Chapter 1 Where Your Road Leads

Students were starting to arrive in bulk and flood the hallways. Within minutes the once silent halls were filled with hundreds of teenagers, most none too pleased to be back for another day of government sponsored torture, but nonetheless talking pleasantly with their friends. Individual conversations melted together into the overall din of the morning. One of the teenagers sat silently on the floor with her back against a wall. Her hair was dyed a fiery red and pulled back into a ponytail. A pale hand tapped the leather bound journal in her lap while gray eyes frantically searched the hallway for a familiar face.

She didn't have to wait long when she heard a voice call, "Jess!" from the crowd. Jess turned her head to the source of the sound and her eyes were met with the sight of a tan, dark haired girl making her way toward her. Jess waved and made to stand up. Pain erupted in her side as she remembered why she was sitting in the first place. She grit her teeth and closed her eyes to keep from crying out. Through the fog of pain Jess felt two gentle but firm hands on her shoulders gently push her back to her original position on the floor. As the stabbing pain dulled to an uncomfortable throbbing in her ribs Jess became cognizant of her friend sitting next to her softly singing, "...change the fate's design… save what has been lost...bring back what once was mine...what once was mine." She wasn't even looking at Jess, but staring into the crowded hallway.

A rush of fear flooded out any thought of pain in Jess' mind, she sighed, and "It doesn't work like that Willa."

If Willa noticed the fear in Jess' voice she didn't respond to it, she didn't even turn. She simply let out a laugh, not her normal laugh but a bitter and cold sound that Jess hated to hear come from her friend's lips. Willa shook her head and spoke, tired and dejected, "I know, I know, I know, I know, I know. "With each repetition Willa's voice became more and more agitated as her head fell into her hands. With each repetition the pain in Jess' chest increased, but it had nothing to do with her bruised ribs. Willa took a deep breath and pulled her head out of her hands and continued speaking, her voice back to its tired tone, "Sometimes I wish it did though, that we could actually use something from Disney to our advantage," Willa turned toward Jess, there were dark rings under her eyes and there was a district lack of light in the brown orbs. Jess figured her own eyes were no better. "Can you really blame me? When we go to sleep we wake up in the Disney parks as holograms where we are attacked by crazed Disney villains. You have dreams that tell you the future and Amanda can move objects with her mind. Why should it be out of the realm of possibilities to have something that can heal us?"

Another pang of pain shot Jess through the heart and she moved her eyes from Willa, "No, you're right, Lord knows we need it, heck I wouldn't mind it myself right about now. It's just… I think we should avoid looking for magic sunflowers or Rapunzel, or anything from Tangled really, at least for now."

Jess could feel Willa's stare on her. Jess had little doubt it was the same calculating gaze the younger girl would give a particularly difficult math equation. She heard Willa ask, "Why not?" and she flinched. Her words were slow and deliberate, the kind a person uses when they think they know the answer, but really don't want to be right. Willa never was the lucky kind.

Jess' only answer was shifting her gaze from the floor to the journal in her lap. Staring at it Jess was overcome by a desperate desire to chuck the leather-bound book across the hall and hope the plethora of students in the hallway would kick it far away from her so she never had to see it again. Jess didn't realize how tight her grip on the journal had become until she felt Willa's cold fingers gently pulling the book from Jess' grasp. Jess opened her mouth but no sound came out. She wanted to warn Willa, tell her not to look, that the burden was hers and hers alone. The urge was overcome by the dire need to tell someone, to have some of the burden lifted from her tired shoulders, to have someone understand, to not feel so alone. She let Willa open the journal.

Jess turned and watched Willa's hesitant fingers flip through the journal until she arrived at the latest drawing. Dark lidded eyes scanned the page. The noise of the hallway, all the groups of friends talking and laughing with one another, never seemed so far away. The world faded into the background for both girls. The reality of their lives, theirs and their friends', felt so unreal. There was nothing normal about their lives. Nothing normal about the bitter sense of relief they felt when they realized that their clothes could hide the bruises, cuts, and burns that they had acquired the night before or that their injuries weren't serious enough to send them to the hospital, they were all tired of lying. There was nothing normal about the realization that it was normal for them. Willa looked up from the journal and back to Jess, "Does Amanda know?"

Jess shook her head, "No. Amanda left early this morning. Finn picked her up. They said they had some sorta project to work on, but I think they just wanted some alone time." She laughed but it sounded fake, even to her. "Don't get me wrong, they deserve it and I suppose they kinda needed it, especially after what happened last night."

Willa nodded grimly in understanding, "Yeah, well, we have a Keeper meeting after school anyway; I suppose we can wait 'til then to tell them and figure this out. That way they can go through the day with one less thing to worry about." Jess nodded her consent. Also why haven't you told Amanda about your side?" There was only concern in Willa's eyes and tone, "Why haven't you told any of us?"

Jess stared at her, "How did you…"

"Know? Jess, you got hit in the side by a CTD and I know from experience they hit hard. Also you nearly passed out trying to stand not even five minutes ago. As for knowing you didn't tell anyone. Philby and Charlene would've told me and Finn would have told Amanda and if Amanda did know she wouldn't have left you to get here by yourself. Jess, I'm a little more observant than you would like to believe."

Jess wasn't surprised, "Amanda would've just worried more than normal and besides we all do it. Keep our injuries, our pain, from each other. We don't want the others to worry or not let us come along that night where all we'll do is lie awake out of worry, wondering if one of our friends won't wake up in the morning. Wills," Jess paused and took a deep breath, which hurt her side but she tried not to show it and continued, "only someone who really knows Charlene would be able to tell that she has been limping since last Tuesday, people assume that Maybeck closes his eyes in class because he's lazy, not because he got hit in the head by the butt of a pirate sword two days back and the light agitates his eyes, no one ever questions the 'I'm just cold' excuse from Finn when he has to wear a jacket to cover the burns on his arms that seem to becoming a permanent part of his wardrobe, the rest of the world doesn't see the hesitation Amanda has before she stands because she is so tired from overusing her powers she's afraid she'll pass out if she tries, nobody notices Philby wince when he accidentally pulls at the old knife wound in his shoulder that was barely minor enough to avoid taking him to the hospital, but we do. Willa we all hurt, but if we can avoid it we don't tell anybody, especially each other because we know they're hurting too and we don't want to force them to carry our burdens unless we have no choice. Willa you're right handed and it doesn't seem to be concerning anyone that you've been favoring your left for two weeks, but we see it. Also I know what this Saturday means to you and I know you haven't told a soul."

Willa sighed and her shoulders slumped, "3 years, touché. I'm sorry, I just hate seeing my friends," She thought for a moment, "my family" she corrected, "get hurt in anyway. And the fear of losing you, I just can't, but it seems to become more and more of a possibility as of late with no visible end in sight."

Jess wanted to wrap her arms around her until the pain and hopelessness faded away from the younger girl, but she was Jess and Jess didn't do hugs. She settled for placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. We don't want to lose you either but it's alright, we'll get through this. We'll kick OT butt, and afterward we'll have the biggest celebration you can imagine with a cake as long as your kitchen table and as tall as you. And trust me, after this, being normal will be an adventure all its own. You have the Jess Lockhart guarantee. What's that thing you girl scouts do? Scouts honor and three fingers and all, right?"

Willa shook her head and laughed. It wasn't her normal laugh, but it was real and some light had returned to her eyes. Jess figured it would have to do for now. "I'll believe a lot of things, Jess. I believe in magic, Disney characters coming to life and turning into a hologram when I sleep. But Jessie, if you expect me to believe for a second you were ever a scout, you've got another thing coming."

Jess rolled her eyes playfully, "Oh, ha, ha, ha, brains and a sense of humor, lucky me." She said sarcastically.

Willa shrugged smirking, "You forgot a lovable personality, but I guess I can forgive you this time." Jess rolled her eyes again but really, she was just relieved Willa was smiling and joking around, Jess had missed it. Willa stood up, "Come on, Jess, let's get you to class. We'll see about getting you something for your side around lunch if you think you can hold out. The last thing we need is someone thinking I'm selling you drugs." With Willa's help Jess got to her feet with only a fraction of the pain she had trying by herself.

Slowly but surely they arrived at Jess' first period class, where they spotted a certain red haired Brit reading over his notes from the last class at his seat. He turned and his eyes lit up and his entire face brightened when he saw them, or more specifically Willa, but considering how the younger girl's face lit up as well, Jess figured she could call him out on it later.

After Jess was situated, Willa bid both of them farewell and turned to go to her class. Jess caught her arm and looked her dead in the eye, and with all the seriousness Jess could muster she told Willa, "Wherever this road will lead us, whatever happens, I'll follow you, I'll be there for you and I know you'll be there for me. Just, don't forget that." Willa nodded and Jess let go of her arm. With that, Willa walked out of the classroom. Jess made to grab her journal and look at the picture again only to realize that Willa still had it with her. The warning bell sounded and kids started coming in and finding their seats. As she watched them Jess spotted three pairs of green eyes. Whether natural or OTKs, she didn't know but one thing was for certain, it was going to be a long day. And Jess wasn't looking forward to the meeting after school.