(Mason's POV) (Didn't see that coming did you?)
I watch with a burning hatred for Adam as he and Jayce chat with the rest of his little social group. What really kills it for me is the fact that Jayce is sitting on his lap. I stand on the tree branch, leaning against the trunk, that I have been sitting on and growl, feeling a sudden presence next to me.
"Mason," Herobrine greets, "nice to see you."
"You're little games didn't work, Herobrine." I snarl, turning to face the corrupt god.
"Give it time." He retorts. "I'm not finished with them…"
"For how long? I can't wait a few years to be with her."
"Be patient, child."
"We need to get Adam out of the picture! I'm the one who's supposed to be with her, not him!"
"Agreed, but it seems like you only want her for her power."
"No! I love her! I just want to get Adam out of the way!" I yell, rage still coursing through my veins.
"Patience, child. I have the perfect plan to get Jayce to fall for you."
I will get Jayce… She will be mine… forever.
(Jayce's POV)
As I stand on the hill, my eyes locked on the sun soaring in the sky (which isn't very high. Must be about eight or nine AM), my mind begins to wander to many things, but my train of thought is thrown off its track as I feel something in my jean pocket. I slip the thin material out of my pocket and recognize the blood red envelope; the riddle. Now that we've solved it, what does it mean? I open the envelope again, pacing back and forth as I read over the letter again aloud.
"'If you are reading this Jayce, it means you've completed the first trial. This letter is only a heads-up on your next challenge. If you can decipher this riddle, then you'll be ready for the next trial. The answer to this riddle is what you'll need most. (I am born in fear, raised in truth, and I come to my own in deed. When comes a time that I'm called forth, I come to serve the cause of need. What am I?) Good luck… you'll need it.'" I scratch the back of my neck, stopping to stare at the letter, reading it over again and again. "Was the mutant enderman the next challenge? Or is there something else coming?"
"Still contemplating that?" I jump at the sudden appearance of a voice and spin around, but relax once I catch sight of my little sister.
"Yes." I answer simply. "It's confusing. It doesn't specify what the actual challenge we had to prepare for was."
"Jayce," Mak sighs, crossing her arms, her eyes locked on the horizon, "you know I'm worried about this, too, but you need to stop over thinking it."
"Aw, but over thinking things is fun."
"Jayce, really?"
"Really. There's got to be something more. It couldn't have been the enderman attack."
"What else could it be, then?"
"Another trial, like the Mirror Maze..."
"True… but-" She suddenly tenses, going quiet. A sensation of being dumped in ice water abruptly washes over me; my muscles tense and my mind goes blank. My vision begins to fade and, at the last second, I snap back to reality, giving me only a moment to panic before the world fades to black.
"Welcome," a voice thunders around me, startling me into sitting up abruptly, "to your next challenge: facing your worst fears."
"So this is what we needed courage for…" I mutter to myself. I finally take a moment to gather my surroundings; I sit on the thin edge, about as thick as my shoe, of a mountain side, thousands of feet from the ground. A sudden bitter sensation washes over me, my muscles tensing and I cling to the dust-covered mound of rock behind me, shrieking. Air rushes into my lungs in short, quick breaths as I begin to hyperventilate, limiting my screams to rapid outbursts. I press myself up against the mountain, closing my eyes as tears rush into them and baring my teeth as to muffle my diminutive shouts.
"Jayce?!" My sister's voice erupts in my ear, sounding panicked, along with some static, the sound of water surging around her in the background.
"Mak?!" I yell back over the roaring winds, trying to take my mind off of the hundred story cliff I stand upon. "Mak, where are you?!"
"I don't know. There's water rushing around me."
"I could tell from the background noise."
"Where are you? It's actually hard to hear you over the wind."
"Um…" I dare to open my eyes, but quickly shut them again, the bitter sensation returning and getting stronger. "… a-a-a m-mountain."
"Right, I forgot you were afraid of heights."
"Yeah, and you're afraid of drowning. Have fun with that." A sarcastic chuckle can be heard from Mak's side of the conversation after my snide comment.
"In all seriousness, how to we get out of this?" Thinking back, my mind wanders to the message I received when first entering this place.
"Face your fear. It's that simple."
"'Simple'… excuse me?! How is that simple?!" I dare to take another glance at my surroundings, but quickly shut my eyes.
"You know what? I stand corrected." Mak's sarcastic chuckle is repeated over the line.
"Yeah, good; now, solutions? The water's up to my waist, so make it snappy!"
"For Troll Jegus' sake, don't rush me!"
"You've been reading a bit too much Homestuck lately, haven't you?"
"Oh, shut up; there is no such thing as 'too much Homestuck!'"
"Jayce, plans on survival, please!"
"Okay, okay, let me think!" I stay silent with the exception of my heavy breathing while my mind is at work. How the hell are we supposed to get out of this one?
Wait… the riddle.
My eyes snap open at the thought and I mutter, "Courage."
"What?" Mak questions, her voice slightly strained, probably because she has to hold her head up; the rushing water in the background has gotten louder.
"You have to face your fears." I state, still clinging to the mountainside as more of the cliff crumbles around my feet.
"You said that already!" Mak yells back at me.
"Just trust me, Mak! Go under the water!"
She groans before stating, "If I die, it's on you." A long intake of breath follows her statement, as well as a splash. Her end of the line is filled with static, and my breath hitches; I could've just killed my little sister. Tears rush to my eyes at the thought, and I find myself having to swallow around a lump in my throat.
"Mak…?" I manage to choke out. My only answer: silence. "M-Mak…?" Nothing. My breath hitches as more of the cliff crumbles, leaving only a few inches for me to stand on. I let go of the breath and close my eyes, clearing my mind of all fear.
And I lean forward.
I feel the wind rushing around me as I fall, filling my ears with the roaring of it. I force my eyes open and find myself unable to scream, watching as the ground gets closer and closer to me. Falling faster and faster, I squeeze my eyes shut just as I'm about to hit the ground, bracing for impact-
But nothing comes.
I hesitantly open my eyes, gasping in relief as I find myself facing and hovering inches from the surface of the ocean, walls of rock jutting up to act as walls in sight as I lift my head up to look, trapping the water. I have only a moment to shout before I drop into the water, sinking down a few feet toward the sandy bottom, bubbles trailing up from my mouth and nose. I kick off of the sand, turning myself over, and push myself back to the surface, coughing up the amount of water that had weaseled its way into my lungs once my head is above the water. A muffled scream from under the water catches my attention, and I look down to see a figure, warped in appearance from the water separating us. Only one thing comes to mind, and my eyes widen.
"Mak!" I yell, and I dive back under, kicking my way through the water towards her. Hearing my cry, Mak's head snaps up to me, still kneeling and gripping something around her ankle, cheeks puffed from preserving an air supply. Seeing her strained expression floods me with worry, a mother-like protective instinct washing over me, and I force myself to swim faster, not caring that my lungs are burning and pleading for air. I finally reach the bottom, the feeling of the water around me disappearing, and I fall onto the sand. I glance at myself and notice a lining of air surrounding every inch of me, like a bubble. The panicked look in my sister's eyes is the first thing mine flicker to as I bring my head up, and I scramble to my feet, scurrying over to her. As I wrap my arms around her, my sleeves are once again soaked, but I don't pull myself away from her. I then cup her face, frantically looking over her multiple times, my panicked eyes mirroring hers. My grip tightens around her when I see her eyelids droop, her cheeks deflating and bubbles escaping from her mouth, a few flying up from her nose. I begin to panic as she falls limp, now floating in front of me, and I grip her shoulders, shaking her gently. The water level begins to fall, and I drop to my knees with Mak in my arms. Tears rush to my eyes as I see her almost lifeless; her skin pale, eyes closed, completely limp.
"M-Mackenzie…" I murmur, tears spilling down my cheeks, and cup her face, "baby, talk to me… p-please." I begin to tremble violently when I don't get an answer, my voice breaking as I plead. "Sweetheart, d-don't do this t-to me. L-Let this be another trial, p-please!" The wind roars around me, making me shiver more, and I cover my eyes as a bright light flashes in front of me and surrounds me and Mak.
I take my hand away from my eyes as I feel movement in my lap, my head snapping down to Mak. I find myself back on the hill where I was before the Fear Trials started, both me and Mak drenched. My eyes fall on my sister, drops of water spilling out of her mouth, and joy rushes through me as I spot her chest rising and falling in a smooth pattern. I hold her closer to me, burying my face in her shoulder and shuddering with every breath, dry tears staining my face.
"J… Jocelyn?" Mak's voice comes out strained as she lifts her head the slightest bit, addressing me by my full name.
"Mackenzie…" I return the gesture, my grip tightening around her. "My little girl…. You scared the sh*t out of me…"
"Wh-… What happened?" She asks, sitting up and wrapping her arms around my neck.
"The test… I thought you drowned…." I admit, hugging my little sister tighter.
"'It takes a lot more than that to kill the Avonadale family.' You said so yourself last year." She states, chuckling weakly. I laugh along with her, glad that she's alive.
"Don't scare me like that again, okay?"
"Hey, I can't control Herobrine's actions. So I make no promises."
"Yeah, yeah; just try, okay?"
"Mm-hm. I will." Mak smirks, playfully rolling her eyes at me. I chuckle, ruffling her hair.
"That's my girl."
"Hey, hey; watch the hair!"
"Jayce, Mak!" Both of our heads snap up at the shout of our names and my eyes land on Adam, Jason, Mitch and Jerome running toward us, each with a panicked look in their eyes. Seeing this, I scramble to my feet, helping Mak on to hers.
"Guys," I address the group, "what's going on? Where're the others- Ah!" I exclaim as Adam practically tackles me in a hug, holding me close. He buries his face in my shoulder and, glancing around at the group, I wrap my arms around his neck, rubbing his back in comfort.
"Can someone explain why Adam went full-on panic mode?" Mak attempts at helping me in understanding the situation, most likely curious about it herself, and glances around the group, not bothering to ask Adam, considering his current condition.
"We were coming out to check on you a while ago," Mitch explains, "but-."
"But when we came out, you two were gone." Jerome finishes for him, his eyes flickering to Jason. Jason returns his gaze and turns back to me.
"After that, we all got teleported somewhere." Jason continues, a fearful look swimming in his eyes. He shudders, which makes my eyes widen just the slightest bit. "I was in the middle of a forest, kind of like this one." He jabs his thumb at the thick forest behind him, which used to be my backyard. I sigh at the memory of the house getting destroyed. By now, Adam's tears soak my shoulder - I can feel the dampness through my jacket. - and I force him to sit on the dewed grass, the group copying my actions, their legs crossed while Adam holds me closer to him. I, being forced to sit on Adam's lap, rest my head on Adam's shoulder and look expectantly at the boys to continue.
"Uh, well," Mitch shakily carries on with the explanation, glancing at Jerome for a bit of assistance, "I… I-I…" He trails off and turns his head away, obviously not wanting to continue. Jerome reaches over and lets his hand rest on his best friend's shoulder as to comfort him, then turns to meet my gaze.
"Hunger Games," He simply states, which sends Mitch to tears, "Death match." I nod slowly, grasping the concept. "I had… something different." His eyes flicker away from mine, signaling that he didn't want his fear to be mentioned. As Mitch accidentally let a sob slip past his lips, Jerome moving closer to and wrapping his arms around Mitch, Adam's grip around my waist suddenly tightens, causing me to wince, as if his grasp already constricting enough before.
"Anyone know what happened to Adam?" I ask, slightly short of breath.
"Something involving you, Jayce," Jason guesses, "but he won't tell us exactly." I quickly nod, my eyes snapping shut as Adam's arms tauten around me once more, limiting my breathing pattern to short and quick breaths. I attempt at comforting him by rubbing his back lightly, and he relaxes slightly at my touch, allowing me to catch my breath, but still constricted.
"Adam," I manage to squeak out, "you can let go." He relaxes more, enough for me to fully catch my breath, but his arms now hang limply around my hips. He whimpers quietly, tears running down his cheeks, and begins to sway slightly. Noticing this, I cup his cheek, letting my head hover beside his.
"It's okay." My voice comes out barely above a whisper. "I'm here. I'm here." Gently, I turn his head to look at me, his now slightly puffy red eyes meeting my worry-filled ones, and rest my forehead against his. "You're okay, Adam. You're okay." With a short whimper, he quickly cups my face with trembling hands, his lips locking with mine. Stunned because it happened so quickly, I stay tense and my eyes flicker to Jason and Mak. Jason, being the goof he is, playfully covers Mak's eyes with his hand, Mak complaining to his action with a whine of "Hey!" Jason chuckles lightly at her, but doesn't remove his hand.
Rolling my eyes playfully, I turn my attention back to Adam just as he pushes me to lie down on the grass, pinning me by my wrists. I make an effort at breaking the kiss by moving my head to the side, but Adam only moves his head in sync with mine, keeping our lips connected. After a few minutes of this, Adam finally draws himself off of me, but remains hovering over my figure, panting slightly.
"I…" He begins, not really knowing what to say, "Sorry. The… trials just…" He trails off, sitting back where he originally was and staring at the ground, a mild blush dusting his cheeks. With heated cheeks myself, I attempt to casually continue the conversation.
"Anyway," I begin, moving to sit up, and Adam once again drags me onto his lap, this time burying his face in my hair and swaying lightly, "my last question: where're the others?"
"We don't know," Jerome states, speaking for Jason, Mitch and himself, "they're gone."