Chapter 6: Or are you a vampire?

“Cece, let’s talk about that at home.” Jade intervened immediately, freeing himself from his cousin.

He wondered why his own cousins acts like he was just a random boy dating their sister. He was their family, for Christ sake; Jess was not. At least, not yet.

“He doesn’t beat me. He has never touched me.” Jessica added when she realized that the tension in the car remained the same.

At home, they spent the evening listening to Cece talk about how Jaden had made her feel with his actions towards Jess previously. She had been reminded, from that action, her ordeal with Chris, her ex boyfriend.

“I do not want you to be like Chris. Nobody should have a partner like Chris. No one should have to go through what I went through.” Cece said, sniffling.

Allison already fell asleep. She was bored. Each time Cece had gotten drunk—which was often in the past—and Allison had come to her rescue, she somehow had to hear this story again and again; now, she could recite it like a poem.

“He used to say that a lot; I knew already that I wasn’t the first to get pregnant. But it didn’t mean I would get used to it immediately. The miscarriage is still the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I feel if Chris was more concerned, more attentive, it wouldn’t have happened that way. If he did not make it his life goal to get me stressed and sad, my baby would have clocked age one next month.”

Jaden had to tiredly listen to Cece rant on and on but he didn’t have a choice. He had caused everything after all. He knew she touched so much after each episode. Jessica already excused herself to have a shower and work on some school work, although she didn’t mind listening to Cece. Immediately after the shower, she fell asleep, she was too tired because of everything that had happened.

The next day, Jess experienced the best and most shocking thing in her life. All her scars were gone. There was no single one—neither a scratch nor a bruise, not even a single scar to show that they were once there.

“Jade, come and see something quick.” She called him from the bathroom.

Jaden was still sleepy but he managed to get up, rubbing his eyes with his palm, the second time she called due to the urgency in her tone.

“Babe.” He called drowsily. She opened the bathroom door and let him in.

“See, all my scars are gone. All of them.”

“Whoa. That’s so mad. What did you use?” He asked in awe, touching the parts of her skin where the scars were before to check if they had a different feel.

“Nothing!” She exclaimed. “I can’t believe it. I thought I’d take up to a month to recover completely, you know how my skin can be.” She tells him as she picked up one of her hair products and pressed a little quantity into her hand.

She cackles as Jaden scrunched his nose up and frowned. He hated the fragrance. Initially, she did too but she got used to it. A coursemate of hers who had just transitioned into the making of hair products cajoled her to buy her first ever product on the day it was launched. The subsequent products smelt better. After applying that one, she applied another one. Jade had already fled by then. He perched by the bathroom door and watched her do her thing.

“I can’t believe this, babe. That was the reason I didn’t bother to complete my course work yesterday. I thought I’d stick to online lectures till I heal completely. See me, I feel so energetic and better than yesterday.”

Jade was as surprised as she was but he just shrugged. He didn’t want to believe the thought that was coming into his mind. He had once watched in a movie that werewolves and vampires didn’t take time to heal. He brushed it off his mind and said something else.

“Probably one of your skin care products. Maybe they contain something that makes your skin softer and make wounds easier to heal. Have you checked the content of the new one you got?”

“Not yet but I don’t think that’s the case though. But if it is, I’m so rating it a hundred percent on I*******m.” She cried out in awe. “Bruv, look at my skin.”

Her reactions made Jaden understand how bad she felt with the scars and how insecure she must have felt. She felt sincerely happy right now and it warmed his heart.

“I know, right.”

Cece and Allison exclaimed twice as much as Jess did herself when they noticed the scars were gone. Or rather when she announced it before the start of breakfast.

“Attention everyone, I have something to announce!” Jess had said. She was trying so hard to keep her look stern but her face gave it away, it was laced with pure excitement.

“Are we having twins?” Allison guessed.

“No, silly.” Jessica laughed. “All my scars are gone!” She announced, twirling for them to see. She wore a tank top, revealing enough for them to see all parts of her skin where the scars were before.

“Damn! Christ!” Cece exclaimed.

“Wow!” Allison squealed. “They were so bad, what happened overnight?” She asked curiously.

“I wanted to ask, you beat me to that.” Cece laughed. Today, she felt better and was back to her cheerful self.

“This must be magic, Jess. Or are you a vampire?” Allison asked casually, jokingly too, her eyes widened as she did, anticipating a reaction from her cousin who would always swear with his life that he was pretty sure Vampires were nothing but myth.

“What?” Jessica giggled.

“Jokes.” Allison laughed.

She got Jaden were she wanted. Jaden who had already proceeded to get himself a cup of coffee as the ladies gisted, almost choked on the liquid. He eyed Allison as he went on to clean his mess up.

“I don’t really know how it happened. Jaden thinks it’s my new skin care product.”

“What, girl? Tell me what the product is and I’d get it right away.” Allison demanded.

“You seem to forget that you are just eighteen and cannot afford most of Jessica’s body products.” Cece fired a playful shot at her kid sis.

“Oh, right. But that’s why I have you.” The younger girl smiled.

 “And no, I’m not getting anything for you.” Cece added almost immediately then she turned to Jessica who had been chuckling at their bickering, “Now you tell me, how did you get the scars in the first place?”

Jessica’s eyes widened in disbelief. Jade, who had just stepped into the dinning again, sighed in frustration.