, to feel something other than any sort of pain, and ultimately it would help her. Maybe, if she could be so lucky, she would sneak over to the exit door, and lean out of it for a quick drag from Isaac's cigarette. She pictured how that first instance would go.
She'd double check Bane was still locked away in his room after kicking her door, and she would venture to the exit door, striving to just catch a glimpse of any sort of new scenery, and breathe in some fresh air. She was would be startled to see Isaac standing below the railing of the stairs, and when she would open the door, he would turn, a cigarette dangling between his lips, and his eyebrows would raise immediately.
"Jenna!" He'd scold quietly. "Are you fucking crazy? Get inside!"
Jenna would grin. "Give me a quick drag," she would say. "Please?" She's push on when he would openly hesitate. But no matter her predicament or the rules, Isaac would quickly go up the stairs, taking two at a time, and he'd hand her the cigarette. Jenna would reach out with her left hand, holding the door open with her foot, and she imaged how relieving that first drag would be. She would close her eyes and take the longest hit she had ever taken from a cigarette, Isaac's eyes on her all the while. Finally, she would open her eyes, and smile at Isaac as she exhaled the thin stream of smoke. She'd hand him back his cigarette.
"Thank you," she would say, and she would mean it sincerely. Without another word she would disappear back inside, and she knew she and Isaac both would now be safe from Bane's wrath.
Eventually, Isaac would always start smoking near the exit door, waiting for Jenna to ease it open. If she could be so lucky, again, sometimes she'd have enough time to get two drags in before forcing herself away from the door to enjoy her final three minutes of very shallow freedom...
This was unrealistic. There was no way she could ever keep that a secret, and she knew Isaac wouldn't allow for that either. He was protecting his own life, he was staying loyal, and Jenna knew he was helping her, in turn, by following Bane's orders. But perhaps Jenna could have still enjoyed her cigarettes...
Late, late at a night, when all of the other henchmen were sleeping or busy, and Bane was locked in his room and prepared to stay in there until morning, maybe Isaac would sneak down the stairs, into the basement and up to her door. Jenna would be awake with her light on, just thinking, when suddenly she'd hear some sort of shuffling around on the floor outside of her door. She'd turn her attention to it, and she'd watch with widened, confused eyes as a single cigarette would roll underneath the door into her room. A pang of excitement would go through her as she'd quickly rise to retrieve it.
Jenna smiled. This fantasy seemed more realistic. But why stop there? Perhaps, upon picking the cigarette up, the hunger for it nearly unbearable now, she would discovered a small piece of paper had been rolled and taped around it. She'd carefully undue the tape and open the paper, upon which there would be a message.
"Hopefully you still have a lighter." It would say. "Enjoy, Isaac." The bottom would be signed. A grin would reach Jenna's lips, and she'd fold back up the paper and save it. Then she'd enjoy her cigarette on her cot, taking her time with smoking and appreciating each inhale and exhale.
This would continue every night, and each cigarette would always have a message. At first they would be simple, then some of them would be more whimsical, perhaps with stupid jokes written on them. Eventually, they'd be longer, and in efforts to help her, Isaac would leave her short and shallow descriptions of his day, just so Jenna could live vicariously through them and take herself to a different place in her mind. This would work. This simple action of rolling single cigarettes under the door would help Jenna more than anyone would ever know.
Thinking about it further, this, of course, was unrealistic as well. Sooner than later, Bane would smell the stench of smoke from her room, and he'd discover that Jenna had been smoking. He'd barge into her room and find the notes she had been hoarding. He'd grow furious, and storm up the stairs to find Isaac, and from there he would kill–
Jenna's thoughts were instantly interrupted when a loud kick sounded on her door. She jumped from where she sat in her cot, her head turning quickly toward the door, and with a racing heart she released a breath. The kick was more welcoming than usual, for she was glad she had not finished her previous thought.
Now, these fantasies brought on more harm than they did good. Jenna would get so wound up in them to the point that she'd forget the severity of her condition. Then, when forced to face reality, it would seem ten times worse than the last time the realization occurred. Sighing sadly, Jenna rose from her cot, flinching at the shot of pain that erupted from her sore back, due to too many sleepless nights on her cot, and stumbled over to her door. She felt truly disgusting. Her hair was a greasy, tangled mess, her skin dry, her lips chapped, and she had no clean clothes left at this point. Jenna was a true prisoner.
She lazily reached out to open her door, wondering what time it was, and as soon as she opened it she began to shuffle out of her room. Her eyes were focused on the floor, and she had been so consumed in sleepily watching the floor pass underneath her that she failed to notice she was heading directly toward Bane, and by the time she realized it, it was too late. Her right shoulder and arm collided hard into his rock-solid body, and she hissed and flinched in pain as she stumbled back, her left hand flying to her right arm to attempt to sooth it.
Bane had been standing in the middle of the basement, just watching her. At first he had the intentions of venturing upstairs to go find Isaac outside, but he had become consumed with watching Jenna. She walked so slow, and was completely unaware of anything around her, more so than usual. She had been heading directly toward him, but Bane didn't step out of her way. He wanted to see if she would finally notice him in her path, or if she would hit him. He knew if she was to run into him, it would only damage her right side, but Bane remained stationary, truly curious. When Jenna did run into him, Bane watched her crumble slightly in pain before he decided now was a good time to speak up.
He opened his mouth to talk, but no words ever reached his mouth, and finally he realized he had no idea what to say. Sure, he could scold her for her lack of awareness, but what good would that do? Considering her condition right now, Jenna probably wouldn't even hear him, let alone realize he was even talking. He could just ignore her, reminding her she had five minutes, but unfortunately, Bane didn't want to do this either.
Now, as he watched her, Jenna was finally opening her eyes, her reddened, aqua orbs staring at her right arm, and she ran her fingers over the cast, checking for damages. Her greasy hair was thrown in her face, and Bane remembered a time when Jenna couldn't stand to have her bangs anywhere near her eyes. Now that were longer, it was bewildering to him that Jenna didn't immediately move to push them furiously away. Now, when she finally glanced up, she kept them in her face.
"Sorry," she mumbled to him. Bane hadn't moved since the impact; he remained standing with his feet shoulder width apart with his arms crossed over his chest, and as Jenna slowly began past him, nearly hitting him again, he turned his head to watch her advance slowly toward the stairs.
"Jenna..." he suddenly spoke her name, and as soon as the word left his mouth, the basement seemed to get even quieter than it was before. The dripping noise seemed to even quiet down.
A strong shock had run up Jenna's spine upon Bane speaking her name. But it wasn't that he had spoken to her that had her so shaken up suddenly, but rather the tone in his voice. It sounded so... concerned? No, Jenna instantly decided. No way. She turned around to face him.
Not a day had gone by during the entirety of Jenna's punishment that Bane didn't wonder what she was doing in that room, what she was thinking, and what she was desiring most. Despite what he had decided, despite what he had wanted, each night he laid awake in his bed, wondering how badly Jenna was suffering. At first he had grinned at these thoughts, and enjoyed them, but for the past couple of weeks the thoughts became consuming to the point of making him want to actually rise from bed, and allow her out of her room just once in the middle of the night. It was wrong, it was disgusting, but it was desirable. Regardless, Bane forced himself to stay put, reminding himself he'd let Jenna out in the morning. Let Jenna out, he thought. Like a dog? Jenna was better than a dog. Even after what she had done to betray him...
Now, Bane was struggling to find the words to say. What were you doing? What have you been doing? How are you? Have you learned your lesson? Have you learned anything? Suddenly, Bane didn't want to ask any of this. Was this it? Was this finally the end of her punishment? Was Bane seriously prepared already to tell her she was now free to venture out of her room, whenever and for however long? Had this proven to have even strengthened her in any way?
"What would you do if I told you your punishment... was... over?" Bane questioned slowly, watching her intently. Her eyebrows raised slightly as her lips parted, but as soon as her face had begun to light up, it was instantly weighed back down, complete with hallow eyes and a permanent frown.
"I-I don't know," Jenna replied. "Is it?" She then asked, no hint of hope ever touching her voice. He's lying... you're dreaming... she thought sadly. Bane's eyes wandered down slowly, and he watched the fingers on her left hand toy around with the fingers on her right nervously for a moment before he raised his eyes back up. Her face was matted, and he noticed no new type of hopeful light had ever come across any of her features.
Tell her no, his mind constructed. Tell her it's not over, then tell her her five minutes are now up. Watch her crumble, and watch her suffer more...
No, Bane argued. She doesn't even believe you. Look at her. She's already waiting for you to take it back. No hope has been instilled in her. No hope has ever even touched her this entire time...
"I suppose," he finally answered slowly, glancing down again to watch Jenna cease movement of her fingers. "You are free to do whatever... just, stay at the warehouse." This sounded more like a suggestion than it did a command, and Bane couldn't help but to suck in a sharp breath of annoyance at this.
A strong, tingling sensation had washed over Jenna as she went lightheaded, and as the room spun, she wondered if she had heard him correctly. Her lips had parted, her heavy eyes had widened, and she remained blankly staring at him as she tried to let the feeling of freedom sink in. But no matter how long she waited, realization never overcame her. She felt too numb. "It's... i-it's over?" She had to clarify quietly.
Bane nodded once. "I suppose you've had enough time now to realize the severity of what you had done. The next time you lie, Jenna-"
"I won't," Jenna immediately interrupted in a mumble. He's not kidding, she thought. But still, realization would not sink in. She had spent too much time stuck in that room for far too long. Now, it was something she had grown use to. Having nowhere to physically go, and escaping only by where her mind took her had caused her to become desensitized to everything around her. Would she ever get used to being outside of her room again? Was she allowed to converse with Isaac now?
"For your sake, I hope you are right," Bane replied. "Solitude and isolation is... a hard thing to overcome..."
He sounded so thoughtful, and for a moment Jenna had to wonder what he meant, or what he was referring to. A small desire to ask him what he meant came over her, but Jenna didn't want to stand there and talk to him. Why should she, after what he had done? Now, she would avoid him on her own terms. However, there was just one more question she wanted to ask him.
"What... month is it?"
"December," Bane replied, struck slightly by her toneless voice. "The fifteenth," he added. Suddenly, Jenna found it hard to swallow. December? She had been locked away in that room for the entire month of November? Unbelievable. But it made sense.
Bane remained staring at her, hundreds of thoughts buzzing around in his head like bothersome wasps, but he forced himself to head toward his room, deciding that keeping the thoughts and words he wanted to speak in his head would prove to be a smarter choice than speaking them out loud. Jenna watched him go for a moment, and once his door closed she slowly turned around to face the stairs.
I'm free? She thought to herself as she slowly shuffled her feet across the cold floor toward the stairs. She couldn't believe or accept it. She was positive she was dreaming again. This was a fantasy gone too far, and at any moment she would wake with a start to find that this was not reality. As she started up the stairs, she wondered vaguely where Isaac was. He would set her straight, he would assure her this was, in fact, not a dream.
But suddenly, all Jenna began to desire was a shower. But she couldn't even have this. Bane may have freed her from her room, but he did not free her from her broken body. Her arm was a burden, keeping her from even the most simplest of tasks that she was desiring now. She couldn't take a refreshing, hot shower, where she could take her time with washing her hair and body. No. She had to find a way to lean over the tub, and wash her hair without the help of a detachable shower head.
Once she reached the top of the stairs, she considered climbing the ladder to Isaac's room to use his shower again, but she quickly decided against this. Bane had merely freed her from her room. He had not fixed her broken arm, and he had not granted Isaac permission to speak to her again. He claimed that her punishment was over, but was it really?
Whatever, she thought dully to herself as she gently pushed open the bathroom door. Her arm may be broken, she may be forced to deal with isolation from Isaac, but at least she could spend her lonely hours somewhere other than her room.
–
Attempting to wash her hair had been close to a near disaster, but after an hour or so in the bathroom, Jenna had managed to wash and rinse her hair. Using a wet towel, she wiped down her body as well, cringing as she was forced to deal with the embarrassingly long stubble of hair that covered her body. After wrapping her body in a new towel, she collected her wet towel and arm sling and started out of the bathroom. So desperate to be out of her room, Jenna wished she could change somewhere else, but upon stepping into her room, she didn't feel as empty as she once had. Now, she was free to leave her room, whenever she desired. This sounded nice, but she still couldn't bring herself to feel the relieved feelings she should.
All of her clothes were dirty, and this alone made her want to cry. But, despite her passivity, Jenna was determined suddenly. No more crying, she told herself. She had seen how awful her face had looked in the bathroom mirror and all the times she had taken a glance at herself through the mirror shard in her room. After the second week, she had made a point to never look at herself in the mirror during her punishment, but now that it was over, she had allowed herself to, only to immediately wish she hadn't. Her face was pale and bare, and the red that outlined her eyes made her look like some sort of zombie. Perhaps she was a zombie. She felt like one.
After finding a pair of gray sweat pants which she deemed clean enough, and a black t-shirt that smelt fine, she took her time getting dressed before she turned to grab her sling from the bed. With one hand, she struggled to untangle it, but once she had finished, she paused, realizing she had no idea how she was going to put it on. She sat there for a moment, frowning, but after a moment had passed, she wondered if she could go find Isaac. She stood up slowly, but paused immediately when she realized if Bane was to catch him helping her, he'd probably punish her all over again. Jenna groaned to herself. She had no choice but to ask Bane if she could seek him out...
After putting on her boots in hopes that Bane would grant her permission, Jenna inched her way out of her room and across the basement to Bane's closed door. She paused in front of it, openly hesitating. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to look at him, or hear him any more than she needed to. But she knew getting his permission for this was inevitable. She had to speak him. Just this once, she thought. She lifted her hand to knock on his door, but she jumped when she suddenly heard somebody coming down the stairs.
She turned to glance over her shoulder, and she watched Bane take a step off the last stair before he started over, his eyes focused on her. He had seen that she had been about to knock on his door, and while he found her monotone demeanor slightly confusing, he couldn't help but to wonder what she was doing knocking on his door already.
"What do you need?" He asked, just a few feet from her now. Jenna swallowed as she glanced up to him, feeling dizzy. Just the sight of him and the sound of his haunting voice brought back all types of memories she didn't want. She glanced down suddenly to look away from him. She already knew what he looked like, yet she refused to take in his more particular details that were already too familiar to her. But she had to ask him just this one question.
"Can I- um..." she paused, bowing her head down further once he had approached her. "...go find Isaac?"
Bane's eyes wandered over her body and the sling in her arm before he raised them back to her lowered face. "Why?"
"I need help with... this." She lifted the sling in her left arm slightly as she absentmindedly glanced up to look at him. Bane was staring at the sling in her arm, and just as she began to anticipate his terrible answer, he stepped closer to her to grab the sling from her hand. She couldn't help but to flinch slightly, and upon noticing, Bane had paused as well, staring at her. After a few seconds of staring at her, he finally stepped closed to her, ready to assist with putting the sling around her, but Jenna had taken a step back closer to his door. Bane blinked slowly, his eyes focused on her own, which were now staring at the floor, and he let out a sigh.
"Do you want help or not?" He asked her. For the first time, Bane found his low patience level slightly frustrating. Granted Jenna stepping away from him had annoyed him greatly, he found himself wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt. This, too, was a disgustingly wrong desire, but it was a feeling Bane could not escape. Just look at her, he thought. Bruised, broken, numb, scared... all because of you. You've found a way to even terrify her in a dream. Before, she was never this frightened by you... ever.
Jenna finally glanced over to him after he had spoken. Her eyes dropped down the sling in his large hand before she slowly raised her eyes to meet his. He was staring at her, but not in the way she had been picturing. She anticipated his glare to be angry and heavy, like it had been for a while now, but rather his eyes were soft, and the light gray color of them was evident. His breathing was slow and calm, and he appeared patient as he waited for her to speak, although on the inside he was fighting himself from demanding a quicker answer from her.
It was clear to Jenna by his actions of preparing to help her himself that he didn't want her to go find Isaac. This thought caused her aching stomach to drop to her feet and her face to flush slightly. But finally, after a moment or so of staring at him, she slowly nodded her head, even though accepting any sort of help from Bane at this point seemed terribly wrong. But, Jenna had to wonder, why was he even helping her in the first place? Wouldn't it have made sense for him to have told her no before sending her on her way to deal with her problem herself? That does it, Jenna thought. This is a dream.
When Bane stepped closer to her to start putting the sling around her, Jenna had ceased breathing as she stood, motionless, in front of him, still wondering desperately, regardless if this was a dream of not, why Bane was helping her. It made absolutely no sense.
His hands against her had once felt so good, but now they seemed even rougher, and more unwelcoming as his fingers brushed against her arm as he placed the cast into the sling. The feel of his calloused skin against hers made her stomach ache even more, and she felt dizzy upon remembering there had once been a time when she had craved the feeling of his skin against hers. Disgusting, she thought.
What occurred in a matter of ten seconds felt as though it had taken hours, and by the time he was finished, Jenna still found herself unable to breathe. Swallowing, she took another small step back from him.
Bane could see how uneasy she had become, even more so than she had been prior to his assistance, but he would be staying true to Isaac's command. Bane had told him to stop helping Jenna, and he meant it. This rule still occurred now, though logically, he couldn't come up with a reason why this was beneficial anymore. Look at you, turning your back on your decision to be hard with her. Redeem yourself, even in the slightest way, by keeping your word on this order.
"You've received your help," Bane said finally, breaking the silence. "But you are to leave Barsad be."
A lump had risen in Jenna's throat upon Bane confirming her thoughts, and she glanced down as she struggled to swallow it back.
"Okay," she replied, her voice cracking, and she closed her eyes tightly at this. Did Bane realize Jenna might as well still be stuck inside her room? Sure, she could leave now, but what good was it? She didn't want any contact with Bane, she wasn't allowed to speak to Isaac, she couldn't leave the warehouse, and on top of that, her broken arm made nearly everything else impossible to do. A fresh, sudden urge to speak her mind to Bane had overcome her, and the feeling was like a slap in the face. Jenna hadn't felt any strong desire in a while. What's the fucking point of being allowed out of my room?! She would wonder furiously out loud to him. I want nothing to do with you, I can't talk to Isaac... I can't go anywhere! I'm not free. I'm more imprisoned than ever.
Jenna knew exactly what his reply would be: "Your time is up then. Return back to your room, and we'll start this over."
Jenna closed her eyes, a pang running through her heart, it seeming as though Bane had actually just said this to her. Despite all this, she still didn't want to be locked in her room. She hated the way things were currently, and although she couldn't bring herself to feel it physically, she knew she should just be thankful she was free from that room.
Bane had been watching her, taking notice of the way she had glanced down to hide her face when he told her she was to remain leaving Barsad alone, and he could tell by the way her eyes closed and her lips thinning that she was contemplating on saying something. But shockingly, she never said a word, and this caused Bane to furrow his eyebrows. He waited, anticipating for her to speak what was on her mind, but when she finally turned around to start over toward the stairs without a word still, Bane found himself having a difficult time accepting this. That was very unlike Jenna. Whatever had been on her mind had been a sour thought, he knew, and Jenna was not the type to hold herself back from expressing what was on her mind, be it on purpose or accident. Bane glanced over his shoulder slightly to watch her retreat from him from the corner of his eye, and once she started up the stairs, he realized finally Jenna was not going to verbally express what had been on her mind. Also, he noticed that she appeared to be in some sort of physical pain, due to the ways she moved up the stairs slowly with her back hunched forward.
Once she disappeared out view, Bane turned before absentmindedly taking slow steps toward the stairs, blankly wondering where she was going. Dwelling in the shadows of the basement, he watched her slowly pull open the exit door before stepping outside without so much as a glance anywhere else inside. Even after the door had closed, his eyes remained stationary in the area around the door.
Something was deeply wrong with Jenna, he knew. He had been expecting this after his punishment, but honestly not to this degree. Jenna had such a strong, indecisive personality before. Now, she just was not herself. But what was even more concerning was why did Bane care?
It was snowing outside. A thick layer of snow blanketed the entire ground while more large flakes fell from the light clouds that covered the night sky, but Jenna didn't take anytime to notice her surroundings. Instead, she had mindlessly wandered down the stairs and started toward the garage area of the warehouse, where the two large doors were open, the lights on inside, and only after she had reached the garage did she realize where she had wandered to. She stopped in her tracks and finally glanced up into the empty garage, and after a moment of staring at the Challenger parked inside, she stepped toward the wall by the garage before turning to sit down on the ground, in the snow. The ground was freezing, colder than the basement floor, and thousands of hard, tiny goosebumps covered her bare arms as her body began to shake, her wet hair freezing over her face and neck. But finally a small glimmer of appreciation overcame her. She was outside. She hadn't been outside in over a month. The air was fresh, the area around her vast and open, and although she was sitting in the snow without a coat, this new level of cold was welcoming. As Jenna's eyes wandered from left to right, she felt dizzy upon realizing on a stronger level that she was actually sitting outside.
Isaac had been making his way through the warehouse, past all the empty shelves where boxes of light bulbs had once sat, ready to unload boxes of ammo from his truck, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Jenna sitting directly by the garage, her back and head resting against the wall, her knees brought up to her chest with her bare, left arm wrapped around them. His eyebrows lifted as his lips parted slightly, but as soon as shock had washed over him, it dissipated quickly and left him feeling disturbed. Perhaps it was the lighting and the angle, but from where he stood, his eyes focused on her, he was overcome entirely by her face. Her face was sickly pale, her parted lips chapped, and her eyes so red, it appeared as though she had just finished applying red eyeliner makeup. Her emotionless eyes were focused on the area in front of her, and although her body was shivering violently, she remained still in her spot. Even when a small, freezing gust of wind blew past, Jenna still did not move.
Isaac had to have been standing there for a long, solid two minutes before Jenna finally noticed him. Her mind had simply wandered away and became completely empty as she shook, leaving Jenna in a trance-like state as she stared ahead. She had not heard anybody approaching, and she had not noticed the shadow that flooded the ground in her line of sights. Only after a stronger gust of wind had blown her hair into her mouth did she notice Isaac from the corner of her eye when she removed the strand. She jumped slightly, but the startling feeling went away quickly. However, seeing Isaac standing there, staring at her with that odd look on his face, made her feel a slight hurt inside. What had she been thinking, coming to sit down right by the garage where she knew Isaac would be? Then again, Jenna didn't know what she had been thinking. She hadn't been thinking at all... When did I even get here? She wondered. Where's my coat?
The red surrounding her eyes was even more severe as she she faced him fully. Isaac stared into her eyes for a few seconds longer before he finally turned to start over to his truck, parked about twenty feet from where Jenna sat. Jenna's jaw dropped slightly, her body preparing her to speak, but what could she say? Isaac wasn't allowed to talk to her, and in turn she wasn't allowed to speak to him. Bane had told Jenna to leave Isaac alone. Would she get in trouble if Bane was to see that she was sitting in the area he was currently working in?
Isaac could feel Jenna's eyes on him as he opened the passenger side door to start grabbing the boxes of ammo from the seat and floor. Once he had an arm full, he turned to start toward the warehouse, and he couldn't help but to steal a glance at her, confirming silently that she was, in fact, still watching him. After he placed the boxes on the workbench and turned to head back to his truck, however, he saw that she had turned away, and was staring absentmindedly in front of her again. A strong frown had found Isaac's lips as he remained stationary, his tired eyes focused intently on her. Bane had told him not to help her. Knowing Bane, he had meant help in any way. But Jenna looked so miserable, sitting by the warehouse, shaking, her mind clearly blank and confused. It was as if she was a ghost of her former self, here to revisit her old spot when she would smoke and look for comfort. Despite how Jenna was in the past, and despite her disloyalty when she lied to Bane, Isaac couldn't help but to feel sorry for her.
You can't help her, he reminded himself as he turned away. Leave her alone. It's not your problem, it's not your business... But still. It was that fateful pull that existed between them that was bringing about the desire to help her. Betrayal, he thought suddenly. Going against Bane's orders was a form of betrayal, and Isaac had never betrayed Bane. Ever. But when Isaac glanced over at Jenna again, unable to help himself, the desire to help had doubled, and he knew unless he did something about it, it would not go away.
He turned to his truck and grabbed his pack of smokes that contained five, last cigarettes inside. After he grabbed his lighter, he placed the box and lighter in the right pocket of his coat before he unzipped it. He shrugged it off his shoulders and removed his arms from the sleeves before he started over to Jenna, and when she heard his footsteps approaching her, she slowly turned her head to glance up at him. She watched him stop by her, his black coat in his hand, the same one he had given her before, and her eyebrows furrowed when Isaac gently dropped the coat onto her lap. He raised his eyes to look into hers for a mere second before he turned to start back over to his truck.
Jenna's heart had begun to race faster than it had in a while, and upon glancing down, the first thing she saw was a box of cigarettes sticking out from the pocket. Her eyes widened slightly as she was overcome with intense hunger for one, and when she pulled out the box and opened it, she felt lightheaded when she saw five inside. Her lips parting, she turned to look over in Isaac's direction, but he was making a point to ignore her as he started toward the inside of the garage again with an arm full of bullet boxes. Even with Bane's command, he was still helping her. Sure, all he had given her was some cigarettes and a coat, but what he had really bestowed her with was warmth, and a way to satisfy the craving that was near ready to kill her. He had done more for her in a mere couple of seconds than anyone had ever done for her in a lifetime.
Jenna's arms and hands were completely numb now, but even as she shook and shivered openly she moved to get a cigarette out of the box first. She stuck it in between her lips, and after struggling to light the lighter for a minute or two, once the end of the cigarette was lit, she took a slow, steady drag, like she imaged she would have in her head. Only this was better than her dreams. This was more satisfying than she could have ever imagined. As she exhaled, watching the thin stream of smoke escape her lips, she leaned forward, and keeping the cigarette in her mouth, she moved to put on Isaac's coat. The left sleeve and the inside of the coat were still warm, and as Jenna leaned back against the wall, she hugged her left arm around herself, enclosing herself in the coat, and as she took another drag she closed her eyes.
After spending a solid half hour in the snow, and after slowly smoking another cigarette after her first, Jenna finally moved to stand up. In the midst of her second cigarette, Isaac had disappeared inside the warehouse, going through the garage to get into the main area of the building, and a different thug had closed the garage doors, leaving Jenna alone in the dark. But this didn't give her any desires to get up and leave. Truth be told, she felt rather comfortable sitting on the hard ground, amongst the cold snow, and in Isaac's warm coat. Going back inside simply meant sitting in her room again. At least the surroundings were different outside.
But eventually, her overall numbness could not stop the cold from getting to her. Her legs were nearly frozen to death, her lips ceased to stop trembling as she shivered, and her left hand had started to throb in pain from being directly out amongst the cold. After she smoked her second cigarette completely down to the filter, Jenna finally stood up and began to slowly wander toward the exit door. The inside felt rather and warm and welcoming when she stepped inside, but all Jenna could focus on was dreading returning to her room. She paused once she began to head to the stairs, however, realizing finally she was still wearing Isaac's coat. Figuring she should return it, she began to take it off as she turned around to head over to Isaac's ladder. An image of Bane flashed her in mind, but she was not only returning the coat in fear of Bane's rage, but also as a way to prove to Isaac she would no longer take advantage of his help, no matter how big or small. Because she could not verbally express her gratitude, by returning his coat, she felt as though this was a sure, symbolic way of telling him 'thank you'. She kept the cigarettes and lighter in the coat's pocket, and after she had hung it on the ladder, she turned to start into the cold basement.
Her frigid, empty room only brought back unwanted feelings and memories, although it was different this time around. Now, she wasn't being forced to stay in her room; she could leave whenever she wanted, and go nearly anywhere she wanted within the warehouse. Though at the same time, Jenna realized as she climbed into her cot, she could not go where she desired. Back then, she desired spending time in Bane's room, but things were much, much different now, and all Jenna wanted to was to avoid him. Now, she just wanted to hang out with Isaac, but she knew this couldn't become a reality. Where else did she have to go beside her room? There was really no point in going outside; she had no cigarettes. She wasn't about to go venture anywhere else within the warehouse and deal with Bane's hateful men. She couldn't go to Isaac's room, and she didn't want to be around Bane. All that left was her room...
Jenna sighed sadly as she rested her head on the pillow, her back already beginning hurt as she laid on it. She desired turning to lay on her right side, but this position would only prove to hurt her arm. Frowning, she closed her eyes, simply hoping she'd find a way to fall asleep.
–
Ever since his encounter with her in the basement when he assisted her with the sling, Bane could not get Jenna off of his mind, no matter how agonizingly hard he tried. After she had retreated away from him to head outside into the snow –without a coat, he had noticed– his mind would not stop replaying the scene over and over again.
While he found it astonishing that she had actually wandered to his door so early after her solitude was up to ask him something, he had a hard time accepting how scared and nervous she appeared to be around him, or how badly she was desiring Barsad's help over anything else. After her punishment was through, he expected her to be angry, seething rather, and instead of striving to ignore him due to fear, he had anticipated for her to openly avoid him, and make it obvious she was doing so. She would have never failed to flash him an infuriated glare, with narrowed, hardened eyes, her plump lips pursed firmly and angrily, before she would slowly glance away from him. It would be her way of exuding her hatred toward him for the 'God-awful' solitary confinement he had forced her to go through, although, Bane knew she had no idea how excruciating real confinement could be. But she wasn't angry. She was sad and scared, and above all, numb.
He knew she was scared due to her voice level and stuttering, but she was numb to everything else. Her face was blank, her body was still, and after she had held herself back from speaking to him, Bane began to wonder if she had even been trying hard to do so. He hadn't prepared himself for this outcome. He was ready for her to be angry and a bitter, and act like a rabid animal set free from its kennel. But Jenna was the opposite. After spending over a month locked away in her room, when it was finally time to face freedom, she merely wandered away from her door, too dull to even realize what she had been granted. Bane had wanted her to be angry and rabid. He was prepared for it, and he knew her hot-tempered behavior would only help him to stay hard with her. But he wasn't ready for her to be so cold, so insensible to everything; he wasn't prepared to witness her mirroring his exact demeanor when he had finally faced freedom...
Bane had been numb. He had finally reached an all time low by the time he was freed, and by then he was under the impression that everything he had faced would never go away, and that nothing would get better. Was Jenna feeling the same way?
Bane wanted to leave the issue alone, but he was too far engulfed in his thoughts. Jenna was free from her room, but was she really? With no desires to go to him and unable to see Isaac, where else did Jenna have to go? Bane had realized this from the moment he freed her from her room, but he had been prepared for a storm of anger from her. He was waiting for her to express to him that she was not free, by any means. But this plan had failed, all because no amount of hope had ever reached her. Free or not, Jenna simply did not care anymore.
So why did Bane? Why was he torturing himself by thinking about her for hours on end? Free or not, what did it matter? Whether she learned her lesson or not, what did it matter? Why had he even shunned her to her room in the first place? It wasn't like he was prepared to give her a second chance...
A second chance? He mused to himself as he shook his head now. More like a seventh chance. Each time Jenna screwed up, Bane always rewarded her with another chance. What had her 'punishment' been? Bane groaned as he turned away from his desk in his room. Merely another chance. A chance to correct her ways and teach her a lesson. Whether she had learned it or not, was Bane really prepared to have things go back the way they had been?
He spent the rest of the night striving to come up with an answer to this question, but his mind never stuck to any one answer. It was not a yes or no answer, and it wasn't maybe, either. What had she been good for before? What could she prove to be good for now? Their entire relationship had previously been based on lust; had Bane really just kept her around to fulfill the new, sick desires he had begun to crave? What had been wrong with him, and what was wrong with him now for even having the slightest bit of desire to go back to that time?
He recalled how Jenna had looked from underneath him during the times they had been intimate in his bedroom. He thought back to the curves of her body, her soft skin, how tight her eyes closed when she moaned and shouted and squirmed from underneath him in pure pleasure. That had been the Jenna he strongly desired. That had been the Jenna he wanted to see improvement from. And that was when Jenna's fire and personality really showed.
But now, regardless if he wanted to go back to that time or not, he knew Jenna sure didn't, especially after all that he had put her through...
The next morning, all Bane wanted now was to get inside her head, just a little bit. All he wanted to do was discover the root cause of her numbness. Once he found out why she was acting so unlike herself, then he knew he could come to a decision of what to ultimately do with her. All he desired was a simple talk; a quick exchange of words. "Why are you acting so unlike yourself?" Jenna's answer to his question would eventually start with, "because I..."
Simple.
But it seemed Bane was starting to lose his grip, for when he finally ventured out of his room that next morning, he felt utterly idiotic when he realized talking to Jenna would be harder than he had imagined. Just as he had exited his room, he caught Jenna starting to head up the stairs. Her back was hunched, her movements slow, and she kept her head down as she slowly took the stairs, lingering on each for about three second intervals, one by one. He quietly stepped away from his room to watch her and see where she was going, and after he watched her enter the bathroom and close the door, he decided he would wait for her to return.
He stepped over to her door and waited by the wall next to it, and after a few, silent moments had passed, the bathroom door opened, and he watched her slowly make her way back toward the stairs, her head bowed. Once she had reached the basement, her bare feet shuffled and slid across the floor, and as he watched them Bane kept waiting for her to trip on the baggy ends of her sweatpants, but as she neared the door, he abandoned the thought and raised his eyes up, over her her t-shirt and finally onto her face. Her hair covered most of it, but it almost appeared as though her eyes were closed as she neared him. He waited for her to finally notice him, but as she continued to close the distance between them, he began to wonder if she even would. He silently reached his bare right hand out to place on the handle of her door, and just when she was a foot away from her door, ready to wander mindlessly inside, he began to pull the door closed. Jenna had been unaware of this, as well, until she ran directly into the closed the door, and only after she took a step back and lifted her head did she noticed Bane standing directly in front of her. She jumped when her eyes found his towering frame, her mouth opening as she gasped lightly, and a rush of dizziness overcame her. The shock faded, but the dizziness remained strong as she stepped up to her door again, and Bane let go of the handle just before she touched it to gently ease open her door and wordlessly step inside.
Her actions were extremely peculiar to Bane, so much so, that as she wandered toward her cot, Bane could not stop himself from stepping into her room after her. Thousands of questions formed in his head, and as he watched her climb back into her cot, he had a hard time deciding which one to go with first. Since he wanted to use this time to get into her head, he figured any question would do.
"You do realize you are free to spend your time outside of this room," Bane began, suddenly having a hard time believing the miserable girl lying in the cot had once been the fiery woman he had kidnapped months ago. "Why do you remain in here?"
Bane was unsure if Jenna was ignoring him, or if she had simply not even heard his question. She kept her eyes focused off of him as she scooted down into her cot and turned to lay on her left side, and after she had pulled the blanket up to her chin, he took a step further into her room.
"Jenna," he spoke her name louder and in a slightly firmer tone. He kept his eyes focused on her, waiting, but when Jenna merely closed her eyes, he took in a breath. "Jenna," he repeated even firmer, and this time, Jenna finally opened her eyes before they wandered over to look at him. They were still as red as ever, and Bane stared into them for a moment before he went on. "Are you going to answer my question?"
"What question?" Jenna finally mumbled, her tone clearly proving to Bane that she had not heard him.
"Why are you staying in here?"
Jenna closed her eyes, wishing now more than ever Bane would exit her room. Why wasn't he leaving her alone? Why did he care to even converse with her? Whatever, Jenna thought absentmindedly to herself...
"...Jenna?" Bane spoke her name a moment later, and he watched her eyes snap open before her eyelids drooped down. Had she started to fall asleep? "Why are you going back to bed?" He asked instead.
"Nothing else to do," she mumbled, blinking slowly before she continued to stare at the wall in front of her.
"You could go outside," Bane pointed out. He closed his eyes as soon as the words had left his mouth, and he let out a sigh from his nose. Already, this difficult conversation was turning into something else...
"There's no point," Jenna replied.
"Why not?"
When Jenna merely shrugged from under the blanket, Bane knew the answer. Because it was cold. Because she couldn't smoke. Because she couldn't talk to Barsad.
"Jenna," he started again, pausing as soon as he realized what he was about to say. Was he really about to bluntly call her out on her odd behavior? Was he really ready to talk to her about it, and dare he say... help her? The room began to spin when he realized he couldn't bring himself to change his mind and ask her something else. He became frustrated, as well, when he discovered he was currently unwilling to leave her alone.
"Please just go away," Jenna said softly before Bane could speak up, and she finally closed her eyes again as the strong desire to be away from him flooded over her again. "I don't want to talk."
"You do realize how unlike you that is," Bane pointed out. "I know you are holding yourself back from expressing what is really on your mind."
"I have nothing to say to you," Jenna replied, feeling exasperated just from opening her mouth to speak. Her voice was so low and toneless, this alone was shocking. But for her to actually claim she had nothing she wanted to say to him? Bane wasn't sure whether to believe her or not.
"I know you have much you want to say to me. I'm giving you a shining opportunity to do so."
Jenna kept her eyes closed. "I don't want it. Please, Bane, just..." she trailed off, never finishing her sentence, and this caused Bane's eyebrows to furrow.
No matter what he said, it was not taking any effect on Jenna. Her body remained still, her voice low and flat, and her answers remained the same. Finally, after a few moments had passed, Bane abandoned his tactics to get into her mind. It was useless, he knew now, for there was nothing even going on in her mind. She was empty, and now it had been proven.
Without another word he finally turned to exit her room. He gently pulled the door behind him, but he didn't bother closing it all the way. What was this awful desire he was feeling to understand her side of the emptiness? Once he obtained his answer, what would he do after? Correct it, and help her get onto a better path? What for! He wondered, frustrated, to himself.
Regardless, he could not stop the desire to at least understand. It took his mind a while longer to figure it out, but his body already knew what had to be done as it led him up the stairs and out of the exit door, into the snow-covered lot of the warehouse. Only after his mind comprehended the opened garages did he realize what he was about to do, what words he was about to ashamedly take back.
Isaac was inside the warehouse, organizing the bullets he had obtained the night before into his own ammo cases and boxes, and when he noticed Bane stepping into the garage from the corner of his eye, he immediately ceased what he had been doing and glanced up to his boss. Isaac noticed right away how uneasy Bane appeared to be, and he knew it had to do with Jenna. Chances were, Bane had finally seen how odd Jenna was acting. Only, what was he doing coming to Isaac? There was no way he was about to talk to him about Jenna. All that left were words about his plans, but all the necessary actions toward his plans had already been executed accurately and on time. Now, all they were doing was waiting for Karly to finish her part in the operation.
Bane raised his eyes to his second-in-command, and once he looked at him, Isaac knew Bane's words would not have anything to do with the plans.
"I'm giving you permission to speak to Jenna again," Bane told him bluntly after he had glanced away to stare at the floor, and his words were shocking to Isaac. His eyes widened, but he immediately corrected his face as he placed his hand on the work bench to lean against it. "She's... not herself, and for some revolting reason it's starting to bother me."
Isaac couldn't help the small grin that slightly stretched his lips, but when Bane glanced back up at him, Isaac was quick to force it away, and he stared back at Bane with serious eyes.
"Yeah, I noticed that last night," he replied. Bane gave him a simple nod.
"I know you won't question my reasons... but the command to discontinue helping her is now dismissed. Just... see what's wrong with her. If you even want to."
Isaac nodded. He did want to, that desire he could not ignore, but he wondered if this should be considered as a new objective or not.
"Should I report it back to you?"
"It doesn't matter," Bane replied. "This isn't to be considered a mission. Just... help her."
Isaac's lips parted, and he couldn't help but to wonder what, exactly, was going on in Bane's head. What had just happened to make him come to this decision? Why was he allowing himself to accept it?
"Got it," Isaac replied as he took his hand away from the work bench. Bane had nothing else to say, and he silently turned to head back into the warehouse. Isaac watched him go for a moment before he bowed his head, finding it utterly odd that Bane had taken back his command. Why did he care if Jenna received help suddenly? Maybe Bane really did care about Jenna, and maybe he cared about her more than he let on, or wanted to...
Regardless, Isaac was curious. He wanted to know why Jenna seemed so numb, as well. He wanted to know more about that dream that had confused her, and he wanted to see if her confinement had proved to improve anything with her previous, childish ways. The desire for answers were strong, but at the same time, as Isaac finally started toward the exit door, he had to wonder if perhaps Jenna had been broken beyond repair...
After stepping inside, Isaac immediately descended the stairs into the basement, and when he lifted his eyes he saw the door to Jenna's room had been slightly left open. Once he approached it, he slowly pushed open the door, and his eyes instantly found Jenna's frame lying in her cot. When he noticed that she was primarily lying on her right side, he couldn't help but to cringe slightly. That was not good for her broken arm, and it lead him to wonder how often she had been lying on it.
The small amount of light flooding her room had caused Jenna to open her eyes, and as soon as they wandered toward the door, a shock ran up her spine when she saw Isaac standing there, staring at her. Her lips parted as she slowly began to sit up in her bed, frantically wondering what he was doing in her room. What if Bane caught him? Why was he risking it? As Jenna tried to maintain her thoughts and deal with the pain that was shooting throughout her body from her arm, Isaac was taking a few steps further into her room.
"Hey," he said, unable to help the grin that slid onto his lips. Despite all that he had said to her before and decided was best, he could not stop himself from feeling just the slightest bit glad to get to talk to her again. It was the pull that existed between them, and his inclination to help her that caused the light to appear on his face. His grin had calmed Jenna, making her forget her fret for a moment, and her lips parted in sheer confusion as he approached her cot. "Wanna go smoke?"
Jenna was staring at him. Isaac continued to wait for her leap out of bed and express how badly she wanted to smoke, or even move at all, but she remained stationary. This caused his grin to fade a bit.
"Did Bane say we could?" Jenna asked, unaware of how childish her question had sounded. Isaac couldn't help but to grin again, knowing there was no other way to have asked that question. Either way, it was a legitimate inquiry, and he nodded.
"Yeah," he replied, "he did. C'mon."
He turned and started to her door, and once he approached it, Jenna finally pushed the blanket off of her and got out of the cot. Isaac had stopped by the frame of the door, and he glanced over his shoulder as he waited, watching her slowly pick up her coat from the floor before she put her left arm through the sleeve. Once it was on as much as it could be, she lazily put on her boots, leaving them untied, and followed him out of the door.
She felt tired and lifeless, and as she followed Isaac up the stairs she couldn't help but to wonder if she was dreaming again. Bane had granted permission for Isaac to talk to her again? Why? And why was Isaac so quick to want to? Just don't question it, Jenna blankly told herself. Just enjoy it... dream or not.
The snow that continued to fall over night had cast a thicker blanket onto the ground, and as Jenna trudged through it and toward the garages, her hunger for a cigarette was growing stronger and and stronger. However, she knew Isaac would more than likely impede her with question after question, and although Jenna couldn't help but to feel relieved, she found that she still really didn't want to talk about her situation, at all.
She followed Isaac toward the space heater in the middle of the garage, and upon welcoming the warmth, Jenna sat down in the same chair she had the night before her life dropped into an even deeper hell. Isaac pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and after handing one and a lighter to Jenna, he waited for her to light the end before she handed it back. As Jenna sat in silence, exhaling the smoke from her first drag, Isaac lit up his own cigarette and debated with himself for a silent moment, trying to decide where to even start. The questions that were running through his mind were those of tactical, necessary questions, where the answers would be worthy to relay back to Bane, but after another moment had passed, he realized finally they were not the questions he wanted to ask. Suddenly, his true, personal concern came rushing back, and he didn't even have to decide what to ask; the question was already escaping from his mouth.
"So what's going on?" He asked as he slowly rounded the chair sitting in front of Jenna's, and when he sat down, he narrowed his question. "Why have you been so...?" He trailed off when Jenna's eyes slowly wandered over to him. As she stared at him, he waited for an explosion of words, all meant to construct her answer, but when she slowly glanced away while lifting her cigarette to her face, his brow furrowed.
"Isaac..." she began slowly, holding the cigarette near her lips. "I... I really don't-"
"Want to talk about it?" He finished. "Why?"
Jenna was frowning. "It's too much. I just... don't..." she paused, a new thought occurring to her, and she glanced over to Isaac. "Is this the only reason why we can talk now? So you can tell Bane what's 'wrong' with me? He already-"
Isaac was already shaking his head. "Jenna, no," Isaac began. "I want to know. You came out here last night without a coat and just sat there. You're quiet as hell, unaware, and-"
"What's it matter?" Jenna questioned now. "Quiet and unaware is better than being a brat and a child, right?"
Isaac sighed. "That is not what I'm talking about Jenna-"
"But it's what you were getting to, right?"
Isaac was about to argue back, but he stopped when he realized the new tone that Jenna's voice carried. Actual annoyance and the slightest bit of anger were laced throughout her voice, and even though this conversation was not going the way he had anticipated, he realized it was a start to her improvement. Suddenly, Isaac couldn't help his eagerness in finding out what was going on with her, and fortunately, unlike Bane, he didn't have to hide it.
"It wasn't, actually," he replied slowly as Jenna looked away from him again, and he took a quick drag from his cigarette. "Honestly, I'm concerned. I just want to know what's going on in your head."
"There's nothing going on," Jenna mumbled as she finally took her second drag.
"That's what scares me," Isaac replied honestly. "There's gotta be something... anger, fright? Hostility?"
Jenna was shaking her head. "I really just don't want to talk about it, Isaac," she said again as she closed her eyes. "I'm glad we're talking again, I really am but... I never pictured us talking about this."
Isaac furrowed his eyebrows again as his eyes narrowed slightly, and he sat back a little in his chair. "What did you picture then?" He asked.
Jenna shrugged slightly. "Just... anything. Jokes, the car... the weather..."
"The weather?" Isaac repeated now with a small grin and raised eyebrows as he leaned forward, and when Jenna glanced over to him, he was staring at her with an incredulous look on his face. "You've spent over a month in your room, alone, and now that you're out you want to talk about the weather?"
Jenna remained quiet, her red, tired and slitted eyes focused on him, and after a quiet moment had passed, Isaac leaned forward a little more before he turned his head to glance out of the garage doors before he glanced back at her. "It's snowing," he said finally, and he couldn't help but to grow surprised when Jenna actually grinned slightly before glancing away from him. "And it's cold. And wet. And-"
"Okay," Jenna interrupted now. "You don't need to be a dick about it," she added in a mumble. Isaac grinned. Finally, there was a piece of the old Jenna.
"C'mon," he said. "Let's talk about something that matters. Look, throughout that whole month I wanted to talk to you. I did," he assured when Jenna looked at him again. "I figured you were fine, but after you mentioned something about that dream, it all went downhill." When Jenna sighed and glanced away from him, he knew he had found their main topic of choice for the time being. "What was that dream, Jenna?"
She began to shake her head, and she took another drag from her cigarette. "Isaac..."
"You still think it was real, don't you?" He pressed on.
"I don't know," Jenna mumbled. This was not what she wanted to talk about. Her desires to talk to and hang out with Isaac had grown by two hundred percent over the past month, but these topics were not what Jenna wanted to talk about. Through all her dreams and fantasies, the two never touched on these topics. Instead, Jenna was happier, or on the path to happiness, due to Isaac and their off-topic conversations, actually about jokes, the car, or the weather. Jenna wanted to talk about anything that would not relate back to Bane or the situation she had been placed in.
Isaac had grown quiet, and as Jenna continued to puff away on her cigarette, she could feel him staring at her, waiting. But even though Jenna was finally amongst Isaac, she still refused to answer his questions. Truth was, since she had shut herself away from everything, she really didn't remember much, and for the things she did remember, she didn't want to recollect them, or verbally speak of them. She had pictured such clear conversations and settings for her and Isaac, but this was not one of them.
She closed her eyes, the voice in the back of her mind reminding her to just be happy that she was with him, outside of her room. She knew she didn't have to answer his questions, and she knew that eventually Isaac would stop trying. Eventually, he would forget about it as well, and the path to Jenna's real recovery could begin.
Yay! I was able to get this chapter out quicker than I expected! I hope you enjoyed it! If you want Bane to be your valentine, please review! :D :D
Also, I would like to touch base on something. I will not mention what is in store, but please keep in mind this is a BANE/Oc story. You've trusted me this far with the plot, please continue to do so :)
As always, a huge thanks to my beta. She is my second pair of eyes and my second brain.