Sparkle (KOTLC) {Completed}

10

Just as Janessa reached the pen with a vermilion in it, she noticed Keefe and Sophie speaking a little ways away from her. Tucking her head down, she continued down the path, hoping they wouldn't notice her.

"Snowflake?"

Keefe. Janessa winced guiltily, not turning around, but Keefe wrapped her in a hug. After a few seconds, Janessa felt his confusion flood through her. 

"JJ!" Janessa could feel Sophie's shock from multiple feet away.

"Why do you feel guilty?" Keefe wondered, ice blue eyes narrowed, as he pulled away. Sophie took his spot immediately and Janessa hugged back halfheartedly.

Janessa sighed, before meeting his eyes. "Why do you?"

Keefe froze. "I don't."

"You can't lie to an Empath. Isn't that one of your favourite lines to say to Sophie?" Janessa didn't smile, just stated fact.

Both of them froze.

"You're an Empath?!" Sophie exclaimed, looking increasingly as if she were about to faint. Her shock floated through the air. 

Keefe grinned. "You manifested? Congratulations! Now you can be part of the cool Empath club."

The word sent a stab of something unpleasant straight to her heart. "Yeah. It's great." Her sarcasm almost wasn't noticeable from how apathetically she spoke. "By the way, Keefe is right. Your emotions are really strong, Sophie."

No one spoke. Janessa frowned suddenly, feeling Sophie's emotions spiking in weird ways. Shock, relief, embarrassment, guilt, a different type of shock somehow, discomfort, nerves.

"Are you ok, Sophie? Your emotions are really weird right now. Unless this is what they're always like." Janessa noted, a little overwhelmed by them.

"I'm just... shocked." Sophie said, but Janessa could tell she was lying.

"There's more than that."

Keefe grinned suddenly, chuckling. "Well, see, just a few moments ago, Sophie and Dex—"

Sophie put a hand over his mouth, muffling his voice.

"What, did he admit his crush on you or something?" Janessa asked monotonously.

Sophie blushed beet red and Keefe burst out laughing. "Yeah, but it gets even better. Sophie kissed him!"

Janessa's face twitched downward slightly. "Oh. Cool." Janessa looked down at her feet, wishing she could be anywhere else.

Keefe's face fell. "Hey, you ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Janessa mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself as she found herself wishing Fintan were here. Once the thought formed, she shot it down, eyes shooting wide open as her arms started shaking. No. He's not good. He's not your dad. He's just your captor, nothing else. He's an evil, manipulative bastard. She was fighting a losing battle. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't convince herself even though she knew it was true. 

Keefe and Sophie exchanged a worried, terrified look. Sophie wrapped her arms around her sister tightly, making her worry and concern even stronger and more overwhelming; this only reminded her of hugging Fintan and the way his emotions would overwhelm hers too. "JJ, are you ok?"

Janessa pushed Sophie off her, running backwards to put space between them. "I'm fine! Stop asking!"

Janessa could see that her entire body was shaking, but her efforts to still them only made them more apparent. She took a deep breath in and out, trying to steady herself. "I just need sleep."

She couldn't be near them anymore. She needed to be alone. "I need to go."

Without looking back at them, Janessa sprinted away, not sure where she was going. 

Eventually she stopped at the base of a beautiful tree with pink, purple and blue leaves and braided bark on a hill overlooking the whole property. Noticing some gnomes collecting the leaves, realization hit her and she stared at the tree in horror. Calla.

Janessa collapsed, hugging the trunk of the tree and sobbing. 

"I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry! It's all my fault! It's all my fault! I need you here Calla! I- I can't. I CAN'T! Please! I need you, Calla. I can't. I need you here. I can't- I can't go to anyone else. You're the only mom I've had since I was seven! Please! I need you to braid my hair and tell me everything is going to be ok! Calla, please!" Janessa hiccuped, holding the tree tighter, shoulders heaving. Her voice faded to a murmur. "I can't. I'm sorry. I should've- I could've done something. This is all my fault. I need you. I need my mom. Calla, please." Then her voice fell to nothing. 

As her sobs fell to sniffles, images penetrated her mind. Calla singing and braiding her hair when she was seven. Calla showing her how to make starkflower stew. Calla calming her down when she lost control.

Then, the images changed. Fintan teaching her pyrokinesis for the first time. Fintan hugging her as she sobbed into his chest. Fintan playing catch with Everblaze with her. Fintan-

"STOP!" Janessa yelled, her voice already hoarse from crying. "Get out of my head! Just stop it please!" Janessa grabbed at her hair, pulling, her hands in fists. The pain didn't help, but she didn't stop. Maybe if she just pulled harder. "I can't get it out of my head! Please stop!"

Janessa continued sobbing, hitting her left fist against Calla's tree, even though it made her shoulder ache.

It felt like someone was ripping her shoulder out of its socket, but she couldn't stop. Until a hand grasped her fist, gentle and firm at the same time. Another was placed on her shoulder.

Janessa turned her head with a start, freezing. Biana and Linh looked down at her worriedly. Janessa didn't speak. She quickly wiped her eyes and made her expression neutral.

"Sophie called and said you showed up. She said it looked like you need space, but I came anyways." Biana said strongly, but uneasily.

"I know we're not as close as you are with the others, but I missed you and I needed to make sure you're ok." Linh said in her quiet, sweet voice.

Janessa hiccuped, before stabilizing her neutral expression. The emotions flowing through Linh's hand to hers wasn't like Sophie's or Keefe's, which were so loud and intense. They were quiet and refreshing, like a swim on a hot day. The feelings from Biana flowing to her shoulder, though stronger than Linh's, only made her feel awake instead of overwhelmed. Janessa's eyes suddenly felt clear.

"I did need space." Janessa croaked. The girls' faces fell, until Janessa continued. "But thank you for coming anyways."

Unable to contain herself anymore, Biana launched herself at Janessa, quickly followed by Linh, hugging her tightly. Janessa melted into the hug, as if the fire fuelling her emotions had been doused by a gentle wave, burying her wet face in Biana's neck.

Soon, Janessa fell asleep on both of them. They kept an arm around her each, her head resting on Biana's shoulder, one of her hands in Linh's free one. Neither of them left.