Chapter 11

If you've read this far, fantastic! I'm grading you an A++!! Now, keep reading because it gets better, I promise...

The last time Jackie Clemmons had felt this cold and sick was last summer when she had come down with pneumonia. She was sick in bed, cold all the time, and always choking down liquids and medicine to relieve her of the pain of sickness. Breathing in heavily, she sat up and looked around at her surroundings.

The all-too-familiar beam of floresent light shone down on her from above. Cold, angry, and racid thoughts jumbled through her mind, which was certainly not her own. Then, she remembered; Dennis Payr. He was a Mind-Reader. She swung her head over to him, a terrified expression lighting her face. Dennis's eyes were closed, and he was tossing and turning, as though he was enduring a bad dream or convulsion. He definately awake, though, Jackie could tell.

"Will you stop eavesdropping and look at me!" she demanded loudly, remembering him causing her to faint. Anger pulsated through her veins like the blood that they contained.

Dennis pretended to snap awake, looking at her with severely tired eyes. "What 'ime is it?" he lied smoothly.

"Time to wakey wakey," Jackie joked, flipping the covers off his bed.

He shrieked at the cold and pulled the covers back.

"What is wrong with you!!?? I barely even know you!!"

Jackie smiled devilishly. "That's the point. You don't know what my measures are."

Suddenly, her mind wandered back to her best friend. "Bella!" she cried,and flew to the door.

"Jackie!" a familiar voice rang through her ears. She turned around. Scott had leaping up in bed from their shouting and was looking at her in a puzzled manner.

"Scott!" she cried. "You want all the nurses to run in here like maniacs to see what the heck is the matter??"

Scott dumbfoundedly put away his surreal act and looked solemnly at the floor. He remained silent.

"Aw, comeon," Dennis grinned widely. "We're all weird! We're all strange! We belong together."

"Like, I'm destined to marry you?" Jackie joked, staring Dennis straight in the eye.

"Nah, but maybe," Dennis Payr grinned back, smiling devilishly.

Jackie rolled her eyes just in time to see a nurse walk in.

"Jackie Clemmons, get back in bed!" screamed the woman in white. Then, Jackie blinked and realized it was not a nurse, but Bella!

"Bella!" she cried. "You came!"

"Jack, you've been out for three days. I've come every day!" she turned to Scott Granger and Dennis Payr. "Who are these joksters?"

"Jokesters? What, do I laugh that much?" grinned Dennis with a strain in his voice. Instantly, Jackie plundered over to his head and wacked him, knowing that he was trying to read her friend's innocent mind.

"No, just you haven't introduced yourself yet," Bella said.

"My name is Scott Granger," Scott croaked from his bed next to Dennis's.

"You mean the famous author!" Bella cried, shaking his hand wildly. Dennis and Jackie had time to roll their eyes before Bella looked suspesiously at Dennis.

"And you are?"

"Dennis Leary."

"Excuse me?" Jackie hollared in his face. Another thing he picked up from his nifty new skill, she bet.

"Uh, Dennis Payr."

"You had said Dennis Leary..."

Dennis tried to make a smooth getaway. "I was think of someone else when I was tell you," he bonked himself in the head. "Space cadet, here."

Jackie instantly knew that he was telling the truth. 

Not the whole truth, though.

"Orright," she turned to Jackie. "Are ya gonna get back in bed, or what?"

Jackie shot her a grin and sped to the safe and warm covers. 

"So you all see visions, eh?"

Dennis nodded, but Scott inturrpted, "What, you see 'em too?"

"No," Bella laughted light-heartedly. "Jackie told me she does."

"And a few of 'em, too." Jackie pronouced eagerly.

Non-smiling for once, Dennis Payr said, "What don't we all tell of our visions while we're gathered around in the quiet." he eyed Bella warily.

She's not a secret agent or something, is she? Dennis projected the thought into Jackie's mind. 

She grinned, then  answered, No, she's my best friend. We can trust her.

I hope so, Dennis thought back, still suspecious on how Bella knew all these things. 

He was eager to shout out to her, "What does SNM stand for??"

But he didn't.

Because she probably didn't know.

But even though, Dennis had a strange feeling that she did. 

Author's Note

Ooh! Things unseen, hints left, search this chapter truthfully (Ooh! JackieXDennis!)