5/24 Instance: Battle Scars

[Esynthia]

Timeline: After Homework

Jamie: Jamie carefully climbed up to his spy fort, eyes darting about constantly for any danger or unexpected person. Once he reached the top, he quickly turned and slammed the door down behind him and sat on it. No one could get him now! He looked up into the trees and sighed. Only birds and squirrels up there. And they did no harm to anything but bugs and nuts.

Jamie: Maybe he should see if he and Jean could have the same schedule... Then he'd never have to be without his safety bubble... Yes. Yes, he would do that tomorrow.

Jessica: Jamie was utterly wrong in thinking that no one could get to him in there. There were some people that didn't need to use the door he was sitting on - and Jessica was one of them. She'd spied Jamie walking across the lawn through the kitchen window and had decided she should go and talk to him.

Jessica: Following him at a distance, she'd almost lost him when he went into the woods but she remembered the treehouse and climbed up an adjacent tree to see if he was inside - she didn't want to just burst in through the trap door and scare him.

Jamie: After a few moments of just looking around and reacquainting himself with his spy fort, he crawled over to the mini fridge and pulled out a coke labeled 'Invisible Ink'. He had thought that was pretty clever a few months ago... He still loved detective work, but now, everything he used to do seemed so silly and childish... He opened the coke and took a drink as he pulled out some of his comics to look through. Maybe he should sell them...

Jessica: Hearing movement inside was promising and, once she was at the right level to see inside, she found her suspicions were confirmed. Now... she had no plan for what to do next. Climbing up onto the branch level with the window, she sat down on it and vaguely hoped that had made enough noise to draw his attention so she didn't have to just break the silence and startle him.

Jamie: Jamie looked over at the window with his face before his eyes, reading the last few lines on the page, and expecting to see a squirrel. Once his eyes flicked to the window, he dropped his coke and yelled, falling backwards onto his back, skittering back to the wall. "Dear Lord in Heaven, Jessica!"

Jessica: Jess cringed, "Sorry! I was trying really hard not to do that!" She hurried into the tree house to pick up the fallen beverage before it could make more of a mess than it already had, apologizing profusely.

Jamie: Jamie huffed and righted himself, mumbling thanks under his breath for the coke saving. "Hi, Jess... You could've just knocked..."

Jessica: "I wasn't sure if you were in here or not... I followed you down from the mansion but I lost you in the trees a bit..." She wiped her hand on her trousers, "I wanted to talk to you..."

Jamie: "Oh. Um. Okay?" He frowned at her and handed her a wet wipe from his first aid kit. "Me? Really? Are you sure?"

Jessica: She nodded, muttering a thanks for the wipe and cleaning off the stickiness from the coke on both her hands and now her trousers. "I was wondering how you're getting on..."

Jamie: Oh. Well that made sense. "I'm... um..." He screwed up his face, "I'm okay... I guess. I don't get eaten three times a day anymore... So that's a step up, I'd say."

Jessica: Her nose wrinkled a little, "Yeah... I'll bet..." She pushed a hand through her hair, "If... if I can do anything to help, just ask, okay? I sort of feel like I should at least offer that..."

Jamie: "Okay... Thanks? That's nice of you... Especially considering that we don't know each other all that well." Ah! And now it made sense, "Um... Jess, look... You're really really pretty, but I have a girlfriend..."

Jessica: Jess' eyebrows went up, "And I have a boyfriend... and your girlfriend is a good friend of mine...." she decided to finish that train of thought for him, "That's not what this is... I promise..."

Jamie: "Oh, well okay then." He shrugged and went to get another 'Invisible Ink' for her. "So... Is it because you're friends with Jean?"

Jessica: "Partly.... but also partly because I suppose I feel a little guilty... even though I shouldn't..." She frowned, she still questioned the shouldn't part herself.

Jamie: "Um. What?" Now he was just confused. "You didn't eat me..." His eyes went wide, "Did you?"

Jessica: She shook her head, "No! Of course I didn't!" The look of horror on her face said all she needed to on that matter. "I think that whole thing was just... horrible!"

Jamie: Jamie visibly relaxed and handed her the coke, "Phew. Okay, good. Because that was a bridge I wasn't sure how to cross... So then... Why do you feel guilty?"

Jessica: She took the coke but didn't open it, picking at the ring pull as she chewed her lip, "I... before people went missing... I was already having some pretty graphic nightmares about getting eaten.... and various other stuff.... and then... after we found Cassie... I just... the thought of finding you or Johnny like that..." she shuddered, "I couldn't handle it... I had to stop... I took myself off duty and hid in the city to avoid the talking about it..."

Jamie: Jamie tilted his head at her and just tried to process all of that. On one hand, he couldn't blame her... But on the other... "How long into the searching did you stop searching?"

Jessica: "After we found Cassie... so... I don't know... three weeks or so before they found you.... I was, and still am, staying with Sebastian Shaw... he was taken by the same people and managed to escape... someone else died in his place..."

Jamie: "Oh yeah... I remember him." Jamie looked at Jessica for a long moment, then got up on his knees and scootched over to her, hugging her hard. "It's okaaaaaay."

Jessica: Jess was taken by surprise at the hug and tensed a little to start with before she relaxed enough to return it. She felt so relieved now it was an effort not to cry. "Thank you..."

Jamie: "I have those nightmares too," he confided in her before pulling back. "But, ya know, mine are probably much more vivid... And stuff..."

Jessica: She nodded understandingly, "Jamie... I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you... if you want to talk about it... if you think it'll help... I'll listen... I know it's not the same... but I have experienced something similar in the pain and terror department... so I can relate a little...."

Jamie: His head tilted in confusion, "Really? What?"

Jessica: She sighed, setting the can down. "After the accident that killed my dad... I didn't just walk away... I was hurt... pretty badly..." she lifted up her top enough to display the scar on her left side, "I got this from the door and the bits of it that got stuck in me... I'm immune to drugs... so I woke up during the operation when they were taking them out... I felt everything."

Jamie: Jamie's face wrinkled up and looked probably like a scared possum that was disgusted with its own tail. "That's not fun at all... I'm sorry about that. How long ago was this?"

Jessica: "About six years ago now... But I still have the nightmares... and that's why I hate cars." She shook herself.

Jamie: "I didn't know you hated cars. But it makes sense now." He frowned, "Couldn't they have knocked you over the head with something to put you back under?"

Jessica: "They were as surprised as I was... they were freaking out... I passed out eventually... woke up three months later. Yay for comas..." she shook her head, "Worst day of my life."

Jamie: "Oh hey! I know what those feel like! Kind of... But... Ya know, not really. Nevermind." He picked up his salvaged coke and drank some of it. "The nightmares won't ever go away, will they?"

Jessica: She shook her head, "Probably not... but they'll get less frequent as time goes on..." Providing he didn't have any triggering events happen in the meantime anyway. "You get better at dealing with them though..."

Jamie: "I also have a superhero for a girlfriend who blocks them when they get too bad. I don't have to deal with them, then!" He beamed at her.

Jessica: Jess smiled at him, "That is a very good thing. You're lucky for that... I got very good at distracting myself... but apparently that means I'm abandoning everyone... sometimes, though, you have to know when to stop. For the sake of your own sanity... before you end up another casualty."

Jamie: "You haven't abandoned anyone... You're right here!" He was confused again. But apparently that was normal for conversations with this girl. "You're confusing."

Jessica: "I'm not..." she argued, "I was told by a few people that I was abandoning them when I went to stay with Sebastian... I was expected to put my sanity at risk doing a job that is voluntary... I knew I had to stop because I knew what would happen but that wasn't enough for some... Maybe they've calmed down over summer, I don't know... kind of been easing myself back in to the school stuff."

Jamie: "Well that's just silly. I've not heard anyone say anything bad about you! Jump back in! The water seems colder if you just ease into it."

Jessica: She laughed a little at the analogy, "I'll think about it... I feel much better now that I've spoken to you and Johnny... even if finding Johnny and Cassie in the kitchen scared me half to death."

Jamie: "Johnny?" He frowned at her, "That's not funny. I know Cassie came back, but Johnny was my best friend. And that's just plain mean of you. Please leave my treeho-Fort."

Jessica: "They didn't tell you either?" Jess blinked at him, "I mean, you still know more than I did because they didn't tell me about either of them... but... he's alive, Jamie... He's moved out and got a place with Hope... and a job..."

Jamie: "Out!" He shook his head, not caring about politeness anymore. "That's. Not. Funny! Please leave!"

Jessica: "Jamie, I'm not making it up! I wish there was a way I can prove it to you right now but there isn't... but why would I lie about this? He's one of my best friends too!"

Jamie: He frowned at Jess, wondering how in the heck that wasn't made up. "Fine. Tell me how he survived."

Jamie: His arms were crossed again, "Because I. Saw. Him. Get. Eaten."

Jessica: She scrubbed her face with her hands, "I don't know... I don't think he knows either... from what I gather, the police found him unconscious in a ditch somewhere and he was in a coma for a while... they didn't know who he was then they called his family when he woke up..."

Jamie: "That's... That's not possible..." Now Jamie's world was turned upside down and he didn't know how to take any of this.

Jessica: "I know it's insane... but I'm telling the truth... I wouldn't believe me either if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes..."

Jamie: "Why hasn't he come to see me," he asked more himself than her. "That doesn't make sense either... Did he think they ate me, me, not dupe, me?"

Jessica: "I don't know, Jamie... I wish I did... You should probably ask Hope about that, she'd know... maybe she'll give you their address so you can go and see him..."

Jamie: "Oh.. Okay..." He picked at the lip of his coke can and wouldn't look at her again. "Sorry I yelled at you."

Jessica: "It's okay... sort of used to people yelling at me... and I can completely understand the reaction - Like I said, I wouldn't believe me either..." She reached to gently pat his shoulder.

Jamie: Jamie flinched automatically until it registered that it was an okay touch. "Sorry," he mumbled again. "And... I only knew about Cassie because she showed up at Johnny's funeral."

Jessica: "Yeah... heard about that too..." she sighed, "I wasn't there..."

Jamie: "I didn't notice... I kept my head down... Until Cassie showed up alive, of course..."

Jessica: "Bet that kind of freaked everyone out..." she was kind of glad she hadn't been there.

Jamie: "Yeah... But she made it into kind of a performance. As always. So it was cool in a way."

Jessica: "Yeah... sounds like her..." Jess managed a small smile, "I'm glad you're okay, Jamie... and I'm sorry I startled you... I'll leave you alone now, if you want..."

Jamie: "You don't have to... I mean, if you like Dick Tracy comics, you can stay and read them with me, if you want?"

Jessica: She cocked her head on one side, smiling a little more, "You know... I don't think I've ever actually read a comic."

Jamie: "Whaaaaaaat?!" He shuffled over to his comics and practically shoved one at her. "You have to! And Dick Tracy is the best! He's my hero!"

Jessica: She laughed and took the comic, holding up her free hand in surrender, "Okay! Okay! I'll have a look!" She sat down to make herself more comfortable.

Jamie: "Good!" He smiled at her and picked up one for himself, then toasted her with his coke can. "To comics and not being eaten!"

[Starfish]

Awww, that was awkward and adorable. Lovely instance, you two!

Only birds and squirrels up there. And they did no harm to anything but bugs and nuts.

Oh Jamie, if only you knew... Obviously it's about time Selene gives her guest lecture about the secret squirrel threat.

[Slarti]

I don't get eaten three times a day anymore...

Except by Jean.

Jamie: Jamie's face wrinkled up and looked probably like a scared possum that was disgusted with its own tail.

Hee! Jamie's too adorable.

Very cute overally, you guys!