Carnations for Emily

Chapter 10: Returned Home (part 2)

"Jack... I think I-"

"Ah!" Jack woke up in a sweat.
His face was a burning red hue.
It was Saturday morning and the festival was drawing near.
It doesn't start til Monday so Jack was going to be around til the next Monday at the latest.

The knob on his bedroom door turned and on the other side of it was Jill poking her head in to see why Jack was freaking out.
"Everything okay brother?" Jill said quietly.
"Y-yeah I'm fine.
Just a strange dream is all." Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
The dream he had was of Emily...
"It felt so real..." he mumbled.
"Well hurry up and get dressed mom asked you and I to go grocery shopping." Jill chimed.
"Right. Out." Jack commanded and Jill left.

A few moments later Jack walked into the living room wiping the sleep from his eyes.
With a yawn he wasn't exactly ready for the day, but the day had come for him.
"Let's go!" Jill bounded to the front door, excited to spend time with her brother.
Jack grabbed his hoodie he left on the table last night and the two took off.

"It's getting colder." Jill spoke.
"It's fall so yeah, it's going to start getting colder." Jack paused.
"Be sure to stay warm." He continued.
"You don't have to tell me twice. Mom keeps the house as warm as a furnace." Jill chimed.
Hellen didn't like cold weather. She loved summer and spring.
Didn't mind fall but absolutely hated winter.
She prefers to keep the house as warm as can be.
It's quite an inviting feeling when you come out of the cold.

The two walked into the local store to shop for groceries.
As they shopped Jack and Jill continued their conversation.
"So how are you feeling these days?" Jill asked.
"What do you mean?" Jack questioned.
"Well I know back then you struggled with who you are..." she went silent.
"Oh, don't worry.
I'm alright." Jack said
"Though I don't think I'm where I need to be." He mumbled to himself.

Jill raced ahead down the aisle and grabbed some toaster pastries.
"Let's get these!" She smiled.
They were s'mores flavored.
Jill's favorite kind.
"Sure, toss it in." Jack nodded to the cart.
"How's school?" Jack asked.
"It's pretty good, no struggles or bullies." Jill said happily.
"That's good." Jack said.
They went quiet then.
For a moment they could only hear the store music playing.

"You're worried about seeing her again aren't you?" Jill spoke up.
"Who-"
"Emily." Jill said before Jack could even finish his sentence.
"You should just talk to her when she comes home.
From what her parents said to mom, she should be home by Monday." Jill finished.
Jack broke into a sweat.
He was scared to see Emily.
He doesn't know how she'll react to him.
"You're going to have to face this sometime big brother." Jill exclaimed.

After a while the two finished their shopping and left the store with a cart full of food.
As they were heading out to put the cart away, Jill overheard an argument break out between a couple of people in the store parking lot.
"Hey would you get out of the way?"
"Just be patient kid, I'll move out of the way soon enough."
It was between an older gentleman and a young man.
They were getting heated and it looked like a fight was about to break out.
"Brother, maybe you should go stop them." Jill said.
"Huh? Me? Why?" Jack stammered.
"You used to be so good at breaking up arguments." Jill said.
"Yeah by making myself the main focus." Jack scoffed.
Jill gave Jack the "puppy dog eyes" trick and he fell for it.
"Fine." Jack grumbled as he made his way over to the two men.

"H-hey guys?
You mind just calming down?
Stop the fighting?" Jack used a calm tone to try and get them to relax.
Though using a calming voice isn't his own technique.
It's something he picked up from Joker.
Joker is a trickster after all, lulling his foes through any falsehoods was what he was good at.
"Buzz off twerp, this old fuck has had it coming."
The twenty-something year old spoke up first.
"I haven't done anything wrong ya brat." The older man was getting annoyed.
"C'mon guys-" Jack looked around to find a way to break up the argument.
He only saw Jill sitting alone in front of the store.
"-you're scaring my sister."
The two noticed Jill. Jack hoped it be enough but it wasn't.
They continued on.
"Tch, Whatever I'm out of here." The young man shoulder checked the older man and practically shoved Jack out of the way.
"Dick." Jack mumbled.
Just then the older man checked himself and noticed.
"That little punk!" He began to charge right past Jack til Jack grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey what's wrong sir?" Jack questioned him.
"He stole my wallet!" The older man looked like a bull ready to charge.
"H-hey!
Hold on I can get it back." Jack started sweating bullets but raced after the young man, who immediately started running when he got further from Jack and the older man.
"Hey!
You jerk, give that guy his wallet back!"
Jack began to catch up to the thief and soon enough tackled him to the ground.
"I said give it back!" Jack screamed.
"Fuck you!" The thief punched Jack in his ribs but it wasn't enough to get jack back.
Jack's body had been through hell before, a few punches wouldn't be enough to really harm him.
"Enough!" The voice that echoed from Jack wasn't his own as he bent his thumb over his index finger and cracked it...
"W-what the hell?
Your eyes." The thief stared at him in fear as the cracking of Jack's finger made him shudder.
"Huh?" Jack paused.
He could only assume his eyes had turned red in a fit of rage.
Jack didn't even realize he cracked his finger.
Shaking his head Jack slammed a fist into the thief's face and he dropped the old mans wallet.
Grabbing the wallet he got off the thief.
"Now get out here." The voice in Jack's throat rung out again and commanded.
"Y-Yes sir." And the guy ran off.