Los Angeles

Jackie

I shake my head, "Dont wanna talk about it."

I kiss him quickly, Rayah screaming bloody mercy. She starts coughing her heart out and I realize something, The deal...he didn't just break her arm. He gave her the plague.

Realizing, I run over to Rayah, "Hold on."

Nic

I don't respond to the kiss, realizing how many times she's said something like that in the past forty-eight hours. Ignoring the growing annoyance in the back of my head, I step into the kitchen and take Jace's side, who now stands. He watches Rayah curiously and fearfully, one part of him wanting nothing more than to pick apart the pieces and figure out what remains at the center of it all and the other part of him wanting nothing more than for the pain to stop.

All I do is stand there hiding my disgust. Sick people bother me.

"What's wrong now?" I ask, masking as much as my sentiment as I can.

Jackie

"The plague. She has the plague. Only a god an give it to godess, so it's impossible for us to get it. When he broke her wrist, he must've given it to her."

She goes silent, her lips pale, her face pale, and her eyes red. She looks gone, but she's only looking at Jace, barely blinking. I check her pulse and find its fine. Her lips are bloodstained in the middle, but the rest is white. "I hate that guy," I sneer, smoothing Rayah's hair back as she relaxes.

Nic

"Like, the Black Plague plague or Biblical plague plague?" I ask.

Jace elbows me and snaps out of his personality disorder long enough to send me a look. Sending him one back, I roll my eyes and focus on Jackie.

"I mean, what do we do now?' I ask.

Jackie

"Wait it out, I guess," I whisper, swallowing. Rayah doesn't allow anyone to touch her but Jace and I find that kind of offensive. What would I do to her in this state?

She blinks once more, her lips dry, and I start to feel really bad. I mean, she's just sixteen. Her little mind and hormones are Probrably blowing up right now. She coughs once more and grabs her wrist with her other hand, groaning.

Nic

Isn't waiting out the plague just like waiting out death?

Jace sits behind Rayah again and leans her against him, noticing her selectivity in people allowed to touch her. He seems to mold around her, and that leads me to think about whether Jackie and I are like that. As I wonder, I make eye contact with Jackie and catch sight of emotions she probably doesn't realize she's letting off. Pity, jealousy, etc...

I unfreeze myself and take her hand again, giving it a squeeze in comfort. I know better than to open my mouth, remembering how wonderfully that's worked out the past few times; so I stay silent.

Jackie

I lean against Nic and just watch Rayah. This isn't suppost to happen to her. She's too young. Rayah coughs again and buries her face in Jace's shirt, shaking. I grab a blanket and set it over her, noticing how her skin isn't a goddesses color anymore. It's practically pure white. Her eyes are still red, which tell me her immune system is trying to fight off everything.

I miss her peverted thoughts, I realize. She's connected to Jace somehow, and she looks very comfortable and very relaxed near him. I don't know why, but I seem to be jealous of that. Nic and I are never like that, I suppose.

Nic

The more I watch, the more depressed I feel. Not because it appears Rayah's dying, though I suppose I care about that in the slightest, which surprises me; but because there's something unspoken hanging in the air between her and Jace that I don't have with Jackie. Hell, I don't even have something like that with Jace, and he's my brother.

Eventually, I stop watching and withdraw into myself. I close my eyes and repeat the lyrics to a Guns 'N Roses song in my head over and over again to clear my mind of everything else.

Jackie

I glance at Nic and the silence creeps into my mind, causing me to be depressed. I kiss Nic on the cheek and Rayah opens her eyes, looking at me and speaking, "W-What's wrong?"

"I'm watching you die, Rayah..." I whisper, my eyes watering. She swallows and licks her lips, flipping over on Jace's lap and sighing, but wincing at the movement, "I'll be fine."

I shake my head but don't say anything, sighing.

Spoiler

Of course I have to be listening to the most depressing song on the face of the planet during this. -_-

Nic

Opening my eyes, I wrap my arms around Jackie and share a moment of eye contact with Jace. When he looks away, I glance at Jackie and decide to take her out of the room. Just for a second. It won't hurt anyone.

I take her hand again and lead her out the front door, sitting on the porch steps and gently pulling her beside me.

"It's suffocatingly depressing in there," I say. "I need air, and you do too."

Spoiler

Same here. XD

Jackie

I take a deep breath and nod, looking at the nature. Hopefully tomorrow she'll be better. I sit against him and twine my hand with his, running my thumb over the skin. But then there's the paparazzi. Again. I swallow and look up at Nic, knowing we're screwed.

Nic

In a split second, life goes from a comfortable silence with someone I care for to a collage of flashing lights and shouted questions. Without hesitation, I drag Jackie back into the house and lock the door behind us. It takes me a moment to decide what to do, but I quickly go about closing all the blinds in the house. When I come back to Jackie, I allow myself to relax and apologize without words.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing air is everywhere," I mutter. "Outside's compromised."

Jackie

I nod but sit on the couch, "I can't do this anymore, Nic. Life sucks. I can't live like this anymore..."

Rayah's eyes are closed again, and she's now taking a nap. I hope. I bring my head in my hands and take a deep breath, wishing for the best.

Nic

Can't do what?

I follow her to the couch but keep my hands to myself, honestly trying to figure out what she possibly could mean. Is she talking about the paparazzi, Rayah, or me? As I think, I avert my gaze to Jace and find him with his eyes closed as well as Rayah's. He seems to be swaying in place, and I think maybe he's humming.

"What can't you take anymore?" I ask, looking back at Jackie. "Live like what?"

Jackie

"Everything," I reply, "The paparazzi, Loosing everybody..."

I glance back at Rayah once more to find them so comfortable. Something we could never have. I grab my jacket and just stand, walking outside without a word. I don't care if the paparazzi hit me or not. I don't care anymore. Surprisingly nothing happens.