The Secrets Beneath the Lies (MCSM Fanfic)

Chapter 19 - Bad Decisions

"Jesse, did you hear me?"

Jesse's head jolted up slightly. "Huh, what?" She asked, a little dazed.

Lukas, Petra, Radar and Axel were looking at her with concerned faces.

"I'm sorry, Lukas, please repeat that." Jesse said apologetically, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Jesse, that's the third time tonight that you have started to drift off." Lukas said with a shake of his head. "When was the last time you slept?"

Jesse sighed. She knew she couldn't avoid that question much longer.

"I'm not sure, what year is it?" She weakly joked. None of her friends looked amused.

"Jesse, Lukas is right, you really can't go on like this." Petra said.

"Go on like what?" Jesse asked, slightly annoyed. "I'm fine!"

"You're not fine, you haven't slept a wink the past few days." Axel said, shaking his head.

"You've been working day and night on this case." Radar added.

"I know, I know.." Jesse groaned, resting her head in her hands.

"Why don't you take a little break, hmm?" Lukas asked.

"No, no and no." Jesse quickly said, holding up her hands. "I'm not tired, I'm not going to sleep!" She deadpanned.

"Jesse, if you're not tired, then why do you keep nodding off in the middle of conversations? Or how do you explain the dark circles under your eyes?" Petra asked seriously.

Jesse didn't have an answer. Damnit, why must her friends always be right?

"Come on, Jesse, it won't kill you to just rest for a few hours." Lukas said gently.

"Yea, we've got everything covered here." Radar added.

"And I'll save you some cookies!" Axel offered cheerfully.

"Guys, that's nice of you, but I won't sleep." Jesse said. "Not while this is happening."

"Jesse, you won't be doing anything if you don't give your body time to rest." Petra said firmly. "You're exhausted."

Jesse groaned, leaning her head back into her hands. She knew her friends was right.

"Go, get some rest." Lukas said softly. "We'll let you know of any further information, OK?"

"Fine." Jesse gave in, stiffling a yawn. She reluctantly stood up.

"And you better not try and get out of this." Petra warned. "If I come to check and you're awake, I'll release Rascal on you."

Jesse chuckled. "You got it, Petra." She said, turning around, and walking to the stairs that lead out of the library.

She turned back one last time to look at her friends, who had returned their gazes to the book Lukas was pointing at. Jesse smiled faintly, before trudging up the stairs, into the main hall of the temple.

Jesse always liked their little basement-like library. Kind of hidden from the world. She smiled as she remembered the good old days. When all of them used to live in this Order Hall, before Axel and Olivia moved to Redstonia and Boomtown. There was nothing Jesse liked more back then, than retreating into their little hidden library and burying herself into a good book.

Jesse pushed open her bedroom door, shutting it behind her quietly. Jesse swapped out her woolly sweater for a comfortable long-sleeved shirt and her jeans for some shorts, before crawling in underneath the covers of her bed.