Okay, first things first: forgive me for just leaving you hanging like I did. inspiration ran dry when I suddenly got hit with ideas for two other stories. then, when I suddenly decided to read Wishsong of Shannara again and get re-inspired for the story, and read over what i had already I decided that it wouldn't do one bit and ended up rewriting it. (damn English classes) well, hopefully this new and improved version will make up for the wait. and hopefully i can keep with it enough to finish it. that would be neat.
anyway, with no further ado, the (in my opinion) better first chapter of the story. hope you enjoy.

Warning: this story has slash, male/male relationships. Don't like, don't read, don't complain to me.
Disclaimer: the characters belong to Terry Brooks. ALL HAIL TERRY BROOKS!

Wishsong of Life
Chapter 1: A New Life

The song started with great force and power.

. . . The Borderman Helt . . .

The way he towered over me was so much like Allanon that, most of the time, I couldn't help but retreat. I was sometimes truly frightened of him. However, there was something that always separated him from the Druid: I was never his tool. I was always his companion and, in a way, his charge. He protected me with all his strength and ended up giving his life to save mine, all the while asking nothing in return. I'm almost embarrassed at how little I knew about him, but I treasure what I did learn about him. He was a great individual who devoted himself completely to whatever he thought fit. I still haven't decided whether or not it was a blessing or a curse that the last thing he gave his heart to was me and the quest I was given.

The force faded from the song, but the strength remained becoming a small, yet powerful, sound.

. . . The dwarf Elb Foraker . . .

My debt to him is different than the others. He protected me as much as the others, but without him there wouldn't have even been a company. Because of him, I was able to speak with the Dwarf Council and gain the company that enabled me to complete my task. I can never repay the debt that I owe him, and I can't imagine being able to feel greater regret. He was a great friend to the whole company, and his skills, as well as his knowledge as a dwarf, got us through the Wedge and Cillidellan. It is in his memory that I devote myself so much to others.

The melody lost its powerful tone and changed to an airy and agile sound, but faltered slightly.

. . . The Elven Prince Edain Elessedil . . .

There is nothing but pain when I think about his death. He had been a true friend since the moment we first spoke. Maybe it was the shared blood. Maybe it was the connection of our fathers. Maybe it was the closeness in age. Maybe I was just desperate to have something to keep me truly grounded with all that went on. Whatever it was, I was proud to have met someone like Edain. His character was a blend of Rone and Brin, making it impossible for me to not connect with him. He was eager to share as well as listen to what I had to say, like Rone, and he was ever so protective of me while still allowing me enough leeway to make my own decisions, like Brin has always been. In allowing him to die for me, I feel like I not only let him down, but I failed his father and the elf's respect of the Ohmsford family.

The song changed once again to become a gruff moan.

. . . The gnome Tracker Slanter . . .

He was with me through everything. When it comes down to it, it was because of him that I left the Vale in the first place. He looked after me when nobody else cared and was the only one to see me all the way to Heaven's Well and the battle between magic that occurred. The only regret that I really have is not having any means to contact him. I haven't seen him since we parted and I miss my friend.

The shadow and mysterious strength that the melody changed to could almost be tasted in the air.

. . . The Weapons Master Garet Jax . . .

The voice choked and the melody ended.

Brin Ohmsford stood on the doorstep of what was once her home in Shady Vale, contemplating and feeling rather foolish for doing so. After all, this had been her home for the first twenty years of her life. That and the fact that her parents would be so overjoyed to see her that they would overlook anything else. Then again, they were a cautious bunch and she was here unannounced.

Rone Leah stood behind his wife shaking his head at her plight. Only a child of Wil and Eretria Ohmsford would care so deeply about being considerate to the rest of the world, even if - or especially, depending on how you looked at it - it was her own parents. That was, after all, what this whole contemplation was about: whether or not Brin should knock.

Deciding that he wanted to get into the house before someone decided to leave the it, Rone moved past Brin and knocked. Normally he wouldn't knock himself, having been such a close friend to the family for almost all his life, but this was the first time they had stopped by unannounced and he really didn't want to have to sit through a lecture, courtesy of Eretria. He had avoided getting on the elder Ohmsford's bad side so far and was going for a record of "not in this lifetime".

Brin smiled sheepishly back at her husband and waited for one of her parents or her brother to open the door, silently hoping that it was one of the males. After all, her mother would . . .

"Brin? Brin, I missed you so much!" Arms wrapped tightly around her neck as her mother cried in excitement.

. . . Make an unbelievably big deal out of the situation.

"Why didn't you send word that you were going to drop by? You know I hate not being able to prepare for your visits."

"Mom, I used to live here. Believe me, I've seen this house in any condition it can possibly be in," Brin replied as she returned the embrace. Even though it had been a mere month since her last visit, she had really missed her family. They were just too close to stay apart for long periods of time. It was the strong connection with her family members, one in particular, which had driven her to return to Shady Vale.

"Well, go say hello to your father while I greet Rone properly." Rone paled a few shades. "He's in the kitchen." Brin quickly cast a sympathetic glance over her shoulder at Rone, knowing full-well that the proper greeting included a lecture clearly stating that, as a Prince of Leah, he should know to always properly announce himself. She then moved past her mother and removed her traveling cloak, boots, and pack, placing them off to the side of the door.

Brin made her way to the kitchen, already hearing her father moving about. The smells that she picked up as she got closer to her destination revealed that Wil was busy making the medicines he used as a Healer. She knew a few of the simpler ones by heart - it was impossible to have one of the greatest Healers in the south as a father and not pick up some knowledge - but they were nothing compared to the genius behind the mixtures' original creator.

She turned into the kitchen and watched as her father carefully measured out the proper amount of the proper ingredients. Obviously aware that he wasn't alone anymore, Wil quickened his pace at his current task, though Brin knew that his haste held no effect on the quality of the final result. She knew her father could properly create any of his salves while treating a room full of patients without the help of Eretria.

After not even a minute of waiting, her father set down his tools and turned to face his oldest child. Brin had always, in some way, regretted that the only thing she seemed to inherit from her father was his mind-set, the disciplined self-assurance and way of thinking things through carefully. She had always thought that her father's elven features were dignified and wouldn't have been in any way against sharing that manner of dignity.

"Well, I admit this is a surprise," Wil's calm voice brought Brin from her thoughts. "It's only been about a month since your last visit."

"Rone and I were coming back from Culhaven and decided to drop by while we were on the road. But since we were on the road, we couldn't send word to you," Brin explained.

Wil raised a curious eyebrow and Brin caught the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes. "Leah is closer to Culhaven than Shady Vale, you realize that don't you?"

"Father, Leah is closer than Shady Vale to everything."

"True, so my question is why take the extra three days of travel just because you're on the road?"

"I need an excuse to want to visit my family now?"

"After a month since the last time, yes."

Wil was teasing her. This in and of itself was a shock: Wil rarely teased anybody. He was laid back and usually left any joking around to his children. That was their purpose in life: to provide him amusement until they had children of their own and lost any sense of humor they had. He first told Brin that right after she had married Rone, and her reply was that she was glad that they had decided to hold off on having kids. ("Wouldn't want to become any more like you if I could help it," she had said.)

"What's wrong with you? Jair not providing enough amusement to keep you stoic?" Brin asked with a teasing grin spreading across her face.

"It's amazing how dull a child becomes once their sibling leaves."

"How about I take Jair with me to Leah? We'll be sure to get in plenty of arguments with you in mind."

Brin watched as the amused twinkle in her father's eyes faded and he quickly became as serious as he normally was. "I really don't know how to handle that boy anymore. Whenever he's not doing a chore he's off in the woods or finds some excuse to lock himself up in his bedroom."

"Maybe he's just using the solitude to exercise the Wishsong. You know that he wants it to be kept strong in case he needs to use it again. I doubt anything will happen that will require it, but he's not taking any chances." The statement was only half-true.

"I've heard the song coming from his room, but it's strange."

"How?"

"I hear the same one over and over again. I could almost sing it and I don't have that elven magic. But what's strange is how Jair seems like he's unable to finish it."

"Maintaining the Wishsong over a long period of time is exhausting, especially if what we want is complex. Maybe he's just been unable to hold the song for any longer than what you've heard."

"Well, I'll leave that up to you to determine. He is, after all, the reason you're here right?"

Brin truly wasn't surprised that her father had simply guessed at the true reason for the visit. He understood, in a way that Eretria never could, that his children were connected by more than blood: they shared the first generation of magic caused by his use of the Elfstones. They were closer than anyone could ever understand. He proved that he at least slightly understood by no longer forbidding them from using the magic. Of course, that was also partly because he figured that they could no longer consider the magic a toy. Too many people had hunted them for their powers for it to be a mere play-thing.

"Well, since he's not out here greeting you, I'm sure you can guess where he is at the moment," Wil concluded the conversation suddenly.

"Then I guess I'll go talk him out of the woods," Brin declared and turned to leave the kitchen. She grabbed Rone, who was just walking into the room with Eretria, and pulled him back toward the door. As she pulled on her boots, she called to her father, "I'd still visit you, no matter where Jair was!" With that, she was out the door and running in the direction of where she knew her brother would be.

Wil looked over to his wife, who was looking at the closed door with a curious expression. "I'm an afterthought," he declared.

"Better than the sarcasm I'm subject to," Eretria replied with a shake of her head. "Its times like this that I wish we never had any children."

Wil smiled and replied with, "They were fine as children. It's only when they grow up and become smarter than you that you find regrets."

Brin walked the familiar path of the woods that bordered the Ohmsford home, making the proper turns at the proper landmarks. There was no real beaten path through this part of the woods, but the trail was one she had walked countless times over her lifetime. It hadn't come as a surprise to her when Jair had informed her that he had a "secret place" that he went to whenever he needed to be alone.

It was a cave that was so well hidden that she doubted she would have ever been aware of if her brother hadn't of pointed it out. There were times when she wondered how he had ever managed to find it in the first, but then would remember that this was Jair that she was talking about and didn't have to think on it again. That boy really had a knack for finding things nobody else could.

That and he simply despised secrets. Brin often wondered how he put up with his companions with that little part of his personality.

When she came within view of the small clearing the cave was in, Brin looked back to Rone and told him to keep off until she talked to Jair. Her brother usually didn't have a problem with Rone, but there were times when it was best to just talk to him alone. Rone nodded and turned away, looking for some where to sit until he was given the clear to pick on the younger Ohmsford. Brin moved the last few hundred feet to where the entrance to the cave lay, hidden behind a wall of brush.

Brin didn't enter the cave, but sat down outside and waited for some form of indication from her brother that he was ready to communicate with her. The silence from within the cave proved her suspicion that he had known she had been approaching long before she entered the clearing. The elven blood running through their veins gave them slightly stronger senses than anybody else in the Vale and Jair's were even sharper from self-devised training.

"Why am I not surprised to see you?" a soft voice not much deeper than hers spoke from within the cave. Brin shrugged slightly and shuffled slightly to the side of the cave's entrance so her brother could come out and sit beside her, which he did without hesitation.

Jair was nothing like the brother she once knew, a fact that she didn't like one bit. She much preferred the younger brother who always jumped at the chance of adventure and always brought a smile to her face just by being near her. His eyes rarely shone with amusement and never had the glow of mischief that had dominated their gaze throughout most of his life. They were old now - old and haunted. She would probably be frightened of the gazes he sometimes gave her if she didn't have them occasionally herself. However, the fact that Jair now looked at the world through sharp silver eyes, instead of the light brown color which he had been born with, was the most disconcerting part of his gaze. She always felt as if he was looking right past her flesh and into whatever was deep within her that made her Brin. He also had let his hair grow out, the light brown and silver strands reaching just below his shoulder blades was secured first with a headband and then braided to keep his neck cooled in the hot summer days. His body was - despite the slight build he had developed - still smaller than most his age, and his ears still held the slight point at the tips, showing that he still had elven blood flowing through him. In fact, the longer hair actually helped to accent his elven features, a fact that Brin was certain didn't escape Jair's attention. It was most likely why he had chosen that particular change in general style.

But it was the Wishsong's sudden change that usually caused Jair the greatest desire for solitude. Brin knew that he tended to want solitude when he was trying to figure something out and his own Wishsong was now a mystery to him.

It took a few more moments for Brin to realize that she had let Jair hanging for a few minutes while she observed him carefully and quickly thought up some reply.

"I know you too well," she said, receiving a raised eyebrow in response. "Oh come on, has there been one time when you've gotten so down that I haven't come to get you back moving again?" Jair's eyes narrowed in thought.

"Come to think of it, no. You always just seem to show up at just the right time." Jair looked at her suspiciously. "Alright, who's the spy?"

Brin tried to keep her shock as secret as possible, but was finding it difficult. Jair was already loosening up and building up to idle banter. He had never even considered joking around until at least an hour after she would first confront him. Either he wasn't as bad off as Wil had implied or…

"Nice try, Bro, but you aren't getting out of it that easily," she scolded and Jair actually gave a sheepish look.

"I am being partially serious, you know. I really do want to know how you seem to show up at just the right time. You aren't that clever."

"I love you, too." Jair shrugged the flat reply off and gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't saying anything else until he got an answer he was satisfied with. So she sighed in frustration and began thinking over all the times she suddenly declared to her husband that they needed to make a trip out to Shady Vale.

After a short contemplation, she shrugged slightly, "I really don't know what gives me the brilliant idea to suddenly come back, but I just feel that I need to be here."

Jair thought about this idea for a short time, and then nodded in acceptance. After all, he knew full well what it was like to be unable to explain something. It was the story of their lives.

"So what's this song I keep hearing about?" Brin chose the subtle approach - a direct one would only result in skillful evasion.

"Depends on who you've been talking to. I've noticed that different people hear different songs," Jair's answer was, as expected, evasive. However it wasn't as evasive as Brin had expected. Maybe they could get this over with quicker than she had thought.

"But only two people in the Vale hear the ones you sing." Jair sighed and leaned his head back against the stone behind him. "You don't have to tell me what it is if you don't want to, but I really want to know why you're down this time around." Jair's eyes closed and Brin lost any chance of figuring out what might be going through his mind. His face hardly ever gave anything away anymore.

"I hate this life," Jair ground out between clenched teeth. "I've always disliked the normalcy of it, but now I actually hate it. It's like there's something in my brain that's screaming that I shouldn't be here - not after what they did for me."

Brin remained silent, mulling over what Jair said carefully. There was no doubt in her mind as to who "they" were. Very few people Jair met could have had so much influence over him, and unfortunately most of them had died for him. Suddenly a peculiar thought passed through her mind that would answer all questions if she was right. She'd work around to it though...

"I think you just got too much of Mom in you. Fires like the one of your spirit aren't meant to be contained by the sort of mediocrity that Shady Vale represents. I mean, how much has really changed since the time of Shea and Flick Ohmsford?" That actually got the faintest of smiles in response. "In a way, I'm too much like Dad. All he ever wanted to do was learn Healing and help people. There really isn't anything adventurous about those ambitions, and I share them - except for the whole Healing part. I just want to settle down with Rone, live my life, and forget everything about the Ildatch."

"It'll never happen, you know? I guess that as long as we are who we are we'll never have true peace. Face it, no matter how much we avoid it, we still have the Wishsong and that makes it impossible for us to truly rest."

"I've done so much with the Wishsong that I regret and am actually afraid of, but it has also done so much for me. If not for the magic I have, Rone and I would have died long before I reached the Maelmord. And might I remind you that it was your magic that saved me. The Wishsong is part of us and we will just have to..." Jair cut her off before she could go any further, but not with words.

His voice exploded in an assortment of strangled notes. She looked past him to see five people standing around Jair, their faces masks of sorrow that wasn't their own, but Jair's. Even though she had only met one of these men, she would have recognized them under any circumstance: the company of Heaven's Well. The song held for only a few seconds until it faded into a choked sob. Jair pulled his legs tight against his lithe body and wrapped his arms around them, curling as far into himself as was physically possible.

Movement caught Brin's attention and she looked to it to see Rone stepping closer, concern in his eyes. She debated whether or not she should allow him to give her a hand, and quickly decided that, yes, she needed all the help she could get. After all, Rone had been her protection: maybe that meant he could say something she would never think of. She nodded him over and he jogged over to sit on the other side of Jair, automatically bringing his arm to hang loosely around the younger man's shoulders.

"Tiger," Brin let a small smile come through at the instant use of Rone's pet-name for Jair. It was something familiar to the youngest of them and never failed to get Jair's attention. "The men that went with you to Heaven's Well probably realized when they volunteered what the journey with you would mean. They were all, in their own way, warriors. Hell, they were probably surprised that they all made it as far as they did." Rone paused, giving his next words careful consideration. "I'm sure that they were honored to see you safely as far as they did. And I bet they felt even more honored that they died protecting someone like you. I know I would have been if I hadn't been so busy saving your sister's butt, and all."

Jair's eyes looked up and met Rone's, carefully observing the man he had known practically all his life. After another minute of silence, he nodded his consent to Rone's words and his body lost most of the tension it held. Brin took that as her cue to make the final comment that would get him back to normal - well, normal for Jair.

"Remember Jair, we're still here for you and always will be. No matter what happens, you can always come to us. You believe me, right?"

"Of course I do, it's just that I wish so much that I could remember what it felt life for the Wishsong to be nothing but a kid's toy. Things were so much easier back then," Jair whispered. Brin nodded slightly in understanding. She missed those times as well. She missed feeling like having magic flowing through her body was no big thing and she hadn't been taken hostage twice for it.

When they had first exchanged the stories of their separate journeys, completing them with their different views of the "showdown" in Maelmord, Brin had been practically mortified to discover that Jair had been held prisoner on two occasions because of his magic. It had forced her to see it as Jair did when he was going through the experiences: being born with the magic truly separated them from everybody else. He had truly gotten lucky that he had been rescued both times before something truly horrible had happened to him. As he had put it when telling the tale: if he hadn't been rescued, he most likely would have reached the Maelmord long before she did.

Deciding that Jair needed a temporary distraction before getting into anything that had anything to do with his magic, she chose to get them back to the house for a meal. "Jair, I am partially here on Dad's orders. That's who told me that you've been down for a while and I want him to know that you're alright." She paused as it occurred to her that they might not be done here. "You are okay, right?"

Jair shrugged off Rone's arm and stood, stretching his body to work out the kinks of sitting in the cave for a long time. He turned back to her and his eyes answered her before he opened his mouth. "I'll be just fine. You know, it really is getting easier for me to get up."

"Good, because you don't deserve to go through this stuff after what you went through before," Rone said before Brin could respond.

Then, before Brin or even Jair - and that was saying something - realized what he was intending to do, he folded his legs beneath him and sprung at Jair, knocking the smaller man right back down to the ground.

"I'm disappointed in you, Tiger. You've foiled my last seven attempts at tackling you to the ground."

"Six," Jair corrected even though it made him less impressive.

"You sure about that? I'm pretty sure I distinctly remember nursing seven beatings."

"One time you tried before I knew you two were visiting and I ended up knocking you around more than I normally would. I should tell you that the black cloak with the hood up didn't help you much."

"You notice I haven't worn it since? Now, why were you unable to avoid me this time?"

Jair raised his body as much as he could with Rone still sitting on his stomach and leaned on his elbows. "Well, I wouldn't want you to look too bad, you being a Prince of Leah and all. Consider yourself lucky: my first instinct is to use the Wishsong." It wasn't the thought alone of Jair assaulting him with his magic that caused a shudder to run through Rone, but what image exactly he would use. Rone had heard from Slanter about the spiders and snakes and wasn't anxious to know how real Jair could make them look and feel.

Of course, Jair now had much more than illusions to threaten people with.

Brin watched the two as Rone turned the comment into idle banter with growing amusement and relief. Maybe Jair really would be alright, given a little bit more time and effort to let go of the deaths that plagued his mind and heart.

Wil and Eretria were thoroughly overjoyed when Brin and Rone announced that they would be staying for the remainder of the week. To them, this was not only a time to catch up on their daughter's life, but to catch up on the maintenance of the house and inn as well: Jair was simply too small to handle some of the chores. Of course, this reasoning was never told to any of the three of them. Why? Well, Brin would probably actually scold them for thinking that way; Rone would find some reason to leave within the next few minutes out of spite, but come back and do the job anyway; Jair would try and find a way to do the job just to prove that he could handle simple chores.

The trick was to wait for Brin or Rone to mention something that obviously needed repairing and gradually working other tasks in as they went along.

However, these thoughts only presented themselves after the first of Brin's visits. The first day was always set aside for getting to know their daughter again - and sometimes their son as well. Wil had often told his wife how he believed that they had somehow lost both of their children in some manner and Eretria agreed with him sometimes when she looked at Jair.

The boy definitely wasn't who they remembered from just a little over a year ago most of the time.

"Tell us, Rone, how is your father doing? I heard that there has been quite a bit of activity in the Highlands lately," Wil commented as Eretria brought out platters of food for dinner. The woman always managed to find a feast laying around the house whenever Brin and Rone came.

"Father's been doing great considering how much movement has been passing through Leah lately. I've seen more gnomes, elves, and dwarves pass through in the last few months than I have in my whole life," Rone answered as he reached out for some bread rolls.

"Do you know why there has been so much activity from those three races? It's strange enough to hear of gnomes moving around so much , but the elves have always been known for their solitary nature. They accept other races well enough, but keep to themselves otherwise," Wil said thoughtfully. Rone would never doubt Wil's observations: out of all of them, the Healer truly knew what elves were like.

"That's what Father has been trying to figure out. From what I've been able to gather, most who have passed through are merely recovering from all the business with the Mord Wraiths. Gnomes are really making an effort to mend whatever they destroyed while serving the walkers."

"It's going to take a lot more than a few apologies to fix everything that happened between the gnomes and dwarves," Jair commented dryly. Rone understood that a good percentage of Jair's opinion was on account of personal feelings towards the gnomes. They had done too much harm for him to simply forgive and forget. He also realized that the what wasn't personal came from what he had witnessed of the feud between the two races and held a lot of credibility.

"At least they're making whatever effort they can to get things back in the right - peaceful - direction," Rone pointed out carefully. The last time he had taken a neutral side in this matter, Jair had stormed off and ended up not speaking to Rone again for a few months.

"Yeah, at least they let their ambitions die with the Ildatch. Hopefully nothing will happen to stir anything else up between the two races. The dwarves lost a lot fighting against the gnomes and it will take a long time to recover."

"From what I can tell, that's where the elves come in," Jair looked at Rone, his eyes narrowed in curiosity. "It seems that King Ander has been lending Culhaven sentries so the dwarves can focus on rebuilding."

"Why would Ander do something like that?" Brin asked. She hadn't been informed of any of the details of the goings-on between the three races, but had noticed how many companies had been passing through Leah lately.

"Ander is a great man and was definitely meant for leadership," Wil cut in. "He cares about what goes on with other races, but still respects the traditions of the elves. Also, as an elf, he doesn't aide races. He helps those who are truly good."

"Which is why he was helping the dwarves out in the first place a year ago," Jair concluded. It made sense considering that it was how he would have acted as well. In his journey to Heaven's Well, his company wasn't really fighting gnomes but the allies of the Mord Wraiths. It just happened to be the gnomes who had been on the side opposing them. Things would have happened differently, no doubt about that, but it wouldn't have changed who Jair's true enemies were in the journey.

"So, your father is simply going to allow things to continue on without getting involved?" Eretria asked.

"That's the idea. Since Leah wasn't involved in the battle to begin with, Father has offered that it wouldn't be right to get involved now that the danger's over. It would really be a cowardly way to do things. Apparently King Ander understood because he hasn't pressed for involvement. He just asked that Leah would provide shelter to those passing from Arborlorn to Culhaven."

"Smart actions on both men's part.," Wil mused obviously saying things as they registered in his mind. This was how he worked with patients so all knew to let him work things through. "This way, Leah remains neutral should any disturbances rise up between dwarf and gnome again. Ander has, in a way, allowed Leah to protect itself from harm. Yours is a small kingdom that doesn't have the force to resist any of the three races on edge here."

"It's why we didn't really get involved in the first place, disregarding the fact that I traveled with Brin to destroy the Ildatch."

"It was a decision you made as Rone Leah, not a Prince of Leah. They couldn't have started something with Leah under those pretenses alone. It would have simply caused unnecessary problems," Wil reasoned.

"You know, for a Healer from Shady Vale, you sure know your politics and warfare," Rone complimented.

"It's amazing what people talk about when you clean a cut and fill them full of pain killers."

"Or alcohol," Jair added, almost as if he hadn't really meant to. The light blush that covered his tan cheeks afterwards implied that he most likely hadn't meant to let that thought escape his mind. At the look he was getting from Wil, he quickly fumbled for a way to smooth the comment over. "Not that you would use alcohol so flippantly, Dad, as to include it in your pain killers. It is, after all, a horribly easy habit to pick up. Though some of your antidotes do taste like concentrated ale..." he froze again as more unwanted words slipped out of his mouth and his face darkened further, getting a laugh from everybody at the table.

"Keep talking, Jair," Wil teased. "I'm sure a few more feet can be fit into that big mouth of yours."

"I don't doubt it, but I'll stick with what I've already swallowed."

Okay, so what do you think? i prefer this version much more, mainly becausei've gotten better at descriptions and making sure the story flows. now, rest assured, just about everything that went on in this chapter has some significance, even if i don't know it all myself yet.

i'm already about a thousand words into the next chapter and am going strong. i WILL get out this story even if it kills me, but not my grades.

well, see you guys nexttime.
Kimra Dattei