Pangaia: Agendas (Year One: Fall)

Chapter Thirty-Nine - Cheyenne

 Halyn visited several times and updated Cheyenne on the latest gossip as well as delivering the minimal homework her teachers had given her to do.

Too bad there wasn't much because she would've loved to have had more of a distraction. While she had been released from the infirmary late Sunday night, she was taking the week off to be away from everyone and staying at the guest house with her parents.

No doubt a version of what happened was already passing through the school, and Cheyenne wasn't in the mood to listen to the whispers. The one thing she didn't do, and she knew she should have, was visit Zes. She wasn't sure how she could face him. Anj hadn't stopped by to see her or called, and she was worried maybe he was mad at her too.

When Persephone told Cheyenne someone was there to see her, she was expecting Halyn to come by again between class time. Instead she found Jewl carrying gifts. She sat up in the recliner where she had been reading and set her textbook aside.

"I know, huge shock," Jewl said as she walked in. She waited to make sure Cheyenne's mother was away from the room again before taking a seat nearby. "I know we haven't ever gotten along and you don't like me and blah, blah, blah. I'm not here to make some kind of sudden peace offering because I feel guilty and life is short and unpredictable. I never understood how traumatic experiences could make people suddenly like each other."

Cheyenne was starting to understand why Anj liked Jewl so much—no, why he loved her so much. She didn't beat around the bush, and she was even more cynical than him.

"I do have some things. And I was going to talk to you, well, apologize, prior to all of this happening, but things became a little chaotic. I figured I'd do it all in one sitting since I'm here for a few different reasons," Jewl continued quietly.

"All right," Cheyenne said.

"I don't like new people and I don't like change, so I think it can be pretty well assumed I don't like you for those reasons. It's not anything necessarily against you personally. I'm well aware of what he's trying to do with you, but that's him not you. I apologize for taking things too far. Halyn chewed me out about the spider, and she's right. That was pretty lame. I can't say we're going to be best friends forever, or I'm going to be your friend period, but I'll make more of an effort to be civil at least. If you stick around long enough, I'll get used to you eventually."

Cheyenne nodded and took all of it in. It obviously meant something for Jewl to share all of this information about herself to someone she barely knew, even if it wasn't necessarily things she wanted to hear.

Jewl handed Cheyenne a small stack of cards and a small book wrapped in blue paper. "These are for you."

The cards were from students wishing her well and hoping she felt better soon. Some of them had been signed by multiple students and others were more personalized. Never would she have expected such an outpouring for her among her peers. The book was a black journal, plain and simple. This book was from Denver, and on the front page was a small note.

"I know you probably don't want anything to do with me after everything, but this will be the only time you'll hear me say this (or would it be see?). I'm sorry. Now burn this page, and we'll talk more when you get back. Please do it soon. Your roommate is making me contemplate homicide."

She ripped the page out of the book, but instead of destroying it, she folded it neatly and placed it away for safekeeping.

"Thanks."

"One more thing," Jewl said quietly before standing up to leave. "Zes is awake now, and he wants you to come by sometime when you feel up to it. Hopefully that won't be too much longer. He's worried about you." That was an obvious hint if there ever was one.

"Is he—"

"He's as okay as anyone can be after what he went through." There was an awkward silence. "I'm sure I'll see you around in some way, shape, or form later." She shrugged.

"I'm sure."

There was so much she wanted to confront Jewl about. She had owned up to the spider, but what about everything else? Had she been in on the plan with Denver? With Lucien? Mr. Thantos had eluded to the possibility that the Divine might have wanted her to be kidnapped, but would they have use Jewl to get close to her in order to do so?