Take My Breath Away ((Closed))

[Esmeralda Mendez]

((Set on the evening of December 19th, 1999.))

Ezzie stared out her window blankly. She smiled a bit as flecks of snow trickled down the window pane. It was finally the winter holidays. She had been in the home of the Jacobs for a few days now, and it brought back so many memories of the summer before. But, that was all in the past now. The memories of being with Ethan and their vacation in Capri-that was all a thing of the past now. She wasn’t Ethan’s girlfriend anymore. She wasn’t the budding star everyone loved. She was of course still a star, only everyone thought she was a troubled teen now. Of course, she did still love Ethan and Ethan still loved her, but he refused to break up with Amber. Ever since the beginning of December, things had been different between Ethan and Ezzie. They had shared their first kiss in months, and it had felt wonderful. It would have felt a lot better though if they had shared it as a couple. Ezzie rolled her eyes as she noticed two children running about outside and playing in the snow. Ezzie loved winter. All the snow just made everything seem so peaceful. Ezzie wanted to be out there, instead of cooped up inside. She walked up to Ethan’s room in the attic where he was talking on the telephone. She sat in the chair across from him and waited until he hung up the phone.

“Hey, I’ll call you back later, okay? I’ve got to go. I love you.” Ethan said and hung up the phone. Ezzie grimaced. He was talking to her again. Why didn’t he just do it right then and there? He told Ezzie he was going to break up with her the next time he saw her, so why didn’t he invite her over? He knew perfectly well he loved Ezzie more than that metal mouthed brat, so why didn’t he get the breakup over with already so Ezzie could stop lying and sneaking around. She rolled her eyes. “What’s your problem?” Ethan asked as he chucked the mobile phone across the room and it landed with a soft thud on his cluttered bed. Ezzie folded her arms and made a face.

“Tell me you invited her over. Tell me you’re going to break up with her when she’s here. Tell me, Ethan. You know I hate sneaking around like this. It’s just not right. It’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to Amber. She needs to know.” Ezzie said, glaring at Ethan. “I invited her over, no worries. She’s coming soon and I’ll do it then. But you didn’t come up here to listen in on my telephone calls, did you? What’s up?’ He said. Ezzie had completely forgotten why she had come. Then she glanced out the window. Right. She wanted to see if Ethan wanted to come outside with her.

“It really is beautiful out. How about we go outside to the park? Maybe we could bring a sled and ride down that big hill by the swings.” Ezzie suggested. Ethan shrugged. “Sure. But aren’t you worried some sleezy reporter will be hanging around? Don’t you know that the second they see a boy and a girl together they automatically assume they’re a couple? What if you run into Sinclair?”

“I don’t care much because in a couple of days, we will officially be a couple. The whole sneaking around thing is really romantic and all but it just doesn’t feel right doing this behind everyone’s backs. If it was only our parents we had to worry about then that would be another story, but it’s the whole world. That just takes the fun out of everything. Besides, I’m not afraid of Holly Sinclair. She can say what she wants about me.”

“I understand. Don’t worry Ezzie. This will all be over with in no time. Then we can be a couple again, just like we used to. I really missed those days when I was with Amber. When I was on dates with her I couldn’t help but think of you.” Ethan said as he took Ezzie’s hand lovingly. She smiled. “I’ll go get dressed.”
Ezzie walked downstairs into her room, where her mother was sound asleep. She didn’t know where Septimus went, but Ezzie just shrugged it off as she quietly searched through her drawers for something nice to wear. She wanted to show Ethan that he was better off with her, not Amber Hess.

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie found the perfect outfit. She snuck out of the room quietly and got dressed in the bathroom next door. When she came out, she looked perfect. She was wearing a beautiful off-white long sleeved shirt with a v-neck cut that had faux fur trimming on the edges. Over it, she wore her faux fur (she absolutely hated the idea of using real fur. The thought of killing animals for clothing made Ezzie sick) jacket and gloves that matched her shirt. She wore light, shimmering make-up on her eyelids and a pale pink gloss on her lips. She wore dark jeans and black leather snow boots. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She remembered back to a time when she would have frowned at her reflection. But now that she was going to be with Ethan again, all was perfect. Ezzie had finally achieved the perfection she had strived for. She smiled again as she practically skipped out of the bathroom and into the foyer, where Ethan was waiting. He had merely slipped on a jacket. He seemed to have a talent of looking like he had only just woken up, but he was good at it, for no matter what he did, he looked stunning. She smiled. She was feeling downright giddy. She hadn’t been this happy in ages. To be honest, this was pretty much one of the happiest moments in the fourteen years of Ezzie’s life. She smiled as Ethan and Ezzie started walking toward the door. Suddenly, someone stopped them.

“And where do you two think you’re going?” Mr. Jacobs’ voice rang out throughout the giant room. He was lounging in an armchair near the door reading a novel. He placed it down on his lap and removed his eye-glasses. “We’re going to go out to the park to go sledding.” Ethan said, holding up his sled to show his father. “Are you sure? There will be reporters everywhere. Holly Sinclair and that little demon child are probably lurking around here somewhere. If you’re going to go, at least bring Jim with you.” He said in a worried tone, referring to the family bodyguard. Ethan glanced at Ezzie, and her eyes very clearly told Ethan that she wanted this to be an afternoon alone with her soon-to-be boyfriend. “I think we can handle the media. Those Sinclair demons are no match for us! We’ll be careful, promise.” He said. Mr. Jacobs shrugged, reminding Ezzie of his son for a brief moment. “Well go on then. Be careful.” Ethan flashed his father a smile. “Thanks, dad. See you later. Love you.” Ethan opened the door and Ezzie walked out. “Bye kids! Have fun!” Cried Mrs. Jacobs’ voice from the kitchen. Ezzie waved goodbye and walked out with Ethan. She giggled a bit, not really knowing why. “How about we go over to that hill in the park and have us some fun?” Ethan suggested, pointing at the park. She smiled and nodded, feeling very warm in her faux fur coat. She looked up into the sky as snowflakes tumbled down, as if god were pouring them out of a big bag from heaven. She smiled up at God. “Thank you.” She whispered under her breath.

As the couple approached the hill, Ezzie looked down. “Wow, that’s really steep. You can go first.” She said, handing Ethan the sled. He laughed. “Chicken.” Ethan mounted the sled and prepared to take off. Ezzie laughed. The two took turns sledding down the hill, laughing wildly after every landing. They were having so much fun, that none of them noticed the small white car parked just behind them. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, Ezzie and Ethan stopped sledding. Feeling mischievous, (as usual) Ethan bent low and picked up a handful of cold wet snow. He balled it up, and threw it at Ezzie. She screamed a bit and laughed, starting to ball up some snow of her own. None of them noticed the window of the white car roll down; neither did they notice the small pistol that was peeking out from it. They did not notice the man aim straight for Ezzie’s chest. Suddenly, the sound of a loud gunshot could be heard throughout the park. Ethan noticed it first, and saw where it was coming from and where it was headed. “EZZIE! WATCH OUT!” He yelled, jumping in front of her. Ezzie screamed, standing frozen in shock. She watched as the speeding bullet went straight for Ethan’s chest. As it hit him, he fell to the ground, staining the pure white snow with a puddle of blood. Ezzie continued to scream as the white car sped off into the night.

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie stared down at Ethan’s cold motionless body. She looked around desperately for anyone she could find. She screamed for help. “Ethan!” Ezzie tried to wake Ethan. Her hands were covered in his blood and she was sobbing. Suddenly, in the distance she saw something. Now was the only time she would ever be happy to see something like that. Ezzie’s knees were starting to hurt as they lay against the cold ground. The snow was no longer white, but stained by puddles of blood. She saw the man with the camera in the distance. He was searching for her and Ethan. She called from across the park. “HEY! YOU! PAPPARAZZI MAN! COME HERE!” Ezzie said in a weak but loud voice. He raised his camera. “NO! COME HERE! YOU CAN TAKE ALL THE PICTURES YOU WANT LATER, JUST COME HERE!” She yelled and let out a sob. Ethan couldn’t be dead. He just couldn’t. Ethan was too young to die. It wasn’t his time! Ezzie knew Ethan would wake up. He just had to! “Ethan, wake up please!” She sobbed as she tried to shake him back into consciousness. She saw the man with the camera run over to her. He gasped. He raised his camera to take a picture. It was just like those sleezy paparazzi to make sure they received their story before they went to save someone’s life. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDING THERE YOU IDIOT! GET HIM SOME GOD DAMNED HELP! CALL AN AMBULANCE OR SOMETHING! ETHAN WON’T WAKE UP!” She said through frustrated tears. Why wasn’t he doing anything? Ethan was lying on the snow covered ground bleeding to death and all this guy could do was take pictures?

“Right umm…sorry.” He said as he pulled out his mobile phone. Ezzie’s white sleeves had been dyed red by all the blood that had covered it. Ezzie stared at Ethan’s face, which was pale and motionless. “An ambulance is on its way. Tell me, how did this happen?” The reporter asked with a tape recorder out n his hand. Ezzie knocked it out of his hand.

“HOW DARE YOU?! ETHAN IS DYING OVER HERE AND ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS GETTING YOUR STUPID STORY. HOW’S THIS FOR A STORY? I’M SICK OF YOU PEOPLE INTERFERING IN MY LIFE! I WISH YOU WOULD JUST GET LOST AND STOP FOLLOWING ME AROUND!” She said, her anger rising with every second. “You said an ambulance is on its way?”

“Yes but-“The reporter stuttered. “Good. Then you can leave now.” Ezzie said coldly. She turned to look at Ethan. He seemed so peaceful. If it wasn’t for the blood that was seeping out from everywhere, Ezzie could have sworn he was only sleeping. She let one small tear fall down onto Ethan’s face. Ezzie stared at Ethan’s pale motionless face, letting multiple tears fall down onto his face. This was all her fault. If it hadn’t been for her, Ethan would still be alive. Ezzie gripped Ethan’s hand. “Please don’t go. Just hold on a bit longer.” Ezzie said in a soothing voice. But it wasn’t Ethan she was trying to soothe, it was herself. “The ambulance is here Ethan. They’re going to fix you.” She said weakly as a big white truck appeared at the curb. People noticed the siren and the lights and started to crowd around the scene. Police men arrived and set up police lines so people couldn’t cross them. And sure enough, Holly and Aimee Sinclair were standing in a corner, leaning on a tree with matching evil grins on their pale thin faces.

Ezzie just sat there as the strange men hauled Ethan’s limp body onto a stretcher and into the large truck. “C’mon miss. It’s not safe for you here.” A man tried to help Ezzie into the truck. She obliged. The ambulance took off immediately. “See Ethan? The ambulance is here. They’ve come to help you. Please don’t go.” Ezzie went to hold his hand again. A woman in the ambulance started asking her questions. “Sweetie, you need to tell me what happened. How did Ethan get hurt?” Ezzie turned to the woman, determined to keep her grip on Ethan’s hand. “He got shot. Someone tried to shoot at me but he saved me.” Ezzie said, trying to keep the angry monster locked up inside of her. “That was sweet of him. Do you know who shot him?” She said kindly. “No, it wasn’t sweet. Because now it’s all my fault he’s this way. Now I’m here and he’s asleep. I wish he would wake up. I don’t even know who did it.” Ezzie said, tears brimming in her eyes again.

“Oh no, it’s not your fault at all dear. It was an accident. Now we’ll be at the hospital in a minute. Can you tell me where I can reach Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs? They really should know about this.” She said kindly. Ezzie told her their telephone numbers. She looked at Ethan again. His small lip rings glistened in the light. She felt more tears trickle down her cheeks.

[Esmeralda Mendez]

As the ambulance came to a halt in front of some muggle hospital, the woman tried to make Ezzie let go of Ethan’s hand. “Honey, Ethan has to go to the doctors now.” She said in a soft voice, almost like she was trying to console a five year old who just fell off her bike. “I’m not five years old you know.” She said maliciously. “And I’m coming with him. I want him to be okay.” Ezzie protested. She wasn’t going to leave Ethan’s side for a second. That was just the kind of person she was. While Ethan’s ‘girlfriend’ was out having fun with her friend, Ezzie was trying to keep Ethan alive. She needed to help him, she just needed to. Ethan wasn’t going to….Ezzie let out a long heavy sigh. She didn’t even want to think about it. “Now, Ezzie.” The strange woman said, slightly less sweet than before. “You need to wait in the waiting room while the doctors take care of Ethan. I promise you’ll get to see him again.” She said with a sickening warm smile. Ezzie gave in. Ethan was dying; there was no time to waste. Ezzie couldn’t go wasting precious time trying to follow him into the operating room. “Fine. Where’s the waiting room?” She asked stubbornly. She followed the lady into the waiting room. “Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs are on their way. They said they were bringing your mother along.” The lady said. And without another word, she vanished into the truck again. The ambulance sped off into the night, leaving Ezzie alone in the room. Suddenly, she heard the door swing open again. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs ran to greet Ezzie. “EZZIE! I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE OKAY!” Mrs. Jacobs screamed. “Where’s Ethan? What happened? Is he alright?” She said, looking around frantically. It was as if she expected Ethan to stroll through that door and smile brightly at them. If only that were true. Ezzie sighed heavily, and began to explain what had happened in a shaky voice. Her sleeves were still soaked with Ethan’s blood.

“We were having a snowball fight out in the park, and out of nowhere, I heard a gunshot. Ethan saw it first, and saw it was headed towards me. He jumped in the way, and…” Ezzie couldn’t find the strength to finish her sentence. She let out a long loud sob and Mrs. Jacobs cradled her in her arms. She wanted this nightmare to be over. She wanted it to end already. “Ezzie, don’t you think you should send a message to Amber? After all, she’s Ethan’s girlfriend. She should be here for this.” Mr. Jacobs said quietly, taking a seat next to his wife on the pale green seat. Ezzie shuddered at the thought of Amber being here in such a moment. But Ethan would want her here. Ezzie let out a long sigh as she gingerly took the piece of paper and pen Mr. Jacobs offered her. It would be hours before Amber even received the letter, so Ezzie would at least have some time of Amber free worrying. She sighed as she started to write.

Amber-

Please come to St. Thomas’ Hospital in London immediately. Ethan’s been shot in an accident.

Signed,
-Ezzie.

She folded the note carelessly and handed it to Mr. Jacobs. He made sure no one was looking before he looked out the window. “Accio Benny!” He said quietly. Moments later, Benny, Ethan’s owl came flying in through the window against his own will. His wings weren’t moving at all, but his body was hurling towards Mr. Jacobs’ hand. He landed in Mr. Jacobs’ arms with a soft thud. Mr. Jacobs attached the note to Benny’s foot with skill and sent him flying off within seconds. Ezzie looked up at the television that was suspended over the secretary’s desk. She shuddered as the camera zoomed in on the exact same scene Ezzie had just escaped. Ezzie tried to block out the noise of the reporter’s voice echoing throughout the room. “I’m standing at the scene of a crime where tonight at this very spot, Ethan Jacobs, the son of the famous Amanda and Alexander Jacobs was shot by an unknown gunman. Police have yet to find the shooter, but witnesses describe the vehicle as a small beaten up white Toyota.”

Ezzie gasped. It was him! Ezzie remembered seeing that car all too well. It was that man who had tried to kidnap Ezzie before! He was the reason Ezzie was in this mess in the first place! Ezzie shuddered again. She sat in the waiting room chair facing the door to the operating rooms, hoping the doctor would emerge any second with good news on Ethan’s condition. Everyone sat in silence, waiting for the same thing. It Ezzie glanced at the clock. She had already been waiting here for three hours! Then, she heard the door open. She looked up in hopes of seeing a doctor, but then realized the noise had come from a different door. She grimaced as she saw the image of Amber Hess walking into the small waiting room.

((I know this thread is closed, but I invited Amber to post next.))

[amberr]

"ME UCCIDE!"

The screams echoed through the small loft and sent shivers down Amber's spine. Her choice to spend the winter holiday with her best friend, Sicilia, was being greatly regretted now that she saw why Sicilia needed her friend so much. Madame Bissell, Sicilia's adoptive grandmother, had Alzheimer's Disease and would die very soon. Her mind had deteriorated so far that she couldn't speak in English and only a few phrases were left in her Italian vocabulary. It was very lucky that Sicilia and her mother were from Italy and, therefore, could understand the woman. This was both a blessing and a curse. They could understand when she needed things like food or drink, but also had to listen to her despairing screams of pain and cursing.

Amber felt her eyes search out Sicilia's face for any sign of what the old woman had just screamed so desperately. Sicilia's mother's face paled considerably as her understanding of the words coming from the bedroom in screams. Amber wasn't looking at Vesta, however, she was looking with extreme pity at her best friend, who's face was even paler than her mother's and her eyes full of tears. Staring at the table before her, Sicilia grabbed the edge of the wooden table with so much fierce that her knuckles had turned white. Knowing instantly that she did not want a translation, Amber stood and took her friend's hand. The only room in the small apartment that was soundproof was Sicilia's. Amber instantly took her friend to the room, trying to escape the screaming.

As soon as Sicilia was away from the noise, she seemed to feel better. Amber smiled and, tilting her head playfully, requested a game of Wizard's Chess. The younger girl nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes and jumping onto her bed, waving a wand to turn on the stereo. As music blared, ringing off the walls, Amber helped her friend cheer up by playing a few rounds of Wizard Chess and dancing in the middle of her room to the sound of the Weird Sisters. They chatted about Quidditch, which occupied every poster on Sicilia's walls, and Amber did her best not to talk about Ethan. It was hard for her to do so, but she couldn't help it a few times. Her mouth frequently spoke about her boyfriend against her wishes. Sicilia didn't mind so much, but she loved to tease Amber about not being able to stop.

The music was so loud that Amber couldn't hear the soft tapping of Ethan's owl outside her window. The owl, shivering from the cold, ruffled it's feathers and began to tap as loudly as it could. Finally, it seemed to get desperate and began to tap harder and harder. The sound of the glass cracking was enough to get Amber's attention and she turned, seeing Ethan's owl and laughed. Scampering to the window, she let the poor thing in and watched as it flew next to the heater and landed, his feathers ruffling yet again.

Sicilia took up her wand and repaired the window as Amber took the letter from the owl's leg. As soon as he was free, he stretched out his long wings and shot out of the room and toward home. Sicilia shut the window and instantly began to tease Amber about Ethan. Smiling, she took the letter and unrolled it. There was only two sentences on the whole thing and it wasn't from Ethan, but Ezzie. Amber read the letter once and, instantly, her mind dismissed the contents. She had to of misread it. Her eyes rolled over the words once again and felt her heartbeat quicken as she realized it was true. Ezzie would never joke about that, no matter how much she hated Amber.

"Amber?" Sicilia asked, shutting the window and turning off the stereo. Her eyes were full of worry as the look on Amber's face registered to the younger girl.

"Ethan..." she whispered and looked into Sicilia's eyes, "He was shot."

~

Hours later, Amber ran into the hospital, her eyes full of tears from her worry and her hands shaking. The lady at the front desk couldn't give directions, that was for sure. Amber did her best to find where Ezzie was waiting, but wasn't sure if she was going the right way. Suddenly, she saw the door and knew that she had found it. Her heart beat jump started and she entered, looking around wildly. It had taken her an hour to get to the hospital. First taking floo powder to The Leaky Cauldron, and then running to the other side of London to get there. Her hair was wind swept and her eyes were wild with worry. She looked around the room, rushing to Ethan's parents and refusing to look at Ezzie.

"Mrs. Jacobs! Where's Ethan? Is he alright? What happened?" the questions that she had been dieing to ask had finally come spilling from her mouth, seemingly all at once. Her eyes finally looked at Ezzie and her heart seemed to skip a beat. Was that blood that covered her annoyingly cute white shirt? Amber felt her eyes widen and her mind started to jump to all sorts of conclusions. Trying her best to ignore them, she turned back to Mrs. Jacobs, searching the woman's face for answers.



(translation: "ME UCCIDE!" means "KILL ME!" in Italian)

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Great. Ezzie thought to herself. Now Ezzie had to deal with the stress of Ethan’s injury and Amber Hess. She repressed the urge to roll her eyes as Amber ran inside the room, her blue eyes flooded with tears. Of course, Amber completely ignored the presence of Ezzie in the room, just like she always did. At least Ezzie tried to put up with Amber. She smiled politely to everything she said, unlike Amber who pretended Ezzie wasn’t alive. She watched as Amber ran up to Mrs. Jacobs and asked her the same question Mrs. Jacobs had asked Ezzie when she first arrived. She noticed Amber glance at Ezzie and look away after seeing Ezzie’s bloodstained white shirt. She crossed her arms. “I…I…don’t know. I wasn’t there. Ask Ezzie, she was there when it happened.” Ezzie felt a small flicker of pride as Mrs. Jacobs said this, for she knew what was probably going through her mind right now. Ezzie had been alone with Ethan when something major happened, and Amber wasn’t there to supervise Ezzie’s behavior. Little did Amber know, her worst fears were coming alive. Ezzie had replaced Amber, and she had done it quite quickly. Ethan and Amber had only been together for one month, and Ezzie had been there preventing them from really getting to know each other almost the entire time. Ezzie was about to smile at the thought, but then Ezzie realized where she was. Ezzie was in the waiting room of hospital, waiting on news of Ethan’s health. This was not a time to brag about her victory, but a time to support Ethan in any way possible. As Mrs. Jacobs directed Amber to Ezzie, Ezzie let out a small sigh. “I’m so tired. I can’t bear to retell that horrible story. Look, it’s on the news.” Ezzie said to Amber, hoping this excuse would help Ezzie put off confronting Amber as long as possible.

Ezzie listened to the story once again. The same thing had aired about a hundred times on that news channel in the past three and a half hours. She listened to the witness speak once more. By now, she could almost recite the young lady’s words. “Ms, can you tell us what happened?” Asked the young blond reporter. “Well, I was walking my dog by the park when I noticed this small white car pull up. I thought nothing of it, so I kept walking. I heard a gunshot, a yell, and then a high pitched scream. I think the scream belonged to Ezzie. Then I heard someone call for help. Before I knew it, there were ambulance and police cars everywhere. I walked over to the big crowd of people and they kept saying something about some kid getting shot. I looked at the crime scene. I couldn’t believe my eyes…”but Ezzie didn’t bother listening to the rest of the report, for the door to the operating rooms opened and a slim female doctor walked out with a solemn face. Ezzie dropped the magazine she was holding (she had no idea why she even read those things anymore…it’s all fashion tips and false stories) and ran up to the doctor. Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs followed close behind her. Ezzie wasn’t even sure whether Amber followed as well, but she didn’t care. She just needed to see that doctor. “Hi, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs.” The doctor said kindly, but without a smile. “And Ms. Mendez, my daughter is a huge fan.” Ezzie managed a small smile that showed obvious signs of sadness and a worried expression. “Now, there’s no easy way to break this to you all. The bullet only missed his heart by half a centimeter, so he didn’t die right away. However, by the time he got to us, there was just nothing we could do. The bullet pierced through a major artery, so he’ll only be alive for just about another hour. He’s not conscious right now, and I doubt he’ll ever wake up before he passes, but at the moment he may have some hearing senses left, if you want to say goodbye.” Everyone was silent. Ezzie stared at the woman in wide eyed shock as tears flooded her eyes and obscured her vision. Ezzie broke the silence. “Where is he?” Ezzie said quietly, feeling tears stream down her rosy red cheeks. “He’s just down this corridor. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where he is. I have just one request. Can we have only two at a time? It’s a hospital rule. The parents will go first I suppose?” The doctor asked, grasping her annoying wooden clipboard. Right now, Ezzie pretty much hated everyone and everything. She especially hated this doctor for splitting the group up and making Ezzie spend time alone with Amber when all she wanted to do was see Ethan before he died. Ezzie leaned against the corridor wall as Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs walked silently inside the room. “This can’t be happening…it just isn’t fair…” Ezzie said aloud to herself. She hadn’t realized how loud she had said this, and she completely forgot Amber was right near her, listening to every word Ezzie said.