Nameless

Chapter 6:Confusion Resolved...Kinda.

I’m sitting with my head in my hands as the doctors work on Merlyn in the other room. Dru is ashen, with tears tracks on his face. Jason sits beside me, with an expression on his face that I can’t quite place. We sit there for over an hour. I’m so tired; I’m leaning on Jason and dozing off. I jerk awake, however, when he suddenly stands up and motions for me to follow him. I glance at Dru. He’s asleep, but he startles awake every time a nurse goes by.

Jason buys me a coffee, and we sit in the little café, at the table farthest from the group of tired nurses. He looks uneasy. I wonder…

We sit there long enough for me to drink almost my entire coffee. Then he speaks.”I knew you- five years before your brother died.” My mouth drops open.”Wha-” He cuts me off.”When we were little, we were neighbors.

Then, I went by the name JJ, by my initials, because we were all friends with you and your brother. We were best friends...”

I remember. I remember a boy with wild, brown hair and excited green eyes. Playing pirate, superhero. Struggling to learn his guitar, his euphoria at being able to play ‘Happy Birthday’ at my tenth birthday party, standing with me at my dad’s funeral when I was eight. Hugging me, after he found me when I ran away during the wake.

“It’ll be okay,” he had said.”Your best friend is here, I’ll do everything I can to make it better.”

Now, he says, “I had to move away, to Mississippi because my mother wanted to go back to college. I fought with them to let me stay…”

I’m sitting on JJ's bed. I entered via the window he leaves unlocked for me. He was shouting at his parents.”I can’t leave Arin here! How can I leave her?!She just lost her dad last year, and she's still not over it! ”

He stomps into his room, slamming the door behind him. He sees me and runs over. I’ve got tears streaming down my face as he hugs me.”Don’t worry” he says.”I’ll see you again. I promise.”

“... I remember.” I whisper. His face breaks into the widest grin I’ve ever seen. It quickly fades however.”Well, now that you remember who I am, now I have to tell you what I am.

I am Celtic, descended from the clan TuathaDéDanann, who are, in fact, descended from the Irish goddess Danu. She is the mother of the gods, so to speak. She was said to be the ruler of the Otherworld. Your brother…He’s there, right now, with the Goddess.” Jason face had a painful expression.”Last night…you knew your best friend was in trouble, right? You felt something. What was it?“ He asked.

I blink.”Uhm, it reminded me of when I used to go camping with dad and J-Jace”I said, my tongue stuttering on his name, “and it smelled like rain…”

“Exactly! That was your brother’s essence. Or rather, his spirit’s essence. He knew that the friend that you hold close to your heart was in trouble, so he…gave you a hint.”

This is a lot to take in.

I mean…whoa. One part of me wants to believe that its fake, a prank on me but… It rang true, in my ears. Because my brother loved camping. And whenever it rained, we would pull on our galoshes and go outside to play in the rain. He was spontaneous, kind, caring, thought of my mother and her hangovers before himself. He was too good of a soul to die, which is why I became an atheist after his death. I had cursed God, telling him to kill me now, if he even existed.

Oddly enough, finding out God wasn’t there at all makes me feel better than being ignored.

“Wait… if God didn’t allow his death, why did Danu?”I asked.”The Goddess has her reasons.”He replied.”Maybe because he was more use to her dead, as a spirit, than alive, and untouchable. The Goddess has given us free will. She cannot contact us beyond her world, but she can send the pure spirits down here to do her bidding. I believe Jace’s assignment on Earth was to keep you happy, alive, and to know your true self.”

I gave a shuddering breath. “So, when you saw me, at the club… Did you know it was me?”I asked. He paused.”Well, not immediately, but when you said your name was Arin, I had a suspicion, and when I saw your dad’s necklace I knew. Then, after you left, I was walking out and I saw it, shining in the streetlight. I picked it up, took it home, and studied it to make sure it really was you.”

“But how did you know I was at the Subway? Or do you always carry a jeweler’s kit with you?”I probed.

“Easy, I was coming home for my lunch break, when I saw you walk in. My apartment is right across from it, and I had the kit from my multiple arts class at the civic center.”

I looked at Jason closer. His features, which I remember so clearly now, are comforting. The little brown dot on the upper right corner of his left iris. His incredibly long lashes, his slender frame, his perfect mouth…

                Hey, now. I can’t go thinking about this, not now. Not when Merlyn is currently on a table while people try to keep her alive.

"Arin...I'm so sorry about Jace. If I had known, I would've come immediately. You know that, right?" 

I clear my throat. I look down at my rumpled dress, and then stand up. “I-I wanna go check on Merlyn, “I whisper.

He hesitates, then nods, taking my hand and leading me back to the waiting area. I glance at a clock mounted on the wall as we pass. Its 4:58.I suppose I should call her parents, but I can’t seem to remember what their numbers are at the moment. I stop walking. Jason stops too, and looks at me. He sighs, then scoops me up bridal-style. I don’t remember when I fell asleep, but I do remember how his heartbeat sounded against my ear.

A/N:I post a video and a picture for every chapter, and I've gone back several times and re-uploaded the pic and music. I don't know why its not working, but I do apologize.

-Obvious Turtle