"M-max."
Sunny tugged on the arm of the sleeping adult, her eyes wide and her voice tremulous. Her face was white with fear and she swallowed.
"Something's wrong with Jack."
- - -
Nemo sat on the train, his head lolled against the window, pools of sadness where his joyful eyes used to be. His daughter, with whom he should have been exchanging hopeful glances and cheerful thoughts with, sat across from the pair of them, sulking as she stared out the window, loud music blaring through her headphones. She didn't seem keen to forgive her father for being so disinterested in her. Jack could not explain to Mel that Nemo was not usually like this, that he usually was the life of any party. But neither seemed ready to think of the other.
It was all as it had been that day. After a moment, Jack reached over and grabbed Nemo's hand, though he did not respond in any way to the movement. Jack looked out the window - rather than seeing the American countryside, she saw images of death. First her cousin, struck down by Ne'Os Emof; followed by her uncle, being stabbed by bookies; and a flash of red hair and the smell of alcohol suddenly struck her. She forced her head away quickly.
Nemo was screaming at a bartender. Mel had stumbled down from the rented room, watching with shock as her father seemed to be the very opposite of what had made her mother fall for him. And Jack, the stranger to the family, tried to end it. She approached Nemo and grabbed his shoulder, whispering the soothing words she could. He pushed her off and Jack stumbled, falling back into a chair. Images of being shoved against walls, stabbed, and attacked by the poltergeist that had never left her pounded in her brain. She forced her way up and cast the life-altering spell. She could not now, but she continued, erasing every suicide attempt, the move to London, erasing herself.
She turned to Mel, and wiped her clean as well. In this dream, she was able to carry them both without magic. But as she took them upstairs to construct a new life, her legs crashed through each stair, sinking further and further, until she fell through. Nemo wakened and grabbed the stairs and his daughter, as Jack fell into the abyss. Nemo stretched an arm out and Jack stretched back, before he suddenly withdrew his hand, letting her fall, fall, fall...
She landed in a lake. The Loch Ness monster charged her. She relaxed, opening her arms to accept the embrace of its fearsome teeth. It opened its mouth wide and swallowed her. She slid down a long chute and spit out, landing in a soft bed.
She rolled over, content in this bed, and slowly opened her eyes. She was lying next to Chase Moor's form, eyes wide open, mouth agape in fear and sadness. Jack let out a cry and reached for Chase, but her hands went right through her. She sat up in fear and turned.
Vito stood in a coat and tails, smiling at her. He slowly approached and lied down on the bed, on the opposite side of Chase. With a smirk, he drawled, 'Do you feel like there's something between us?' He ran a hand over Chase and her body began to melt into a puddle, which began to evaporate.
'No, no, no!" Jack said, scrambling to her knees as she tried to grab the wisps that were once her best friend. She looked at Vito and grabbed him by the collar. 'Bring her back. Bring her back!'
He smiled. 'I can't - I wasn't the one to send her away.' Jack stared into his eyes, and saw Albus within the orbs, smirking an evil smile as she crossed his arms. Katrina-Carlotta du Hunt appeared behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Jack shook herself and looked at Vito's face, scowling. 'I want nothing to do with you. I want you gone. I want you to have never been apart of me.'
Vito smiled and flourished a hand, pulling out a cobwebbed, moth eaten veil. He placed it atop her head and drew uncomfortably near. 'We don't get what we want. You are wed to death.'
Jack tugged the veil but it would not come off. Vito stood, laughing, as he stared out the window. Jack bellowed with fear and anguish as she tore at the veil, which would not budge. In a sudden fit of terror, she ran off the bed and shoved Vito. They careened through the window and began falling. Vito turned, midair, and held out his arms, looking terrified. 'Jack. Embrace it.' Jack shook her head, though the ground approached rapidly. At the last moment, she shamefully wrapped her arms around Vito in fear. He babbled with laughter and the ground rammed into them-Jack sat up in bed, gasping. Her chest heaved as though she had not breathed in days. She gripped her chest and hacked out breaths, beads of sweat rolling down her temple as she wheezed, tears leaking down her face. She flopped forward, holding onto the bedposts at the foot of her bed, hyperventilating as she let out small, little moans.
It took her a few minutes, but soon she was able to crawl out of bed and towards her bathroom. Her limbs trembled as she approached the sink, turning it on and splashing her face. She needed something in her stomach, so she approached her bedroom door.
Outside her room, Sunny gripped Max's hand. They stood outside the door, having listened to all the noises the woman had made during her nightmares - whimpers, cries, and the ghosts of screams. Sunny looked down and could hear her aunt's footsteps approaching. The girl did not like the idea of facing her aunt in a weakened state, so she suddenly ripped her hand from Max's and ran down the hall, diving into her bed.
Jack opened the door to see Max in the hallway. She was in the midst of brushing away the last tear when she froze, staring at him. "Oh." Beyond that, she was unable to speak. What could she say? What could she say?
by 
