Yeah, I know. I took a long time getting this out.
Well, in case any of you were wondering, I have actually written this chapter about ten times. The first one had absolutely NOTHING to do with this one. I wanted to write one about Ellie and Joel's conversation about what really happened at Salt Lake City, but it seemed strangely personal, and I could never find the right words for it. So, you guys can imagine for yourself what happened, unless you REALLY wanted me to publish that.
Also, I'm starting a blog with semi-daily updates on this story. My tumblr username is nuit-sans-fin (.tumblr), I don't know, they won't let me post a link in the chapter. You can ask me questions, or whatever on there.
AND, (haha, I have a lot to say.) I'm moving, for the second time in two months, and this will be the third state for me to live in, in less than two months! It's like a record for me! I'm moving to Idaho! My story will be taking place in Idaho in the future. Now, mind you, I had already planned that out before I even imagined that I'd be moving. Anyway, it's just a coincidence, I think.
For those who always want a lot of details, here's some info about what I imagined for this chapter:
Jemma's dress: Cotton Spandex Jersey, Double U-Neck Long Sleeve Mini Dress, from American Apparel (I know, that's a mouthful).
The first song Joel hears playing: Dirty Laundry, Don Henley.
The second song: Abracadabra, by the Steve Miller Band.
So, if you want weird updates on me, and this story (as if you're actually interested, I know) go follow me on Tumblr! Enjoy, and I promise to update soon!
...
"Tommy, when have I ever lied to you?"
"I don't think I should answer that."
Joel told Tommy about Ellie and Jemma. He wasn't very accepting of the idea. There was no real way to prove it, but they had enough to safely assume the two were family. Just looking at them, he could tell there was some relation. Jemma looked like an older version of Ellie, but her features were more refined and elegant. They were about the same height, and even some of the mannerisms were the same. It still wasn't enough for Tommy.
They stood in Tommy's kitchen for a good five minutes, in complete silence. Joel's thoughts were racing, and, on the contrary, his brother could think of nothing at all. It came as a shock to both of them.
"So, are you going to treat Jemma like your daughter?" Tommy asked, taking a seat at his kitchen table.
"Hell, no."
He laughed. "I figured as much."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well," Tommy explained. "She sure ain't the daughter type. And, ah, never mind."
"And what?" Joel could feel himself getting defensive.
"Nothin'."
"Jemma's pretty sick. Do we have any aspirin from those guys in Denver?" The town made trades with a group of men from Colorado. The men from the city brought things like medicine and batteries in exchange for crops and wheat and potatoes. Joel had only seen them once. The leader of the group reminded him of himself, strangely enough.
"Like what? The last they brought us was some fucking heartburn shit. Like that's going to do us any good."
Joel looked out the window at the darkening clouds. "She's got a fever. I don't know, have we got any aspirin or somethin'?"
Tommy nodded. "Aspirin, yeah, but whatever's making her sick isn't going to get any better. It's probably a cold, but watch it."
The older brother got up from the table. "I still can't believe it."
"What, how Ellie has a sister, or that she happened to land here?"
"Both." Joel shook his head. "I don't know how the hell she ended up here. Jackson, of all places."
"Where's she from? Did she say?" Tommy asked.
"Ah, I think she said California, but I know she wasn't born there."
"That's a damn long way. Did she leave by herself?"
"I honestly don't know." Joel leaned against the kitchen counter. "I know she got picked up by some hunters."
Tommy scoffed. "How the hell is she still alive?"
"One of 'em got her pregnant. They left her to die when they found out."
"What the hell?"
Joel paused. "Yeah. They were all raping her. I don't know, she didn't say that much about it."
Tommy stood and faced Joel. "I don't know why she didn't kill herself. I can't imagine living with that. God." He went to the bathroom and pulled a bottle of aspirin from the cabinet. "Here."
"I need to tell you something, Tommy."
"What?"
Joel looked down the hall to see if Maria was standing there. They were the only ones in the house.
"Jemma's immune. Just like Ellie."
"Was she involved with the Fireflies?"
"No. I know she had heard something about it, but decided not to do anything."
Tommy closed his eyes. "Oh, God, now it all makes sense. Joel, you should have seen her baby. That thing wasn't a human." He shuddered as he recalled the memory.
"Does anybody know about what happened?"
"Just the neighbors. Everyone else thinks it was a miscarriage."
Joel sighed. "Let's keep it that way. I don't want anyone gettin' funny about it."
"How's she handling it?"
"Who?"
"Jemma."
"She's pretty secretive, so I wouldn't know. But she seems okay."
Tommy walked Joel out of the house. "Just watch her. See ya later."
...
The sun was beginning to set when Joel returned home. Ellie had left after their conversation about the Fireflies. She was more upset at herself than anything else. She didn't want to listen to him, and she was in denial about everything.
Joel went to the backyard to split some wood for the stove. The air was turning bitter cold, and chills ran up his spine.
In the fading light, Joel set a piece of wood on a stump. He raised the axe behind his head, and swung with such precision only years could give him. As the blade hit wood, Joel's nerves fired off. It was exhilarating, and he loved it. He began to lose himself in the work.
He didn't realize that he had spilt nearly the whole pile he set out for the week. His shoulder ached, and the sun had fallen below the mountains. Jemma's bedroom light illuminated the backyard, and Joel noticed her windows were open. He set the axe down and walked over to the closest window.
There was the sound of music coming from her room. He crept quietly to the window. As he peered in, he saw Jemma standing in front of a full length mirror, one she probably found in the garage. She was wearing a dark green dress that was cut low in the back, but very tight on her body. She wore shiny black high heels, with a single strap across her ankle. Her body swayed to the beat, and Joel wanted to keep watching.
As the music played, Jemma swung her hips to the verses. She kept her eyes closed, but moved perfectly, as though she had already choreographed it. Joel watched the dress hug the curves of her body, and he moved closer to the open window.
All of a sudden, she turned to face him, eyes open. She walked to the window, but Joel moved back into the shadows.
"I know you're out there. Come in with me!" She leaned out, and saw him standing flush to the house. Her breath came out in a white cloud, and Joel wondered why she had the windows open.
"Um, I've got other stuff to do." He picked up an armful of wood, and headed into the living room. Ellie reading on the couch, but she ignored his presence. He built a fire, but his mind kept drifting off to Jemma.
She was a weird girl. Her emotions were all over the place. In some ways he felt like he'd known her a very long time, but she she never revealed much about her and her past. She was living on the earth, yet she wasn't a part of it. Jemma didn't scuttle around in fear like everyone else. She made her own rules, and Joel wondered how she could survive long on that. She was kind of a bitch, too.
Joel finished up with the stove, and looked back at Ellie. She was still reading the book, and didn't even attempt to look at him.
"Hey, Ellie. If you wanna talk about something, I'm here."
She didn't respond, so he headed to Jemma's room. She had pushed her bed against one wall, freeing up the majority of the floor. He noticed that several soggy magazines were hanging on the headboard, in her attempt to dry them out. There was an open bottle of alcohol on the window sill, and he knew immediately that she had been drinking. Jemma was standing in the corner of the room.
"Let's dance," she said.
"I don't dance," Joel mumbled, and took a step back.
Jemma walked over to a CD player that was sitting on the floor. She skipped forward a few tracks, and turned the volume up. "You're gonna want to dance."
The music started playing, and after a few seconds Joel recognized it. "This song is older than me," he said.
She started mouthing the words, while moving forward to him. She danced a few inches away from him, begging him, with her eyes, to come dance. Joel stayed still, and tried to act repulsed. When the chorus came, she danced around him in a circle, still mouthing the words. He couldn't believe she knew them.
"Come on, Joel. Dance." She took his hand and placed her other hand on his shoulder. "You know you want to."
He stayed completely still while Jemma moved with his arms. He couldn't tell if she was drunk, or just plain crazy.
"Dance with me," she said, and pressed her body against his. Joel tried to think of something else, but he secretly loved that feeling. He hadn't been with anyone in over a year, but Jemma? He couldn't do that. Not to her.
He rolled his eyes and started to move to the music, all the whole, slowly moving away from her.
"Have fun," she said, and moved towards him again. She started mouthing the words again, comically this time, all the while, dancing with him. She was in her own world, and she was having so much fun. Jemma stumbled on her own feet.
He laughed, and dipped her. Joel started to move a little more, and responded to Jemma's movements. He could feel her warm skin through the dress. He moved his hands lower, and pulled her closer to him. She turned, so that her back was touching his chest. She pulled his hands over her stomach, and they moved together with the music.
Jemma turned around. She was smiling. Joel put his arms around her, and pushed her back to her bed. She laid down, and started mouthing the words again. She laughed. "This song is so goddamn cheesy," she said.
Joel laid next to her, and moved so close that their bodies touched. He looked into her eyes. She was smiling, but her eyes were sad.
"What's wrong?" He touched her shoulder.
"I just wanted to have fun," she said, and shrugged off his hand. She got up, turned the music off, and went into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her.
Joel remembered the aspirin in his pocket. He left the bottle next to the glass on the window sill, and went upstairs.
"What were you guys doing?" Ellie asked, when he was walking into his room.
"I don't know," he said, and closed his door.
...
Jemma was burning up. She was sweating through her dress, and she felt awful. A deep pain come from inside of her, and she knew she was really sick. The whiskey dulled it, but now that was starting to wear off. She tried not to panic, but she felt like she was dying.
She splashed cold water on her face and neck in a feeble attempt to make herself feel better. Shivers racked her body, not because she was cold, but because her body was trying to give up on her.
She returned to her room, and Joel was gone. She was still hot, but closed the windows, anyway. There was a bottle of aspirin on the sill, and she opened it. It was mostly full, but she didn't think it'd help her much.
Jemma pulled out four, and washed them down with the alcohol. She cringed at the taste. She turned the light off, and took off her shoes and dress.
She slipped into her bed, and thought about what had just happened. She was in such a good mood, but then it was gone. Was it the way Joel looked at her? Was it how sick she felt? Was she just crazy? Jemma curled up into a ball, trying to sleep the thoughts away.