Perfect School

Jonah:

“She didn’t save you. She kept you alive for her own purpose. She turned you into something you wouldn’t have been otherwise. She tortured you and shaped you into what she wanted. You don’t owe her for that. I think, if I were you, I would hate her for that,” I said. As it was I already hated her. I hated her from the first moment I met her. It only grew with everything she put me and Kira through since then.

"Jonah you sound contradictory already. Isn't keeping me from dying the same thing as saving me. I only had two options. I was either going to never exist or she was going to raise me. I do not think death was the better outcome for me." I shrugged. "If life is what she gave me, and the way to repay her is becoming what she wanted, where is the issue?"

Jonah:

“It’s not as black and white as that. Being alive doesn’t equal a life. She didn’t give you life, she gave you chain, and you think she deserves thanks for that?” I took another step closer to her. Now there was just a couple feet between us.

“You think you owe her for the years of torture you went through? You think you owe her for isolating you, for keeping you from a family that wanted you, for ensuring that you never had friends? Do you think you owe her for whoring you out when she felt like it?” I was getting mad and it was showing. My anger at Marie was one of the few things that leaked out without any say on my part. That was bad, but then it only happened with Kira, and I trusted her not to give me away.

“She treated you like a possession. She kept you like a pet to do her bidding. She may have kept you fed and sheltered, but she never did a damn thing for you that didn’t serve her first.”

As he stepped closer I had to raise my head more to be able to meet his gaze. I was having trouble denying his arguments and trouble with just how easily this was getting him worked up and angry. "Isn't that what you want?" I asked him softly. "The same position. The same power. The same control. And a part of all of that is me."

Jonah:

“No,” I said, looking her in the eyes. “I have never wanted someone who was unwilling.” Marie relied on fear to keep her people in line. She ignored human psychology and thought she could control people with threats. She was driving a wedge between her and Kira without even realizing it. It was a matter of Kira’s will that it was happening so slowly.

I huffed a small laugh and shook my head at him. "You know better than to assume that you only need to touch someone to control them. You are skilled at getting what you want with words and actions alone." It was easier to move things along than continue arguing with him like this. "We've gotten off topic. Since I do not know what it is I'm supposed to do around family and out of the people who are close to me. You are the only one who isn't a shut in, or directly related to me. Would you come with me? I don't know what I am supposed to do with Family. If I brought Kyra who would be the more likely choice, she'd want everything to be perfect and force me into it. You will try to influence me to think and do what you want." I gave him a look that told him I knew already how he tried and for the most part succeeded in getting me to do things. "But you won't force me."

Jonah:

My eyebrows lifted and a small smile curled my lips. I moved around her to sit on my bed, pretending to consider it. “Alright, I’ll come with you,” I said finally, looking up at her from my seat. She was only slightly taller than me while I was sitting. “I’ll even help you fool Marie. We wouldn’t want her to know you’ve run off, would we?”

I turned to face him, now that I was taller I felt an odd sense of pride. Was this how all tall people felt? Maybe their was some merit to being tall. I met his gaze when he looked up at me. "Fool Marie?" I repeated it into a question while my mind went blank. I hadn't thought I'd need to, but it was a good idea.

Jonah:

“I would to protect myself if nothing else. Do you think she would be pleased with the two of us going on a trip alone together. Not to mention you going to spend time with your parents. No. She wouldn’t allow any of it. So she doesn’t need to find out,” I explained. “You won’t tell her, will you?” I knew already that she wouldn’t, guilt or not guilt.

"No...I wouldn't tell her." I tucked my chin and stared at the floor. I wanted to do this for me, to decide if family was something I really needed or not. Marie had never once made claim to me as family, nor had she once acted as a mother figure for me. But after seeing Kyra and Andrew I wondered if having one was it's own gift.

Jonah:

“Is that all you wanted from me? Or was there a particular reason you wanted to discuss this in my bedroom?” I asked with a suggestive smile. I was messing with her now to lighten the mood. She had been in my room for just over twenty minutes now, it was time for her to go.

I rolled my eyes. It was his cue for me to leave, so I turned and went for the door. Before my hand touched the doorknob I felt his hand at my shoulder and his back just inches from my chest. I paused and looked up at him then watched as he took a look around outside first before motioning for me to go.

Smiling faintly at his paranoia I stepped out after he gave the approval, going across the hall to my room, leaving the door open behind me.

Kyra:

I was coming back for dinner just in time to see Kira leaving Jonah’s room. I paused as she went into her own room in a hurry. Jonah spotted me and smirked before he nodded at me and closed his own door.

It bothered me but I told myself I wouldn’t bring it up unless she did. She didn’t. And then I found out that Jonah and Kira were both leaving over the summer break. To different destinations supposedly, but it seemed strange. They had been closer in the past couple weeks, not obviously, but I could tell the difference.

Kira:

I'd made plans with my parents to pick us up after giving them the itinerary for both Jonah and myself. With plans in mind they warned me about the colder weather and I was packing accordingly. I was leaving first, Jonah was taking a later flight and would meet me in L.A. where we'd fly together to New Zealand. Shouldering my backpack and pulling my suitcase behind me I went to the waiting car and took a ride to the airport.

The flight was quick and at the airport I dozed off across two chairs with my backpack under my head. I figured Jonah would wake me before the plane landed or when he showed up. For once I wanted to be rested before we landed.

Jonah:

I enjoyed flying. Especially ones with decent flyover scenery. I was disappointed that our second flight would arrive in New Zealand after dark.

When I arrived at LAX I sent Kira a text to let her know I was there then headed to our international gate. I found her asleep on the chairs in front of the gate. I tapped her. I didn’t approve of dosing off while completely unprotected. Though if she had to do so, an airport was probably one of the safest places to do so.

"You walk slow Jonah." I murmured up at him as my eyes opened. Yawning up at him I sat up while bringing my backpack into my lap. Patting the space beside me I dug into my bag and drew out a sucker. Undoing the wrapper I popped it into my mouth and leaned my head back against the wall.

Jonah:

“You walk fast for someone of your size,” I murmured and took a seat next to her. “Besides, there’s no need to rush. Our flight doesn’t leave for three hours. I saw a few decent restaurants if we want to get lunch,” I said. I glanced around us looking for anyone suspicious. No one was watching us.

"I know where I want to go and see no point in waiting around." I said around my sucker then my eyes narrowed and I looked at him. "I'm not that short." I was. Turning my attention to the crowds around us I sighed through my nose. "Is there such thing as a decent restaurant in an airport? I've yet to see one."

Jonah:

“There’s restaurants here that are found outside the airport too you know,” I said. I stretched my arms out. “There was a burger place on my way here that smelled pretty good. They had a sign that advertised milkshakes.”

I perked up at milkshakes. "Alright. Then lets grab a burger." Standing I crunched the remainder of the lollipop then shouldered my backpack. I followed after him, idly scanning the crowd as we went.

Jonah:

When she got up I took hold of her hand and laced my fingers with hers. Her hand was cool and small in mine. At first I tugged her along but then I kept her hand in mine, not letting go as we moved away from the gate.

I hadn't expected him to take my hand and lace his fingers with mine. Even when we'd acted like a couple we hadn't done something like this. Frozen in place I stumbled a bit as he pulled me along. Once I was able to gather myself again and walk beside him I gave a few experimental tugs of my hand to see if he'd let go. But he only squeezed my hand harder for a few moments.

I couldn't understand his motive to doing it. His hand was warm, and I could feel the calluses. His fingers were slender and long I noted as I looked down at where our bodies were connected. Over all I felt I didn't mind the contact much, but it did leave me feeling a bit trapped so I resigned myself to the contact. Through it all though I felt a tiny sliver of pleasure at it.

Jonah:

I felt a surge of satisfaction when she left her hand in mine. I kept my hold on her until we reached the restaurant and were seated at our table. “Are you nervous?” I asked her a few minutes later. She would be, I knew, but I wanted to get her talking about it.

"I'm not sure. I don't know what to make of them yet, nor what they might expect from me. I am used to walking into unknown situations, but this one has an emotional variable that I'm unsure how to handle." I tapped a nail on the table for a moment then shrugged slightly, "We will have to see."

Jonah:

I kept her talking through lunch.  Our meal was decent, as I predicted, and the shakes were satisfying.  We walked back to the gate with to go cups.  I took hold of her hand again and this time she didn’t attempt to free it.  When we sat down at the gate, I put my arm around her shoulders.