Spirit Caller
Chapter Twelve
12
To Seek The Truth...
-

Connar tossed and turned beneath the sheets of the infirmary bed that Chazz returned her to-
Sitting in a chair by her side, he kept re-throwing the sheets that her struggling, sleeping body would toss off.
The dreams kept coming...
And they only got more intense.

Jaden and Syrus stood watch over her as her breathing seemed to vary between slow and steady and hot and heavy.
She had chills, and she burned up.

"I can't believe Chazz found her just laying on the beach..." Syrus sighed.
"I didn't just find her laying there you know-" Chazz huffed, "She was perfectly fine at first and then suddenly she was on the ground." he scoffed, "She shouldn't have even been down there anyway...she should have just stayed in bed and rest like the doctor told her to...She's practically dead weight when she sleeps."
But Jaden didn't seem to notice the conversation...
His concern seemed focused on Connar whose struggle seemed to be completely internal-
And it made him grind his teeth that he couldn't help her with that-

"You know...we really should call back the nurse in here." said Syrus "If her condition is this bad, she might really need to go to the Hospital."
"Whatever is going on with Connar...this doesn't seem normal." said Jaden, "So...I don't think a Hospital would be able to help anyway." he sighed, "Has something like this ever happened before?" he asked, "You knew her since you were kids right?"
"Well..." Syrus stammered with his words.
"Sy?...What do you know?"
Syrus gave a heavy sigh.
"I...don't really know too much about it." he said, "But...I do remember some weird incidents happening with her back when Zane used to babysit her..." he said, "I also remember him talking about it when he was at Duel Prep... I guess he still talked to her before he left... But she seemed to have a better handle on it by then." he stated.
"Really?" said Jaden, "Can you tell me anything that happened?" Jaden's attention turned to Chazz, "You went to Duel Prep School with her too, right?"
"Yeah, and!?" Chazz huffed.

Jaden's expression became serious as he held his gaze with him.
Slacker or not...

He did seem to be friends with her...

"She... used to have some weird episodes now and again..." he said softly, "When we were in school... not many people really talked to her...only a select few. People she seemed to already know...Like Me...or Zane." he explained, "She...used to date some guy..." he gritted his teeth.
He hated going into this personal detail about her-
Thinking about her old boyfriend only annoyed him more and he huffed-
"...Whoever he was, he seemed to really understand her on a level that even I couldn't comprehend...and the incidents died down..." he stated, "But...they broke up last Summer...and seems like ever since then...whatever was happening to her back then...is trying to come back with a vengance."
"Really?" said Jaden, "Shame we can't just call that guy up or something...maybe he would be able to shed some light on things..."
"It couldn't be depression...could it?" said Syrus.
"The two of them dated for about three years before they broke up." said Chazz, "...So maybe? It could be possible..."
Jaden shook his head.
"No...I think what's going on with Connar is a bit more complicated than a simple heart break." he stated, "And it seems that guy she dated knew about it and was able to keep it at bay...however he's not here anymore...so it's all Connar's own will now...and that can be heavy." Jaden's eyes narrowed with a sense of familiarity.
The look of eyes that knew loneliness...
"Not to mention that incident from this morning..." he stated..."I'm thinkin' that dream might not actually have been a dream..."
"What else could it be?" Syrus blinked.
Connar's friends watched over her as she remained out of sorts, lost in her own thoughts and not saying much of anything about it to anyone...

xxx

"Man Connie's been way off, hasn't she?" Syrus asked, sighing as he watched her fumbling around in the passing days.
She had been running into walls, spacing out in class and sleeping in weird places.
"Tell me about it..." Jaden sighed, "Honestly, I don't know what's been going on...And Chazz is making an exceptional effort to avoid talking to me at all, let alone about anything involving Connar..."
Jaden sighed once more and leaned back in his chair," I've been hearing her screaming at night..."
"Me too." said Syrus,"Maybe she's having nightmares?"
"Maybe..." Though Jaden seemed to doubt this was the real reason...
He couldn't help but feel like these dreams Connar has been having were far more than that...considering the things she'd say in her sleep.
"If I may chime in?" Bastion cleared his throat to demand the attention of the gossiping friends, "She has seemed a bit off ever since our field exam." he stated, "And more so after finding out that Chazz had lost to Jaden...could it be possible he is like her idol or something?"
"That guy!? No way!" Syrus scoffed waving his doubts in Bastion's theory, "He's just some jerk! Who would like a jerk like Chazz?" he laughed.
"...But then again, I have heard her call his name out a few times, so maybe..." said Jaden.
"Show's what you know!" a female voice broke between them, "Which isn't much of anything, I'm afraid."
"Oh, hey Alexis." said Jaden as the Obelisk girl joined their little pow-wow.
"What do you mean, Alexis?" Syrus asked seeming confused by her statement, "Are we missing something?"
"Well, for starters..." Alexis began,"...Chazz and Connar aren't strangers to each other- Incase that wasn't obvious enough considering the past events." she said, "In fact if you want to get technical, Connar knew Chazz longer... they were in the same class in Duel Prep School."
"Wow, for real?" Jaden asked.
This seemed to surprise him.
"I guess that makes sense...considering our last conversation with him about her when we were at the Infirmary..."
"Oh yeah, sometimes I forget Alexis went to the Duel Prep School too."
"Really, Sy?" said Jaden, "But I thought you and Connie were like child hood best friends or something?"
"Well...not exactly." said Syrus,"Connie and I were only really friends because my brother would babysit her once in a while." he said, "We never went to the same school or anything like that..."
"Pfff...Zane babysitting." Jaden snickered, "Man, I have got to hear about that sometime!"
"I went to school with them too." said Alexis, "To be honest, I don't really remember Connar having any friends. She wasn't mean or anything, she's always been pretty friendly but she kinda seems to keep people at arm's length." she sighed and sat down next to Jaden, "She and Chazz would be seen together a lot but I don't know if you would really consider them friends or anything." she said, "It was more like they had a kind of common ground with each other...I remember they used to duel each other too, from time to time."
"Really!?" Jaden beamed, "Who usually won!?" His brown eyes sparkled in excitement and it always took Alexis by surprise how excited Jaden would get over a duel-
It made her giggle.
"Well, Chazz did, usually." said Alexis, "But I think that's more because Connar seemed to be holding back a lot..."
"Really?" Now Jaden seemed to suddenly get serious,"Connar holding back huh? That's interesting...I wonder why..." He paused in thought for a moment as he recalled her duel with Bastion. Connar's monsters were weaker and lower leveled, but she played smarter and with better defense.
He came to realize that even though she was winning defensively, she DID still seem to be holding back-
I wonder why...?
He thought to himself.
I intend to find out!
He hummed for a moment and gave a slight smirk.
"Uh oh...Jaden's getting that look again..." said Syrus.
"What look?" asked Alexis.
"...That look he gets when he has a bad idea."
"Excuse me, guys." said Jaden as he pushed himself up from his seat, "But I'm gonna go ahead and check out."
"Oh no, Jay...where are you going?" asked Syrus.
"Nothing to worry about..." he said, "Later!" and he was gone before Syrus could even try to talk him out of it...

Whatever it was he was planning to do.
"Awe man..." Syrus sighed, "This can't be good."
xxx

Connar heaved a heavy sigh as she finally made it back to her room in one piece and plopped herself right onto the hard mattress.
She had placed her deck in its original position face down on her night stand.
She treated it as a friend who she was trying to avoid all contact with-but yet couldn't bare the thought of losing... and sighed once again as she turned her back away from it.

Knock Knock Knock*
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Ahhhh! " Connar screamed as the sudden banging made her jump, "All right ..." she called out, "Who is it!?"
But all she got was an even louder banging in response.
"All right, I'm coming!" she huffed, "Is there a reason you can't just answer me!?" She swung the door open in a huff to be greeted by a grinning brunette.
"Heya Connar! How's it hanging?" Jaden beamed and invited himself inside wandering around the room as though he were looking for something.
"Jaden? What are you doing here?"
"It's come to my attention that something's been bothering you, Connie." Jaden said as he turned toward her with a smile.
"Ah...that is...that's." She blushed and tried to avoid his gaze.
His personality was so inviting.
It was a warm and fuzzy feeling that came all too familiar to her...and she felt like she could trust him.
Maybe she really could tell him what was going on...
And perhaps he wouldn't judge her.

After all...

You didn't...
Right, Jesse?
But then she felt that wave of doubt wash over her once again...
But...what if I'm wrong...?
What if I do tell him everything...

And he just thinks I'm weird?
Like when My dad did...?

"Could you do me a favor, and quit corrupting my child's mind with nonsense? I've heard just about enough of this hocus pocus..."

She shivered and shook her head franticly.
No, he was right!
It's 'Hocus Pocus'!
It's not real...

It never was...
She could feel herself trembling and clenching her fists tightly, digging her nails deeply into her skin as she began to bite down on her lip.
Suddenly, she felt a firm grip on her shoulders. It wasn't forceful, but rather, warm.

"It's okay, Connie, you don't have to tell me anything." Jaden said to her as he lowered his head down so that their eyes could be level on each other, "I have another way of figuring this out...without you having to say a word."
"Really?" Connar felt relieved that she didn't have to be forced to spill everything going on in her mind to him this moment.
He nodded gently and gave her a warm smile.
"Listen to me Connie...I want you to duel me." he stated, "Right now."

To Be Continued