The Beast and The Brain.

We traveled back up through the throngs of people to Jeremy’s house. The sign on his door said closed until further notice. J and I stepped inside anyway. “Jeremy?” J called as I shut the door behind me.

“Back here J.” He called. She nodded and walked into the back of the house. I followed. The windows were open and the sunlight and fresh air were pouring into the living room where Jeremy was reading.

“How are you my friend?” J asked sitting down.

He took off his reading glasses and set the book aside, “I feel much better J.” He said, “Today I feel like a new person. My house has gotten so dirty and shut up I just wanted to let some fresh air in.” He motioned to the open windows.

J nodded, “This place is a bit grimy, and Asher and I would love to help you clean up the house.”

“We would?” I asked looking at J surprised. She glared at me for a second and I nodded my head, “Yes we would.”

“Well I won’t stop you. Go right ahead.” J nodded her head and stood up. The rest of day, we spent cleaning Jeremy’s house. We moved furniture, shook the carpets out, dusted, mopped floors, washed dishes, everything. Jeremy cooked us lunch while we worked and when dinner came, J and I were just about finished.

I threw the rag into the soapy water bucket and wiped my forehead. I had stripped down to my black undershirt and my sleeves were rolled up past my elbows. The v-neck was unlaced so I didn’t feel so constricted. J had tied a bandanna around her head to keep her short hair out of her face. I had just finished wiping the kitchen floor, and J was trying to reach the top windowpane but was having a hard time. As she stretched, her shirt rode up a bit and I saw her smooth skin on part her back.

I cleared my throat and looked away closing my eyes. Get that thought out of your head right now Asher. I told myself and took a deep breath. I stood up and walked over to J, “Here let me help you.” I said taking the rag from her hand. I reached up and wiped the top windowpanes.

“Thank you.” She cracked her neck and looked around. “I think we are finished. The place looks great.” I nodded my head. Everything looked a lot better. The dust was gone, the air was fresh, and things looked clean. However, Jeremy would not let us clean out his front shop. He said that when people come to get their ‘fortune told’ they believe in it more if the atmosphere is ‘creepy.’

J and I both agreed not to touch the shop. Jeremy had gone out an hour ago to get food for dinner so J and I went out back and to dump the dirty water out of the buckets. The back yard had a large wooden fence that surrounding it, it was covered in ivy, and a couple of small trees grew next to the well. Jeremy had a separate bathhouse that looked as if it hadn’t been used in a while. I pulled out a fresh bucket of water from the well and dumped it over my head. J looked exhausted. She wouldn’t admit it, but I knew she was still tired from the Kegan incident yesterday. Then I got an idea.

“J why don’t you go relax?” I suggested, “Jeremy won’t be back for a while, go read or something. I’ll finish up.”

“You sure?” She asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. Absolutely.” I nodded my head.

She shrugged, “Fine.” She disappeared into the house and I picked up another fresh bucket of water.

~ ~ ~ ~

I dumped the bucket of dirty water into the grass and looked up at the sky. The sun had just gone down and the clouds were an array of dissipating colors. The bathhouse was clean; all I had to do now was fill it with water. I pulled up fresh water from the well, walked it to the bathhouse, and dumped it into the tub. I did this until the bath was full. I wiped my hands and began stacking firewood into my arms. I opened the fire pit underneath the bath, stacked the wood inside, and started a fire with the flint stone. I threw more logs in and closed the hatch.

The fire would heat the water in the bath, and then once the water was hot, I would get J and surprise her with a hot bath. She deserved it for everything she’s done. I nodded to myself. She would love it. I opened the door to the bathhouse thirty minutes later and stuck my hand in the water. It was perfect. The steam from the bath filled the small room making it nice and warm. I shut the door and went to find J.

“J?” I called coming through the kitchen door.

“In the living room.” I heard her call back. She was looking at Jeremy’s small collection of books when I found her. I grinned to myself.

“I have a surprise for you.” She turned and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“A surprise?” She asked skeptically.

I nodded, “Yes, and don’t read my mind either.” I told her.

She sighed, “Very well. What is it?” She asked annoyed. I looked around found a cloth and held it out to her, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She said folding her arms.

“Nope, it is all a part of the fun.” I assured her.

She rolled her eyes, snatched the cloth from my hand, and tied it around her eyes. “Lead the way. But if I stub my toe I’m paralyzing you for the rest of the week.” She warned coolly. I smiled and took her hand and led her outside to the bathhouse.

“Ok you can take off the blindfold now.” I told her. She took it off and stared at the bathhouse.

“Yes it’s a bath house, what about it?” She asked.

I opened the door and the steam billowed out into the night sky. J was puzzled, “You…did this for me?” She asked unsure.

I nodded my head, “Yea I thought you would like a hot bath.” I told her.

“Thank you.” She said, “This….is unexpected to say the least.”

“Enjoy it.” I told her seriously. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. I threw in a few more logs to keep the fire hot and let J have her privacy.

~ ~ ~ ~

While J was taking her bath, Jeremy came back with the food for dinner. I helped him cook and he looked out the window to the bathhouse. “You did that for her?” He asked me as the stew was cooking.

“I did.” I nodded.

He grinned, “Give up.” He advised me unexpectedly, “Many men have broken their hearts and more in pursuit of J’s love.”

I froze and coughed a few times, “J’s love?” I asked with a laugh, “It’s not like that at all Jeremy.” I assured him, “J has saved my life more than a few times. I’ve never been able to show her my thanks, it’s the least I could do.”

Jeremy looked me in the eye, and saw I was telling the truth and he nodded, “Well I just wanted to make sure.” I nodded and we finished cooking.

When J came inside her hair was still wet but she looked refreshed and her cheeks were flushed from the steam. “The water is still hot Asher; you should take a bath yourself. No reason to waste hard work and warm water on one person…besides I threw a couple of logs into the fire.”

I was confused at J’s mannerism, she seemed, shy or something. I couldn’t put my finger on it, “Thank you J, after I eat I will. You know me, I’m starved.” She nodded and we all sat down and ate. J asked Jeremy how his head felt and he said he felt normal still. They talked about things I didn’t understand or care to ask about. They were two friends catching up. So when I finished my dinner I left them alone and went to take a bath.

I stripped down and stepped into the tub. It was a square tub and it was nearly big enough for me to swim in. There was soap in one corner and I went over and scrubbed myself clean. The dirt and grime of traveling fell off into the water. When I stepped out and dried off twenty minutes later, I felt like a new man.

I got dressed once more and went around and opened the faucet on the side of the bath and let the old water drain into the ground. The fire was nothing but hot embers and I poured a cup of water over them to make sure they went out. I walked back to the house and Jeremy was cleaning up the kitchen.

“Where’s J?” I asked him.

He shrugged, “She went back to the tavern. She said there was something she wanted to get. She told me to tell you that she would be back.”

I nodded, “When did she leave?”

“Not too long after you went to take your bath, she should be back shortly.” I nodded my head and sat down at the table. I felt much better after a hard day’s work, a hot bath, and a full stomach. Jeremy and I sat at the kitchen table and talked about random things. He was very curious about my ability as a Beast and I was explaining to him how flight worked when J finally came back.

“Hey J. Jeremy and I were just…” I trailed off. J was dressed in her assassins’ attire. Her black leather and black cotton blended with the shadows. Her sword was strapped to her back; her face cloth was pulled down though at the moment. I stood up.

“What’s happened? Has Kegan escaped?” I asked her anxiously.

She shook her head, “No…I took care of him. He shouldn’t trouble you or I anymore.” I took a few steps forward.

“Then what is it J? What’s going on?” She looked over my shoulder to Jeremy and then looked at me with a deep breath. She shook her head and looked me in the eyes. Then her hand snatched out and grabbed my forehead. I instinctively tried to pull away but my body went numb, and my mind was blacking out. There was no pain, no throbbing, just an immense feeling to sleep. My legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor. My eyes rested on J as my world went dark, and right before I gave in to it completely J spoke three words, “Goodbye my friend.”

~ ~ ~ ~

I looked up from Asher’s unconscious form and into Jeremy’s eyes. “He won’t understand.” I told him, “So until he returns to his…normal self. Take care of him for me?”

Jeremy nodded his head and looked down at Asher, “Are you sure you did the right thing J?” He asked me, “This boy…” He trailed off because I was looking him hard in the eyes.

“Don’t second guess my decision Jeremy. You know me better than that. I have reviewed all the possible outcomes in my mind, and none of them turn out good. It’s the only way to let him have a chance at a normal life.”

Jeremy looked at me skeptically, “You sure about that J?” He asked me, “Are you sure that this is the real reason you made this decision?”

I took a step forward and clenched my fist, “What are you suggesting Jeremy?” I asked venomously. However, I didn’t need to be able read minds to get what he was suggesting.

“You know exactly what I am suggesting. You are afraid.” My shoulders stiffened as if I had just received a physical blow.

“That’s foolishness.” I said looking away.

“Is it really J?” He asked me, “This isn’t the first time this has happened. How many others have you trusted like Asher? Answer me that.” I closed my eyes but did not answer, “Exactly. J I’ve known you your entire life, every time someone gets close you push them away.”

“Shut up.” I warned him. He ignored me and continued.

“You are afraid to let someone in. Every time they show affection or concern for you, you drive them away.”

“Shut up!” I yelled, “You know nothing about how I feel!” I smashed my fist onto the table, “You don’t understand any of this! You think this is easy for me?! For the first time in my life, I am trying to live a normal life. Yet the Rebellion makes this near impossible, everywhere I step there is another one around the corner, or lurking in the street. When I came to see you, I thought I could at least trust a friend, but even then, I found that they had reached you. Asher has been shielded from all of this. He doesn’t understand the vastness of the situation nor does he understand the true danger of it. The first mistake I made was when I broke him out of that prison. At least there, he was safe from these monsters. I am doing him a favor.” I stepped back from Jeremy.

After a moment Jeremy shook his head, “Say what you want J, but you cannot deny the fact that you are afraid to let him in, because you are afraid he will break your heart. Just like your brother did.” My eyes narrowed and my fist clenched.

“Don’t you dare, ever mention him to me. Don’t you dare bring him up again, is that clear?” I hissed. Jeremy backed away a few steps and clutched his head in pain. I released my anger and took a deep breath.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.” I said to him.

“I know you didn’t. I did not mean to make you angry. Go J, I will take care of the boy until he feels well enough.” I nodded my head.

“Thank you Jeremy, I will see you again soon my friend.” I knew now that everything we had just spoken was forgiven and forgotten.

“Keep in touch.” He gave me a quick hug and I left the house, mounted my horse, and never looked back.

~ ~ ~ ~

My dreams were strange and blurry. I switched from one scene to another in a confusing swirl of images. When I finally woke up, I was in a strange bed, in a strange room. The early sun was coming through the open window and the blankets were pulled over me. I sat up and looked around. “Hello?” I called out. There was no answer.

I looked down at myself. I was in black leather and black cotton clothing. The pillow was fluffy and the mattress seemed to be full of feathers. I threw the covers off me and got out of bed. I walked to the window and looked out into a backyard with trees, a well, and a bathhouse. I stepped away and went to the door. I tried the handle. To my surprise, it was unlocked. I stepped carefully down the hall and came to a set of stairs. I slowly descended them. A man walked through a set of beads that hung instead of a door and he stopped when he saw me.

I backed up three steps defensively, “Your awake.” He said surprised, “You are stronger than I thought. How do you feel?”

I backed up another step, “Who are you?” I asked him. The man tilted his head puzzled, “Where am I?”

His eyes widened, “You don’t remember me?” He asked.

I shook my head, “Where am I? Why have I been taken from my cell?” I asked him, “Is this a test?”

The man stepped forward slowly with his hands up, “I am your friend. My name is Jeremy…”