Testing the Waters

Chapter 4

AN: Here's Chapter 4. Hopefully it won't be too confusing even though I'm half asleep whilst writing this :-)

Nick frowned at Lucas and Jessica, before turning to Toby and asking, "So you can't remember anything?"

Toby looked frustrated. "No, my head feels like it's been through some kind of fog. I feel like I know you guys from somewhere but I can't think-"

Suddenly Lucas interrupts and says to Nick and Jessica. "Hey, remember when he was cursed? We got through to him by helping him to remember all the good times in his life, right?"

Nick gasped. "So the same principle could work here!" He said excitedly. Then he turned to Toby and said, "Remember the first successful prank you ever pulled?"

Flashback

A six year old Toby is cackling mischievously. He had come up with the perfect prank; he had balanced a bowl of water on top of the door. When it spilt on the target, they would step backwards into the custard-filled tray and get a faceful of mud. It was absolutely brilliant.

The only problem was Toby couldn't get anyone up the stairs to become a victim of his first ever prank. He had a bit of an overactive imagination so, naturally, when he said there was a rainstorm monster in his room and it was using it for a lair, his parents didn't believe him. That only left only one other person he could pull the prank on.

Toby slyly crept up to his younger brother, Nick and said, "Do you wanna see something really cool?" Nick nodded eagerly.

"Okay, but you can't tell Mom and Dad. It's a secret." Toby said in a serious voice as he led Nick to his bedroom. He held out his hand to stop Nick moving and said, "Hold on, I need to find it." He then ventured inside his room and closed the door.

Inside the room, Toby very carefully picked up the bowl of icy-cold water before dragging his chair to the door. Standing on the chair, he precariously balanced the bowl on top of the door. Fighting to keep a straight face, he yelled, "You can come in now, I've found it!"

Nick opened the door and was almost immediately soaked by the waterfall. He staggered backwards, as Toby had correctly predicted, and slipped in the custard before getting his face covered in mud.

He promptly started to yell. Toby panicked and rushed over to Nick. "No, you can't tell Mom and Dad! You promised. You're not even hurt that bad. Come on, bro, get up!" He helped Nick up and Nick looked at him, hurt,before picking up the tray filled with custard and rubbing Toby's face in it.

The brothers spent the next half an hour coating each other in custard and mud. Needless to say, when their parents found them, they weren't too happy.

End of Flashback

Toby looked thoughtful. "Did I ever pull a "human pancake" prank?" He asked, looking at Lucas. "I can't stop thinking about maple syrup."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah," he said ruefully. "You pulled that one on me." He was relieved that it was starting to work. He looked at Nick and Jessica and saw that they, too, looked hopeful.

"Remember the time you won that swimming competition?" Lucas asked.

Flashback

Toby was swimming his third race. If he won, it would be his third race won in a row. He listened to the sound of his friends cheering, motivating him to keep going. He only had a few more yards to go, but the swimmer who was currently in second place was hot on his heels.

"Go, Toby!"

"You can do it!"

"You're gonna win!"

With the encouragement from his friends, Toby put on an extra burst of speed and slammed his hand against the side of the pool first for the third time in a row. He grinned broadly at his friends as everyone cheered and applauded.

End of Flashback

"Do you reckon it's working yet?" Jessica asked anxiously. She looked at Toby who looked more puzzled than ever.

"Guess there's only one way to find out." Nick told her.

Jessica sighed and faced Toby. "Do you remember your first day of school?"

Flashback

It was playtime. Jessica was playing in the sand pit making a sandcastle when Ike Pinkney came and ruined all her hard work by deliberately stomping on it.

"Ike!" Jessica yelled angrily. "You ruined my sandcastle!"

"You call that a sandcastle?" Ike laughed rudely.

Jessica stood up and shoved him with all her might, and he shoved her with so much force, she fell over, scraping her legs on the concrete. She started picking the grit out of her cuts, determined not to let the tears fall.

"Say sorry!" An angry voice says. Jessica looks up and sees a blonde boy stood nose-to-nose with Ike, glaring at him.

"Why should I? She started it!" Ike yelled.

The boy shook his head. "I saw you ruin her sandcastle! And you've hurt her! Now say sorry!" He looks in Jessica's direction as he says this.

Ike lets out an exaggerated sigh before turning to Jessica and giving a rather forced apology before running off, presumably to annoy someone else. Jessica stood up, wincing as the scrapes on her legs stung with protest.

"You okay?" It was the boy who had stood up for her. He looked at her concerned. "Maybe you should go see the nurse for those cuts."

Jessica nodded. "No, I'm alright. Thanks for helping me, by the way."

The boy grins. "No problem! I'm Toby, by the way. Toby Tripp."

Jessica smiles back. "I'm Jessica Herleins."

The two new friends spent the remainder of the playtime building a brand-new sandcastle. Jessica smiled;she may have lost her old sandcastle but she had gained a new friend. From that day forward, she and Toby were best friends.

End of Flashback

Toby grimaced. Images were flickering through his head at an alarming rate, some more vivid than others like his first soccer match, finding out he was a Lord of Nature, his first kiss with Jessica and telling her she loved her and vice versa.

Suddenly he gasped and stared at them. This time, however, he wasn't staring at them with confusion but with recognition. "Jess, Lucas, Nick?" In response, they all look up and gasp.

"It worked!" Lucas whooped cheerfully.

"Good to have you back, bro!" Nick said, clapping Toby on the back.

"I missed you." Jessica said shyly, approaching him. She stopped a couple of feet from him, afraid to go near him in case he forgot her again. Toby acutely sensed her dismay and fear and approached her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I missed you too, Jess. I won't ever forget you again. I can promise you that."

Jessica looked up at him and smiled at him softly. "I love you." She says, so only he can hear.

He grins and kisses her before saying, "I love you too, and I always will. Nothing could ever change that."

Nick and Lucas stand watching. "Funny how they seem a lot stronger together." Lucas commented.

"Not really," Nick said, smiling at the oblivious couple. "Love is the strongest power of all. It would take something really powerful to break them apart."

AN: Well that's the end of the chapter. Hope you guys like it! Please review!