Feral Heart

---

A vague sense of disappointment hung over Jessamine as she and Tom exited the building they had been searching. She had hoped to have found at least something of use, but the only thing at least of a little value in their current situation that she had found turned out to be broken. Her mind lingered on the saddened earlier state of Tom as he had stared down at the mobile and she glanced up at him, half of her attention dedicated to her not breaking her ankle on all of the rubble scattered about. There was something about this place that didn't seem quite right. The doctor had said that it was completely abandoned; yet it didn't seem completely empty, and every once in a while Jess would catch a movement out of the corner of her eye that would be gone in a second.

Looking down at her ragged shoes, she sighed and kicked them off. They had little use to her now that they were almost torn to shreds thanks to the unstable terrain in which they had to climb through to get to where they were standing. Looking around, Jess' gaze landed on something half-hidden in the shadows of an alley. Making sure not to step on anything that could hurt her, she picked her way across to what was now clearly a large, sturdy pair of combat boots. Frowning, she examined them with caution. Had that been a coincidence? The fact that a pair of boots had appeared not too far away when she was in desperate need of them aroused a dark current of suspicion in her mind. Checking her surroundings once more, the girl slipped her bare feet into the boots after emptying them of any dirt that had collected inside them. They were a few sizes too big, but she tied the laces as tight as they would go to prevent her feet from slipping out. Testing them with a few stomps, a hollow feeling inside her chest told her that these shouldn't be here. That, like everything else around here, these boots should be at least a little worn from all of the turmoil the city had been through.

Quickening her pace in her new-found footwear, the confident glow that seemed to be ammiting from Jessamine had dulled quite a bit by the worry that formed a crease in her forehead and caused her to bite her lower lip. She stopped to stand beside Tom, her eyes darting around them. "Tom." She muttered, noting that it was the first time that she had said his name out loud. "I don't think we're alone." As much as she wanted to continue searching for food and weapons, she couldn't help but begin to panic at the slightest change of wind, or even the squawk of a bird. Great. Now we're back to the usual apprehensive, cowardly Jess. The cruel voice at the back of her mind made itself known yet again, ready to contradict every thought she had and increase every irrational fear she felt.

---

Jess was one of the last subjects to exit the aircraft after yet some more problems with her seatbelt. Her hands had been shaking so badly that she had to attract one of the nurses on the plane to undo it for her, her cheeks aflame with embarrassment. Gliding into the sunlight to catch up with the others, she couldn't help but cringe from the heat emitted from the hot sun. Taking a second to adjust to the brightness, her mouth formed an 'o' of surprise and awe for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. The ruins of what once must have been a beautiful city gleamed in an ominous manner in the afternoon light. A part of her mind registered what the doctor was saying to the group, whereas the rest was calculating the likelihood of their survival. No food, no clothes, and no weapons apart from themselves? The chances were pretty grim.

Wait...what? The last words of the doctor had just sunken in when the deafening roar from the engines of the aircraft signalled its departure. Despite their current situation, Jessamine felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders at the absence of the constant watch of the sanctuary. She allowed her eyes to meet the gaze of Thomas's, a surge of guilt consumed her as she realised that her life would now be woven into his. She would not let the consequences of her actions effect him too; squaring her shoulders, her guilt was soon replaced with courage similar to that in which she had felt earlier with the pervert doctor. Taking a few steps towards her partner, she allowed a reassuring smile to reach her features. She would be brave for the two of them, she decided.

Her ears picked up the group's conversations and her mind instantly agreed with Finn's idea. Jess was not sure if the others were interested in staying together as a group, but it would surely be beneficial for them to put their brains and talents together. "Food and shelter might be in the city." A voice escaped her lips without it meaning to and she pursed them together, not used to the fact that others would be hearing her opinion. She, of course, still had her worries about the city and what other inhabitants there might be. The brunette's guard was up higher than ever now that she had multiple lives in her hands. The thought sent yet another wave of self-confidence running through her. Oddly enough, this responsibility seemed to have ignited the once-lost fire in her heart that she felt when she had someone to look after.

---

She had been surprised that Thomas had said yes. The fact that the subjects had no idea what would be happening increase to commitment factor of the partners situation. Jess smiled at her new nickname, 'little brave', and scuffed her feet shyly against the floor. At the back of her mind, she was hoping that she didn't seem too clingy, like a lost puppy that seemed to always follow Thomas, but she pursed her lips and pushed the thought away. She snapped back to reality when she noticed that everyone seemed to be following the scientists up a set of stairs. Quickening her pace to catch up,  Jessamine took her position beside Tom.

The sunlight caused the girl to blink a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. Without any trees or even buildings to shield the group from the heat of the sun, Jess' breathing soon began to pick up along with her heart rate, not helping the tension of the situation. A sharp pain distracted her from her surroundings and Jess whipped around to see what the source of the pain in her neck was. She watched as Thomas also received a 'tracker', her mind racing at the thought of the subjects needing to be tracked. Her bracelet was a struggle to put on, multiple models were needed before the smallest size, meant for children, managed to fit her thin wrist. Raising an eyebrow in a sceptical manner, Jessamine tugged at the metal. "Oh no, dear. That won't come off."

Frowning, she shifted her weight uncomfortably and, tripping on her trailing shoe laces, she began to fall. More of a shock came when a pair of strong arms held her upright, lingering around her waist as she regained her balance. Turning to face the doctor holding her, normally Jess would have flinched away from the greedy look in the man's eyes as his gaze swept up and down over her; but, remembering Thomas' earlier words, a low growl escaped her lips. Stepping out of the man's hungry grasp, she marvelled at the fact that the doctor even shrunk away from her unexpected reaction before briskly turning and walking away. Feeling proud of herself, Jess even managed a smug smile before facing the aircraft; the wave of questions once again circled her mind and the short-lived pride disappeared.

---

Frozen in place with shock, Jessamine's gaze followed Thomas as he exited the courtyard without a backward glance. She had shown him the picture so that at least someone could understand why she was here, but she had not been expecting the words he spoke to have such an effect on not only her, but himself as well. His normally hardened expression had softened into something that couldn't be put into words; the way he studied her as if she was some sort of specimen he had a particular interest in, the recognition the was noticeable in the way he furrowed his brows when he examined her precious photograph. It was a sad sort of recognition, one of lost hope and pity.

It wasn't until Jess was sure the man had left that she pushed herself up off of the ground, brushed herself off and advanced to the doors in which he had left through. She held her book in the crook of one arm, looking down at the ground where Tom's shoes had made indents in the grass far larger than hers did. At about three of his steps, a movement at the corner of the girl's eye just beside her in the grass caused her to stop. Tilting her head ever so slightly to the left, she crouched down and picked up the crumpled paper. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Jessamine uncrumpled the paper, flattening it out to reveal that what she first thought was a piece of rubbish that Thomas had thrown away was actually a family photo. The people in it smiling and happy. One of the boys were familiar, and she soon came to the conclusion that this boy must of been the younger Tom. She felt surge of empathy, not quite pity, towards him and how much he must be missing his family. Folding the photo in half, she straightened up and slipped it into her pocket where, at least for now, it was safe.

Pushing through the double doors, Jessamine's gaze was drawn to the energy-efficient lights flickering above her. With a jolt of shock, she realised that she could feel the electricity running through them, urging her to take it for herself. She stood for a second, mesmerised by the amount of power she had under her control. Hearing the distant slamming of doors, she shook her head as if women from a dream and continued down to corridor that lead to the sitting area. What was wrong with her?

-sorry it's so short-

I will also be going on vacation tomorrow for three weeks. The apartment in which I will be staying at doesn't have any internet, but the restaurants and other facilities me and my familiy will be using should. I definitely won't be as active, but I'll try to post as often as I can. If any of you find yourself waiting a while for me to post, feel free to take over Jessamine to interact with others but please keep in mind her original personality. Summer is a pain to have a roleplay as great as this taking place, since many are going on vacation ect. So, if this roleplay does die [touchwood] I hope that we could pick it up some time in the future? Here's hoping that would never happen of course ^,^