Earth

Alex

Pauline and Tony are sat together on one of the sofas staring up at Jalholm and Jamie as they argue, while I’m pacing back-and-forth on the far side of the room, occasionally glaring at the lot of them.

‘If Alex goes with you, then so do I,’ Jamie yelled, for what was the third time in the last few minutes.

‘As I have said… numerous times, Jamie, we cannot all make this journey. It is not a simple thing, not —’

‘But you brought us all here… all of us. So why not take us all to this bloody Ellas? Besides, sorry Pauline… and you Tony, I only care about Alex, and if she goes, then so do I.’

Jalholm’s response was to shake his head, while his fingers holding his travelling rod were almost white as though he tried to crush the device out of existence.

‘Cut it out, Jamie… both of you, stop your arguing,’ I said, as I walked forward to stand before them all. ‘Sit down, you two.’ My voice was quiet, and yet the tone was somehow commanding.

Jamie almost jumped to obey, pushing in to sit between Pauline and Tony, and Jalholm only hesitated a moment before sitting next to them.

‘Jamie, you keep quiet for a few moments… we all know your opinion on what we should do,’ I said, even as Jalholm's eyes strayed towards the doorway off to my left.

I turned to look too as I said, ‘What is it, Jalholm?’

Jalholm shook his head as he said,’ Nothing, Alex. Sorry, I just felt strange for a second, that’s all.’

Turning back to Pauline and Tony, I said, ‘What about you two, are you going to insist on coming too?’

‘I will stay,’ Pauline said. ‘Jalholm has already explained how difficult, not to mention dangerous, this will be for him to take another with him, let alone all of us. But that is not my reason… something about what Jamie has told us of the phone and speaking with David, and… I know you do not believe me, Alex, but I did see him, I did. So I am staying because, despite all that you have said about him being sent to Ellas, Jalholm, I believe he is still here… and I mean to find him.’

‘I really do not know what is going on, Pauline,’ I said. ‘But I'm glad you're staying. And I know that you will get to the bottom of it all. What about you, Tony?’

‘I had wanted to go with you, Alex. But Pauline makes sense. If you let me help you, Pauline, then I want to stay, too. I need to find my dad… I need to tell him how sorry I am for not believing him.’

‘Good,’ I said. ‘That's settled then. Tony stays with you Pauline. Oh, don't look at me like that. It wasn't a command or anything… it just makes sense that the two of you join forces to sort out what ever the hell is going on here… while Jalholm and I go to Ellas.’

‘What?’ Jamie shouted. ‘I'm coming, too—’

‘No, Jamie! You are not coming with us. And that's final. You've got the phone back, so you can phone this other David and tell him where we've gone… and you, being the big macho man, can look after Pauline and Tony. Besides, with Jalholm gone, whoever was chasing us, whoever we were warned against, should stop looking.’

'Besides, Jamie, there's something I want you to do for me... find out whoever the hell is pretending to be my sister. Do that for me, will you? Please, promise me you'll find out?’ My voice that seconds ago had been so commanding, was now almost pleading.

‘Shit, Alex. Are you sure that I can't —’

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‘No, Jamie. No, you can't.’

‘Okay then,’ Jamie said, his voice sounded resigned, almost broken. ‘And yes, I will find this woman for you, the one that upset you so much.’

I sighed. ‘Thank you, Jamie… so that's settled at last. Just you and me Jalholm. So when do we go? And what do we need to take with us? Guns, weapons of some kind? Food? What about clothes —’

Jalholm laughed ‘None of those things, Alex. And you are dressed fine as you are. My magic will cloak you as you need to to look… and I am sure that I will be able to provide all else that we need. And as to the when, you have a saying… no time like the present, do you not?’

‘Now?’ Jamie said. ‘You can't just up and go, Jal.’

‘Hush, Jamie. Jalholm is right, there’s no point in putting this off. Besides, I'm almost wetting myself as it is… if we wait, there's no telling what I'll do.’

‘But, Alex… I might never see you again. Don't go. Let Jalholm go alone. You don't need to go... I love you, Alex,’ Jamie blurted. ‘Don't go, please.’

Stony silence followed for what seemed minutes, but in reality was mere seconds.

‘Now, Jamie! You choose now to tell me?’ even to me, my voice sounded incredulous.

Jamie didn't answer, but his face flushed with embarrassment or possibly even anger, I didn’t know.

‘Well?’ I said.

‘I… I'm sorry, Alex. I wanted to tell you. I tried to tell you, but… but I was afraid,’ Jamie's voice trailed off, back into that embarrassing silence.

Another moment passed.

‘Afraid?’ I asked, my voice quiet and yet almost resounding in the silence of the room.

‘Yes!’ Jamie answered. ‘Christ, Alex, don't you remember how you've treated me? How you've constantly pushed me away and… and made me feel like shit?’

‘Be calm, Jamie,’ Jalholm said, into the conversation. ‘There is no need—’

‘Shut up, Jalholm. This is none of your business,’ I said. ‘And as for you, Jamie, I'm sorry for how I treated you, but if it's any consolation…’ I paused, and I think everyone of us held our breath.

‘What?’ Jamie asked his voice almost a whisper.

Then after another long pause, ‘I love you, too,’ I said, almost as if the words tried to strangle me as they left my mouth. Then, louder I said, ‘There, I've said it… I love you, Jamie.’

‘I knew it!’ Pauline said, with what sounded like triumph in her voice. ‘I just knew there was something between you two.’

‘And you can shut up, too,’ I said. ‘Jamie, we need to talk, but… not now. I'm sorry, but I have to do this. David was my friend and… I just have to go. Don't ask me why, because I don't know… I just know that he needs me… and he's my friend.’

‘You love me?’ Jamie said, his voice choked, and somehow I knew that he had tears in his eyes. ‘You really love me?’

‘Oh, come here, you big lummox. Yes, I love you.’

Jamie stood and tentatively put his arms around me, almost as if he didn’t believe what he’d heard and was expecting me to thump him. I took his face in my hands and gently kissed him. ‘Yes, I love you,’ I whispered.

As I reluctantly tried to pull free of his arms, I said, ‘I have to go now, Jamie. So please don't make this any harder than it already is, okay? Please.’

‘You love me?’ Jamie said, again. ‘I almost can't believe it.’

‘Jamie, snap out of it! I'm going now. Jalholm and I are going now. That's right isn't it, Jalholm?’

‘Eh! Why yes, Alex.’

‘You will bring her back, Jal? Promise me you will. Promise me, that you’ll keep her safe.’ Jamie pleaded.

‘I can bloody well keep myself safe, Jamie. And I promise to come back… I promise to come back to you. So stop this now. Let go of me and… and we'll be on our way,’ I said.

Again there was a moment's pause, and silence filled the air.

‘Okay, Jalholm, what do I do?’ I asked.

‘Come stand by me, Alex. Hold my arm as I hold the rod, you need do nothing else… except, maybe, say your farewells.’

‘Yes, Alex. That would be good, we are friends now, don't forget. Jamie’s not the only one who needs a hug,’ Pauline said.

‘I don't understand any of this,’ Tony said. ‘I'm staying here to find my dad, and you're going off somewhere else to help him. It doesn't make any sense at all. But take care, Alex. And if you do find my dad, bring him back… or at least tell him that I'm sorry that I didn’t believe him, and how I treated him… how I betrayed him. Tell him that I love him.’

‘Don't be so daft, Tony. You didn't betray him. When he spoke of you, it was with nothing but pride. He was glad that you were getting on with your life… he didn't want you to have to share in the horrors that he had seen. He—’

‘He spoke to you, of me?’

‘Of course he did, Tony. Your his son… of course he spoke of you. He told me all about you.’

Another bout of silence followed.

‘Thank you, Alex. That means a lot, it really does,’ Tony said, his voice choked.

‘Right, enough of the goodbyes,’ I said, as I stepped across to Jalholm and looped my arm through his and gripped his hands as he held the rod. My satchel with our book in it was over my shoulder - no way would I leave that behind. ‘Let's get this over with,’ I said, my voice as full of bravado as I could manage.

Another silence fell, and as the surge of power from Jalholm's rod filled the air, Jamie's voice rang out, ‘I love you, Alex.’

And that was the last I heard as everything lurched, and we were then somewhere else.