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Tonight, upon first hearing that war has come to my shores, I must decide
whether or not to fight to the end. Not exactly what I had planned for the
evening. The viceroy raised himself up to his full height, less than that
of Rafan, but he stared hard into those emerald eyes. "We come to the bare
face of it then, dragon-blood." He spoke with deliberate informality,
wanting to push the man to language that could not hide. "What are you
offering?" "Give me a commission," the dragonlord ordered. "If you promise
to fight, if you promise to force the Deathlord to defeat you, rather than
letting him trick you into defeating yourselves, then I will defend this
island with all my will and energy until my last breath." Ever since both
emerged from the Contagion Thistles has been the subject of Thorns, not in
writ, but in the thoughts of all. Jortan knew well that history. For his
first ten years as viceroy he had lived it. To the living that presumption
may be granted, his mind was suddenly clear as crystal. Not to the dead. I
will bow to a living Empress out of respect, to a Deathlord, only at the
point of a sword. "So be it," Jortan pulled a blank sheet from his stack
of papers, and with swift, careful strokes took his brush and wrote a
single phrase, sealing it with the red stamp of the Viceroy of Thistles.
It read: Geralse Rafan is now Commanding General of all the Island of
Thistles The viceroy passed the document to the dragon-blood. "We are
committed then." "So we are," Rafan took it and rolled it up carefully,
tucking the sheet inside his armor. "But a commitment best begun in the
morning, I think. I need to clear my head, and you doubtless need rest by
now." "It will take until then to call a meeting of the particulars in any
case," Jortan agreed, glad Rafan displayed some limits to his endurance.
"Speak to my secretary, I am certain he has apartments arranged. They will
have to be in the interior ministry offices I am sorry to say, the
Satrap"s palace has not been maintained for ready use." That was not realm
protocol, but it was a small pile of dinars Jortan had been able to put to
better purposes. "Fine," the soldier nodded. "I"d rather be closer to
business matters anyway." "Excellent," It was a small gesture, but it well
backed the flamboyant one made moments ago. Perhaps I have not rashly
doomed us all, the viceroy dared to hope. "Then you are dismissed general,
I will see you in the morning." Rafan put a fist over his heart in salute
and left with an abrupt spin. The viceroy could only sink into his chair
as he watched the dragon-blood"s rugged form recede from his vision. What
have I done? The words crashed through him as waves on the shore,
endlessly repeating. What have I done? Chapter Notes The number I chose
for the population of Thistles was not arrived at without considerable
deliberation. I have seen several estimates for medieval Sicily however,
and this number serves as in line with those. The numbers Jortan gives for
the Mask of Winter"s army are taken from CoTD: the Scavenger Lands, but
are adjusted for the incomplete intelligence available to the Viceroy.
Chapter 6 10 Descending Water RY 769 As ever, the first step within the
citadel brought a sudden sensation of stability. Impossible as a matter of
logical the black basalt floor was perfectly, totally level and ever
unchanging. This could not be so, as that floor, indeed the entirety of
the citadel, rested on a pulsing, squirming, tormented mass of flesh
dwarfing it in size. At the very least the citadel ought to rock slightly,
as a ship upon the ocean. But it did not. The woman who walked across
those ice-cold stones now did not deny the practicality of a floor that
remained in one place despite its generally unstable perch, but she did
not especially welcome it either. That unmoving surface was a
demonstration of power, specifically of the mighty magic of the one being
who truly ruled in this place, and it was a selective power indeed. She
fully believed that at any moment the floor might buck and rage tossing
every inhabitant save one about as helpless as the toys inside the
dollhouse of a spiteful patrician child. As she was not that one being,
she could never shake the sensation of being nothing more than a toy when
here. A dark voice in her mind chose that unfortunate moment to hiss in
bitter laughter. Perhaps we are all toys then, she reflected from that
inspiration. It brought no solace. Good, she thought. Safety is an
illusion, happiness is a lie, purpose is a falsehood, and all reality is
naught but random accidents of mad energies, crashing together, endlessly
seeking nothing. Her failure to revel in discomfort was simply a sign of
limited enlightenment. With some regret she turned away from such thoughts
of overwhelming entropy and focused back on the task at hand. Practicality
must come first, after all. The mask remains until the climax, and that
was yet a very long way off indeed. So she ascended the steps of the
winding path to the principle tower of the citadel, forced to climb stair
after stair as a monument to little more than vanity, wasting time to no
good purpose. The long climb was supposed to impress and awe, and to allow
the fear of lesser visitors time to cook into fully risen dread before
they reached that tower room. Those were emotions she had long striven to
purge from herself, and this walk had only aided her in that regard. So
while she did not look forward to this particular destination, the terror
of the journey was something she had surpassed. Her travels were not
alone, those steps were wide, and serviced many destinations in the great
dark citadel. Any number of lesser forms slid past, most dead, some not,
all deferential. The train of her dress shushed slightly upon the stones,
and the many thin silver chains adorning wrist, ankles, neck, and
delicately wrapped across her bodice and waist suppurated a semi-somber
sound of cool depression as she willed them to; her personal theme, deftly
suppressed yet still heard. She was a known presence in this dread place,
and even among such horrors as wandered its halls it was known that this
one in the black-flower lace hood was not to be troubled without cause.
The tower room possessed a door, a massive thing many times the height of
a man, wrought with symbols of ancient arcane power. It was not designed
as a barrier to interlopers, there were other, less ostentatious measures
in place for that, but simply as a display of authority and a curtain of
privacy. It was unnecessary in countless ways, but she knocked even so. He
considered it a measure of respect and courtesy, and that was the only
criterion that mattered now. "Enter," a malformed voice whispered from
somewhere undefinable within that great door. A dead mind broken to the
singular purpose of determining whether the door was to open now or not.
It was a display of such arrogance she could not comprehend. It inspired
no fear, only puzzlement at the waste. The door, for all its terrible size
and her small frame, opened at the slightest touch, sliding upon soundless
hinges forged from the souls of fallen heroes. Some overt symbolism was
inevitable in a place such as this. It was also unworthy of notice,
considering the means of construction it had all the true significance of
paint color, or so she felt, no matter the scale. The room was not gaudily
outfitted at the moment, though that too was illusion, for it could change
to suit the will of its master at but a thought. Instead there was simply
an empty circle and a great and towering throne of frigid black,
light-sucking soulsteel. It was an impeccable piece, a baroque masterwork
utterly suited to project the image of the conquering warrior-savant,
exactly how its occupant wished to be viewed. A singular personage
occupied that throne now. He was a towering figure, just taller than the
tallest man you might ever meet, and wrapped in billowing robes of perfect
black, though matching the attire of no nation yet extant in Creation or
the Underworld. His face was a false one, a mask, but it was such an
impossibly beautiful face no one, not even one such as she, could care for
that distortion. "Master," she dropped to one knee upon entering, and set
her hooded face to the dark stones at her feet. "Widow," his voice had a
beauty to match the face, but this lie was more easily falsified, for with
every word harsh whispers, unintelligible and below the threshold of
hearing in any case, began to echo through the bottom of her mind. It was
ever so between them, and she could not know why. She feared that there
should even be an answer. "You have requested an audience," her master
spoke, and then suddenly his whole body contorted, the pleasant face
replaced with one of demonic fury and unspeakable horror, the wise ruler
dissipated into the persona of the murderous tyrant. "Why?" He thundered.
She did not blanch. He thought such parlor tricks useful, and they were,
against many, but not only had the Seven Seasons Widow long become inured
to his little gags, she had practiced such things herself since her
childhood. "There has been a setback master," she did not try to overly
minimize, for she could not hide such secrets from him in person, and saw
no need to increase his wrath. "Explain," he demanded, still the voice of
terror. This was a good beginning, for he was prone to rages when faced
with setbacks, an emotional tempest not entirely irrational. Of course, it
was always partly irrational, for the Widow knew that like all Deathlords
the Mask of Winters was quite mad. She did not particularly care, the
universe was naught but a cosmic dice game in any case, only less ordered.
"One of our zombie talons on the Island of Thistles has been lost," she
kept her voice steady as she explained, neither performing nor excusing,
simply stating things. She believed he appreciated this. "There has been
no communication since the lieutenant stated his intent to attack. It has
been four days." There was no need to explain the precise meaning of the
lapsed time. "I must assume they met some unexpected resistance and were
destroyed." "A pity our lieutenant has not returned," the deathlord
grumbled even as his face and form shifted back to perfect pleasantness.
"If he has surrendered to either of the calls, simply an unfortunate
chance, if he has fled..." he did not bother to explain, and the Widow did
not attempt to guess. She had learned, in a fashion most terrible, that
her mind could not even come close to imagining the barest fraction of the
horrific punishments her master might devise. "But no matter," the
deathlord continued. "One nemissary is irrelevant, as are a hundred
zombies, ultimately. Unexpected resistance was always a possibility, and
it may even be a boon to encounter it so early." "How so my master?" she
rarely questioned, but when it came to military matters he had demanded
she expend the effort to learn, so inquiries were tolerated, at least to a
point. "Recalcitrant elements shall always rear their heads in any
enterprise," that perfect voice took on the manner of a chiding father. It
was the phrasing she hated more than any other from his mouth. Master she
accepted, parent, she did not. "Early identification allows for prompt
elimination." He focused his eyes upon her. "This you shall do. Find
whatever agency was responsible and destroy it. I shall leave you to your
own devices regarding the appropriate manner of such a demise, but it is
to be done with all haste. Additionally, you are to accelerate your
campaign with all due haste, you must not let survivors spread words of
hope and defiance." "Of course not," she agreed, understanding this point
perfectly. It was her campaign, after all, though he had provided
considerable "advice" to the plans. "Have I your leave to journey to the
island in person then?" "Yes," the deathlord allowed, removing one barrier
the Widow had long desired destroyed. "But you are not to reveal yourself.
That time has not yet come." "As you command, my master," she accepted
this with as much grace as she possessed. It was reasonable, and so far he
had presented no punishment. She hoped to leave accordingly. This problem
ought to be easy to solve. "Go then," The Mask of Winters commanded. "I
leave this in your hands for now, Widow," he intoned. "Prove your
competence against further problems, or be prepared for subsequent tasks
suited to one of," there was a pause pregnant with one thousand hideous
eventualities. "Lesser talents." "I hear and obey," She did not want to
consider what those words portended, though one possibility immediately
suggested itself. The Physician desired her, in more ways than one, but
she would see him perform his experiments on his own flesh, rather than
hers. It was a clear dismissal, and the widow scuttled out from the room.
It was a motion lacking in grace, but one did not turn their back to a
deathlord. Ever. Emerging into the hall she allowed a single steadying
breath, not out of fear, never that, but simply to take in the suddenly
less oppressive air. The proximity to such a nexus of power as her master
was a draining experience. In the next moment she discovered she was not
alone in the passage. Not that she was ever precisely alone here, where
terrified ghosts swarmed steadily on various business, but she was in the
presence of something more than those insignificant entities; an
unexpected and unwelcome development. "Oh, so you"re the reason I had to
wait then, Seven," a coy voice giggled from her side. The Widow declined
to look at the speaker. No one, not even the Mask of Winters, referred to
her as Seven. Only this insolent whelp dared. Fool miserable sadist, the
Widow felt nothing but contempt for her erstwhile rival. A rabid dog on a
leash you are and nothing more. The Widow walked past the murderous child
known as the Maiden of Mirthless Smile without so much as a wave of an
eyelash, casually ducking under the daiklave that swung in her face as a
challenge. Imbecile, she thought. Even in a universe without purpose there
are still some things known. Among those was the bare reality that the
master of them both would destroy utterly any Deathknight who struck at
another within his citadel. The Maiden"s bravado was pointless, and born
of no reasonable source. It was well known that the brutal girl-killer
hated the Widow simply because she felt their names placed one above the
other. Such matters are madness itself, the Widow thought as always, but
today added a sly smile. Perhaps, after I complete this mission that you,
for all your potency in the martial arena, never could, I shall ask for
your leash as my reward. Yes, she decided. She would enjoy that very much.
It was nice to have a motive. Her task being imperative, she wasted no
time in leaving the citadel, walking swiftly through the horrific remains
of juggernaught, unseemly in its eternal death throes even to one such as
she, before standing upon the wasted grounds of the once fine fields
outside the city of Thorns again. Not far from the fallen behemoth waited
her small retinue of immediate pawns. Not that they thought of themselves
as such, but the Widow knew them in true fashion. All relationships
eventually die, what use bonds not utilitarian in purpose? "Mistress, we
welcome your return," Sereni, the Widow"s ghost-blooded maid, was the
first to greet her. "Did the meeting go well?" The child-like half-dead
woman wisely did not ask for details. "It went," the Widow replied. Sereni
was useful, mostly, and more than a maid besides, but for all her helpful
talents it would not do to let her get too close. "Plans have changed, we
make for the Field of Fallen Blades with all due haste." she stepped up
into the black coach that was kept waiting, nodding to her driver. The
ghost-blood hopped aboard only a moment before the team whipped into
motion. "Summon Returning Burn Sereni," the Widow instructed. "I must
relay commands." The maid had the advantage of being a modest necromancer,
not powerful enough to be a threat, but providing her mistress with the
resource of a few spells. As a result she was a valuable tool of
coordination and travel. Of course it was not possible to summon up a
ghost with sorcerous power while riding in the back of a carriage, but
even the aborted attempt was sufficient to make it known to Returning Burn
his superior desired his presence. The nemissary had tricks of his own to
cover distance swiftly, and it took no more than an hour"s journey for him
to appear. The Widow did not in practice travel with dead companions, but
Sereni was part of the way there, and so it was possible for the nemissary
to easily control her body when needed. Regrettably the maid would not
remember anything said, which meant the deathknight was forced to take
notes at times, an irritant, but the benefits outweighed the costs. The
maid"s eyes rolled back into her head as the ghostly rider swarmed over
her weakened grave-tainted soul, and she began to speak in a voice far
from her own past blue lips. "You called mistress?" the nemissary
questioned when he arrived, slightly challenging. They were not fond of
each other. She could not like nemissaries, useful as they were. Jumping
from body to body like that, it defies that natural order of things. They
should not be able to endure so. Returning Burn"s reasons were far less
cerebral. He hated the Widow because she had supplanted him, nothing more
or less. "I am departing to the Field of Fallen Blades," she explained
imperiously. "We are accelerating our plans. You must move troops into
position accordingly. I shall be taking personal command on Thistles,
there is a small matter to resolve there." "As you command mistress," the
nemissary acknowledged. "But such a large movement will violate the terms
negotiated with the Endlessly Virtuous Host," he snickered at the name,
and even the Widow could not help but laugh at its ridiculousness. She had
to admit this point. "I will renegotiate," she decided. Those fools would
not dare their recalcitrance against her in person. "Move the troops." The
nemissary made a messy grin of Sereni"s delicate porcelain features. "By
your leave," he enjoyed destruction. Too much, the Widow thought. It was a
common failing of the dead, savoring bloodlust for the mere sensation of
the killing. "Have you other instructions?" "Yes," The Widow did indeed
have an idea he could implement. "Acquire some suitable bait for the
monsters of the Sea of Shadows. The coastal shadowlands may be too small
for anything practical, but a symbolic measure could be equally
effective." "It may be difficult to find good candidates in Thorns
mistress," her lieutenant cautioned, expressing a problem that had been
growing for some time. "Purchase them from the Guild then," the Widow
decided. "We might as well waste coin rather than energy." "As you
command." "Go then," she dismissed the miserable ghost. He made a
competent assistant, but she did not desire him gaining ideas of his own
importance. He must believe she had not destroyed him when she took his
place because it amused her, not because his skills remained necessary. It
took Sereni a short while to recover from possession, long enough for the
small party to arrive at the shore. The still, black waves of the Sea of
shadows extended out from Thorns now, night had fallen. "Summon the
vessel." The Widow commanded. So the ghost-blood sang, and her dirge
brought forth a bone-hulled ship with sails of human skin. A small device,
truly not more than a dinghy, but swift, serviceable, and warded against
the dangers of that black water. The Widow followed Sereni aboard,
bringing only her coachman, a nondescript man of many modest talents, and
a scribe, a mute youth who had been trained to perfectly take her
dictation. All were mortal, she had found the advantages of ghostly
servants did not outweigh the drawback of properly functioning in only one
of two essential realities. Mortal men had greater flexibility. The ship
sailed at the necromancer"s will, and they set out for Thistles. The Widow
felt a twinge of anticipation at the black shadows of the island"s high
peaks in the far distance over the empty underworld air. I am done playing
games with petty horse thieves, she thought with relish. My master reaches
out his hand to claim another realm. It is not Thorns, she acknowledged.
But it will be mine to claim. That any adulation her name might receive
would be ultimately meaningless did not mean it would not be sweet.
Chapter Notes So, canon characters, yes... Obviously the Mask of Winters
is a canon character, and he"s a bit tricky to handle, being dead, insane,
and of nigh-unfathomable power and intellect, so we take the dance
lightly. Seven Seasons Widow is also, technically, a canon character. She
is mentioned in CoTD: the Scavenger Lands as one of the Mask of Winter"s
deathknights. That is the extent of her canon representation, so aside
from the name I"m creating her more or less whole cloth. The Maiden of the
Mirthless Smile (she of brief cameo appearance for the moment), is also a
canon character and one considerably more developed. Her little rivalry
with the Widow is my own invention, but it seems appropriate for someone
of her level of sociopath. A few of the tricks involving Sereni and
Returning Burn are predicated on ghost-blooded mutations. The spell used
is canonical.
sentences:
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"And since the loss of Ghirlandaio," the man said the phrase as if it
properly belonged to some kind of fantasy. Vernon wished he knew as
well. Men in the 1st Armored had whispered something about a giant
mobile gun that shattered the walls, but no one had any details. All
that was known was the loss of the fortress so rapidly had crippled
Gallian defensive planning in the north. "You"ve participated in the
defense of five towns east of this position." "Yes sir," Vernon winced
to recall five hideously brutal defeats. He"d done his best, and he
thought everyone else had too, but whatever they were doing, it wasn"t
working. "Am I correct in assuming you intend to participate in a sixth
effort tomorrow morning?" The Lieutenant thought there was something odd
in the Captain"s tone. "Yes sir." "Your dedication does you credit,
soldier," Yolan marked another page in his paperwork. "Tell me, what do
you think it will take to halt the enemy advance?" "Me sir?" Vernon
questioned, not believing the Captain could possibly be asking a very
junior lieutenant for advice. "Yes you," his superior replied irritably.
"You have a great deal of experience with this enemy so far, so I was
hoping you might have some worthwhile insights." "I see sir," Vernon
thought about it for a moment, wondering what he could say this man
would believe and whether he truly did understand anything about the
Imperial force. "The enemy"s principle advantage is in mobile armor.
Their formations have a far greater proportion of tanks and lancers than
ours, and their armor-to-infantry coordination is probably superior.
That"s what must be stopped, or they will continue to penetrate our
defensive lines." "And how would you stop these coordinated armored
formations?" the Captain prodded. "To win, we need to widen the front,
if they continue to break our lines, the Imperials can present a mobile
battlefield with short-ranged encounters, which favor their numbers and
their heavier, less-accurate weaponry," Vernon had seen that already. We
can beat them when we keep them at arm"s length, but in a fist fight, we
lose. "If we could force the Imperial columns to disperse their advance
along a wide defensive line I believe we could hold them back despite
their numbers." "An astute analysis," Yolan finally raised his head to
look at the Lieutenant. Vernon altered his initial assessment of the
man, he did not have a strong bearing or much of a military presence,
but he had a sharp, narrow gaze, and projected awareness. "There is one
key problem, however." "And that is sir?" Vernon felt his heart sink.
Was the Gallian army truly in a hopeless situation? He would fight on
regardless, he vowed, but it would be better to have a real chance. "The
numerical disparity in this region," the Captain explained with a slow
shake of the head. "The Citadel at Ghirlandaio was designed to hold the
northernmost portion of Gallia against invasion. The vast majority of
our troops were posted to the south, and there is now a second Imperial
column between this front and any concentration of reinforcements." So
the war turns on the rapid fall of a single fortress, one accomplished
before any but a few in Gallia had fired even a shot. It was a
nauseating feeling of helplessness to recognize such a thing. "Do you
intend to retreat then, sir?" Vernon asked, wondering what the options
might be now, realistically. Could they give ground here and attain some
kind of advantage elsewhere? "No, we cannot retreat," Yolan scowled.
"Naggiar is behind us, nothing but wide plains between this point and
Fouzen. There is no way to establish any kind of front on the plains;
it"s too open. The Imperials will simply plow through any defense. You
are correct Lieutenant, in that their armored formations must be
stopped. I accept they cannot be halted permanently," the Gallian"s face
was murderous in its wrath. "But with the forces assembled here I intend
to do so at least temporarily. There are many units deployed along the
northern coast, those must be brought down to the fighting. Above all,
we must delay this northern column as long as possible, so forces to the
south can defeat the one below us." "But if we lack the troops to
defend..." Vernon wondered where this was going. "We will attack," Yolan
decreed with finality. "I have two regiments worth of the Regulars with
me," he explained. "My own 11th and portions of the 12th, 9th, and 8th
regiments equal in strength. Tomorrow, just before dawn, I intend to
launch a counterattack against the enemy lines." A bold move, very bold,
by Gallia let it work! Vernon thought silently, even as he did not
believe it would. They will be swallowed up, whatever damage they do;
the Imperial force is too massive. Nevertheless, he determined to
support the effort with everything he could. "Do you have an assignment
for me in this attack sir?" he requested. "Not precisely, but I do have
assignment for you," the Captain"s look was deeply piercing, and devoid
of warmth. "I have everything I need for my attack in the morning, but I
do have a task for you. Lieutenant Marten, I am placing you in charge of
the defense of Vlonen." "Sir?" Vernon was taken aback, unable to reply
fully. "Even if our counterattack succeeds, and especially if it does
not, the Imperials will attack the town," Yolan noted almost casually.
"The town watch is in position of course, but there are now a large
number of scattered survivor groups and volunteers that could be
mustered into a force. You represent one of the only officers among
them, in spite of your relative inexperience, and I believe you truly
understand our circumstances. So, gather up these forces and deploy them
to defend this town. That was not a request." "Of course sir," there was
nothing else to say when given an order. Vernon felt woefully inadequate
to the task; there were surely at least half a regiment"s worth of
forces available, if a little light on materiel. Materiel, right, think
practical. "What resources would I have available sir? I will need
uniforms, lances, grenades, and, though I understand you perforce should
mobilize all available armor for your attack, at least one tank for
command purposes would be invaluable." "Take this to the regimental
quartermaster," Yolan handed over a small slip of paper. "That is your
authorization. I will see you get what you need from our reserves, I
doubt we will be needing them much after tomorrow," a shadow descended
over the Captain"s face. "I cannot say if there will be a tank
available, unfortunately. I will absolutely require every last one of
mine, but perhaps the Valkyria have a surprise or two in store."
"Perhaps sir," Vernon wasn"t inclined to call upon beings of ancient
myth for assistance. He could only hope and try to find something
through ingenuity. "When is the attack to go forward sir?" "0515
tomorrow." "Then with your leave sir, I will get to planning, I would
hope to get a few hours of sleep tonight." Vernon saluted, and when the
Captain returned it, turned and marched out. He felt a crushing pressure
spreading over him. I must try to save this town if the Captain fails,
as he is most likely to. The Lieutenant wanted to be optimistic, he
truly did, he wanted to see a triumph in the morning, but it was hard to
see. This move was a great risk, and even success would bring only
modest rewards at best. Quietly though he had to give the Captain credit
for making the move. Two regiments could not stop the Imperial advance
for long alone, attacking was the only real chance. Would I have chosen
that plan, were I in command? He didn"t know. It was dark now, with the
sky filled with tattered clouds, but the town of Vlonen was not dark.
Ragnite lamps burned everywhere as the Gallian forces struggled to
gather themselves for battle. After a few quick questions to a
momentarily idle MP, Vernon determined where most of the survivors from
the various ragtag defensive squads had been placed, a particular park
on the west edge of town. Ignoring his own exhaustion as he walked
through the town, the Lieutenant made plans. He needed to get a count
first, that was step one. Step two would be to separate out them into
something like manageable squads and appoint leadership. Step three, get
to the quartermaster and find equipment. Step four; liaise with the town
watch to determine needs. Step five, set up deployments and a retreat
plan for tomorrow. Step six...he stopped. I"ll worry about step six if
I"m still awake at that point. The Westside Park was filled with people.
They were a sorry sight mostly, and few were even awake at this point,
having chosen, wisely enough in the Lieutenant"s estimation, to collapse
as soon as possible after being given a meal. Unfortunately this meant
he needed to wake them up again. No doubt it would prove to be an
unpleasant process. Thankfully, this was one of purposes for which MPs
had been invented. "Rise and report! Stand to! Repeat, stand to!" at
Vernon"s orders one of the MPs started marching through the park with a
megaphone, while the other two of the trio who had been watching over
things got the troops, watchmen, and volunteers into a rough semi-circle
so they could be heard. There were many nasty looks on tired faces, but
Vernon faced them without being intimidated. He scanned the group for
those he recognized but found only a very few. Maia, that angry Darcsen
athlete, stood at the far edge, in a small group of other Darcsens,
isolated from the rest as usual. "Everyone!" Vernon called when they had
all gathered and achieved something resembling silence. "This group will
be called to assist in defending Vlonen during operations commencing
tomorrow morning." He had no intention of revealing when the attack was
planned; it would be all too easy for the Empire to plant a mole in a
group of this kind, better to simply withhold information for now. "Per
Captain Yolan"s orders I have been given command of this group. My name
is Lieutenant Marten, and I expect all of you to be ready to fight for
Gallia in her hour of need." The formalities observed, Vernon got to
work. "You will be organized into...' he made a quick estimation of the
total number. About one-hundred and twenty all-told, over half a
regiment indeed. "Six squads. To that end everyone must fall out by
specialty. Scouts!" he pointed to one location. "Shocktroopers! Anyone
with Lancer training or experience!" They would need ever man or woman
able to wield a lance, he wasn"t about to be picky. "Engineers! Snipers!
And Tank Crew!" The result was not what he had hoped, but about what he
expected. Damn, I really need more lancers. Concentrated anti-tank fire
was essential to mounting a coherent defense, especially since they
lacked towed guns. Only four men claimed to be tank crew, and since
Vernon would only need one for a driver, the others would be pressed
into service as scouts. "Those with prior military experience raise your
hands!" he next ordered. The result was a tepid signaling from a mixed
group of middle-aged men and women, EWI veterans signaling their
service. Not what I want, but I need squad leaders of some kind. "Anyone
who held Sergeant"s rank or higher step forward." This netted four,
three men and a woman. The Lieutenant gave each one a quick once over,
and then, satisfied he was not likely to better, assigned them each
command of squads one through four. I"ll command the 5th Squad myself,
there"s no reason to pretend I"ll be able to properly coordinate this
force as a Captain would. That left only the final squad. "Anyone who
held the rank of Corporal step forward." Several responded to this call,
for there had been a great many corporals in the old war, but one of the
tank crewers, a man surely into his fifties, claimed the rank. Vernon
approached the man. "Your service?" "Tank Commander in the 8th Guards
Regiment during EWI," the man responded without much enthusiasm. "Hoped
to never have to do this again." "War rarely conforms to men"s wishes,"
Vernon had no time for sympathy. "You have the 6th Squad." He gathered
the commanders together, and one other. "Maia Serl, report!" Scowling,
the Darcsen sulked over to the five veterans, by far the youngest in the
group. "What is it you want?" she hissed. Whether she was offended at
military attention, at the looks given her by non-Darcsens, or simply
wished she was sleeping Vernon did not know, or particularly care. He
knew her and that was sufficient. "You"re promoted to Corporal," he told
her. "You"ll stand in for me to organize the 5th Squad while I visit the
Quartermaster. You must each gather a squad together. One sniper, two
engineers, five lancers, six shocktroopers, and six scouts. We won"t
have enough lancers and engineers to fully meet that quota, so fill up
any deficiencies with scouts. When I get back we"ll meet again to
distribute gear. Understood?" "Yes sir," they answered, though Maia
merely nodded, ignoring military procedure. He noted it, but there was
no time to be irritated. The group of engineers included ten people, a
widely variable group indeed of age and appearance, but Vernon saw one
wore a much battered Gallian Regulars uniform, the only professional in
the group. "You there, come here," he motioned to the engineer. He was
young man, surely not more than eighteen, with a ruffled mop of brown
hair on a pinched, almost mousy face. His eyes were bloodshot from lack
of sleep, and haunted by the horrors of warfare, but his bearing
remained steady, if a bit slumped with exhaustion. "What was your unit
soldier?" Vernon asked him. "2nd Battery Field Artillery, of the 1st
Armored sir!" he managed a fairly proper salute. A boy from Ghirlandaio,
amazing, Vernon was surprised. The 1st Armored had taken a hideous
beating in that astonishing loss, and many of its troops had never come
out of the doomed fortress. Of those that had, Damon had withdrawn the
survivors rapidly. This youth has surely been separated from his unit
for days. The 1st Armored was a glory-seeking unit, fast track to
promotion. Half of them were noble fops toadying to Damon; the other
half had real talent. Vernon"s eye surveyed the boy with a tight,
scrapping assessment, trying to burn through to his core. He still
carries his rifle with some pride, he didn"t shed his uniform, and, the
Lieutenant noted this with unexpected realization, he"s not shooting
disdain-filled glares at Maia. So, I think he"s the later group. You"d
better be boy. "And your name Private? "John sir, John Standeth," it was
not the name of any noteworthy noble family, and the boy did not sound
as if he expected to be recognized. "How"d you end up here?" Vernon
queried, seeking an answer to that small puzzle. "My squad got separated
from the rest of the regiment at Ghirlandaio," John explained
hesitantly. "We had to retreat to the north. We met up with the Sixth
Light Infantry there, but the Imperials overran us at Karberry, and I"ve
been traveling for two days to get here, I don"t know what happened to
anyone from my unit sir." "Something we share then," he offered what
little sympathy he possessed. "But I have orders for you. Get a map of
the town from the MPs, and draft a set of defensive points for use by
our squads on the eastern side. Once I return from the Quartermaster we
will put together a work detail to construct them. Simple plans only, we
must be able to be in position by 0500 tomorrow morning." "Sir I"m not
qualified to..." John tried to protest. "Look around you solider,"
Vernon mercilessly cut him off. "Do you see anyone more qualified?
You"re a trained engineer of the Gallian army. The rest are confused
survivors, old veterans, and straggling volunteers. You will do this.
Failure is not to be considered. Am I clear?" "Yes sir, very clear, I"ll
get right on it!" he practically scurried off. I hope I"ve made the
right choice; the Lieutenant had a cold feeling in his stomach as he
watched the engineer"s shaking backpack. Lives would be saved or lost
depending on that boy"s decisions. He"d have rather done it himself. I"m
an engineer too, I was trained for this sort of thing, but there"s no
choice now, I have to handle other responsibilities. Defensive positions
wouldn"t mean much if they had no guns, after all. It was time to go and
see the quartermaster, only there was one last thing to be done first.
Three tank crewers remained, and Vernon was determined to choose the
best of them as his driver. One man wore the uniform of a regular, but
would not meet his eyes as he passed a deliberate gaze over the trio.
The second was an older man, balding, and the Lieutenant guessed he was
a veteran who was used to the older tanks, not a proper choice for
driving any newer models. The last was a young woman, probably even
younger than John the engineer, and she wore the uniform of the Gallian
militia. A pretty girl, Vernon couldn"t help but notice. The militia
uniform was far more flattering to women than the one worn by the
regulars. She was small of frame, typical of tank drivers, with a demure
posture and an inherent country-flavored grace about her, very Gallian.
She possessed a heart-shaped face offset by a long wave of blond hair
almost to the waist, bound in a tight ponytail. "Your unit?" he
demanded, pushing distractions away forcibly. He did not trust the
militia uniform; the quality of those forces was dangerously random. She
managed a reasonable facsimile of a salute. "Squad 3 of the 12th
Regiment sir!" "And your duties?" "Tank driver sir!" her voice was
crisp, clean, and airy. "You"ve no tank with you, how did you survive?"
It was perhaps a cruel query, but Vernon knew the destruction of a tank
almost universally claimed the lives of those inside. "We took a lance
to the treads in Hedmer, north of here, and couldn"t move," her voice
dropped, sad memories crossing over her face, bathing it in shadow. "The
Imperials were overtaking us, so the commander ordered us out and to
light off the ammunition to destroy her. We did, but he took a sniper
shot leaving the cupola. I"ve lost my unit ever since." "Don"t worry
about your unit," he responded immediately. Dwelling on the past would
not benefit any of them now, not if they intended to survive. "You"re my
tank driver now. Come with me to the quartermaster"s." "Yes sir!"
"Everyone else, get to work!" Vernon bellowed as he turned and left. As
always, there wasn"t enough time. Well then, he thought, I"ll have to
find a way to make some. Lost in his thoughts and walking at speed,
Vernon barely realized the young tank driver had asked him a question.
"What was that?" he muttered in embarrassment. "I"m afraid I didn"t
catch it." "I was just wondering if we"ll really get a tank sir?" the
blond girl, and Vernon had to consider her a girl, for she might well be
ten years his junior for all her allure, wondered. "I thought the
Regulars needed every one." "We shall have to see," he admitted, though
he hated it. I need a tank! I cannot lead screaming into a wireless on
foot! "I intend to press hard for everything I can get from the
quartermaster. There is no point in not using material now, the
Imperials will surely drive us back, and then we"ll simply have to
destroy it." She nodded, understanding his point, and Vernon began to
consider this one might be a capable soldier. "What is your name?" he
asked, realizing he had not requested it previously. "Yvonne Kellens
sir," the militia member told him, a surprisingly exotic name for
someone with such typically Gallian looks. The Lieutenant filed the name
in his mind, and then brought all his concentration back on the battle
that was sure to come with the quartermaster. Ultimately it was a battle
he won easily, thanks to Captain Yolan. There had been very strict
instructions sent that no surplus was to be maintained and all reserves
to be mobilized. Rifles, grenades, and lances were all available if more
than sufficient numbers. There was even a fair amount of uniforms, blast
suits, and field kits for the various troops, something of great use in
the retreat Vernon was almost certain to be leading if he lived to seen
noon tomorrow. Heavy equipment, however, failed him. Yolan had taken
every towed gun and filed piece available. Vlonen would be defended by
unsupported infantry alone. The Lieutenant did not begrudge the Captain
this choice, the counterattack would need every resource to have any
chance of success, but he felt like he was fighting without an arm with
any support. The premonition of helplessness was abetted slightly when
Yvonne managed to find them a tank. She got so excited over this? That
was the first thought to flow through Vernon"s mind when he saw the
tank, buried among a group of transport vehicles warehoused by the
Regular"s in Vlonen"s small depot. The blond militiawoman had been
positively bubbly with excitement. The Lieutenant did not share the
sentiment. An Imperial Light Tank, he analyzed, looking at it. It"s not
a modern one though, and it"s a very old model, probably one of the
design testers Gallia bought a decade ago. The Principality had
purchased sample tanks from both the Empire and the Federation,
ostensibly for comparison, before deciding on modifying Federation
designs for political reasons. No mortar turret and the gun is a smaller
bore than is now standard by a few millimeters. The armor is actually
heavier, but there"s corresponding price in mobility. Worse, Vernon knew
the smaller gun meant non-standard ammunition. The
- >-
chuckled and looked at Hoss. He certainly was a kind hearted guy and he
definitely was attractive. I just gave Laurie a look and she burst out
laughing in a giddy way that caused everyone to look at her like she was
crazy. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. I shook my head in disbelief.
Just then there was a knock on the door. Ben excused himself and got up
to answer it. I heard him talking with someone. "Hello Sheriff, what can
I do for you?" Ben asked. "Hello Ben. May I come in?" a male voice
asked. "Sure," I heard footsteps coming toward the dining room area. We
stopped eating and looked up as a man dressed in a sheriff"s uniform
removed his hat out of politeness. Everyone was watching him as he
turned to Ben. "Ben, I"ve had a few complaints from the townspeople," he
said gravely. "What type of complaints?" Ben asked concerned. "That
you"re harboring a witch," he said glancing in my direction. Ben turned
around at me. Immediately, I cast a look at Hoss before turning my eyes
onto the sheriff. "Who? Ellie? She"s not a witch. She"s our cousin," Ben
said, lying. "I"m sorry Ben, but I have to take her in," Sheriff said
solemnly. "Now wait a minute," Adam said firmly as everyone stood up
now. My whole body was shaking with fear. "What makes her a witch? Her
hair? It"s just her color. That doesn"t mean she"s practicing
witchcraft!" "I have a few witnesses that say they saw her flying on a
broomstick and casting charms. Mr. Andersons" ranch is in danger. The
cattle are sick and they swear that Ellie is responsible for it,"
Sheriff said. Little Joe snorted with laughter at the broomstick comment
but when they looked at him, his expression turned serious. "They even
swear the she cast a charm on Hoss," "The only spell Hoss is under is
love," Little Joe muttered, but Adam elbowed him in the gut. He winced
and briefly doubled over. "There are too many people that claim they saw
her and these are credible people Ben," the Sheriff said as he came over
to me. I immediately clung to Hoss. Hoss scowled at the Sheriff and
refused to let him near me. "Hoss please I have to take her in," the
Sheriff said exasperatedly. "If you take her in you"re going to take me
in as well," Hoss said angrily his blue eyes flashing dangerously.
Somehow the Sheriff managed to grab me and he pulled my arms behind me
and tied my wrists together in an early "handcuff". He began leading me
toward the front door. "Ellie no!" Sam cried as she began sobbing. Adam
put his arms around her and Laurie went to run after me but Little Joe
did the same to her. Hoss was angry as was Ben. "She is not a witch!"
Ben said as he followed the Sheriff outside to a wagon pulled by two bay
horses. On the side of the wooden wagon was the sheriff"s shield and the
words VIRGINIA CITY SHERIFF around the perimeter. The sheriff placed me
in the back and then climbed up and picked up the reins. He leaned
toward Ben. Hoss was standing beside Ben. I could tell he wanted to
fight the sheriff badly but was restraining himself because he knew that
would only cause more trouble. I looked at him, completely frightened.
"I"m sorry Ben but you either provide solid proof that she"s not a
witch, or she"s going to be hung early tomorrow morning," the sheriff
said and flicked the reins. The horses began trotting and the wagon
began pulling away from the front entrance to the Ponderosa. "Help me
Hoss," I called as tears formed in my eyes. I watched until the
Ponderosa began getting smaller and smaller. LAURIE. I was sobbing
against little Joe as the wagon carrying Ellie finally pulled away and
out of sight. Hoss was completely loss and I even saw tears forming in
his blue eyes. Ben turned and faced us. "Don"t worry. I won"t let them
hang her," He said feverishly. "What are we going to do Pa?" Adam asked
him, keeping his arms around Sam. "First, we got to find those so called
"witnesses" and find out why they"re accusing an innocent girl," Ben
said forcefully. "And what if they won"t recall their claim?" Hoss
demanded. "Ellie will die." "Then I"ll turn to the last resort," Ben
said raising an eyebrow. "Our friends." Realization dawned on Little
Joe"s and Adam"s faces. "Let"s get going," Ben said. "You two girls stay
here. We"ll be back with Ellie I promise." Joe gave me a kiss on the
cheek as did Adam to Sam. Hoss looked out of place as they headed toward
their horses and mounted them. Shortly, they took off after the wagon.
ELLIE. Once the sheriff pulled into town, the people began booing and
throwing stuff at me. Pebbles, tomatoes and God knows what else. I felt
a tomato hit me in the face and the smashed remnants slid down to the
front of my face. The Sheriff pulled in front of his office and hopped
out of the large bench like seat. He came around and helped me down. A
man approached him. "Why are you putting her in a jail cell sheriff? She
needs to be burned at the stake!" he said throwing me a nasty look. The
Sheriff raised a hand and spoke, while he kept one hand tightly on my
wrists to keep me from running. "I gave the Cartwright"s the choice.
Either they provide proof that she"s not a witch, or she dies in the
morning," he said. "Why not now!" A woman called. That got several
approved cheers as another tomato hit me in the chest. The front of my
nightgown was already stained with the tomato juice and remnants and
dirt. The sheriff shook his head. "No. They have to provide proof first
that she isn"t. If they can"t then we know she really is a witch," he
said. "But that doesn"t mean you can"t have fun with her first." He
threw me down onto the ground. I landed on my stomach face down in the
mud. It had rained earlier in the afternoon and the entire ground was
muddy. A bit of mud splashed up onto my face and shoulders. Someone let
out a whoop and I felt hands lifting me off the ground. A rough man
gripped the back of my hair and pulled me against him. "Well now witchy,
you"re in no predicament to throw any curses at us. Your life is in our
hands now," the man smirked. I glared at him and he threw me to the
ground again. Someone tied rope around my waist and then tied the other
end to the horn of the western saddle. Another man climbed into the
saddle and prepared to kick the horse into motion, to drag me behind it
through the mud. I had tears running down my face as the horse bolted
and I was dragged a few feet behind a grey horse. My abdomen was being
dragged against the dirt. I was screaming. Suddenly, a loud gunfire went
off causing everyone to stop in their tracks. The horse stopped and so
did I. Through a dirt and mud splattered face, I saw the four Cartwright
men sitting atop their horses. Ben was holding a gun aimed up at the
sky. They looked absolutely murderous. Abraxis Chapter Five-The Rescuers
"Let her go right now," Ben demanded angrily, slipping his gun into its
holster. "Stay out of this Cartwright," the man on the horse snapped.
"You poke your noses into too many people"s business." "This is my
business," Ben retorted in a firm and angry tone. "She is a member of
our family." "You"re lying," The man said smugly. "We know your entire
family and this wench isn"t one." "Watch your mouth Andrew Jameson,"
Hoss snapped at him, as his black horse snorted and shifted his
hindquarters a bit. "Untie her right now," Ben repeated. The man on the
horse smirked as he kicked his horse into motion again and I was dragged
through the mud, horse manure and water puddle. Already a hanging
station had been setup and he headed toward that. Once he reached it, he
dismounted the gray horse and untied the rope around my waist. By now I
was soaked. Mud clung to every part of my body. I had mud on my cheeks,
caked in my hair, and it ran down my bare legs and onto my bare feet. I
reeked of horse manure as well. The man named Andrew dragged me up the
stairs and placed me underneath one of the nooses. He swung the noose
around my neck and faced the Cartwright"s, who now rode up and stopped
directly in front of the platform. "Don"t lie to us, Cartwright. This
wench is no one to you. She"s not a member of your family is she?"
Andrew demanded. Ben hesitated before answering. "No," A series of gasps
went around. Andrew smirked. "So why is so important to you? Why do you
care about her? Clearly she has put a spell on the entire Cartwright
family!" I stood, sobbing and feeling the cool afternoon breeze whipping
my mud caked hair back over my shoulders. The noose was heavy around my
neck and shoulders now as I stared out at them. "She"s important to my
son, Hoss," Ben said at last. "He cares for her." "How touching," Andrew
mocked. "She"s still a witch! Where is your proof she isn"t one?" "Just
because she"s different looking than the rest of you you"re going to
label her a witch?" Adam asked angrily. "That"s not answering my
question. Clearly you have no proof," Andrew smirked and then pushed me
off the edge. The noose tightened around my throat, putting pressure on
my esophagus. My legs dangled over the ground, a good 20 feet or so. Out
of blurry eyes I saw a shape lunge forward. I was struggling to breathe
but it was nearly getting impossible now. The rope was getting tighter
around my neck. Suddenly, I felt the pressure being released and I felt
myself drop onto a horse and strong but gentle arms were around me. I
heard gunfire go off as well as I heard the thundering of hooves. As my
vision cleared, I realized that I was sitting across a saddle on a horse
in front of someone. It was Hoss. My head was resting against his
shoulder, my legs dangling over the side of the horse and saddle. The
rope was still around my neck, but it had been cut. It hurt to breathe
and I coughed. Hoss rode over to the rest of his family. Ben leaned
over. "Ellie are you alright?" he demanded with a worried expression. On
the right, I had Adam on his horse and Joe was on the left next to his
father, who was on a pretty buckskin gelding. "Hurts...talk," I wheezed
out. "She needs a doctor," Little Joe said worriedly. Ben nodded and
then regarded the crowd. "As for the rest of you, I will seriously be
ashamed," Ben said angrily to the crowd as Hoss turned his horse around
and we galloped back to the Ponderosa. Hoss carried me into the house
and as soon as Laurie and Sam saw me, they screamed and sobbed. Hoss
placed me on the couch. Just as he went to straighten up after leaning
over me, I gently put a hand on his arm. "Saved...me," I choked out.
Hoss remained leaning over me until Ben gently ushered him back. "I
called Doc Brennan. He"ll be here any moment," Ben said as he turned to
Sam. "Get a damp cloth. I"ll try and get some of this mud and manure off
her." Sam nodded but panicked, she ended up crashing into one of the
walls until Adam grabbed her and the two of them went and got it. Ben
sat on the edge of the couch beside my thigh and easily slipped the rope
off me. There was a burning ring around my neck from where the rope had
cut into my skin. I coughed again. Adam and Sam came back with a damp
cloth and Ben began gently wiping my face off. About 15 minutes later,
there was knock at the door. "That"s the doc," Little Joe said as he
answered it. A man dressed in a black suit and tie carrying a black case
entered. He headed over to me and Ben stood up and explained what
happened. The doc shook his head in disbelief as he began checking me
over. When he was done he turned to everyone. "Will she be okay doc?"
Hoss asked swallowing. The doc nodded. "Luckily yes. From the position
of that rope, it would"ve snapped her neck, but it was a miracle. Had
you not saved her when you did, she would"ve died," Little Joe and Adam
gave Hoss a praising pat on the back. "Right now her esophagus is just
bruised, but in a few days she"ll be back to normal. I gave her a mild
sedative," he said and Ben thanked him and showed him out of the house.
Laurie and Sam leaned over me. I looked up at them upside down. "Look at
it this way, Ellie. We can talk about you now and you can"t say squat,"
Laurie joked as happy tears filled her eyes. I reached up and went to
swat her, but she ducked out of the way. "Alright, I think Ellie could
use some rest," Ben said as he gave me a small white pill with some
water. I took it and before long, I"d dozed off, voices jumbled until
they vanished completely. HOSS. Once Ellie had dozed off, Adam got a
blanket and covered her with it. Some of the mud and manure had been
cleaned off her face, but her nightgown was still stained. I watched her
sleeping form and then turned to Pa. From Adam"s and Little Joe"s
expressions, they were thinking the same thing I was. "How"d you know
Hoss liked Ellie?" Adam asked Ben curiously. Pa"s dark eyes twinkled. "I
might be an old man but that doesn"t mean I can"t tell when someone is
in love," Sam was standing next to Adam, and Laurie was standing next to
Little Joe. Pa looked at them. "Because you three all have the same
expressions," he continued grinning. I returned my eyes onto Ellie"s
pretty face. She looked so peaceful like that, with the exception of the
rope burn around her neck. "I"m going to have you three take turns
keeping an eye on Ellie and Hoss, you will take the first watch," Pa
said. I nodded. Everyone headed off to do their own thing as I sat on
the edge of the couch where Pa had been sitting and leaned in a bit, my
arm over her right knee. Her streaked hair was caked with mud and horse
manure. I reached over gently and pulled a thick wad from her hair.
Around eight o"clock, Ellie woke up and spied me sitting there. She
broke into a huge grin and to my surprise, she threw her arms around my
neck and hugged me tightly. Her chin was resting on my shoulder. I
slowly wrapped my arms around her. "You saved me didn"t you?" she asked
in a watery and strained voice. "Pa said we weren"t going to let
anything happen to you," I said quietly smiling a bit. Ellie released me
from the hug and to my surprise, gave me a kiss on the cheek. She laid
back down again and studied me. "Why couldn"t you tell me you liked me?"
She asked in a soft voice as her blue eyes studied me. I rubbed the back
of my neck before answering. "I guess I figured you"d like Joe or Adam
more," I said slowly. She looked shocked. "And why would that be?" "I
wasn"t sure you"d like someone like...me," I finished lamely. Ellie
looked at me like I was mad. "That"s ridiculous," She said dismissively.
"You"re a great guy. And I feel the same way toward you." She smiled a
bit. I looked at her surprised, but highly pleased. I gently took her
hand in mine. ELLIE. Hoss gently took my hand in his. I dozed off again.
In the morning, I awoke to find Ben sitting there, as it was probably
his shift. He saw me and grinned at me. "Morning Ellie. Are you feeling
better today?" he asked. "Yes a little," I admitted as I found speaking
wasn"t that hard now and my voice was starting to sound like its normal
self again. As I stared at everyone gathered around the table, something
hit me like a brick. We were really on the Ponderosa, the Cartwright"s
were real, I"ve fallen in love with one of them, and so have Sam and
Laurie. We have a home now. I felt happy tears forming in my eyes but
also fear. Hoss looked up and immediately spied my expression. He
quickly got up and came over to me worriedly. He placed a gentle hand on
my shoulder. "What"s wrong Ellie?" At that everyone looked up. "I"m
happy," I said as a few tears slid down my cheeks. "But also, I"m
afraid." "Afraid? Of what?" Little Joe asked softly. "That I"ll wake up
and realize this is only a dream," I said as I began pacing. "That none
of this ever happened! That I..." my voice trailed off as I looked at
Hoss. "Fell in love with someone who doesn"t exist." The Cartwright"s
looked confused as they looked at each other. "But we exist, Ellie. So
why are you worried hun?" Ben asked confused. "No!" I sobbed now
frustrated as I dug the heels of my palms into my temples. "This is a TV
show called Bonanza! Your just characters in it!" I sobbed looking at
them now. Sam looked at Laurie alarmed. "Ellie, they"re real. You know
it," Laurie said with a concerned expression on her face. "It"s not
real!" I yelled. With that , I spun around on my heels and fled from the
house. I could hear the shouts behind me and I heard everyone chasing
after me. I ran through the woods, ducking every once and a while
feeling the branches whacking at my face, causing cuts to form. After a
while, I stopped running and just collapsed on my hands and knees,
staring at the dead leaf strewn ground digging my fingers into the soft
damp earth. The place smelled of damp earth and woods. My hair fell
forward as I sobbed. I heard boots crunching over the leaves behind me.
I heard the thunder booming in the distance and it began raining
heavily. The rain poured down, causing my nightgown to stick to my body
like a wet suit. My hair was clinging to my head like a helmet. I sensed
someone beside me, also on their knees. It was Little Joe. I felt his
hand on my wet back as I heard several more people come up behind me.
Someone was on my left now. Hoss. I continued to sob, my tears mixing
with the rain water that rolled off my face. My fingers continued to dig
into the now wet earth. "What"s wrong?" Little Joe asked worriedly to
someone behind me. "She"s afraid that this is too good to be true,"
Sam"s voice said behind me. "That since Hoss is the first guy she really
fell in love with, tomorrow it will be gone." "But it won"t Ellie," Joe
said softly next to me, leaning in. "We"ll still be here." "Joe"s
right," Hoss said next as he too put his hand on my back. "We"ll be here
tomorrow, and the next day and the next...we"re not going anywhere."
Sobbing I eventually turned and pressed my face into the front of Hoss"
already soaked shirt. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly.
I felt his own arms slowly encircling me as he leaned into my embrace. I
felt Joe rubbing my back affectionately. "I think it"s best if we get
out of this rain," I heard Bens" voice say gently. Hoss helped me up and
we all headed back into the house. Author"s Note: HEEYY! Hope you"re
enjoying the story! Please gimme your thoughts on it! I love hearing
them. xD Er OKAbraxis Chapter Six-Community Service Once inside, I was
sat on the couch and a warm blanket was wrapped around me. I pulled it
tighter around me and snuggled into it. Everyone was seated around me.
Ben was sitting across from me, leaning forward with his elbows resting
on his thighs, hands clasped over his knees. "Why on earth did you run
out into the storm?" He asked in a fatherly tone. He had a concerned
expression on his face. Some of the damp strands of my hair clung to my
cheeks. Hoss was sitting beside me with one arm around my shoulders. I
still felt the tears forming and rolling down my cheeks as I turned my
face toward the ceiling in an anguished irritated way. "Because it
always ends up being too good to be true," I finished in a shaky voice.
I returned my eyes onto Ben. "I had a crush on this guy a few years ago.
He worked in the deli. Sam and Laurie thought he was flirting with me,
and everyone said that he liked me. Turned out he was married. I ended
up feeling like a complete ass. That is a feeling that I never want to
feel again." "But Ellie, Hoss isn"t married," Little Joe said softly.
"He really does care for you." I turned my red splotchy eyes onto Joe.
"That"s my point. I"ll probably wake up tomorrow and this"ll all be a
dream," I said in a strained voice. "I highly doubt it," Adam said
gently. "I think it"s time for everyone to head to bed now." Laurie and
Sam came over and hugged me before everyone headed up to bed. I turned
to Hoss. "Can you stay with me? So at least when the dream ends it"ll be
fresh in my memory," I said. "Sure," Hoss said. I snuggled up against
him, with my head resting on his chest. I soon dozed off. I felt warm
sunshine on my face and opened my eyes. I was still snuggled up against
Hoss. He was asleep as well. I stretched and sensing my movement, he
immediately woke up. "Still think this is a dream?" he asked grinning. I
had to admit, finally, it wasn"t. I shook my head and beamed at him. He
chuckled and hugged me tightly. I returned the hug finally feeling
happier then I had in a long time. "Come on let"s get breakfast," Hoss
said eagerly. We entered the dining room and everyone looked at me
expectantly. "Ok so it"s not a dream," I said shrugging but was
grinning. Everyone grinned and chuckled. A knock came at the door. I
froze clutching my fork. The last time there was a knock at the door, it
was the Sheriff. Ben got up to answer it. I heard the sheriff"s voice
again. "Oh no," I said frantically looking for a route out of there.
"I"m not letting him take me again." Hoss gently but firmly grabbed my
arm, restraining me from movement as Ben appeared with the sheriff
again. I was like a cat trapped in a cardboard box until Ben held up his
hand and I watched warily. "He"s not here to take Ellie. He feels really
bad and had come to apologize to her," Ben said. The sheriff nodded and
removed his hat as he began speaking. "Miss Ellie I"m really sorry about
that. I should"ve known that what they were saying was nearly
impossible, plus none of us had really been east, so we don"t know how
they dress," he said. "It"s fine," I said. "He has Andrew working
"community service" for what he had done," Ben explained. "What sort of
community service?" Joe asked. "Hauling horse manure, since he loves
dragging things so much," the Sheriff said with a straight face. "Eh no
offense ma"am." He said
- >-
If you thought that the Return of the Living Dead series couldn't get
any worse than the pointless ORDINAL sequel , you'd be right . While
this is still an awful , stupid mess ; at least it's a ( slight ! )
improvement over DATE offerings ; but of course , that isn't saying
anything . Quite why someone has had the bright idea to resurrect a
series that was never massively popular anyway is anyone's guess ; and
the fact that the resulting movies are a complete waste of film stock
aptly shows what a bad idea it was . The subtitle , ' Rave to the Grave
' , should be enough to put any sane movie-goer off seeing this film . .
. but anyway , this time the stalwart bunch of teens that always inhabit
this kind of movie are having fun getting stoned off their faces with a
new drug . ' ORG ' will get you high . . . but it will also turn you
into a brain eating zombie . It doesn't take long for the whole school
to be infested with zombies ; and the rave that they've all been looking
forward to may well turn out to be what it's name suggests ; a rave to
the grave . ORG , the genius behind ORG , is in the director's chair for
this film , and gives us a tour-de-force of forgettable direction once
again . The film uses dreary nu-metal trash for its soundtrack far too
often ; as if the rest of the film wasn't enough of a turn off on its
own . The zombie design is nothing to write home about , although in
fairness ; it's not the worst I've ever seen . There is a zombie in the
movie that seems like a nod to the ORDINAL zombie in the original movie
, which would have been nice if this film wasn't a pointless load of
crap . The reason why this entry in the series is ever so slightly
better than the ORDINAL sequel is because it takes in more of the humour
that the Return of the Living Dead series is notable for . The humour
isn't funny really ; but at least the film acknowledges its roots
somewhat . Most of the cast from the ORDINAL film return , and basically
do what they did in that one ; i . e . fail to make an impression . To
be honest , I can't believe I wasted time on this after wasting time on
part CARDINAL . My only advice where this film is concerned is simple ;
ignore it !
- source_sentence: "\uFEFFThe world we live in is not as it seems. I, James White, write this document so that others may be made aware of what I have experienced and know of the dangers that lurk beneath our limited perception of \"reality\". Whether you believe me or not, dear reader, is up to you. I only ask that you read what I write with an open mind since I write, not for my own gain, but to warn you of what I can only describe as \"pure evil\".\nI had never heard of the \"Cult of Cthulhu\" before I began university in the late summer of 2012. I was only eighteen years old, an atheist, and dogmatically pursued scientific understanding and knowledge. At that time, I was not in the least bit interested in weird cults and other religious movements, which I simply dismissed as primitive superstition. Had I but known what I would encounter, I would have burnt the science textbook, prayed to God for the strength not to crumble into insanity and got as far away from that university as I could!\nThe strange happenings started less than two months into my first term. I had been put into student accommodation and shared a corridor with four other boys and two girls. I had got to know my flatmates very well until all of a sudden, one of the boys by the name of Jonathan Mears disappeared. This wasn't looked upon as weird at first since Jonathan was the quiet type anyway and often spent long hours alone in his room. The suspicions arose however, when he hadn't shown his face for three days. His absence was brought up one evening as we sat in a communal area.\n\"He's probably just been very busy lately,\" my best friend, Jacob Shields, said. \"You know Jonathan. When he sets his mind on something, he doesn't stop until he's achieved whatever he's trying to do.\"\n\"Isn't it a bit strange though?\" Annie Roberts, a lovely blonde girl from the room directly across the corridor asked. \"I mean, he's in our corridor and we haven't seen him for ages. Not even in the kitchen or lecture halls.\"\n\"It isn't like him to miss a lecture,\" I agreed. Jacob merely waved these concerns away.\n\"If we haven't seen him by tomorrow evening, we'll go to the reception and see what's happening,\" he said cheerfully.\nBut Jonathan didn't show up the following day and, as planned, my entire corridor went to the reception desk to ask if anything had happened to him. The receptionist, an elderly lady, checked through the files on a computer before looking up at us.\n\"I'm afraid he has left the university,\" she informed us. \"He dropped out four days ago.\"\n\"Well there you go!\" Jacob exclaimed. \"Nothing to worry about!\"\nBut there was something to worry about. Even though I now had every reason to think that Jonathan was fine, I couldn't shake that feeling of foreboding. He had seemed happy in university and was consistently getting high marks so I resolved to check things out for myself.\nI waited until 3:00 the following morning, and in the darkness, I tiptoed along the corridor to Jonathan's room. Using a paperclip, I carefully picked the lock on his door and let myself in. I closed the door behind me and switched on the light. The sight that greeted me came as a huge shock. Clothes still lay on the floor, the bed was made, books were still on the shelves and a laptop was still humming gently on the cluttered desk. In short, it looked as though Jonathan was simply out of the room. If he had gone home, why did he leave all his things behind? And if he hadn't, where was he and why did the university records state that he had? Deeply concerned, I left the room and returned to my own. I lay awake in the darkness pondering the thoughts in my head and finally decided that I needed to find out what had happened and that I would do so alone...\n"
sentences:
- >-
"I love you, too," Reese answers, sounding very sincere. Their mother,
who is usually off on Saturday and therefore usually in bed, watches
them indifferently as she prepares to work overtime. "Here comes the
kiss," she says. "What?" asks Malcolm, turning about. "That is what
you"re trying to invoke here, right? "Kiss and make up"? Well, let"s
have it." When Malcolm turns back around, he is surprised to see Reese"s
lips already starting to pucker. He hesitates, and starts to say it"s
not a literal expression, but as had been done before, Reese kisses him
before he can actually back out of it. "Nice. Very convincing. Now,
listen. I"m going to work now, and I want you boys to leave the house at
least enough for your father to come in, eat, and use the toilet. If he
wants to spend all hours of the day in the backyard that"s his business,
but there are some things I will not have him doing out there." The door
shuts. Malcolm, recognizing that it seems phase one was a failure,
prepares to defend it from Reese; their mother often plays it cool when
things are really driving her nuts, after all, he"ll say. Reese,
however, doesn"t seem to mind in the slightest that it hadn"t worked out
as it was supposed to. He drops onto the couch like a bag of bricks and
turns on some Saturday morning cartoons. Phase two: Being more romantic
Sunday, 0730 hours. Phase two turns out to be if not successful then at
least less of a failure. When she sees Reese walking with a tray (which,
through the simple virtue of being in their house, has lost a leg)
filled with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a cup of orange juice, Lois
sticks out her arm, catching him right in the throat. Miraculously,
aside from a drop of juice sliding down the side of the glass,
everything stays in place. "What are you doing?" "Bringing Malcolm
breakfast in bed," Reese responds indignantly. He ducks her arm and
continues on his way. Lois seethes silently, glaring at Reese"s
retreating back. With one of Malcolm"s textbooks shoved in place of the
broken leg, Reese sets the tray down on a cluttered desktop. He walks
quietly over to his bed, where Malcolm is still sleeping with one leg
stuck over the edge. Reese smiles down at him fondly. He punches Malcolm
square in the chest with all the force he can muster. Malcolm reels up
with a sharp, wheezing inhale. Reese giggles madly. Without waiting to
regain his lost air, Malcolm rushes out breathlessly, "What"d you do
that for?" "Breakfast." In his sleep hazed mind, Malcolm forgets how
their mother hasn"t cooked anything for them in a week, how he"s been
existing mostly on cereal, "How come Mom didn"t--" "I made it." When
Reese returns with the tray, Malcolm slides over so they can sit
together. He sniffs the food. Even though it"s simply because it smells
wonderful, when Reese looks at him quizzically, Malcolm"s compelled by
the voice in his head that always tells him to prove his intelligence;
his wit; his worth, to say, "Smelling for almonds." "Almonds?" "It"s an
identifying factor of cy--." A feeling of something akin to
embarrassment stalls him. "You know what, never mind. Thanks a lot. This
is really nice." "No problem." They smile at each other. For what could
very well be the first time, they share food without someone being
stabbed with a fork. :--:--:--: Sunday, 1730 hours. The breakfast worked
so well at angering their mother that Reese suggests a date. At least,
Malcolm thinks it"s because the breakfast went well. Their mom had
sputtered at them hopelessly for a long while when they both came to the
kitchen happy and sated, and finally out of desperation ripped into them
for the fact that they aren"t supposed to eat food in their room; if
there"s so much as one crumb, so help her--. But he can"t tell for sure;
Reese just grabs his elbow, says, "Let"s go out." and Malcolm finds
himself answering, "Okay." They decide the first place they ought to go
is the movies. They can go together without much risk of being called
"gay" and there"s a new horror movie that"s had enough buzz that they"ve
heard about it even though they only pal around with Krelboynes--who
need nightlights after seeing trailers for such films--and each other.
All right, so it"s Reese. No date is going to be fun, but, hey, at least
this way I get to go Dutch. They sit together nervously, being certain
not to let their arms touch on the armrest or their feet bump into each
other"s on the ground. They"re huddled up, twiddling their thumbs, with
faces drawn tight, until finally, Malcolm ventures half-an-hour in,
"Zombies. Come on. You don"t even have to run. Yeah, okay, you"re in a
store and therefore potentially trapped, but you can out-walk them."
Reese agrees emphatically. "I"d just get on one of the scooters they
have for cripples and fat guys." They talk through most of the movie.
They start by giving the protagonist murder tips and then somehow wind
up on their own lives: "What"re you going to do after college?" Reese
asks. "I dunno," Malcolm answers, taken aback by the interest, "I could
do a lot, according to the aptitude test I took. Surgeon, aerospace
technician. That"s the kind of thing I think Mom wants me to do,
anyway." "What do you want to do?" "Something..." Malcolm"s voice
catches on his embarrassment. He looks at Reese carefully. "Normal." He
stares deliberately down at the screen. It"s unnecessary to elaborate
how, if only due to pubescent dramatics, he"d prefer to be ostracized in
a career he could easily excel in by those who strive for mere
competence to the possibility of being ostracized in a career that
stimulates his mind by those who should in all rights be his
intellectual peers but could, in fact, be superior to him. It"s
unnecessary to elaborate because Reese understands-- they have certain
qualities that put them above everyone they know at school, positively
or not, and they take refuge in being able to blame their being social
misfits on everyone else"s jealousies and insecurities. To lose this
would be to lose a safety net beneath a tightrope; although they could
walk across unscathed, there is still the horrible possibility of
falling to their deaths. Reese says he maybe wants to be a wrestler, so
long as he doesn"t have to go against any girls. "Not a chef?" "I"d have
to let other people decide what I"d make." Reese shakes his head.
"Besides, it"s only really fun when I"m cooking for you guys." "You
could piss in the food when customers tick you off." "You don"t get it."
Reese stares at him for a while. "What"s some famous art guy?"
"Michelangelo." Reese frowns at him. "A real one." "Raphael." "Dude,
come on, I"m trying to make a point. I know the "Turtles", I"m not
stupid. Name a real one." Malcolm quirks a grin at him. "Da Vinci," he
says. He chuckles under his breath, in a way that"s surprisingly lacking
patronization, when Reese accepts this one. "Okay, you wouldn"t draw
mustaches on Da Vinci just because some kid in a museum"s a jackass."
After a pause, he says accusatorily, "It would"ve sounded better if it
didn"t take so long to say." He jabs Malcolm with his elbow for
accentuation. "No," says Malcolm, settling into his seat. "No, I get it.
That"s...I didn"t know it meant so much." "Yeah, well." They segue into
a new conversation by Reese kicking Malcolm in the ankle and Malcolm
reciprocating. They keep talking until they start to think they might
know more about each other than they should; until the warmth in their
stomachs and the shine in their eyes begins to feel misplaced, at which
point Malcolm says he has an idea. They go to the bathroom and fill
their bucket, still half-loaded with popcorn, with just enough hot water
to achieve the consistency of chunky soup after the popcorn wetly
expands. They then sneak back up into the balcony of the theater.
Malcolm busies himself with breaking up the pieces of soggy popcorn by
spinning his hand quickly in the bucket while they wait. When the next
disgusting, bloody, throat-ripping part of the movie comes up (it takes
just long enough to appear for the water in their bucket to go from hot
to warm and the popcorn to be disintegrated to mush), Malcolm grins and
urges, "Now, now." Reese clears his throat and starts to make the
appropriate sounds. He gags first. The patrons below pay them no mind.
He releases a series of several gasping, "bleugh" sounds next. One or
two people look about, but the movie screen doesn"t offer them enough
light to see. Finally, he lets loose the horrifying and recognizable
sound of someone vomiting violently. Malcolm dumps the warm popcorn soup
onto the heads of the viewers below. The chain reaction this sets off is
one Malcolm and Reese thoroughly enjoy but is nonetheless also one they
agree they"ll never to try to replicate. :--:--:--: Sunday, 2000 hours
The movie isn"t actually over, but it is for them. They"re laughing
madly with arms thrown around each other"s shoulders, sickened and
pleased. They offer each other assurances: It was on the other side of
town and it was fun; Mom will never find out and it doesn"t really
matter if they have a lifetime ban. "I"m hungry," says Reese, when
they"ve wound down from hysterical to simply glowing. "Let"s get some
food." He points to a well-lit restaurant-and-store combination that has
a large sign reading "No shoes, no shirt, no service!' out front,
clearly indicating that it"s a classy place. A leftover snicker escapes
Malcolm, tickling Reese"s ear. "I don"t have any more money." "That"s
okay--" "No, if you pay that makes me the girl. I"ll owe you half." "An
Indian burn and we"re even." Malcolm, grinning, pulls himself away and
offers Reese his arm. Once his forearm is sufficiently reddened and
aching, he says, "I thought you didn"t have any money? Do you already
have a job? Did you think I"d make you pay the whole hundred to Mom this
month, is that why you didn"t tell me? I wouldn"t do that.... Do you
have a job?" he repeats. "Kind of." "I better get one, then. I guess I
could tutor or something. What"re you doing?" "Don"t ask." "Is it
legal?" "Knowing makes you an accomplice," Reese says as he hauls them
both across the street. They rush in front of several lanes of traffic
to get to the restaurant on the other side. One horn"s still blaring at
them when they"re safely across. Malcolm dismisses his brother"s last
comment to scold, "Jesus, Reese, there was a crosswalk right there." He
intends complete seriousness, but looking at Reese he can"t help
himself; he lets loose a strange hiccupping laugh that fills his cheeks
and is tearing out of his mouth before he can stop it, his forehead
landing softly against Reese"s shoulder. He quiets. He realizes he can
feel Reese"s breath in his hair. "You know, I don"t think so much when
I"m with you," he says with appropriate absentmindedness, "It"s
peaceful." He can"t really explain what it"s like being able to stop
thinking when he"s talking to someone who excels in that regard. What
it"s like to have a thousand thoughts cut down to two or three, a
million voices all his own quieted enough so that he can actually hear
himself think, so he doesn"t try. He just straightens up and walks with
Reese into the restaurant. :--:--:--: Phase three: Winning over Dad
Monday, 1600 hours The first step is to trap their father inside, where
he can"t elude them. Monday after school while their mother"s out
shopping, they ensnare Hal in a less literal way than Reese proposes
("We have that big net from the time Dad wanted to be a fisherman..."):
Reese pulls a sweet-smelling pie from the oven, sets it on the kitchen
table, and moves toward the back door. Malcolm sets the fan--which is
missing two of its five blades from that time he, Dewey, and Reese spent
an afternoon sticking various body parts between the slots-- behind the
pie, making sure it faces the back door as well as it can. He makes sure
the extension cord is securely attached between fan and outlet. Reese
nods at him. Malcolm nods back. The door is yanked open and the fan is
clicked on. Reese hides behind the door while Malcolm makes a scrabbling
dash for the living room. Almost the second after they"re securely
hidden, Hal"s head pokes in through the door. He looks carefully left;
right. He creeps in, eyes on the pie, his nose sniffing, his hands held
in front of his chest as though he is attempting to personify a mouse.
He rushes stealthily to the pie. The door slams shut. Hal wheels about,
spotting Reese. With a yelp, he spins back around to make a getaway out
the front door. Malcolm blocks his escape. Hal spins about one or two
more times, then stops, letting loose the exclamation, "Oh, damn it!",
accentuated with a stomp of his right foot, to no one in particular. Hal
slumps into the nearest chair, his left arm lying flat and his right
elbow propped on the table with his hand blocking his eyes from view.
"Dad," Malcolm says. He reaches across the table to pull Hal"s arm down
flat on it. Hal"s other arm springs up immediately, the left hand taking
over for the right to cover his eyes. Malcolm sighs but lets go. After a
long, silent minute, Hal"s right hand creeps toward the center of the
table... Reese smacks his hand. "No pie until you talk to us." Hal lets
out a tortured groan. "Dad, we figured we"d tell you...We were making it
all up," Malcolm says. "That"s fantastic!" Hal brightens immediately.
"Oh, I"m so happy. I just knew you boys couldn"t be--" "We were making
it up. We"re not now. We were just trying to get Mom mad to start with,
but the more time we spent together, the more we realized...we weren"t
faking." Hal"s face falls. To his credit he only allows out a single sad
whimper before he manages to collect himself. "You know, it"s a cruel
world out there. It"s a bully. It"ll sneak up and steal your lunch money
with the slightest provocation. Now, you boys have had it pretty good;
you"ve always had some redeeming quality that kept the world from
pantsing you and pushing you in the ladies" locker room, too. But at
some point...you"re just asking for it. Don"t you--don"t you even care
about that?" No response from his sons. Hal continues, "Reese, I can
understand how you could be so blasé about screwing up your entire
life." Reese accepts this good-naturedly. "But you, Malcolm." Hal"s
forehead is furrowed. "Don"t you care about the future?" At Malcolm"s
unresponsiveness, Hal tries a last-ditch effort, "Don"t you even care
what your mother and I have to say about all this?" Reese stares at his
father evenly. "Did you care what your parents had to say about you and
Mom?" "Reese," Malcolm mutters to his brother in a stern but belated
warning. He sighs and looks back to his father, knowing what the outcome
will be. Hal"s lower lip wobbles; his eyes cloud ever-so-slightly, and
they know he"s on their side. I know, why should I care if Reese saved
our butts by saying that? Here"s the thing-- Dad"s love of Mom is his
Achilles" heel. Reese and I"ve been waiting years for the chance to
exploit it. We figured out that this is the kind of thing we each can
use against him one time without Dad getting suspicious, and now Reese
wasted both of our turns. It kind of sucks; I was hoping to use mine on
a girl with a Mohawk, a bunch of piercings, and an affinity for
swearing. He"s only weeping a little, not openly bawling-- besides
which, he"s always been so emotional that they ought to be used to it--
but Malcolm and Reese politely look away when their father starts crying
enough to get his cheeks wet. It inspires a feeling of such indecency,
of vague disgust littered with empathy, the sort of feeling that comes
when you walk in on someone using the bathroom, that there"s really no
other response. "At least I won"t have to worry about any more in-laws,"
Hal says as he wipes his eyes. "Well!" he slaps his hands onto his
knees. With one final sniff he completes his rebound, "How would you
boys like to come outside to see my project?" "Your...project?" Malcolm
asks. "I had to have something to do while I was outside. Reese, get
your brother; I"m sure he"ll get a kick out of it." Hal cuts himself a
slice of pie the second Reese is out of the room. Mom"s going to spend
the next week or two on bed rest. Because we"re killing the baby. She"s
yelled this at us about a hundred times. Just in case we didn"t catch it
the first hundred when she was telling us at a regular decibel level.
She was supposed to go to Aunt Susan"s, but she"s kind of in this crazy
hormone-swing and after she saw what Dad did to the backyard she didn"t
really want to leave him alone with us. I think maybe she was just
saying that so she wouldn"t have to go, though-- Aunt Susan stresses Mom
out almost more than we do. Anyway, Mom"s laid up and Dad"s working
weekends to make up for it. Mom gave us a whole bunch of what-to-do"s
and what-not-to-do"s, but Dad says he doesn"t care so long as we can
keep Mom in the dark and listen to him once he gets home from work. It"d
be wrong not to celebrate. Unfortunately, most of their best ideas come
to them when they"re not actually allowed to do anything. Given free
rein tends to make them lose their incentive. The only thing they come
up with is watching television they"re usually disallowed to: "Let"s see
if there"s something really good on," Reese suggests with lifted
eyebrows. Dewey asks if they"re going to watch cartoons, to which
Malcolm and Reese share a look that clearly means a patronizing "Oh,
kids.' It"s an all right idea. Reese flicks through the channels with
the volume low, sneaking glances at the hallway in case their mother
decides to amble out. She doesn"t. They reach their destination without
interruption. Frankly their TV doesn"t get the really good porn until
after midnight, which makes this endeavor fruitless; they wind up with
something that from actors to makeup to lighting looks hilariously
cheap, like a group of friends decided to shoot it in their basement
with someone"s home video camera. All they get out of it is Reese saying
"Lookit her boobs.', Dewey saying he knows about sex but dear God what
are they doing, and Malcolm emulating any one of the many girls by
throwing out some keening, mocking moans. Malcolm is in the throes of an
imaginary orgasm when Reese suddenly turns off the TV. Reese explains
tightly, "We"ve got a couple hours of being totally unwatched. We should
do something better." Malcolm shrugs. Knowing their dad will probably be
home before they are, he turns on the television just in time to see the
woman finish up her own fake orgasm, changes the channel to something
wholesome enough to be caught watching, and turns it back off. He and
Dewey hop off the couch to follow Reese. :--:--:--: The policeman is
nice enough to escort them back home. Apparently making Dewey tear loose
with bloodcurdling screams while he hid out down the hall from the
pediatrics ward in the hospital could be considered, in addition to
being hilariously terrifying to little children on their first doctor"s
visit, very slightly illegal. "Now we know," Reese said with a shrug
after having all this explained to him. "Oh, geez." Hal sighs as he
opens the door to three grinning sons and an apathetic police officer.
"Thanks, Tom." Their father yells at them the instant the door is
closed. It"s a babbling rage that makes virtually no sense. They
recognize his ire as being due to him preemptively suffering from not
being able to have sex with their mom for a week or more-- a fact that
would be almost sweet were it not so entirely horrifying. They"re sent
to their room, where they"re to stay until their mother is well again.
"What about food?" Reese asks. Their father considers it. Haughtily, he
replies, "That"s not my concern." and shuts their door with a flick of
his wrist. This doesn"t disturb his sons, who know it will be taken back
by dinnertime. Malcolm waits impatiently for the footsteps to fade down
the hall before he wheels around, grips Reese by the shoulders and says,
"This is great!" in a way that is meant to be a whisper but is just a
bit too loud for it to actually count as one. Malcolm"s strides across
the room and yanks open the window, swinging a leg out with practiced
ease. His ears twitch in response to a sound behind him to give it
subconscious evaluation. It"s nothing, so he relaxes. "Dewey, cover for
us until we get back." "Why should I?" Malcolm ignores Dewey to ask
Reese, "You want to handle it?" Reese gives Malcolm a nod. He says to
Dewey, ""Cause if you tell Mom or Dad, I"ll cut your face off and use it
as a mask every day. Except on Halloween; then I"ll give it back to and
you"ll be so happy to have your face back that you"ll go as yourself
instead of wearing a costume, effectively ruining your life and doubly
ruining trick"r"treating, too." "Reese!" Malcolm shouts before Dewey can
say anything. Reese turns to him. "What?" Malcolm frowns. "Dewey, do you
believe him?" "No." Malcolm gesticulates wildly towards Dewey, telling
Reese, "See, that"s "what". It has to be something you might actually do
to him or it doesn"t work." To Dewey, "Look, we"ll get you a toy or
something." Malcolm swings his other leg outside and hops out of the
window. Reese quickly goes after him.
- "\uFEFFSpoonbill Village, Northernmost Quang Bin Province, SRV\nJune 29, 2011\nAs the two young adults stared at each other, nothing but shock registered in either of their brains. Not the stares of the villagers nor of Joseph's classmates affected them in their surprise. For Joseph, the shock was mixed with relief at finding his girlfriend safe, concern about his own impending fate as the main course and a strange confusion about what the heck was going on. For Marie, it was the sheer shock of actually seeing her boyfriend here and her puzzlement at the reason why that added to her numb bewilderment, not to mention the fear for his life at what might happen next.\nAs the shock broke, she knew that she had to act. And since the village chief was here...\n\"You cannot sacrifice this man! His family are allies are of my parents, his parents are involved in our business. If anything happens to him, calamity will come upon us all!\" Demanding such things of the chieftain might have been rude, presumptuous and even insulting, but everything she said was the truth. If Joseph died, things would go down the toilet very quickly.\nBefore the men could answer back, the crashing of a great bronze gong echoed over the crowd and all heads turned towards the source of the cacophony, the temple. Coming down the steps was a red lacquered palanquin with red curtains. Four men in deeply-hooded red robes supported the wooden structure, it's bracing poles upon their shoulders. As they reached the courtyard proper, one of the warriors who had exited the large house went up to the palanquin, distinguished from the others by leather shoes on his feet, a broad circlet of gold around his black head-wrap and a single pheasant tail feather standing erect at the forefront of this headdress. Joseph could distinguish some sort of conversation happening, the words too quiet to make out. For several tense seconds he, Marie, his classmates and his professor waited for what would happen.\nWhat happened was that from this man, the villages hereditary chief, the order was given for them to be spared... for now. Another order was given to separate them and hold them in isolation until a final decision could be made.\nAs Joseph was carried away into a side street, he could almost glimpse Marie following the palanquin into the Temple, including his Professor, still sitting in his basket.\nSeveral Hours Later\nJoseph could never fully recall all of the things that he had pondered in those hours, sitting with his hands and feet bound, alone in that dark storehouse, smelling of rice and preserved vegetables. He had found Marie and as he had suspected for a number of years, she apparently belonged to a semi-unique culture of Vietic speakers in her purported homeland of the Annamite Range. What came as a surprise was that they apparently, if the few bits of coherent speech he had heard were any indication, practiced some sort of ritualized homicide and may well be inclined toward the consumption of \"long pork\"... and at the moment, that could include him.\nEventually the door opened and soft, yellow light flooded the room, illuminating bags of rice and strings of hanging vegetables. In the doorway was Marie, carrying a paper covered lantern in one hand, a bronze bowl in the other and now hat-less. As he had briefly noticed earlier, the muscles on her limbs now had a definition to them that hadn't existed back in Glaston, her frame slightly more lean than the apprentice cook that he remembered. She was dressed just as she had been before, was still tattooed everywhere he could see and, as she she came over to where he was sitting, the light in the lantern seemed more like... fireflies than any kind of flame.\n\"So... nice place you have here.\" He hoped that starting slow could take some of the edge off the dangerous situation in which he now faced himself.\n\"Yeah... it is nice, I guess.\" Marie put the bowl (now seen to be carrying water) and the lantern on the ground beside him and knelt to untie his bonds. \"I'm sorry that you got dragged into this. When I borrowed that record... I had no idea that...\" She closed her eyes and sighed in a way that, to Joseph, made the tattoos on her face dance almost... alluringly. \"There's a lot that I just couldn't tell you when we were younger. My people are used to hiding... maybe tooused to it by now. I want to tell you so much, but I... I don't know where to begin.\"\n\"Then start from the beginning. That always seems to be how it's done in the movies.\" Rubbing his wrists and ankles to get the circulation back, Joseph wondered just what he was going to hear.\nWhat he heard was everythingabout her people, the stories she had enraptured Cora with plus a whole lot of other stuff, fantastic and gruesome in equal measure. The human sacrifice, the ritual cannibalism, the intermittent persecution by Chinese, Champa, Viet and French over the last two thousand years... nothing was left out. As he sipped water from the bowl, she described how her peoples ancestors had been Au Lac refugees from the Red River Valley, driven south into the mountains by the invading Qin Chinese. On the edge of total starvation, they had been saved when a spirit animal, a black water buffalo cow with a seemingly endless number of calves trailing behind, had emerged from the highland jungle at the chanting of animist shamans travelling with the group.\nBehind those spectral buffalo had emerged their wonder and salvation: men in red robes with the legs of goats, monks from a far, high land called Leng. These strange people, who called themselves Shugoran, had taught this diverse group of farmers, mountain peoples, priests, urbanites and servants many useful magics: how to grow up to twelve crops of rice per year, how to draw water and metal from the earth, how to commune with the forces of the universe and not annoy them too severely, how to pass perfect memories from father to son, how to ensure the fertility of people, livestock and game and how to armor a person's skin so as to stop any blade or spear or arrow or sling stone.\nIt was this last spell, combined with the requirement in orthodox Shugoran magic for Human (or similar) sacrifice and cannibalism that brought on the next mess. When the Qin Dynasty collapsed under the weight of the first emperor's paranoia and his successors incompetence, suicide and the resultant power struggle, the men of the new \"Leng Viet\" decided to press their advantage. They launched a guerrilla campaign in an attempt to drive the Trieu Dynasty, with its mixed nobility of native southerners and Han Chinese, out of the Red River valley and establish a new native state.\nOver the next hundred years, men raided trade routes and army barracks in the guise of screaming, bare-chested, tattooed (associated with bandits and convicts by the Chinese) savages, dragging captives off into the night or the forest in order to sacrifice them for either civilian or military magic. When they eventually lost their \"War of the Bandits\" (from the threefold causes of not getting any local nobility on their side, of terrifying the pants off their Viet kinsmen with their ferocity and the rumours of their religion and by the sheer weight of the eventual re-invasion by the armies of the Han Dynasty) they fled deep into the mountains of the West and South, being chided by the last of the original, goat-legged sorcerers for their foolish, ill-planned ambitions. From then, they had remained hidden and relatively peaceful, though remembered in whispered folk-tales as vicious, man-eating monsters.\nAfter Marie had finished. Joseph sat in silence for a few minutes, digesting what he had just heard. The whole thing about magic was a bit.. hard to swallow. However, his own eyes had seen things that most would say were impossible. \"You don't... you don't hate me now, do you?\" Marie suddenly asked, her face awash in a worried panic, perhaps the culmination of every bout of anxiety she had ever experienced when Joseph had began edging onto the subject of her people's true nature. So much worry, so much fear and one wrong move now could break her heart.\nFor once, just once, he initiated the kiss this time.\n\"Does that answer your question?\" As they pulled apart, he could see that most of her anxieties had melted away. \"And... I hesitate to mention this, but about your parents restaurant...\" He stopped when he saw her face, now an annoyed, knowing grimace that indicated that the next words out of his mouth should be chosen very carefully. \"Uh... about the chicken, beef and pork they used. Was any of it... officiallysacrificed?\"\n\nMarie's grimace let up. \"You need a priest to do anything official, and my parents are from farming families. Don't worry, we never served anyone up as the main course.\" She actually began to smile as she stood upright.\n\"Alright... but speaking of the main course, what about...\" Joseph gulped nervously. \"Me? Am I still going to be barbecue or did you actually convince anyone otherwise?\"\nThe next news out of Marie's mouth was welcome indeed. \"I didn't, but your professor won your life and those of the others after he talked with our Chief Priest. If I'm right, he and the rest of your team should be at the house of my paternal grandparents. Who arethey, anyway?\"\n\"My classmates. The Anthropology department at Miskatonic organized this trip with Professor Andover and a couple of us volunteered. \" Still holding the bowl, Joseph began standing, his limbs still stiff and numb from hours of sitting. Despite this discomfort and the twitching shocks that came when blood began flowing free again, he followed her out the door, though not before taking and slinging a bag of rice over his shoulder at her asking, along with a braid of garlic bulbs and a small box of dried pork on a cord.\nDuring his captivity, Joseph had been held in one of the storehouses by the river, a short way north of the village. Now, in the waning light of dusk, he and Marie made their way back on the path that wove through vegetable gardens and pig-pens until they reached the outlying houses. Through narrow alleys between house stilts and below the sounds of evening meals being eaten, past dogs and pigs drowsing in the under-crofts and along the great outer wall of the temple they traveled before moving into the main square and down the main thoroughfare.\n\n\"It should be just after this next left, right across from the bronze-smith.\" As they walked along, they came to an intersection. On their right was a large house facing the street, belonging to the village bronze-smith and acting as a shop, a workplace and his family home. Across the main street from that house was a side street, lined by mostly smaller houses but each of them with soft lights in their windows. A few houses in, Marie led Joseph up the stairs of one house where familiar voices were laughing and making merry, including one brash female voice in particular that Joseph had come to know well.\nAs Marie lay down the lantern on the porch and opened the door, the voices became louder and clearer. When they entered, everyone was already seated (or at least kneeling). Albert and Malone were trading stories of their brief imprisonment and what they had seen, while Tracy was working her way through a bowl of green tea, apparently trying to cajole her way into the rice whiskey. Professor Andover was making small conversation with an old village man sitting at the head of the table who was wearing the brown jacket and skirt combo that was so common. Also at the table was a younger man and his wife, maybe a little older than Marie's parents, along with two teenage sons who had not yet received their tattooing. Some ways from the table, an elderly woman worked at a hearth lined with stone and brick, stoking a carefully controlled charcoal fire.\nEveryone looked up at the new arrivals. The first to speak was the old man who had been talking to the professor, telling Marie to bring the rice and other ingredients over to the charcoal hearth so the evening meal could begin and then for them to sit down. After that was done, Joseph noticed that people were looking at him.\nApparently, it was time to make introductions.\n\"Joseph, I'd like you to meet my family on my father's side.\" After explaining that few of them could understand any English at all, Marie started introducing them. First came the old man, now identified as her paternal grandfather. Her grandmother, his wife, was the woman starting tending the fire at the hearth, her gray hair in an elaborate bun at the back of the head held together with a set of jade hairpins and wearing a long, black dress, similar to the garment that Marie had worn at the performance. Marie's uncle Huy and his wife An sat across from the Miskatonic students and beside them sat Cu'ong and Thao, their two sons...\nOnly two?\n\"Damn, the Kids!\" Marie had been so busy with her boyfriend that the absence her younger cousins had escaped her until now. She got back up and went to the door, opened it and called down the street for them to get in the house now and try not to spill the water they were carrying. As she returned to where she had been kneeling, many hurried footsteps were heard coming up the outside stairs and the door opened again as five children entered as a crowd. The oldest, a girl who was perhaps eleven years old, was carrying two bronze pails of water in her hands while the second oldest, a boy of maybe ten, was carrying two more.\nIn fact, all the kids, which included two more boys and another girl, seemed to each be about a year apart down to a little boy of about seven years old. \"Big families the norm around here?\" Joseph asked his girlfriend as the water was transferred to cooking vessels and the ingredients collected.\nMarie shrugged. \"More or less: most farming families have at least three kids nowadays but the norm used to be around five around a century ago. This family is weird both ways: My uncle and aunt for having so many and my parents for just having me.\" \nOf course, sooner or later this casual reminiscing had to end. \"So, Professor...\" Tracy began, consciously deciding to get back on topic from the revery the two had been involved in. \"You Said that you had something to tell us, about the ultimate purpose of this expedition?\"\nNeville Andover smiled the way that someone delivering a great and terrible revelation does. \"As a matter of fact, I did.\" He motioned towards Malone, who was now extremely attentive. \"This is Malone Roberts; for the last year he has been playing the part of my student, but he is far more than that. He is my assistant, my cohort... my protege in the context of the agency I work for. Tell me...\" He seemed to direct this as every member of the audience (save Malone) who could speak English. \"Have any of you heard of Delta Green?\"\n\"What's that? Something in the Marine Corps?\" It had soundedlike an innocent question from Ms. Williams, but Joseph had shared a class, study groups and cram sessions with her for many months, and could recognize the first signs of building stress and panic when he saw them. They were amazingly similar to the signs that Marie herself had shown, with the difference of gripping objects such as a table edge with white-knuckle intensity now apparent.\n\"It's surprising that you haven't heard of it, considering the contacts in your community and the agencies reputation for... extreme measuresbefore 1960.\" Now Andover turned to Albert Noyes. \"Perhaps you have some notion of it... or its partner agency, Majestic 12. It is quite amazing work they're doing on the Yuggoth Project, especially on fungi.\" This seemed like it was crammed with potential clues, but honestly, Joseph couldn't make heads or tails of it.\nNoyes, on the other hand, apparently could. He began smiling in surprise and recognition and began laughing at the revelation. \"You mean... you know about the Mi'go?\" Now Joseph was confused beyond all reckoning, and apparently so were Marie and Tracy.\n\"Know aboutthem, know some of them, occasionally work alongside them. And if I may say, for half-fungus, half-arthropod, telepathic pains in the rear, they are remarkably easy to work with.\" What followed was Albert explaining the situation: the weirdest kinds of aliens you could imagine had contacted some humans in the 1800s and hired them to assist in mining certain valuable minerals in the hills of Vermont and Maine. Over the years, the men and women in their employ had received advice from these aliens as to potential marriage partners, first in terms genetic compatibility and superior traits for their offspring, then based on attractiveness as their understanding of human reproductive psychology increased. Finally, as they realized the subtle psychological and social rules of courtship, the began acting as human elites once did, organizing parties for unattached men and women and subtly directing candidates certain ways as they piloted artificial human body-shells around the dance floor. \nIt sounded weird... but reassuring, even humorous. Even Tracy seemed to lighten up... as far as a hunted rabbit couldlighten up.\n\"Mr. Clayton here is what you may call 'normal'. However, he was privy to manifestations not usual of this Earth.\" Joseph then told the assembled of what he had witnessed, with Professor Andover hypothesizing that the phonograph may have projected images and smells by some means of eldritch energies. Marie also retold the story of her people and of the deal that she had agreed to to gain access to the phonograph: one year back in the village and receiving her tattoos of adulthood. Nothing more and nothing less had been asked of her.\n\"And finally, we have Ms. Williams, whose tale has much to do with the founding of the organization and its present form.\" Here, Andover seemed to realize what kind of anxiety the girl was going through, and thus went slowly. \"In the winter of 1928, the Miskatonic faculty was contacted by the United States Army to help investigate a series of strange attacks and abductions in Paige County, Virginia. As the base was in a primarily Quaker area, Miskatonic sent its lone member of faculty who was a Friend, one Hiriam Willows of Boston. While he remained among the Quaker farmfolk who knew the habits of the attacks, the army waged war against what was first believed to be a \"degenerate\" tribe of Iroquois but were later found to be white members of a strange fertility cult which engaged in human sacrifice.\"\nThe academic glanced towards Tracy, who had lowered her head, closed her eyes and grimaced at what was surely to come. He turned back to his eager listeners. \"Before Willows left, he discovered strange objects in a secret room at the Longhouse Meeting Hall... objects which resembled those found on the slain cultists. He also, inadvertently, stumbled upon his hosts engaged in a ritual of apparent mourning, dressed as the Southern Iroquois would have been three hundred years ago, sacrificing pigs upon an altar at an isolated circle of standing stones, wailing and keening in grief.\" He looked back at Tracy. \"This was the experience which convinced him that not all who worship the base forces of the universe are driven to evil nor insanity. It was also the experience that not all things should be released to the world, both for the worlds safety and that of the subjects.\"\nAfter a moment's silence, Tracy spoke. \"Excuse me.\" She got up walked out the door, somewhat to the surprise of her classmates, Marie and Marie's family. Marie then got up and went to follow, an act which inevitably drew Joseph after her.\nThey found Tracy sitting at the bottom of the steps, her chin on one balled fist, her other arm across her lap, her eyes staring into some unfathomable distance. Marie went forward first, sitting beside the girl as Joseph hung back. \"I don't think we've been introduced. My name's Marie.\" When Tracy didn't answer. \"You know, you don't have to feel bad about what other people did. Those guys the Army killed weren't your people, no matter how similar your rituals may have been.\"\n\"But they weremy people.\" The answer came suddenly and surprised both listeners.\n\"Pardon?\" Asked Joseph from the middle of the stairway.\n\"Those dangerous cultists that the professor told you about; they were English, Quakers even... or had been at one time.\" She sighed, not quite sure of herself on how to explain to outsiders the issue which had plagued her fears since the age of 10. \"They were my peoples kin, descendants of those of us who answered the Union armies call for guerrillas during the Civil War. Before that, we'd adopted some sacrificial ritual from the Iroquois during the 1720s after some very hard winters. Where before they'd killed dogs, black deer and captured warriors... as well as captured women and children if it got reallybad... to get good crops and health, we imposed strict limits and rules. There was to be no more human sacrifice, we killed our own livestock and above all, we accept the rituals as a gift from on high... even if the whole Christ thing was supposed to render sacrifice obsolete.\"\n\"I'd consider it a divine door prize. But about the Civil War?\" Marie was trying to make the talk as nonthreatening as possible, considering the darkness which had settled over the village.\nGetting back on topic, Tracy continued. \"Well, we'd already been hiding escaped slaves for years on their way up to the major escape routes in Pennsylvania, but we felt that we couldn't do any more, especially with so much Confederate presence in the Shenandoah and the internecine aggression over secession. These people though... they wanted to do something. So, when a few Union officers wanted a meeting, they snuck off north. And when they came back, they brought otherthings with them. Old medieval codices which described Druidic rituals shockingly similar to our own but twisted and brutal, rituals which needed terror to be inflicted in the victims so that the full power of their life force could be drained. Their attitudes had changed as well; they became disdainful of the rest of the community: calling them weak, cowards, savages who refused to possess the full power of the Star Daughter and the Black Stag, fools who held onto their 'petty delusions' of morality. Well, after they went and made a mess of everything by capturing and sacrificing a Confederate squadron... the rest of the Longhouse Quakers shunned them, bidding them to go into the high mountains until they were ready to return. And so, a collection of about 50 men, women and children left the Valley and went into the high woods.\"\nJoseph put something together in his head. \"And I take it that the next time they returned was 60 years later, crazier than ever.\"\nTracy harrumphed. \"You've got that right. And think about this while you're at it: by the 1920s, we'd been isolated for so long that it was starting to show in our features; the more inbred we became, the leaner our faces and the bonier our joints. By the time Willows got there, we just looked skinny and somewhat malnourished and with the right connections a few decades later, that began to get fixed.\" Her face got hard. \"But what if Willows had finked on us, or Miskatonic sent one of their Congregationalist mama's boys instead? Do you realize what may have happened to us, especially in the 20s or 30s? Arresting us for a start, probably followed by forced sterilization and throwing us in crazy houses, sanitariums and prisons to rot. And that's just the adults!\"\nShe was getting visibly angry. \"Their kids, my great-grandparents, would have been shuffled off to orphanages or perhaps boarding schools if they thought we were just really pale Indians.\" She shuddered. \"I've read about the shit that happened in Canada's residential school system and it gave me just as many nightmares as the thought of my ancestors being hunted like wolves and tortured for things they never did or for who they were.\" She turned to look at Marie and for the first time since he knew her, Joseph could put a name (that name being \"very mildly inbred\") on the features which he had labeled as 'rural-attractive' or 'cute in a farmer's daughter kind of way'. \"I know that your people have been hiding, but at least you guys made the mistake of acting like total jerks to get your reputation! We never did anything wrong.\"\nWith that, Tracy got up, passed her companions and just as she was about to reenter the house, she paused and rethought something. \"Well, never did anything wrong besides burning down that chicken barn, but that was an emergency! Neither my aunt nor my little cousin would be here if not for that and besides...\" She turned her head to look at Joseph and Marie. \"They wrote it off as an electrical fire.\" As Tracy went back into the house, Joseph thought that, while going against all conventional reason, his life made perfect sense for the first time in a very long while.\n"
- >-
good she intended to be to both of them until ideas became broken and
she tumbled into bed dick who was soon asleep again with by his side
watching a rim of light rising above a dark chimney and wondering what
new shows must be preparing already the rim of light had become a and
before her eyes closed in sleep the full moon looked down through the
window into the cradle waking the sleeping child but her cries were too
weak her mother lay in sleep beyond reach of her though they were the
little blankets were cast aside and the struggle between life and death
began soft fell into knees were to and fro muscles seemed to be torn and
TIME who had known of this world but a ray of moonlight died â a glimpse
of the moon was all that had been granted to her after watching for TIME
or more the moon moved up the skies and in s dream the moon was the
great yellow witch in the who before her cries back thou art mine only
for ever and for ever xxiv thb passing of a funeral in our english
streets is so common a sight that and and and carriages filled with
relatives in have al most ceased to remind us that our dust too is on
the way to the and it is not until we catch sight of a man walking in
the carriage way carrying a brown box under his arm that we start like
suddenly stung and remember the mystery of life and death even dick
remembered it and wondered as he after little s coffin why it was that
she should have been called out of the void and called back into the
void â so quickly whether our term be but DATE DATE life and death us
but once he said and he fell to her tears tears ing to him more
comforting than thoughts and he would gladly have shed a few to help the
journey away not a long one however for the lived in an un frequented
part of the town by the we shall soon be there he whispered and f
raising her weeping face looked around all the shops were filled with
funeral wreaths of everlasting flowers head stones with dates in ink
crosses of consolation and kneeling i angels v if we only had money
cried to buy a i i s a s wife ment to put on her grave and she called
upon dick to admire a kneeling angel it s beautiful dick said i wish we
had the money to buy it poor little it s a pity she didn t live she was
very like you dear he had been offered an engagement for to play the
part of the in and had accepted it hoping in the meanwhile to be able to
persuade her to take it it was rather hard to ask her to play DATE after
the funeral but there was no help for it the company would arrive in
town to morrow and dick thought it would be a pity to let the chance
slip but her grief was so great that he had not dared to speak to her
about it did you ever see so many graves she asked we shall never be
able to find her when we come to seek the grave out an angel â a at
least would be a help oh dick she continued to think they ll put her
down into the ground and that we shall perhaps never even see her grave
again we may be QUANTITY from here to morrow or after dick who had had
credit of the looked around uneasily but seeing that had not been
overheard he said poor little thing it s sad to lose her isn t it i
should have liked to have seen her grow up the coffin was ORDINAL
deposited in the middle of the church and dick twisted the brim of his
big hat nervously troubled by the service the parson in a white flowing
read from the reading desk on the contrary appeared much consoled and
prayed silently and the parson so many prayers that dick began to
consider the time it would take to learn a part of equal length and this
while the little brown box remained like a piece of lost luggage lonely
a s wife in the of this station house looking church and when the came
to claim it again burst into tears her tears reminded the parson that he
was here to console and in soft and words he assured the weeping mother
that her child had only been removed to a better and brighter world and
that we must all submit to the will of god but in the porch his
attention was drawn from the weeping mother to the weather a little more
of this he thought and others will be doing for me what i m now doing
for others but there being no help for it he followed the procession
through the his white blowing dick wondering how the little grave had
been found amongst so many but the knew the parson sprinkled earth upon
the coffin and the sound of the withdrawn ropes cut the mother s heart
even more than the rattle of the earth and stones on the coffin lid
threw some flowers into the grave and it seemed to dick certain that if
she didn t pull herself together she would not be able to play the in on
the morrow she was so fearfully haggard and worn that he doubted if any
amount of would make her look the part he would have done anything in
the world for his little girl while she was alive but now that she was
dead â besides after all
- source_sentence: >-
the basic premise of this movie is as as follows . In DATE , freelance
investigator PERSON ( PERSON ) investigates the death of PRODUCT reeves ,
who played WORK_OF_ART . through flashbacks , we meet PERSON ( PERSON )
DATE before his WORK_OF_ART would play superman . We are also introduced
to others who played a role in ORG life ( and later , possibly his death )
the film is based on actual events , but that is as far as it goes . the
filmmakers offer several different possibilities regarding ORG , but do
not favour any one scenario . the ending of the film is ambiguous ,
letting the viewer form their own opinions . there are some high profile
names in this film , including PERSON and PERSON . the very talented
PERSON also plays a role in the movie . this movie is not meant to be a
conspiracy theory , but more as entertainment , a sort of what if ? . i
enjoyed the movie , though it is a bit slow at times . GPE is rated R for
strong language , violence and sexual content .
sentences:
- >-
"Your last six payments were only partial ones, we need the account
brought up to date." "I just need three weeks. I have money on the way
that will be more than enough to cover what I"m behind on." "I"ll give
you a month. But this is the last exception I can make, Mr Kincaid. If
you don"t have the account up to date, I"ll have no choice but to seize
your home." "I understand. Thank you." James waited for the click of the
other phone before hanging up. He knew things weren"t great. After all
he had to change schools because they couldn"t afford the tuition
anymore. But he didn"t know they could lose their home. His eye caught
the game box on his bed and his stomach flipped. He shouldn"t open it,
he should make his father take it back. But then he"d get caught for
listening in. And his father did say there was money coming. Maybe he
got a bonus at work. "James, come set the table and help me make a
salad" Robert called from the kitchen. "Sure, Dad." Everything was going
to be okay. It had to be. "That was awesome." "So your old man did okay
with the birthday Laser Tag?" "Yeah. I totally kicked your". James
caught himself. "- beat you." "You think so?" "I know so." "Well smarty
pants. Lets go check the scoreboard." James ducked as his father tried
to ruffle his hair. He half ran to the display where the players scored
were posted. He grinned as he saw the list with his name on top. "Told
ya." "Two points. Don"t think you"ll get so lucky next." "Next time I"ll
beat you by five." "Bring it on." James laughed as his father winked at
him. "Can we get ice cream?" "Before dinner?" "Or for dinner? It"s milk,
that"s healthy." "Judges?" Robert said to a nonexistent figure next to
them. "Sorry contestant, that argument only scores 2 points which is a
lose. You want ice cream, you have to have a burger first." "Okay."
"Then I thought we might hit the movie theater." "Really?" "Sure, you
only get a birthday once a year, why not live it up?" "Can it be a rated
R movie?" "Sure." "Yeah." "No." "You"re such a dork." James laughed.
"You"d know." Robert grinned. James gave his father a punch on the arm
and got an attempt at another hair ruffle in return. As he ducked away
he realized his father was faking it, going instead to grab him and lift
him up off his feet. It was an old game from when he was five but he
didn"t care. It was his birthday and his father had been in a great mood
all week. Whatever was going on before, James was sure it was all fixed.
Things were going to be great from now on. "I"m home." "In here." James
called from the den. "Hey, sorry I"m so late. Meeting went over." "uh
huh." James laughed at the cartoon. "Which one is this?" Robert dropped
down on the sofa. "Pinky and The Brain." "Which one"s which?" "Pinky"s
the tall one." "And The Brain is the one that"s trying to destroy the
world?" "He"s not trying to destroy it. Just take it over." "Mea culpa."
"What"s that?" "It"s Latin, it basically means "my mistake.'" "And you
call me a show off." "You have dinner?" "Uh huh. Peanut Butter sandwich
and an apple." "And your homework?" "Done." "Even your English reading?"
"Yep. Did it on the bus." "Good." Robert glanced at his watch. "It"s
past your bedtime." "I"m not tired." "It"s not about you being tired,
it"s a school night." "Don"t you think I"m old enough not to have a
bedtime?" "Mmm. No. Maybe next year." "Can I stay up if I watch the
news? Mr Mackey says we should be aware of current events." "Pleading
educational value?" "Yep." "You can stay up and watch the headlines. For
Mr Mackey.""Deal." James grabbed the remote and turned off his video
tape. "And in other news, Education Secretary William Kyle hosted a
press conference with the President this evening to announce a new
initiative to update all the nation"s public schools with faster
Internet and new computers over the next five years." "Cool." "Hush. I
want to hear the rest of it." "After a careful and confidential bidding
process with several of the nations top technology firms, Lucien
Technologies has been chosen to spearhead the program." "What? No."
Robert gasped. "Dad, what is it?" Robert picked up the remote and turned
off the tv. "Nothing. Time for bed." "But the news isn"t over. You said
I could stay up." "I changed my mind. Go on." James saw the stern look
on his father"s face and decided the best move was to quietly comply. As
he climbed the stairs he could hear his father on the phone. "John, it"s
Robert. I need to talk to you right away. Call me tomorrow at my
office." "Nice work, James. Very clean coding." "It was easy." "You
think so?" "Yeah. It"s like math. It"s logical." "You like things to be
logical?" "Better than when they"re unlogical." "Illogical." "Right."
"So if I said we"d do more programming work in the computer club,
perhaps even harder programming, could I get you to turn that maybe into
a yes?" "Maybe." "You"re a tough nut to crack, Mr Kincaid." Mr Reese
laughed. "But I am going to keep trying." "Suit yourself." James
shrugged as the bell rang. He grabbed his backpack and pushed his way
through the crowd to his locker. On the ride home he considered Mr
Reese"s question. He did like working on computers and yes he did find
the programs easy. Maybe it would be cool to try some harder stuff.
Maybe kids in a computer club wouldn"t ignore him like his classmates
did. James got no goodbyes as he got off the bus and jogged down the
street to his house. He was surprised to see his father"s car and
another in the driveway. "Dad." James called out as he entered the
house. "James." His father was sitting in the den with two men in dark
suits. "Hey Kiddo. How was school?" "It was okay. Are you guys cops? Is
my dad in trouble." "These men are from the FBI." "Your father is
helping us with a case." "Like a mob case? Are we going to have to
change our names and move to another state?" "No. Not that kind of
case." "Uh. Okay." "James, we need to talk privately. So why don"t you
go upstairs and work on your homework?" "Finished it at school." "Good."
Robert nodded. "Why don"t you go watch a movie in your room?" "Sure." As
he walked up the stairs, James noted that no one seemed to be talking.
It made him uneasy. Something was going on and he wanted to know what.
James popped a tape in, turning the volume on his tv up to make sure
they could hear it. Then he carefully slipped down the stairs, careful
to go only half way so no one could see him. "What did Morris tell you
about this investment?" "He said it was solid. He said that Rylant was a
big up and comer and they had the line on some huge deals that were
going to make a lot of money. He said if I got in while the stock was
low I would be set. As soon as the deals were announced, the stocks
would go through the roof and I could cash out and clear everything with
money to spare." "And he told you that Rylant was a shoo in for the
Education contract?" "No, he didn"t say shoo in, just front runner."
"You didn"t think that was odd? A Wall Street stock broker having inside
details about a government contract bid that wasn"t even publicly
announced?" "No. I don"t know how these things work. I don"t do
investments. Or Government contracts." "So you just trusted Morris, your
old college buddy?" "Why wouldn"t I?" "Where did you get the money?" "I
had some extra from the mortgage. I thought it would be a good idea to
have some emergency money. And some money from a college fund Sarah and
I started when James was born. I cashed it out. I was planning to put
the money back and more. "And then there were delays. I was falling
behind on things. I told John a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to
cash out, that I needed my money. He told me he"d do it but it was the
weekend so he couldn"t do anything until Monday. Then Monday he called
and told him that there was a rumor that the contract was going to be
announced in a couple of weeks and it was confirmed that Rylant was
getting it. " "That pretty much matches the other stories." "Other
stories?" "We"ve found 58 victims so far. 10 were people he knew
personally, mostly college. The rest were friends of friends,
neighbors." "He inflated the Rylant value and sold out just as the
announcement was being made. He scored thousands of dollars. Which it
seems he used it at the same time to buy hundreds of shares of Lucien.
Lucien skyrocketed in value and he sells out to the tune of millions."
"Worse part is he did this all remotely. He set up the sells and the
buys on timed programming in the brokerage system. He likely wasn"t in
New York when any of it happened. Maybe not even in the country." "So
he"s going to get away with it?" "It"s very likely yes. If there is
anything you can think of that might help up find him, please let us
know." "Of course. Now if there"s nothing else, I need to make dinner
for my son." James scrambled up the stairs as he heard the men walking
past. "James. come down and help me make dinner." James turned off the
video tape and went down to the kitchen. His father was staring out the
window. "Hey Dad." "How does Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sound?" "Can
I make the Grilled Cheese?" "Sure. Just be careful, you don"t want to
get burned." James sat up in his bed, his heart pounding. The wind was
banging the tree branches against the window. "Don"t be a dork." James
muttered to himself. He was too old to be scared of a silly wind storm.
He was also thirsty. James shivered as he climbed out of bed. He pulled
his robe off the hook on the back of his door and pulled it on as he
started down the stairs. He was surprised when his foot hit something
laying on the bottom steps. He ran his hand on the wall until he found
the switch. "Dad." James yelped as the light came on and he saw his
father was sprawled on the floor. He saw the blood as he knelt down. It
was coming from under his father"s head. James ran into the kitchen and
grabbed the phone from its cradle on the counter. "911, what"s your
emergency?" "It"s my dad. He fell down the stairs and he"s not moving."
"Is your father awake?" "No." "Is he bleeding?" "Yeah. Hurry please."
"Help is on the way. What"s your name?" "James. James Kincaid." "And can
you confirm your address, James?" "1723 Willow Lane." "Good, James. Is
there anyone else in the house with you?" "No. Just me and my dad."
"Just stay calm, James. An ambulance is on the way. My name is Tracy and
I"m going to stay on the line until they get there." "Okay." James
nodded. "Help is coming, Dad." He whispered. "Back for more books, Mr
Kincaid?" "Yes Ma"am." James set the stack on the counter. "When you do
find time to eat if you spend the lunch period in here?" "I eat fast."
"Apparently you read fast too." James walked back to the far corner
where the non fiction books began. It was his favorite spot. First
because most of the computer books were there. Second because Mrs
Jennings couldn"t see him from her desk. James quickly grabbed the books
he was looking for off the shelf. The school"s idea of a computer class
was a joke so James was forced to teach himself. He"d almost finished
the reading list Mr Reece have given him before he left. His new foster
parents only let them use the computer to play approved, age appropriate
learning games and they carefully monitored his reading so he had to be
sneaky. He also had to be sneaky that Mrs Jennings didn"t catch him
eating his lunch among her hallowed books. But eating in the cafeteria
had quickly proven to be a bad move. The hot lunches were gross and
there was a pack of food snatching losers stealing from folks. No
thanks. James ate while he read. He listened carefully for his signal.
Few students came into the library during lunch and Mrs Jennings would
eventually disappear into her office behind the checkout counter to eat
her own lunch. She probably hated the hot lunches also. James heard the
squeak of the office chair and quickly cleaned up. He had no more than
ten minutes before Mrs Jennings would come back out of her office and
bust him for being on the computers. Another annoying thing about his
foster parents. They wouldn"t give him permission to use the library
computers because they didn"t trust the Internet. Although there wasn"t
much they could access since the school had security software on the
computers. It had taken James a week to figure out how to disable the
software so he could access whatever he wanted. One eye on the office
door, James quickly typed the commands he had memorized. It was just a
text interface, no bright graphics or flashy colors. They only did that
on the movies. Within minutes James had a list of computers on the
school"s network. They were labeled by numbers only but James had
figured out where most of them were. He was down to the last two when he
heard a squeak. Mrs Jennings finished early. She"d get up any second and
catch him. James quickly cleared what he was working on and reset the
security software. He could see Mrs Jennings out of the corner of his
eye. If she turned her head she"d catch him. James grabbed at his
notebook as he jumped out of his chair. He fumbled and the notebook
dropped to the floor. Certain Mrs Jennings heard the thud, James dropped
to the floor. "James is that you?" James quickly shoved the notebook in
his backpack and zipped it up. "Yeah." He jumped up. "Shoelace came
undone." "Yes." Mrs Jennings corrected him. "What are you doing over
there?" She said suspiciously. Not many students were banned from the
computers so she knew the whole list. "I was looking for a book for my
English report." James bluffed, hoping his face wasn"t bright red. "And
where"s your book?" "I couldn"t find one that was interesting." Mrs
Jennings shook her head. "You children simply refuse to ask." She
strolled towards the shelves. "You have Mr Fletcher don"t you?" "Yeah,
yes Ma"am." "Well he prefers his students read books that won awards. I
have all the Newbery books here on a shelf together. I"m sure you can
find something." James scanned the books on the shelf. He"d read almost
all of them already, even the ones about girls. But he was going to have
to pick something. The end of lunch bell rang and James grabbed at two
titles. "In the mood for a mystery?" Mrs Jennings asked as she filed the
cards and put the date slips in the books. James looked at the titles
he"d grabbed. The Westing Game and "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil
E Frankweiler. "I guess I am." He grabbed the books and half ran out of
the library. He dropped into his seat just as the bell rang. As he
pulled his math book out of his bag, James couldn"t help smiling to
himself. He"d come so close to getting caught and didn"t. He felt like a
spy. Like Ethan Hunt. Or maybe he was more like Zero Cool, a hacker.
"Hey Madison." James called out to the cheerleaders walking into the gym
for practice. "Oh hey, Joey." Madison was, by all appearances, the
stereotypical high school cheerleader. She had the blonde hair, beach
body with tan and a pair of breasts James would definitely like to get
to know better. But for all her good looks, she was mentally average and
despite being assigned as lab partners for the last two weeks, she still
couldn"t get his name right. After changing schools five times in almost
two years, James was getting used to it. "It"s James." "Right. So what
do you want? I"ve got practice." "I just wanted to tell you that I made
sure you got a C in Chemistry on your Midterm report. Oh and you got B
in History. And those four skipped classes are gone." "Are you serious?"
"Yeah." "You just changed all that stuff?" "Yeah." "I don"t believe
you." "Believe it." James grinned. "It was actually pretty easy. The
school uses eGrade. My last school used it too. The whole thing"s
computerized. Teachers put our grades in a file and transfer it to the
main computer in the office the night before the reports are printed.
Our attendance reports are in there also. Mrs West keeps her username
and password taped to her monitor. I wrote it down when I was her office
and last night I went and changed a few of your older grades to a point
or two higher. And erased your skips." "And then I get caught. Teachers
are going to notice that my grade isn"t right." "You won"t get caught. I
only changed those two classes cause Mr Collier and Mr Briggs don"t keep
a paper grade book. And they don"t keep any of our assignments so they
can"t compare the computer report to anything. If they ask to see your
old papers just say you threw them out a long time ago. "And the classes
you skipped were all substitutes so who"s going to remember." "Are you
for real?" "See for yourself when we get our reports in 5th period."
"Why would you change my grades?" "Maybe I like seeing you cheer. If
your GPA is under 2.5 you"ll get cut from the team." "Well thanks."
"Sure." James took a deep breath. "Maybe we could go see a movie
sometime." "Joey, you"re sweet. But I"m a junior and I"m a cheerleader
which makes me important around here. I can"t be seen hanging out with
some nerdy kid. But thanks for fixing my grades." Madison spun on her
heel and jogged into the practice. James watched her leave with dueling
fantasies of seeing her do a basket toss and realizing she forgot to put
panties on and seeing her fall off the pyramid and break her nose. "I"m
a junior too. Whatever." James sighed to himself. If his life was going
to be resemble some kind of tv show, why couldn"t it be something cool
like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She"s bad ass. "What"s this?" James
turned to see a pair of the school"s jock goons walking up. Another
classic Hollywood cliche. "We"ve got a geek perving on our girls."
"Actually, Trevor, I"m not much into the taste of live chickens." James
wished very much that there was a computer program that would make him
about six inches taller, 20 pounds heavier and an expert in Kung Fu.
Maybe then he"d stop attracting high school bullies like honey attracts
bees. "That supposed to be a joke?" Geordie, Trevor"s looming lump of
flesh wingman, shoved James against the wall, pinning his shoulders
back. "Yes, but I"m not sure you"re smart enough to get it." "Get this,
smart boy. You need to learn where you belong and stay there. Cause it
ain"t with the cheerleaders." "You know, Geordie, you should get a mint.
Your breath smells like dirt." James wasn"t surprised by the knee to his
stomach. It was a favorite bully opening move. Next would be either the
fling to the ground to kick him a few times, or getting slammed back
against the wall. Geordie favored the wall. "You got a mouth, geek."
Trevor reached for James"s backpack. "Let"s see what else you have."
Geordie kept James pinned to the wall while Trevor dumped out his
backpack. "Nothing. Not even a wallet." Trevor looked up. "Empty your
pockets or we"ll do it for you." Geordie stepped back but only enough
for James to reach into his back pocket and pull out his wallet. Trevor
snatched it out of his hand and flipped it open. "What"s this?" Trevor
pulled an id out of the inside slot. "Seymour Birkhoff. What kind of
stupid name is that?" James debated for a moment if he should tell them
the truth or not. It was the one thing he had that might get them off
his back. If he played it right, it might even end up profitable. "It"s
not a just name, it"s a test." "A test? Of what?" "Let me pick up my
stuff without getting kicked in the face and I"ll tell you." The two
older boys stepped back and waited as James picked up his books and
notebooks and put them back in his backpack. "Okay you got your stuff."
"It"s to test if the ID is good enough to not get caught." "It"s fake?"
"Do I look 17?" "Seven maybe." Geordie laughed at his own joke. James
ignored the lame joke. "That name should be a huge red flag that it"s
fake. If they look and they don"t spot any flaws then I know I"m ready."
"Ready?" James motioned for the boys to lean closer. "To mass produce.
But not for just anyone. There"s a huge risk in making something like
this. It"s not worth the risk for people who won"t truly appreciate the
product. Like the two of you." "You could make us fake ids?" "Totally.
Happily. And anyone you can promise me won"t tell." Trevor and Geordie
grinned at each other. James knew he had them. "How much?" "Well, it"s
not cheap. My materials cost a lot of money. I mean these IDs should
fool a cop. Even with a tiny amount of profit, it"s still $100. Each."
"$100. That"s bull." "But I suppose." James paused. "I mean given how
welcoming the two of you have been, how you keep other guys from messing
with me and all that, it would seem ungrateful if I wasn"t equally
willing to help out a couple of friends. So even though I"ll be losing
money, for the two of you, I"ll do it for $50." "$50 is still a lot."
"But I am losing money, I"ll only do that for real friends." "Okay you
got a deal. But we want good ids. 21." "If 21 is what you want, it"s
what I"ll make." James plucked the ID out of Trevor"s hand. "Meet me
tomorrow at the arcade at the West End Mall and I"ll tell you what I
need from you." James turned and walked away grinning. $50 was going to
make him a decent profit and $100 was going to be great. And no one
would raise a fuss cause those two morons were going to back him up. And
he should get the rest of the school year bullying free. It was perfect.
- >-
this was not what i would term a great movie , but it isn't that bad
either . it's a psychological thriller / horror . it's not really very
fast paced , but it does build some suspense and atmosphere . i liked
that aspect of it . but there are some scenes later on in the film (
probably at least halfway through ) that are absolutely disgusting . at
least i thought so . for me , theses scenes showed more than was
necessary . if you're a PERSON hound , these scenes won't likely bother
you . if you have a weak stomach , you'll have to turn away when these
scenes appear . i don't have a weak stomach , but i was unprepared for
how graphic the movie became . aside from the that , i think the movie
is fairly original . it does borrow a concept from a horror / ORG movie
of quite a long time ago , but as far as i know this particular scenario
hadn't been done by any film in recent history , although i could be
wrong . also , i think it could be similar to DATE's ORG , though i
haven't seen that movie yet . i think i will though to see if there are
any similarities . for me , this was TIME diversion , which i don't
regret . i give The PERSON a
- ' You have to see urlLink ORG . It is such a good movie! Seriously, it''s like the best conspiracy movie I''ve ever seen! urlLink Buy tickets now . '
- source_sentence: ' Gosh. ORG has more ORG than my remaining disk space at home! (56Mb). '
sentences:
- >-
and then left. ~*~*~ Jason and Elizabeth"s penthouse. Elizabeth was
still in the bathtub when Jason came back. Jason went up stairs to check
on her. "Elizabeth, are you feeling better. " "A little. Jason you can
come on in." Jason walked in and was shocked at what he saw. Elizabeth"s
hair was tied up behind her head. Jason could see her whole body under
the water. "Hello, Jase are you still there?" Jason nodded a yes. "I got
some food from Sonny. Carly and Michael are coming with us to the
island." Jason tried to keep his eyes on Elizabeth"s face. But they
didn"t stay there long. Elizabeth couldn"t help but laugh. "Jason give
me a hand here." Jason walked up to Elizabeth and helped her out of the
tub. Elizabeth graded a towel when she saw that Jason couldn"t take his
eyes off her long enough for anything let alone get her a towel.
Elizabeth wrapped the towel around her. She then pressed her self in to
Jason. Jason groaned at Elizabeth"s movement. Elizabeth was happy to
hear Jason groan. She then got on her tiptoes and place a small kiss on
Jason"s lips. Elizabeth was about to pull back to get dressed. But Jason
wouldn"t let her move. Jason had one hand on her hips and the other on
the small of her back. He held her close to him. "You started this now
you have to finish it." "Okay, but can we eat first. I"m starving."
"Okay." Jason backed them into their bedroom. Taking his hands off her
for just a second. He pulled off his shoes. Then Jason pulled off his
shirt, and handed it to Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked confused at first.
Jason leaned down and took Elizabeth"s ear in his month. "Put it on and
we will go eat." Elizabeth arched into him causing him to groan again.
Then put the shirt on and want down stairs before he could say anything
else. "She is going to be the death of me." Jason went down stairs after
her. ~*~*~ Jason and Elizabeth went down stairs and ate on the couch
since Jason doesn"t have a table to eat at. Jason started to read the
file that Sonny gave him. "What"s that or am I not allowed to know?"
Jason pulled Elizabeth close to him. "This file is about where we are
going, when and how long." Elizabeth laid back and looked at the file in
her lap to see what Jason was reading. Jason stopped reading to look
down at Elizabeth. Elizabeth felt Jason looking at her. When she looked
up her was staring at her wit this grin on his face. "What?" "God, your
beautiful." Elizabeth turned in his arms so that she was straddling him.
"So are you." Jason dropped the file on the floor to put his hands on
her back. Elizabeth moved her hands up his chest to the back of his
neck. Jason"s hands went to the side of her head. Elizabeth crashed her
lips down hard on Jason"s. Elizabeth lost all thought. She didn"t even
notice when Jason picked her up and laid her down on the couch so that
he was on top. Jason went to kiss her again but there was a knock at the
door. "GO AWAY!" Jason went back down and started kissing Elizabeth"s
neck. "Lizzie it"s me Sarah we have got to talk." Jason looked up for a
minute then went back to sucking on her neck. "I know who sent all those
pictures." That stopped them both in there tracks. Jason went to the
door and opened it to let Sarah in. Elizabeth sat up on the couch. "Ohh,
sorry to interrupt but I know you would want to know went is trying to
hurt you. But their not trying to hurt just trying to get you to go away
with them-" "SARAH, come here sit down." Elizabeth motion to the sit on
the couch next to her. Jason sat on the edge of his desk. *DAMN IT,
Elizabeth and me are never going to have sex, if this keeps up. * "Okay,
Sarah now who sent to pictures?" "Mom and Dad." Elizabeth jumped off the
couch. "WHAT?" Jason jumped up to Elizabeth"s side. "Let me at the
beginning. Tonight after dinner mom, dad, and me went home. Mom and dad
where talking about this plan they have to get you to go back to Europe
with them. Something about you wasting your life. They know you wouldn"t
live Jason. So they have a plan for him too. Now, I don"t know what that
plan I just know that they said Robin is coming back home tomorrow.
After I heard that I came right over here." "Why? DAMN IT." "Lizzie, I
am so sorry. This is my fault. I knew I should have shut up." Elizabeth
went and sat down next to Sarah again. "Sarah, what are you talking
about? What did you say?" Elizabeth was surprised when Jason asked to
the same questions that she was thinking about. "Mom, called last week
and asked how things where. So I told mom everything that happen with me
you and Lucky." Jason flinched at the thought of how Lucky and Sarah
hurt Elizabeth. Elizabeth saw Jason flinch. "Well, she asked if you
moved on and I told that you and Jason where getting close. Then two
days ago, they came back to town. And had a lot of questions about
Jason." "Okay, thanks Sarah. Listen don"t let anyone know that we know
about all this." Sarah nodded and left. "They blew up my studio. Sent me
pictures. And are trying to brake us up. I want out of town now. I don"t
want them to find us." Jason pulled Elizabeth up to their stairs to
there room. "Get dressed. Pack up we are leaving tonight. I am going to
talk to Sonny. Let no one in this house but Sonny and me. Got that?"
"Yeah, but Jason you never told me where we are going. So what do I
pack?" "Anything, everything. I don"t care. I can"t tell you where we
are going. You"ll be safer that way." Jason kissed her and left. ~*~*~
Jason stormed in the penthouse across that hall. Sonny and Carly where
kissing on the couch when Jason came in. "What the hell?" "Sonny change
in plans we leave in two hours get ready." Sonny could tell something
changed. "Carly go up stairs pack." Carly moved off of the couch. "Not
until Jason tells my why." "I know who is after me and Elizabeth."
"Who?" Sonny moved passed Carly to get a drink. "Elizabeth"s so called
parents. They don"t like me so they want us apart." Jason moved to the
drinking cart and pulled himself a drink as well. "So save us all the
trouble and leave the Goody Goody." "CARLY. Don"t start and if you would
shut up. I am would tell you how they plan and braking us up. And Carly
I think you"ll love the person they are going to use." "Who?" Sonny just
got himself another drink. "Robin. She comes back tomorrow." Sonny was
shocked. "Fine, I am going to go pack." Carly went up stairs to help
pack up Michael. "Are they really going to use robin?" "That"s what
Sarah says." "Sarah? Elizabeth"s sister?" Jason nodded then told Sonny
everything Sarah told Elizabeth and him just a little a while ago. "I
have to go help Elizabeth. I want you to meet with the Webber"s and fine
out what would get them out of Elizabeth"s life forever." "Are you sure
about forever?" "These people treat Elizabeth like shit. They never
showed her love. They left her at the age of 15 so they could go to
Europe. When Elizabeth was rape they didn"t give damn. They have not
talked to her in 6 years. I don"t think Elizabeth would care if they
don"t come back to see her." Jason and Sonny didn"t see Carly as she
heard every thing they said. "In fact, she likes it that way. These
people are worst then the Quatermaine. At least in their only way they
love each other. These people told Elizabeth that she was a mistake."
"Your right Jason, these people are worst then the Quatermaine. Go help
Elizabeth pack. The limo will be here in two hours." "Sonny get two
limos. Don"t want Carly and Elizabeth to fight." Jason left the room
before Sonny could say anything else. Chapter 11 A couple of days later.
Sonny was sitting in his penthouse waiting for the Webber"s. He had
called them over to "talk" about Elizabeth. After everything Jason said
about them. He didn"t want to meet with them. Sonny knew not what
Elizabeth felt but he had a good ideal. Sonny walked over to his desk
and picked up the file he had on them. Both doctors, 3 kids, love
Europe, rich. That was all Sonny cared about. He knew what they were all
about. If they were really that bad, he would give them money to go
away. Sonny was worried about Elizabeth. Last time Jason called nothing
changed. Elizabeth was depressed. Carly and Michael were having fun. But
Jason wanted to help Elizabeth but couldn"t. It was up to him to fix
this. "Boss, Mr. And Mrs. Webber are here to see you." "Let them in
Francis." Francis stepped a side to let them enter the penthouse. "Mr.
And Mrs. Webber, I am Sonny Corinthos." "We know who you are Mr.
Corinthos, my questions is why have you called us here." Caroline asked
as step towards Sonny and let go of her husband"s hand. "Well, Mrs.
Webber, I have called you here to talk about your daughter Elizabeth."
Just as he finish Francis walked in and handed Sonny a file from Benny.
This time it was Jeff who moved forward. "What has the little brat done
this time?" Francis was about to leave but stopped and looked at Sonny.
Sonny nodded, Francis shut the door and walked back to Sonny"s side.
"Watch your month, Elizabeth is not a brat and you will not disrespect
her in my home like that. Do you under stand me?" Sonny was pissed.
These people where worst then the Quatermaine"s. "She is our daughter we
will talk about her if we please." "Your right. She is your daughter. By
blood alone. I know you have not been Elizabeth"s life for over 6 years.
So why now?" "That is none of your business." Caroline wanted to leave.
Sonny could tell Francis was making her nervous. Jeff was to busy
talking to Sonny to even notice. But Francis and Sonny both knew it.
"Yes, it is my business. Elizabeth is my business. She is my friend and
dating my best friend. Not to mention she lives in my building. But you
knew that. You had to. I mean when you send your daughter pictures you
had to know where she lives. Right?" Jeff and Caroline were in shock.
How did he know? Francis was pissed. How could Elizabeth"s parents hurt
her so much? "Well, tell you what. I want both of you to leave Elizabeth
alone. You two have not been in her life foe 6 years, and she has been
just fine." Sonny turned to Francis. "Hey, Francis you think she
wouldn"t even care if she never saw them again?" "Boss, I think your
right." "That won"t happen." Jeff moved forward and so did Francis.
Sonny put his hand on Francis arm and shook his head. Francis took a
step back but glared at Jeff. "I think it will. You may think you"re
powerful because you"re a doctor, but your not. I on the other hand am."
"We don"t care. You can"t keep us a way from our daughter. We will fight
you for her." With that they turned around and left. "Oh, this is going
to be fun." Francis couldn"t help but laugh at his boss. "Francis get
the car, we are going to GH. We have some doctors to pay off." That made
Francis laugh even herder. "Sure thing, boss." With that Francis and
Sonny left. ~*~*~ A month later. Jason watched from the patio as Michael
and Carly tried to build a sand castle. Jason had been spending more and
more time doing that. Carly was glad Jason was spending more time with
her and Michael then Elizabeth. Jason couldn"t help it. Elizabeth had
completely closed off. She loss had a lot of weight, hardly ate, and
didn"t talk to anyone. At first she would just talk to Jason. Nut after
the first week she wouldn"t talk to anyone. Elizabeth scratched all the
time. Every now and then Jason would see Elizabeth taking a walk down
the beach sometimes he would join her just to be near her. Jason hated
that she was in pain and there was nothing he cold do to help, mostly
because she wouldn"t let him in. Jason was pulled out of his thoughts
with the ringing of his phone. Jason jumped up, and ran inside to get
it. "Morgan" "Hey, it"s me. The Webber"s have left town. Never to
return." "What did you have to do?" "Nothing really. Just told them to
get lost. Did you know they tried to fight with me? They think they are
powerful because they are doctors. They soon learned other wise." "Did
anyone get hurt?" Jason could have sworn he heard Francis laughing in
the background. "No. You guys can come home now." "Carly and Michael
will be home tonight. Me and Elizabeth are staying here until she lets
me in." "She still not talking to anyone." "Yeah, is Robin leaving too?"
"No, she has a job at GH. Bye, and good luck with Elizabeth." "Thanks
bye." Jason hug up and went outside to talk to Carly. Jason told Carly
and Michael that they where going home. Michael couldn"t get to his room
fast enough. Michael was so happy to be going to see daddy. (IN MY STORY
MICHAEL ALWAYS CALLED SONNY, DADDY.) ~*~*~ Carly was happy to be going
home. She missed Sonny, and didn"t want to see the look on Jason face
everyday because Elizabeth was not talking to him. Carly wanted to help.
But she knew Elizabeth need time to be with just Jason. Even if she
hated it, all this time with Jason made her realize Jason loves her.
Carly also felt bad for Elizabeth. She had a family worst then the
Quatermaine"s. Carly even tried to talk to Elizabeth. But Elizabeth told
her she just wanted to be alone. The thing that hurt Carly more was that
is was nice about. Carly knew that when Elizabeth was being nice to her.
That she really was depressed. So Carly would live and try again in a
couple of days to talk to her some more. But it was the same over and
over again. ~*~*~ Michael got into the limo after saying goodbye to
Jason. Carly gave Jason a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Take care of her
so you guys can come home soon." Jason was shocked Carly wanted him to
spend time with Elizabeth. But he nodded any way without asking any more
questions about it. Carly got in the limo and they left. Now he was
alone with Elizabeth. ~*~*~ Elizabeth had come down and said goodbye to
Michael and Carly. Elizabeth even smiled a little when Michael talked
about how much he missed his daddy and was glad to go home. To hear
Michael talk about Sonny made her think about Jeff. Elizabeth wanted to
cry. But that was all she did anymore. Then she would ask to unanswered
question. WHY It always came back to why. Elizabeth would sit in her
room day after day and try and answer it. But she couldn"t and it made
her cry even more. Elizabeth was pulled out of her thoughts when Jason
knocked on the door then entered the room. Elizabeth was sitting in the
big bay window that the room had. Jason came up behind her and wrapped
his arms around her waist. She didn"t move back into his chest like she
did before. Just sat there. "Carly and Michael are gone. Dinner will be
ready in about half an hour." Elizabeth nodded. Then got up and walked
out side. Jason didn"t want to let go of her but he had no choice. Jason
went to the kitchen and made dinner. ~*~*~ Elizabeth came in just as
Jason was setting the table. Elizabeth and Jason had a normal dinner. No
one talked, just ate. After dinner Elizabeth helped Jason clean up then
went back to her room. Jason on the other hand went out for a swim.
~*~*~ A couple of hours later. Jason was sitting on the beach looking
out over the water. Elizabeth walked out with two beers in hand. She
handed one to Jason. "I thought you might want one." Elizabeth sat down
right in front of him. Jason with even thinking about it, pulled
Elizabeth back into his arms. There was something different about her.
This time she leaned back against him. "Yeah, thanks." They sat that way
for a long time. Elizabeth turned in his arms to look at him. Jason
could see she is ready to cry at any moment. "I"m sorry." "Elizabeth,
don"t-" Jason was stopped with Elizabeth month on his. Then she pulled
away. "Just let me finish." Jason nodded and she went on. "You bring me
out here, and get me away from my parents. And what do I do I shut you
out. I am sorry. I don"t mean to. I just needed time to get my life in
check." Elizabeth moved so her hands where on Jason"s neck and her head
was next to his ear. "My parents, the people who brought me into this
world, hurt me worst then ever before. I didn"t know what was going on
any more." Elizabeth began to cry. Jason just held her while she cried.
"GOD, I am sick of crying. I feel like that is all I have been doing
since we got here." "It"s okay. Tomorrow, I am taking you out."
Elizabeth looked up at him. "What?" "Tomorrow, I am taking you out.
Dinner and what ever else you want to do. We are going to have some
fun." Jason ran his hand up and down her back. "I would like that. I
think that is what I need." "Elizabeth, don"t shut me out anymore." "I
won"t. And I am so, so sorry." "I love you." "I love you too, Jason."
Jason leaned down and kissed her. He then got up with her in his arms.
And walked with her back to the house. Jason went into his bedroom, and
out her on the bed. Then got into bed with her. Jason wrapped his arms
around her. Elizabeth was so tied she was asleep in minutes. Jason
waited a while. He was so happy she was talking to him. Then joined her
in sleep. Chapter 12 ~ Conclusion The next day Elizabeth woke up in
Jason"s arms. Jason had been up for an hour just watching her sleep. He
wanted to get up for a swim. But he didn"t want to leave Elizabeth
either. So he stayed. When Jason saw Elizabeth open her eyes, he leaned
down and kissed her. "Good Morning." "Mmmm. Yes, it is a good morning."
Jason just laughed. Elizabeth got up. "I am going to take a shower. Then
we need to talk." Jason got up and kissed her. "Okay." "Don"t start
something you can"t finish." Elizabeth pulled away from Jason and left
the room. ~*~*~ When Elizabeth came into the kitchen Jason was sitting
at the table with a cup of coffee. Elizabeth pulled herself one then sat
down next to him. Jason leaned over and kissed her cheek while she was
drinking. "What did you want to talk about?" "Us." Jason was about to
open his month when his phone rings. "Sorry." Jason picks up the phone.
"Morgan" "Hey." "Carly why are you calling?" "I just wanted to see how
things are going." "No you want to know if Elizabeth has talked to me
yet. " Elizabeth looked up. Why would Carly care? "Okay, yes. I just
feel bad for her. You know her family. So I wanted to know if she was
talking." Jason looked at Elizabeth. "Yes, we were about to talk but
then my phone rang." "Oh, I"m sorry. At least you two where not making
up." "Carly we were never fighting." "Yeah, but I have a feeling you two
are going too." "Carly, one minute you don"t want Elizabeth around me
and now you want to know about our sex life." Elizabeth was just staring
at him. "Jason I never asked about your sex life." "Carly, I haven"t I
told you. You can never lie to me. You"re not very good at it." Now
Elizabeth was laughing. "Goodbye Carly." Before Carly could get anything
else out, he hung up on her and turned off his phone. "Was that really
Carly and was she really asking about our sex life?" "Yes, and Yes. Lets
take this talk out side." Jason said holding out his hand. "Okay."
Elizabeth said taking his hand. ~*~*~ Jason was sitting in the patio
chair with Elizabeth in his lap. "Now, what about us?" "I love you,
Jason. You know that. We had this conversion before at your penthouse.
When my studio first blow-up I was scared that it was your job. But when
we found out my parents where behind it. It scared me even more. The
thought that some one so close would hurt you like that." Elizabeth took
a long breath. "I just wanted you to know that is what I was thinking
about all month." "Elizabeth, I would never hurt you." "I know that. I
just.Lucky said he would never hurt me and he sleep with my sister.
Zander said he would never hurt me and he hit me. I"m just scared that
you even if you don"t want to hurt, that you will. I can"t help but
think of what might happen." "Honey, I know when it comes to guys you a
very afraid of getting hurt. But if you want this to work with us you
can"t think and live that way." Jason moved his hands on her neck that
way she would look up at him. "I want us to work, more then anything. I
mean I just got you. I don"t want to lose you." "Elizabeth, baby, you"re
not going to lose me." Jason looked in her eyes. "Wait, is this about
Robin." Elizabeth tried to hold back to tears. "I know she was your
first love." Jason got and put her in the chair then kneed down in front
of her. He then took her hands in his. "Robin taught me how to love, she
was like a first love. Just like Lucky. He was your first love. Well,
Robin was my first love." Elizabeth took Jason"s head in her hands and
pulled him up her a kiss. "I"m sorry. When Sarah said she was coming
back, and that my parents where going to use her to break us up. I
thought that was how you where going to hurt me." "Baby, I not going
back to her. Why would I go for her when I can have you?" Elizabeth
smiled at that. "Now, there is that smile I love so much." "I love you,
Jase." "I love you, too." Jason got up. He pulled Elizabeth up with him.
"Now, is that the end of all this talk?" "Yeah, I am going to get
dressed. Then can we go for a swim?" "Anything you want." Elizabeth
started to walk away. But was stopped by what Jason said next. "Go away
with me." Elizabeth turned around to have Jason holding out his hand.
"Jason, honey, we are away." "No, I mean Italy, Egypt, me and you."
Elizabeth smiled at him. "Are you trying to give me the world again?"
Jason waited a minute. "Yes." "Then how could I say no. Yes Jason I will
go anywhere with you." Elizabeth threw herself into his arms. And they
kissed. THE END!!!!!!!!
- >-
PERSON is an inappropriate lead for a musical . Not so much because he
can't sing very well ( although he NORP sing as well as the genre
requires ) , but mostly because he is too closely identified , at least
in our minds , with his " tougher " roles , and we just can't take him
very seriously when he suddenly starts singing . PERSON isn't a very
accomplished singer , either . And the CARDINAL miscast leads aren't the
only problems of this musical-Western . It's also pointless , slow and
plodding . Its only strong redeeming quality , which keeps it bearable ,
is the lovely presence of GPE . She gives the best , the most likable
performance in the film , providing a center of strength and dignity .
If she wasn't around , this movie would be nearly unwatchable . As for
the songs , there are lively ones ( like the title song ) and there are
boring ones ( like " WORK_OF_ART " ) .
- ' Stress! Yeah, that''s what I said, Stress! . DATE of classes plus CARDINAL finals, boom done. Yet, it all seems so impossibly far away. *sigh* '
- source_sentence: ' and sorry about the hard drive....let me know if I need to email you anything... '
sentences:
- ' I missed the urlLink FAC awards the other night. They looked pretty cool but I had much better things to be doing :-) But now I am bored yet busy at work. Hmmm.................. '
- ' I found this little trick on the urlLink Little Gamers'' news post and indeed was on the floor laughing like a madman. Go to urlLink Google and type in Miserable Failure and hit I''m feeling lucky. It''s so deserving. I am sorry Summer for posting this, but its so funny! Nothing against GPE or its people... okay I lied as long as they produce this...sigh. '
- >-
Viktor looked at him, surprised. "Vhat you mean? Ve are on train."
Mordecai glared daggers at him. "You know very well what I mean, Viktor.
I"ve had quite enough of this nonsense." He sounded bitter, hopeful, and
nervous all at once. Viktor leaned forward and rested his elbows on his
knees, looking out the window. He let Mordecai sit there for a moment,
simmering in his own increasing frustration. "Nonsense, yeah?" "Yeah."
Mordecai mocked, agitated. Viktor looked back to him, thinking. There
was a light in his eye that unsettled Mordecai. What have I just-
Viktor"s hand shot out, grabbing Mordecai"s tie, and pulled him forward,
covering the young man"s mouth with his own. Mordecai hesitated but
quickly returned the offer of lips. Viktor kissed him repeatedly,
removing his hand from the tie and placing it firmly on the back of
Mordecai"s head, his other elbow still on his knee. It was not the most
comfortable or practical position to snog in, but neither man cared at
that moment. It had finally happened. 1927. He reached for his gun and
turned around only to see Viktor standing there with a wrench in hand.
"I vas vorking. Need light on." he said, turning to go back to one of
the trucks that seemed to always need maintenance of some sort. Mordecai
straightened up and cleared his throat, following the larger man to said
vehicle. He wasn"t sure why he was doing it yet, but was sure he could
come up with some reason- if not an excuse. He stood nearby, taking his
glasses off and cleaning them. Viktor had realized years earlier it was
a kind of nervous habit Mordecai had, though he didn"t think Mordecai
knew it himself. It was strange to know someone so well that had been so
alienated. Though Viktor hadn"t had a decent conversation with him for
what seemed like a lifetime, he knew the man well enough he could
probably have told you what he ate for breakfast that morning. Mordecai
put his glasses back on. "So... You heard our conversation?" "Yeah."
Viktor responded, looking at the engine before him in bewilderment.
"Jebem tá." he said, defeated, closing the hood. Mordecai looked his
ex-partner over as Viktor reached into a pocket and produced a small
flask, taking a drink of the liquid within and making a face that looked
like he wished he hadn"t before capping it again. He looked to Mordecai
and offered it to him. Mordecai made a foul face and shook his head.
Viktor smiled, remembering what an intoxicated Mordecai Heller looked
like. Viktor sighed and Mordecai shoved his hands in his pockets and
they both began to speak at once. "Look, Viktor-" "Vhat happened-" They
simultaneously cleared their throats, looking at anything but each
other. "How"s your...?" Viktor pointed to his own side, indicating he
was trying to ask how Mordecai was healing. "Oh!" Mordecai started, "I"m
quite well now, thank you." He said, rubbing the spot that was scarring
nicely underneath his clothing. The silence crept up on them again and
awkwardly, almost unintentionally, they started looking one another
over, as if to see if the other had changed since their last encounter.
The air was curiously warm for late November, Mordecai noted in the back
of his head. It was then that he also took note of Viktor"s simple
cotton shirt which lay tight across his chest, and his trademark
suspenders that outlined the firm muscle under it. He watched that
large, expansive chest rise with each intake of air, and fall with every
exhale. Likewise, Viktor studied his face, or, more specifically, his
lips. They had always been one of Mordecai"s most exceptional features.
They were not large, but not thin, and had a slight but masculine
plumpness that was rarely seen. And God, did he know how to use them.
With that thought, Viktor pulled his eyes off of the younger man,
somewhat embarrassed. "You, eh, vant to sit?" Mordecai was equally
embarrassed and looked away quickly. "Where?" he said, suddenly looking
around, far too interested in where this seat might be. Viktor went
around the truck, past Mordecai, and opened the door, offering the truck
seat to the younger. Mordecai thought for a moment that he shouldn"t,
but the concept fizzled away as he walked around Viktor and sat inside,
nodding his appreciation. His eyes didn"t leave the older man as Viktor
went back around and sat in the driver"s seat, hoisting himself in.
Mordecai thought this was an all-too-familiar thing for them, this whole
front seat business. Not that they should be in the back seat, of
course! He thought quickly before mentally slapping himself, the
implications too much for him at the moment. It was quiet again as they
sat next to each other, only about 2 feet of empty seat between them.
Viktor took another swig from his flask and made another face, though it
was less appalled this time. He took a deep, calming breath, determined
to talk to Mordecai like an adult who could handle a proper conversation
with another adult. To talk to him like an old friend, and not something
more awkward or difficult. It would make it easier to handle a
discussion. If they ever started having it. Mordecai cleared his throat
yet again, another nervous habit, "What... were you going to say,
earlier?" Viktor thought for a moment and remembered, glad not that he
had not gotten to say it. "Is nothing." He heard Mordecai let out an
agitated sigh and decided that asking the silly question was better than
sitting in awkward silence again. "Vhat happened... Back then? Vhy did
you leave?" Mordecai was relieved that the question didn"t turn out the
way he had anticipated, but this one angered him somewhat. "Don"t start
that, now, you know very well why I left." Viktor looked at him
seriously. "No. I don"t. I haf no idea vhy, vhen ve needed you here
most, you just leaf!" "I didn"t just leave, Viktor." "Ah, yeah. I
forget. You shoot me, then you leaf!" He shouted, his face growing more
accusing. Mordecai wondered briefly if Mitzi knew Viktor was back here
and wanted the two of them to talk. He pushed it aside. It didn"t matter
anyway. "I did what I had to! You could have come, but you chose to
stay." "Yes, and you choose to leaf." "I didn"t choose! Mitzi sent me to
work for Asa, remember?" "... No." "Yes! And then Asa asked you to come
with us, and you refused. We had a chance to... To work together and you
turned it down." Viktor sat thinking about this for a moment. He hadn"t
known that Mitzi sent him. He realized many things. One being that
Mordecai wanted to be with him, and he was assuming when he said "work
together" that wasn"t exactly what he meant. Another being that Mordecai
evidently had not gone because he wanted to. And last, that Asa had lied
to Mordecai. "Asa nefer came to me. Ve never talk. He doesn"t, eh, vell,
ve haf nefer like each other much." Mordecai looked confused and
conflicted. "No. No, he told me that he asked you to come with us and
that you refused." Mordecai looked at Viktor, desperate for
confirmation, but Viktor could only offer a sorry stare in return.
Mordecai looked away, realizing he"d been played. "Why would they... did
they... Did they do it on purpose?" He was not used to being out of the
know, and detested the feeling of confusion. Viktor thought about this
as well. Did they know? Even if they did, why would they tear the two
apart? A better question was, "Then... Still, vhy did you shoot me?"
Mordecai looked at him with a start and felt slightly embarrassed.
"Well... I was angry. And... If you weren"t with us, you"d be against
us. I thought it best, in my disapprobation, that you cease such work
lest I be given orders to do something that would not be in your best
interests as a consequence of your employment." Viktor understood. It
was a complicated way of saying, You pissed me off but I still cared
enough to shoot you so I wouldn"t have to do worse later. "Not that it
had any apparent effect, seeing as you"re still here." Mordecai scoffed.
Viktor sighed. He knew there was no use arguing any of this. It was a
matter that was two years old and could not be reversed now. But at
least they had talked and learned the truth. He looked over at Mordecai,
defeated. "I"m... Sorry." "What? Why?" "I don"t know... I"m sorry that
things turn out this vay." It was Mordecai"s turn to sigh. "Yeah. Me
too... Especially about... You know..." Mordecai made a "gun" with his
hand and pretended to shoot Viktor"s knee. Viktor chuckled and rubbed at
the knee of his stretched-out leg, then lay his head back on the seat
and turned is tired gaze to Mordecai, who looked equally tired and even
more sorry, almost as if he would cry. But Mordecai Heller didn"t cry.
Ever. They were content to just sit there looking at each other a while,
as if they were sending I"m sorries back and forth telepathically.
Viktor felt something warm brush against his hand that was lying on the
seat between them. He recognized it immediately and took hold of it,
squeezing. The other did the same. It was much later that the two parted
ways. They had caught up, talked about important things, regrets, plans,
Viktor"s extensive injuries and how they were taking their toll on him.
And trivial things as well. They mentioned the past a couple of times,
but it seemed like that only lead back to the subject of regret, which
was not something either were fond of talking about. Their long
conversation was filled with occasional hand contact and fleeting I
missed this looks. They did not mention whatever it was that was between
them, their romance, as the sentimental might call it. But it did not
need mention to be rekindled that night, though both were loath to admit
it or even acknowledge it. When it came time for Mordecai to leave, it
was because the sun was in the sky and he desperately needed sleep. They
stood at the door that lead out, where Viktor had caught Mordecai the
night before. They weren"t sure how to say "Good bye" now. Gathering his
courage, Viktor put a hand on Mordecai"s shoulder and placed a chaste
kiss on his temple. Putting the sides of their heads together he still
refused to say goodbye. "I vill see you soon, yeah?" his voice was soft
and low and pleasing so close to Mordecai"s ear. The younger nodded,
briefly grabbing Viktor"s arm in a reassuring manner before pulling away
gently and slipping out the door, looking in all directions as he slunk
away. Viktor did not feel so lonely knowing that there was still someone
who cared. As a matter of fact, he felt better than he had in two years.
Just so we"re clear. . . They didn"t have sex. They didn"t even kiss. I
just don"t want to give anyone the wrong idea there with that ending.
Tell me how I"m doing Please! It motivates me ;] Short, short short,
short short! I"m so sorry this chapter is tiny. I"ve been having trouble
writing. Just hang in there until I figure out what to do next. I had a
plan coming into this story, and I was sticking to it. But now I don"t
know what to do! I hope everyone can forgive me for this pathetic excuse
for a chapter. -Daft It"s not that Mordecai didn"t like Viktor. He just
didn"t like the conflicting feelings the man caused within him. He
sighed for the umpteenth time that afternoon. It was not something he
would normally do, but on this particular afternoon his mind was plagued
with memories. He didn"t feel much like reading. Or doing a crossword.
Or any of the other boring things he usually did in his time off.
Inevitably, this left him with too much time to just sit around and
think. And to make things worse, he just simply could not get
comfortable. The early December air outside was too cold for a walk, and
the fire inside was making the house too hot. No clothing he owned felt
comfortable on him, the scar on his side was itchy, and his hair refused
to stay back and instead kept falling in his face. All together, he was
half naked, hot, itchy, bored, and incredibly irritated. The raven
haired man took a deep, calming breath, and decided that he would clean.
Cleaning always helped take his mind off things, and he hadn"t done it
in a while, anyway. Sufficiently relaxed, pushing the hair from his face
again and straightening his glasses, he made his way to his small bed
room and set about changing his bed linens. Viktor felt great. He sat
cleaning guns for Mitzi- just one of the many tasks she always found for
him to do before they opened up in the evenings- and smiling to himself.
Well, he was trying not to. Every time he realized he was making a
ridiculous expression he quickly wiped it from his features, but,
inevitably, it returned soon after. Stupid, lop-sided grin on his face
once again, he was startled when he heard a feminine clearing of the
throat. He hid the expression away and looked up to see Mitzi in the
doorway. She wore her usual half-concerned, half-apathetic expression
but regarded him with raised brows. "How did it go?" Viktor furrowed his
brow and turned his attention back to cleaning the pistol in his hand.
"Haow did vhat go?" He only hoped she wasn"t talking about what he
thought she was talking about. "Well... Did you talk to him?" Of course.
Mitzi leaned against the wall with her hands behind her back. Why did
she have to look so innocent and nice and have such a sweet voice?
Viktor would have been able to lie to anyone else. He sighed, not
bothering to play dumb. "Yeah. Ve talk." "Yeah? How was it?" She sounded
a little excited, and offered a little smile when he looked up at her.
He tried to look mean and scary but she wasn"t falling for it. He nearly
sighed again but he stifled it. "Vas okay. Not much to talk about."
Okay, so he could lie a little. Mitzi gave him an expression of doubt
and he only shrugged in response, turning once again back to the gun.
"You two were such good friends... I felt terrible when he left." She
looked down at the floor, sadness covering her features. "Is because it
vas your fault?" He glared at her this time, determined to make her feel
bad. She sent him a sorry glance before looking down again. "I had to. I
needed someone I could trust on Asa"s side. Not that I trust Mordecai,
really, but he was my best option at the time. I know you were friends
with him, but please understand. I didn"t have much of a choice. I still
don"t." Viktor could no longer concentrate on cleaning the weapon. He
sighed and ran a hand over his face. It was that word. Friends. Mitzi
looked him over, noting his apparent distress. "Are you okay, dear?" She
moved over to where he was sitting and took a seat next to him, laying a
small hand gently on his huge arm. He looked at her. Tired, sad, hurt,
and implying. He wanted her to know that there was more between Mordecai
and himself but didn"t want to say it aloud. He hoped she would guess.
But she didn"t assume anything. Viktor was torn between disappointed
because he couldn"t tell her of the true nature of their relationship,
and relieved because he wasn"t sure he was ready for anyone to know. He
just nodded at her and regarded the gun again. Mitzi pat him on the
shoulder and started out the door she had come in. She turned to him
before walking out. "I really am sorry Viktor. I know he means a lot to
you." And then she was gone. Leaving Viktor to decide what she meant by
that. Well, there it is. Let"s just call this... half a chapter? . . . A
filler? . . . A small update? . . . Proof I"m still alive? I"ll have
more soon! Really! Hey! I wrote something! Sorry if it"s a little
boring, but the faster we get through the boring, the faster we get to
the not-so-boring ;] I just hope there are still people reading this..
-Daft Serafine stepped into the small office with Nico entering just
behind her. Asa looked up at them from his paper apathetically, raising
his brow slightly. "How"d it go? We get a big haul?" "Eh, yeah, Boss,
but..." "Mitzi"s bois, dey di"nt show up." Asa looked from Serafine to
Nico, thinking. "Are you sure? She had to have known... That shipment
was supposed to be huge!" Serafine shrugged, "Maybe she din" wanna risk
it?" Asa returned to his paper, a bit disappointed at the missed
opportunity to cause some more damage to the Lackadaisy establishment.
If his plan had worked out, they would have fallen for good and Mitzi
would surely have had to finally step down. "Ah, well... Always next
time. She"s bound ta slip up sooner or later." Asa looked up, confused
for a moment, and looked behind him. "Hey, you two seen Spooky around?"
The siblings shrugged and shook their heads "Not sin" las" night, he was
dere when we go to collect, but he din" stay long." Asa nodded, "Well if
ya see "im, send "im in" and shooed them out of the office. Ten minutes
later, Mordecai entered, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Hey,
Happy, where you been?" Asa beamed. "I just arrived. As to where I was,
that is none of your concern. You wanted to see me?" He stood in front
of the desk, hands behind his back, waiting for a response. Asa looked
him up and down. "You been gone a lot lately, eh?" Mordecai looked on at
him, raising a brow, silently asking for Asa to reach his point. "I been
thinkin"... You left in a hurry the other night. And then, yesterday,
them Lackadaisy boys didn"t show up. Now, with you gone so much, and
that little coincidence, you might just have some people thinkin" that
you"re helpin" out our competing establishment. But you wouldn"t do
that, would you?" Asa gave him one of his deceptively friendly smiles,
waiting for an answer. "Of course not. That insane woman and her
ludicrous group of questionable individuals she calls employees doesn"t
deserve assistance. We both know she"s barely holding onto her
resources, she should fall any day at this point." Mordecai responded,
keeping his cool. He was however, very disturbed that Asa had been able
to come up with such a deduction, considering he wasn"t the sharpest
tool in the shed. Asa nodded and grinned. "That"s what I thought. Just
makin" sure. But, while we"re talkin" bout it, as your boss, I feel I am
entitled to ask exactly where you have been Mr. Heller... Would you care
to inform me?" He folded his hands and leaned forward with his elbows on
the desk, watching Mordecai and waiting for a response. Mordecai
twitched. He hated it when Asa tried to sound smart. He had always
thought the man was a complete idiot. "Again, you may be my employer,
but where I am outside of this establishment and it"s activities is none
of your business." Asa"s smile dropped and he looked hard at the young
man in front of him. "Fine. I have some errands for you to run for me."
Asa knew that Mordecai hated running errands, but if this was all the
punishment he had to face, he wouldn"t argue. As far as Mordecai knew,
Asa was prepared to let the issue drop if he did a couple miniscule
tasks for him, and that was enough. It took Mordecai approximately 12
minutes to realize that the Savoy siblings were following him around
town. He rolled his eyes. Idiots. All of them. As if he would be foolish
enough to do anything suspicious right after speaking with Asa about his
recurring absences. The worst part was that now he wanted to prove Asa
right. He wanted to throw his job out the window. He wanted to waltz
into the Little Daisy and chat up Mitzi just for a bit of fun. Then he
wanted to return to Asa and throw him out a window. If he could find one
the man would fit through. He ignored the siblings" terrible job at
trailing him and continued around town, doing this ridiculous job for
his ridiculous boss, talking to ridiculous people about ridiculous
things that Asa thought would help his ridiculous business. Why he would
send Mordecai was anyone"s guess. Mordecai was not a people-person. Or a
negotiator. He just shot things and stole things and any and all
negotiating he did was with his pistol to someone"s head. He was not a
talker. He was a thinker. And a do-er. But he kept himself in check for
today, to satisfy Asa, and powered through it. Rocky and Calvin followed
Viktor down the dry bank of the river, once again on their way to
collect what little they got weekly from the faithful and apathetic
Captain Kehoe. Viktor"s mind had been on Mordecai almost constantly but
an hour with Rocky was enough to kill a couple braincells and numb
anyone"s mind to the point of barely having coherent thoughts. "And by
the way, do you still think I"m like spaghetti noodles? Because I think
I"ve really been bulking up I mean, don"t get me wrong- I agree with you
about me before- but now, I mean look at this improvement!" Rocky said
in one breath, flexing his thin noodle-arms for emphasis. Viktor turned
around and glared at him. "You. You alvays are talking! Vhy can you not
be more like smaller one and stop with all these noise coming out of
your face!" Viktor huffed and stared at Rocky, who still had his arms
flexed. "... But I have gotten bigger, right?!" He asked, grinning.
Viktor rolled his eye and turned around again, heading toward the boat.
Rocky turned to Freckle, who looked a little worried, and flexed at him
this time, wiggling his brows. Freckle shook his head and followed
Viktor. The stop didn"t take long and they got more liquor out of the
deal than they normally did for their weekly visit, which was a good
thing after the recent losses. Viktor was satisfied with the haul and
was in a better mood, if only for a little while.
SentenceTransformer
This is a sentence-transformers model trained. It maps sentences & paragraphs to a 256-dimensional dense vector space and can be used for semantic textual similarity, semantic search, paraphrase mining, text classification, clustering, and more.
Model Details
Model Description
- Model Type: Sentence Transformer
- Maximum Sequence Length: 512 tokens
- Output Dimensionality: 256 tokens
- Similarity Function: Cosine Similarity
Model Sources
- Documentation: Sentence Transformers Documentation
- Repository: Sentence Transformers on GitHub
- Hugging Face: Sentence Transformers on Hugging Face
Full Model Architecture
SentenceTransformer(
(0): Transformer({'max_seq_length': 512, 'do_lower_case': False}) with Transformer model: BertModel
(1): Pooling({'word_embedding_dimension': 768, 'pooling_mode_cls_token': True, 'pooling_mode_mean_tokens': True, 'pooling_mode_max_tokens': True, 'pooling_mode_mean_sqrt_len_tokens': False, 'pooling_mode_weightedmean_tokens': False, 'pooling_mode_lasttoken': False, 'include_prompt': True})
(2): Dense({'in_features': 2304, 'out_features': 256, 'bias': True, 'activation_function': 'torch.nn.modules.activation.ReLU'})
)
Usage
Direct Usage (Sentence Transformers)
First install the Sentence Transformers library:
pip install -U sentence-transformers
Then you can load this model and run inference.
from sentence_transformers import SentenceTransformer
# Download from the 🤗 Hub
model = SentenceTransformer("sentence_transformers_model_id")
# Run inference
sentences = [
' and sorry about the hard drive....let me know if I need to email you anything... ',
' I missed the urlLink FAC awards the other night. They looked pretty cool but I had much better things to be doing :-) But now I am bored yet busy at work. Hmmm.................. ',
" I found this little trick on the urlLink Little Gamers' news post and indeed was on the floor laughing like a madman. Go to urlLink Google and type in Miserable Failure and hit I'm feeling lucky. It's so deserving. I am sorry Summer for posting this, but its so funny! Nothing against GPE or its people... okay I lied as long as they produce this...sigh. ",
]
embeddings = model.encode(sentences)
print(embeddings.shape)
# [3, 256]
# Get the similarity scores for the embeddings
similarities = model.similarity(embeddings, embeddings)
print(similarities.shape)
# [3, 3]
Training Details
Training Dataset
Unnamed Dataset
- Size: 325 training samples
- Columns:
sentence_0,sentence_1, andlabel - Approximate statistics based on the first 1000 samples:
sentence_0 sentence_1 label type string string int details - min: 12 tokens
- mean: 458.43 tokens
- max: 512 tokens
- min: 7 tokens
- mean: 466.12 tokens
- max: 512 tokens
- 0: ~47.38%
- 1: ~52.62%
- Samples:
sentence_0 sentence_1 label It was as if the world he lived in had ceased to exist. And he finally, finally had to admit to himself why the thought of not seeing her everyday in school caused a sharp pain near the region of his heart. "Would you like something to drink?" Minoru"s voice interrupted his thoughts. Jerked out of his reverie, he looked at the inquiring faces before him as the words finally sunk in. "Oh yes," he bowed affirmatively from his kneeling position on the table. He smiled appreciatively as they brought the sake bottle to the table. "How time does fly," a voice to his side commented. Recognizing the voice, he stood up to face Yankumi"s grandfather in a formal bow. "Kuroda-san," he greeted. Ryuichiro Kuroda was just as he remembered. If he didn"t know any better, he would have said that the man hadn"t aged a day since he last saw him. "Shin," he greeted in return with a firm handshake. "Was it not only yesterday that you refused Wakamatsu"s gift of sake on the grounds that you were a minor?" Seeing those wise eyes looking gently at him, Shin basked in the feeling of welcome that was extended to him. As they all sat by the table, it was as if the last seven years never happened and he found himself enmeshed in discussion with the people he had considered his second family. How many times during those dinners in evenings long ago had he silently thanked Yankumi for including him in her family? "It was good of you to come," Kuroda told him. "I heard you were in town and wondered whether you would visit us here." "It would have been impossible for me not to," he replied honestly. "You have been my family when my own gave up on me." He looked at him and tried to convey the gratitude he felt over the years with his eyes. "That has not changed just because my own family and I have reconciled." He paused. "I am...sorry I was unable to visit the last time I was in the country," he said quietly. Kuroda peered at him through the rim of his sake cup. "It was a difficult time for you," he said slowly. "I remember Kumiko seemed very worried at that time, but we understood your need to most likely be alone. I was very sorry for your loss," he told him gravely. Shin inwardly winced. Yes, he remembered years ago when he came home for the death of his mother. While he hadn"t seen Yankumi"s family, he had seen his teacher. He cringed as he thought of his encounter with Yankumi the night of his mother"s funeral. "You must know, however, that you are always welcome in this house," Kuroda continued, as he raised his sake-filled cup up in a toast. After sipping the drink, he looked at him closely and asked, "How long will you be here this time?" "Actually," Shin began, a little distracted, "I believe I"m here for good this time." He heard the surprised sounds coming from Minoru and Tetsu. "It thought that it was time," he hurried to explain, "to come back home." But in front of him, he found Kuroda nodding at him slowly. "My reasons for going away," Like trying to get away from his father influence or being in love with someone who saw him as nothing more than a kid, "no longer existed." He and his father were certainly in better terms and Yankumi...well, he wasn"t in love with her anymore...right? "I see," stated Kuroda. "And what brings you here today, on your first day back?" he asked. "I thought I"d see...everyone...and catch up," he replied. "Kumiko should also be here soon," Kuroda declared knowingly. "She will be more than happy to see you." He looked at him closely. "She misses you, you know." Shin nodded, feeling warmth suffuse his cheeks as he silently cursed. What was the matter with him? Her grandfather makes an off hand comment and here he was acting like a schoolboy. "After a time," he continued on, "your letters had stopped coming and I believe she was saddened by that fact." Shin looked up in surprise. She was saddened by it? Wasn"t she the one who first stopped corresponding with him? Wasn"t she the one who stopped writing? When he thought of all those nights he laid in bed just thinking of the things he could have done or said or eventually written to make her write back to him, a familiar wave of frustration washed over him. "I know you had a falling out, the two of you," Kuroda stated while giving a pointed look to the other two men beside him. With that look, Shin heard Tetsu make a coughing sound before he and Minoru excused themselves from the table. Apprehensive, he met their encouraging eyes before he turned back to face Kuroda-san"s piercing ones. What had Yankumi told her grandfather? "She did not tell me what it was about," he continued, answering his unasked question. "And that is rare for her given our relationship. But I respect her privacy and yours. Your battles are your own in this situation." He took a deep breath. "But whatever it is you two have argued about, I am sure that it could be fixed. In your own ways, both of you care and respect one another. That is why you are here, and that is why Kumiko has-" "Tadaima!" He stiffened, hearing the all too familiar voice behind him. He closed his eyes before opening them slowly, as if to brace himself for the coming onslaught. "Where is everybody?" she called out. "Oi, Kumiko!" Kuroda greeted his grand-daughter after meeting his nervous eyes. "Oji-chan!" her voice floated over him. "Eh? Do we have a guest?" Her voice was closer now, in the same room even. He knew he should turn around and greet her. Knew he should have done it the second he heard her voice. But something inside him was paralyzed. Whether it stemmed from the beginning of her grandfather"s talk with him or whether it was the image of her with his own father, he couldn"t bring himself to face her right that second. "Yes, a surprise guest," replied Kuroda, looking at his expression curiously. "Come over here and welcome him." Hearing the shuffling of feet behind him, he willed his body to turn and look away from the inquiring gaze Kuroda-san was sending him. Lifting his eyes, he turned in time to see Yankumi do a double take and almost stumble through the rice-paper door that led to the room. "S-S-Sawada!" she stammered, her eyes wide like saucers and her mouth agape. He stood up, almost clumsily, and stared at the face that had haunted his thoughts and dreams in the past. He stared at the woman who was his teacher, the woman whom his father was supposedly seeing, the woman who helped bridge the abyss between him and his family. The woman whom he wasn"t in love with...at least, not anymore. He stared at her for what may be seconds but for what seemed like hours and knew that once again...once again he had lied to himself. As his heart raced the trip-hammer beat he was all too familiar with, he knew...that he had loved her all along. As always: like it? Hate it? Let me know! Author"s note: Thank you, THANK YOU for the favorable response to this story! Happy reading! Family Matters - A Gokusen Fanfiction ...I didn"t mean it that way. Maybe it came out all wrong. I never meant to imply that I distrusted you. After all that you had done for me...for my friends, my classmates, I admit that there is no one else I could rely on with more confidence. I would have thought that you understood this... From Shin Sawada written to his former teacher, Kumiko Yamaguchi, while muttering under his breath, "You would think she would know after I practically announced to everyone both at graduation and that time she was forced to resign that she was the one adult I did trust. Damn Yankumi"s as clueless as ever." Chapter Three: Confrontations "Yankumi," he said, in that stoic voice she knew so well. He could have been talking about the weather, for all the emotion contained in his tone. The way he sounded, it could have just as easily been one of those times when he said her name during their time as teacher and student. He said her name as if years and events didn"t separate them. It was almost anticlimactic in a way. When she entered her home that day, she had already been fighting a feeling of being out of sorts. She had been distracted that whole day in class. There was a nagging feeling that she couldn"t quite pinpoint and she had almost been glad when the last bell had rung. Even her students had given her inquiring looks all day as well as a wide berth. To their minds, a distracted Yankumi was far more prone to slip into her Yakuza skin and they were careful not to let that Yankumi out against them. This was why she had been more than a little apprehensive upon arriving at the unusually quiet house. While she understood that Wakamatsu was often busy with work, she had come to expect Tetsu or Minoru to greet her whenever she came home from school. Seeing her grandfather had relieved her mind. While she wasn"t the most superstitious person out there, she would have to admit that part of her had been afraid that her restlessness might have been due to a premonition of something bad happening to her family. Seeing her grandfather relieved her mind not only because it assured her that he was alright, but it also let her know that the rest of the family was alright. Otherwise, her grandfather wouldn"t have been sitting there calmly talking to... "Sawada," she said again, unable to help herself. Unable to believe what her eyes were telling her. Attempting to hold herself steady, she clutched the rice paper door before her and looked back and forth between her grandfather and her former...student. He was her student. "Shin arrived in Japan just this morning," her grandfather informed her helpfully as he stood up to give her a kiss of greeting on her cheek. His arms held her steady, something she was more than thankful for at that moment. "I"ll leave you two alone to catch up," he told her, as she met his kind and gentle eyes with her panic-stricken ones. "You don"t have to," she said hurriedly. "I"m sure Sawada would like to have all of us welcome him back to the country." She looked meaningfully at her student"s eyes. "He"s been gone for so long and-" "Kumiko," her grandfather interrupted, his voice low and somewhat reprimanding that she winced at the implied criticism. "I"ll go see what Minoru and Tetsu have in terms of plans for tonight"s dinner," he said, before giving her shoulders a firm squeeze and walking away. Leaving her alone. With Sawada. Her student. Feeling his pointed stare, she quickly straightened up and approached him as casually as she possibly could. "Sawada," she said again, meeting his eyes. He grinned at her. And it was that same rare grin she knew from long ago. The same grin she had worked hard at drawing out as his teacher. "Is that all you have to say after all these years?" he asked, almost nonchalantly, she would have said, were it not for the slight narrowing of his eyes. She hated this. If it had been any other student, she knew she would have flung herself at him in joy and given him the biggest hug a teacher could give to welcome him back home. She would have ruffled his hair and teased him about being late. She would have done something...something than just standing here and staring and being awkward. Because this wasn"t just any other student. This was the boy who kept her secret when she first started to teach. This was the boy who"s always meant just a little bit more to her and her family during that year at Shirokin. He"s your student, she reminded herself, as she pasted a smile at her face. Maybe, maybe the thing to do would be to treat him as she would any other student. Because at this point, she was at a loss. Slowly, awkwardly, she stepped forward and wrapped him in her arms as she attempted to ruffle his hair. He"d grown even taller, she thought, feeling his unresponsive body beneath her arms. "Welcome back, Sawada," she said softly, before she felt herself pushed away firmly by two strong hands. "It won"t work," he said steadily as he set her before him. Looking up at him, she stared at the brooding eyes of old and asked innocently, "What do you mean?" He let go of her arms, as if burned, before stepping back and watching her intently. "You know what I meant," he stated. He smiled ruefully. "Although it"s just like you to pretend otherwise." Giving him an indignant look, she stepped away and looked at him in askance. "I don"t know what you mean," she reiterated slowly, lying through her teeth. What else did one say in this situation? She gestured towards the table to invite him to sit down. Looking up at him from her height left her feeling at a disadvantage at this stage. He gave a deep, exasperated sigh before following up on her prompt. She grinned. That sigh reminded her so much of the Sawada she knew way back then. She would recognize the mannerism anywhere. Situating herself across him, she offered to top off his cup before pouring some of her own. "So," she began, wracking her brains for something intelligent to say. "How"ve you been?" She winced at the inanity of her words. From the look she received, she could tell that he seemed to be admirably restraining himself from saying something else rather than the short, "I"ve been alright." She nodded. "Things have been alright around here too," she told him. She grinned. "Can you believe that Uchiyama is now your brother-in-law?" she asked teasingly. "I bet you didn"t see that one coming. Natsumi-chan was very disappointed that you didn"t make it to the wedding last year, but I"m sure you"ve made it up to her." She tucked an imaginary strand of her hair behind her ear. "You must have seen her already. Isn"t she great? She"s been doing really well with the pregnancy-" "Stop it," he muttered lowly, his lips hovering just above the sake cup as he peered at her from above its rim. "I told you before it won"t work." He placed his cup gently down the table and looked at her steadily. "I didn"t come here for small talk." The hell? Then why did he come here? Surely it wasn"t to- "Then why have you come here?" she asked, her voice bordering on frustration. Without any sort of warning? At least, if she had known he was coming, she could have mentally prepared herself. She could have had a speech ready to deliver. Because while she knew perfectly well how to greet a former student, or an old friend, she was a little out of her depth on how to greet an old...she paused. She couldn"t quite make herself complete the thought. He gave a mirthless laugh. Somehow, in all his dreams of this moment, in all the fantasies he"d had regarding coming back here and facing her, he had never imagined her looking quite so lost. He"d imagined her surprised and he"d imagined her angry. In his most optimistic and idealistic moments, he"d even imagined her happy to see him. After all, to him, it had been a given that he would come back. Eventually. He had meant to come back sooner. When he left the day after his mother"s funeral, he"d had every intention of coming back as soon as he possibly could. He had committed himself to two more months in the current volunteer program he had been working with. If he remembered correctly, he had been helping teach English to a group of young adults in a small South American village. As strange as it seemed, he had found himself slipping comfortably in the skin of an instructor. He had found himself enjoying his students who, granted, were not quite the delinquents that class 3-D was in his days. And so he went back to teach, fully intending to return to Japan as soon as the school year ended. Except he didn"t. He didn"t come back that summer, or the summer after that, or the summer following. And now, over three years later, he stared at the woman who was in part responsible for keeping him away. "I thought it would be best if we cleared the air," he replied somberly. "From what I hear, we were bound to see each other sooner or later." He noted her flushed cheeks. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her eyes looking at him intently. "Yes, Natsumi-chan and I have become good friends over the years," she said carefully. "I"m surprised that she...she never mentioned you were coming home," she trailed off. He smiled bitterly. Did she mean to hide it from him, her relationship with his father? He saw the careful way she watched his eyes and gauged his responses. Was she waiting for some sort of acknowledgment from him before broaching the subject? Could she even be...waiting for his approval? He shuddered. "That"s because she didn"t know about it until today," he replied abruptly. "It was...a surprise." "Oh, it"s a surprise alright," he could hear her mutter beneath her breath before she gave him a wide smile. "I bet she was ecstatic! She misses you, you know. I know she"s told me several times that she was hoping you would be home when she delivered the baby." She paused for breath. "Speaking of which, how long do you plan on being here this time?" he heard the uncertainty in her voice. "Actually," he began, making note to watch her reaction, "I"ve come home to stay." "Heh?" "I"ve come home to stay this time," he reiterated as he observed her eyes widen like saucers. "You mean forever?" she asked blankly. He gave a bitter laugh. "I"m not sure about forever, but definitely longer than a couple of days," he replied, aware of her growing agitation. Was she nervous about him being in town? Was she afraid that he might have some objections over her relationship with his father? He grimaced at the acrid taste that thought brought to his mouth. "That...that"s...that"s great, Sawada," she finally said softly. "I"m glad." And for a moment, he let himself imagine that she really meant it. If it wasn"t for the growing uneasiness he could see in her eyes, he might have actually been able to convince himself of it. "I...I mean...Natsumi-chan must be over the moon!" she said somewhat awkwardly. "She"s always complained about you living so far away. At one point she could barely keep up with the rate of your change of addresses!" "Did you have that problem?" he asked abruptly, right before he silently reprimanded himself for being a masochist. He promised himself that he was not going to ask that particular question. After all, her silence all these years should have been answer enough. His mouth, however, seemed to have run away from him and had different agenda for this meeting. "Heh?" she asked, her eyes looking guilty. "What problem?" "Forget it," he muttered tersely, his pride momentarily overriding his need for answers. He looked away. Maybe he shouldn"t have come here. At least not yet. Not this soon. Especially after talking to Natsumi. He stared at his sake. He felt like slamming his head against a brick wall. What the hell was he doing? Didn"t he come here to settle matters? Instead here he was at a loss for the words that would bring it all about in the open. Didn"t he come here to find out from the horse"s mouth, so to speak, if Natsumi"s speculations were true? Instead, here he was afraid to ask the question for fear of the answer. And last but not the least, didn"t he come here, fully intending to be able to look at her in the face and know, know, that his feelings for her were long dead? Instead, one look at her face was enough to leave him feeling like a school boy once more. This was pathetic. He was an adult. And so were Yankumi and his father. If there was something there (and Natsumi seemed certain that there was!), then he couldn"t...just couldn"t... concern himself with it. At least not until he figured himself out. Not until he"d figured her out. He needed answers and the person to give it to him was sitting right in front of him. "Sawada," she said interrupting his thoughts. He looked up at her, meeting her earnest gaze. "I thought we"d established a long time ago that it"s "Shin,'" he told her. She blushed, averting her eyes and ending up looking down at the table. He watched as she worried her bottom lip. "You do remember, don"t you?" he said almost tauntingly. He didn"t know why he was doing this. Something inside him just needed to push and prod at her. "Sawada," she said again, more forcefully this time. He gritted his teeth. Was she going to deny it? Pretend that nothing happened? "Kumiko," he returned deliberately. He watched her mouth open, then close, and open again then close. He could almost be proud of himself. He might just have rendered her speechless. Frustrated at his lack of progress, he stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. While he didn"t think this would be easy, he didn"t think it was going to be like pulling teeth. He had expected her to have a lot to say. If anyone had anything to say, it had to be her. After all, hadn"t he said his piece years ago? While she...she responded in silence. He"d accepted that response then. He"d been stupid to do so, but there it was. Now, however, no oceans or continents or outdated forms of communication separated them. He could demand the answers he sought. And this time, this time around, he wouldn"t accept anything less. "Yankumi," he finally said, using the name she was used to, the name she no doubt preferred coming from him. "What the hell happened?" More author"s note: as always, I love hearing from people who"ve read and liked my story as well as people who are kind enough to constructively criticize.will always prevent her from what she sees as damaging her pride even more. "I need to talk to her," he said desperately. Hadji had looked at him with understanding while Jonny had just stared at him "We do not know if she has been out yet," said Hadji. "It is perhaps better to wait for her to come to us." He looked at them and decided he was going to look for Jessie himself. He got as far as the principal"s door when the secretary stopped him. He would have camped outside the door, but he was asked very politely to leave. When he refused, the secretary demanded that he does leave. They had called her father apparently and he and Dr. Quest were on their way. He left the office frustrated. The sight of the police entering and leaving did not in any way give him a feeling of relief. He wanted to see Jessie and he wanted to see her NOW! As it turned out, he wasn"t able to see her until his track practice. She had come up to him on the field. "I heard you wanted to talk to me," she said. "Yeah," he replied. He tucked a few tendrils of her hair behind her ear. "I"ll wait for you at Jenner"s classroom, okay?" she asked. "I have to take a make-up quiz from him anyway so I"ll wait for you in there when I"m done." He kissed her forehead and nodded. She blushed and looked at his teammates, who were doing everything they can to look as if they weren"t paying attention to what was going on. "Well," she said, "I better go. I wouldn"t want to get you in trouble with your coach." She kissed him on his cheek and of she went. Then she turned back. "Can you take me home today?" she asked. "I wouldn"t want to hold Jonny and Hadji up." He smiled. "Sure," he replied. She was about to leave when he said, "Jessie." She turned back to him inquiringly. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. She glanced behind him and again saw his teammates with their coach this time. She looked at him and said, "Ofcourse," while her eyes said something different. "I"ll see you later," she said and left. He stared after her and went back to practice while his thoughts stayed with her. Track practice had eventually ended and he jogged over at the school building anxious to see Jessie. He found her sitting in Mr. Jenner"s classroom, looking at the scene from the window. He stared at her for a few minutes wondering how he could come to care for someone so quickly. He guessed he must have made a noise because she turned to him and smiled. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked. "Long enough," he said as he walked towards her. She stood up and walked over to the window. She stared at the scene again. He followed and stood behind her. He put his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on top of her head. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly. She was silent. They stood like that for a long time when he finally said, "Do you have any idea what I felt when I found out about it?" Still silence. "I felt so helpless," he continued softly, "and frustrated. I tried to find you to talk to you, but something always seemed to prevent me. I thought I was going mad until I saw you walk towards me on that field today. Then I just wanted to run to you and pull you to me and make sure you were okay." "I"m fine," she said quietly, "as you can see for yourself." They stood silently again. "I didn"t break down or anything," said Jessie. He held her tighter. "I even went back to school after all of them talked to me about it." He rubbed one of her shoulders. "I threw up in the bathroom though," she said matter-of-factly. He smiled at her tone. She sounded almost like a little girl. "I couldn"t help it," she said softly. He turned her to face him and lifted her chin so that he could look at her eyes. "Did I mention that I had a cat when I was young?" she asked him. He shook his head. "She was a kitten really," she continued. "She was so cute and tiny. We had to give her away when I had to go travel around the world with mom." He held her eyes. "I"ve always loved cats," she said softly. He felt his heart ache. "When I saw that . . . when I opened my locker and saw . . ." She leaned against his shoulders. "At first I thought it was my cat," she said. "I know, I know it"s ridiculous. But the coloring -- from what I can see of it at least -- was the same as mine." She swallowed. He felt her shoulders shake. "How could someone do that to that poor cat?" she whispered. He felt her tears in his shoulder. "I couldn"t stand it," she said. "The stench, the writing, everything." He strengthened his embrace. "I didn"t want to cry and look like a baby." He stroked her back. "Didn"t want Jonny or Hadji thinking I"m some sort of shrinking violet." She looked at him, her green eyes watery. "You don"t think that, do you?" "Never," he replied. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thanks," she said. Again they were silent. "Jessie," he said softly. She looked at him. "Sometimes it"s good to talk about things," he said. "Crying can be very healthy, you know." She was silent. "Your father or Jonny or Hadji will not think less of you if you do this in front of them," he continued. "I can"t," she said. He sighed. Maybe in time, he thought. Maybe in time she"ll learn that she doesn"t have to hide parts of herself to the people she loved. The drive back to her house had been a comfortable silence between two friends. END FLASHBACK Jonny looked down at the girl -- woman, really -- he was dancing with. She had been silent ever since he had taken her in his arms and led her in a dance. To be quite honest, he didn"t quite know how to act around her tonight. He could still remember seeing her descend from the stairs and feeling his heart pump wildly at the sight of her. He had stood there and stared at her like an idiot. He didn"t exactly recall what he started saying, but from the perplexed look on Jessie"s face, he didn"t believe he made much sense either. All he saw was Jessie, walking up to her father with a hopeful expression on her face while Race . . . Race had gruffly complimented his daughter on her beauty. Jessie had smiled radiantly at her father"s approval and in turn remarked on what a handsome quartet her father, Hadji, his father and he made. All through the evening, Jonny would feel his eyes drawn to his red- headed friend. His breath never failed to catch whenever he met her eyes and her mouth would give him a smile. Things got hectic after that. Race had to run to pick up Estella and take her to dinner while the rest of them had greeted their arriving guests. For the most part, everyone had arrived on time, including the caterers and the musicians hired for the event. Then Michael arrived and Jessie . . . Jessie had chosen Michael as her escort. He didn"t find out that Jessie had invited Michael to the surprise party until lunch in school that day. To say that he was surprised was an understatement. He had been flabbergasted. Jessie had never once hinted that she had wanted her parents to meet Michael, and for some reason, that had reassured him. He had seen it as an indication that Jessie wasn"t really serious about Michael. After all, whenever she and Michael go out, she had seemed to take great pains to make sure Michael never met Race -- or is it the other way around? Jonny frowned. It didn"t matter now, anyway. Jessie had proudly introduced Michael to her parents the moment he had arrived. While Jonny gleefully noticed a reservation in Race"s part, he had also seen Estella"s delight with the track athlete. "Jessie," he said finally. Jessie slowly looked up at him, her eyes wide and questioning. He took a deep breath as he looked into her eyes. All through the dance, he had been more than aware of the feel of her in his arms as their bodies swayed along with the beat of the music. He had felt a warmth pervade his being the moment he had touched her. The feeling of rightness, of coming home had stayed with him from the time he took her in his arms. He didn"t think he could feel as complete as he did at that moment. "Jessie," he said again, more softly this time. She smiled hesitantly at him, if not inquiringly. He cleared his throat. "You . . . uh . . . dance well," he said. You dance well? he thought to himself with disgust. You dance well??!! Why could he not come up with something better to say? He sounded like a complete idiot! He looked down to see her reaction to his asinine remark. He wasn"t sure, but it looked as if relief sparkled in her eyes for a moment. She grinned at him. "So do you, hot shot," she replied. "I must say that I"m suitably impressed, not to mention surprised." "What do you mean by that?" he asked defensively. "Oh, nothing," she replied. "Only that you don"t seem to be the type of guy who"d know the basics of ballroom dancing." "Oh yeah?" he asked with a challenge in his tone. "Yeah," she answered belligerently, her eyes responding to his thrown gauntlet. He twirled her around his arms and led her to series of complicated dance steps. By the end of his exhibition, they had drawn a crowd of onlookers and received the applause that was due to them. He saw Jessie blush as they bowed and he drew her back into his arms. He smiled down triumphantly at her once she raised her eyes to meet his. "Show off," she muttered at him. "Ah, come on, Jess," he cajoled, "you know you enjoyed it." She ignored that and broke their eye contact. She seemed to find something fascinating with the bow tie of his tux. Jonny grinned mischievously and decided that a little . . . persuasion was in order to gain her reply. He shifted the hand in her waist threateningly. Jessie stiffened and he stifled a laugh. If there"s anything he knew about Jessie, it was her ticklishness. "Don"t you dare," she whispered furiously as she looked up at him. "Jessie," he said, moving his hand again, "you know that I"d dare . . . anything." She tried without success to escape from his grip without gaining the attention of the other dancers. "Jonny Quest," she began in a lecturing voice. "Admit it," said Jonny, his fingers tightening around her waist. She gasped. "Admit what?" she demanded. "That you enjoy dancing with me," he said matter-of-factly. "I did n--" His fingers moved. She glared at him, her eyes promising retribution. "Alright," she said hoarsely. He looked at her innocently. "Alright what, Jess?" he asked guilelessly. "I"ll get you for this, Jonny Que--" "Promises, promises," he replied. "Now what was that you were saying about dancing with me?" "I didn"t say any--" His other hand moved to her waist. "Alright, I enjoyed it, okay?" she said. "Satisfied?" He looked at her intently. "Far from it," he said softly as he brought one of his hands to her cheek, caressing it. She had the smoothest skin . . . the most incredible eyes . . . the nicest mouth . . . "Jessie," he said, all playfulness gone, "we need to talk." She tensed up and avoided his gaze. "We are talking," she said lightly. His hand raised her chin so that she was facing him. He held her green eyes. "You know what I mean," he said quietly. They had stopped dancing at this time and just stood there staring at each other. He saw her gulp and look around in embarrassment. He finally noticed that the other dancers are looking at them strangely. "Let"s get outta here," he said as he dragged her with him and headed for the double glass paned doors which led to the gardens. He felt her dragging her feet behind him, but didn"t care. They needed to talk and it was about time they did. He was tired of her delaying tactics, her timely attempts at changing the subject, and her reluctance to broach the subject that he was sure had been in both their minds lately. When they finally reached their destination, a secluded spot in the garden which hid them from any possible prying eyes, he stopped and turned to look at her. She was standing in front of him, her back ramrod stiff and her arms crossed. Jessie had been getting angrier by the second as she was literally dragged by Jonny across the room and into the garden. How dare he? she thought. How dare he just decide then and there for them that it was time to destroy the years of friendship they had built. Didn"t he know what this "talk" will do to both of them? to their friendship? to their lives? Didn"t he know that after this talk he wanted to have, there is huge possibility that they would lose the camaraderie that took over a decade to accomplish? It"s stupid. This wanting to talk is stupid. This whole situation is stupid. In fact, he"s behaving stupidly. She will not allow this! "We"re going back to the party," she said as calmly as she could. She turned from him and started to walk away. She had barely made three steps when she felt the strong grip of his fingers on her shoulders, stopping her progress. "Jessie," he said in a tone of voice she"d never heard him use before. "We . . . will . . . talk." Jessie turned to face him, furious, but trying to reign the temper she was known for. "Listen to me, Jonny," she said, deliberately slowly, "there is nothing to talk about." Jonny looked at her closely. "I think there is," he said quietly, "and if you"d stop being a coward and running away, you"ll agree with me." Coward? she thought. He"s calling me a coward?! Take a deep breath, Bannon. Remember, when you lose your focus in a battle, you lose the battle. And whether you like it or not, this . . .is . . .a battle. It"s a battle for the friendship you want to preserve. "I am not a coward," she told him softly. "And if you weren"t my friend, I"d have knocked you senseless for even suggesting such a thing." His fingers dug deeply into her shoulders. He looked as if he wanted to shake her. "You know I"m right about this," he gritted, "and we"re going to stay here and talk about it even if it takes us all night." "For the last time," she said, her patience running thin, "there . . . is . . . nothing . . . to talk about." Jonny cursed softly under his breath. "Fine!" he said. "I"ll talk and you"ll listen." You will lose him, Jessie Remember what happened to your parents Jessie struggled from his grip in her shoulders, but Jonny was angry and that anger gave him strength. She couldn"t let this happen. She was not going to lose Jonny. She wouldn"t let what happened to her and Hadji happen with Jonny. She had to stop this. She had to do something, anything that will halt this conversation. But she couldn"t think of anything to do. She, Jessie Bannon, could not figure out a way to stop him. She felt tears of frustration build in her eyes. I will not cry, she told herself. Not in front of Jonny. Suck it in, Bannon! Hold back the tears, Jessie. You know crying never did anything. Remember when you cried for your father when he and your mother separated He never came back to live with you and your mom again, did he? Remember when you cried for yourself, for the cat, in Michael"s shoulders today The cat is still dead, isn"t he? Do not cry. Hold back the tears. "Jonny, listen to me," she pleaded. "Don"t do this." Jonny looked at her face as she appealed to him. He saw the moonlight bouncing off the redness of her hair. He can see the desperation and the beginnings of panic in her face as she pleaded. He felt his resolve falter. "Jessie," he said softly. He took his hands from her shoulders and used them to hold her face up to him. His fingers caressed her cheeks, touched her hair. Lines of worry appeared in her forehead. He thought her the most beautiful woman in the world at that moment. "Jessie," he said again, his voice trembling. He put one of his hands in the back of her neck and the other in beneath her hair. He drew her close to him and leaned forward. He touched his lips with hers. Jessie felt Jonny"s mouth close over hers, hesitatingly, questioningly. Step away from him! She felt the warmth of his hands as one of them moved to her waist. You know you can step away from him! She felt his hold of her tighten, his lips still moving. Step away now, before it"s too late! It is too late, she thought. Her eyes closed as she put her arms around his neck and she kissed him back. Michael blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing. He blamed the poor lighting of the garden, the denseness of the trees, the glow of the moonlight. He blamed his tiredness, his eyesight . . . anything at all. He couldn"t be seeing what his eyes are telling him. He shouldn"t have let his curiosity get the better of him. He should have just stood in the room and waited. He knew he shouldn"t have followed them in the garden. He shouldn"t have followed them to the secluded spot. He shouldn"t have hid behind the trees. He shouldn"t have eavesdropped. And when they had stopped talking, he shouldn"t have leaned close enough to see them. But he did. And the sight he saw was like a knife dug deeply into his chest and twisted. He couldn"t breathe. He couldn"t move. He couldn"t drag his feet off and leave. He couldn"t do anything! All he could do was stare helplessly at the couple as they kissed. He stared as Jonny held the girl who had come to mean more to him than the very air he breathed. He stared bitterly as Jonny took the place which he had wanted, craved more than anything. Jealousy ate at his soul when he saw Jessie"s arm go around Jonny"s neck. He couldn"t stand it. HE COULD NOT STAND HERE AND WATCH THIS!!! He willed his feet to move, to take him away anywhere as long as it took him from this place. Finally, with they started to move, to walk, to run. He ran from the garden, past caring if they heard his retreat or not. All he knew was that he . . . had . . . to . . . get . . . away . . . away . . . away. He tried to compose his face by the time he got back inside the house. He could feel his blood pumping furiously as he sought the exit. A blackness threatened to overwhelm him. "Michael," he heard someone say behind him. He turned his haunted eyes to the owner of the voice. It was Hadji. "Where are you going?" Hadji asked. "I . . . uh . . ." he stammered. He cleared his throat. "I have to go now," he said hoarsely. "But. . .but," said Hadji, "have you said goodbye to Jessie?" He smiled bitterly. "I"m sure she won"t miss me," he said flatly. He left. Hadji stood and watched Michael"s exit. Confusion marred his features as he wondered what had Michael rushing from the party so suddenly. He had seen Michael come inside from the gardens with a bleak look in his face. He had approached him to inquire what was troubling him, but he didn"t even have a chance to ask. He wondered . . . He looked back at the doors which led to the garden. Then he looked around the room. Jessie and Jonny were nowhere to be seen. Oh no, he thought. A noise penetrated the edge of Jessie"s consciousness and it was enough to bring her to her senses. She broke her kiss with Jonny and looked around for the source of the noise and found nothing. She looked up at Jonny, and found him staring at her with wonder. She could still feel the imprint of his mouth on her lips . . . "Jonny," she said, her voice unsteady. She felt him draw her close again, but this time she used her hands -- which she found around his neck -- to push him away. "No," she said, her voice still unsure. She pushed him harder until he let go of her. What have you done, Jessie? She looked up at Jonny, her right hand covering her mouth. What have you done? She saw his eyes look at her with concern. "Jessie," he said softly. "What"s wrong, Jessie?" She stared at him. She could see her world crumbling before her. "Jessie?" Jonny said again. "Talk to me, Jessie. Tell me what"s wrong." Didn"t he know, she thought. Didn"t her know? "Everything," she whispered. "What?" Jonny said. "Everything," she shouted. She started to back away from him. "Everything is wrong. We shouldn"t have . . . we shouldn"t have--" "Don"t say that," he interrupted. His hands clasped her arms, stopping her retreat. "This has been waiting to happen for a long time." "That"s a lie!" she said desperately. "This is wrong. It shouldn"t have happened!" "Jessie," he said, his face inches from her. "Jessie. I love you." NO! she thought. No, no, no, no, NO! Love, this kind of love, never lasts. It eventually destroys. "Jonny," she said to him, panic lacing her voice. "We"re best friends." "I know, Jessie," he said, smiling at her. "Jonny," she said frustratingly. He was deliberately being dense about this. "That"s all we are." Jonny shook his head. "Now who"s lying," he said. "Jonny, Jonny, please," she said, she could feel tears forming in the back of her eyes. "Let"s just be friends." Jonny shook his head again. "Jonny!" she said desperately. "I want more than that, Jessie," he said. "You"d realize you do, too, if you"d stop lying to yourself." She shakes her head vehemently. "Jonny, listen to me," she said. "Ofcourse you love me. We"re best friends. We"re supposed to love each other." Jonny sighed with impatience. "Jess," he said, "we both know that"s not what I meant when I said I loved you." "Jonny," she said, also impatient. "That kind of love never lasts. We"ll only end up hating each other. There"s no purpose--" He touched her cheek. "Give it a chance, Jess." "No!" she shouted. "I don"t love you! Not that way!" She watched as he winced. He looked at her and searched her eyes. "You don"t mean that," he said hoarsely. "You know you don"t." *Dig the knife in, Jess. Whatever pain he might feel right now is1feel the time is right, say what"s in your heart & let him know." "Okay." Ali said. Meanwhile, several waiters walked towards Yai, Ducky, & Spike with a platter with a lid over it. They set it in front of the 3, & 1 of them lifted the lid, revealing 1 large sirloin steak & 2 salads. Next to the plates was 3 glasses beside a pitcher full of pink liquid. "A sirloin steak for you, Ms. Yai." 1 of the waiters said. "& for your guests, 1 chef"s salad each." "Thank you, James." Yai said, & the waiters all dispersed. "Wow, Yai." Ducky said. "You really get to eat like this?" "Yep." Yai said. "Pretty neat, huh?" "Oh yes, yes, yes." Ducky exclaimed in her usual fashion. "It is neat. It is." "Mm hmm." Spike said as best he could before digging into his meal. "Well, guys." Yai said. "When you"re with me, it"s fine dining all the way." "Neat." Ducky said. They all began eating. Then, Ducky noticed Yai pouring the pink drink into a cup. "What is that pink stuff?" Ducky asked. Yai turned to her with a puzzled look, then smiled upon realization. "It"s strawberry milk." Yai said. "My favourite thing to drink." "That sounds good." Ducky said. "You 2 want some?" Yai asked "Oh yes, yes, yes." Ducky said. "We do." Yai poured strawberry milk into the other 2 cups & handed them to the 2 dinosaurs, who begun drinking them. Once done, they all looked up at her, with starry eyes. "This is delicious, Yai." Ducky said. "Uh huh, uh huh." Spike said. "Glad you like it." Yai said. "There"s plently more where that came from." Meanwhile, Cera & Chaud were approaching Chaud"s mansion. Cera just looked in awe. "Wow, Chaud." Cera said. "Your home is big. You must be pretty happy." Chaud sighed. "Not entirely." Chaud said. "My dad"s a lot like your dad. He"s a blowhard who acts like he"s immune to his emotions." "Hey!" Cera shouted. "Nobody makes fun of my dad except me, got it!?" Chaud smirked. "But this is my dad we"re talking about." Chaud said. Cera sweatdropped. "Whatever." Cera said. They walked through the large marble doors into Chaud"s home. They were greeted by a large man with black hair sticking back with white streaks in it. He was dressed mostly in black with a stern look on his face. "Chaud Blaze." The man said. "You"re 6 minutes late, unacceptable." "Sorry, dad." Chaud said. "I has to stay a while longer to make sure the gameland was running properly." "Well..." Chaud"s dad said. "See that it works in time for the release date. Dinner will be ready in an hour." "Thanks, dad." Chaud said. Chaud went up to his room, Cera was concealed behind Chaud"s legs, do his dad didn"t see her. Chaud lay on his bed with his hands behind his head. Cera leapt onto a chair & curled up in it. "Wow." Cera said. "He really WAS like daddy. You weren"t kidding, Chaud." "Told ya so." Chaud said. Cera looked around the room & then saw a portrait on 1 of Chaud"s walls. It was of a little mini Chaud, his father, & a woman in an orange dress with brown hair & a kind smile. "Hey, Chaud. Who"s this?" Cera asked. Chaud looked over to where Cera was & saw what she was mentioning. He sighed. "That kid is me when I was little, & the woman was my mom." Chaud said. Cera looked back at him. "Your mom?" Cera asked. "Yeah." Chaud said. "She died when I was that age, & it was just me & my dad ever since." After a pause, Cera spoke up. "I envy you, Chaud." Chaud looked down at her. "You do?" He asked. "Yeah." Cera said. "I never knew my mom. Dad said she was swallowed up by the ground in a big earthshake on the way to the great valley." "Really?" Chaud asked. "Yeah." Cera said. Chaus smiled. "Then I guess we have something in common." Chaud said. "We both live with our dad." Cera looked at him with a smile. "Yeah." She said. Meanwhile, Princess Pride & Tickles were riding in a plane towards a country. Princess Pride picked Tickles up & took him over to the window." "You see that?" Princess Pride asked. Tickles squeaked in what could easily be described as yes. "That"s my country, where we"ll be staying." Princess Pride said. Tickled squeaked happily. A butler then approached Princess Pride. "We"ll be landing shortly, madam." He said. Princess Pride smiled. "Good." She said. "Our little guest is getting antsy." The person left. Princess Pride smiled at Tickles. "When we land, I"ll show you to my home." Tickles squeaked happily. (A/N:Sorry for neglecting this fic. I"ve been putting my weight behind other fics, & recently, my fic has been deleted, so this chapter might be shorter than I originally intended(or not). But after an extremely LONG hiatus, I"m back.) About a day since Littlefoot & co. came to Lan"s world. In a part of the cyberworld, 2 net navis were battling. The net nevi on the right was green & had a dollar sign on his chest. The net navi on the right had a blue torso with a large fan in the middle. His legs were black from the crotch down to the knees. His shins were blue tubes with silver rims. His feet were blue semi-ovals with silver souls. His arms were orange from the shoulder to the elbow, with another blue tube with silver rims as lower arms. They also had a green fin on each tube. He also had orange hands. There were also 4 silver fins on his torso. 1 between each arm & the head, & 1 between each arm & leg. A lump was his head & had 2 rectangular eyeholes with green eyes on them. On his forehead was a silver ring jutting out with a black field inside. Inside the field was a green tornado. "Don"t think you can win, you blowhard." The green net navi said, it charged up a buster & fired at the other net navi multiple times. All the shots seemed to hit him & enveloped him in a cloud of cyber dust. "Ha ha." The green net navi said in triumph. He then looked & saw the other net navi was unharmed. "Ho ho!" The net navi said. "That was a breeze to evade, now prepare to be blown away." The net navi raised its hands & opened them towards the green net navi, a tornado formed around the green net navi & spun him in the air. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The green net navi shouted in mid-air, then turned into a pillar that said "LOGOUT" going down. "Moneyman, logging out." A voice said, & the pillar disintegrated. In the real world, a man in the shadows is staring at the net navi who won. "Nice work, Airman." The man said, congratulating the net navi, apparently Airman. The screen then changed to show the words "Your account now reaches..." with rapidly climbing numbers underneath the words. "With your help, all those greedy companies who bankrupt me will pay, & I"ll get all their money. Who do we strike next, Airman?" "I believe I may have an idea." Airman said. He shifted off to the side & a screen appeared next to him. Inside the screen was a picture of Yai Ayano. "Ah, the Ayano family." The offscreen man said. "Good choice, Airman." That morning, Lan was rollerblading down the street at a great speed. Littlefoot was nestled in his backpack with his head sticking out & looking over his shoulder. "Aw man, I"m gonna be late." Lan said. "Yeah, again." Mega Man said. Littlefoot looked down Lan"s P.E.T.. "Huh, so Lan"s been late before?" Littlefoot asked. Mega Man crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Oh yeah." He said, nodding. "Mega man!" Lan shouted. Soon, they were at Mr. Higsby"s chip shop. Also there were Maylu, Chaud, Tory, Yai, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Ali, & Chomper. Lan was exhausted, & holding himself up by his knees. Everybody was looking at Lan & at Littlefoot. "Wow, Lan." Maylu said. "You"re actually on time for once." "Hey!" Lan shouted. Everybody laughed. Ali just walked up to Littlefoot, wondering about what Maylu had said. "Wow, so he was late before?" She asked, looking up at Lan. "Apparently so." Littlefoot replied. Mr. Higsby spoke up. "Yes, well, now that we"re all here, I can now show you something I have just made." He said. "Follow me." He said. He lead everybody to the backroom & opened the door. Everybody looked at the door & what they saw truly amazed them. It was a huge clear dome, about the size of a baseball diamond with a jack-in terminal on opposite sides. In front of the left terminal was a girl in a bright teal dress with a blue apron & purple hair with 2 pigtails. She held a P.E.T. in her right hand. "Hello, Mr. Higsby." She said. Then waved at Chomper. "Hi, Chomper." Chomper waved back at the girl. "Hi, Shuko!" He called. Littlefoot looked at him. "You know her, Chomper?" He asked. Chomper looked at Littlefoot. "Yep, that"s Shuko Kido." Chomper replied. "She works here at Higsby"s shop to support her brothers." "What about her mom?" Littlefoot asked. Chomper looked sullened at this question. "She has no mom, or dad." Chomper said. "They died in something called a car crash. She"s been providing for her brothers ever since." Littlefoot looked saddened by this information as well. "Gee." He said. "That does sound pretty said." "I know." Chomper said. His mood then once again lightened. "But Mr. Higsby said that she could work for him." "Yes, well." Higsby said. "This is my new net battle arena." Everybody stared at it in awe. "Woah, look at the size of that thing." Lan said. "Yeah." Littlefoot said. "It"s really big." "Yes, it is." Higsby said. "With this, it actually makes you feel like you"re right next to the net battle." He turned to Shuko & pointed at her. "Show "em, Shuko." "I will, Mr. Higsby." She said. She then turned to the terminal & aimed her P.E.T. at it. "Jack in, Spoutman. Power up!" She shouted. A beam shot out of her P.E.T. & hit the jack-in terminal. A small net navi appeared inside. The net navi had a white torso & a red ring around its waist. Everything below his red ring was bright blue, except for 2 white rings, 1 around each of his ankles. He also had red rings where his arms connected to his torso, & his arms & hands were also blue, & he had a white ring around each wrist. He had a bright blue head concealed in a bowl filled up with water, with the only facial feature being a cute noseless face. On top of his head were 2 small white pucks. Everybody was amazed at how big the net navi appeared, except Higsby. "Wow, he looks huge." Lan said. "Yes, well you can just imagine how big Mega Man would look in this." Higsby replied. "This way, I could attract a lot more customers who would want to net battle me, each other, or Shuko. I even hired a referee for the dome." Everybody looked at him. The dinos were confused. "What is a ref-ree?" Ducky asked. Yai looked at her. "A referee is somebody who watches the game & makes sure everybody"s playing fair." Yai explained. "Who"s your ref, Higsby?" Lan asked. "I"m glad you asked that, Lan." Higsby said. He then called somebody in the back of the room. "Hey, Arashi!" He shouted. "Come meet my friends!" The humans went stiff from fright upon hearing Higsby"s new referee"s name. Just then, a man approached them. The man was dressed head to toe in a blue business suit. He had a red tie on, & where his sleeves ended, looked like cones. He also had black shoes & his hair was blonde & was combed downward, except for 2 bits that stuck out at the sides. He looked at the kids with a smile, but the kids didn"t return it. "Hi, kids." Arashi said. "Zip it, Arashi!" Lan shouted. "What do you want now?" Arashi was shocked by this reaction. Mr. Higsby was offended. "Lan Hikari!" He shouted. "How dare you yell at my new employee like that!" Lan looked at Higsby. "But, Mr. Higsby." Lan said, he pointed at Arashi. "This man tried to kill Yai once." Mr. Higsby was surprised by this. He turned to Arashi. "Is that true Arashi?" He asked. Arashi hung his head. "Unfortunately, yes." He said. "I used to work for Grave. I didn"t want to tell you because I really wanted this job." Higsby looked at Arashi with a little remorse, then smiled & put his arm around him. "Ah, forget about it." He said. "That doesn"t matter anymore. "What matters now is you"re working for me." Arashi looked at him with a little smile. "Thanks, Higsby." He said. Meanwhile, in the arena, a small hole was present, & a silhouette was shown of Airman. His yellow eyes glowed. "Heh heh heh heh heh heh." He chuckled, before the hole closed up again. Spoutman felt a chill go up his body. Everybody noticed this & looked at the small net navi. "Are you alright, Spoutman?" Shuko asked. "I thought I felt somebody here." He replied. "That"s impossible." Higsby said. "I designed this thing"s security system myself with the best security systems on the market. It"s virtually impenetrable." Nobody noticed Arashi smirk. "Not impenetrable enough, fool." He thought to himself. "Well, that aside." Higsby said. "This won"t officially be released until tomorrow, so I can"t let you netbattle on it now." "Okay, Higsby." Maylu said. "We"ll all meet back here tomorrow to try it out." "Okay." They all said. Then they walked out. "& tomorrow, your bank account will be mine, Yai Ayano." Arashi said. "What was that, Arashi?" Higsby asked. Arashi felt a chill go up his body. He turned to face Higsby & put his hand on his back. "Um uhh, nothing, sir." He said, laughing nervously. Higsby just stared at him, cluelessly. "Uuh, alright." He said. "Well, see you tomorrow." He then walked off. Arashi let out a small sigh of relief. "That was too close." He thought to himself. He then smiled evilly. "But tomorrow when I show up for work, I"ll show them how I net battle." "Oh, man." Lan said as he roller bladed down the street the next morning. "How could this happen?" "Well, Lan." Mega Man said from his P.E.T. "Perhaps if you didn"t stay up all night net battling, you might be there by now." "Not now, Mega Man!" Lan shouted. Littlefoot poked his head out of Lan"s knapsack. "He"s got a point there, Lan." Littlefoot said. "Aw man." Lan said. "Not you too, Littlefoot." He continued skating towards Higsby"s shop. Meanwhile, at Higsby"s shop, everybody was in a long line-up, still waiting for Lan. "Well, looks like Lan"s late, again." Maylu said. "Don"t bet on it." They heard Lan"s voice say in the distance. They saw him rollerblade up to him & take the spot that was saved for him. Everybody looked at him. "What kept you, Lan?" Maylu said. Littlefoot poked his head out of the backpack. "Lan was up all night netbattling." Littlefoot said. "Aw, Littlefoot." Lan said. "Well, it doesn"t matter now, guys." Yai said. "We"re here, so let"s get netbattling." "Yeah!" Everybody shouted. & with that, they all ran into Higsby"s chip shop. A camera showed the kids entering to the mystery man on a tv screen. "Ah, so she"s here." He said. "Now"s my chance to get my riches back." He chuckled to himself. Littlefoot, Lan, Cera, Chaud, Maylu, Ali, Tory, Petri, Yai, Ducky, Spike were entering the room with the battle dome. "Man, this will rock!" Lan said, really excited. Just then, as Mr. Higsby & Chomper stepped into the room, the door automatically slammed shut behind him. "What the?" Higsby asked as he jumped, surprised by the slamming door. He turned around & tried to open it, but it was locked. "Oh no!" Higsby said. "The door"s locked! We"re stuck in this room!" "WHAT?" Everybody shouted. "He said you"re all locked in this room." Said a voice from inside the dome. Everybody looked to see Airman in the dome. "You!" Higsby said, pointing at Airman. "You"re doing this!" "You better believe it." Airman said. "My name is Airman, & you have something I want." Everybody looked at him. "What do I have that you could possibly want, Airman?" Higsby asked. "Not just you, Higsby." Airman said. He pointed to Yai. "She has it too." "Who, me?" Yai asked. "Yes, you." Airman said. "I propose we have a netbattle. If you win, you can go. But if I win, then I get your bank account." Everybody jumped at this. "You get all my money?" Yai asked. "But then I"ll be poor." Airman closed his eyes & shrugged. "Not my problem." He said. He then looked at them. "But if you refuse, I"ll remotely beam viruses onto Higsby"s chips & erase the data on them. Even his rarest chips in his private collection." Mr. Higsby freaked out at this. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Higsby shouted. "Not my chips! Not my rare chips!" Yai, however, remained defiant. "You don"t scare me, fan face." Yai said. "My father is a rich man. It doesn"t matter if you erase his chips, I"ll just ask daddy to buy Higsby some replacement chips." "But Yai." Higsby said. "These chips are collectables. Some of them you can"t even find anymore." "Well I"m sorry, Mr. Higsby, but I"m not about to net battle this creep if it means becoming destitute." She then felt somebody push her towards the dome, it was Higsby. "Yai, I urge you to net battle Airman." Higsby said. "Besides, you"ll be the first kid to use my dome." Yai hung her head in defeat. "sigh, alright." She said. She aimed her P.E.T. at the Jack-in terminal. "Jack in, Glyde. Power up." A beam of light shot from her P.E.T. & hit the terminal & Glyde appeared inside the dome. "Prepare to be blown, away, Airman." Glyde said. Yai held up a cannon battlechip. "Cannon, battlechip in!" She shouted. She then inserted the battlechip into her P.E.T.. "Download!" a green cannon popped out of the ground in front of Glyde. It fired a blast at Airman. Airman laughed. "Ha ha! Never send a small gust of win to do the work of a hurricane." Airman said. He sent a huge gust of wind straight at Glyde. It redirected the blast & sent it back at Glyde. "Oh my!" Glyde said. The blast hit Glyde right in the chest, sending him flying back a ways. "NO! GLYDE!" Yai shouted, worried for her net navi"s safety. Glyde slowly stood up & charged at Airman, ready to throw a punch. "You"ll have to do better than that, buddy." Airman said. He leapt back to avoid Glyde"s punch & threw a tornado at him. Glyde spun around in the tornado & was flown back against the wall. "OH NO!" Yai shouted. "This isn"t looking good." Maylu said. "But how did he get in?" Higsby asked. Lan got a stern look on his face. "It has to be somebody who has access to the battle dome." Lan said. Then it hit him. "It"s Arashi!" Airman jumped at this. "Uh oh." He said "Looks like he blew our cover." "Does it matter?" Arashi"s voice said. A screen with his face on it then appeared. "It"s not like it"s gonna help them." Higsby glared at Arashi. "ARASHI!" Higsby shouted. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? I TURSTED YOU ENOUGH TO LET YOU WORK FOR ME, & THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?" Arashi chuckled at this. "Oh please." He said. "You think I actually wanted to work in this small-time corner store?" Higsby"s face turned red at this, an anime throbbing vein appeared on his forehead, & he grew black demon horns out of his forehead. "SMALL-TIME CORNER STORE?" Higsby roared, frightening everybody, except Arashi & Airman. "ALRIGHT BUDDY, YOU"RE GONNA RUE THE DAY YOU MESSED WITH ARCHIBALD CORNELIUS HIGSBY!" Arashi smiled evilly at this outburst. "We"ll see about that, 4 eyes." Arashi said. "Blow Glyde away, Airman." "Whatever you say, Arashi." Airman said. Arashi held up a battle chip with a picture of a hollow blue tube on it. "Air shot, battle chip in!" Arashi shouted, then inserted the battle chip into his P.E.T.. "Download!" Airman"s arm turned into a hollow blue tube. He pointed his arm at Glyde. "Air shot!" Airman shouted. He fired a large blast of air at Glyde, slamming into his chest. "NO! GLYDE!" Yai shouted. Lan watched the netbattle with a hardened face. "This is not good." Lan thought to himself. "If Arashi wins, Yai will lose all her money. There"s got to be a way to stop this." Lan then caught something out of the corner of his eye. He saw an air duct. A thought then occurred to him. "Hey, perhaps I could use that." He thought. He ran over to the vent & knelt down in front of it. He grabbed the grate & pulled it off of the hole. Everybody looked over at him. He looked over at Littlefoot. "Littlefoot, get over here." Lan said. Littlefoot, confused, did as Lan said. "Littlefoot, go into this vent & see if you can find Arashi." Littlefoot looked into the vent. "Ummm, okay." Littlefoot said. He climbed into the vent & disappeared inside. "Hey, wait!" Cera shouted. "I want a piece of this Arashi guy too, Littlefoot!" She ran into the vent after him. "Wait for us, guys." Ducky shouted. Spike ran into the vent with Ducky on her back. She was soon followed by Petrie & Chomper. Arashi chuckled at this. "If you think those dino punks are gonna find me, then you"ve got another thing coming." Arashi said. Everybody glared at him. "They"ll find you, Arashi." Lan said. "& they"ll make you pay for all this." "We"ll see about that." Arashi said. "Now if you don"t mind, I"ve got a net battle to win. Airman, attack!" "Whatever you say, Arashi." Airman said. He spun the fan in his torso & created a huge tornado. Glyde stared at the tornado nervously. "Oh my!" He said. Yai held up a battle chip with a picture of a silhouette holding a glowing sword with a glowing arrow shaped blade. "Hero sword, battle chip in!" Yai said, she then inserted the battle chip into the P.E.T. "Download!" Glyde"s arm then turned into a big sword with a glowing arrow shaped blade. Glyde charged at the tornado & leapt at it. He sliced the tornado & cut it in half, destroying it. Everybody cheered. "Way to go, Glyde!" Yai shouted. Arashi growled. "Rrrrrrrgh!" Arashi said. "Lucky shot, you won"t pull that again." Yai smirked at this. "We"ll see about that." she said. Meanwhile, in the vents, the gang was crawling through a cramped vent, when Littlefoot heard something. "Hey, Iall started playing again, & they didn"t sound any different. Luigi placed the beacon on his back & walked out of the room. He sighed in relief at the quiet. "Ah, that"s-a better." Luigi said to himself. Luigi. went up the stairs & continued towards the door. He broke down the spirit barrier & the door opened. Luigi saw it was the game room. "Ah, fun." He said. He switched to the Poltergust 3000, turned on the flashlight on the end of the nozzle, & walked into the room humming the Luigi"s Mansion theme. Several evil spirits spilled into the room. He sucked them all into the Poltergust 3000. Madame Leota contacted him. "Hmm." She said. "Luigi, I"ve noticed you"ve only been using the Poltergust 3000 to capture the souls, saving the beacon for evil spirit sucking. If we"re to withstand the spirits that are impervious to the Poltergust 3000, we should learn to use the beacon"s rapid-fire shot." "Really?" Luigi asked. "Exactly." Leota said. "To use it, just aim it at whatever you want & fire." "Ok." Luigi said, & switched to the beacon, then looked down at Leota. "Hey, Leota. While we"re-a at it, how about a clue for this-a room." He said. "Ok, here goes." Leota said. "Look out now, the games begun. Pocket each ball 1 by 1." Luigi scratched his chin, trying to decipher the riddle. He then looked towards the large pool table in the room. "Hmm, maybe-a I"ll find out-a the clue over there." Luigi said. He walked over to the pool table & saw a large spider silhouette crawl across the window. "Huh?" Luigi said in curiosity. "What"s-a that?" He walked up to the window he saw the silhouette on & a huge spider crashed through. "YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!" He shrieked. He landed on his butt & crawled away from the spider on his back. "Alright, Luigi." Leota said. "Now it"s time to use the beacon. Aim at him & shoot." Luigi pointed the beacon at the humungous spider & pressed a button above the light. A small beam shot out & hit the spider. Luigi looked at it, amazed. "Wow!" Luigi said. Luigi stood up & begans firing at the huge spider. The spider then shot out a sticky silk & snared Luigi with it. He then began pulling Luigi towards him. "Uh oh." Luigi said. "Hurry, Luigi!" Leota urged. "Shoot that spider!" Luigi layed into the button like a madman, hitting the spider every single time. Then, just as he was only a few inches away from the spider"s enormous mandibles, he hit the spider 1 last time & it flopped on its back & died. "Whew." Luigi said & wiped sweat off his forehead. "That was-a close." "& it ain"t over yet, Luigi." Leota said. Luigi looked at Leota. "Huh?" He asked. "What do you mean, Leota?" Just then, Luigi found himself shrunk & falling towards the pool table. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" He shrieked. His entire body hit the red floor with a thud. He stood up & nursed his sore nose. "Ouj." He said. Luigi then saw several billiard balls hit the ground & form a triangle. He slapped his forehead. "Of course." He said in realization. "Pocket-a each ball 1 by 1." Just then, Luigi saw a white billiard ball land on the table on the opposite side of the table from where the others were & saw a huge cue stick move towards it. "Uh oh." Luigi said, knowing full well what was about to happen. "I see where this is-a going." The cue stick moved back & hit the ball, launching it towards Luigi. "YIKE!!" he shouted & dove to the right. He saw the ball hit the others. They all spread apart & the purple ball landed in a side pocket. Luigi got an idea. "Aha." He said to himself. Luigi began humming the Luigi"s Mansion Theme & ran behind a yellow ball. The huge cue stick hit the white ball, sending it hurtling towards him. He sidestepped & saw the ball hit the others & knock them about. But knocking none into the pockets. "Darn!" Luigi said, snapping his fingers. The cue stick lined up again & attempted to squish Luigi under the behemoth ball. However, Luigi sidestepped & the ball hit a red ball, sending it into a corner pocket. "Alright!" Luigi said in victory. The cue stick lined up again & Luigi positioned himself so between him & the ball is a green ball & behind him is a corner pocket. The cue stick hit the ball & sent the green ball into the corner pocket. "Aha!" Luigi said. He runs around until there were only 2 balls left. The white ball, & the 8 ball. He lined up & positioned himself behind the 8-ball. The cue stick hit the ball & the ball hit the 8 ball as Luigi dove away, causing it to move towards the corner pocket. "C"mon." Luigi said. Sadly, it bounced off the corners around it & stopped moving. "Darn it!" Luigi said, throwing fists at the ground. He walked over to the ball & positioned himself so the cue ball would hit the 8 ball. The balls hit & as Luigi dove to the left, the 8 ball careened into the side pocket. Leaving only the cue ball & himself remaining. "That-a reminded me of Slim Bankshot." Luigi said, recalling his old mansion romp when he had to rescue Mario. Just then, a light switch appeared, floating in the middle of the large pool table. "This is-a odd." Luigi said. Luigi walked up to the light switch. He then noticed fortune cards & bottles floating around the rim of the pool table. "Why not?" Luigi said, shrugging. Luigi switched to the Poltergust 3000 & sucked up the cards & bottles. He then walked back to the switch & pulled it down. He then saw he was not on the huge pool table anymore, he was back in the game room, & restored to his normal height. "Woah, this is a relief." Luigi said to himself. Just then, his GBH started beeping. He picked it up & saw the professor. "Krrrrzzzz... Lu... i... gi... Krrrrzzzz." The professor said through the static. "Luigi? Oh thank GOODNESS you"re alright." He said in relief. "I got an energy disturbance & couldn"t reach you." "I was on-a this huge pool table." Luigi said. "I had to-a pocket the balls in order to-a get off." "Wow, that sounds like some battle you had, Luigi." E. Gadd said, then noticed the bottles of bravery tonic. "Wait a minute." E. Gadd said. "What are those bottles you"re holding? Let me check." The professor ducked off screen for a bit. After a few minutes, he came back onto the screen. "Amazing, Luigi!" He shouted. "This is Doctor Perizak"s old fashioned bravery tonic! I never thought I"d see a bottle of this stuff again! Doctor Perizak"s old fashioned bravery tonic. Good for tongue warts, ear twitches, naval lint, cowardice & other such ailments. There must be more of this stuff somewhere in the mansion, Luigi. Use it whenever you get scared. Be careful, Luigi." He said, then hung up. Luigi walked around the room, whistling the Luigi"s Mansion Theme & noticed a blackjack table with a green top on each side of the room, they were both pulsating. He switched back to the beacon. "Now to restore some-a spirits." Luigi said. Luigi walked up to both blackjack tables & shook them, spilling spirits into the room. Luigi sucked them into the beacon. However, he discovered he just called forth a siege of spiders. "EEK!!" He shrieked. Luigi ran onto the pool table, switched to the Poltergust 3000, & vacuumed up all the spiders. "Whew, that was-a close." Luigi said with his hand on his chest. He looked & saw 2 small tables in the corners near the door. He walked up to them & shook them, spilling spirits into the room. He sucked them up & took out the huge spider that appeared with the beacon. "Now, just a few more." Luigi said. He walked up to the small tables near the pool table. He shook them & spirits poured into the room. Luigi sucked them all up & saw he"s caught them all. "Well, that"s-a it." Luigi said. He walked to the door, but as soon as he was in the middle of the room, he heard a voice behind him & saw a ghost with a mustache holding a gun. It"s the duelist. "So, now he"s got you doing his dirty work eh?" The duelist said in his southern accent. "Much oblahged to meet ya." Luigi pulled out his death certificate & showed it to him. "Hey, mah death certificate." The duelist said. "Much olbahged." The duelist then read his death certificate. "Hey, according to this, that low-down, cheatin, backstabber got the better of me." He said. "Bullfeathers!!" He shouted, then reacted to something & started pointing his gun around. "Shh, you hear that?" The duelist asked. "It"s him." Luigi looked around, but saw nobody. "Who?" he asked. "Ah know he"s here, ah can smell his beady little ahs." The duelist said, pointing his gun in various places. "He"s probably camping out with a shotgun, trahin to get a bead on me, since you done gone & lit up mah hahd"n spot." He said. He then pushed his face close to Luigi"s. "Laht makes the shadows deeper though, could be anywhere." He said. "Ah reckon ah should reward ya, seein as how you went through all the trouble of bringin me this." The duelist pulled out a purple gem. "Here, it"s 1 of them soul gem thingamajigs." The dueslist explained. "Should bring you better luck then it"s bringin me." Luigi took the soul gem. "Thanks." Luigi gladly said. "Much oblaghed." The duelist said. "Now, ah suggest you"d best leave before the lead starts a flahin." Luigi did his show the item thing he always did in Luigi"s Mansion whenever you got a key, the music played, & he attached it to the beacon. Just then, a lot of ghosts flew into the beacon. "Good work, Luigi." Leota said. "With that second soul gem, you can now charge your rapid fire shot. Hold the button down until that soul gem starts glowing & shoot." "Got it." Luigi said, he put the beacon on his back walked out of the room, humming the Luigi"s Mansion Theme. "Well, that"s all of-a the rooms in here." Luigi said. "Now for-a the downstairs hallway." Luigi walked down the stairs & towards the door between them. He touched the door & the spiritual barrier disappeared. "Aha." Luigi said. He opened the door & found himself in the downstairs hallway. Madame Leota then piped up. "Ok, Luigi." She said. "Here"s something about my past. The original owners of this mansion left me in charge for a while until they returned. However, I soon found myself being attacked by Atticus" followers. I held up a good fight, but they eventually had me begging their mercy. Atticus then sealed me in this crystal ball. I shudder to think of what happened to the original owners." Luigi thinks as well & shudders himself. "Personally, I"m-a happier not-a knowing myself." Luigi said. He then saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turns to his right & sees a bewitching woman with her hair covering her face, floating around a corner. "Luigi." The woman softly said. Luigi followed the woman & switched to the Poltergust 3000. He hummed the Luigi"s mansion theme music all the way. He saw her disappear into a door. He walked up to it & touched the barrier. He broke it down & followed the girl into the kitchen. He saw the girl floating in fronting of her. She made her finger move in a "come closer" way. "Luigi..." The woman said. "Luigi." Luigi walked up to the woman. Just then she revealed her eyeless frightening face & made a blood-curdling shriek, scaring Luigi half to death. "YAAAAH!!" Luigi shrieked. The woman hid her face & started floating towards Luigi. "Quick, Luigi." Leota said. "The Poltergust 3000 should work on her. She"s a banshee, which is a type of ghost. Wait for her to show her face, & she"ll most likely show you her heart at the same time." "Got it." Luigi said. The banshee went right up to Luigi & screeched at him, at the same time, Luigi shined his light on her & commenced sucking. "Oooooooooaaaahhhh!!" The banshee shrieked. The banshee tried to escape like the evil spirits did. But failed miserably & ended up being sucked into the Poltergust 3000. "Gotcha!" Luigi said. Luigi shined his flashlight around the room while humming the Luigi"s mansion theme. He walked past a stack of plates & pulled out Leota. "Hey, Leota." Luigi said. "Got a clue for this-a room?" "I already got it, Luigi." Leota said. "Broken plates & bottles too, together light the way for you." Luigi scratched his chin as a plate rose from the stack & lined up to hit Luigi. "Broken plates &-a bottles too, together light-a the way for you?" Luigi asked himself. "What"s-a that ,mean.?" Madam Loeta then noticed the plate behind Luigi. "LUIGI, LOOK OUT!!" Leota shouted. Luigi noticed the plate as well & it flew towards him. "YAH!!" Luigi yelped as the plate flew directly at him. Luigi dove out of the way & the plate hit an oil lamp, spilling red liquid all over the floor. The flame then ignited & set the patch of floor on fire, which was blue, much to Luigi"s surprise. "Huh?" Luigi said, confused. Then it hit him. He slapped his forehead. "Of course." Luigi said. "Broken-a plates & bottles too, together light-a the way for you." Luigi noticed bottles all over the room & got an idea. "Aha!" Luigi said, snapping his fingers, he started running around as the plates tried to hit him. They got a lot of bottles, but none hit Luigi. "Well, so far-a so good." Luigi said, he turns & sees where the burning puddle is intended to go. A large fireplace in a corner on the opposite side of the room where the plates were. "I guess that"s-a where the fire goes." Luigi said to himself. Luigi then looked & saw some of the bottles up on high places. Some were on shelves, others were on shelves suspended by chains. "Good thing I"m a skilled jumper." Luigi said, he jumped up onto the hanging shelves with bottles on them. A plate came up from the stack & flew at Luigi, he jumped & the plate hit both bottles & spilled the fluids inside everywhere. "Now for-a the next shelf." Luigi said. Luigi leaped over to the next shelf & a plate floated off the stack & readied itself to hit Luigi. Luigi dove off of the shelf & the plate hit the bottles, spilling the stuff inside all over the floor. The flame moved across the room, as more fluids spilled all over the floor. "Just a few more &-a the fire"s lit." Luigi said. He moved towards the door & a giant spider appeared in front of it. "YAAH!!" Luigi screeched, he switched to the beacon & fired at the spider until it was dead. Luigi let out a sigh of relief & switched to the Poltergust 3000. "Just-a 3 more bottles." Luigi thought to himself, he saw that 1 of the 3 remaining bottles would be difficult. It was sitting on front of a large stack of flour bags. The other 2 were on a nearby table. "Ok. This"ll-a require a lot of skill." Luigi said, a plate rose off the stack. Luigi narrowed his eyes & got ready. The plate floated towards Luigi & he dove out of the way. The plate hit the 2 bottles, spilling the fluid all over the ground. Luigi looked at the stack of flour & got an idea. "Aha." Luigi said, he stood in front of the flour. He waited, just then, a plate lifted off the stack & flew at him. Luigi leaped out of the way. The plate hit the flour stacks & bounced off them, hitting the bottle & spilling the elixer all over the floor, the fire spread to the fireplace. The fire lit up & so did the room. "Now for-a the ghosts." Luigi said, he switched to the beacon & begun hunting, whistling the Luigi"s Mansion Theme. He looked at the barrel nearby the flour stack & shook it, spilling 5 souls into the room. Luigi sucked them all into the beacon & found a piece of a death certificate. "Wow, another death-a certificate piece." Luigi said as he picked it up. He looked & saw a china hutch in a far corner, pulsating. He walked over to it & shook it, spilling spirits into the room. He sucked them all into the beacon. "Alright, that"s-a good." Luigi said, satisfied. "But there are-a still more." Luigi checked the GBH & saw it was picking up ghostly activity from the 2 remaining china hutches. "Ha, no-a spirits can-a hide from me." Luigi said. Luigi walked over to the first china hutch & shook it, spilling 5 souls into the room, he sucked them all into the beacon. He went over to the last hutch & shook it, spilling the ghosts into the room where he sucked the last 5 souls into the beacon. He shot his fist forward in a victory stance. "Oh yeah!" Luigi said, he switched back to the Poltergust 3000 & walked over to the door. He saw a spirit of a hunched over old man next to it. He walked up to it. "Do you suffer anxiety attacks? Accute paranoia? Feel like something horrible could leap out at you at any moment? Ha ha!" The ghost asked, then paused for a second. "Well, do I have the tonic for you, friend." As Luigi went to leave, the ghost spoke again. "Friend, do I have something for you." The ghost said, then spread his arms out. "1000 acres of the finest Louisiana swamp you"ve ever laid eyes on, I"ll even throw in a free haunted mansion. 1 crocodile is optional of course." Luigi put his hand up. "Sorry, I"m-a not interested." He said. "Well, come back if ever you change your mind." The ghost said. Luigi rolled his eyes & shook his head. He then walked out the door. "Why would I want-a this place?" Luigi asked. "I"ve already got a mansion." "Yep, but do you think HE knows that?" Leota asked. Luigi smirked, getting the idea. He then walked down the hall some ways & saw another door, he discovered that he had enough souls to break down the barrier Atticus made, so he did just that. "&-a behind door number 1." Luigi said as he flung the door open. He peered inside the open door & saw the Maid"s room. He walked in & pulled out Leota, then looked at her. "Got a clue for this-a room, Leota?" Luigi asked. "Uh huh." Leota said, then started talking like she usually did in a trance. "When walls that shift may hide your doom, seek out the exit from each room." Luigi scratched his chin, trying to figure out the meaning of the clue. He then walked towards the walls & jumped at the fact that they were moving. "Woah, moving-a walls." Luigi said in surprise. Then, suddenly, it hit Luigi. "Of course." He said, slapping his forehead in realization. "Though walls that-a shift may hide your doom, seek out the exit from each-a room." Luigi walked forward until the wall couldn"t shift any further. He then looked left & moved that way, he was then assaulted by evil spirits. "Yow!!" Luigi shouted, he shined his Poltergust 3000 on them & proceeded to suck them in. They all tried to escape, but ended up inside the Poltergust anyway. "Aha." Luigi said in triumph. He continued forward & found some double doors. He walked through them & a huge wooden plank sealed the door behind him. "That must-a be so I can"t-a go back." Luigi said to himself. He was then snared in a spider string & saw a huge spider to the right of the door. "Uh oh." Luigi said, he switched to the beacon & begun shooting the spider, he was just inches from the spider"s fangs when he killed it. "Whew, that was-a close." Luigi said to himself. He turned to the left of the door & walked that way. He found a real wall with a huge hole in the wallpaper & a chest up against it. "Must be-a the real wall." Luigi said to himself. He walked along the wall & eventually came across several small spiders. He sucked them into the Poltergust 3000 & continues on, humming the Luigi"s mansion theme. He continued to walk along the wall, avoiding the bits sticking out, until he came to a corner. He walked around to the left & found the next set of double doors, with a fortune card in front of it. "Aha!" Luigi said. He collected the fortune card & opened the door. It sealed behind him. "2 down, who knows how many more to-a go." Luigi said to himself, he went to the right of where he entered. 2 big spiders appeared from behind the wall. "Yow!" Luigi shouted. Luigi switched to the Beacon of souls & fired at the spiders. After a while, both were on their backs. Luigi let out a sigh of relief. "Whew." He said, wiping sweat off his forehead. "That was-a close." Luigi switched back to the Poltergust 3000. He then veered off to the left of the spider corpses, keeping the corner of the fake walls in front of him. He saw some fortune cards & found the door behind them. "Alright!" Luigi said. He walked up to the door, grabbed the fortune cards, & opened the door. Wooden planks sealed the door behind him, cutting off his access of the previous room. "I hope this is-a the last room." Luigi said to himself. He turned left & walked forward, keeping the real wall to his left. He kept humming the Luigi"s mansion theme. He came to a crooked painting above a chest. "That"s-a not right, that painting"s-a crooked." Luigi said. He walked onto the chest & straightened the painting. A door opened to his left & he was surprised. "Wow!" Luigi said. "Weird." Luigi walked through the newly opened door & found 10 fortune cards floating above a bed. "Aright!" Luigi said. He used the Poltergust 3000 to suck the cards straight to him. He then walked out of the room. "Now." Luigi said. "Back to-a the mission." Luigi followed the real wall on his right & eventually saw a part of the wallpaper that was torn. At which point, he made a left, staying on the left side of the freestanding wall. After a while, a familiar eerie scream pierced his ears. "Uh oh." Luigi said nervously. "I hope that"s-a not what I think it is." Luigi saw a banshee come out of the fake wall, followed by some evil spirits. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Luigi shrieked, he trained his flashlight on all 3 ghosts & freezes them all at once. "Alright, 3 in-a 1." Luigi said. He began sucking & all 3 spirits began to get drawn into the1secure around her waist. What? I wanted to let her know I was here, if something made her wig out. She started to tense up as the vows were completed, and then completely freaked when the power went out. I heard a voice that I hadn"t heard since I was really little. "I"m coming for you..." Dad? What the fuck- pardon my French- was he doing here? I heard footsteps behind me, and I tightened my hold on Jess. "I"ve got you right where I want you..." and suddenly, I felt Jess being yanked away from my arms. She screamed, and I tried to follow the direction of where Jess had gone. I thought for a minute I had grabbed the material of her dress, but then she was gone. Just like that. Gone. The power cut back on, and I looked around. Everyone was accounted for... Except Jess. Jess"s POV: You know, I always figured the first people to kidnap me would be the FBI. Not, say, my future father-in-law, assuming I played my cards right. After he grabbed me from behind, and dragged outside into the cold, in my fancy dress, I was thrown- yes, literally thrown- into a beat up four-by- four. I had no idea where we were going, mostly because it was majorly dark out. There was enough light to see that Rob looked a lot like a younger version of his dad. They both had curly dark hair, eyes the color of fog, and a slightly crooked nose. I kept glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. "So, you"re the infamous lightning girl." Rob"s dad said. I still didn"t know his name. "Yep, that"s me." I sneered. What? Did you expect me to be polite? "I was expecting someone..."He drifted off. "Taller." Why that evil...So what if I"m only 5"2? I still kick ass. I could kick Rob"s ass, even though he"s 6 feet...Not that I"d want to, but you know what I mean. I glared at him and said, "Where the hell are we going?" I was slightly cold in my dress, seeing as somewhat low cut, and had a slit up to my knee. Hopefully, I"d get warmer wherever we were headed. "Little ditch I know." I"m sorry, did he just say ditch? Oh that"s it, when Rob and I get married, his father is SO not invited! "Uh, ditch?" I said questioningly. "Why exactly are we going to a ditch?" Rob"s dad just snickered. I started to feel very, very scared. Rob"s POV: "This is bad...This is bad...This is bad..." I mumbled. It was the only clear thought I had. Mikayla and Lindsay kept bursting into tears, and my aunt Ruth- Earl"s wife- and my mom kept trying to calm them down. "How the insert unprintable F word here did he get here?" I said, my voice sounding like a low growl. Stasha looked up when I said that word with big eyes. "Rob said a bad word!" Uncle Earl came by and chuffed me on the back. "I know you"re upset that he took Jess, but you can"t-" "Can"t what?" I yelled, slamming my hand on the table, making Julie and Cheyanne jump. "Can"t get pissed off at the asshole who kidnapped my girlfriend? Can"t get pissed off at the prison guards, who weren"t doing their job? What can"t I do, uncle Earl?" Uncle Earl looked a little sheepish then. "You can"t let your anger get the best of you. Focus it on what"s important, and try to watch the language." "Sorry." I glanced down at my shoes, breathing heavy. Now, what"s important? Getting Jess back, obviously, and letting her parents- Oh, Shit. Her parents were going to FLIP. Forget making any progress. They were going to forbid her from seeing me until she was twenty. "Ok, how long before we have to leave to go home?" I said, to anyone that would listen. "Um...a few hours. The roads haven"t been plowed yet, and it"s still snowing in Paoli." Mom said. "Why? What are you thinking?" I crossed to the door and threw it open. The snow had stopped and you could see very faint tire tracks not too far from the snow-covered driveway. "Rob..." My mom said warningly. "What are you thinking?" I glanced longingly at the road. Uncle Earl seemed to read my mind. "I got a bike in the garage out back." He said. "You want to borrow it?" "Can I?" That"s how I was following the faint tire tracks twenty minutes later. Don"t get the wrong idea. My mother just about had a coronary when I said, "Can I?" The only person who let me leave willingly was uncle Earl. He tossed me the keys to the motorcyle out back- nothing like the Indian I had rebuilt, but it would do- and said, "Go get her, son." So to get her, I did. I followed the tracks carefully, making sure I didn"t miss any. It was insanely cold, as I had only my leather jacket to stay warm under. Jess must be freezing, since she was just in that thin sexy black dress she"d worn for the wedding, I thought. I just kept following the tracks. After all the people that Jess has found, she deserves to have someone find her. Jess"s POV: The whole ride to the ditch, I did not once think, "Oh, this is where it all ends. I"m gonna be worm chow." Nope, I was slightly more positive with "Rob"s gonna find me before I become worm chow. I know it." As freaked out as I was, I still couldn"t help wondering why- and how- he was going to kill me. Since I"m not known for being quiet, I asked. "So, what"s your deal?" I said, willing my voice to stay firm. "Do the names Clay Larson and Patrick O"Hanahan mean anything to you?" he said with a sick grin. My stomach dropped about six inches. Both of those names could- and one already had tried to- kill me. I tried to hide my fear though. "So? What about them?" "Well, girlie," Ok, I so don"t care if this is my future father-in-law. He calls me girlie again, and I"m kickin" ass. "They are mighty pissed off at you." "And why"s that?" "Think about it." When I remained silent, he continued. "You got them in trouble with various officials." "So they sent you to off me, is that it?" I said snidely. "Partially." He said, a sicker grin crossing his face. "I volunteered." "What?!" I said hotly. "Why? What"d I ever do to you?" Only I never got the chance to find out what I did to him. At that moment, I was hit with a shooting pain in my left arm, and I felt waves of unconsciousness pass over me. The last thing I remember is wishing for Rob to come find me. Rob"s POV: I kept following the tire tracks, praying they would lead to Jess. I cursed John- my father, and Jess"s kidnapper- for doing this. I really hoped his insanity wasn"t passed on to me. I sped up and was met with a broken down truck bumping along. Making the same tire tracks as the ones I was following. I sped up a bit more, staying out of the line of sight of the driver, until it looked like I was just trying to pass the truck. I glanced in the passenger side window, which was rolled all the way down, to see a freezing Jess slumped back on the seat. Her skin was as pale as the snow, and it looked like she was shivering pretty bad. I felt red-hot rage course through my veins, but I held back and let the truck pass me. It rolled along for a few more miles, before slowing and coming to a stop right next to an enormus ditch. The passenger side door opened, and Jess"s unconscious body came tumbling out. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" I screamed, jumping off the bike and running to her side. I hauled open the door and slugged John. He yelled, and tried to slug me back, but I caught his fist with my hand. "What the hell did you do to her?" I roared, except sustituting "Hell" for the F word. John didn"t reply, he just tried to slug me with his other hand. I caught that one too and twisted both arms back at painful angles. I heard Jess moan slightly, so I grabbed the truck"s keys and growled at John, "If you run, I will kill you." Then I flew out of the car and ran to her side. "Mastriani? Can you hear me? Jess...?" My voice trailed off. Her eyes were shut completely, and her skin had taken on a graying tint to it. She was still breathing- raspy breathes that seemed to hurt her, but they were breathes. "Jess, baby...If you can hear me, open your eyes." I whispered close to her ear. "It"s no use." John said, somewhat cheerfully. "Once that poison"s in your bloodstream, there"s no turning back. She"s as good as dead." Rob"s POV:Dead..Jess...Dead...No, she can"t die! I lunged at John and proceeded to beat the crap out of him. It was during this time that I heard the most beautiful noise on the planet."R-Rob...W-what happened?" I turned and was at Jess"s side in a flash. I lifted her head and gently set it in my lap, and whispered, "Shh...Don"t talk, baby...everything"s going to be OK..."My voice trailed off as I swept up Jess"s limp frame into my arms and placed her in the back seat of the truck."You," I growled at John, "Will sit in this passenger seat. You will not move, and when I stop this truck outside the church, you will wait for the cops and confess to everything. Got me?" John was bleeding pretty profusely from his nose, so he gave me an thumbs up sign. I got in the driver"s seat after loading up the motorcylce in the truck bed, and did ninety going back to the church.Halfway there, Jess started having hallucinations. She flaired her arms- smaking John a couple times- and moaning things I couldn"t understand. I glared at John and said menacingly, "If she dies, I will kill you.""Start," John said raspily, "killing."Had we not reached the church right then, I would have. Killed him, I mean. But we got there to find my uncles Earl and Randy, along with other assorted realitives, all waiting outside. I pulled in and saw a couple people go unload the bike while uncle Earl dealt with dear old dad."Rob! Where are you going? Where"s Jess?" I heard my mom yell. I hadn"t realized she was outside."Hospital," I yelled back. "Jess"s been poisoned." Without another word, I took off, doing at least ninety-five down the highway. The second I parked, I scooped up Jess in my arms again and brought her inside.The nurses and doctors all rushed to get Jess on a gurney. They told me to take a seat and someone would be right out, then gave me a bunch of forms to fill out. I did as best I could- I didn"t know the insurance stuff, but I could do the name, age, birthday stuff. Reluctantly, I took a seat and filled the forms out, and then I waited.And waited. And waited. And waited...Finally, my mom showed up and waited with me. She told me we had to stay another night because the highways hadn"t been plowed yet by where we lived. She also told me that she"d contacted Jess"s parents.I put my head in my hands when she said that. "They are going to freak out. Her parents are going to ban us from seeing each other until we"re forty." I groaned."No, they didn"t!" Mom said. "They are very relieved that she"s been found, and she"s going to be OK." Mom patted my shoulder in that reassuring-it"s-gonna-be-alright type way.Just then, this bald doctor came out. He looked like that guy from Oprah, Dr. Phil or something. "Are you Robert Wilkins?" he asked, peering down at me over his glasses. I nodded. "Mr. Wilkins, we"ve tried every antidote we have. Unfortunately, the poison got the better of her. I"m sorry for your loss." He finished, and was about to start again, but I didn"t hear anything. I passed out.(A/N: Ooooo, so sad....It"s not over yet!!!!!!!)Jess"s POV:After the inital shock of the needle to my arm, I started to fall asleep. But it"s fairly hard to sleep when you go sailing from a truck and land on snow. I could have sworn I heard Rob"s voice, and I may have even talked to him for a little bit, but then I just moaned and rolled over. I closed my eyes, and then felt my head get lifted up a bit later, only to be gently set back down. Then I was airborne again, but in a good way, because I was in the safety of Rob"s arms...I don"t know how I know it was him, I just knew. I was put in the back of that trunk, where I had had another dream...this one wasn"t psychic, just your random fight-the-evil-pink- monkey-who"s-attacking-your-ride dream.I was somewhat awake when they pulled me into the emergency room. I wondered briefly where everyone was, then remembered the storm.Then I shut my eyes and let the dark emptyness envelope me... A/N: Ok, BEFORE the flaming starts, let me say this: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. THERE WILL BE ONE MORE AND IT WILL ROCK YOUR SOCKS! Don"t give up on me! Jess"s POV: We were all standing in the church, Randy and his new bride had just completed their vows, and everyone was cheering. Mrs. Wilkins was crying a bit, as were most of the woman present, when suddenly a voice came over the loud speakers. (Who knew the church had such a kick-ass sound system?) "I"m coming for you..." I screamed. It was a deep voice, one that I knew without knowing belonged Rob"s dad...But it couldn"t be him. He was supposed to be in prison, for ten to twenty years....But then the voice continued. "I"ve got you all where I want you..." When suddenly the lights went out, and I felt big meaty hands on my shoulders. I yelled and flailed my arms, desparately trying to escape... "Mastriani! Wake up! It"s just a really bad dream!" I heard Rob whisper loudly. My eyes flew open and I saw Rob on top of me, waking me up from this nightmare... Because that truly was the worst dream ever. I never have dreams like that. Ever. It"s always the see-a-picture-find-out-where-they-are dreams. This was a big thing. Rob climbed off of me and I sat up, shaking and somewhat crying on his shoulder. "Are you gonna be OK?" Rob whispered softly as we lay back down. This is the part in the dream where I said, "Sure, I"m great. Go to sleep." Well, let"s just recap on where that got me, shall we? A) kidnapped B) poisoned by a future in-law C) DEAD Ok, so maybe I had this way freaky dream so I could stop it...maybe. At the very least, I was telling Rob about it. So I spilled my guts about this lovely dream. Every last detail, almost crying again when I got the whole I-died part. Rob"s response? To hold me tighter and say, "Well, you"re not going to the wedding now. You and me, are going to stay right here until after everything is done and over with." "No." I said, shaking my head. "Then, he"ll just grab someone who resembles me, or one of the kids. I can"t let that happen." "Well, I"m not letting you die this time." Rob said, with a fierce protective quality in his voice. "So if that means I have to lock you in that bathroom"- He pointed to the one in question- "Then I will." Rob cupped my face with his hands and kissed my nose. "I"m just not going to lose you, Mastriani. I lo-" Suddenly, Rob stopped short as he realized what was about to come out. I grinned and looked up at him. "831, Rob." He looked confused for a minute, so I explained. "8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning. 831." "831, Jess." Then he pulled me into his arms and kissed me deeply, not even caring that his mom and her boyfriend were in the bed right next to ours. Nope, that did not stop him from pulling up the blankets all around us and kissing me hungrily, kisses that I gladly gave back to him. Nor did it stop him from running his hands up and down my back under my shirt. It didn"t stop me from running my hands through his curly dark hair, or kissing his neck. It did stop us from going any further than that, though. We finally broke off our kissing, and I cuddled up in Rob"s arms, resting my head on his shoulder. Rob kissed my forehead, whispered goodnight, and we fell asleep again. The next morning, when we got up to get ready for the ceremony, I wondered how we were going to get away with it. I mean, the whole reason I was here was for this wedding. I knew that the aunts and uncles may not ask questions, but Rob"s mom sure would. She knew about the psychic thing, so I just explained the dream to her. Not only did Mrs. Wilkins not make us attend, she got them to move the time up, so that hopefully everyone was out of the chapel by the time he struck. I could not believe my good luck! We stepped outside, and walked around to the front of the church, where the driveway is to get in. Parked just out of sight, behind a lot of brush, was the truck. And Rob"s dad. "He must move it while we"re all inside." I murmured. Immediately, I felt Rob"s arm around my waist tighten. Maybe he thought I was going to do something stupid, but I wasn"t. Really. I happen to like breathing. So we went inside the church, and hung out in the back while everyone got settled in front for the ceremony. Rob seemed to think that the best way to take my mind off the impending danger was to get me in as little clothing as possible. Seeing as how I was only in a dress and then my bra and underwear, I didn"t think it was possible, yanno, without exposing a lot of skin, plus there was the chance of people walking in, but for once I really didn"t care. Plus, I majorly liked his whole must-make-out-with-my- girlfriend-as-much-as-possible attitude. So, in the back of the church, in this tiny room that must have been a coat check-in place or something, was where Rob and I stayed during the ceremony. He kept kissing me very passionately- I guess the prospect of your girlfriend dying in the next few hours boosts a guy"s sex drive- and I returned those kisses, each one more passionate than the last. We lied on the floor, using coats, my dress, and Rob"s shirt and jacket to keep warm. (No, we did not do the dirty. We just had a very heavy-duty make out session.) Then the power cut out just as Rob"s hand grazed my ass. I moaned, from both his hand and the power outage, and then realization dawned on me. My would-be kidnapper was HERE. Oh shit! Rob"s POV: The whole day of the wedding all I could think about was making out with Jess. I know, I know. My psycho dad has escaped from prison, is plotting to kill my girlfriend, and all I could think was, "Now, where can we make out at?" I"m a perv. I"m also a guy. It happens. Jess didn"t seem to mind though, as we entered the coat closet, and I kissed her. She wrapped her arms around my neck, like she did that day last spring, when I rode the Indian into a stream. I put my hands on her hips and kissed her harder, slipping my tounge in over hers. The next thing I knew, I was shirtless, Jess was in this really sexy black bra and panty set, and we were laying on the floor of the coat closet, still kissing. Then the damned power goes out. Jess started freaking out. She threw her dress on really quickly, and then put on a coat. The power came back on after a few minutes, and we went to the front of the church to check on the situation. Mom"s plan had worked, sort of. John didn"t have the opportunity to kidnap anyone- because the second he"d walked in the door, uncle Earl had tackled him. So now, John was out cold on the floor, with this little needle sticking out of his pocket. And that"s how he laid for until the cops showed up. Along with Cyrus Krantz, that guy who"s been trying to get Jess to come work for him. The cops and Krantz made Jess go through the entire dream, from start to finish, a million times it seemed. They confirmed John"s side of it when he came to, and then we were finally able to go home. Jess and I sat in the back seat of Gary"s truck the entire way home, her head resting on my chest, my arm wrapped around her waist. Mom kept glancing back and giving us the Aww-they"re-so-cute look. I just did the same thing with she mimicked Jess"s position- except, she was lying on Gary, not me. When we got home, Jess put her bag into the storage compartment of the Indian so I could drive her home. She didn"t seem like she wanted to go home, so we kind of hung around my place, talking about random things. Her dream, the possibility of her power expanding, my psycho dad, the many enemies it looked like she"d made. And then finally, the biggie. I knew she"d drag the conversation over to it. "Rob, look, I know you"ve said before that you aren"t going to tell me why you"re on probation, and I respect that, I really do, it"s just sometimes, I start to wonder, and then I think that you might be breaking your probation rules whenever we go out or whatever and- " Jess said in a big rush, before I silenced her with a finger to her lips. "You really want to know?" I said. Jess nodded. "You"re going to freak." "It can"t be that bad." "No...Just...it"s not what you think, I"ll bet." "Just tell me Rob, or I"ll get your mom to give me copies of your baby pictures." "Ok." I took a deep breath and said, "Jess....I"m on probation for..." Jess"s POV: I still can"t believe it. I mean, seriously. Rob"s on probation for COW TIPPING. Yes. He got crazy one night with Wendell and Wylie (from detention) and decided to knock over an innocent cow. I"m not even kidding. After he said that, I just looked at him. "Jess...Say something." he said, taking a hold of my hand. I couldn"t speak, I just burst out laughing. "THAT is why you"re on probation? I can"t believe it!" and bust a gut laughing some more. Rob just sat there, looking all serious and everything. I stopped laughing and cupped his chin in my hand. "Oh, I don"t even care. I still love you." and planted a big wet one on his lips. When we broke from our kiss- which had switched national origins pretty quickly- Rob said, "Yeah, well, I told you it was stupid!" And kissed me again. This one got pretty serious. Not coat-room serious (I don"t think we"ll get that serious again until after my birthday), but still pretty heavy. Then Rob drove me home, and said goodnight with a quick kiss on the lips. It was an almost perfect Christmas. THE ENDFollowed by Kelly Prescott and Debbie Mancuso- both also glowing. I sat in my bed, mouth open in shock. I pulled on Jesse"s hand and said, "You see them all too, right? This isn"t a hallucination? From the fever?" Jesse shook his head sadly. "No, I"m afraid not, Susannah. They"ve all become victims of murder." "Murder?! No one murders Kelly Prescott and gets away with it!" I heard Kelly shriek. Her french-tipped fingers flipped through her hair as she fumed. Seconds later, her expression softened. "Murdered? You mean, we all...We all died?" I nodded. "Anyone know how this happened?" At first, no one spoke. I looked around at everyone- the worried violet eyes of my best friend, still fixated on Adam, Paul"s icy blues fixated on me. "Let"s just say, Suze, it"s a good thing you didn"t come to school today. Saved you from this fate." Paul said hesistantly. Debbie and Kelly had taken to sitting on my day bed, both in shock that they were dead. In their minds, this was probably never taken into consideration, and who can blame them? Most people don"t wake up in the morning, thinking, "What am I going to do after I die today?" I do, sometimes. It comes with the territory, you know. So Debbie and Kelly were no help. Adam was basically silent- a change for him, actually- and CeeCee looked like she wanted to cry. "All I remember, Suze, is that it hurt. A hell of a lot." Adam finally said, in a very quiet tone. Cee nodded. "I felt like I couldn"t breathe, when he fired the bullet. It hurt so bad..." "Bullet?" I asked. She nodded. Then I couldn"t breathe. "Jesse...Bullet?" I asked. "Susannah..." Jesse started. "I tried to protect them. Or, those four, at least." He gestured to Cee, Adam, Kelly and Debbie. Paul looked a bit put out. "But the bullets went straight through me. There was nothing I could do." I fell back in disbelief. My school, my safe Junippero Mission Academy, had become the setting of a school shooting. Never in a million nightmares would anyone ever believe it... If it hadn"t been so damned true. Because moments later, the boy responsible for it all appeared. "You the mediator?" He asked me bluntly, ignoring the fact that his victims were all around him. He was dressed all in black, with a ski mask over his face. Suddenly, Debbie lept off of my day bed and tackled the kid. "YOU FREAK! IS THAT ANYWAY TO TREAT YOUR VICTIMS?! I SWEAR IF YOU WEREN"T GLOWING LIKE THE REST OF US, I"D KILL YOU!!!" She screamed as her perfectly manicured hands pummeled him. For a minute, we all watched as Debbie beat him up. Then Jesse and Paul seemed to think this wasn"t appropriate and tried to break it up. Only Debbie"s nails came flying up to hit them, so they backed off. "Well, I guess I"ll start talking to everyone one-on-one, see why you"re all still here." I said, pulling up a blanket. "Cee, wanna go first? I have a pretty good idea about you." Cee nodded, and joined me on my bed. We spoke quietly as everyone stuck to their own things, Debbie still beating up their murderer. "So, Cee, first do you believe me about my mediator abilities?" I asked with a small grin. CeeCee giggled a little at that. "Yeah, Simon, I guess I don"t have much of a choice." She sighed. "Although, if this is the afterlife..." "It"s not, don"t worry." I said. "But I think you"re still here because you never came clean to Adam about your feelings to him." I dropped my voice to a whispher here, should Adam be listening. He didn"t appear to be, however. He looked like- everyone did, actually, and I saw Paul and Jesse had broken up the fight. Maybe they explained why everyone was here? CeeCee locked her violet eyes on Adam. "I guess I don"t have anything left to lose, right?" She said, not looking at me, nor talking to me. She was lost in thought. "Cee, I"m going to mediate Adam for a moment, then I"ll let you two alone, OK?" She nodded, and I hugged my best friend one last time. "Adam, you"re up." I saw him sigh as he got up and settled in next to me. "Suze, I think I know why I"m here. I kinda understand this mediator stuff, from hearing you and Cee talk in what you think is "code" so let me give it a shot." I nodded and grinned. "Why do you think you"re here?" "I"m in love with someone. I never told her." Adam said in dead seriousness. Before he continued, I prayed it wasn"t me. "Suze, I"m in love with CeeCee." he whispered. I hugged Adam tightly and whisphered back, "Go tell her." I watched Adam and CeeCee start talking together, heads bent down on the floor. Adam said those three little words, and CeeCee responded the way I figured she always would: Pulled Adam"s head into her"s and kissed him. Adam moved on top of Cee as their arms circled each other, and before we could view anything more, they were both gone in a bath of bright white lights. I choked back tears and said, "Who"s next?" "Susannah, you need to rest. Slater and I can handle these three." Jesse said, standing next to me as I laid in bed. "Jesse, it"s my job." I protested as Kelly, Debbie, and the mysterious murderer were directed to my bed by Paul. "Suze, how is it you can see us, anyways? Are you dead, too?" Debbie asked. Kelly was still silent, probably in shock of being dead. "No, I"m not dead. I"m a mediator." I explained. "A what-iator?" I laughed. "A liason between the living and the dead. I can see, hear, speak to, and hit the dead." "And sometimes she even makes out with them." Paul said, waggling his eyebrows at Jesse and I. So what if Jesse was sitting behind me, and I was basically in his lap? With this damn flu, I could very well be glowing like him any day now. "Hey Suze, now that I"m dead, do I have a better chance at getting with you?" Paul asked, leaning back on my desk chair. "No, Paul." "Damn. Well, what if-" "No." "But-" "NO!" "Fine, fine." Paul sat back grumpily. "So, Debbie, let"s start with you." I said, sighing. "Is there anything you didn"t do before you died?" Debbie thought for a moment. "Well, there was this really cute skirt- red plaid, so catholic school girl- at the mall the other day, and I didn"t buy it because Daddy"s been getting on my case about s pending so much on what he calls "frivolous junk" when in reality, it"s so not! I mean, a girl can"t help but have sixteen pairs of Jimmy Choos, or twelve Kate Spade bags. And I mean-" "Debbie, I didn"t mean shopping wise." I said, raising my hand to silence her. Or maybe that skirt she didn"t buy is what was holding her back. Highly doubtful, but maybe. "Well, I didn"t tell someone that he was a father." Debbie said. WHOA! "A father?!" I cried- well, as much as I could. I was going horse a bit. "Debbie, you"re pregnant?" She was only 17! She laughed. "God, no. I was, about a year ago, when I took time off school and told everyone it was because we"d moved and then moved back." "That"s what it was?!" Kelly shrieked. Her first words since she"d realized she was dead. "I can"t believe you didn"t tell me, your own best friend!" "You"d have called me a whore, like Heather did!" "Let"s not fight for now." I said hastily. "Debbie, who"s the father? I can pass it along or something." "Um..." Debbie hung her head, staring at her feet as she curled up. "I kind of don"t want to say." "Why not?" "Look, Suze, are you absolutely sure you"re the only one whocan hear us?"Debbie asked, looking pained. "Yes, I"m sure." I nodded solemnly. "Querida, what about your brother?" Jesse asked. Dopey- Er, Brad- could hear. "He"s not home. School"s on lockdown, I bet." I said. "Go on, Debbie. Who is it?" "Brad." She mumbled. I don"t blame Debbie"s news at all on my vomiting. I had the flu, remember? I was bound to throw up again. And at least it all made it into the toilet. When I came out of the bathroom, I said, "I"m an aunt?" "Yes." Debbie said, grinning now. "Her name"s Madeline Rose. She"s the sweetest, cutest, most well-behaved baby on the planet." I believed it. "Debbie, other than Brad not knowing he"s the father, do you think that there is any other reason?" I asked, hugging my (almost) sister-in-law. "My parents hated the fact that I kept her." Debbie said quietly. "I think I may be around because I want to know what"s going to happen to my baby. I don"t want my parents to raise her, because she"ll end up like me. Believe it or not, that"s not a good thing." She giggled lightly. "But I don"t want her to be raised by strangers." Paul- who"dbeen silent- and Kelly- who"d been in more shock- both spoke at the same time. "She won"t be." They looked at each other. Paul said, "Go ahead, Kel." "Thanks." Kelly sighed. "Debbie, don"t even bug on it. I bet once my parents find out, they"ll ask for custody or something. Or Brad"s parent"s might." Debbie nodded. "I wish Brad"s would." "I may have some pull there, Deb." I grinned. "Paul, what were you going to say?" "Just going to suggest you take the kid, Suze." Paul said, grinning wickedly. "You and De Silva can play house." I responded by flipping him off. So Debbie would be sticking around for a while. It was then I realized our mystery ghost was no where in sight. "Jesse, can you sense him?" I asked, pointing this out. Jesse concentrated. "The only other being is in Bradley"s room." he said. "Let"s go check it out." I said, trying to get up. For once, Jesse let me. We all moved to Brad"s room, and saw the murderer- his ski-mask tossed over a bed post. I think all of us would have fainted- if ghosts could faint. As it is, I"m the only one who did. Although, I blame the flu. The Junippero Mission Academy"s shooter was... OK..IT"S A TO-BE-CONTINUED...TAKE A GUESS ON OUR MYSTERY MAN, AND IF YOU"D LIKE TO WIN A PRIZE, EMAIL ME! Wow, only posted a day ago, and already I"ve gotten responses! You guys totally and completely ROCK OUT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I"m warning you up front: This WILL BE A BIT GORY. IF YOU CANNOT STAND BLOOD, DO NOT READ. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE VIOLENCE, WHY ARE YOU READING IN THE FIRST PLACE? Mystery Murderer"s POV: (No, you will not know who it is until the end. Don"t skip ahead to read who it is either, you"ll ruin it for yourself.) I sat in Brad"s room, my mask over the edge of the bed post. I heard everyone walk- or, whatever we ghosts do- into the room, and soon after heard Suze faint. I suppose she was shocked by who I was, what I"d done. I don"t know why I chose to do...that. I knew it wasn"t the way to solve things. Sometimes, Kelly and her group made me so mad, I just wanted to slap them. I only meant for there to be three victims. Kelly Prescott, Debbie Mancuso, and myself. In the cross fire, I got that albino girl, CeeCee Webb, and Adam McTavish, the classic class clown, and finally, Paul "I"m-hot-so-let"s-give-me-everything" Slater. Well, there are always flaws in the plan... ...Flashback...Ish... "Do you see that outfit? What a freak." I heard behind me. I was the only one in that general area, so I figured they must be talking about me. I ignored the snotty high-pitched girls" voice and kept walking. They"ll learn...then they"ll be sorry... That afternoon, I cleaned out my locker.I saw Suze Simon talking to her friends a little ways down the hall, and wished I could join them. Suze was pretty, smart, nice, funny- all the things I wanted in a friend. Of course, I"d never had a real friend, so anyone- or thing, really- would work. The next day, I stayed home from school to prepare. Kelly Prescott and Debbie Mancuso would be sorry. They"d learn to treat everyone a lot nicer. On Wednesday, I walked to school, the only thing in my backpack a 9mm gun I"d found hidden in the back of my dad"s closet. I kept up my usual smiles, acting like nothing was wrong. I didn"t see Suze, and her brother David told me she"d been home sick with the flu yesterday and today. I told him to tell her I said to feel better soon. At that point, Suze could have talked me out of it. Instead, I saw Debbie Mancuso and Kelly Prescott walking in my general direction. Suze"s friends, Adam and CeeCee, were nearby, and so was Paul Slater. Those two could be aiming for any of them. Yeah, Sure. Like Queen Kelly would pass up an opportunity to diss you. Well, screw Queen Kelly. Screw her in the ass with a sharp pineapple. Suddenly, my mind wasn"t my own anymore. I wasn"t controlling my body. I reached into my bag, pulled out the gun, and haphazardly pulled the trigger. Then continued until it was empty. The first shot hit CeeCee directly in the heart. Blood splattered everywhere as she fell over, crimson pouring out on the floor. Blood sprayed the lockers as the bullet hit, as well as the walls and ceiling. The second shot hit Paul right in the middle of his forehead. Blood, withpieces of his skull and brain,went in the opposite direction of CeeCee"s, splattering the rest of the lockers, walls, and myself. I stood stock still, firing off the rest of the round. I still stood, watching Adam fall over, a bullet lodged in his left temple. He"d turned to see what was going on right as I"d fired, and was blown back from the blast. Half of his skull lay in a puddle of blood, his eyes still staring up in surprise and shock. Next- my designated victims", Kelly and Debbie. Kelly doubled over as the bullet entered her belly, I fired another at her, hitting her square in the head and killing her instantly. Debbie had barely moved during this whole time, and two quick shots hit her dead in the heart. One bullet left. I surveyed what I"d done. It had changed nothing, except that 5 (fairly) innocent people were dead. It didn"t take back what Kelly and Debbie had done, it didn"t reverse time, it didn"t make my pain go away. So, as I realized I"d acted without thinking everything through, I ate the last bullet. And everything went black. I saw myparents, my friends, everyone...I saw the damage I"d done, I saw my body from above it as I floated there, my long red hair hanging in clumps drenched in blood, andthe deceased also floating above their corpses. "Come on, you guys." Paul said. He"d yet to notice me. "Since we"re all floating here, and shouldn"t be, I know how to fix it." And they disappeared in a swirl of lights. ...End Flashback...Ish... I looked at Suze"s passed out form on the floor of Brad"s room. "I"m so sorry..." I whispered. The remaining ghosts- and that Spanish guy- looked doubtful. The Spanish guy and Paul picked up Suze and carried her to her room. Kelly and Debbie just shook their heads at me. My name is...was...Gina Augustin. I was a transfer studentat Junippero Mission Academy. I had personally kept this from Suze and her family, though I don"t remember why. I wasn"t smart and I wasn"t pretty, which made me the target of bullying. If I could come back to life, or reverse time, I would. And I wouldn"t do what I did. Then I saw bright white lights, and was in a hallway filled with doors. One of the doors uttered a knock. I did what seemed logical next; I opened the door. Suze"s POV: "Querida? How are you feeling?" Amazing how five little words can make me melt. "Better. Did I pass out?" I asked Jesse, hoping it had all been a horrible dream. "Yes, shortly after following that mystery ghost." Jesse said, patting my forehead with a damp cloth. "Kelly has moved on; Paul attended to her. Debbie has decided to stay until she knows her baby"s fate." I nodded. "Jesse...that was no mystery girl." I said, remembering her face. "What do you mean, Susannah?" Jesse asked, brushing away hair from my eyes. "It was Gina." And then I fell asleep, wondering how my best friend could have done such a thing when she was supposed to be in Brooklyn. Thanks to everyone who reviewed in general...I"d like to take this time to reply a little bit: My Divinest: Can you please be more specific when you say "BULL" repeatedly? If it"s about the portrayal of the shooting, and it sucks, then I"m sorry. Since I"ve never been in one, I can"t really write it well. Bewitched85: Thanks for reviewing!!! Gator aka JJ!: Teehee...Yeah, Yeah, I picked Gina...I"m so horrible... :big grin: UnangelicHalo: Actually, I almost made it Father Dom...But then some people had guessed it might be him, so I changed it to someone no one had thought of. Stella Blu: I"m going to explain further in this chapter why Gina didn"t talk to Suze, Suze"s family, all that good stuff. Chione: Thanks for reviewing!!! Angel From Fairyland: Thanks for reviewing!!! Qui tacet consentit: Thanks for reviewing!!! Kay: Thank you sooooooo much for your review. I didn"t think it was negative at all. It"s the kind of review I wish more people (me included) would leave when they review because it"ll help when I go back and edit the chapter a bit. The next chapter will be up in a few days...This story will actually be short (5 or lower, actually) so I can finish everything else... Love for now, Kaitie Tragedy Chapter 3 Gina"s POV: Life sucked when I came back from visiting Suze in Carmel. Everything was so cool there, and then I come back to New York, and life just sucks. My parents divorced, and to deal with the stress, I turned to drugs and alcohol. Not to mention boys in general. After months of alcohol abuse, drugs (ranging from marijuana to cocaine to E to LSD), and virtually becoming a prostitute, I found out I was pregnant. There was no way of knowing who the baby"s father was, since only a handful of guys wore a condom when we did it. That"s a handful out of 100 or more. The weird thing is, I wanted to keep the baby. So I stopped doing drugs, stopped drinking, and tried to get back on track. Then one night I was walking home, and cut through my old "work" neighborhood. Derick, this white-boy-gangster-wannabe walked out in front of me, completely stoned off his ass, and goes, "Ginaaaaaah!" Oh shit. So, I keep walking. Not the best choice, actually. Derick followed me, his eyes glazing over, looking like frozen pools of ice. "Gina, why didn"t you call me the other night? There was a good grand in it for you to appear at the party on 8th and Market." "Yeah I know." "So why didn"t you show?" "Because Mother"s don"t strip for a living, Derick!" I threw at him. His eyes got huge. Maybe he thought it was his kid or something, because he threw me to the ground and started to pound on me. "Derick! STOP PLEASE, NO!!!" I screamed, begging him to stop, to not kill it or me. He just kept hitting, kicking, making me bleed all over. Before he stopped, I passed out. Blackness consumed me until I woke up in a pure white hospital room. "Ms. Augustin?" I blinked. I looked over at the doorway to see a doctor, about 45 or so, holding a clipboard. I murmured something, and the doctor walked over to my bedside. "Ms. Augustin, I"m Dr. Walker." he said, kindly. He had that salt-and-pepper hair and brown eyes. "That was a nasty beating you took." "The...the...baby..." I tried to ask if the baby was OK. Dr. Walker continued. "I"m sorry, Ms. Augustin. We lost the baby." And at that point, I wondered if it would have been a boy or girl. A pretty little girl who I could dress up in princess dresses, and raise in California where she"d never have to worry. A strong little boy who would play sports and know how to treat woman and never ever lay his hand on one in a harsh manner. But it didn"t matter now. God obviously didn"t trust me to raise a kid; why else would s/he been taken away from me? After I left the hospital, my mom kicked me out. She had met this total sleazeball of a guy, who didn"t want a kid, so she didn"t either. I hitch-hiked to Carmel, and planned to start over with Suze and her family. Only somehow they didn"t recognize me. No one knew who I was, despite the fact that I grew up with Suze. Brad slammed the door in my face when I showed up. I didn"t have an ounce of the old Gina left in me. So I wouldn"t be the old Gina. I"d be a random stranger, a new girl. Maybe Suze would realize it was me after all. Only after a few weeks, she didn"t. And between Kelly and Debbie"s insults, most of them reminding me of who I used to be- the odd girl who did what she wanted, when she wanted- and being ignored, I couldn"t take it. I wanted everyone who made me miserable to die. I wanted to kill everyone I"d known in Brooklyn. I wanted a new life! I just wanted Suze back! Hey everyone! First, this is JUST AN AUTHOR"S NOTE. All my stories will be updated soon, I swear! As well as a few I"m planning on starting. Just so everyone knows, I"m going to do all of the 1800 stories through Rob"s POV. Second...If you"re a fan of Princess Diaries, PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT COMES UP NEXT!!! I have in my posession...ONE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF PRINCESS PRESENT! YES, YOU READ RIGHT! PRINCESS PRESENT AUTOGRAPHED BY THE ONE, THE ONLY, MEG CABOT! All you have to do to win this faboulous prize is answer the following question: (Question comes from "Mediator" books.) Which book is the following line from? "I may have been dead the last hundred and fifty years, Susannah, but that doesn"t mean I don"t know how people say good night. And generally, when people say good night, they keep their tongues to themselves." Leave a review with your answer. I"ll collect the user names on January 18, 2005. The winner will be notified via Email, so you need to have this visible on your bio page, on January 19, 2005. Good luck! Love, Kaitie1 - Loss:
utils.Losses.ModifiedContrastiveLoss
Training Hyperparameters
Non-Default Hyperparameters
eval_strategy: stepsper_device_train_batch_size: 2per_device_eval_batch_size: 2num_train_epochs: 5multi_dataset_batch_sampler: round_robin
All Hyperparameters
Click to expand
overwrite_output_dir: Falsedo_predict: Falseeval_strategy: stepsprediction_loss_only: Trueper_device_train_batch_size: 2per_device_eval_batch_size: 2per_gpu_train_batch_size: Noneper_gpu_eval_batch_size: Nonegradient_accumulation_steps: 1eval_accumulation_steps: Nonelearning_rate: 5e-05weight_decay: 0.0adam_beta1: 0.9adam_beta2: 0.999adam_epsilon: 1e-08max_grad_norm: 1num_train_epochs: 5max_steps: -1lr_scheduler_type: linearlr_scheduler_kwargs: {}warmup_ratio: 0.0warmup_steps: 0log_level: passivelog_level_replica: warninglog_on_each_node: Truelogging_nan_inf_filter: Truesave_safetensors: Truesave_on_each_node: Falsesave_only_model: Falserestore_callback_states_from_checkpoint: Falseno_cuda: Falseuse_cpu: Falseuse_mps_device: Falseseed: 42data_seed: Nonejit_mode_eval: Falseuse_ipex: Falsebf16: Falsefp16: Falsefp16_opt_level: O1half_precision_backend: autobf16_full_eval: Falsefp16_full_eval: Falsetf32: Nonelocal_rank: 0ddp_backend: Nonetpu_num_cores: Nonetpu_metrics_debug: Falsedebug: []dataloader_drop_last: Falsedataloader_num_workers: 0dataloader_prefetch_factor: Nonepast_index: -1disable_tqdm: Falseremove_unused_columns: Truelabel_names: Noneload_best_model_at_end: Falseignore_data_skip: Falsefsdp: []fsdp_min_num_params: 0fsdp_config: {'min_num_params': 0, 'xla': False, 'xla_fsdp_v2': False, 'xla_fsdp_grad_ckpt': False}fsdp_transformer_layer_cls_to_wrap: Noneaccelerator_config: {'split_batches': False, 'dispatch_batches': None, 'even_batches': True, 'use_seedable_sampler': True, 'non_blocking': False, 'gradient_accumulation_kwargs': None}deepspeed: Nonelabel_smoothing_factor: 0.0optim: adamw_torchoptim_args: Noneadafactor: Falsegroup_by_length: Falselength_column_name: lengthddp_find_unused_parameters: Noneddp_bucket_cap_mb: Noneddp_broadcast_buffers: Falsedataloader_pin_memory: Truedataloader_persistent_workers: Falseskip_memory_metrics: Trueuse_legacy_prediction_loop: Falsepush_to_hub: Falseresume_from_checkpoint: Nonehub_model_id: Nonehub_strategy: every_savehub_private_repo: Falsehub_always_push: Falsegradient_checkpointing: Falsegradient_checkpointing_kwargs: Noneinclude_inputs_for_metrics: Falseeval_do_concat_batches: Truefp16_backend: autopush_to_hub_model_id: Nonepush_to_hub_organization: Nonemp_parameters:auto_find_batch_size: Falsefull_determinism: Falsetorchdynamo: Noneray_scope: lastddp_timeout: 1800torch_compile: Falsetorch_compile_backend: Nonetorch_compile_mode: Nonedispatch_batches: Nonesplit_batches: Noneinclude_tokens_per_second: Falseinclude_num_input_tokens_seen: Falseneftune_noise_alpha: Noneoptim_target_modules: Nonebatch_eval_metrics: Falsebatch_sampler: batch_samplermulti_dataset_batch_sampler: round_robin
Training Logs
| Epoch | Step | Training Loss |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0649 | 10 | - |
| 1.0 | 163 | - |
| 2.0 | 326 | - |
| 3.0 | 489 | - |
| 3.0675 | 500 | 0.4331 |
| 4.0 | 652 | - |
| 5.0 | 815 | - |
Framework Versions
- Python: 3.10.12
- Sentence Transformers: 3.0.1
- Transformers: 4.41.2
- PyTorch: 2.1.0+cu118
- Accelerate: 0.31.0
- Datasets: 2.20.0
- Tokenizers: 0.19.1
Citation
BibTeX
Sentence Transformers
@inproceedings{reimers-2019-sentence-bert,
title = "Sentence-BERT: Sentence Embeddings using Siamese BERT-Networks",
author = "Reimers, Nils and Gurevych, Iryna",
booktitle = "Proceedings of the 2019 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing",
month = "11",
year = "2019",
publisher = "Association for Computational Linguistics",
url = "https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.10084",
}