The last day was spent in school wide preparation, Jessica was put in the kitchen with a few others to help the lunch staff with cooking for the event. The machines used needed a bit more interaction than home food replicators. Though they did work similarly, turning water into other things through a process that was so technical that Jessica fell asleep whenever Robbie, the lead lunchman, tried to explain it, they only produced the raw ingredients in bulk. Meats, vegetables, flour, etc…
They would need to cook it manually, like people of the pre-council area did. It was actually pretty fun, when Robbie would stop droning on about how everything worked in excruciating detail. She saw Maddie working with Mr Henderson on the music. Thank god for that. She hated Maddie but her music taste was always on point. Jessica couldn’t imagine what Mr Henderson considered good music.
Realistically, they couldn’t do anything fancy, but the group did agree on just pumping out pizza’s. They would freeze the prepared crusts overnight and they could be cooked as needed. Jessica offered to help Robbie that morning to start cooking the pizzas but another girl immediately offered as well, and Robbie chose her. Jessica wasn’t to put off by this, she didn’t actually want to cook all day tomorrow but it would have let her escape the party. Apparently this girl realized the same thing.
So the day was spent mixing dough, making sauce, and grating large blocks of various cheeses. Jessica found herself on that last job with a boy who seemed to find this not only effortless work, but very enjoyable. Jessica tried not to sweat on the cheese as she ran the grater over the block. Her only consolation being that Robbie and his team, who were noticeably absent, did this every day. Jessica’s arms ached as she put the shreds in bags. She filled them, sealed them, stuck them on a pan to be taken to the fridge.
Then she swapped stations and worked the stoves under direct supervision from Robbie. He had us adding spices, crushed tomatoes, and tasting at least his weight in sauce before he let us dump it into tubs before starting over again. The next swap was the easiest at least, forming the dough into pizza that could be topped and stuck in the oven. Or at least, that’s what she thought. Her arms felt like noodles only 3 crusts in, after everything else. How the heck did the lunch team do this every day? It was insane.
They ended up helping make and serve the school’s lunch as well. Jessica mixed a ton of salt into Maddie’s soup when she saw her. It was beef and grain soup so it would be awful. Since one couldn’t just leave detention she’d be stuck with it until a teacher bothered to go and check on her. She also saw Michael, who she gave a very tired smile to. It’s like he said, they were barely friends, though after Maddie dumped him she would try a bit more to engage with him. She really had been distant, hadn’t she. Nope! The pang of that thought sent her mind running with its tail between its legs. That’s for another day.
When Jessica got her own food and sat down, she noticed Maddie in the back of the line, visibly upset. Hurray for small victories. She ate in happy silence for a whole ten minutes before Maddie came back and threw a pack of pepper into Jessica’s soup. Joke’s on her, she liked pepper and there wasn’t a chance she could get more than 2 packs worth.
There was an assembly after school. Jessica's mother gave a big speech about how proud she was of the students and how exciting the party would be. Only seniors would be there, everyone else’s holiday starting tomorrow. Then her mother offered a ride home. It was driven in silence… Well, Jessica was silent. Her mother talked about her favorite subject the whole 7 minute drive. Normally 7 minutes isn’t a lot but it felt like an hour. Jessica practically ran to her room to escape the woman’s rant about this “Auditor”. Sounds like a lovely lady that Jessica would love talking too. Instead, she just skipped dinner and went to sleep.
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She expected King to continue as he had the last two nights, confronting her “Fear”, which he refused to name aloud. Yet another thing she wasn’t “ready for”. It was slow, and frustrating, and she didn’t even know if she was improving. It didn’t feel like it.
“But you are, by leaps and bounds. I’m very impressed.” King answered.
Jessica rolled her eyes, “Oh I’m so glad to hear that, God knows I only live to impress you specifically.” She sat down, expecting more of the same.
Instead, King waved his hands and a chessboard appeared, a full one this time.
“Another metaphor? Didn’t we do this already?” Jessica asked, moving a piece absentmindedly.
King shrugged, and reached out a claw, moving a piece as well. “No metaphors. I wasn’t kidding about your improvement. It is as impressive as it is expected. I just thought that with the big day tomorrow you’d appreciate me not prying into you. So let’s play some chess.”
Jessica stared at him, and when he made no further comment, she looked at the board. She winced at the awful first move. She sighed and moved with a bit more thought. They played silently for a bit, King soundly kicking her ass even with fully visible pieces. She sighed as she saw checkmate around the corner. She tipped her king.
“So you could just… What, summon anything you want into here?” Jessica asked. King made a face.
“That’s partially true, I suppose.” Jessica noted his discomfort, “So why are you just now doing this?”
King frowned as he reset the chess board, “You’d think me a hypocrite,” he said. “Though, you already do so anyway.” He was white this time and made the first move. “I was scared of how you might react.”
That sounded about right. King seems to have done a lot of things in fear of how I would react. “So what changed? Did you just stop caring about my reactions,”
King laughed, “Not a bit, but I had a well of strength I called upon to finally act. It’s a lot easier to do now that-” He stopped himself. Jessica met his eyes, and saw a look that she realized was fear, or worry… apprehension?
“There are a lot of things you don’t really tell me.” Jessica said, nabbing his queen in the momentary distraction. “Just spit it out, I can handle it. Can’t be worse than anything else going on.”
King captured her queen back, but that was fine. She had a semblance of a plan.
King sighed deeply, “I used our connection to borrow your courage. I’m doing it now in fact,, since otherwise I likely wouldn’t be speaking. Hell, I’m only doing that much because of your effect on me.”
Jessica blanked at that. She moved, then waved her hand, “Ok, ignoring your borrowing of my courage, what do you mean by my “effect” on you?” How could she affect what, if he was to be believed, would be a several hundred year old dragon?
King picked up on the thought and smiled, “You underestimate yourself. Normally large personality shifts don’t happen until our souls are properly coupled together,”
“When you touch my light,” Jessica clarified, King bobbed his head, “yes and no, check, I can’t get into it but that is more of a preliminary to the first step of coupling our souls.”
“Ok, and what about my “effect” on you.”
King wobbled his head back and forth, finding his words. “When I chose you, I linked my soul to you in a very intimate way. This can often lead to your being affecting my own since physical beings seem to have a bit more soul power than use shades.”
“I’m sorry, chose me?” Jessica had kind of figured that but King saying out loud still surprised her.
“Again, I really can’t get into it until we are… further along in the process.”
“Process?” Jessica asked, getting a bit weirded out at the new information, King surprisingly answered, “I don’t believe it would badly affect you to tell you the name of the process. Should give a bit more information. Again, I can’t get into it until later but the process itself is called the Bearing of Souls.”
“What does that even mean,”
“I again, cannot get into specifics.” King answered.
“Bullshit, you clearly can,” She argued, blocking the check. King just shook his head.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I can only say certain things, and not due to fear. I can sense when things would have an overt negative impact on you. I only really fear the actions that I can’t tell the effect of, like summoning things from your memories. That is the answer to why I was afraid, which was your original question. This set comes from your father’s study.”
Jessica just sat there for a good while, processing that. “Seriously, like… anything anything?”
King nodded, gritting his teeth audibly. “Yes, but please know I would never use this ability to manipulate you. I know you think I’m trying to get something out of this, and I suppose I am if you want to be really cynical about it but it’s not in a way that would negatively affect you. Quite frankly I find your people’s propaganda about my kind insulting.”
Jessica wanted to scoff at that, but something stuck with her. If he really wanted to manipulate or fuck with her, he had the power to, in here at least. He hadn’t though, not even a little. In fact, when she thought about it he had been very respectful about the whole thing despite very obviously desiring this… coupling process. It was a point to him being truthful about all of this.
She smiled, she was 3 moves to checkmate, “Check,” she didn’t really remember this set, but she supposed her father had taught her the game, so it was possible he had more than the plastic one he showed me. She picked up the wooden piece, and placed it down for her next move.
“Checkmate,” King answered. Jessica looked at the board, stupefied.
She sighed deeply, “You can make anything and you choose chess? Can we play cards instead?”
King smiled, “I can’t just make anything, after all, you’ve never seen a deck of physical cards I’m afraid, though I’m sure you could pull something together.”
Jessica blinked, “What do you mean?”
King smiled, a bit nervously, “Well, we are in your head.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. She had never questioned it before but why wouldn’t she be able to do that, and even moreso! She focused, thinking about the look, the feel, the weight. A book appeared in her hand, a paper one she’d seen at the history museum. She threw it at King with a satisfying thwack!. King chuckled good-naturedly.
“We’ve been sitting in a dark void for fucking years you ass!”
The bad feelings of the last few days disappeared as her room popped into existence. It was exactly like her room, except massive to hold King within. The two sitting in the middle of her bed on top of the comforter. The night was spent testing this new power, before Jessica finally slept.
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Jessica groaned as she woke up, her head pounding. What the hell? It felt like she spent the night cramming. The thought occurred to her that maybe turning the inside of her head into a theme park took a toll on her mentally. Shit. Ok, don’t do crazy shit while sleeping, got it. Jessica rolled out of bed, happy at least that school would start late today, after lunch. She had a plan today though, so she got to it.
She wanted to look good tonight, if she was going anyways. She probably wouldn’t have put in the effort before deciding to ask Michael, and maybe not after he rejected her, but you know what? Fuck ‘em both. She was going to look good and who knows, maybe someone would notice her face before her armband tonight.
She took a shower, taking care that her face was clean, then spent the next few hours watching tutorials for make-up online. Her mother was in her own room, sleeping in. At least, any other activity that it could be is not one Jessica cares to imagine. She bought more make-up than she’s ever bought before, and after failing twice realized that it was a lot harder than it looked. Which meant one very awful thing, she’d need help.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked up to her mother’s door and knocked. In a few moments it opened. Her mother as she is before coffee glared back at her, “Yeah?”
“Can you help me with my make-up? I want to-” Jessica couldn’t even finish before her mother lit up like a candle.
“Bathroom! Now. Be there in five. Wash your face!” The door slammed in her face, Jessica shook her head and did as her mother asked.
Her mother then spent the next hour talking about technique while embalming Jessica’s face in a mask of make-up. No, she admitted, that’s an exaggeration. But it still felt excessive. Jessica was shocked at the care her mother was taking. Until she was finally told to face the mirror. Jessica’s jaw dropped while her mother beamed.
“If I may say so I think I’ve out done myself,” Her mother said, “I’ve gone ahead and bought a new dress for you. You look too damn good for any of the ones you currently have. Flats I think, we’re tall ladies and boys don’t like women to be taller than them.”
Jessica nearly touched her face to make sure it was hers. A slap from her mother stopped her from smudging it. “If this is how you handle paperwork, I think I can finally see how you’ve kept your job.”
Her mother laughed, “Ouch, you forget that with my level of confidence one needs to be able to back it up with competence. Otherwise I’d just be a narcissus. Now out, I need to do my own!”
Jessica almost made the observation that the two were not mutually exclusive, then caught sight of herself again. Not today. Today her mom deserved better. Jessica ate some strawberries, careful not to smudge her lipstick. Is that why her mother ate celery? Jessica went to her room and put on the dress. It was a deep reddish-brown high-cut gown with a split in the dress that ran from hip to hem. It drew her eyes to her hips, which did seem to pop more. It would let her left leg to be seen as she walked or if she struck a pose. She paced the room a bit.
Fuck, she should let her mom shop for her more often. Then realized that as good as she looked she could not imagine spending everyday looking like this. It would be insane. Still, for tonight it was perfect. She left the bathroom to see her mother in a nice business suit. Odd, she figured she would try to match dresses.
“No dress?” She asked, her mother shook her head, “No, the auditor decided to join us at the solstice party, need to look professional. On the plus side, I should be able to avoid her for the afternoon.”
Jessica could only shake her head as she followed her mother to her car. There was no way in hell she was going to walk to school like this.
Her mother stopped her. “Like hell honey, you’re representing our family here. Go to my closet and look for the black cloak. It’ll look natural for winter and is designed to be worn with shorts. Roll up the dress to your waist and save it till the party starts.”
She frowned as that seemed a bit much, but then figured she owed her and it wasn’t like this was some major inconvenience. “Sure,”
Jessica was in the car two minutes later and they made their way to the school. The party would be 4 hours, from 1-5pm with 12-1 being homeroom for attendance purposes. Which means Maddie will be in the room when she shows off her dress. Nice, she couldn’t wait to see the look on her face. Just for shits and giggles she turned on Running Man, watching the figure interact with what they drove past for the 7 minute drive. They would arrive a few minutes late but that was fine. Attendance wasn’t planned to take place until 12:45 anyways.
Jessica walked into school and sat in her seat, not looking at anyone. Though, they were very clearly staring at her. It was nice, for once. Maddie just glared, clearly having make-up on too but she always did. For Jessica it was not just how good the make up was, but also the fact that she had never worn make-up before, and the effect was shocking.
Maddie finally laughed, “Wow, you’re dolled up. But what are you wearing? You look like a 20 credit whore.” Some people laughed, then the teacher walked in.
Mrs Beckett stopped and stared at me, frowned then ignored me. She sat reading a book on her tablet while Jessica read one on her glasses. Then about 40 minutes later she called everyone’s attention. She did a roll call, and everyone was present. Finally she let us go with a final announcement.
“Drop your glasses and any other personal devices and possessions you don’t want to carry with you at your desk. No one will be allowed to come back for the items left here until after the party. Be on your best behavior.”
People started putting things away as Jessica pulled off the cloak. The moment her dress hit the floor most of the sound in the room stopped. Jessica put her glasses on top of her rolled up cloak, and her backpack slid beneath it. She looked around, seeing the eyes on her. She looked at Maddie, who openly gaped at her.
Jessica smiled small, and allowed a tiny gloat. “It’s called making an impression. You should learn that someday.” She was the first to leave the room.
She walked the halls, enjoying the looks she got, her purple armband felt invisible. It was incredible, intoxicating even. Finally she made it to the auditorium, which was a winter wonderland. Silent fans blew fake snow everywhere and the blue and white lights flashed over the decent looking decorations. She had seen it yesterday but with the lights down and the music, which was as good as expected, it felt a hell of a lot more magical.
She walked in and simply took it in. Walking to the food tables and took a fruit punch and then sat down. She didn’t plan to dance, but suddenly she was confident and beautiful so who knows. Maybe she’ll ask a random guy to dance and he will. Anything felt possible. She sipped her drink and just let herself be happy. She noticed Michael walking in, Maddie on his arm. Damn, she really did it. Jessica laughed when Michael saw her. Maddie hit him and the two walked to the other side of the room.
Just for that it was worth coming here. She took another sip, and noticed an odd taste in the fruit punch. She looked at it, and chuckled. Someone had snuck ethanol in there, considering the lack of other flavor beyond the slight tingle when she drank it, it was probably just a base one, very cheap and easy to replicate. The auditor will not like that. She almost went to look for her mother, but instead shrugged it off. It would be fine, she wasn’t going to ruin everyone’s fun like that.
She people-watched for a while, noticing Mr Henderson at the sound board, and doing a surprisingly good job of it. Several teachers simply walked around, keeping an eye on things. Two adults she didn’t recognize but had SECURITY written on their chest were by the doors. Probably to keep people in the auditorium and outsiders away. She noticed many couples dancing but a few fighting.
Apparently girls didn’t like their dates looking at other girls. Sucks to be them. She noticed several people by the walls, people-watching like her. Then she noticed someone she didn’t think was the wall flower type. Timothy, Maddie’s alleged ex-boyfriend. Oh… she really dumped him didn’t he? She smiled and did something she could totally regret. The ethanol in the drink was already affecting her, she noticed. She dropped her cup in the trash, no more of that thank you.
She leaned up against the wall next to Timothy. He was glaring at Maddie and Michael. “Damn, I didn’t think it was true, but it really was. She dumped you for Michael.” Timothy glanced at her, then did a double take.
“Jessica? You-” He tried, then frowned, “You look good.”
“I know,” Jessica replied, “So Michael, what’s the story?”
“Why do you care?” Timothy sighed, rubbing his eyes. Jessica shrugged, “Cause Maddie asked Michael out because I was going to.”
Timothy said nothing, Jessica realized why. “But you knew that, didn't you?” Silence.
“How’s it feel? Knowing she puts fucking with me above being with you?” Jessica asked, Timothy glared.
“Wanna fuck with Maddie?” She asked.
Timothy looked her up and down, “You do clean up nice. But I’m not interested.”
Jessica hopped off the wall, “Come on, I’m not asking for much, just a dance. You don’t even need to touch me.”
Timothy looked like he wanted to say something, but then caught sight of them, though Jessica couldn’t tell what they were doing. Whatever it was steeled Timothy’s resolve, and he nodded, offering a hand. Jessica took it, and they walked out to the floor. The stares which settled down after a few minutes ramped right up again as JEssica was seen dancing with Maddie’s boy. It felt great.
A slower song started, and people began to mostly chat. Jessica simply stood there, looking over Timothy. He was the handsome good boy, always does what he’s told, does good work, volunteers his time.
“What do you even see in Maddie? If you don’t mind me asking.” Jessica really wanted to know.
Timothy, swaying as he was, couldn’t quite shrug, but the sentiment was there. “She’s really nice, when you aren’t around. I really don’t get that part but Maddie just says it’s complicated and goes on hating you. It’s been getting annoying lately. She’s usually really nice though. That’s why.”
Jessica thought on that. She figured it was her entity. It was probably her status as bound. Jessica wondered at that. She had never really asked Maddie why she hated her. Though, to be perfectly honest, she didn’t care. Maddie made her choice. There was a violent screech that cut off immediately. The sound came from behind me, but Timothy was smirking.
Timothy pulled her close, not letting her turn around. “Don’t look, you’ll give the game away.” Jessica could only imagine. Maddie must be incredulous. Timothy pulled back, letting the song end and the next one begin. He immediately began to walk away.
“Thanks, I really needed that.” Timothy said, he stopped and turned back. “And for the record, I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen to me. Sorry about tonight.” He turned back around and left the floor. Jessica kept dancing, happy he got a bit of petty revenge.
But, what did he mean by that? Sorry for what? Michael? JEssica could imagine that he tried to stop that. Jessica even bet that Maddie had accepted his invitation last month then canceled to attend with Michael. No…
The thought nagged at her, it felt too formal for something so small. The pranks? She could see that too, especially if Maddie was spending a lot of time on them. But then what did he mean tonight?
It was then that the music and lights were cut out. Leaving everyone in darkness.