A Condemned Haven

Chapter 46

After they had gotten out of that house, James was arrested and held until his trial. Jack was in the hospital for a day or two considering his concussion had only gotten worse when he was punched by James. They were both trying to come to terms with everything that happened with James, but Jack took it the hardest. He blamed himself for not noticing considering all the signs had been there from the very beginning. He had known both James and Amy his entire life, and now neither of them were in it. Amy was dead and James was murderer. His life had fallen apart in the couple of years since he had been in high school. The only thing that really looked up for him was that he met Clarke.

Clarke pulled into Jack's driveway, ready to go and visit James. Things were still unsettled. They had gotten only half of the explanation and neither of them could move on until they got the whole thing. Clarke had been dreading this for about three weeks. She had recurring nightmares of that night and she knew Jack did too. Anytime she was at his house and they fell asleep together on the couch or in his bed, he would wake up sweating. Clarke didn't know how to help, hell she didn't even know how to help herself. Her best friend had been murdered and Jack's best friend had murdered him. Everything was so fucked up.

They spent the last couple of weeks comforting each other in the best way they knew how. Just by being there. They didn't need to say anything. Nothing could really be said. Sometimes all someone needed was just someone by their side to understand what they were going through.

Clarke didn't believe that James was evil. No one was truly evil. Clarke knew that at one point in his life he was a person who brought light into the life of others. Losing his sister, his twin, was like losing a part of himself. She just believed he was a kid who had lost hope of ever finding his way out of his grief. He never let his sister go. James drowned in his guilt and in his grief until he couldn't hold his head up anymore. He never truly healed, and that could mess a person up.

James had been right, they had both let go of their guilt together, despite it being a nightmare. She would have never figured that meeting Jack would finally be her missing puzzle piece. They each had half of the story and without one another they never could have figured any of it out. He was her saving grace and she was his.

Jack walked out in his normal t-shirt and jeans. Clarke was so thankful that he still wanted to be with her after she blew up his life. If he had never met her than he could have gone on living his life without knowing that his best friend was a murderer and his first love had been raped. Maybe it would have been better not knowing, then again maybe it wouldn't have. It wasn't up to Clarke on this one. It was all up to him. He opened the car door and gave Clarke a kiss on the cheek.

"Jack. Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jack had thought about it at length. He needed some closure. He needed to see him one more time before he completely cut his best friend out of his life forever.

"No, but I have to." Clarke nodded in understanding before pulling out onto the street.

Clarke had some of her own questions for James. He had called her sis when he was arrested, and she had no clue why. She had a suspicion, but if she were right then it could blow up her life. Everything she thought she knew. James was still fucking up her life even from prison.

They didn't speak the entire drive, both too busy with what they were going to say to him. When they pulled up, they didn't say anything either. They just went through processing. There was nothing to say. When it finally came time to see James, they sat across from him not saying a word for a solid minute.

"I know there's a reason you both came so spit it out." James seemed much calmer than he had that day, then again he was threatening to kill both of them.