Arms of Shadows
Back
Again.
It had happened again, him being in some place without any memory of getting there.
Weyard. Vale. He was back in his home.
Was it all a dream?
Jenna burst into Felix's room all of a sudden seeming to be looking for something. Her eyes widened when she saw her brother on the bed and began ranting almost immediately. "Big bro! Where were you?! You missed the most important event of the year! Mom's birthday!"
She sat down and thought. "Well... maybe that's the second most important event of the year, because obviously my birthday is most important, and yeah. But... anyway! You missed something really important. Mom was so pissed! She kept saying, 'How could my 'dear son' run off somewhere and miss my birthday' or something like that." Jenna looked at him, immense relief calming her. "Where were you? And I'm glad you're safe." She looked down, embarassed. "I thought... something bad happened to you... you know, like... that storm... I'm so glad to see you!"
"I -" Felix looked overwhelmed, eyes darting around everywhere. Taking in each and every detail of his room. Then slowly resting on Jenna. "Jenna!" Jenna broke down and hugged him in relief.
"What?" Jenna said, pulling away from him and glaring. "You know, you were gone for a few days. We searched all over the place, you know. Like ALL the continents of Weyard?"
Felix's tongue unfroze long enough to say a few words. "I'm... sorry. But I was..." In another world?
"There you go, speaking three-word-sentences again. Explain!" She grinned mischievously at him. "Were you with your girlfriend?"
"My... what? Girlfriend?! I don't have a..."
"You could have been hiding her." Jenna said matter-of-factly.
Felix shook his head angrily. "What do you think I am?!" He turned serious instantly. "Jenna, listen. I was on Anemos! I saw Ivan's dad! Do you hear me? His -"
Jenna interrupted him yet again. "Ok, you're obviously bonkers. Let's get you some ice for any large head wounds you might have." She dashed off towards the kitchen.
Her brother looked dismayed, then sighed. He had thought a lot of telling Ivan and his sister about his encounter with Tiersen, but he never considered the option that they wouldn't believe him, which was possible and most likely would happen.
He flopped back on his bed, still relieved. 'I thought I would have to stay forever on that place... but I'm back! Finally!' Felix sat up and scratched his head. 'But there are still a few things bothering me. Like, what happened to Isus? And -" He suddenly gaped. Then he smiled grimly, beginning to understand. Knowing he would be back to 'that place' by tonight.
The shadows.
The familiar curling branches of darkness, like a dead tree stretching its branches every which way to suck up the last few precious drops of life.
On his arm.
--
"Mom! I found Felix!" Jenna said, running down the stairs.
Jasmine dropped the dishes she was cleaning in the sink. "Where did you find him?!"
"Um...well, see, that's the weird part. On his bed." Jenna ran outside. "I'm going over to the Inn, ok? I need to see Mia. You can go talk to bro if you want. I think he's still there."
"His... bed? His bed!? I was so worried I was knawing turnips with my teeth! And he was on his bed?!" Jasmine scuttled up to Felix's room and got a good 2-hour lecture ready.
--
Jenna burned the Inn door down with Flare and yelled, "Mia! I need ice!"
"You didn't need to burn my door down..." The innkeeper grumbled.
"Quiet!" Jenna snapped. She banged her palms down on the innkeeper's desk. "Where's Mia's room?" The adept grinned all evil-like and created a fireball. "But maybe you don't want to tell me...?"
"Meep..." The poor innkeeper pointed out Mia's room.
"Thanks much!" Jenna took her screaming and fiery combustion of random objects to Mia's room, much to the innkeeper's relief. And dismay. He might lose one room today.
--
Both Isaac and Garet looked up, alarmed as Jenna stormed in with a fireball in each hand. "Ack! D-don't set something on fire, Jenna!" Garet hid behind a wardrobe, trembling.
"H-h-hi, Jen. What are you going to do with those?" Isaac pointed at her fiery hands.
"What are you guys doing in Mia's room?" Jenna demanded. "And why isn't she here?"
"She went to Imil to visit Justin and Megan."
"Who and who?"
"Those two kids - you wouldn't know them. Anyway, why are you here?"
"I need to see Mia for some ice!"
"Ice? That's all? I wouldn't suggest going all the way over there - well, maybe that is a good idea, there is plenty of ice there. In Imil, I mean."
"Exactly! Now, I'm leaving! Thanks!" She crashed off towards her next destination.
"O-ok..."
"Hey, Jenna!" Garet piped up. "Can I have some cookies over at your house?"
He screamed as his hair went up in flames.
"There's your cookies!"
--
Felix looked up, surprised when his mother barged into his room screeching.
"Where were you?! TELL. ME. NOW. OR. I. WILL. HURT. YOU."
Scary! Even scarier than that shadow bird! His mother never yelled like that!
Felix winced as he strained his brain to make up a believable excuse for not being on Weyard for a few days. He couldn't think of any.
"H-happy birthday, Mom." There, he said it. What he wished to do in the infirmary of Anemos. Now he ducked under his covers, trying to drown out her screams and verbal threats that followed his heartfelt statement.
--
Jenna grumbled in frustration. It's so cold in Imil! She was trying to pick out good ice cubes but had to carve a few with precise fire psynergy. The things she had to do for her poor, hopeless brother.
"Ah-ha! Jackpot! Look at all these cubes!" Jenna jumped up with excitement while hugging her mahogany colored fur jacket close to her.
"Well... that's not enough! I need just a little more... tomorrow." Looking around, Jenna wondered which direction Imil was. Whoops... she forgot! It didn't faze her too much, though. She gathered up some icicle-like twigs from the frozen earth's surface, and sparked up the tinder into a comfortable blaze with her fire psynergy.
Then the persistent young teenager scraped some snow off of the place where she planned to sleep with her fuzzy gloves. Sighing, she roughly set up a small bed made of a straw mat she had brought with her for provisions, and blanketed herself with warm wool bed covers. Then she bit her lip. The Mars adept had only taken those things because her mother insisted that she bring them, just in case.
"Really," Jenna grumbled, pulling up the covers over her head. "The things I do for my brother."
Jenna was sleeping in the middle of a blizzard in the far reaches of Prox. But what she doesn't know...
--
Felix had to go meet Ivan, but that could wait. It was almost night. He was shuddering in anticipation, and was wondering what the falling actually felt like. The first time he had been numb with fear and helpless confusion, but this time he would be alert. He had slight experience...
All night and through dinner Felix was jumpy and fidgeted quite a bit through his steak dinner with celery on the side.
He ran to his room after he had scarfed down his dinner, heart thumping and wondering when the shadows would call him.
--
Jenna banged into her house, unfazed by her long journey. "Where's Felix? I got his ice," She added, holding up some ice cubes. "I had to get it from Vale, though. The ones I got from Imil melted."
"Up in his room, I'm guessing." Her mother shrugged as she bustled about, doing regular household chores.
Jenna banged up to his room and opened the door.
There was no Felix, instead...
A pit of dark shadows. Jenna stared at it, curiousity piqued and uncertain fear pumping slowly.
Jenna edged closer to the hole.
