Okay, I swear. Things are going to start kicking off now. Remember to let me know what you think. I'm really interested in getting better, so all input is appreciated, even the harsh stuff.
*
Jack finished loading in the last of his groceries and closed the door to the refrigerator. It had been later than he expected when he had finally come back to the apartment with an armload of food and various other things he had picked up while he was out. Instead of going strait to the store, he had decided to grab a bite to eat at a little diner not too far away. It was never good to shop for groceries on an empty stomach, not unless he wanted an empty wallet too.
The food had been excellent. Pretty much the standard American greasy comfort food he had come to expect from mom and pop places in the south. He had settled for a nice pulled pork barbeque sandwich and fries. One of the first things he had found out immediately after he had arrived in Georgia the first time was that they took their barbeque extremely seriously. As he had heard a comedian somewhere put it, "In the state of Georgia, barbeque is a noun, not a verb; and a holy one at that."
When he had finished his meal, he had sat back and contentedly waited for the portly waitress to bring him his change. From out of the windows next to his booth he had spotted a movie theater. Deciding that he could use some light entertainment tonight he had dropped a tip on the table and walked across the street.
It had been a small movie theater, with only two screens, so his choices were limited to the latest war movie and a comedy that he hadn't heard of. Jack didn't really go in for the Hollywood version of war -- he figured some things were better to watch if you hadn't actually done them before -- so he had decided to give the comedy a shot. It had been forgettable, but it served its purpose in distracting him and killing a little time.
So, by the time Jack had finally arrived home and put away the food, it was already well after eleven. He had left his party animal days behind him when he'd married, so this was actually late for him. But tonight for some reason he felt wired by the days events and he wasn't in a hurry to go to bed. Opening the freezer he pulled out the bottle of Jack Daniels he had bought and retrieved a glass from the cabinet.
Pouring himself a small glass, he put away the bottle and moved to the couch to relax. It had been an extremely interesting day. He took a sip and felt a warmth spread through him as the bitter liquor burned down his throat. Jack grimaced; whiskey was definitely an acquired taste. Normally he would have mixed it with a soft-drink or something, but having completely forgotten to pick any up while he was shopping he simply nursed it slowly.
He thought about his coming not-date with Ashley tomorrow. She was cute. When he had talked to her today, she had seemed so flustered about the whole thing, not quite knowing what to say. He couldn't help but find that endearing. Jack found himself looking forward to spending time with her. He could admit to himself that it was not exactly love at first sight, but he wasn't going to complain. It wasn't like he exactly had girls beating down his front door, and having a good looking girl want to spend time with him did something to stroke his sensitive male ego. She was pretty too; not exuding sexuality like Britt had, or even close to Jennifer's heart stopping beauty, but pretty nonetheless.
Jennifer…
he thought, a mental picture of her appearing uninvited in his mind. She was a mystery to him. Ever since his first day here, when their lives had been briefly and violently thrust together, he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind. It must have just been everything that had happened since he arrived that was confusing him. Everything that had happened so far had revolved around her.
He found himself suddenly interested in what she had been thinking while she looked at him as he had spoken to the police. The only other time he had actually seen her, she had been furious. He had no clue why. But, as she had watched him tell his story, he had almost got the feeling…
Yeah,
he thought condescendingly at himself,
right.
Looking down, Jack suddenly realized that his glass was completely empty. He could feel the lightly pleasant fog of the alcohol working its way through his mind. He hadn't really drank much at all for a very long time and the strong, strait whiskey was going to his head. It did feel good though. Maybe he would top off his glass just one more time, and keep the enjoyable buzz going, but as he got to his feet he felt a rushing in his head.
Maybe not.
Moving into the kitchen, Jack rinsed his glass of and left it in the sink. He wasn't really interested in getting drunk tonight anyway. The day was starting to catch up to him and he could feel his energy beginning to drain away in the warm haze of the drink.
A small contented grin on his lips, he leaned up against the island counter. He should probably head back to his bedroom and call an end to the day. He knew he didn't have to get up too early to meet up with Ashley, but he had a few other things he wanted to take care of as well. Thinking about Ashley, he was surprised to find that in his mind her fiery red hair kept shifting to soft auburn locks, and steel-blue replaced sea green.
Shaking his head, Jack moved around the island, starting for his bedroom. What was with him? Jennifer was beautiful, sure, but she definitely wasn't his type. He had enough baggage of his own to deal with; and from what he had seen, she clearly was carrying her share.
As he passed through the living room, something caught his eye. From underneath the edge of his couch he saw a small golden glint as the light from the kitchen reflected off something stuck under there. Curious, Jack stopped, bending over a little unsteadily to take a closer look. He wasn't quite able to see what it was so, leaning his weight into the couch, he slid it a few inches to the side.
Lying on the short tan carpet was a strange looking piece of jewelry that Jack had never seen before in his life. The antique looking golden band was made up of strips of metal that looked like they had been woven together in an intricate pattern. Along each strip ran some kind of strange script that was slightly raised off of the gleaming surface. Though it was obviously writing of some kind, he had no idea what it said. Jack couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen something like it before though.
While he got the distinct impression that the bracelet was very old, he definitely couldn't tell from the way it looked. The brightly polished gold looked like it had come strait from the local jewelry store. As he looked, Jack started to feel the undeniable urge to pick it up and inspect the script more closely. It was as if he could feel a tangible force, coming from the bracelet and drawing on his mind. Reaching out his hand, Jack's finger's wrapped around the bracelet.
Instantly his eyes flew open wide and he gasped in pain, all traces of the alcohol induced haze driven from his mind. Pulses of molten fire were radiating from the scars on his chest, and he felt every muscle in his body spasm and lock as his back arched in agony. The searing, unending pain drove his breath from him so he couldn't even let out the scream he felt trapped inside of him. For long moments he knelt on the floor, the hot brands of his scars buring into him anew.
Just when he thought that he could no longer take it and was praying for the relief of unconsciousness, the pain suddenly was gone from his body, leaving him empty. Jack let out a shuddering breath and his shoulders sagged as his muscles loosened. The bracelet, still clutched in his hand gave off a soft heat that he didn't notice as he tried to pull himself back together.
It took a moment, but slowly Jack began to be conscious of the growing heat coming from the golden surface. Confused, he looked down and opened his hand. There was a soft light coming from it that sparkled against his skin. The script along the band impossibly seemed to glow from within. He tried to drop it, abruptly more frightened of this tiny thing than he had ever been of anything in his life. His hand wouldn't move, and the heat was growing faster now.
