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Post by knightc3 on Feb 16, 2008 14:54:03 GMT -5
Jason saw May walk in and sit on a chair near them. Just when he was about to say something to ease her concern, he heard the announcement. He was almost expecting it to happen sometime soon, just not this soon.
"Oh well, here we go again...", he said to no one in particular. He was hoping May would come along as she was the only one that could get him out of trouble, beside the video tape that is. But he didn't really want to ask her to repeat what had happened in front of the principle.
He got down from where he was sitting and thanked Jane before making a waving gesture to Stephan and walk towards the principle's office. He had deliberately ignored May as he really didn't know what to say to her right then. It took him longer to reach the office with his leg still hurting a bit. He took a deep breath as he stood outside the door and knocked.
He opened the door and walked in to see a group pf people he didn't expect to find there.
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Post by Crow on Feb 17, 2008 2:11:05 GMT -5
Stephan followed. He headed over, just to see what was going to happen and give an explination if needed. Then he saw the somewhat surprised look on Jason's face, "What is it?"
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Post by Da Pwny on Feb 17, 2008 12:05:40 GMT -5
May followed Jason in to find the six boys who'd attacked her (minus one or two) sitting across opposite the door. She knew instantly that something was wrong; it wasn't just a feeling, she could actually sense it. May wanted to run, to get away from it, but those kinds of instincts she suppressed for the time being, knowing that running wouldn't help anything here.
The only other people in the room were the principle and his assistant. "Sit" the wiry old coot said, motioning for the two of them to sit down. May could feel the tensions rising in the room, her skin getting clammy as she sweat beneath the school uniform and makeshift bra, nervous about being here as she'd had many bad experiences in the principle's office...
"Before you speak," the gravely, monotonic voice started, "Mr. Stokes, this last incident has gone beyond our control. You are becoming more and more reckless every day, and it seems that you are beyond hope for getting an education in this school. Attacking a young lady, beating through a group of young men trying to help her... what horrible motives drive you, I ask? The school year has barely begun and you're already in here! Therefore, as supervisor of this school, I hereby expel you from this school, permanently. Start packing the stuff out of your locker immediately. And don't try to fight this one; we have it all on video tape, right here." The old man pressed a button on his desk and a monitor next to him lit up, showing an edited version of the fight. Before Jason could object, several guards hauled him out the door. "Now then..."
Acting barely surprised as he turned to a completely shocked May, the principle's face twitched a bit, and then broke out into a malicious smile. "Ms. Foster," he almost sneered, his voice trying to sound nicer than it could ever be, "I regret the events of what happened in that hallway. It is so unfortunate when such fine young men turn bad like that. Now, if there is anything I could do to... make up for this, please inform me immediately."
As she was ushered out the door, May fought back the tears. She'd been there... she'd seen everything... in fact, she was the one that Jason was trying to protect! So what the hell was up with all of that? What kind of sick joke was this?! She was still in shock from the whole ordeal, still so confused about what to do that she nearly didn't see Jason until she d**n near walked right into him...
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Post by knightc3 on Feb 17, 2008 12:31:01 GMT -5
Jason hadn't been able to react to what was thrown at him in the office. In a few seconds, he had gone from a school student to a suspected rapist with assault thrown in. His life has just been destroyed in front of him and he couldn't do anything about it. He was in a complete shock. This had been nothing near what he had expected. He had forgotten all about his injuries. They were not a problem anymore. As he was 'escorted', more like being dragged, to his locker, the graveness of the situation started to sink in. His heart was going at double the pace.
If the school made a complaint to the authorities, with that video, he would get convicted and probably be sent to jail. If they didn't he would be living a nightmare all his life, as a social outcast in the city, nobody wanting to hire a suspected criminal or admit him to their school.
He was in a daze as he packed his bag, stuffing things in as he got his hands on them. As he walked back with the guards at his heels, he could see the eyes of the students in the hallway following him, whispering among each other. The news would spread fast. He was passing by the principle's office again when he stopped in the hallway. May was walking towards him, lost in thought. He said quietly, "May..."
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Post by Da Pwny on Feb 17, 2008 13:27:49 GMT -5
May stumbled back, confused for a second and then looked up. "Jason..." Tears filled her eyes as she tried to think of something to say, but at that moment two guards came up to put an end to 'this' and arrest Jason. She didn't know what to do, and couldn't stop the guards from taking him away. So much had just gone wrong that May couldn't think at all... She could only watch and cry as he was taken off, her chronic depression starting to kick in again...
When she got home, she immediately went to her room and cried, forgetting everything wrong with herself and just cried into her pillow. The air around her started getting cold, but instead of screaming or even getting scared, she simply whined "Go away, d**n you! GO AWAY!!" She could hear the ghost, but she didn't want to look, or even peek... After the feeling had passed for the moment, May sat up, looking over at the desk drawer, or rather, the pills that sat on top of it.
No... I've already taken the max dosage for now she told herself, but the thought was tempting. Finally, she grabbed the whole bottle, trying to twist the cap off hard. She eventually resorted to breaking the top off after several attempts. Looking down at the bottle, she knew what these would do to her, but until she put it to her mouth and was about to down the half-empty container, tears streaming down her eyes, her thoughts wandered back to Jason... May stopped; she was the only person who'd seen everything, the only one who could testify that Jason was innocent. However, that wouldn't be enough; she needed the hard evidence, the stuff that would close the case. In other words, she needed to get the original video feed from the cameras, not the hacked, edited version that the principle had used and probably would use...
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Post by Crow on Feb 17, 2008 14:33:58 GMT -5
Stephan stood in the principles office. He looked at the six others, then to the principle. "This is nothing but an excuse to get him out of the school, and you know it. What would I be able to do in order to get him back? What would it take?" He put his hands in his pockets for no apparent reason.
That's the reason no one saw or heard him bring the tape recorder to life. He knew he was loosing his notes for third period by doing this, but he had a feeling that this was going to be worth it.
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Post by knightc3 on Feb 17, 2008 22:01:30 GMT -5
Jason was dragged out of the school premises by the guards after they broke up his short meeting with May. He just hoped she was not blaming herself for this. He knew nothing in this chain of events could have been avoided or was her fault. There was no way he would have not jumped in to save her even if he knew these consequences then.
He suddenly heard one of the guards say something, "Here, take good care of this runt." Jason looked up to see a squad car waiting for him. The blood drained from his face, yet again. He couldn't even remember being put in the back and driven to the station. He was now standing in front of the in charge.
"Here the deal Stokes, I cannot charge you yet as we haven't yet conducted our... investigations. I cannot keep you here, cause technically you are still a minor. So I am gonna let you go, but you cannot leave the city limits under any circumstances. You have report here at the station every morning. You miss a single day, and you will be arrested." He leaned forward on his desk before continuing. "Haven't said that, you remember one thing boy. If I get one complaint about you again or see you mixed up in anything like this again, I will personally beat you to death, you hear me?"
Jason just nodded. He couldn't think straight anymore. Standing in the middle of the police station, surrounded by people, he suddenly felt completely alone. Suddenly he remembered something about what the man had just said. With the obviously tampered video from the security camera, they could got a clean conviction if they wanted. Then, why were they letting him go?
As he walked out the station, he just there on the street. His nerves were all messed up and he was not sure what was going to happen to him next. He had to get home. He walked as fast as he could. He had to call his mom, tell her what happened. He called her at her work place.
"This is Jim..."
He introduced himself and asked if he could speak to his mother. He was told that his mother had not come back after she had left for lunch. They were trying to find out where she was but hadn't located her yet. He was getting furious now. Today had gone bad to worse since he had gotten into this mess, and now this. He decided he would wait here for her. She was bound to come back by night. So he waited nervously, not wanting to get out and face anybody.
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Post by Da Pwny on Feb 22, 2008 22:11:41 GMT -5
*sorry for i'm just gonna stick to calling the principle "the Principle" because i'm too lazy to come up with a name right now*
The principle steepled his fingers as he looked at Stephan, noting his actions carefully from behind the framed eyes; Stephan was known for his antics, and the last thing he needed was the principle letting something slip that shouldn't. Dismissing the bullies, one of whom eyed Stephan on his way out, the principle quirked "Get him back? There is no 'getting him back' from here. That is a matter you will need to take up with the police."
Sitting back in his chair, he added "Besides, why would you be so interested here? This is a matter that doesn't concern you." His eyes pieced into Stephan's, searching for an answer...
May sat on the edge of her bed, staring straight at the little girl who seemed to be following her. "Go away, you stupid figment of my imagination" May whined, burrowing her head in her hands, trying to forget everything that had happened lately. She just wanted to get on with her life, but these ghosts... if they bothered her any more she was going to go bat-f**k insane. "Please... I just want it to stop... make it stop... make it all STOP!!!"
Enraged, May grabbed a paperweight and threw it at the ghost; it nailed the child in the head, knocking her backwards. May, in complete confusion and shock, didn't register what had happened until the child began crying... and she cried hard. May immediately got up and rushed up to the child, not even thinking of it as a ghost anymore. "I-I-I'm... sorry..." she gagged out as the child pushed away from her... snatching up the child, May retreated to the bed, setting the crying girl on her lap and holding her close trying to calm her, even as the child beat her fists against May. She didn't know quite what to make of it all, as the child was obviously in pain, but she was still a ghost...
The child finally calmed down, clinging to May and calling her "mama"... A tiny sound emanated from somewhere nearby, like glass breaking but so faint that only May heard it... The girl stopped crying, having actually dampened May's shirt a great deal with real tears, looking up at her before stating "You're not Mama... Where's mama?" May's eyes softened as she looked at the young girl. "I... don't know... What's your name?" The girl wiped her eyes before replying "Ma...Ma...ri...Maria."
About then, May's cell phone rang, startling the young Maria as May hushed her. Checking the ID, she looked it up and found it to be the local police department, and immediately opened her phone to answer it. After a few minutes of serious looks, nods, and question answering, May hung up, setting the girl on her bed and telling her "Maria, I've gotta leave for a while. Someone needs me right now, and I'm sorry but you'll have to stay here. Are you gonna be ok here?" Maria instantly lunge-clung May's neck before she could react; Maria made eye contact, confusion showing on her face. May sighed, knowing this was going to be more difficult than she needed it to be right now...
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Post by Crow on Feb 23, 2008 0:00:37 GMT -5
"Well, I've always had a sort of interest in this sort of thing. Besides, I'm willing to bet that if I hired an investigator to look at that tape he would find.....that some parts don't fit together. I hardly think you need the bad media that comes from a doctored security tape. And it would certainly look suspicious if you held back that tape from investigation, wouldn't it?"
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Post by knightc3 on Feb 23, 2008 0:24:10 GMT -5
Jason had been restless and tried to sleep, but couldn't. His mind was filled with thoughts, about what had happened, about May, the ghosts, and his future. He could almost imagine what would be coming his way tomorrow.
He tried to think of a way to distract himself. He turned on the TV and sat on the couch in front of it. For the first few minutes he didn't even pay attention to what was on. He just stared, lost in thought. He snapped out of his daze when he heard his name...
"... Jason Stokes, a student at the Jackson High School was arrested on the charge of assault and molestation earlier today. The 17-year old was caught on the security tape attempting to rape one of the students and later, brutally assaulting those that tried to come to her aid. The police are withholding the names of the students involved in the incident..."
Jason was propped up on the couch with his face frozen with the registration of a mix of shock, disbelief and fear. He tried to concentrate again to listen to the rest of it.
"... the police have released the suspect on bail while they conduct their investigations." He then saw his photo flash on the screen. He looked around nervously almost expecting somebody to barge through the walls to get him. His heart was racing faster than ever before and he suddenly had the feeling again on being all alone and trapped. He had to get out of the house. Where was his mother? Had she deserted him just like everybody would? He picked up his cap and gloves from the table where he had dropped them and ran out, slamming the door behind him as he put them on and started running. He was hungry and still hurting from the fight. After a while he just stopped trying to catch his breath. He looked around to see where he was. He got another shock of his life. He was standing in front of the Passats Mansion!
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Post by Da Pwny on Feb 23, 2008 1:03:11 GMT -5
*the parts with the principle have happened an hour or so before the current posts with May and Jason, just so no one's confused on those points...*
The principle furrowed his brow; the crop on the tape was a tad bit messy, and he'd already handed over the tape. Still, he could claim that someone else must have changed the tape post-recording. And he had the six boys who could testify, along with the original tape being destroyed at this moment. On top of that, the news would have most of the story within several hours; how could he lose? He could tell that Stephan was going to be a problem in this, however. He would need to choose his words carefully; all those years of chess had taught that even one single mistake could end a game before it even really began.
"Doctored, eh? Even without the tape, there are witnesses, and physical evidence. Why don't you go back to what you were doing before. This matter will be settled between the police and the school, rest assured." Unanimously, he dismissed Stephan, going back to the paperwork he had been working on before this whole mess had started. There was still the matter of the girl... but that could be taken care of just as easily as he'd gotten rid of Jason; all he had to do was wait, and that was something he was good at...
May had just locked the door behind her when she heard footsteps. Turning around as she prepared for whomever was coming her way, she was in shock at who she saw. "Jason?! What are... I was... Shouldn't you..." Unable to bear it any longer, however, tears filled her eyes, and she rushed at Jason, embracing him in her tears. She didn't care what had happened; the thought of losing him was almost too much for her to bear. "Oh, who cares... What's happening here?! I'm scared... scared of everything... please..."
She hated being weak like this, but she couldn't think of anything else- no, she refused to think of anything else. May hadn't even bothered to turn off her laptop when she grabbed it, as she took it everywhere she went like a child's security blanket. She held onto Jason, sobbing as she crumbled to the ground, emotionally drained by everything that had happened... "Hold me Jason... I don't.... I don't want you to go..."
Her first full day in Jackson, and she'd met her first love, and nearly lost him in short order. She didn't even notice that the info-screen on the back of her laptop's lid was flashing a mail sign...
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Post by Crow on Feb 23, 2008 1:27:46 GMT -5
"Oh, off the record.....if you do anything to hurt either of them again, I don't need illegal actions to make your life very uncomfortable. My lawyer will be in touch." He walked out and headed home, sending an e-mail to May when he got there. "Raven: Sorry May, I haven't made much progress in getting Jason out of his situation. I'm sorry, but I have a feeling that you're going to be in court with them very soon. If you need any financial help call on me right away. As for the whole ghost situation....There are two posibilities. One is that there was a strong spiritual connection with the place, the other is that you have a few......how should I put this.....corpses in the house somewhere. Best of luck, Stephan."
Afterwords he got back to another issue that was messing with him for the past month. What the bloody hell was in that locked garage? His father had to have locked it for a reason, and he had never told Stephan what was inside. There had to be a key somewhere, and Stephan wasn't able to break the door down.
After digging around his old house for a while he still hadn't found anything except a few more of those creepy shadow ghosts. He pulled out his cross so it rested on his chest and they went away again, "Annoying things......"
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Post by knightc3 on Feb 23, 2008 1:57:46 GMT -5
He saw May walk out. He didn't know how she would react. She was his last hope, the only thing standing between him and a complete mental breakdown. As she ran and embraced him, he suddenly felt relieved. She was crying in his arms. He wrapped his arms tightly around her. She was the only thing he had left. Everything else was gone, his life, his family, his dignity.
He felt her legs give way under her and went to his own knee as she crumbled to the ground. He had completely forgotten how bad it must have been for her. Her first day in a new place and something like this happens. He was surprised how she had held up so far. "I am here May, you don't need to be afraid anymore. I am not going anywhere...ever." , he told her as he hugged her close, never wanting to let go. He didn't know what would happen to him and he didn't care. He loved May and she was all that mattered to him now.
"We will get through this somehow...together. Just promise me something, whatever happens, whatever people say about me, you will always trust me...", he almost pleaded to her.
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Post by Da Pwny on Feb 23, 2008 2:28:52 GMT -5
"I was the one they were trying to rape... I saw everything... I'll never turn on you, I swear by it. But just my testimony won't be enough..." She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up, dusting the crud from her pants. "We need that tape... the original I mean... But..." Her mind trailed off, thinking. Jason was on the verge of breaking, and so was she; so much had happened to May so quickly, she just wasn't ready to face it all now.
Suddenly, an idea came to her, and a grin spread across her face, thorough the tears... "I have an idea, but I hope you don't mind waiting a day or so... That and it's kinda illegal..." But it might just be the only way to get that tape she told herself... She then remembered that they were still outside, and a slight drizzle was starting to fall. "Hey, you wanna come inside? My mom's busy, so she won't even notice. She's one of those focused worker types. Besides, she trusts me more than any news programs. Besides-"
A huge thunderclap made up May's mind for her; she tugged lightly at Jason's shirt as she unlocked the door with her free hand, peeking inside just to make sure her mother wasn't immediately around...
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Post by knightc3 on Feb 23, 2008 2:39:16 GMT -5
Before he could answer, he was being dragged inside. He didn't have a place to go to right now. He didn't want to be home... alone, he would have gone mad. He knew that they could suppress her testimony as easily as they had made this case against him. As they entered the house again.
He smiled as he commented on something she had said outside, "May, why would you think I would object to anything illegal anymore. Its not like there is much chance things could get any worse for me. I mean, assault, rape... theft is not much of the issue. So I gotta tell you, I won't let you get in trouble. You have a family, a life and you don't want that stripped away from you.. like me. So before we even start whatever it is you are planning, if something goes wrong and we get caught, it was all me..."
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