Day and Night

Chapter 39

Jesse breathes and keeps a hand on her stomach. She slowly stands up. She looks around the kingdom. The day kingdom looked as desolate as night kingdom during the day. 'Its probably from when I was talking about the night kingdom. Probably kept them up late...' Jesse sighs, sadly before walking over to the lake. There was something about that lake that makes Jesse keep coming back, over and over again. She pulls out the leather bound book and looks at it. 'I don't care about the risks for stealing this book. There will be fall out for what I did by stealing this. Luna will definitely send people out to look for me... But if I make up a lie, Luna will never suspect that I am alive.' Jesse thinks then she sighs, 'No, Luna is to smart to fall for that...' She closes her eyes and breathes.

While Jesse is trying to think, someone walks up behind her, "Excuse me miss. Can we talk?" Jesse turns around to see a girl quite younger than her. "Um... Hello. What do you need?" She asks while holding the book behind her but it just looks like she is holding her hands together behind her. "My name is.... um... J-Ja-JAMIE! I'm Jamie and I was wondering if there was a girl here. I'm looking for her." Jadie says as she looks up at Jesse but she does not recognize her as the lost night princess, rather as a commoner that could be a day. Everyone walks out of there houses and walk over to see what was going on. Jesse takes a deep breathe, "What is her name?" She looks down at Jadie, the girl who claims to be Jamie. "Jesse." Jadie says with a innocent smiles. Jesse taps her chin. "Hmm... Jesse... Jesse... Sorry, are you referring to Jesse, Princess of the night?" "Thats the one! ...You have her eyes. Whats your name, miss?" "Elizabeth!" Jesse says, without even thinking then she gulps, "If your looking for Jesse, she... went west, passed the kingdom of nature. At least thats where I saw her go." Jadie looks at Jesse closely, "hm... okay, Elizabeth." Jesse and Jadie make eye contact before Jadie walks away.

Jesse takes a deep breathe and falls to her knees, "I can't take much more of this..." Tears roll down her cheeks and she pulls the book out from behind her. She placed it on the ground before noticing the grass around her was dead, but only the grass around her. The grass around her is withered and brown; some of it almost black. Jesse looks up at everyone and watches them. Each one of them backs up in fear, even James. Jesse looks down again as tears roll down her face, "I... I... I have to do this." She stands up and wipes away her tears, leaving a dirt line on the side of her upper face. Someone walks up behind her and she looks down at the shadow. It is Lukas' shadow. Jesse gulps as Lukas walks around her. She looks at his feet and starts to back away but before she can, Lukas grabs her shoulders. After a minute, Jesse says nothing and Lukas looks down at her. "...Jesse, please talk to me." Lukas puts a hand under her chin. He looks into her green eyes before wiping the line of dirt off of her face. Jesse pulls away and crosses her arms. As much as it pained her, she couldn't face Lukas. She couldn't even talk to him. Jesse turns around and crosses her arms. Lukas tries to grab her but she just steps away from him.

"Jesse, Please. Talk to me!"
"..."
"Just look at me, please!"
"..."
"Jesse...?" Lukas puts a hand on her shoulder but when Jesse  moves her shoulder to get his hand away, he sniffs. "You know what..? Fine. Be like this Jesse." He pulls away.
Jesse sniffs and closes her eyes, "..."
Lukas stares at her, "...I thought you loved me Jesse. I really did but after today, I am beginning to have my doubts."
Tears well up in Jesse's eyes but Lukas does not see that, "..."
"You have been keeping secrets from me. You're ignoring me and acting like I killed someone, and... I... I really just... I can't believe you!" Lukas starts growing red in the face from anger.
"Lukas... I..." Jesse starts to say but Lukas' voice over powers hers.
"I can't believe I ever asked you to marry me." He grabs her hand and takes the ring off her finger then he turns around, "Don't bother coming 'home' tonight. In fact, after you save the day kingdom— IF you save it, you can just leave." Tears stream down his face, and tears stream down Jesses face too. He shoves the ring in his pocket, "Goodbye, Jesse." He runs off to the castle, holding in sobs. Jesse falls onto her knees, into the withered dying grass and sobs. With each sob, the grass started turning blacker and blacker. Jesse sobs uncontrollably until she hears a voice call her name. "Jesse..." It sounded like the voice from her thoughts. Jesse coughs and tried to breathe, then she barely manages to say, "W...What?" Still crying, she looks around, seeing no one. Slowly, she starts sobbing harder again then she hears the voice. "Follow me..."