Oh the PRESSURE! I've been emailed, I've been tweeted, I've been facebooked, I've been messaged. Okay, so 400K is being celebrated! Here you go! LAST post for a week tomorrow afternoon!
Rock on, dot com!
J*A*D*E*S
“Are you sure you want to do this? Now?” asks Amy as she drives Jo to Bev’s house. Hoping to avoid Bev, Jo had called James to find out what her day is like, faking that she was planning a romantic evening. James had willingly told her Bev’s schedule. Bev should have been busy for at least another two hours, enough time for Jo to come and go without a scene.
“I've gotta do this,” says Jo stiffly. “Better now than later,” she adds.
“You know, Spencer said she’d come get your stuff….”
“I said I’ll do it!” grumbles Jo as she moves out of the car, slamming the door of the old Mustang that had once been her own, and is now Natalie’s. The windows rattle in anger, and Amy watches her waltz away, her head bent low, hiding her eyes from the sun.
Amy sits in the car, grinding her teeth for a long moment, and then the heat in the car begins to get to her, so she gets out and leans on the front of the car. She looks up at the sky that is beginning to grow pink. Watching as Jo moves to the door, not bothering with the key that Amy knows is in her pocket, she simply ShadowWalked through the door.
Another sign that Jo is teetering on the brink of being beyond control; using her powers so blatantly. She can no longer synch with Emma, Darci, and Shelby, only Amy. Jo, however, never did use their powers much. Jo’s control is also back, and she is stronger and faster than ever, even her eyes have stayed that haunting amber hue. No longer able to snap it back to her normal blue grey, but she is forgoing wearing the colored contact lenses since being off the island. Amy sighs, scooting up on the hood of the car and covering her eyes, waiting.
J*A*D*E*S
“Have you talked to Sydney?” asks Mike. He shoves his wallet into his pocket.
Shelby sits at her desk, figuring out building costs for the new school. She absently looks up. “No, why?”
“I talked to her yesterday and she sounded weird. She’s not with Danny anymore and she didn’t sound to broken up about it,” muses Mike.
“Oh its puppy love, you know that. Her true love is music,” says Shelby. She tucks a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear. Mike leans down and kisses her cheek. His stubble scratches her. “God, you need a shave!”
“I thought you liked the rugged look?” he teases. He taps the papers she is working on. “Expensive.”
“It cost three million to build New Dawn, this place is going to cost me twenty-three million, I swear. Helen says we need a fundraiser and I think she’s right. I can get some Fed funding but not much,” says Shelby. She leans back and kisses Mike again. “You off to work?”
“Yeah, Julie called and she has a lead on that guy we were looking for. We are going to go check it out,” smiles Mike.
“Behave yourself,” snorts Shelby. “Wear a jacket.”
“I am wearing a jacket,” says Mike.
“This guy dangerous?” snaps back Shelby.
“No, just some dead beat dad,” says Mike, brushing it off.
“Bullet. Proof. Vest,” orders Shelby.
“I love you,” counters Mike. “You’ll figure out the school thing. Amy is back, right? And Jo?”
“Mmmm, and they still aren’t together,” grumbles Shelby.
Mike steps back and finishes his routine, slipping a gun into his ankle holster and then his side holster. Next he puts his watch on. “You know I think Jo was ripped apart by what Bev did. I understand why she did it, but I can see how it cut Jo pretty deep.”
“I know, but this is Amy,” says Shelby. She turns and watches her husband. “It’s like if you did something or I did, I think we’d forgive each other.”
“With time, Shelb,” says Mike. “With time, and I think that’s what Jo needs.”
“Hopefully, nothing happens to mess them up time again,” grumbles Shelby. “Get going, Julie is waiting, call if you’ll be late, I don’t want to worry.”
Mike swoops in and kisses her again. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
J*A*D*E*S
Shaun walks out of Nina’s house. Nina waves at her to go. Shaun grunts, rubbing her hands on her jeans and waltzing across the street towards Amy Astin.
“Nice pose you’re striking there? Not scared that someone will snap a pic and put it in US Weekly?” asks Shaun a she approaches Amy, her hands in her pockets, pulling them down slightly, revealing her belly button for all to see.
Amy takes her arm away from her eyes, seeing Shaun standing there, looking sexy, her hair not as messy as before, a pair of tight jeans and a short cropped shirt with Peppermint Patty on it. “The headlines would read, ‘Former Senator Waiting For Former Lover On Hood Of Car,’ what sort of papers do you think that will sell?”
Shaun smiles, leaning on the bumper of the car. “I’m sure a few if it’s of you lying across the top of this hot car. I mean face it, you could have been a really sexy pin up, or the fantasy of every dyke in the US.”
“Are you flirting with me, Shaun?” asks Amy sweetly. Sitting up, her feet on the chromed bumper of the car, elbows now on her knees, Amy’s long blonde hair falling into her eyes.
“You want me to be?” asks Shaun, turning and facing Amy, licking her lips and really thinking about how hot Amy is, and Nina had tapped that ass, Shaun is impressed. Shaun sees Nina darting across the street, ducking behind a car two houses away. Where is Nina going? What is she going to do?
Amy bats her mesmerizing green eyes. “Shaun, I’m flattered. But you have a girlfriend.” Amy tosses a look to the door of the house, wondering what the hell is taking Jo so long.
J*A*D*E*S
“Holy crap,” says Mario as he walks into the house that Emma has found for them. “Em, we cannot afford this.”
“It’s on the list, I didn’t say I bought it,” snorts Emma. She turns to the realtor who begins the tour, giving them the highlights of the five bedroom home, with two master suites, one with the most spectacular view of the ocean.
They end up on the front porch. “So, we can afford this,” says Emma. She leans her back against the railing. Mario places his hands on either side of her and kisses her chin.
“How?”
“We have our investments, we have our salaries,” says Emma.
“Did you see this as our house?” teases Mario. “Have you had some sexy vision of what we do in this house?”
“No, I didn’t. I just like it. I’ve been avoiding trying to see which house we end up in so that it’s an equal sort of deal here, Mario Scott.” Emma shrugs sheepishly. “I do like having your input on things and it’s not all about my darn power.”
Mario grins, his deep dimples throw shadows on his cheeks when he smiles. “I like it. I love it. Rylee can surf, I can read on the beach. I’m just afraid we can’t afford it.”
“It’s about twenty minutes from the old beach house,” says Emma.
Mario tosses his head back and laughs. “Where Rylee and Spencer end up living in a few years, I got you! So when we retire we take care of their little tykes, huh? You think this is the place because that will be their place?”
Emma rolls her eyes and pulls him into a hug, she eases up on her toes and kisses his neck. “No, I love it. It’s huge, we can have all the girls over during breaks, we can throw parties, and you can have the whole damn football team over here! And it’s a million less than you’re thinking.”
“Why?” asks Mario, “is it a million less? What happened here? This is prime beach property.”
“What the realtor didn’t tell you was that someone was murdered here, that’s how I knew about it,” admits Emma. “Government secret stuff and all.”
“Wonderful!” laughs Mario, pressing his face into Emma’s shoulder. “So, this place is a steal, that’s what you’re telling me?” He looks around, thinking it’s a lot of money, they aren’t millionaires, well, they are but not liquid millionaires, but in stock and bonds. Emma does play the stock market and she plays it well. They have a large savings, and cashing in a few stocks wouldn’t kill them. “And we keep the Hawaii house?”
“We are not giving up our vacation home,” snorts Emma. “It’s our first home and it’s paid for, we can rent it. Hell, we can rent to just FBI agents if you want, I have people asking me already.”
“Ask them not to murder anyone while there, okay?” teases Mario. “We can afford it, no strife?”
“I played the numbers. We sell one of our Hawaii cars, buy you a new one…”
“Wait, why do I have to sell my car? Why not sell your Jeep?”
“Because I love my Jeep? That was your gift to me for our first anniversary, I will never sell my Jeep, Mario Scott.”
Mario rolls his eyes. “Long as I get a nice car, I’m thinking BMW,” he winks as he says this.
“I was thinking a Toyota,” counters Emma. “Make the offer?”
“Go a few hundred thousand lower, see if we can play them down,” says Mario. “That third bathroom needs work, that color is hideous.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Its Pepto Bismal pink!”
“Okay, you’re right, it’s bad,” laughs Emma. “Let’s go make an offer.”
She takes his hand and a snap of a vision envelops her, Mario’s hand, the one she is clasping, is bleeding, fresh blood pumps from several long slashes over his body and his lifeless eyes stare up at her and she’s screaming.
Broken Down Palace
3.14.05
Janet Marie
I’ve been totally brought to defeat
I drop down to my knees
All of my hope crying out in my tears
I know it’s all over now
Time for a change in me
Today is the day it all becomes clear
My broken down palace
Has come tumbling to the ground
I’ll leave it all behind
I won’t regret what I’ve done
Just build on the waste it was
I won’t look back
In wonder and wait
Today is the day it call becomes clear
My broken down palace
Has come tumbling to the ground
I’ll leave it all behind
My day finally seems real
It’s all come to life
I can chase the dream that never was
My reality on the landscape
It’s my chance to live
My fear will not paralyze me
All my sorrows have been cried out
Streaks on my pale cheeks
I can breathe now
I’ve been set free
From the prison of hate
Today is the day it call becomes clear
My broken down palace
Has come tumbling to the ground
I’ll leave it all behind
J*A*D*E*S
Jo slides her laptop into the case, turning and looking around the bedroom she’d shared with Bev, wiping away a tear as it falls unwanted from her now amber colored eyes. Biting down the want and the need to try and repair this relationship, but she knows that she’ll always look at Bev with distain now. Bev had taken away Jo’s free will by doing what she’d done; a betrayal that Jo had felt before and had never been able to forgive. She’s angry at Spencer, but for some reason, her anger at Bev simply won’t dissipate.
A small back pack hangs off her left shoulder, and her laptop bag is in her right hand, walking out of the room she’d shared with Bev. Reaching out with her mind, she snaps off the lights and was just about to head out the door; instead she turns and heads to Angelica’s room.
Entering the room, filled with toys and love, the pain of not being in the little girl’s life clings to her, barraging her with emotions. A sweet angel that has been caught in this crossfire of magic and insanity, which is more than Jo can bare. Walking around the room, touching random items, after a few minutes of relishing the memories in the room, Jo reaches into her laptop bag, pulls out a scrap of green tinted paper and finds a pen also. She kneels and scribbles a quick note to the young girl. She might not be able to read it, but Bev or Nina will read it to her, she can only hope. She can only hope that Angie will remember her with love and not think that Jo had abandoned her. That brings forth thoughts of Spencer, whom she did abandon. God, her life is a mess, thinks Jo.
Finishing the note, folding it, writing Angie across the front and placing it on the pillow, Jo turns to walk out of the room and comes face to face with the one person she isn’t expecting.
s*t*a*r*s
Jayden wrenches her eyes open. The room is basked in utter darkness, she sees nothing. She shakes hard, her body on fire. She’s in what she calls pre-form. The form she takes before she changes to whatever or whoever she wants to look like. Her face now of molten wax, only her eyes and hair color the same as her chosen form. Her height is a little taller and bone structure thinner, but Jayden preferred being of average height and having fewer curves.
Her hands are tied behind her back and her shoulders ache. Her feet are tied too. She rocks back and forth and rolls to her knees, forehead pressed to the floor. She leans back on her knees and gets her toes under her. She presses back and stands on her first attempt. She holds her breath and listens. Silence. Loud, echoing, silence welcomes her. She isn’t gagged so she knows screaming isn’t going to bring anyone to her.
First order of business is to get out of here. She’ll figure out Eden’s betrayal and how Sydney fits into all of this. She hops to the left until she finds the smooth wall. Concrete. She presses her back to the wall and eases to the left until she finds the corner. She does this until she finds the door. It’s smooth, no doorknob. Christ on a crutch, they had thought of everything, hadn’t they? At the far corner, a few feet from where she thinks she’d started, she finds a pad on the floor. A makeshift bed. She eases down onto it. The room is warm, the floor seems heated. She has to be at The Legacy.
“Hue?” she says softly. “Ship?”
Hue was an alien that was here at the Legacy and his spouse was his ship, a symbiotic entity, and everyone called it Ship, since Hue had landed in the deep woods of Northern Maine in the late 70’s.
She felt a ripple. “Hue? Ship, please, please, Hue?”
The floor shifted from its darkness to something dark purple, then to blue, and finally to a whiteness that Jayden knew was Ship making a tunnel. In moments, Hue was standing before her, the short alien wringing his four fingered hands. “Miss Jayden! Evil. Darkness!”
“Get me out of here, Hue,” orders Jayden trying to get up.
Hue shakes his head. “Not yet. Danger if you leave now. Deep danger. They threaten Ship, my soul, my love. I will help. Help I will. Soon. Move not, Miss Jayden, help I get.”
The floor wraps around Hue and he is gone, leaving her in the darkness. She starts to work at the bonds that hold her. No way was she staying here. She tries to shape shift but she can’t. That’s fine, shoulders dislocate, she thinks and gets to work.