Monday, March 16th, 2009
Who: Jessica (NPC), Ash, and Finn Where: Cafeteria, then Ash's room When: Midday What: Unpleasant discoveries.
She had been sitting there minding her own business and talking to her friends when Jessica saw the girl sit down at the table next to them. She recognized her as the girl that Finn O'Bannon had started to date. Jessica knew all about him. Everyone did. It was kinda hard not to know about him when all his antics. The ambulance, the sudden disappearence and then suddenly back as a janitor? That was not normal at all. Now here was this poor girl, who didn't seem to know at all. "Hi," she said as she suddenly got up and plopped herself down across from the other girl. "I'm Jessica," she said with a smile.
Ash was used to not attracting too much attention during lunch anymore; everyone was by now used to the random creatures and scenery that appeared and melted away randomly within her immediate radius. But she herself wasn't used to people coming up and sitting with her, and she paused with slightly widened eyes when she saw someone--a real someone--sit across from her.
Setting her cup down, she blinked and then tucked her hair back from her face and smiled. "Hi... I'm Ash."
Jessica was one of the stereotypical pretty girls. Perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect skin. The whole shebang. People easily believed her when she said anything, so what she would say would probably send Ash in a spinning whirlwind. "I've seen you around," Jessica said smiling. "With Finn O'Bannon, right?"
"Um." A faint splash of color eased over the brunette's cheekbones. "Yes?" She wasn't embarrassed by the relationship, but by being called on it openly. Behind her, sparklers started going off--silent splashes of color at the mention of Finn.
"So, you two are together then?" Jessica asked, getting a bit serious. "You know, you're probably the nicest girl here to be seeing him," she said. "I mean after everything and all." Looking around a bit, as if to make sure no one was listening, she leaned in. "You do know what happened with him, right?"
Ash's mind flashed back to the 'drama' that Frankie had mentioned to her when they first spoke, and she had told her to avoid Finn and his brother. "Not... exactly, no. I know there was a bunch of drama but it doesn't seem to be following him around now." Who was this girl, anyway? Seemed like she was the one who was starting drama, if anything.
"Oh," Jessica said as she bit her lip. "I hate to be the bitch then," she sighed. "If you don't know, then you probably should. Especially if he hasn't told you yet." Jessica really was a sweet girl, she just didn't know how to keep her mouth to herself sometimes. "He tried to kill several students," she said softly, looking sad to have to tell her. "One of them was his little brother, Rorie. It was pretty bad. He tried to kill himself right afterwards and he had to be admitted to a psych hospital."
Ash dimly heard the rest of Jessica's statement after 'kill several students' came out. That just... didn't seem like the sweet, funny guy she knew. At all. And she felt her chest tighten at the thought of that. "... If you're telling a joke, it's not funny." The sparklers had melted away and her voice was cold, remote--completely unlike her previously warm smile.
A doctor, or a man dressed as a doctor at least, walked behind her and through a wall. "He's not like that."
"I'm not," Jessica said. "He really is. He's just gotten better I guess or he's really good at faking it. I mean, being away for just a month after attempting to kill people and spending a life time of molesting your brother, you'd probably be a good liar too," she said. "I know I'm sounding like the crazy one, but I just didn't want to see another ambulence show up and take away more bodies," she said softly, like a friend breaking bad news.
"... Stop it. Just... stop." More doctors appeared, disappearing through the walls behind her and walking through the tables. Abandoning her meal and her seat at the table, she stood and glowered at the blonde. "Even if it's true, I don't want to hear it from you."
Although it was too late, and now she couldn't get images out of her head. Which she knew would start playing in her subconscious if she wasn't careful--and then they'd show up in the room with them. Her heart sped up, and she made a face. "I'd say nice to meet you, but it'd be a lie." And with that she fled from the cafeteria.
"I-" Jessica was quickly cut off as Ash ran off. She felt horrible, but she needed to know. Sometimes she hated having to always tell the truth, even if she didn't know it was a lie. Finn on the other hand was going to surprise Ash at lunch. Sometimes he did that with cookies or flowers. Today was daisys. He walked in and saw Ash leaving. Frowning, he walked through the cafeteria, getting a look from a group of girls. Blowing them a kiss, he walked on as they buzzed about it. "Ash!" He called, jogging to catch up with her. The upper half of his maintenance suit was tied around his waist leaving him in his regular band tee and bottom of his work suit and boots.
Ash didn't want to stop. She kept picturing things that made her sick to her stomach, and behind her more doctors were following after her. A few looked back at Finn.
She couldn't exactly outrun him though, and so she finally stopped. Hugging her sides, she twisted to look at him with wide, solemn brown eyes that were getting a little red since she was close to freaking out and crying. The doctors disappeared in that instant, and instead water began to sluice down the walls in the hallway.
"Ash!" Finn called as he rushed to catch up. He could feel so much just washing off of her. She was upset to the nth degree. "Babe," he said softer as he caught up to her. "What's wrong?" He asked, reaching out for her. "What happened? Did someone do something?" The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset and he'd beat on anyone that made her feel like this. It was horrible. Felt like sewer water and made him sick to his stomach.
He had daisies. Did attempted murderers bring people daisies? She didn't know, obviously. "H-hey..." She stared at the flowers, gnawing at her lower lip constantly. "Um... no. I mean, yes... I don't know. Someone was saying a bunch of crap."
Finn was working hard to stay out of her head, just letting her emotions do all the talking. "Who was it?" He asked. "Who was saying shit to you? I'll kick their ass," Finn growled. He would too, of course that was probably a bad thing to say right then.
"N-no! Don't. Oh god." Her eyes widened further, and she grabbed his arm to stop him even though he hadn't moved. Swallowing deeply, she fought to try and get her brain to work a little more coherently. "They were warning me about... you." Maybe Jessica was all hot air. Maybe he'd laugh and tell her this.
"What? I don't understand," he said as he looked at her, trying to read her and failing. He didn't want to delve, he really didn't and he was fighting because she was so freaked out. So when she finally said it, he blinked. "They were warning you? About me?" He asked softly, as he stood there looking hurt and confused. There was no telling what they said to her and he didn't know how much truth was in it. "What did they warn you about?"
She hated that look. "She said you tried to k-kill people. That you... your brother..." Her voice cracked, and then she sniffled. Water continued to sluice down the walls on either side of them.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Looking down, he sighed. "I don't want to have this conversation here," he said softly. "Can we move this somewhere else?" He asked, really not wanting to have this conversation here in the hallway, where everyone could get into his business, again.
He wasn't denying it, and Ash made a noise under her breath. "... Sure. Yeah. Let's... um. Let's go to my room." Swiping at her eyes unhappily, she turned to start walking. The water faded, and another doctor appeared to follow the pair of them.
"Okay," Finn said, glad that she was actually working with him instead of believing whatever bullshit she got fed. "Come on," he said, giving her her space instead of taking her hand and just leading her away. He walked with her, a bit of distance between them. Back to her room where it was safe because she knew it and she wouldn't feel threatened. When they got there, he was quiet for a moment, setting the flowers down. "Two people," he said softly. "I tried to kill two people. My best friend and myself. I did do things to my little brother, but I was sick Ash," he said, starting out with his eyes on the ground, before coming up. "I was sick and I didn't want help and I didn't get the help I needed so I did horrible things," he whispered. For once, he had a truely good person he hadn't spoiled. Ash was his white light.
Ash curled onto her bed, watching him from behind her knee, which she had hugged to her chest. Whatever her abilities were toying with now, it had spread beyond the walls of the room and so they weren't being harrassed by floaters. As he spoke her eyes widened and winced, and she swallowed convulsively again. "Why... did you try and kill yourself? And your friend?"
"My powers drove me insane a bit, I've had so many issues from my parents that played a part, I was in trouble that I couldn't get out of. There was a lot of stuff going on that kind of all collided and I went off the deep end because my friend was leaving." That was only part of his deal, but there was only so much she'd be able to soak up.
"And your... your brother?" She winced as she asked it, and simultaneously sniffled. He was right--there was only so much she could take in.
He was quiet for a moment. "I. . . I hurt him. A lot. Since we were little, I controlled him and later on it turned into more and I'll spare you the details," he said, sighing.
Ash pushed her forehead against her knee, squeezing her eyes shut as she listened to him. None of this seemed to fit. But it was one of those 'never the ones you suspect' moments, wasn't it. She never would have pegged him as the murdering... ugh, she couldn't finish the thought. She didn't want to finish the thought.
"Ash, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you and I'm sorry you have to deal with this. I'm not the easiest person to get to know nor am I the person with the best past. That's only scratching the surface," Finn snorted. "I got better, you gotta believe me," he said, moving closer, kneeling on her floor. "Please?"
Peeling open one eye, she lifted her head to look at him clearly. She had none of his ability for feeling emotion, or reading thoughts. He looked like he was being earnest though, and for her whole life Ash had never doubted her own feelings about when people were telling the truth.
"... Lucas doesn't know, does he." She still needed a minute to think about how she felt about it. But her brother... if he'd known, he wouldn't have ever let her get this close.
"No. No he doesn't. People talk and they draw their own conclusions. Some of it's true and other parts are made up," he said, swallowing. He knew how to manipulate. How to make people do things he wanted them to. Just like Liam. "No one really knows what happened besides my brother, his husbands, and a few others that were actually there." He was starting to pull back. If he didn't then he'd be pushing his emotions onto her and it wouldn't end well. "You don't have to worry about that with me. I'm not the same person I used to be, I got better, I swear," he said. It was hard because he cared about Ash and how she viewed him. He didn't want someone like her thinking him a monster. If she did, then was there really hope for him? "Please believe me," he whispered, getting a bit emotional.
"No more... any of that... right?" He had to be better. She wouldn't be able to handle it if there was more of that waiting for her. Watching him, she chewed on her lower lip and then felt her heart break a little when she saw how upset he was getting. This was so painful--completely at odds with what she'd seen from him, and how things had been going since she got here.
"Nothing, I swear," he promised. Hiding one little bit, for her own safety. For everyone's safety. "There will be no killing, no molesting, no abuse, nothing. There hasn't been since I've been released and there won't be. I swear on my Nonno's grave."
"If there's one thing... one slip..." She sniffled, but it was clear from the way her posture had relaxed and from the emotions that she was giving off that she was accepting this. Somehow... although it surprised even her.
"I promise there won't be. I won't let there be," he said, feeling some hope. Something that could keep her there with him. "You are the first person that has in a very long time, seen this part of me and I do not want to ruin this."
"... Okay." she breathed the word, and nodded once. Wiping at her eyes with her forearm, she took a deep breath and then scooted slowly over so that there was room for him on the bed.