CHAPTER 15: Tasting Destiny
They fought warriors, overcame jungles, made way for stampedes, slept on the ground, escaped a large bar fight, figured out their loss of memory, hiked to a factory, fought demons, and had walked through a long hall that made them remember their fears. What they did during this time was more than half of what the group had experienced in a lifetime. It was less, of course, of what most of them were destined for. They had trusted too many strangers to bring them to this place, and the adults had trusted them to do their job. What they thought was their job, at least. All this chaos, all this emotion, all this pain done to end up locked. Together. As they've been the entire trip.
Buffy used her weapons to try and cut the bars. Jake tried to morph, but couldn't. Jesse tried to squeeze through the bars. Matilda tried to move the lock with her eyes. Harry tried to use his wand to break out. All of this, no use. There was not a thing they could do, and it irritated them. All their power and smarts and they couldn't get it opened. Whatever they did proved to be unhelpful, as helpless as Jack felt most of the time.
They never did see Scrauss as a good person. His first appearance out of the shadows, with a heavy accent, wearing black, smiling at them. He never accompanied them on their trips. The people on the ship didn't look that much more friendlier. Jana seemed to be the only good soul, and she didn't even know of Scrauss plan. She had her suspicions, but didn't question. She did as she was told, traveled and got to go back home.
The group wasn't full of people that gave up when they met an impossible situation. They were not ones to admit defeat. Scrauss looked at them, at his watch, and at them again. With his look, he tried to convince the group that there was no way out. They wouldn't believe him.
"Don't waste your energy," Scrauss said, backing away and touching some jars.
"Don't touch those jars," Matilda said to him.
Scrauss grinned, and moved the jar with his finger so that it was against another one. "You are not in the position to tell me what to do." Matilda almost didn't hear him over Buffy's sawing through a cage bar with her ax.
"Where's the box?" Harry asked.
"There is no box, fool. A simple lie to get you here." Scrauss sighed. "Blood."
Buffy stopped. "What?"
"Took your blood, Jakes skin," Scrauss walked back and forth, looking at pointing at them. "A piece of Harry's wand, Jesse's- spit... Jack's knife and Matilda's... ribbon." Scrauss smiled, took out Matilda's red ribbon from an inside pocket and tossed it into the cage. "Cut a piece off."
Matilda glared. "The man. He was part of it."
"Also the people you stayed with in the jungle, another man in that bar and many others." Scrauss said. "I have many allies... high places, low places. You can't go anywhere without a little help." Scrauss glanced at a jar, took it in his hand and peered through.
"Okay, so what now? You win, we fail. You go happily home with your peanut butter and power jars, smiling at how many 'friends' you have and we go where... to our death?" Buffy asked.
"No, I'm not going to kill you. If you force me to perhaps, but no. I'm simply going to get you back home." Scrauss told them, putting a hand in his pocket, to touch a ring of keys. "Take you home, I'll have my powers... we all win."
"And what will you do with all that power?" Jesse said. "Become a world dictator? Kill anyone who threatens you, thus-"
"-Killing us. We won't go down without a fight you know." Buffy said.
"You're against six supernatural heroes now." Matilda said.
"And more." said Jake.
"With all this power, I will become ten times more powerful then the six of you and any friends you decide should help alongside." Scrauss put the jar in a steel box. He grabbed a few others and put them in also. "Besides, you all will be very busy. Many of you won't be able to fight two evils at the same time."
"What do you mean?" Jesse said.
Scrauss stood. "Well- you didn't possibly think that you and a couple of others were the only supernatural beings, did you? Fie, Buffy, all those young creatures you faced with power to match your own. Harry, have you not heard of other child wizards with powers more than your own? You see, those people you stayed with in the jungle- they have many special abilities, including being able to morph into birds and sensing futures in others. I asked one of them, Pheus, to go look for six supernatural beings with big futures. He went and found six. It was all of you. Except for Jack, here."
Everyone looked at Jack. He had been sitting quietly, drinking this all in with a frown on his face.
"Who was the sixth person?" Matilda said, trying to use her powers at the same time. Buffy looked at Jake and retired away from the bars towards the middle. "We stall," she whispered. "Perhaps asking him all these questions will give us time to come up with something." Jake nodded, and the rest of the group heard and nodded slightly as Scrauss tried to open a jar, failed and put it into the box.
"The sixth person was young- pretty girl. Blonde hair if I can remember. Alien." Scrauss said and the group raised their eyebrows. "But she had the power to go into dreams, this was suspicious to us. She could easily know our plans, and I doubt she would have done well in entering this Dream catcher factory." Scrauss took more jars, looked at the door behind the group and continued. "So, we left her out. Then Pheus told me of a flight he had some years ago. He had flown over an island, completely abandoned except for thirteen or so British schoolboys stranded there for some time. Hunting. Forming groups. Having leaders."
Jack glared up at Scrauss. He was both angry and annoyed. Dare he tell the story of the most frightening event ever to cross his life? Dare he tell what went on in that island, the hunting and killing? Jack felt all the shame, all the disgust again as he had weeks after being rescued. Tell them, Jack pushed in his mind. Tell them what they already think. Let them shine their appalled faces, I have seen it too many times before. Jack closed his eyes.
"Pheus flown over and he saw a boy. Red hair, pale, skinny. A leader. Born for it, wanting it. You know what he saw in him? A future. 'A prophesized fate since birth,' I think were his words. Passionately he said this; you could almost taste his words! 'He is going to single handedly save the world.' Well! Great Clotho! I just had to have him."
Jack breathed, and opened his eyes.
"So we all have big futures..." Harry said but trailed off.
"Of course, Harry." Scrauss said. "Ah, my my! Harry, what great things will come of you! You know that," Scrauss walked back and forth again. "Buffy... you're the slayer. All those demons you are going to bring down. Of course you had no problem accepting your gift."
"My gift?" Buffy frowned.
"Jake- still fighting, mm. One way or another, you guys have some big future. And I am not going to say it's an easy, happy road." Scrauss looked at Matilda. "That won't work!" Scrauss went over to her, kicked the dagger she was using to cut the bars out of her hands, and grabbed her ribbon, which was hanging out of her pocket. "Sorry, I'm in need of this, I realized."
Matilda sighed and hit the bars but ended up hurting only herself. "Get us out, darn it!"
"Much fear hath come over me at such a demand," Scrauss said sarcastically, choosing a jar and wrapping the ribbon around its lid. It opened. "Ha! Well, what do you know, what- do- you- know!"
The whole group leaned against the bars. "Don't!" Harry said. He realized how stupid that request was.
Scrauss looked over them holding up the jar as if it were a wine glass and he was about to take a great toast. "Ah! The power! I feel it when it is not even inside of me! I drink to you, my league. I would have not got through that door with out your wand and spit and all. Much thanks. A long way you came for nothing. All of you leaders, working together making it this far. Claps for you. A long hall you passed, many fears pressed against your face and you survived! Claps for you, again. But six cannot defeat a man working his life to reach this room, to reach this moment. Watch me, group, as I take my last breath as a man with a dream, and become a god!"
With that, Scrauss closed his eyes and drank the entire jar. All it's golden, sparkling contents, into him. They watched, wondering what was to happen next.
Scrauss breathed out heavily, and grinned. He dropped the jar, his eyes still closed. "I want to savor this moment. The first taste."
"Of complete failure." Jack said. Scrauss frowned and looked a little over his left shoulder and saw Jack there, standing with his ax. He didn't have time to react because at that moment, Jack hit him across the back of his head. Scrauss flew against one of the walls and fell to the crowd, a few jars coming down with his, breaking.
"How does my destiny taste, Bi-atch?!" Jack smiled and swung the ax. He looked over at the group.
"You could get through the bars all this time, and you didn't mention it to us?" Harry said, irritated.
"Well, I didn't know. Until I realized, I'm not like you guys. I'm not a powerful being. The cage was probably made to keep in people like you but not normal human people like me." Jack went over to Scrauss, reached into his pockets and grabbed the key. "Can't believe I got him."
"How did you know that this was your destiny?" Jake said, emphasizing 'destiny'.
"You just- know." Jack said after a moment of thought. He went to the cage and started choosing keys.
"Well," Buffy said, not all satisfied that it was Jack that saved them all in the end. "Good- thinking. It was prophesized so..."
Jack looked at her. "No, the prophecy was wrong." Jack stuck the right key in and turned it. "I didn't single-handedly take him out."
The group smiled, nodded. A moment of silence then from Jesse, "What?"
"I never would have gotten here without you guys, wouldn't have the smarts, and wouldn't have the strength. Would have been stuck in dreamland hall for a lifetime. I mean, it's not the end that mattered in this case. It was the journey."
"That might have been the smartest thing you said to us." Matilda said. The group laughed and stood all together in the room.
"All this power, this isn't a great room." Harry said. "Someone could... get selfish and gain control. Scrauss was going to."
Jake sighed, and picked up a jar from Scrauss' box. Then he dropped it and the contents spilled onto the floor. Jake looked at them and smiled. The whole group smiled and followed his suit. They stuck their hand in shelves and crashed it all to the floor. The group threw caps, broken pieces and weapon to break the higher jars. They destroyed every jar in that room with their own bare hands.
The group stepped out of the room and saw that it was a hall no more. Instead, they were back in the jungle, by the ocean. They stood out there and a man from the hut stood. "Come out, group. I am Pheus. We transported you here and in time will transport you to the separate worlds. Come, have bite, we talk." He walked, using his cane, over to a wood table and sat. "Come."
The group walked apprehensively to the table. The man looked at them. "We not true allies of Scrauss. Long time ago we needed help and he was there to provide. Many said allies of him are not. He powerful, but you all have stopped him. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Jesse said.
"Scrauss and others have twisted your minds. Dream catchers not evil. They have power to control and go in dreams, make nightmares sometimes. They often mistaken for being bad. They build the factory to organize. Also others use for convenience."
"Like making weapons?" Jake said.
"Yes. One thing there is is the room of power. Has no specific name, many call it different things. Long time ago king brought together large group of sorcerers. They made the power room to satisfy the king. The king used the room to control others. He did not drink much but sold jars, and threatened other people that he would drink something ad kill them. The king was died and the guilty sorcerers locked the door. They could not rid of the powers. They cast spell that only someone very very powerful could open the door. No one had big power; until Scrauss decided that he gather powerful beings from different worlds. It worked."
The group exchanged glances as they received water and more meat slabs.
"Yummy," Matilda said unenthusiastically.
"Scrauss got everyone to help. Make you believe that dream catchers are evil and there is box. If you were to look dream catcher up you would see that they are evil. Scrauss thought them perfect target. They made you go on this trip to test strength and give time to collect your special aspects."
"My blood, Jakes skin." Buffy explained.
"All this time, Scrauss knew when the trail started. It starts in mountains. You could have gone anyway way to get to mountains. Jana, not knowing of Scrauss' plan or much of anything, led you the way she thought it was. She did not know that it had already been discovered when trail starts."
"So, no box. Dream catchers good. Scrauss evil." Buffy said. "He really lied."
"You have done well group. Our dimension and all of yours are saved." Pheus looked at the sun. "It nice out. Have some sun before leaving."
"Fine by me," Matilda said and rushed to the water. Harry quickly followed with Jesse. Buffy looked at Jake and Jack. "Well guys?"
"You guys go ahead." Jack said his eyes hinting that he wanted to talk alone with Pheus.
"Don't be too long." Jake said and put his arm on Buffy's shoulder to rush her along. They ran to the water to join the group.
Jack looked at Pheus. Pheus drank. "Scrauss tell you what I saw?"
"Yeah." Jack said. "You were there..."
Pheus nodded. "That past haunts you, but it'll lead you to great future. You've done what you can here and now you can go back to your own world and- change."
"That's why I recognized you, when I came to your hut. Recognized the bird, I mean. I must have seen you."
"One has no choice but to look up when that is where the excitement is." Pheus said. "I stand out."
Jack nodded.
"Enough of the loneliness, sadness, be happy, make apologies. Have your satisfaction." Pheus said. "Go. Join your friends. Is last moment with them."
Jack smiled. He quickly got up and ran to join the group. They happily let him in.
It was a few moments of relaxation on the beach. Soon, they were standing all together before Pheus and others to be sent back. "Need second to prepare. Say your goodbyes."
Jack shook hands with Jesse and pat him on the back.
Matilda looked at Harry. "Goodbye. It was nice to know you." She bent forward and gave him a long kiss on the cheek. "Be safe."
"You too," Harry whispered. Matilda went to kiss the cheek of Jesse and Jack saw Harry. "Guess this is goodbye."
"Yeah. Great knowing you." Jack said and shook his hand.
"Same here."
All this time Buffy and Jake were in a hug. When they released they looked at each other. "You're a good person," Buffy said.
"You too. Don't forget that."
Buffy smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Then she turned and shook hands with Jesse as Jake shook hands with Jack.
"You're a pain, but thanks for everything." Jake said to Jack.
Matilda then came to Jack. "Oh why not." She pecked him on the cheek. Buffy had just finished saying goodbye to Harry.
"Fine," Buffy said and kissed Jack on the cheek also. Jack cleared his throat and took Buffy's hand. Buffy leaned and Jack whispered something in her ear. Matilda frowned but Jake, who had said goodbye to Jesse, went in to hug her.
Jesse and Harry shook hands.
You're a great kid." Jesse said. Harry then said goodbye to Buffy. Buffy then turned to Matilda and Harry turned to Jake.
"Bye, girly girl," Buffy said affectionately and they hugged for a long time.
"I'm going to miss you... your like the big sister I never had."
Buffy looked down at her. "Your like the little sister I have, but I love you."
"We are ready now, league." Pheus said. "Stand in straight line."
They did as they were told. With last glances at each other, Pheus began the incantation.
They all returned home, safely to their right worlds. No time had passed when they were gone. Injuries they had disappeared, Matilda's ribbon was not cut anymore as well as Harry's wand. They remembered the journey for a few days, but it slowly disappeared into some kind of dream as the days went on. They soon got back to their normal (or as normal as possible) lives.
Jack wrote back to some of the people from the jungle. They replied and he was able to make more friends. Jesse traveled around with his family, and then with his brother and encountered many adventures. Harry continued his years at Hogwarts and fought Voldemort for the last time. Matilda continued school, scored high on tests and became an outstanding student. Soon, she was accepted at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford. Jake fought more in other battles. Many problems he encountered, but he knew what was right to do. Buffy became a powerful slayer fighting large ascended demons, a God, a friend, and a great evil. Soon, the burden of being the only Slayer (besides Faith) disappeared and she was allowed to live life the way she wanted.
They fulfilled their big futures. They often went to sleep and were reminded of their journey and their friends. It was gone in the morning. They did not remember each other but they remembered their lessons and fears. One of them would walk down a street, alone with his or her thoughts, and know that he or she was unique, and different then other people around them. They didn't, however, feel alone.
THE END
If you have any questions just leave it in a review and I might be able to answer it. I may have forgotten to answer other things. Thank you all for sticking with this story, sorry that I updated monthly. Also Isabel the alien is not mine. Again thanks so much and keep on writing!
4ever ryter Andrea
They fought warriors, overcame jungles, made way for stampedes, slept on the ground, escaped a large bar fight, figured out their loss of memory, hiked to a factory, fought demons, and had walked through a long hall that made them remember their fears. What they did during this time was more than half of what the group had experienced in a lifetime. It was less, of course, of what most of them were destined for. They had trusted too many strangers to bring them to this place, and the adults had trusted them to do their job. What they thought was their job, at least. All this chaos, all this emotion, all this pain done to end up locked. Together. As they've been the entire trip.
Buffy used her weapons to try and cut the bars. Jake tried to morph, but couldn't. Jesse tried to squeeze through the bars. Matilda tried to move the lock with her eyes. Harry tried to use his wand to break out. All of this, no use. There was not a thing they could do, and it irritated them. All their power and smarts and they couldn't get it opened. Whatever they did proved to be unhelpful, as helpless as Jack felt most of the time.
They never did see Scrauss as a good person. His first appearance out of the shadows, with a heavy accent, wearing black, smiling at them. He never accompanied them on their trips. The people on the ship didn't look that much more friendlier. Jana seemed to be the only good soul, and she didn't even know of Scrauss plan. She had her suspicions, but didn't question. She did as she was told, traveled and got to go back home.
The group wasn't full of people that gave up when they met an impossible situation. They were not ones to admit defeat. Scrauss looked at them, at his watch, and at them again. With his look, he tried to convince the group that there was no way out. They wouldn't believe him.
"Don't waste your energy," Scrauss said, backing away and touching some jars.
"Don't touch those jars," Matilda said to him.
Scrauss grinned, and moved the jar with his finger so that it was against another one. "You are not in the position to tell me what to do." Matilda almost didn't hear him over Buffy's sawing through a cage bar with her ax.
"Where's the box?" Harry asked.
"There is no box, fool. A simple lie to get you here." Scrauss sighed. "Blood."
Buffy stopped. "What?"
"Took your blood, Jakes skin," Scrauss walked back and forth, looking at pointing at them. "A piece of Harry's wand, Jesse's- spit... Jack's knife and Matilda's... ribbon." Scrauss smiled, took out Matilda's red ribbon from an inside pocket and tossed it into the cage. "Cut a piece off."
Matilda glared. "The man. He was part of it."
"Also the people you stayed with in the jungle, another man in that bar and many others." Scrauss said. "I have many allies... high places, low places. You can't go anywhere without a little help." Scrauss glanced at a jar, took it in his hand and peered through.
"Okay, so what now? You win, we fail. You go happily home with your peanut butter and power jars, smiling at how many 'friends' you have and we go where... to our death?" Buffy asked.
"No, I'm not going to kill you. If you force me to perhaps, but no. I'm simply going to get you back home." Scrauss told them, putting a hand in his pocket, to touch a ring of keys. "Take you home, I'll have my powers... we all win."
"And what will you do with all that power?" Jesse said. "Become a world dictator? Kill anyone who threatens you, thus-"
"-Killing us. We won't go down without a fight you know." Buffy said.
"You're against six supernatural heroes now." Matilda said.
"And more." said Jake.
"With all this power, I will become ten times more powerful then the six of you and any friends you decide should help alongside." Scrauss put the jar in a steel box. He grabbed a few others and put them in also. "Besides, you all will be very busy. Many of you won't be able to fight two evils at the same time."
"What do you mean?" Jesse said.
Scrauss stood. "Well- you didn't possibly think that you and a couple of others were the only supernatural beings, did you? Fie, Buffy, all those young creatures you faced with power to match your own. Harry, have you not heard of other child wizards with powers more than your own? You see, those people you stayed with in the jungle- they have many special abilities, including being able to morph into birds and sensing futures in others. I asked one of them, Pheus, to go look for six supernatural beings with big futures. He went and found six. It was all of you. Except for Jack, here."
Everyone looked at Jack. He had been sitting quietly, drinking this all in with a frown on his face.
"Who was the sixth person?" Matilda said, trying to use her powers at the same time. Buffy looked at Jake and retired away from the bars towards the middle. "We stall," she whispered. "Perhaps asking him all these questions will give us time to come up with something." Jake nodded, and the rest of the group heard and nodded slightly as Scrauss tried to open a jar, failed and put it into the box.
"The sixth person was young- pretty girl. Blonde hair if I can remember. Alien." Scrauss said and the group raised their eyebrows. "But she had the power to go into dreams, this was suspicious to us. She could easily know our plans, and I doubt she would have done well in entering this Dream catcher factory." Scrauss took more jars, looked at the door behind the group and continued. "So, we left her out. Then Pheus told me of a flight he had some years ago. He had flown over an island, completely abandoned except for thirteen or so British schoolboys stranded there for some time. Hunting. Forming groups. Having leaders."
Jack glared up at Scrauss. He was both angry and annoyed. Dare he tell the story of the most frightening event ever to cross his life? Dare he tell what went on in that island, the hunting and killing? Jack felt all the shame, all the disgust again as he had weeks after being rescued. Tell them, Jack pushed in his mind. Tell them what they already think. Let them shine their appalled faces, I have seen it too many times before. Jack closed his eyes.
"Pheus flown over and he saw a boy. Red hair, pale, skinny. A leader. Born for it, wanting it. You know what he saw in him? A future. 'A prophesized fate since birth,' I think were his words. Passionately he said this; you could almost taste his words! 'He is going to single handedly save the world.' Well! Great Clotho! I just had to have him."
Jack breathed, and opened his eyes.
"So we all have big futures..." Harry said but trailed off.
"Of course, Harry." Scrauss said. "Ah, my my! Harry, what great things will come of you! You know that," Scrauss walked back and forth again. "Buffy... you're the slayer. All those demons you are going to bring down. Of course you had no problem accepting your gift."
"My gift?" Buffy frowned.
"Jake- still fighting, mm. One way or another, you guys have some big future. And I am not going to say it's an easy, happy road." Scrauss looked at Matilda. "That won't work!" Scrauss went over to her, kicked the dagger she was using to cut the bars out of her hands, and grabbed her ribbon, which was hanging out of her pocket. "Sorry, I'm in need of this, I realized."
Matilda sighed and hit the bars but ended up hurting only herself. "Get us out, darn it!"
"Much fear hath come over me at such a demand," Scrauss said sarcastically, choosing a jar and wrapping the ribbon around its lid. It opened. "Ha! Well, what do you know, what- do- you- know!"
The whole group leaned against the bars. "Don't!" Harry said. He realized how stupid that request was.
Scrauss looked over them holding up the jar as if it were a wine glass and he was about to take a great toast. "Ah! The power! I feel it when it is not even inside of me! I drink to you, my league. I would have not got through that door with out your wand and spit and all. Much thanks. A long way you came for nothing. All of you leaders, working together making it this far. Claps for you. A long hall you passed, many fears pressed against your face and you survived! Claps for you, again. But six cannot defeat a man working his life to reach this room, to reach this moment. Watch me, group, as I take my last breath as a man with a dream, and become a god!"
With that, Scrauss closed his eyes and drank the entire jar. All it's golden, sparkling contents, into him. They watched, wondering what was to happen next.
Scrauss breathed out heavily, and grinned. He dropped the jar, his eyes still closed. "I want to savor this moment. The first taste."
"Of complete failure." Jack said. Scrauss frowned and looked a little over his left shoulder and saw Jack there, standing with his ax. He didn't have time to react because at that moment, Jack hit him across the back of his head. Scrauss flew against one of the walls and fell to the crowd, a few jars coming down with his, breaking.
"How does my destiny taste, Bi-atch?!" Jack smiled and swung the ax. He looked over at the group.
"You could get through the bars all this time, and you didn't mention it to us?" Harry said, irritated.
"Well, I didn't know. Until I realized, I'm not like you guys. I'm not a powerful being. The cage was probably made to keep in people like you but not normal human people like me." Jack went over to Scrauss, reached into his pockets and grabbed the key. "Can't believe I got him."
"How did you know that this was your destiny?" Jake said, emphasizing 'destiny'.
"You just- know." Jack said after a moment of thought. He went to the cage and started choosing keys.
"Well," Buffy said, not all satisfied that it was Jack that saved them all in the end. "Good- thinking. It was prophesized so..."
Jack looked at her. "No, the prophecy was wrong." Jack stuck the right key in and turned it. "I didn't single-handedly take him out."
The group smiled, nodded. A moment of silence then from Jesse, "What?"
"I never would have gotten here without you guys, wouldn't have the smarts, and wouldn't have the strength. Would have been stuck in dreamland hall for a lifetime. I mean, it's not the end that mattered in this case. It was the journey."
"That might have been the smartest thing you said to us." Matilda said. The group laughed and stood all together in the room.
"All this power, this isn't a great room." Harry said. "Someone could... get selfish and gain control. Scrauss was going to."
Jake sighed, and picked up a jar from Scrauss' box. Then he dropped it and the contents spilled onto the floor. Jake looked at them and smiled. The whole group smiled and followed his suit. They stuck their hand in shelves and crashed it all to the floor. The group threw caps, broken pieces and weapon to break the higher jars. They destroyed every jar in that room with their own bare hands.
The group stepped out of the room and saw that it was a hall no more. Instead, they were back in the jungle, by the ocean. They stood out there and a man from the hut stood. "Come out, group. I am Pheus. We transported you here and in time will transport you to the separate worlds. Come, have bite, we talk." He walked, using his cane, over to a wood table and sat. "Come."
The group walked apprehensively to the table. The man looked at them. "We not true allies of Scrauss. Long time ago we needed help and he was there to provide. Many said allies of him are not. He powerful, but you all have stopped him. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Jesse said.
"Scrauss and others have twisted your minds. Dream catchers not evil. They have power to control and go in dreams, make nightmares sometimes. They often mistaken for being bad. They build the factory to organize. Also others use for convenience."
"Like making weapons?" Jake said.
"Yes. One thing there is is the room of power. Has no specific name, many call it different things. Long time ago king brought together large group of sorcerers. They made the power room to satisfy the king. The king used the room to control others. He did not drink much but sold jars, and threatened other people that he would drink something ad kill them. The king was died and the guilty sorcerers locked the door. They could not rid of the powers. They cast spell that only someone very very powerful could open the door. No one had big power; until Scrauss decided that he gather powerful beings from different worlds. It worked."
The group exchanged glances as they received water and more meat slabs.
"Yummy," Matilda said unenthusiastically.
"Scrauss got everyone to help. Make you believe that dream catchers are evil and there is box. If you were to look dream catcher up you would see that they are evil. Scrauss thought them perfect target. They made you go on this trip to test strength and give time to collect your special aspects."
"My blood, Jakes skin." Buffy explained.
"All this time, Scrauss knew when the trail started. It starts in mountains. You could have gone anyway way to get to mountains. Jana, not knowing of Scrauss' plan or much of anything, led you the way she thought it was. She did not know that it had already been discovered when trail starts."
"So, no box. Dream catchers good. Scrauss evil." Buffy said. "He really lied."
"You have done well group. Our dimension and all of yours are saved." Pheus looked at the sun. "It nice out. Have some sun before leaving."
"Fine by me," Matilda said and rushed to the water. Harry quickly followed with Jesse. Buffy looked at Jake and Jack. "Well guys?"
"You guys go ahead." Jack said his eyes hinting that he wanted to talk alone with Pheus.
"Don't be too long." Jake said and put his arm on Buffy's shoulder to rush her along. They ran to the water to join the group.
Jack looked at Pheus. Pheus drank. "Scrauss tell you what I saw?"
"Yeah." Jack said. "You were there..."
Pheus nodded. "That past haunts you, but it'll lead you to great future. You've done what you can here and now you can go back to your own world and- change."
"That's why I recognized you, when I came to your hut. Recognized the bird, I mean. I must have seen you."
"One has no choice but to look up when that is where the excitement is." Pheus said. "I stand out."
Jack nodded.
"Enough of the loneliness, sadness, be happy, make apologies. Have your satisfaction." Pheus said. "Go. Join your friends. Is last moment with them."
Jack smiled. He quickly got up and ran to join the group. They happily let him in.
It was a few moments of relaxation on the beach. Soon, they were standing all together before Pheus and others to be sent back. "Need second to prepare. Say your goodbyes."
Jack shook hands with Jesse and pat him on the back.
Matilda looked at Harry. "Goodbye. It was nice to know you." She bent forward and gave him a long kiss on the cheek. "Be safe."
"You too," Harry whispered. Matilda went to kiss the cheek of Jesse and Jack saw Harry. "Guess this is goodbye."
"Yeah. Great knowing you." Jack said and shook his hand.
"Same here."
All this time Buffy and Jake were in a hug. When they released they looked at each other. "You're a good person," Buffy said.
"You too. Don't forget that."
Buffy smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Then she turned and shook hands with Jesse as Jake shook hands with Jack.
"You're a pain, but thanks for everything." Jake said to Jack.
Matilda then came to Jack. "Oh why not." She pecked him on the cheek. Buffy had just finished saying goodbye to Harry.
"Fine," Buffy said and kissed Jack on the cheek also. Jack cleared his throat and took Buffy's hand. Buffy leaned and Jack whispered something in her ear. Matilda frowned but Jake, who had said goodbye to Jesse, went in to hug her.
Jesse and Harry shook hands.
You're a great kid." Jesse said. Harry then said goodbye to Buffy. Buffy then turned to Matilda and Harry turned to Jake.
"Bye, girly girl," Buffy said affectionately and they hugged for a long time.
"I'm going to miss you... your like the big sister I never had."
Buffy looked down at her. "Your like the little sister I have, but I love you."
"We are ready now, league." Pheus said. "Stand in straight line."
They did as they were told. With last glances at each other, Pheus began the incantation.
They all returned home, safely to their right worlds. No time had passed when they were gone. Injuries they had disappeared, Matilda's ribbon was not cut anymore as well as Harry's wand. They remembered the journey for a few days, but it slowly disappeared into some kind of dream as the days went on. They soon got back to their normal (or as normal as possible) lives.
Jack wrote back to some of the people from the jungle. They replied and he was able to make more friends. Jesse traveled around with his family, and then with his brother and encountered many adventures. Harry continued his years at Hogwarts and fought Voldemort for the last time. Matilda continued school, scored high on tests and became an outstanding student. Soon, she was accepted at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford. Jake fought more in other battles. Many problems he encountered, but he knew what was right to do. Buffy became a powerful slayer fighting large ascended demons, a God, a friend, and a great evil. Soon, the burden of being the only Slayer (besides Faith) disappeared and she was allowed to live life the way she wanted.
They fulfilled their big futures. They often went to sleep and were reminded of their journey and their friends. It was gone in the morning. They did not remember each other but they remembered their lessons and fears. One of them would walk down a street, alone with his or her thoughts, and know that he or she was unique, and different then other people around them. They didn't, however, feel alone.
THE END
If you have any questions just leave it in a review and I might be able to answer it. I may have forgotten to answer other things. Thank you all for sticking with this story, sorry that I updated monthly. Also Isabel the alien is not mine. Again thanks so much and keep on writing!
4ever ryter Andrea