Page 66

Jesse

Jamie’s team had won their dance competition.

It was just by a few points, but they had won.

Jesse hadn’t doubted them for a moment—and he wouldn’t have missed it for the world, even though his health had taken a definite turn for the worse.

Jamie had to renew the seal on him every two hours now, just to keep him from collapsing in agonizing pain.

And it truly was agonizing pain whenever he tried to go longer than that.

Nate’s words had been echoing in his mind ever since their talk.

He was really actually dying.

It was happening slowly, but it was definitely happening, and there wasn’t anything Jamie could do to stop it unless he managed to unlock the rest of his memories.

So when Jamie’s group had been called up to the stage as the winners, Jesse had clapped along with everyone else, but it had all felt so utterly unimportant.

Having Austin drive them to Reno, getting settled in the auditorium, waiting through all the other competing performances, watching Jamie and his group outshine them all, and then sitting around until the judges finally announced the decision…

it all paled in comparison to what Jesse knew was coming.

Jamie felt it too, Jesse could tell. Even as he laughed and cheered with his friends before bidding them all a goodnight as they left the competition space, there was a sobriety in the air none of them could quite escape.

The rest of his troop had long been told Jamie was quitting after tonight, and even though Ayda and Hazel had hoped a victory would change his mind, they seemed to know by now that it wouldn’t happen. So, despite bright and cheery-looking faces all around, everyone was a little down .

“Ah, Jamie,” called a familiar voice as the group left the building—some of the last people out, aside from the event staff—and Jesse turned to see Jamie’s therapist waiting near the door. “I wanted to congratulate you on your victory, and to thank you for the invitation.”

“Of course, doctor,” Jamie said, offering her a smile. “I’m glad you were able to make it.”

“Oh, is this your shrink?” Ayda asked. “The one who’s trying to like, help you with your amnesia and all that shit?”

“Ayda, be polite,” Dave muttered. “You know she wouldn’t be able to tell us. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that.”

Jamie sighed. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind you hearing. And yes, Dr. Alevera is my therapist.”

“Dr. Alevera?” Ayda repeated, suddenly looking confused as she turned to the doctor in surprise. “But wait, my cousin sees you. I thought you were older?”

Dr. Alevera blinked at Ayda, and then chuckled a bit. “You must be thinking of my sister,” she explained. “We both got into this line of work.”

“…Oh,” Ayda muttered. “Oh, you’re probably right. My bad!”

“Think nothing of it,” Dr. Alevera waved her off, before turning to Jamie. “Well, I can see you’re busy with all your friends, so I won’t keep you anymore.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, we were all leaving ourselves,” Dave said. “We’re gonna find the best bar in the neighborhood to celebrate. Jamie, are you sure you don’t want to come?”

Jamie offered an apologetic smile. “Yes, sorry. Austin, Jesse and I can’t afford to get wasted and stick around Reno all night. We’re going straight home.”

“Aw, fine,” Ayda said, pouting for a moment before sighing and offering a smile instead. She stepped forward and pulled Jamie into a quick hug. “See you around, Jamie.”

Jamie hugged her back, looking uncharacteristically serious. “Bye, Ayda. ”

…It ached, to see how many people Jamie was leaving behind.

Jesse knew he hadn’t exactly been close with his dance group—at least, not in the same way he’d been close to Austin—but they were still his friends, and just knowing that Jamie might have to leave at any moment, that he wouldn’t get the chance to give his friends at the studio a real, proper goodbye, was sad.

After the others had also echoed the casual goodbyes they didn’t know might be so permanent, and the group all made their way across the parking lot towards the van they’d driven down here together, Jamie turned back to the doctor, who had been waiting patiently nearby.

This goodbye wouldn’t be as difficult, Jesse knew, but it would still no doubt weigh heavily on Jamie.

She’d helped him a great deal, after all.

“I’ll see you for your next session, yes?”

“Um, maybe,” Jamie muttered. “I might take a break for a while, though. See how I’m handling things on my own. I can’t afford to do this forever, after all.”

A clever way to set things up in case his memories returned and the two of them disappeared before Jamie’s next scheduled appointment.

“Ah, well, do try and call ahead of time if you decide to stop coming,” Dr. Alevera said. “And once again, thanks for inviting me.” She turned, heading off the opposite way towards some of the few remaining cars parked a ways off from the building.

“So that leaves just us, then.” Austin offered Jamie a smile as the three of them started for Austin’s car, parked near the center of the now mostly-empty lot. “Hey, wanna stop by a drive-through before we leave town, get some food for the ride home? I’m starving.”

Jamie didn’t answer—which was unusual, given how he was always hungry and loved fast-food way more than was good for him, and would usually jump at the chance to get something to go.

But his silence wasn’t all that surprising, really; he was watching the group’s van as it pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared down the street .

“…Hey,” Jesse said quietly, reaching out and taking Jamie’s hand as they walked. “You okay?”

“…Yeah,” Jamie put on a tired smile that didn’t look quite real. “I’m fine. I’m more worried about you.”

Jesse wanted to say he was fine too, and that Jamie didn’t have to worry about him. But… he’d promised not to lie.

“Well, I’ve been better,” he admitted. “But I’ll go right to bed when we get home. That’s all I need right now. Some rest.”

Lots and lots of rest …

Jamie had renewed the seal again only about an hour ago, but Jesse could feel the pain starting to come back.

It honestly was a good thing he was planning to leave Earth soon; he had officially quit his job and classes a few days ago, unable to last anymore without feeling like he was already dying, and he couldn’t imagine going back in his present state—which meant they weren’t going to be able to afford rent much longer.

If he hadn’t already known he was going to leave, one way or another, he wouldn’t have been able to quit his job, no matter how much it hurt to keep working.

They reached Austin’s car, Jamie pulling open the back door and offering Jesse an arm to help him in. And… Jesse admittedly had to take it.

But right as Austin got into the driver’s seat, and right as Jamie was helping Jesse climb into the back, Jamie let out a sudden gasp. Jesse started to turn back to ask what was wrong, but a sudden freezing, stinging pain shot into him without warning.

Jamie was renewing the seal, right now.

Jesse let out a yelp, fighting against the pain as it coursed through him, and then he was suddenly being shoved into the car, hard.

“What the—Jamie!” Austin gasped in shock from the front seat. “What are you—”

The car door was slammed shut. Jesse scrambled to push himself up onto his hands and knees in the back seat, looking around frantically at Jamie through the window, just in time for the entire car to freeze over with heavy ice, blocking Jamie’s face from view .

What the hell was happening?! Jesse grabbed the handle and gave it a few yanks, trying to open the door to no avail. “What’s going on?!” he gasped out. “Why’d he lock us in?!”

“I don’t know!” Austin exclaimed, sounding just as startled and confused as Jesse felt, as he tried to break through his own door, which was also frozen shut.

“Damn it, what’s he doing?!” He fumbled with his keys and then stuck them in the ignition, trying to start the car.

“I’ll just turn the heat up and melt the ice, I don’t know what he thinks he’s doing—” The car didn’t start.

It didn’t even make a sound; Austin’s keys clicking uselessly in the dead ignition. “Fuck!”

Jesse’s heart felt as if it was being choked out—not from his condition, but from a sense of panic—as he pressed his hands against the frosted glass, and tried to peer through them to get a glimpse of Jamie. He could only just barely make him out, walking briskly away from the car.

Was he… leaving?

Without Jesse?!

* * *

Jamie

Jesse was calling Jamie’s name by now. Jamie could hear his muffled voice through the ice and his hands slamming against the glass, even as he hurried away. Jesse sounded so desperate, so afraid, but Jamie resolutely ignored him, much as he hated to do it.

This was for Jesse’s own good. Jamie knew the man would try to follow him, and that would only get him killed. The same went for Austin; Jamie had frozen the entire car into a thick coating of ice to keep them both imprisoned in it, to make sure neither of them came after him.

He had spotted her right as he was helping Jesse into the car.

She stood under a streetlight, as if it were a spotlight on a stage. Dressed in strange, dark blue robes, with her fiery red hair cascading down her back.

Eleanore.

This wasn’t a nightmare anymore. This was real. Eleanore was real.

Jamie’s heart pounded. He couldn’t let her anywhere near Jesse and Austin. He swallowed hard as he hurried across the parking lot toward her—and she, it seemed, was just as eager to get to him.

“Jamie!” she called, her voice sharp and urgent as she started to run toward him. “She’s been manip—”

“SHUT UP!” Jamie growled. He slammed his fists together, ice blooming over his knuckles in thick crystalline layers as he set his powers free, reinforcing his strength.

Eleanore slowed, lifting her hands toward him. “Don’t force me to do this,” she said, her tone cold and controlled.