Author's note: Apologies for the wait people! Chapter 17 is here! I'd love to hear your thoughts about it as well as any recommendations you may have for where I should go. Stay in touch and I hope you continue to enjoy this fanfic!
Jack saw Inma's eyebrows raise in confusion. Maybe she was surprised that he knew her name that fast. Her smile melted into a frown and she pursed her lips.
"A game?" She asked as she bent down to her knees and glanced at jack with curiosity.
This is my chance! Jack thought, "Yes, a game!" Jack said in a loud and courageous voice. He saw Inma smile smugly and giggle.
"Ok little man. What's the game?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. Jack held his breath and then spoke.
"Hide and Seek?" He said the last part nervously as he didn't know whether she'd agree. Maybe she'd take offense to him wanting to disappear on the first day. What if her personality did a 180? The things she would do to him. Could do to him! His mind began to race and he started to be filled with regret. He didn't want to be human soup or have his entrails removed. He almost blurted out an apology, but Inma cut him off.
"Ok!" She said nonchalantly with a smile. Jack couldn't believe it. He'd actually get the chance to escape. He'd finally have a chance to get out of here.
"BUT!" Jack winced at the sound of these words. There was always a catch. Always a 'but'. It was never going to be this easy. He turned towards Inma frowning but stood his ground despite his small frame and stature compared to hers.
"You're not hiding! I am!" She said with hands on her hips. Jack should have known. It'd be foolish of her to let him hide and possibly escape. He had to admit. The girl was a lot more cunning than she led on.
"Fine!" Jack said with a smile. How hard could it be to find a girl so big? He'd find her in 10 seconds or less with his speed. With that said, Inma smiled and stepped back. Her bare feet made light noises against the floor below her. She made a gesture with her fingers in a loop formation.
"Turn around!" She said with a smile. Jack saw her blue eyes glowing with excitement. This was going to be a breeze. Jack turned around calmly and closed his eyes.
"1!" He said the number out loud. Out of the corner of his ears, he heard Inma giggling and trying to quiet herself. This game wasn't going to last 10 seconds, five at the most.
"2!" Jack heard Inma's footsteps. Once loud and noisy were now soft and fragile. The sound of her feet began to distance themselves from Jack's ears.
"3!" Jack halted for a moment, feeling the beating of his heart. The sound of her moving was nothing more than a distant memory. She moved in absolute silence. Safe to say, he was quite impressed that such a loud girl could be calm and quiet when challenged.
"4." Now the room was completely silent. Jack heard nothing but the sound of his beating heart throbbing inside of his chest. It scared Jack a little. The girl completely vanished from his presence. He continued to count on.
"5, 6, 7, 8, 9-" He felt nervous, turning around slowly to see nothing but an empty room and the sound of thunder ringing off in the far, far, distance. He was appalled.
"10!" He barely muttered the words. He was in utter disbelief. When he turned his head, the girl was completely gone. The room was deadly silent and utterly empty besides Jack's tiny body. He would have taken the chance to escape then and there, but Jack preferred to keep his promises. He never knew if he'd need Inma's help again. It'd be better to make friends in a new place, than enemies.
He turned took a deep breath, held his head high, and prepared to go onto another adventure. He climbed down the towel that fell to the side of the nightstand. As he gripped tightly to the cotton knitting, he looked at his surroundings and felt a bit nervous. Everything really was a lot bigger than he was. It became apparent to him once he set his black boots on the floor below.
He looked up at the giant bed with 4 legged stands for support. Bending down, he saw dust bunnies littering underneath the girl's bed. It was a little repulsive. If he managed to make it out of here, he'd try to get her to do a little spring cleaning.
He stepped out and felt the sun blistering on his skin. He'd have to be a lot more careful. Due to the fact that he was in the clouds, he'd have to wear more protection. Maybe forge an umbrella from broken parts he'd find. He took his time to scan the room for possible escape routes if things went south.
None so far, He thought as he cursed underneath his breath. There was no chance to escape. He had no choice but to play this child's game, even though he was the one to suggest it. It was the best he could come up with on such short notice. Jack stepped out from the comfort of the child's room and went into the hallway. There he saw a long and tall hallway were various spices were being fumed into the air.
They tickled his nose and reminded him of home. Something sweet like sugar made his tongue wet. A burning spice sensation went up to his nose and nearly made him sneeze. He missed his mother. He needed to get back to her after finding out the mysteries and gold of this giant land.
"Inma!" He called out to which nothing responded. It sent chills down his spine to be trapped in a mysterious land with no one to watch or protect him. He crossed his arms protectively over his chest and continued to walk. He heard the sound of curtains flapping in the wind and doors opening and closing.
The sound of a pot boiling in the distance made him jump. It smelt like someone was making something, possibly soup? He wasn't sure and didn't have the courage to try. It might have been the girl's mother, but he didn't want to take that chance. The mother, in her old ways, probably would have killed jack for being in their lands or worse.
"Inmaaaa!" He called out again a bit louder. He doubted that Inma would hear him. He was so tiny, so small. It made him self-conscious to be at the whim and Beckham of others. Giants. They could abuse him if they wanted to. Naw on his bones and remove his organs or even pick his brain. He had no power in this land and even if he did, he doubted that the Giants would listen to him. They'd probably take what they wanted and leave nothing else to anyone.
Jack kept walking, much to the searing pain in his legs. He'd been through a lot today. He came across a cracked door and stopped. He looked up at the sky, which was settling down into the calm afternoon. He squinted and stared off into the far mountains of the east. There he saw something strange. In perfectly, calm, sunny weather there were lightning bolts and rain that surrounded the peak. It was completely mysterious. Completely out of the ordinary as far as Jack was concerned.
However, Jack was drawn to it. It caught his attention and without him noticing, he began to walk towards it bit by bit. It was like someone put him under a spell. He hard something, no someone singing. A loud opera from the depths of their lungs. It sounded beautiful and in hearing this, lightning sparks flew from each direction. There was the sound of swords clashing and winds picked up. Thunder thrashed and boomed in the air and sudden shower of rain erupted.
What is going on over there? Jack thought as he moved closer. He was a few feet away from the door and that's when he heard something inside his head.
HAHAHA. A loud explosion of deep based laughter throbbed inside his head. He fell to his knees as he became dizzy and went into a cold sweat. It gave him a headache.
His mind faltered and he saw something in the distance. Gold coins, fire as far as he could imagine, thunder and lightning across the mountain tops, and-
He froze out of fear. He felt his body shake with a thump and clenched his heart in terror. He heard a foul and evil voice full of malice and greed mutter into his ear. It was comparable to a cavernous tone of the devil himself.
"FEE FI FO FUM." Jack heard the voice say and felt his eyes welling with tears. He was so shaken and terrified that he couldn't breathe, "I sense an intruder in these lands!" The voice of the mysterious giant laughed from the depths of his belly. Jack sat there in silence and let it sink in. His knees were shaking. He had to get out of here. He had to-
"Boo!" A voice rang out and Jack screamed with tears in his eyes and turned around to see Inma who was equally surprised and stepped back afraid.
"H-Hey..You were supposed to find me, not the other way around" She began as her cheeks began to flourish red, "It was taking a lot longer than I thought. It shouldn't have been that hard to find me. I'm you know-" She placed her arms out to the side and did a waving motion.
"Gigantic." She finished her sentence and looked at Jack's terrified expression.
"Are you ok?" She asked with the worry lingering on her tongue. She stared at Jack's face for a while to examine him and make sure nothing was on edge. Then she looked up at the opened door, saw the mountains, and scowled. She grunted with a scowl and immediately slammed the door, putting on the locks as well for added protection. The walls shook with the slam and various chimes jingling at the intense vibrations.
"Don't worry about that." She said as her hands clenched into fists. Jack wiped away the tears from his eyes. He didn't know what came over him. How could something he didn't even see scare him that much?
"Inma? Are you all right?" A feminine voice called out from the distance. Inma looked up and took a deep breath to calm her nerves before speaking.
"Everything is fine, mom!" Inma responded back and tapped her feet on the floor below. She picked up Jack carefully to avoid setting him off.
I should put him back in the bottle, Inma thought as she took his feelings into consideration. Jack would have been opposed to this a few minutes ago, but he wasn't in the mood to argue. Maybe being in the girl's room was the safest place for now.
"Hey kid, What's out there?" Jack asked in a shaky voice. He was still regaining his composure and tried to make the fear disappear. Inma remained quiet for a moment. She didn't utter a word, but Jack felt her anxiety and anger boil up.
"It's….." She began, but lowered her head in a frown, "nothing!" She said the last bit with a hint of bitterness. Jack could tell that this was a topic that she didn't want to expand on. For the time being, he didn't want to either. She'd probably eat him if he made her mad enough.
"Let's just relax for now. I'm beat!" Inma said as she placed Jack back into the bottle. For the while in the bottle, Jack felt safe; but little did he know that in the passing of time; his world would become a lot better and a hell of a lot worse.
