I'm sad… I just started to grow my nails a bit… and I just forgot not to bite… and I bit. Now I have no white part on top of my nails. Again. Oh I shall forever worship those two days I had with long(er) nails. Anyways the chapter… yea. I know I haven't updated in ages, but u see THEY CANCLED OUR OVER NIGHT FIELD TRIP so I'm technically not suppose to be here. I'm suppose to b CAMPING and TREKKING (I luvvvv camping and trekking) sry… I'm kinda in a bad mood.

Jinx and Ingrid were alone. Travis and Connor had come briefly to inform them that operation HUNTER was going good, and told Orlando that Grover wanted to talk to him. Orlando of course, was off before they could even tell him why. Then they were gone as well, off doing something or the other. Now it was just Ingrid and Jinx. It was kind of awkward. They had no problem talking with each other in a group, but it was the first time they had spent with no one else around.

Jinx took out a small sliver knife, no longer than a pencil, and started to clean her nails.

"So... why do you hate Orlando so much?" Ingrid asked

"Hate him? What the Hell?"

"Well you guys argue a lot. And you always seem to be trying to get on his nerves."

Jinx laughed "Its just fun, you know? He's one of my best friends, but he just acts so funny when he's annoyed. I know it's sort of mean but I know when to stop… most of the time." she grinned evilly.

"So… what do you like… do?"

Jinx raised her eyebrow

"Like your hobbies and stuff" Ingrid explained.

Jinx shrugged "I like sword play… and climbing. I spend a lot of time out doors. I like trekking in the woods and identifying all the different plants I see, and what their used for, how they got their name, stuff like that." she looked a little embarrassed.

"Plants?" Ingrid asked

"Yeah, do you have a problem with that?" Jinx looked accusing, but kind of worried as well, as if she thought she had scared Ingrid off.

"No! Its just not what I expected, but it sounds kind of cool"

Jinx smiled "I also really like to…" she clamped her mouth shut.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… nothing."

Ingrid yanked the knife out of her hand and held the flat side to Jinx's throat. "You start, you finish" she said grinning.

Jinx clutched her throat theatrically. "You'll have to kill me first!"

"Then I guess I do just that"
"Okay stop… I'll tell you!" Jinx gasped "I like… to draw". She was trying to cover it with the theatrics, but you could tell she was really embarrassed.

Ingrid put the knife down. "That's it?"

"You sound disappointed."
"Well… yeah! I thought you were going to let me in on some dark secret but you… draw."

"Well, it doesn't really fit the image that I built for my self, does it?"

"Who cares? If it's you, it fits the image. If it's what you love doing then people who care about you won't give a damn whether it fits some image or not. I had to live my life with an image other people created for me, and I did every thing in my power not to fit it."

Jinx wanted to say something in her defense, but her mind was blank, there were probably a million things to say, but she just couldn't think of any. So instead she just said "You want to see my sketches?"

"Yes"

Sheepishly Jinx reached into her sleeping bag and took out something so beautiful it took away Ingrid's breath.

It was a small wooden chest. Its red wood seemed to generate a light of its own; and the carvings on it were simple yet beautiful, with gentle curves and carful shapes. There was a rose, a sword, poison ivy, a wolf howling at the moon, and a bear. The pictures seemed so different, so unrelated, but they seemed to fit together, like a puzzle. Jinx saw her admiring the box.
"It was a gift. From the lady I lived with in Germany. She made it for me when she found out she was going to die." her fingers traced the images. "She had the gift of prophecy, you know. But she always said that it wasn't good to know too much about the future until it was time. She said these pictures would guide me. And I would understand them when the time came."

She looked far away and sad, no longer sarcastic. She unfastened her camp necklace. Ingrid had never really paid attention to it before, but now she saw it had bronze key hanging from it. She inserted into a keyhole and the box opened as if by an invisible hand. It held a purple book, a leather bound note book, a package of old photos and letters, two giant ancient looking books, and a bunch of bottles full of dried herbs and flowers, essential oils ext.

"What is all this stuff?" asked Ingrid in wonder.

"They're nothing really. Just stuff" She didn't seem to want to talk about it, so Ingrid dropped it.

"Here" said Jinx, picking up the purple book. "This is my sketch book."

Ingrid leafed though it. The drawings were very good. They weren't worthy of Leonardo Da Vinci or anything, but they were amazing considering Jinx was only what- 13? 14 at the most. She flipped through them pointing out her favorites, than she came to the last used page. There was a picture of a girl and she was standing in a room full of mirrors. She was holding a looking glass, and the face looking back at her was not the face reflected in the other mirrors. Her eyes were cold, black and empty; her face was a deathly pale, and her lips were stained with dark blood. Ingrid went numb. I guess dreams don't end when you wake up. she thought.

Jinx was looking at her with concern. "Are you okay…"

"What is this?" Ingrid croaked.

Jinx leaned forward to see which one it was. "Oh!" she said "That was something I saw in a nightmare, the day before you came to camp. I had to draw it, otherwise it kept coming back."

Ingrid thought she was going to faint. "I have to sit down…" she muttered and sat on Travis's bunk. Jinx picked up the book and put it back in her box. At that moment the door burst open, bringing a gust of cold air with it. Orlando slouched into the room and closed the door. He seemed distracted. So distracted that he didn't notice even notice the fact that Ingrid looked like she was about to vomit.

"He's leaving" He said angrily. "I haven't seen him in a year and he's already leaving."

Ok… my chapters are getting way to spontaneous. I need to get back to the story. I need to get them out of camp in the next… 2 chapters? Ok this is the rule: if I don't get the quest started in the next 3 chapters max, everyone has to flame me and throw stuff at the computer ok? cuz seriously im getting side tracked and its to slow. BTW there are a few hints on which Jinx's parent is in this chapter.