The Beast Within

Chapter Five: Truths

It's been about a week since Jerome threatened Oswald into letting us girls stay and as a bonus he promised us all protection while staying in his house, he, Bab's and Tabby don't get along very well but I couldn't care less, we have a roof over our heads and food in our belly's and that's all I care about, my thoughts were interrupted by someone sitting next to me at the kitchen table and I faced them "do you pour your cereal before you put your milk in?" he asked and I was taken aback by his odd question "what the hell are you talking about, Jerome?" he smirked and placed a bowl in front of him "do you pour cereal first and then milk like a normal person? or.. do you put your milk in first and then the cereal like a weirdo?" I looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if saying are you serious? and he shrugged "it's a valid question" I rolled my eyes "I don't eat cereal, so neither" he grinned and started pouring coco pops into a bowl and then added milk "sugar for breakfast, what are you 5?" I asked and he smiled "yeah, but I read at a sixth grade level, jealous?" he said jokingly and I smiled lightly "I'm going to make myself a healthy breakfast" I said stepping away from the table and went to the kitchen bench and I felt his eyes on my butt as I walked away.

I heard heels clicking on the floor and turned to see Bab's about to give Jerome a kiss but he placed his finger on her lips I went to turn away but what he said peaked my attention "you know how I feel about kissing" she rolled her eyes and walked to the fridge and he turned back to his food, what kind of guy doesn't like kissing? "Tabby and I are heading on a food run, there's nothing in this fridge" she said turning to me "need anything?" she asked and Jerome piped up "cereal" and we both rolled our eyes "I made a list, add whatever you want" she said handing me a pen and the shopping list, the door opened from outside and in walked Ivy.

She turned Oswald's greenhouse into a makeshift bedroom and she stays in there with her plants "can you add fertilizer to the list, my poor babies are dying" she said carrying a potted plant "can't you just do your magic weed thing and revive them?" Bab's said and she rolled her eyes "I can manipulate them for so long, but I can't keep them all alive without proper soil for them" she said sitting the plant on the table and Jerome went to touch it but she quickly swatted his hand away "don't, it's poisonous" he nodded and slid his chair slightly to the side away from the plant "why are you bringing deadly plants into the house, Ivy?" Bab's said slightly annoyed, these two aren't the best of friends they have their moments when they get along and when they don't "I had to get it out of the greenhouse" she said crossing her arms and Jerome and I looked at each other with the same expression knowing this was gonna break out into a fight.

He stood and I grabbed Babs' arm and he grabbed Ivy's and we pulled them back slightly "Barbara, let's go finish the shopping list" I said and she took a sharp breath "come on, I wanna see all your plants" Jerome said in Ivy's ear and she smirked and turned to face him "follow me" she took his hand and led him to the back door and shut it and I rolled my eyes and Bab's was fuming "what the hell does she have that I don't?" she said pulling her arm from my grip and Lucky stepped into the kitchen and smirked "the ability to kill someone with plants?" Bab's rolled her eyes and Lucky put her arms on Bab's waist "ugh, am I the only one that's not sleeping with someone in this house?" I said disgusted and they both shrugged "you can always join us" Lucky said and I shook my head "hard pass, no offense" they both gave me an understanding nod and turned to each other, not wanting to stay and see something that would make me bleach my eyes I stepped into Jerome's room and looked for his cigarettes.

She picked up his jeans and shook them but heard nothing but car keys rattling, she dropped them and opened his top drawer and saw a black diary with stickers across it that read 'JEROME'S DIARY' she lightly smiled at the childishness of it, she lifted the diary and sat it on the bedside table not opening it and looked through the drawers and found pictures and newspaper articles, she picked them up and inspected them they were of when he was in the MANIAX! gang, she couldn't deny it he looked extremely handsome back then, she sat the pictures back down and looked some more into the drawers but found nothing else, she put all the stuff back in his drawer and looked around the room, you could tell Jerome stayed in here, there was a picture of Jeremiah taped to the wall with knifes sticking into his face stuck in the wall, she looked and saw a shot gun and small guns sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, his closet had suits hanging up and she saw a yellow dress shirt with a hole in the stomach and shoulder covered in blood hanging by itself, she turned it to face her and ran her hands over the dried up bloody patches on the shirt.

Jerome stepped down the hallway needing a shower and noticed his bedroom door was open, he pulled a confused face and quietly stepped in, he placed his hand on his gun that was sitting in his belt at the back of his pants, he stepped all the way in and relaxed when he saw who it was, he watched her curiously as she ran her hands over the shirt he wore when Jim had shot him, his real truth was that he didn't fake his death, he tried to commit suicide he wanted his life to be over but unfortunately he somehow survived the fall, he was mad at first and had to be in recovery for almost a year in hiding, but he's ready for revenge on his brother and he plans on being the last person Jeremiah sees before the life fades from his eyes.

He shook his head from his murderous thoughts and cleared his throat "you need somethin?" she quickly turned around in shock but relaxed "smokes?" he nodded and reached into his pocket and tossed the packet to her and she caught it, she glimpsed at the clock on the wall and realized that she had been in his room for an hour zoned out looking at his shirt "anything else?" he asked and she looked him up and down, she noticed his hair was slightly messy and his face was red and slightly flustered "no, uh thanks" she said and went to slip past him but he grabbed her wrist and turned her to him, he looked into her golden brown eyes like he was reading a fascinating book, she looked back into his green blueish ocean eyes and it was like she was in a trance, they both stood there looking into each other's eyes until the hand Jerome was using to hold her wrist twitched and he let go, breaking them from their moment, they stepped back and darted their eyes away from the other, she quickly walked out and shut the door and he took a deep breath, she leaned against his closed door on the other side of him and took a sharp breath.

Jeremiah sat in his study staring at a photo and sighed, he wanted to call him but he knew he didn't want to see him, he sat the framed picture back onto his desk and leaned back in his chair he stared at the picture and focused on the man next to him smiling brightly with his arm around him, feeling taunted by the photo he slammed the picture face down hearing the glass frame shatter slightly, he pulled out his blueprints and put his head down, throwing himself back into his work, a heel clicking on the floor made him shoot his head up and he pointed his gun, the person put their hands up in a surrender manner "don't shoot, I'm here to help" he cocked his eyebrow "and how could you possibly help me?" "well we both have someone in common, you want them and I want to find them, you'd benefit from my help" they smirked and he lowered his gun and smirked back, a new alliance was formed then and there that could be Jerome and Nyssa's downfall.