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“ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE alright, Jamie?” Shella asks for the dozenth time as they stagger into Shockton. “You're not feeling weak or feverish or... or nauseous or anything?”
“No. I'm absolutely fine.”
Shella has a hard time swallowing his miracle cure. “But how? You were convulsing! There was foam coming out of your mouth! How does someone just bounce back after something like that?”
“I dunno,” Jamie shrugs. “I'm just lucky, I guess.”
“No. It isn't luck, Miss Franco,” Esteban suddenly chimes in. “Jamie Weston has God on his side!”
A tiny smile hovers on my lips. I do kind of feel like a god right now.
“Nah. I don't believe in God, man. I'm just lucky,” Jamie insists. “Anyway, Shella... we got you back to Shockton.”
“Without my dowry,” Shella finishes with a sigh.
I take a moment to glance around Shockton, which looks exactly like a Wild West town from a movie. There's a General Store, a saloon, and horse-drawn buggies. Tumbleweeds bounce across a dry desert road. I still can't believe I'm somewhere in the past. When I glance back at Alyx, she looks horribly out of place. Her green hair and ripped jeans stick out like a sore thumb.
“Well, I don't have your dowry either, sweetheart. Today, no one wins. We all walk away empty-handed.”
I expect Shella to chime in with another, “stop calling me sweetheart,” but she doesn't. Jamie's close encounter with death has definitely changed her.
“I wish God was good to me,” Esteban speaks up again. “Oooo, my feet! Me duele mucho!” When he has their attention, Esteban exaggerates a hobble.
“I was poisoned, Esteban. I had it worse,” Jamie says.
“I know. But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to complain!”
I'm walking next to Taishi, who's been pretty quiet for the last hour or so. I know he's mad at me for getting Jophiel's help, but he should be grateful. If not for my intervention, Jamie would've died, and our mission would have failed in the worst possible way.
Maybe it's a guy thing? They're all secretly competing with each other, and they don't like to be outperformed.
All of a sudden, Taishi's LightTab makes an odd beeping noise. Before I can ask what it is, he says, “It's the tracker. George Oras is close.”
“Really?” I gasp. “He's in Shockton?”
“Yes.” Taishi turns in the direction of the saloon. “He's in there.”
“So... we need to get Jamie in the saloon. Obviously.” When I glance back at Alyx, she's got headphones on. She's listening to Regal Crimson, I'm sure. For some reason, Wilma Dawes isn't back yet. Alyx is probably a thorn in her side, so I wouldn't be surprised if Wilma is intentionally dragging her feet. “So... what should we do?”
“Try shouting at him,” Taishi suggests. “You're good at that. You need to implant the thought in his mind. Generally speaking, cowboys like saloons, so it shouldn't be too hard. In the meantime, I'm going to look for George. Wear this, just in case.”
When Taishi slips a thoughtshare into my ear, I groan.
“Be mindful of your thoughts,” Taishi reminds me as he rushes away to find our thief.
Turning to Jamie, I scream, “Don't take Shella to her fiance's house! She can get there on her own! What you need is a drink!” I try to poke Jamie's back. “Look! There's a saloon over there! Don't you want to go inside?”
I check on Alyx again. Her music is so loud, I don't think she can hear me. Of course, her mission is a bit different than mine. It would probably be in her best interests if Jamie was a gentleman and walked with Shella the rest of the way. In a way, I feel like I'm sabotaging her.
“I, uh... I-I think this is where we should part ways, Shella,” Jamie stutters.
“What? Why?” Shella looks so disappointed, I almost feel a bit guilty.
“Because I can't drop you off at your fiance's place,” Jamie says. “I'm an outlaw. I'm a wanted man. You wouldn't want to be seen with me, would you?”
“I... guess you have a point.” Shella accepts his explanation with a shrug. “Do you think I'll see you again?”
“I dunno. Probably,” Jamie nonchalantly replies. “We'll cross paths eventually, don't you think?”
“Y-yeah.” Shella looks so crestfallen, I can feel her pain. Guys are so disappointing. This is exactly how I feel when Taishi gives me the cold shoulder.
And I've got a thoughtshare in my ear—which means Taishi just heard that. Great.
“Leigh-chan,” I suddenly hear Taishi's voice in my head. “Believe it or not, George Oras fell asleep at one of the tables. He's cuddling the box of money. Get Jamie in here now.”
I'm working on it, Taishi! Be patient!
“Well, I guess I'll see you around,” Jamie says. “Good luck with What's-his-name.”
“William.” A telling sigh slips from Shella's lips when she utters her fiance's name. If she would rather be with Jamie, why doesn't she just tell him?
“Yeah. William.” Jamie tips his hat and slinks backward, toward the saloon. “See you later, Shella.”
“Adios, senorita,” Esteban adds as he chases after Jamie. The poor guy is limping on his blistered feet.
Alright, Taishi, they're heading your way. I still haven't gotten a handle on this thoughtshare thing. No matter how any times I hear Taishi's voice speaking directly into my mind, it will forever be weird.
Everyone enters the saloon—including Alyx, who seems to be oblivious to everything but her favorite band's music. As soon as I step inside, my eyes are drawn to Taishi, who's standing by George Oras' table.
A split second later, I'm screaming into Jamie's ear again. “Look over there! To the left! It's the guy who stole your money, Jamie. Looooook!”
Taishi's right. I am good at this. Jamie immediately spots the thief and whispers something to Esteban. I can't hear them, but I assume they're discussing their next move.
I'm momentarily distracted by one of Taishi's random thoughts.
“Leigh-chan looks good as a cowgirl. Those clothes suit her.”
Aww. That's sweet. Later, I'll have to thank him for that compliment.
Jamie tiptoes to the table of the snoring George Oras, who fell asleep on the dowry box. When Jamie tries to slide the box away from his head, George immediately wakes up.
“Oh no!” I shrill. “Get him, Jamie! Punch him!”
Once again, Jamie heeds my advice. He throws a powerful right hook. At the same time, Taishi follows up with a left hook, and George is knocked out. Fortunately, none of George's posse is around to see Jamie escaping with the money.
“Woo-hoo!” I cheer, popping out the thoughtshare. Now that the money is back in Jamie's hands, Taishi doesn't need to hear my thoughts anymore. “We did it, Taishi! That was almost too easy!”
“Indeed. It's nice when everything goes right.”
When Taishi smiles at me, I freeze. His smiles are still rare. I wish I could take a mental picture of it and store it in my mind.
“Hey, did you guys get the money back?” Alyx suddenly drifts out of her own world and rejoins ours.
“Yeah,” I tell her. “Wow, you really weren't paying attention, were you?”
“Uhh... yeah. No.” Judging from her grin, Alyx has no shame. “What happened to Shella?”
“She went to her fiance's house.”
“Shit, really? I was supposed to get her to stay with Jamie!”
I want to help Alyx, but Taishi and I already finished our mission. The money is Jamie's again. We officially succeeded, even though it doesn't really feel like a success. In fact, now I feel a little guilty about celebrating. It's Shella's dowry money, after all.
When Jamie dashes out of the saloon, everyone follows him out. Taishi and I could leave, but I think we're both curious. I can't speak for Taishi, but I want to see how this day ends.
“Where are we going now?” Esteban asks. “To an inn?”
“No. I'm going to William's place. You don't have to go with me, Esteban.”
“William's place?” Esteban slowly repeats. “To see Shella?”
“Yeah.” Jamie cradles the dowry money against his chest. “In fact, maybe it's better if you didn't go with me. Go back to the saloon. That guy never saw your face, so you should be okay.”
“Alright.” Esteban hitches a shoulder as he returns to the saloon. “I'll see you later... I guess.”
Jamie charges across the street so quickly, he's practically running. Taishi is the only one who isn't struggling to keep up, and I'm not surprised. He's got longer legs than Alyx and me.
“When he gets back to Shella, I hope he runs up to her and confesses his undying love,” Alyx says. “That would be nice.”
Jamie doesn't make it all the way to William's house. He passes Shella along the way. She's sitting at a bench in front of the General Store, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Hey! Shella!” When Jamie calls out to her, she's startled by the sound of his voice. “What's with these tears? Why are you sad?”
“Oh... Jamie...” As Shella crushes the tears on her cheeks, her face turns a bit rosy. “I didn't expect to see you again. I guess I'm just... confused.”
“Confused? About what?”
Her answer is frustratingly vague. “About... everything.”
“Well, I've got something that might make you feel a bit better.” Jamie holds out the box of money. “Believe it or not, I got it back from the fella who stole it... and now I'm giving it back to you.”
Like me, Shella looks shocked. “What? You are?” she gasps.
“Yeah. I don't even have to think about it.” Jamie puts the box on her lap. “The money's yours. It should be with you.”
I've got to admit, I'm impressed. For an outlaw, that was unexpectedly noble of him. I'm a little confused, though. If Jamie isn't keeping the money, what does that mean for our mission? Did Taishi and I fail?
“Jamie... that's...” Shella never finishes her thought. I'm pretty sure she's overwhelmed.
“Anyway, I should probably get going,” Jamie says. “Like I said before, you shouldn't be seen with me. You're a good girl, and I'm a—”
Shella seizes Jamie's arm and drags him down to the bench. Tears shimmer in her eyes as she studies the handsome face of her former beau.
“Jamie, I don't want to marry him,” Shella blurts.
“You don't want to marry What's-his-name?”
Shella shakes her head. “No. I thought I cared about him... and I do. I like him a lot, but I don't love him.” Shella bravely reaches for Jamie's hand. I see his fingers twitch when she touches him. “There's only one man I've ever loved, and it's not William.”
“You better be talking about me and not your Pa.” Jamie's teasing earns him a light jab on the shoulder.
“Of course I'm talking about you!” Shella screeches. “I loved you, Jamie. I still do. I always have, and I always will.”
Our charge's thin lips are overtaken by a smug, satisfied grin. Jamie doesn't reply. Instead, he leans over to steal a kiss from his sweetheart's lips.
Stolen kisses are the only theft I do condone. I like happy endings.
Unfortunately, it's not a happy ending for Taishi and me. Now that the money is with Shella, I'm pretty sure we just failed.