Ella shut the door behind her.  Jessica huffed at her in a playful manner, her eyes slightly red but no tears were to be found upon her cheek.  “I know,” said Ella, “I’ll be gone in a moment, I just wanted to talk to you about your options once you arrive back on earth.”  She handed her an envelope, Jessica offered it back, “I won’t take any money from you.”  Ella smiled and pushing back her hand said, “It’s a good thing there’s no money in it then, isn’t it?”
A look of confusion swept over Jessica’s face, “It’s the name and address of the agency where I hire my housekeeper, gardener and scullery maid from, they’re very good at finding good places for the people that go to them.  I’ve set up an interview with them for you tomorrow morning, and they’ll house you for tonight.”
Jessica stared at the envelope and then looked up at her friend, “Thank you Ella, this means a lot to me, how ever will I cope without you to be my friend?”
Ella gave her a “don’t-be-so-silly” look, and in stepping forward embraced her friend, “I’ll always be you’re friend, and you know that if you’re ever in trouble or just need someone to talk to, then I’ll just be a phone call away.” 
She gave her a brisk kiss on the cheek, and turned quickly so that she wouldn’t see her tears.  The bags on the floor by her feet almost tripped her, and they both started laughing.  Ella picked up the bags and giving another reassuring smile to her friend, left her alone.
Jessica went straight to the door and putting her ear to it could hear Ella rejoin David at the table.
“What’s all this then?” she heard him say. 
“She’s told us that she doesn’t need them any more, she’d already sorted what her sister and I would fit and she says she’ll let the rest go to whoever will have them.”
They started to discus how they were to maintain their temporary guardianship of the two siblings, so Jessica stepped back from the door and began searching her room for the items that she was to take with her.
“Jessica”
She spun around, her eyes darting from place to place searching for the intruder.  “What do you want?” she said in hushed tones, “Who are you?”
“I am a fr…”  “Yes, you said that last time,” she interrupted, “What is your name?” 
“It is not important what my name is, but for now you can all me T.” 
“OK then T,” she said in a rather sarcastic voice, “what do you want, and please be specific, I already know ‘you want to help’.”
“At this time I can’t be any more specific, but I can tell you that I know who killed your mother.”
“I think you know to,” she restrained her voice to a low tone, “I think you did it.”
“No Jessica, I am not your father.”
Jessica’s breath stopped in her chest, “Then it was him.  How is this possible, and how do you know?”
“There is more to this than meets the eye.”
Jessica fought the urge to just drone out, “Well, duh!”  She grounded herself, “Try telling me something I don’t know.”
“It wasn’t your mother that he killed.”
“What?” her mind raced, “that doesn’t even make sense!”
“I know that right now it doesn’t, but it will.  I’ll help you make sense of it.”
“You think I can trust you?  You’re just watching me and you know all these things that you couldn’t, you talk at me out of thin air, I’m asking you, how can I trust you?”
“The more important question should be, why do you want to trust me?”  Her frown deepened, “Is it because you need someone who would believe you when you say that the man who murdered my mother was my father who’s been dead for a year.  No-one will believe you, even that man that loves you will disbelieve it.”
“That’s it!” she said harshly, “I’ve had enough, if you have nothing more worth while to tell me then you may as well leave me alone!”
“Alright, for the time being I’ll leave.”
“For the time being?  You think I’m just going to let you come and go as you please?”
There was no answer.
“Do you hear me?”
Nothing.
“Hello?  T?”
Gone.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands making fists, clasping at the bed covers.  She let her frustration pool up in her hands and kept squeezing.  She let go with a gasp as sharp pains shot through the centres of her palms as her nails dug in. 
Raising her hands to eye level she could see puncture marks and beads of blood that trickled into the lines.  She got up to go to the bathroom and noticing the spots of blood she had now left on the cream coloured duvet she found a growl had risen in her throat.
Upon hearing the nose release from her own lips she smiled and let out a soft laugh, this was silly, getting so worked up over something that she knew she was imagining.
She washed and dried her hands revealing the marks in her hands to be little more than a layer or two of skin, and thankfully, certainly not noticeable.
Turning of the duvet she let the bloodied side lie downward so as not to be seen.  She then turned her attention to her packing.

David was sat at the table still pondering on the decisions that he’d have to make, that he had been granted another hour to think about. 
Ella had left quite soon after re-emerging from Jessica’s room, with a couple of bags of Jessica’s clothes in tow.  They had decided that she was to keep a hold of them for the time being, until they could figure out a way to restore Jessica to her usual stature.
A noise from her door made him look up sharply in time to see her opening it and re-entering the lounge area. 
At the sight of him still sitting there, waiting for her, she felt a weak smile grow on her lips.  He returned a small smile, trying to conceal his reaction to her appearance.
Her hair was hanging loosely and plain brushing along her shoulders, but it still shone like gold.  On her feet were dark grey boots, the dress she wore was incredibly simple and on the verge of being plain, fortunately the pale blue colour of it made it suit.  The only vaguely remarkable thing that she was wearing was her necklace, the darkness of the red standing out against the dress.  In her hand was one relatively small bag designed to hang off her shoulder and, to his mind, it could not contain much.
To be precise it contained;
one hair brush, one tooth brush, one towel, one flannel, two plain dresses, a small selection of undergarments including socks, one pair of black boots, a few books, a few pieces of jewellery that either held sentimental value or that she just really liked and the envelope that Ella had given her.
She knew why David was giving her such a sadly defeated look, but longing to hear him speak said, “Oh David, why do you stare at me so morosely?”
The concern he was feeling was so open and clear, yet he still could not bring himself to fully answer her question, so instead he said, “I am slightly concerned that you are thinking of taking just that one bag with you.”
She smiled a clean, fresh yet warm smile for him, “I simply don’t like to travel heavy,” she conveyed in a rather subdued voice, “besides, I have more than enough of what I need right her,” she patted the bag, “all chosen because they were the most simple so as to draw as little attention as possible.”  His look hadn’t changed so she tilted her head. “It’s alright, know how to take care of myself.”
David nodded his head, “ I know you do, I just… I don’t know.” he shook his head.
She walked over to where he was sat, and rather than sitting, she extended her hand for him, “Come, I have less than an hour left, I’d like to go for a walk about here whilst I still can.”
He took her hand and rising to his feet, he knew that this would be it, his chance to save her.
“One moment”
Jessica went to Aurora’s room, knocked, and went in then upon her reappearance went to Anthony’s room.  It was a little while before she returned, but from the look on her face it had not gone well.
She cleared her throat, “My sister is to call Miss Cox and she will escort the both of them to the docking bay when the senior officer arrives, we’re to meet there in 45 minutes.” Nodding towards the door, “shall we?”  And with her arm drawn through his they set off.