Darker Than Black: Chapter 3

It was almost dusk by the time that Zia arrived at the clock tower; she parked the car in the back since she knew that was the easiest way to get into the clock tower without drawing attention to herself or the unconscious Keni that she was helping out of the car. She half-dragged him to the door and, after fumbling with it for a few moments, opened it; she practically carried him up the seemingly endless stairway to the top of the tower.

She rapped smartly on the door to the main living area of the clock tower dwelling; she heard the floor creaking as Jack approached the door. When Jack opened the door, he gasped in shock at the sight of Keni covered in blood and Zia who was also covered in Keni's blood; he took the young teen from her and carried him over to the bed.

"What happened?" he asked after he laid Keni down on the bed and walked over to Zia to make sure she wasn't hurt. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm fine. A little sore, but otherwise unharmed. A demon showed up at the mall while we were shopping," she explained, sinking into a chair. "It threw Keni against the wall, but he was injured before that, though I don't know how. One minute he was fine, the next he's crying tears of blood and the wounds on his wrists--"

"Really?" Zophiel asked, sounding interested. "Tears of blood, wounds on his wrists, feet, back, side, and head…? Sounds an awful lot like stigmata, though that usually appears on saints…" He looked over Keni, finding the stigmata exactly where he had known they would be. "Well, that is interesting. Seems that Crucify finally decided to attempt to manifest itself and it would appear that it wants to take the form of the stigmata at this point. Something must have finally provoked his weapon into making itself known…" He looked over at Zia and grinned. "And I think that that something is sitting here in this very room with us."

"Who, me?" Zia asked, looking around the room as though expecting to see something else.

"Given that you're an Apostle," Zophiel said, "it makes sense that Keni and you would be friends. Since you're the Heart of the Apostles and have the ability to strengthen the abilities of other Apostles, it makes sense that Crucify would begin to manifest around you, though the fact that Keni's still unable to use it most likely stems from his lack of faith and self-confidence."

Zophiel shrugged and knelt down so that he was eye level with Zia, a small smirk-like smile tugging at his lips. "Something tells me that you were able to combat and destroy the demon using ordinary things just because you believed it possible. Truly, you are an impressive example of the Apostles and what they can do when they have the right amount of confidence." He stood up and stretched his wings out. "Since you've got another Apostle around, my presence here is no longer required as you can have her waste her time attempting to train that lover of yours how to use his abilities and weapon and I can go back to being a mostly impartial observer."

Once Zophiel had vanished, Jack looked over at Zia, biting his lip apprehensively, and said, "You…if you are a reincarnation of Bartholomew, the Heart of the Apostles, you will be able to heal Keni's injuries…"

Zia blinked and frowned; she moved over to sit closer to Keni and said, "I'll try, but I don't know if I can…"

"Please," he said, his voice hoarse with worry. "Please, just try…"

Zia decided to try to heal the wound on his shoulder that had been caused by Zophiel earlier that day; she gingerly laid her hand on the wound. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the wound, trying to direct all her energy towards the wound so that it would be healed; she whispered softly to herself, willing any abilities she had to heal her best friend.

Jack watched in enraptured silence as energy, pure light, seemed to flow from Zia's hands into the wound and heal it before proceeding to travel through Keni's body, healing all the wounds he had incurred in the month he'd been fighting demons; the only wounds that didn't heal were the stigmata, though, since they were merely a form of his weapon, Jack really hadn't expected them to be healed. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Keni's breathing, which had been all but nonexistent, deepened and stabilized as his wounds to his ribs were completely healed thus allowing him to breathe easier.

"You did it, Zia," he said, hugging her tightly to thank her. "You healed Keni! Thank you! You really are an Apostle!" He smiled and continued, "Will you remain with Keni and myself so that you can give him the self-confidence that he needs and also learn a bit more about your own powers and abilities as an Apostle?"

Zia thought about it for a moment before she nodded; learning about her abilities sounded like it could be interesting and it would even allow her to be of more help to Keni and Jack when they were fighting demons. She yelped out when Jack tackled her, hugging her tightly in his happiness that she'd agreed to remain with them so that she could learn about being an Apostle and, perhaps, help Jack keep an eye on Keni to make sure that the young teen didn't end up getting himself killed or severely injured while fighting demons without Jack around.

"Thank you, Zia, my fair maiden! You have no idea how happy this makes me!" He cuddled her close for a moment more before he pulled away and pressed a tender kiss to Keni's forehead; with his back to Zia, he frowned slightly. "Zia, I know this may sound harsh, unfair, and just not right, but…now that you have been revealed to be an Apostle, you…can't go home. Doing so will only result in the demons being able to target them in order to get to you. I have seen families destroyed, butchered by demons just to torture the Apostles, and those Apostles who witness the deaths of their families become so self-destructive that they didn't need the demons to end their lives. I don't want to see that happen to you…"

Zia seemed a bit upset at first, but then nodded. "As long as my family will be safe, I'll be okay with it. It's kind of upsetting that I won't be able to go home, but since it will keep them safe…"

Jack hugged her tightly and said, "At least you won't be living alone. You're more than welcome to stay here with us. I know our home doesn't look like much, but at least it is a home and we have each other. If there's anything you want at all, all you need to do is ask." He gave her a small smile and continued, "Now, why don't you have a seat and hang out here with Keni while I grab your things to get you settled? I shouldn't be gone long."

Zia nodded and asked, "Could you bring my books, rats, cell phone and charger, necklaces, rings, ear rings, Nintendo DS and the games that go with it, laptop, kitty, stuffed animals especially my Kyle plushie and Trick-or-Treat bear, assorted bags, fans because I can't sleep without them, and my blankets?"

He smiled and nodded. "Of course I will. I'll also check on your family every so often to make sure they're safe."

She hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Jack."

He returned the hug and said, "Don't worry about it. I want you to be comfortable and feel welcome here. I'll be back soon, okay? There's some leftover Italian sausage with noodles in the fridge and a microwave over there on the desk; help yourself if you get hungry."

After he vanished to retrieve her requested items, she sat down on the bed beside Keni, turning on the TV to see if the events at the mall had somehow ended up on the news; channel-flipping, she yawned, stretching cautiously so that she wouldn't accidentally disturb Keni. Finding nothing on TV, she got off the bed and walked over to heat up some garlic chicken; while waiting for the microwave to go off, she looked around the clock tower home.

The TV was sitting on a wardrobe that housed Keni and Jack's clothes and there was a desk against the wall close to the bed where Jack probably worked on his poems while Keni slept; beside a small refrigerator that stood against the wall farther from the bed was a desk that held a microwave and beside the desk was a pantry for all the food that didn't need to be put in the fridge. The bed was a luxurious king-sized bed with pure cotton sheets, a soft, thick duvet the color of the setting sun, and many pillows to match; her gaze focused on Keni, though, when he began to toss and turn, crying in his sleep.

"Nnn…" Keni moaned quietly, turning over in his sleep. He whined and whimpered, tossing and turning as he was captured in the throes of a nightmare. "No…"

He was battling dozens of demons, doing everything he could to protect his beloved who had collapsed from his wounds a few moments ago; he believed himself to be doing fairly well in the fight since he'd killed at least four demons without help and was about to kill more when they'd stopped attacking him, called off by a more powerful demon.

"What a talented young Apostle we have here," the demon known as Father Cortez had said, a smirk on his face as he approached while the crowd of demons parted like the waves of the Red Sea had for Moses. He stopped beside Jack's unconscious body, knelt down, and picked Jack up by the throat. "And so honorable, defending a rather pathetic excuse for a demon…"

"Let him go!" he had snarled out, readying his weapon as he'd prepared to attack the demonic priest.

Father Cortez had dropped Jack at his feet, kicking him with enough force to send him against the stucco wall of the alley where they had been cornered; he had rushed over to his injured lover, not caring that they were surrounded by demons. He cradled his lover, noticing that he was barely breathing; he turned to glare at Father Cortez who had stopped just a few steps from them.

"That pitiful excuse for a demon you call a lover will be dead within moments," the priestly impersonator said coldly, looking down at them. "That is, unless you do something about it…"

He bit his lip and looked down at Jack's limp, almost lifeless form; his beloved didn't deserve to die because of him, not after they'd finally become a couple. Of course, Father Cortez was a demon and would most often demand his soul in exchange…

"What do I have to do?" he had asked in a hollow tone with his head hung.

Father Cortez smirked and said, "Well, as much as I'd love to demand your soul in exchange for saving him as is customary, I'm not allowed to do so in this situation. I mean, due to him being a demon--albeit, a rather wretchedly pitiful one, but a demon nonetheless--the soul-for-life exchange is forbidden and we demons do have some standards. However, I am hardly one to do something for nothing…"

"Just…just save him, alright?!" he had shouted, a panicked, desperate tone finding its way into his voice. He lowered his gaze so Father Cortez wouldn't see the tears that had escaped from his eyes. "Please…please. I-I don't care what I have to do just…please save him…"

Father Cortez grinned and said, "As you wish. Just remember that, regardless of what happens, you made this choice; whatever happens after this is nobody's fault but your own, Judas Iscariot…"

"No!" he shouted, sitting bolt upright in bed. He looked around the room, his twilight eyes wide with terror and panting; when he didn't instantly see Jack, he began to panic and was almost in tears before he saw Zia standing by the microwave. Upon seeing a familiar face, he calmed down slightly, but was still in a frantic state since his beloved wasn't present; he began shaking, longing for Jack to wrap his arms around him and whisper into his red hair that everything was and would be fine.

"Keni," Zia said, rushing over and sitting with him, "are you okay?"

"Wh-where's Jack? I want…I want to see Jack…"

"He went to go get some of my things since I'm moving in here." At the confused look, Zia explained, "Turns out I'm an Apostle, the Heart to be exact, and due to this fact, I can't go home unless I want my family's life to be in danger and Jack offered to let me stay here."

Keni smiled weakly and said, "That's great, Zia. I mean, not great that you have to leave your family, but at least you've got somewhere to stay right away. When my parents threw me out, I had to use what little money I had to stay in a sleazy motel before I met Jack…"

"You're parents threw you out? Because of the demon-slaying thing?"

"No, I didn't find out about that part of my life until after I met Jack and he explained things to me. They threw me out because they didn't approve of the fact that I'm gay and they gave me two options: go to one of those brainwashing, beat-the-gay-outta-him camps or leave the house. Since I didn't want to be forced to hide who I truly am, I opted for the on my own option, though not before my older sister's jock boyfriend and his football cronies gave me a pretty bad beatdown…"

"Oh, Keni," Zia said, hugging him close. "Why didn't you tell me about this? I could have tried to convince my folks to let you stay with me or, y'know, snuck you in through my window…"

"It's cool," Keni said with a small smile, hugging her. "I only had to stay in the motel a couple months before I met Jack and he let me move in with him here. He explained about me being an Apostle, what that meant, and about him being a demon, but I didn't believe him until he saved my life when I was attacked by some demons on my way back to the motel from the bookstore where I'd met him; after that, I believed him and he suggested that I move in here with him so that he could keep me safe and teach me how to fight. Since I had nowhere else to go, I accepted his offer and moved in with him; after a couple weeks, he suggested that we become a couple and I didn't object…and here I am now. All in all, I think that everything worked out for the best…"

At that moment, Jack appeared with several suitcases that held the items that Zia requested; in one arm was a cat and in the other was a cage that held two rats. He opened the suitcases and snapped his fingers, causing all the items to find their proper places around the clock tower room; the books flew to the shelves, the laptop, cell phone, and Nintendo DS went over to the desk where they plugged into the wall to charge, the games for the Nintendo found their place on the shelves with the books, the jewelry took its place in an ornate jewelry box that Jack had picked up, stuffed animals found themselves taking a place on a shelf above the books, bags hung on hooks on the wall, blankets placed themselves on the bed, and the fans made themselves at home around the room. Jack set the rats' cage on the nightstand by the bed and allowed the cat to pounce onto the bed where she curled up next to Zia, purring contentedly.

"Lucky!" Zia exclaimed, stroking her beloved cat's fur before she turned to her precious rats. "Zombie! Corpus!" She looked over at Jack and grinned. "You actually brought them. I…I didn't really think you'd bring them here…"

"Of course I brought them," Jack said, joining them on the bed. "You asked me to bring them so I did. Pets are like family and, even though you cannot be with your human family, you should not be forced to abandon the best evil detecting creatures that walk the earth just because you are cursed to be an Apostle."

Zia grinned and said, "Thank you so much, Jack."

Jack was about to reply when Keni wrapped his arms around him tightly, pulling the demon closer to himself; he was shaking slightly, the memory of his nightmare coming back vividly. He whimpered quietly and buried his face into Jack's shoulder, inhaling his scent of cedar, bergamot, mint, and suede; his beloved's scent was the only thing that could calm him down no matter how freaked out or upset he was.  

"Keni, what's the matter?"

"I…I had a nightmare," Keni murmured, his voice muffled by his lover's shoulder. "Look, I don't want to talk about it. Just…just promise me that you'll never leave me; promise me that no matter what happens you won't leave my side and won't desert me. Please…please don't abandon me and don't, don't ever leave me…stay with me forever…"

"I promise," Jack whispered softly, trying to calm his teenage lover. "I promise that I'll never leave you. I waited for centuries for you to meet me and I don't ever want to leave you or abandon you."

Keni smiled and inhaled deeply to trap that enthralling scent that represented Jack; he pulled away from him and turned to Zia, blushing since he knew watching them make-out must have been embarrassing for her. "Sorry about that…sometimes we…if this is awkward for you we could…"

"It's not awkward for her," Jack said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "She could take a picture of us and post it online, showing the world how much we love each other."

"That's…I don't…stop…" Keni whined, blushing a dark shade of red at the idea of the entire world with internet access seeing him and Jack making-out. "I…you're embarrassing Zia!"

"No, he's not," Zia commented, a small smile toying at the edges of her lips as she stroked Lucky's fur. "He's just expressing his love for you and embarrassing you by how public his expression of it is; I think it's very cute. The only person being embarrassed is you."

Keni blushed again and tried to pull away from his demonic lover, though he quickly surrendered that fight and sighed, curling up amongst the pillows and blankets of the bed; he glanced over at Zia and smiled, loving the fact that he had his best friend living with them now, though he was sad that she'd had to leave her family for their safety. He hadn't needed to choose to leave his family for their safety; they'd thrown him out as soon as he'd actually admitted that he was gay so he didn't need to make that sacrifice, but it pained him that his best friend had to.

"Well," Jack began, clearing his throat and trying to sound like a responsible person, "let me begin by welcoming you to your new home, Zia. As the original resident here, I feel I should lay down a few rules, though I'm not really big on rules. Firstly, you two are to watch out for each other when you're not around me. Secondly, your animals--Lucky, Zombie, and Corpus--are the best evil detecting creatures on the planet; cats and rats detect the presence of evil far better than dogs or owls and serve as great guardians for whenever you have to be away from me or each other for an extended amount of time. These particular animals are not only good at detecting evil, but also good at fighting it; for certain demons, just being near a cat or a rat is the equivalent to being held in a pool of holy water for hours. Thirdly, I don't want either of you two roaming the streets at night without me especially since you don't have a handle on your powers yet--well, Zia, you do seem to have more skill and ease using yours, but I still want you home at dusk along with Keni. Fourthly, you will be given a platinum card similar to the one that Keni has so that you can buy whatever your heart desires; I assure you that I have enough money saved up to pay the bills that you could accumulate. Finally, I still want you two to have as normal a life as possible so you will still attend school, do homework, and everything else that teenagers do. So, those are just a few things you need to know to live with us. Oh, and you can sleep here with Keni or I can go buy you a bed if you'd prefer; I usually only curl up with Keni when he gets too cold which happens more often than you'd think. Of course, there'd still be plenty of room in the bed with all three of us in it…"

"Okay, I think I can manage to follow all those rules." Zia thought for a few moments about the bed question before saying, "Either option is fine, though I don't want to put you out because I know that beds are kind of on the expensive side…"

"Nonsense," Jack said with a smile. "If you want a bed of your own, I'll buy you one if that will make you feel more at home."

"A bed of my own would be nice," Zia admitted.

"Okay then," Jack said. "I'll buy you one tomorrow while you two are at school tomorrow; for tonight, though, you can sleep with Keni."

Zia nodded and finished eating her Italian sausage and noodles; she carried the plate over to the sink that stood by the fridge and rinsed her plate off before setting it on the pile of clean dishes that set on the counter by the microwave. Once that was done, she walked back over to the bed and covered up, feeling how truly cold it was in the drafty tower and knowing that her fans were not making the situation any better.

"I think my school books are in your car, Zia," Keni said, crawling out of the bed and wincing in pain from his stigmata wounds in his feet. "I've got homework for a few classes that's due tomorrow and I think my sketchbook's in the car as well. I'll just go down and get it…"

"Got it," Jack said, setting down the messenger bag that held Keni's school books and his sketchbook. After watching Keni sit back down on the bed, he set down another bag and said, "I also brought yours up, too, Zia."

"Thanks," Keni and Zia said simultaneously, picking up their bags.

Keni pulled out a Bible and silently cursed himself for taking Bible Studies as an elective instead of something easier like art or writing or anything else; true, the class wasn't really hard, but it was boring, especially since there was no mention of the demons that the Apostles had fought or any mention of the fact that they would reincarnate to continue to battle demons until the end of time. It kind of bothered him that the Bible didn't really clue anyone in on the fact that they could be a reincarnation of an Apostle, blessed with awesome abilities to kill demons; of course, he could understand why it didn't explain anything since it was kind of unbelievable.

"I don't see why you bothered with that class," Jack said calmly as he grabbed a Coke from the fridge. "It's a waste of time and doesn't exactly help with your demon-slaying…"

"Neither does math, but I still have to take that," Keni answered, scribbling a few answers to the questions on the worksheet. "Okay, that takes care of that…now for English…"

"Ooh, is this the Romeo & Juliet assignment?" Jack asked, suddenly interested as he pounced on the bed with Zia and Keni. "I love that play! One of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies and one of the best plays I've ever been in! Oh, how they loved me on the stage, quoting Juliet's lines by heart with such passion one might swear that I was Juliet!"

Keni grinned and said, "No, this isn't Romeo & Juliet; this is The Masque of the Red Death and part of my assignment involving it is to draw out the rooms the way they're described in the story and then answer the questions at the end of the story."

"Ah, written by the immortal Edgar Allen Poe," Jack said, a dramatic sigh escaping his lips. "A marvelous story in which a man tries to hide away from death within a walled fortress of his castle, but finds that no human can defeat death when death comes to claim his life and the lives of the elite socialites he'd hidden away with him. One of my favorites, true, but it doesn't hold a candle to the classic, timeless tale of tragic love that is Romeo & Juliet."

Keni shook his head and continued his homework assignments, scribbling answers down so he could set the books back in his bag; once the homework was done, he pulled out his sketchbook and began sketching a random picture. He didn't know what he was drawing, but he knew that he'd feel better if he could draw something, anything; drawing, along with Jack's scent, was one of the few things that could keep him calm no matter what.

A blood drenched field with three crosses on a hilltop barely visible in the distance and a lone solitary figure standing in the foreground; the picture didn't show many details, but if it did, tears would have been seen in the figure's eyes as he felt nothing but regret for his actions, sorrow for the loss he'd caused, and perhaps even anger at himself for not being strong enough to find another solution that may have prevented all this.

"This is my fault," he had whispered, pain obvious in his voice. "My best friend, dead, and my beloved with no memory of our relationship…all of this is my fault…"

The figure would find a solitary tree, one solid sentry in the field, that would serve as his means of execution since other methods didn't quite fit; with any luck at all, the rope wouldn't snap his neck right away and would instead just leave him dangling there to slowly asphyxiate and relive his worst mistakes, his regrets…

"Don't do this," the figure would swear he heard someone whisper just behind him, but upon turning would find no one. The figure would shake his head, believing himself to be mad with guilt, and would proceed to take his life.

"Keni," Jack said, nudging him gently to get his attention. "Did you hear me?"

"Huh?"

"I guess that answers my question, then," Jack said, wrapping his arms around Keni and kissing his forehead softly. "I said that you and Zia should turn in for the night because you guys have school tomorrow…"

"Only a half day," Zia pointed out. "Just our first three classes, then we come home after lunch because holiday break starts tomorrow; that's why Keni's just got homework from Bible Studies and English…"

"Ah, the holiday break," Jack said with a small sigh. "Christmas is my favorite time of year, you know. I'll have all the decorations up and everything by the time you get home from school tomorrow. Also, perhaps we should do something special for Christmas this year…maybe go somewhere nice…"

"Anywhere?" Zia asked. When Jack nodded, she continued, "Where did you have in mind?"

"Oh, anywhere you wanted," Jack said flippantly. "Universal Studios, Ireland…wherever you want to go."

"How about Bethlehem or Jerusalem?" Keni asked suddenly, startling himself with how quickly he'd spoken. When Zia and Jack looked at him, he blushed and mumbled, "I mean, Bethlehem's where Jesus was born and Jerusalem's, y'know, only a couple miles away from it…" He looked down and continued, "It was just a suggestion…I mean, I know it was a dumb suggestion, but still…it would be kind of nice to go there, y'know…"

"You know," Jack said thoughtfully, "we could go there and anywhere else since I can teleport. We could spend a couple days in Universal Studios, a couple in Ireland then head to Jerusalem and Bethlehem for a few days. What do you say? Good idea?"

"Very good idea," Zia agreed, nodding. "I'd say that's a great way to spend a vacation. I've always wanted to see Ireland…"

"Oh, it's beautiful," Jack said, leaning back against the pillows. "The rolling green hills and landscape…the sea crashing against the cliffs…the caves, the forests…oh, it's all so beautiful! I've been dying to go back there ever since Hellboy II: The Golden Army featured Ireland near the end of the movie. It's just so gorgeous there…"

While Jack continued to tell Zia tales of his time spent in Ireland and all the beauty it had to offer, Keni looked down at his sketchbook; the picture he'd drawn had been the one that had invaded his mind, forcing him to draw out the scene. As he stared at picture he'd drawn without any recollection of doing so, he felt the emotions of the figure: pain, sorrow, guilt, regret, self-hatred, and fear. He'd never felt anything so strongly in his life; he could practically feel the tears forming in his eyes and threatening to pour from his twilight orbs.

He shook his head and flipped to a clean page of the sketchbook, deciding to draw a bit more before heading to bed; he vaguely heard Jack mentioning how Ireland is a safe haven since no demons were permitted there--though he was an exception because he was hardly a normal demon--and how the Blarney Stone was just one of the more powerful things that kept the demons at bay, though even he was unsure of how a stone that blessed the kisser with the gift of gab was able to keep demons with less-than-noble intentions out of Ireland. Satisfied with the page, he picked up the pencil and began sketching the new image that had entered his mind, though, he felt as though he was fading away from the real world as his vision became focused entirely on the blank sheet of paper and his hearing dulled, muffled the sounds of Jack and Zia talking about Ireland.

Stucco walls of an alley that leads to yet another sandy gavel street with buildings lining it like soldiers awaiting the order to attack; the alley itself lets in only a bit of light at either opening, leaving the rest in shadow causing the wooden boards and torn sheets that had been discarded to form eerie shapes and ghosts fluttering in the nonexistent breeze. A figure stood in the alleyway, hidden from view by the shadows so that only his eyes which gleamed the red orange of flames were visible, though none of the passersby looked down the alley for fear that they would in fact see something.

The figure grinned, showing unnaturally white teeth; now he appeared as though he were the Cheshire cat with his eyes and teeth all that were visible. He remained in the shadows and seemed to be staring at someone shopping at the local bazaar which was on the street he was facing; the object of the figure's gaze was completely unaware that they were being watched by something predatory from the shadows of the alley.

"It's been a long time," the figure hissed out, sounding snakelike, though his gaze was far more comparable to that of a hungry lioness stalking her prey than a coiled cobra waiting to strike. "It's been such a long time since that mistake…I wonder if you would make it again, Judas…"

The person being watched by the figure suddenly turned to stare into the shadows of the alley, feeling as though he was being watched; by the time he'd turned, however, the figure had vanished which meant that the face of his target he'd been stalking was suddenly crystal clear. Short, messy red hair that had persistent grains of sand speckling it, twilight eyes that were straining against the dark to see what had been staring at him…

It was Keni.

"Keni," Zia said with a concerned tone creeping into her voice as she gave his shoulder a slight shake, though Keni barely heard her.

He shook his head, feeling as though he were a drowning man struggling to the surface against a current that was dragging him down; when he turned his gaze to her, he registered the concerned expressions on hers and Jack's faces. He took a shaky breath and managed a weak smile as he said, "I'm fine. Just a bit tired, I suppose. Maybe a tad weak from the blood loss…"

"You're lying," Jack said, frowning. "Perhaps you should stay home from school tomorrow…"

"No," Keni answered, shaking his head. "I'm fine, really. I'll be fine to go to school tomorrow. I just need to get some sleep…that's all…"

Though Jack and Zia still looked unconvinced, they dropped the subject when Keni set his sketchbook aside and laid down, closing his eyes and drifting to sleep the instant his head hit the pillow; Zia yawned and laid down as well, falling asleep quickly. Jack, however, picked up the sketchbook and flipped through it, looking at the images that Keni had drawn; they all took the form of a manga or graphic novel so that he could practically read them, though the pictures were out of order chronologically.

The first page depicted two men--one that looked strangely like a slightly younger Jack, the other appeared so familiar though Jack couldn't quite place him--leisurely enjoying a simple picnic on a hillside under a tree, clearly happy just to be together; this page always made him smile, as though it were a pleasant memory of his own that he couldn't quite remember. He flipped to the more recent pictures and frowned; a bloody field with a single tree where the somewhat familiar figure took his life was the end of the volume that chronicled the figure's life and love with Jack and an alleyway that hid a figure stalking Keni in what appeared to be either modern-day Bethlehem or Jerusalem was a prelude of things to come…