The Miracle Place

8.

  IT WAS AROUND six o'clock when they decided to order in. Jane didn't feel like eating, but they had paid for the food, so she ate as much as she could. The food at the hotel wasn't as good as Alice's cooking or Billy's sandwiches, though. However, Jane couldn't think about anything other than the fact that Peter may not be dead after all.

Joel reached into his bag and pulled out a beige knit sweater. "Here, Billy," He said, tossing the sweater across the room.

Billy caught it with his good arm, slipping it on over his shoulders. "Jane, you okay?" he asked.

Jane looked at him for a second, before turning back to her cup of noodles. "No," was all she said.

Joel and Billy shared a look. Joel had pity in his eyes, but Billy was panicking, asking silently what to say next. Joel looked back at Jane. "This is all really scary, huh?" he said.

"Yeah," Jane laughed, but tears fell from her eyes.

"Well, is there anything we can do to help get your mind off things? Maybe, watch tv," he suggested. Jane shrugged. Joel took that as a yes, and reached for the remote. "What do you like to watch?"

"Rachael Ray," Billy said before she could answer. "Right?"

Jane smiled at him. "Yeah," she said, though her voice was barely above a whisper.

Billy stood up, tossing his empty cup into the garbage can. "I'll go get the paint supplies from the car. Joel, try not to bore her with your science talk," he joked.

"Try not to get shot this time." Joel retorted, earning a playful glare from Billy as he slipped out the door. "Rachael Ray, huh? Do you like cooking?" he asked.

Jane shrugged. "I like watching people cook. I've never cooked before. Billy claims to be good at it."

Joel scoffed. "Billy claims to be good at a lot of things. Very rarely is anything he says true, however, I must admit, he is a pretty great cook."

Jane frowned, remembering their conversation in the car. "Joel, what does Billy do? Like, as a job?"

Joel smacked his lips. "Uh, as a job, nothing at the moment. Why?"

Jane shrugged. "Just wondering."

Joel turned the volume down and peaked out the window to the car. "What did he tell you about himself?" he asked.

"That he's from The Miracle Place, like me. He said he works for people who help people like me," Jane said. "But, I thought he was currently working for them?" She was unsure of most things now. If that wasn't his job anymore, why was she with him? Did he really want to help her, or is he going to use her for her abilities and send her back?

Joel blinked a few times, glancing between her and the window. "Well, I can't tell you much, but I trust that he'll tell you everything eventually. Billy doesn't do things without reason. That was his job."

"So... Can I trust him? I mean, if he lied to me about that..."

"Billy is not a bad guy, Jane. He really does want to help you," said Joel. "You're safe with him."

He grabbed the remote and turned the tv back on just as Billy walked through the door. He placed the bag on the floor and sat down next to it, taking the items out of it. Joel watched him with an amused smile. Billy caught him staring. "What?"

"No, nothing. Just never thought I would see a rich businessman sitting on the floor playing with paint. Or wearing my clothes," Joel said, turning back around in the desk chair to face the tv.