Chapter 43: Chapter 41: Lies. For The Greater Good!

Jered grunted with a roll of his eyes. Of course Kenny would confess to him when the horror-esque night came to a happy ending, "Kenny, no. You're ruining everything. We're friends. We're partners. We've got each other's back. I help you, you help me. That's our dynamic. There shouldn't be any drama between us. Certainly not love. Besides, I'm not boyfriend material. I'm the last guy on earth you should be attracted to. You would only end up messing up your life for something unattainable. Be realistic! We're better off as friends."

A bitter chuckle rolled out of Kenny, his smile weak and wet, "I knew you'd say something like that..." a sniff, "... but even knowing so, I still wanted to say it. Because I thought that, maybe... just maybe, you'd say yes. But that's ridiculous. I mean, you're Jered. You're handsome, charming, and... you even have this magic stuff going on. You would never like someone like me... I'm a girl trapped in a dude's body. I'm creepy. I like weird stuff. And... apparently, I'm the last guy on earth you'll ever be attracted to."

"Look. I'm not good with emotions. I can't give you what you want. If a sparkly, problem-free relationship is what you want, you should try your luck on craigslist. And yes, you're a dude. Let's be honest, I'm not into that. Oh, and you're laying in your own pool of piss right now. Not really the best time to confess, right?"

"Jered..." Kenny muttered, a sharp glint flashing past his eyes, "If I didn't have a penis... would you have considered dating me?"

"I guess? Objectively speaking, you'd make a very attractive woman." 

"I see... an attractive woman, huh?"

"Yes, but don't do anything I would do. You don't need to change for me, Kenny. Seriously. Anyone in their right mind would easily admit that you're beautiful, penis or not. You're 16, for fuck's sake. Don't go all-in on me," Jered sighed, "You still have a long road of break-ups ahead before you find the true love of your life."

"..."

"Well, I need to back go home..."

"..."

"No more ghosts! Yay!" Jered cheered, but there was no change in Kenny's expression, "Ah, whatever," he shoved himself up, dusted his behind, and headed towards the door. It was not his responsibility that of healing Kenny's broken heart. If he wanted to brood, then so be it. He had a sister who was on the verge of cannibalizing the shit out of everyone to take care of.

"See you at school."

"See you..." Kenny mustered a strained smile, "I need to think about something, sorry."

"Hope you find the answer you're looking for."

"I hope so too..."

---

Jered drove back home, his head a mess of thoughts. It had been a quick trip, and an even quicker fight. He had an unfair advantage, but who cared. Carter was dead now. Deader than before, at least. He had a harder time dealing with Kenny's impromptu confession than his ghost classmate.

His house came within sight. There was no light on, so he assumed everyone was asleep. Jasmine's condition was something he had no idea how to fix. If worse came to worst, she might have to permanently live like that. Which meant Jered would have to help her procure food. Not to mention keep a careful eye on her interactions with Jane. While she could still feel human emotions, once the switch was turned on, there was no stopping her. 

He parked the car inside the garage, turned it off, and got out. Thankfully, his Mana Pool was slowly recovering. He didn't like being mana-depleted. It made him feel naked, weak, and vulnerable. It was the 'integration' part Rainey once explained. The moment a living being was infused with mana, they couldn't, and refused, to live without it. As soon as he stepped into the living room, a shadow curled up in the couch shuffled, "Jered?" 

Why was his mother still awake?

Hell, she was even enacting some sort of horror scene by bathing in the darkness like that. 

"Mom? I thought you were sleeping..."

"Yeah, well, I was..." Jane admitted, "But I heard noises in your sister's room..."

He frowned, "Noises?"

She nodded, "Yes, uhh. I heard something breaking, and then... chewing sounds. I was concerned, so I went there to investigate. I knocked multiple times, but she never answered. Even the noises had stopped. I don't know what to think... Jered, what do you know?"

"..." Jered ignored her and hurried up the stairs. Somehow, no one thought of turning the lights on. He halted in front of Jasmine's room. An all too familiar tang prickled his nose. He sighed. Fuck. It was blood. He tucked a hand in his pocket and quickly retrieved a key. He inserted it into the keyhole and twisted. The door was now unlocked.

And just as he was about to push it open…

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"Jered!" 

Of course Jane would follow him.

He timely halted his hand, though that was just a question of time. She would insist on going in, and then chuck up from whatever eldritch horror Jasmine's hunger had fabricated. Jered didn't know how to explain that one, "Mom, allow me to handle this. Just wait for me downstairs, okay?" he tried, putting on his most convincing smile.

The way she forked her hips and arched one eyebrow was a dead giveaway of what she thought, "Seriously? My baby girl is not feeling well, and you want me to just wait downstairs?!"

Honestly, it sounded way better in his head. 

"It's just that..."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "Just what? You better give me a good explanation right now, young man."

"... that... Jasmine..." Jered sighed, "You know what, never mind. Let's go inside."

She walked past him, wrinkling her nose in displeasure. He heaved a deep breath in, wrung out every drop of mana he had just replenished, and cast 'Low Conceal'. The spell was too simple, and therefore it required an enormous amount of mana for it to work better. A seamless dome spread out around them, phasing through the walls. Jane pushed the ajar door open, and flipped the switch up.

The light turned on.

Now, there were two potential outcomes. Either the spell worked, and Jered would be spared from the headache that would come in the form of his mother freaking out about her daughter's cannibalistic tendencies. Or it didn't. And a whole clusterfuck of problems was about to unravel. It meant no more secrets, no more hiding. But even then, he didn't know if she would accept—or resign herself to—the twisted nature their children had been hiding, in the case of Jered, or developed, in the case of Jasmine.

"Huh?"

Jaune paused, blinking. Besides the sharp copper-ish tang, there was nothing, no one there, "I could have sworn she was here. I-I didn't hear her going out of her room... that's weird," she bit her bottom lip, "Maybe she's in the bathroom?" she sniffed the air, recoiling slightly from the pungent smell, "Gosh, she must be in her period," she groaned, turned around, and promptly walked off.

Jered didn't waste a second. He shut the door and locked it, just in time for the spell to wear out. He dropped to his knees, hands on the floor, panting. The pristine walls around him darkened with stripes of blood. The spotless tiles he was resting on were strewn with slabs of flesh. The furniture, the bed, the windows. Everything was baptized with some blotches of blood. If Jane had seen this, she would have had a mental breakdown, no doubt.

Who would have expected that such a human slaughterhouse was born from her precious daughter's hunger?

He grunted, climbing back to his feet. Being mana-drained twice in two hours felt like getting deep-throated by the Devil, twice. His face was clammy with sweat, his legs shaky, and his face red from the exertion. Jasmine was tucked away in a corner, knees curled up, and her head buried in her arms. She lulled back and forth, sniffing, unresponsive to his presence. 

"Jasmine..."

Jered called out softly, mindful of her mental state. Then he stared at the floor. It was literally hell—a river of blood that led up to Jasmine. A mangled corpse was next to her, with teeth marks all over its disfigured form. A wolf would have done a cleaner job. It was crazy how she could tear limbs apart like that, chew on bones, and fit all of that flesh inside her stomach. 

"Jasmine..." he approached her, but she ignored him. With a sigh, he sat down next to her. It felt like Kenny's episode all over again. He just hoped she wouldn't suddenly confess to him. Some things were better left unsaid. He nudged her, "Heeeey... sis, it's me..." 

She looked up, tears pouring down her eyes, "I'm a monster..." she croaked out, "I'm a monster..."

"No, no... you aren't," he assuaged, rubbing her shoulder, "What happened... how did this happen?"

"..."

"Jasmine, please, tell me."

"I was sooo hungry, Jered. I've never felt such an intense hunger before... oh my God, what have I done!" she broke down in sobs, "I was trying my best, Jered. I swear! But it started to hurt, then... then the voice in my head wouldn't stop... and... and... I think I blacked out! W-When I came to, there was flesh in my mouth! Human flesh! And… and—"

"Hey, hey... slow down," Jered spread his arms wide open, and Jasmine readily threw herself at him, crying against his chest, "I know it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. I'm on your side, you know that," he kissed the crown of her head, "Look, you can explain the rest to me when you've calmed down, and after we cleaned this mess... mom is about to come back here..." 

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