Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 23: Best Friends Forever

Chapter 23: Best Friends Forever

Was it a dream?

Wendy rolled her head. It was heavy, like a dead weight. Her neck creaked. A rancid pizza aftertaste covered her tongue. Ugh. Had she gotten sick? On Jim?

Wendy cringed. Opening her eyes, she reached stiffly across the bed.

But there was no one. No one was there. And certainly not Jim.

She wondered again. Had it been a dream?

Wendy sagged. She lay for a moment, disappointed and exhausted. The night had passed roughly. Her first nightmare had returned for third, forth, and fifth helpings. It was joined by swarms of unhappy memories. To her recollection, Wendy spent most of the night screaming.

But she could have sworn someone had been there. Someone calming her when she jolted awake. Someone supporting her forehead over the bathroom toilet. Someone carrying her back to bed and telling her to go back to sleep.

Wendy stared at the empty blankets. Hadn't there been someone? She thought there was. And she thought it was Jim.

Laboriously, Wendy turned. It was still early morning. Time to get up. She reached for the bedside lamp.

Then she stopped.

The lamp had been moved. On the bedside table was a teacup on a mug-warmer, and a plate of dry toast. The tea was peppermint - her favorite. The toast was cut down the center - diagonally. And propped against the plate was a note.

Morning. EAT.

Wendy read the penmanship before she read the words.

"Jim!"

She jumped out of bed. She thundered downstairs, pajamas and all, darted past the breakfast table, flew by her family, sprint down the hallway, cut left -

"Wrong turn!" Michael and John yelled.

--backtracked, cut right, cut left, out the door, into the autumn sunshine -

And there he was: back to her, hunched over some sort of smoking machine, silly rattail between his shoulders.

Jim turned before Wendy spoke.

Wendy ran before he did.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Wen!" Jim scrambled away. Beaming, he stumbled as she chased him around the machine (a motorcycle). "Wen I'm covered in grease!"

He was. He was filthy with grease. And it got all over her when she leapt into Jim's arms and kissed his cheek.

..............................................................................................

sultal's note: this chap was originally suppose to be MUCH longer -- but I decided to stop it here. Seemed right. I friggin love these two -- sometimes a relationship between people that "get" each other can be more powerful than romance. We'll return to jim and wen in the next chapter!

Pic: wen and jim on my DA page (sultal-wf)