Class 09J04 - Blanc, Jessica [Aftermath]
“Great and glorious God, and Thou Lord Jesus, I pray you shed abroad your light in the darkness of my mind. Be found of me, Lord, so that in all things I may act only in accordance with Thy holy will.”
-Saint Francis of Assisi
Aftermath
I woke to the feeling of lips on my mouth. This shocked me more than it should have. I shot up and cried for help. My screams were answered by reassurance.
“Hey hey hey. Calm down girlie. Just trying to save your life.” A man said holding his hands up. He seemed to be a part of the common ilk with baggy clothes and informal speech. I didn’t know why he thought to assault me. It was then I remembered.
“Jessica! Where’s Jessica?” I looked and quickly spotted her surrounded by other people. Their dress marked them as an organized force. Possibly a gang. They were offering water and snack bars and another dropped from a ledge with towels. Everyone was moving or talking. Everyone except Jessica. She just sat on a box. Her head drooping causing her hair to hide her face. I tried to stand and was quickly aided by my savior and another figure I didn’t noticed before.
“Easy girlie, easy.” The second instructed as we all strode over. They supported my steps and eased my drop in front of Jessica.
“We can’t get her to say anything.” A woman who seemed to have been in charge said, “She breathing and was able to walk a moment ago, but now she’s just all loopy.”
“Did you call the DDH?” I asked.
“What? No. I called the Medic Line, but I did say you two might be demihumans.” The woman said. “But I think they might just guess when they see that.”
She looked behind them and I followed her gaze shocked by what I saw. An iceberg wide enough to span the river. It had lodged itself in both river banks and blocked the water from flowing through causing the river to rise. Fortunately, the iceberg was not very tall and allowed water to flow over in many spots. I was shocked, “Who did that?”
“I figured it was one of you two, and I’m guessing it was her.” The woman gestured to Jessica who still had not returned to her senses. She stared at the ground, mouth agape.
“Jessica. Are you okay?” I went to her. The sound of first responders sounded in the distance.
“Jessica?” I patted her cheek softly. Nothing. “Jessica, please wake up.”
She just sat there. As if her mind was just empty.
“Holy fuck! You’re alive!” Melissa’s voice came from the road. Looking up I saw her sliding down the river bank. “We thought you were going to die.”
She jumped through the line of people and onto Jessica wrapping her in a hug.
“Ah! Get off of me!” Jessica said, returned to her senses.
“We were so worried about you,” Jennifer said following behind Melissa.
“Well, you shouldn’t have. We’re fine.” Jessica said as lights flashed over them.
“Progress City Police. Is anyone hurt?” A police officer said.
“Don’t know. Girl here was zoned out but she’s good now.” The woman who seemed to be the leader said.
“Are they demihumans?”
“We are,” Jennifer admitted raising her hand.
“Jenny!” Melissa scolded.
We were pulled up to the road and everyone gave a statement. The rescuers were apart of a mundane gang that saw the iceberg form and then noticed the girls on it. They quickly acted to help. One of them was washed away and rescued by someone else. The rest manage to get Jessica and me back to shore. One of the gangsters was a navy medic and started CPR on me. Jessica was non responsive until Melissa showed up.
“Aright aright. And you said you were pushed by some punks from another one of the demi schools?”
“Yes sir.” Jennifer said, doing most of the talking, “Their uniforms were like ours, but red.”
“Sounds like North High. Alright, you got two options. First, drop the whole thing. Forgive and forget.”
“Fuck no,” Melissa said.
“Second, we pursue on your behave, but that gets complex fast.”
“Really now?”
“Yes, which is why we recommend the third option of letting us hand all this to your school and letting them handle it. That’s the best option.”
“Why is that the best option?” Jennifer asked.
“Because on top of being minors, you four are demihumans, and that’s best handled by demihumans.”
“Actually, I’m mundane,” Melissa said nonchalantly.
“You are?” I asked.
“Yep. I’m all human and nothing but human.” Melissa confirmed.
“Well if that’s the case then we have a better claim for you as a mundane attacked by non-mundanes. What school do you go to?”
“I go to the same school as them.” Melissa pointed her thumb at the rest of us.
“Wait? So all you girls go to a mundane school?” The cop asked
“No. All go to West Progress High.” Jennifer said with confusion and gestured to Melissa. “Even her.”
The cop scratched his head with his pen, “Okay then. Then I guess we’ll still be contacting your school in that case.”
It was decided. We were returned to Elizabeth’s Home for Demi Children, and after washing and readying for bed Melissa cried out, “Aw damn it. We never got any food. I’m starving!”
Luckily Jennifer was able to produce a box of Top Notch snacks to sate us. I took a few for myself and grabbed some to offer Jessica, “Here. I don’t know what you did, but I’m sure it made you hungry.”
Jessica lifted her head to look over at me. She grinned, “Sure. I can eat.”
“Well come on down then. Eating in bed is asking for a mess.” Melissa said.
So it went, the four of us eating together. Melissa chopping down cereal bars and fruit chips. The rest of us pacing ourselves. Melissa broke the silence over the meal first.
“So what was that, Jessica?” She asked, “The whole iceberg thing. Are you some kind of ice queen?”
“No, I just…” Jessica trailed off as if the explanation was too complex for words, “Casted a spell.”
“It didn’t look at a spell.” Jennifer said, “But I was pretty far away and I wasn’t focused in.”
“What does that mean?” Melissa asked.
“My mutant powers. I can see things across the spectrum and even beyond that.”
“Like magic.”
“Yes, but I also haven’t seen a lot of magic usage.”
“Well, there are a lot of ways to use magic.” Jessica said, “And I used it to save Jesse.”
“And yourself,” I added. “You saved both of us.”
“Yeah. You knew what I met.”
We continued eating until we were full and went back to bed exhausted.
Fridays were field days for the freshmen class. We all reported to the courtyard where we took our evaluation just a few weeks ago. Though it felt like it had been months since even the first day of school. The school was just so full of new and strange things that the first week alone seemed to have a lifetime’s worth in it, but this was only the end of the first week. The teachers lined their classes. At the front of the mass, a man marched across the field.
“Listen up. I am Coach Sergeant Smith, and I will be your primary field Coach for your freshmen year.” The man turned to face the crown. “I will be instructing you on field days. You will follow my instructions, or you will be reprimanded. Most field days will be simple. Consisting of basic games to test your physical limits. Some will not be simple. You will receive further instructions on those days. Are there any questions?”
“What are we playing today?” Some boy asked from up the line.
The Coach pulled out a red ball that was previously unseen and threw it directly into a class, “I did not give you permission to speak, Freshmen!”
He then returned to addressing the rest of the student body, “Today will begin with assigning your class teams. Your homeroom teacher will do this now.”
From behind us Mr Galacto called for our attention. We were placed in four teams of seven each. I was on the first team with Jessica, along with Vlad, XK-88, Frank, Harrick, and Sara. Melissa and Jennifer got put on the next team with Gwen as well as Donovan, Argento, Semy, and Carl. The third team was made up of Alice, Samantha, Samuel, Abraham, Brick, Amanda, and Jerry. Leaving the last team with Adrian, Kevin, Lucas, Ashley, Nazuri, Runesir, and Mary.
“Glad we’re on a team together,” I said to Jessica.
“Yeah.” was all she said back.
“Alright. The game of the day is Dodgeball.” The Coach said holding another red rubber ball. “We’ll be having a tournament with winning and losing brackets so everyone plays the same number of games. The first rounds are with your classes. Get to your set.”
We were led over to a set of squares. Red rubber balls were placed between teams, five a field. I looked at the other team. It was Team Four and in the center was Adrian. He looked ready to kill, and honestly probably could have. I took a deep breath to steady myself.
“Hey now, don’t worry.” The metal boy leaned over to me, “You were lucky enough to get on a team with XK-88.”
He hooked a thumb to his chest. “Just try to not get out, and let me take care of the rest.”
I nodded my head to XK-88. His smile was so sincere I didn’t think about the sunlight reflected off different parts of him. The Coach yelled out the rules of the game and made sure everyone knew them. He marked his whistle as the start and put it to his mouth. We all prepared to move at the first blow. The Coach inhaled a deep breath.
I woke up to the clear sky in front of me. XK-88 was kneeling next to me and the alien boy, Vlad, was just behind him. On the other side of the sky, Mr Mirmen was scribbling something in a notepad. The girl, Sara, had come up next to him and asked a question I didn’t understand. I then realized that XK-88 was talking to me, but I couldn’t understand him either. His voice was coming out in a series of strange sounds. Like a foreign language I didn’t know. Expect I did know it. He was speaking English. A language I spoke often. Especially since moving to The Union. It took me a moment to figure out he was asking if I was okay.
“Oui, ca va.” I answered, “Quoi arrivé?”
“You just fell over and started chanting something,” Sara responded. “It was like you were having a seizure.”
“A prophecy.” Mr Mirmen explained to the others, “Ms Blanc here a divine oracle. This will happen at times, and when it does you should prioritize her well-being. Understood?”
The others nodded and I lifted myself with the help of XK-88. Vlad came over to my other side. I looked around. Nearly the whole class, as well as the rest of the freshmen, were watching me. Only one person was notably missing. “Where’s Jessica?”
“She ran to the school.” Melissa was the one to answer, “Don’t know why. Mr G was already getting the nurse, and he’s faster than light.”
“But Ms Penelope isn’t. Here they come.” Mr Mirmen pointed, “Clear the way.”
They did and an older woman started looking me over. There wasn’t anything wrong with me. Not even a bump. I knew I was fine. This was their first time dealing with this, but it wasn’t mine. I’ve been getting prophecies since I could remember, and they never resulted in injury. Not directly at least.
“Did you see Jessica?” I asked Nurse Penelope.
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“Who is that?”
“Another girl, all in black. She ran to get you.”
Mr Galacto answered, “We didn’t see Jessica Black on our way here.”
“Well, I don’t feel like playing anymore, so may I go look for her?”
“That may not be wise.” Mr Mirmen said.
“Sure.” Mr Galacto said.
“Galacto!” Mr Mirmen barked.
“They’re my students Simon. I say they can both skip the rest of class.”
“Expect I’m the one who makes that decision.” Coach Smith stepped forward only to get stared down by Galacto, “And, uh, I say they’re excused. For today. Only.”
Mr Galacto stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder, “Can you walk fine?”
“Yes sir,” I said before taking off in a jog back to the school.
“Alright. Everyone else. Back in line.” Coach called as I exited the field and entered the school.
I headed toward the nurse’s office. If Jessica had got for the nurse she might be there, or close by. The nurse’s office looked like a small hospital wing. The beds were empty and nearby halls were empty. The first floor was the freshmen homerooms which means the majority of the rooms were completely empty.
“Jessica!” My call echoed through the halls. I scanned the halls and checked rooms. She was nowhere to be found. I heard a faint sound down a hall and ran to it full of hope only to be greeted by a large man. He wore a khaki jumpsuit and had a broom in hand.
“Good morning there.” The man I’ve been told was Bob said, “In a hurry?”
“Yes. Sort of.” I said between breaths, “Did you see a girl come through here? Dressed in all black.”
“Here? No. The next hall over there?” He pointed to the further down, “I did. She ran into the restroom.”
“Thank you!” I ran off at my full speed. Turning the corner I saw the restroom sign and darted into the girls’ restroom. Jessica was standing over a sink. Holding it like she needed the support. I called, “Jessica!”
“Go away.” Jessica’s voice shook.
“Jessica? Are you okay?” I stepped timidly closer.
“I said go away.” I should see that her whole body was shaking.
“Jessica. What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I tried to reach out, but she swatted my hand away.
“Don’t touch me!” she turned and stepped back away from me. “I bet you think you’re funny!”
“Jessica, please.”
“Trying to pretend to be my friend!” She was gripping something inside her coat, that book. “You’re just another omit to taunt me!”
“Jessica. What’s wrong?” I remembered the prophecy I just produced. “Jessica, please, I don’t what I said, but-”
“Liar!” Jessica shouted, tears starting in her eyes, “You lie! Liar!”
Tears came to my eyes, “Jessica, please, I don’t know what happens when they come. I black out. I don’t control it.”
“Oh that’s so nice, isn’t it? No fault. No blame.” Jessica’s words came out like venom, “The perfect excuse to mock me!”
“Jessica,-”
“Shut up!” Her words exploded sending a shock wave around her. I was thrown into the wall and pain shot through my head as slumped to the floor. I heard Jessica whisper, “I didn’t… I’m…”
She didn’t finished her sentence as she bolted out of the restroom. The very next moment Bob the Janitor stepped into the restroom and looked at the destruction with a heavy sigh. He looked down at me, “Are you okay?”
“Medic.” Was all I managed. This was enough. Bob, Mr Bob, pulled out a hand comm and called for the nurse. Mr Galacto showed up and took me to the infirmary.
“Well you have mean bump, but that’s it.” Nurse Penelope said as she gave me two tablets. Pain dullers. She headed to the exit, “I need to go tend to the game.”
“I’ll stay here,” Mr Mirmen said, he had arrived with the nurse, “Galacto, your kids are a menace so you need to be out there.”
“Fair enough.” Mr Galacto and Ms Penelope headed back to the field.
“When you’re feeling better we’ll head back.” Mr Mirmen said taking the nurse’s chair. “You don’t have to play, but it’s still a school day. If you rather I could drop you off at the library. Or even see if one of the upper classes will let you sit in. Your choice.”
“What did I say?” I asked.
“What? Nothing. You haven’t said anything.”
“The prophecy. What did I say?”
“Oh, that. Well,” he pulled out a notepad. “It starts with ‘beware beware beware’.”
“It was in English?”
“Yeah, is that important to you?”
“Most of my prophecies are made in French.”
“Interesting. Well, this one when like this.” He told me the prophecy.
beware beware beware
to the dark walker here
on the dark paths there
beware beware beware
cruel fate has placed cruel rules
to bind those tokened in jewels
to trick those believed clever fools
to guide those wielding cursed tools
the winds of fate can not sway
the pieces all forced to play
refuse the game your dismay
only yourself you shall betray
call to those who binds you share
who shall hold their nerve and dare
to stand tall against this final fare
beware beware beware
“There’s a lot to unpack.” Mr Mirmen said tapping the pad in his hand. “Namely who the Dark Walker is and what Dark Path are they walking.”
“Who could it be?” I asked.
“Hell, anyone really.” Mirmen said, “It doesn’t describe the Dark Walker themselves. Only saying that if they ‘refuse the game’ then they’ll only hurt themselves and instructing them to find strong-willed allies.”
“What about the second part? The token jewels and cursed tools parts.”
“That’s not describing the Walker. Only telling them that ‘fate’ has set things up with an end result in mind.” Mr Mirmen sighed, “Like to restrict someone ‘tokened in jewels’ from or towards taking action, but then what kind of jewels does one need?”
“How many kinds of jewels are there?”
“Well there’s shiny rocks, but but the term ‘jewel of information’ was common during the IC and Horde Invasion. It also can refer to anything valuable as an individual object.”
“What about,” I swallowed before I could finish, “What about the cursed tools part.”
“Who knows? ‘Cursed’ doesn’t actually mean anything. It could be an actual curse, a metaphorical curse, or just a bad reputation. Almost every demihuman in the world is cursed one way or another. My big concern is with the second to last line, and what kind of ‘fare’ it’s talking about. Between both spellings, there are a dozen different meanings. All I can tell is that it’s going to involve a challenge. After all, it going to involve holding your nerve and daring.”
“Mr Mirmen, may I go home for the day?”
Mr Mirmen looked at me sadly, “Sorry lassie, but like I said, it’s still a school day.”
“What about Jessica?”
“We’ll mark her as truant if she doesn’t show up.”
“Mr Mirmen, may I be marked as truant as well?”
“What do you mean-” Mr Mirmen started to ask before understanding, “Are you that worried?”
“I really am, sir.”
“Alright then. You know the way.” Mr Mirmen sighed and walked out of the room.
I hopped off the bed and went to the front of the school. The school gate was open and the courtyard was empty. Stepping off the grounds I looked around. The surrounding streets were bare except for a few people. I started my search with the first place I would go. Home.
I ran to the bus stop and checked the time. I had just missed the bus I needed and instead of waiting for the next one I decided to just run the way back to Elizabeth House. Slowing down only to check the roads for cars I was breathing heavily as I entered the boarding house and made it to our room. I rammed my way in, “Jessica!”
The room was empty. I checked the small bathroom and closet. She wasn’t here. I sat on my bed. I had no idea where to even begin looking next. I didn’t know anything about Jessica. She was quiet. She was smart. She wore a lot of black, but her favorite color was apparently pink. She wore emerald jewelry. She was from New York. She was very sad with her life. She was alone. That was everything I knew about her. I didn’t what kind of music she liked. Her favorite foods. Did she like playing sports? What were her parents like? Did she even have a family? Did she have friends? There was nothing I could use to figure out where she could have gone. I buried my face in my hands as I started to cry. I had scared Jessica with that stupid prophecy and now there was nothing I could do to help her.
“Damn! She’s not here!” Melissa’s voice came from the door. I looked up to see the short girl with Jennifer behind her.
“I told you so.” Jennifer said, “She knew this would be the first place we would look.”
“I know! That’s why I suggested it!” Melissa crossed her arms, “If she wanted to be found she would be here.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked them.
“Looking for Bitch, I mean Jessica,” Melissa answered irately.
“What about the school?” I asked
“What about the school?” She asked back
“You’ll get in trouble.”
“I don’t care. Jessica is missing and she needs us.” Melissa stated, “If they want to bitch about me helping my friends, let them!”
I wiped my eyes. What Melissa said made me realize something. I was wrong about what I knew about Jessica. She wasn’t alone. She had us. Her friends. I stood up my resolve renewed. “Right, let’s find her!”
“Where?” Jennifer asked, “We don’t even know where to start.”
“Yeah. Great observation Jenny. Top-notch.” Melissa mock praised.
“Well, what’s your plan?” Jennifer asked annoyed.
“Jesse, can’t you see the future?”
I was shocked “What? No. I can’t see my predictions, and even if I could I can’t have them on demand.”
“Dammit!” Melissa snapped her fingers. “We’ll just have to try to get luckily.”
“Wait. What about those people from yesterday? The ones who saved us.”
“The gangsters?”
“Yeah. They seemed nice. Maybe they’ll help.” I suggested
“Yeah, by calling the police.”
“Hang on.” Jennifer stepped forward, “Why aren’t we calling the police?”
“Because if we do Jessica will hate us forever.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I know I would if I was her.”
Jennifer pursed her lips. She understood the point, “Fine, but it’s still on the table. Even if as just a last resort. I would rather Jessica hate us than… well.”
“Agreed. Let’s get to it.” Melissa headed out the door. “We can figure it out as we go, but we need to get going.”
We all headed back to the front of Elizabeth House to see a boy leading on the gate. A boy that did not live at Elizabeth House.
“Is that Jerry?” Jennifer asked, “What is he doing here?”
“Maybe he wants to help us.” I said as I ran forward, “Jerry, are you looking for Jessica as well?”
“Nope.” He said not looking at us, “I just decided to cut class.”
“So then why are you here?” Melissa joined us scowling.
“Why be anywhere? What reason does one have to be in any place?” He asked and looked at us as if waiting for an answer.
“To be a pain in my ass?” Melissa answered.
“I guess. But there must be other reasons for people to choose places to be.” Jerry shrugged.
“To be safe. Like a home. To rest and eat and just not worry.” Jennifer said engaging with the question.
“That’s a great one.” Jerry snapped off a finger gun, “Seeking shelter is often a reason for our going, but almost equally as often the opposite is also true.”
“The opposite of shelter?” I said, “What does that mean?”
“It means danger. Conflict. Violence.” Jerry gestured as if holding scales, “Just as we seek places to call home, we seek places to claim victory. Amazing isn’t it?”
“Yes, the headache you’re giving me is truly incredible.” Melissa rolled her eyes, “Do you have a point?”
“Nope.” Jerry stepped off the wall, “Just ponderings. Like, if someone was in distress and needed a place to feel safe, but could not find one because every shelter she could think of she knew would be searched, then would she default to the opposite? A place of danger?”
“That’s sounds stupid.”
“But,” Jennifer stepped forward, “it would make some sense. Fight or flight. If you can’t do one, then you would default to the other.”
“Jessica is not stupid!” Melissa yelled, “She would not put herself in danger.”
“Who said she had to be the one in danger? Maybe she would be the danger?”
“Jessica won’t just attack someone without reason.” I rebuked
“Well then, that just leaves a place of danger without the danger. A place of innocent threats.” Jerry started to walk off, “Interesting thought.”
“Asshole! If you know where she is then tell us!” Melissa yelled shaking her fist at him.
“He did tell us,” Jennifer said her face in thought. “A place of innocent threats. Where someone would find conflicts they can win. Like a game.”
“So what, a playground?” Melissa guessed.
“Exactly!” Jennifer pounded a fist in her hand, “A place where she could lass out and let off her frustrations while achieving something.”
Melissa was rubbing her temples, “So where is that?”
“I have an idea where to start.” Jennifer smiled with a twinkle, “And I hope you have some spare change.”
Jennifer guided us through the city on foot since our target wasn’t far. We crossed the street and into the lot of The Arcade, where we had played just yesterday.
“You really think she’s here?” Melissa said, “This doesn’t seem her style.”
“Another point in our favor.” Jennifer said, “None of us even thought to try here. If she wanted to hide then this is a decent spot.”
“I hope she’s here,” I said as we entered the building. The building was less full than the last time we came, and those who were there seemed to be young adults either hanging with friends or just enjoying their own time. We scanned the front of the lobby and didn’t see Jessica.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be in school?” A man called from the counter. We were all wearing the school’s khaki uniform.
“Umm, No. We graduated last year.” Melissa turned to him and stated as if it was to truth.
“I know for a fact that’s the uniform for the demihuman school you’re wearing.” He countered.
“Yeah, because we look good in them. Asshole.” Melissa punctuated with a rude gesture. “You gonna call the fashion police or something?”
The man just narrowed his eyes and scoffed, “Whatever. Just don’t cause a scene.”
He hooked a thumb to send us off and muttered rude comments under his breath. We scanned the rows of cabinets catching the eye of the other patrons. They all seemed to recognize our uniforms and either gave disapproving looks or signs of approval.
At the end of the rows, we finally spotted her. She was playing on a cabinet with her back facing us, but her all-black attire made her stand out. She was focusing on the screen as we came up. I called out, “Jessica!”
“Don’t talk to me.” She snapped at us still focusing.
“Jessica, please, I’m sorry if-”
“I said shut up!” She raised her voice.
I tried to put a hand on her arm, “I didn’t mean to-”
She jabbed her elbow and knocked me back, “Fuck off!”
“Hey,” Melissa stepped, “We were worried about you!”
“Give me a damn minute!” Jessica shouted as she seemed to double her focus on the game. She was playing with an extreme focus. As if it held an unimaginable importance. She was snapping the joystick around at lightning speeds with a finger set on each button tapping them in an almost random pattern with grace. She barely blinked as she narrowed her eyes. The game made a big booming sound and announced victory. Jessica jumped and pumping her arm in joy, “Hell yeah! I fucking did it.”
“Did what?” I asked confused. Looking over the cabinet I noticed it was for the game Battle Brawl.
“I beat that punk ass Adrian’s high score.” She rotated and stretched her arms, “It was up there too. Had to grab every threat booster to make it and flawlessly beat almost every boss. On top of completing levels as fast as possible.”
I looked at the screen and there it was. At the top of a list fifty lines long it was asking for initials. “I don’t know what any of that means.”
“It means I can’t wait to see Adrian’s punk face tomorrow,” Jessica said leading to pop her back. “Sweet mercy, I hope he gets pissed.”
“How?” Melissa asked as she stepped forward. “I checked every cabinet yesterday. They were all impossibly high. In fact, I think this was the highest. How did you do it.”
“I just told you. By being awesome.” Jessica said as she rotated the letters over to J and then back to G for the second one. She then just stared at the screen. The glee she had was gone like that and again her callous glare returned.
“Jessica G. Black?” Melissa looked at the screen. “Your middle name starts with a G?”
Jessica snapped her eyes to Melissa, “What do you care?”
She tapped the stick, selected B and confirm the entry. JGB was now at the top of the board. “What does your middle name start with?”
Melissa put her hands behind her head, “I don’t have a middle name. Melissa Odinson is all I have.”
“Well, Jessica is all I have.” Jessica said solemnly, “The rest is just a memory.”
I hooked an arm around hers, “That’s more than enough for us.”
She smiled and watched the new roster scroll over the screen. “Thanks.”
We headed out of the arcade. The front lot was empty except for the sun itself shining down over the towers around us. I took a deep breath, “Jessica, about the prophet.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Well too bad.” Melissa said, “You scared us to hell and back. You owe us an explanation. If only enough for peace of mind.”
Jessica sighed.
“You know how I became,” she gestured to herself, “this. A demihuman.”
“You’re a magic user. Like Abraham and Runesir.” Jennifer answered.
“I am, but I wasn’t born one.” Jessica reached into her coat and pulled a leather-bound book. It was pristine with no marking making the paper white glow between the black cover. “I found this, and then a lot happened.”
“Like what,” Melissa asked.
“You don’t need to know that. All you need to know is that this changed my whole life.”
“A cursed tool,” I said remembering the poem. “You think you’re the Dark Walker.”
“I am. I was just hoping I could forget. But I can’t.” She put the book away. “I’m not allowed to.”
Melissa scoffed, “Man! A jerk ass book! I’ve seen a lot, and that’s a new one.”
“How much did you hear?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I just remember panicking. And running.” Jessica said. “I don’t think I heard the end.”
“Well then maybe you’ll be relieved to know that it end on an upbeat.” Jennifer stepped forward and placed a hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “We all hear it. Call to those who binds you share.”
I stepped up with, “Who shall hold their nerve and dare.”
Melissa finished it, “To stand tall against the final fair.”
“We’re here with you.” Jennifer said.
“We’re not going to leave you,” I said.
“And we’re going beat down whatever nasty tries to mess with us.” Melissa slammed a fist in hand.
Jessica looked us over and tears started to swell in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“No.” Tears streaked down her face, “I haven’t been okay in a while, but…”
She sobbed wiping the tears away as fast as she could, “Thank you. And I’m sorry. For everything.”
We stood there for a moment as Jessica cried. We didn’t say anything. Eventually, we went home, together.