章 88: Chapter 24.2
"Non, it's my arm," Michelle explained hastily, trying to clear the misunderstanding. "It's hurting a bit, mais c'est normal."
"Ghost pain?" Jason asked and she nodded. "Here, sit here."
Jason got up and patted at the single seat sofa he was on and Michelle, after making sure he wasn't going to wrestle the bottle of rum from her, sat down. Jason sat down on the armrest on Michelle's left side and held a hand out.
"May I?" He asked and Michelle nodded before placing her arm in his hand.
Her left hand, wrist, and about an inch of her forearm was missing. Jason gently massaged the tip before moving to sides of her arm slowly, using his thumb to massage in circles. Soon, the uncomfortable jabs of pain faded and warmth seeped into her arm.
"You are very good at this," Michelle said, slightly surprised. Jason seemed to know exactly where to massage.
"That's because I've had experience," Jason smiled but didn't elaborate.
In his mind, he was remembering the times when he was a child soldier. The mercenaries had taken the children in to be Sweepers, and Jason was one of them. Sweepers were forced to do the most dangerous jobs on the battlefield. Scouting the enemy forces, walking through areas known to be minefields, and running kamikaze attacks were the norm for them.
These dangerous jobs often led to the deaths of the children but, more often than not, kids would return with severe injuries, like losing a limb. Because the children were uncertain of their fate, they would help the injured ones, learning how to take care of them in hope that one day, should they befall a similar fate, karma would arrive and someone else would help them, just like how they helped their brothers and sisters. This was why Jason knew how to help Michelle, he knew exactly which pressure and acupuncture point to press and rub.
Jason massaged Michelle in silence while the latter, realizing how close she was to Jason, recalled the last time they were alone together. Jason was on top of her, holding her down intimately while leaning forward to kiss her. Shaking her head, she turned her blushing face away, trying to avoid looking at Jason while her heart pounded.
Dieu, quel est ce sentiment? Michelle thought. Pourquoi suis-je si nerveuse? [2]
The poor child had never liked someone before, so she was unaware of her crush on Jason. Sneaking a peek at Jason, Michelle froze when she saw his face. He was staring ahead with empty eyes, his stoic face devoid of emotions. Yet, with her intuition, Michelle knew he was worried, almost panicking, about something.
"Why were you drinking?" Michelle asked, breaking the silence. "Are you worried about something?"
"That obvious?" Jason asked back and Michelle shrugged.
"To me, oui," she answered.
Jason smiled and looked away with a shake of his head. He thought about it for a moment and decided to ask for a bit of advice. After all, she was quite similar to Alina; both had big brothers who showed up when they were young. "Did - hm. You … ever had a moment ... where ... you hated Raphael?"
"Every time we fight, oui," Michelle nodded and answered quickly without thinking.
"Not like that," Jason replied, exasperated at her response. "Did … was there ever a time ... when you felt - when you thought that he ruined your life? Maybe he did something that hurt you?"
Michelle looked at Jason knowingly. "This is about Alina, n'est-ce pas?"
" … That obvious?" Jason asked again and Michelle smiled.
Jason looked away and licked his parching lips before continuing. "I … made a mistake. I sinned and … I don't know what to - how to tell her. I know she'll find out, but I can't ... I can't tell her. Not without hurting her and …"
Jason paused and took a breath. Suddenly, Michelle was reminded of the pain and sorrow that were in his eyes when he confused her for Katelyn. She had an inkling that whatever happened was related to Katelyn, that Jason was acting like this because of her and, for some reason, an ache developed in her heart.
"It's funny actually. I've been through terrible situations," Jason continued, not noticing the melancholy Michelle was emitting. "I've been through war and I've seen - lost - so much but not once was I scared. Worried, yes. Yeah, I've been worried. But scared? No. This … is a first."
Michelle mulled over Jason's words as her eyes moved to her left arm. She smiled sadly when she saw the place where her hand should've been.
"I do know what you mean," she said after a while. "I also felt like that. Once. About Raphael. I … never blamed him, pas même une fois, for what happened but I …" Michelle took a deep breath before continuing. She steeled her eyes and looked at Jason. "Il est facile de pardonner mais plus difficile d'oublier."
"Easy to forgive … but not to forget?" Jason repeated slowly. The light returned in his eyes and the feeling of heaviness emanating from him was lifted. "I don't expect her to forgive and forget. I just … I don't want to lose my sister."
Again, He added in his mind. Jason smiled and looked at Michelle gratefully. "Thank you, Michelle. I know what I should do."
"De rien," Michelle blushed and looked away when she saw his gentle look, her face was as red as a ripe tomato.
Jason massaged her arm with more vigour as he poured what little Qi that he had into it. This would help Michelle's arm and she wouldn't feel discomfort for a while.
"You should get some sleep," Jason said after some time had passed and Michelle nodded. "There's school tomorrow and you don't want to be late. Silvie will be looking for, uh, what'd she call'em? Oh, right. Tardy students."
Michelle smiled and left for the bedroom while Jason sat back down. At the entrance, Michelle hesitated and looked back for a moment before leaving. Jason sighed while looking at the time. The HUD in his holo-lens showed that it was almost four in the morning.
Hm, might as well get some food ready for the girls, Jason thought as he got up. He stretched his back and forced the alcohol in his system out, flooding the room with spicy alcoholic vapours. He coughed a bit of blood after doing that; his Qi resources were almost depleted and he was forcing himself to use it which was harming him even more. But first, I think I'll take a shower.
[2] Basically her thoughts translate to: "What is this feeling? Why am I so nervous?" (Somethin like that, I don't remember the exact wording)
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