The Life of Jezebel Firetongue

10

***Songs for the chapter; Trouble by nevershoutnever and Autumn leaves by ed sheeran****

Jake glanced at Jezebel, with his lids still hanging sleepily down. She thought he had been sleeping for the past hour, but he couldn’t find the will to sleep. He was exhausted, that much was sure since Jez woke him up at a rudely early time.  But something was bothering him.

            It shouldn’t have hurt him when Jez bought him his own stuff. She was completely right; they needed to be independent of each other. Yet…

            Her eyes were unnatural, but riveting. She smiled sparingly, but each one was beautiful, and he wanted her to do it more. Jez seemed emotionless, but he could sense that it was just because she bottled it up inside. The girl was crazy, he knew that. So why was he starting to like everything about her?

            His emotions were completely conflicted. On one hand, he knew he shouldn’t like her this much. After all, the man from the dream had told him to follow her, not fall in love with her. Probably for good reasons, considering she was constantly pushing him away and trying to hurt him, both physically and emotionally. Jez committed crimes without thinking about it. She also hid secrets that she never wanted him to learn. Could he love a girl like that? Would she even accept his advancements?

            Jake looked back her and allowed his eyes to linger on her tense figure. The answer was clear; it was expressed in the way she resolutely pressed her eyes to the road. There was no way he’d ever get any closer to her, even he wanted to. Did he want to?

            Jez glanced at him and he lowered his eyelids until he looked like he was sleeping, but allowed himself a slit to spy at her through. Grimacing, Jez turned back to the matter at hand and shook her head sorrowfully at the road. Why did she do that? Jake wondered. Realization hit him and his eyes shot wide open.

            Could she…

            No, that couldn’t be it. As far as Jake knew, Jezebel Firetongue did not feel anything towards him except for mistrust and hate. So why was there guilt in her eyes when she looked at him?

            He pulled his hoodie tighter around himself, feeling a shiver work its way down his spine. Every moment he spent with her was different from the last. She seemed to always vary from liking him, maybe trusting him, to distrust and confusing hatred of him.

            What’s she hiding?

            He closed his eyes and the exhaustion finally took over, drowning him in a pool of dark sleep.

            Jake seemed to float along a path of fallen leaves. It was night out, the stars shining merrily in the sky. As he followed the path, he noticed a figure ahead, sitting on a park bench. Squinting, Jake tried to move faster, pushing his floating conscious towards the person.

            When he reached the bench, Jake stopped in realization. It was Jez.

“Jez?” he whispered.

“No, she’s just an image of Jezebel.” Jake’s head whipped around to see the guy from the first dream standing beside him.

“What are you doing here?”

His expression was serious. “Business reasons.”

The way the guy talked so seriously about their business together unnerved him. “So...Mr.…” Jake stopped himself, realizing he had nothing to call the man. “Can I call you Doc?” Jake blurted uncomfortably, looking at his lab coat.