Greetings and welcome back. It's good to be back. After months of vacationing, procrastination, a blown-up laptop, and now college, I have finally posted Chapter 6. I hope you like it.

Golden Days of Love

Chapter 6

Ivan walked beside Piers and Mia as the adepts made there way back to town. Ivan looked upon Feizhi idly trying to find if there was anything sinister about her. She walked ahead of him flanked by Garet and Sheba chatting, smiling and laughing with them friendly enough. Her whole persona gave off a vibe of sincerity and joy.

Upon further examination of the surface of her emotions (with a slight use of his Telepathy) he could read nothing beguiling about her. She was actually more nervous than she let on, and merely wanted to fit in and catch Isaac's attention. That of course was a problem, one that would have to be dealt with the utmost fragility at some point.

He surmised that that was why Jenna didn't like her. Oh yes, he knew. How could Ivan not know? The nosy little bugger always managed to slip a quick probe into the minds of others. And he had gotten good with it too, attaining such sneakiness with his Telepathy that no one would know that he was navigating their minds unless he let them know.

The Jovian then remembered: Jenna; she was still down in the ring beating the snot out of Felix. Ivan slowed his pace falling behind the group. He was about to suggest to his friends that they wait for the siblings. But then, out of nowhere, Jenna brushed his shoulder and walked next to him.

"Oh Jenna, there you are," Ivan said cheerfully. "I was just thinking we should wait for you and Felix."

"Nah that would take too long. See, Felix isn't feeling too well at the moment." Her voice was stiff, as if beating up her brother hadn't made her happy (and it usually did).

Ivan looked upon her with a half-grin and noticed that something about her wasn't right. Her complexion was flushed and the look in her eyes was dull. It wasn't like her at all to look so depressed. Ivan didn't like it.

He shifted his vision to the ground in front of him and focused on his walking, doing his best not to wobble awkwardly; being close to Jenna always made his legs tremble. The path they were walking on had been padded down from frequent to and fro stomping of lumberers in the recent months, but it still wasn't the smoothest of paths. It cut across the fields and led straight toward the town and the "New Plaza".

"So, Felix isn't feeling well now?" Ivan asked trying to restart conversation. She just shook her head, keeping her eyes forward and seemingly unfocused.

Ivan contemplated what this could mean. Jenna could have inadvertently fried her brother, and for all Ivan knew Felix could be dying of third degree burns and in major need of some Hermes' Water. And no one would have thought of it happening because the siblings squabble so often.

Curious now, Ivan decided to take a quick peak into Jenna's mind. He subtly shot forth a Telepathic probe to latch on to Jenna's forward thoughts to find out what happened right after they had left. Ivan had just asked Jenna about Felix's condition, so it should be one of the first things on her mind. And he got his answer...

He did not want to look deeper than that, but the feel of being inside Jenna's mind…it was so blissful to Ivan. His mind probe slipped a little deeper and he felt a pang of dark emotion resonate from the depths of Jenna's mind that seemed to be centered on Feizhi.

Ivan pulled away before he lost control (a rather odd thing for him considering his skill in mind spying, but then again it wasn't just anyone's mind); he dared not look any deeper; he did not want to invade her privacy anymore than that. He also reminded himself never to get on Jenna's bad side. Which meant probably never probing her mind all together because if he slipped like that again and she found out…well, Ivan didn't want to think what she would do to him, despite their friendship.

Her anger was very short with pretty much anyone. Isaac was only slightly different in this regard as they were an item and she had always had special feelings for him, so she would hold back when it came to him. But special feelings didn't mean that Isaac couldn't push her over the edge if he tried. Ivan recalled on more than one occasion when Isaac had teased her and nearly got all the hair on his head burnt off for it.

So, Felix had pissed her off and ate dirt for it. That was pretty basic stuff when it came to the siblings, so Ivan wasn't worried (although, he did idly think how Felix's pride would need a long vacation after today). His concerns, therefore, returned to Jenna's well being. She seemed to be holding in her frustration over Feizhi's visit rather well, but Ivan knew better (of course). Beneath the surface she was freaking out; panicking that Isaac would leave her. And what's more, Isaac had yet to explain the situation and tell her how he feels, which quite frankly, Ivan was a rather curious to know about himself.

If Isaac didn't like Jenna anymore, then Ivan would have an opportunity to start warming up to Jenna. But Ivan knew that Jenna would be heart-broken over a break up with Isaac, so much so that she probably wouldn't be interesting in anyone for quite some time, maybe ever. Ivan made up his mind then and there that if that were to indeed happened, he would wait for Jenna to be ready for courtship again no matter how long it took.

But in all honesty, Ivan would rather have Jenna be with Isaac and happy, rather than not with Isaac and sad. It would be too much for Ivan to see her cry; the very thought of it created a knot in his throat. Even at that moment, Ivan's heart ached to see Jenna in such inner conflict. He really just wanted to hold her and comfort her somehow, in a way that wouldn't betray his feelings. He wanted to keep that flame of hers alive and burning brilliantly, even at the cost of his own happiness.

They were nearing the new town plaza. Ivan had been in such deep thought that the fields and path went by without him consciously noticing it. He hadn't said much to Jenna and wondered if she thought he was weird now. Then again, Jenna hadn't said much to anyone and he wondered if the others knew what Jenna was feeling at the moment, or if she was just as weird. But Ivan was just being paranoid.

Garet, Sheba and Feizhi had been chatting up a storm about their past adventures, coneys and bunny rabbits, and other randoms. Piers and Mia joined every once in a while to throw a few lines into the jamboree of jibber-jabber.

Laughs abounded from the 5 of them. Ivan noticed that their laughing only made Jenna look more pallid and dismal as if their joyous conversation was poison to Jenna's very spirit. Ivan stared off thinking on what he could do to possibly cheer her up… Nothing came to mind as they reached the edge of town and made toward the centre.

A tall, carved Psynergy stone obelisk had been erected there to replace the old one that was destroyed along with 'Old Vale'.

Ivan glanced over the obelisk recalling vaguely when he had visited Old Vale with Isaac, Garet and Mia on there way to save Hammet from Lunpa. It was the first time he had seen such a large Psynergy stone. When he touched it, the stone thumped with untold secrets and resonated with hidden life against his palm.

This Obelisk, however, was taller and even more wondrous to behold. And its touch was just as lively as the original Stone, if not more so from the return of Alchemy.

The Adepts gathered around it, leaning and taking seats against the pillar of lucid purple and kept on chatting.

"So, will Isaac know where we are?" Feizhi asked. "No one told him we would meet him here."

"This is kind of like one of our hang out spots," Garet answered. "And it's also where we usually meet unless we say otherwise."

"Oh, that's neat," Feizhi nodded.

"It's also a great place to start the tour," Mia added. She explained how the tour would most likely go according to how New Vale was built and they gave Feizhi a small briefing of the past couple months. Ivan listened to them absent-mindedly as he examined the Psynergy Obelisk. Jenna stood off somewhat to the side, once again, in a brooding manner. He kept an inconspicuous eye on her as he traced his fingers across the cool surface of the purple rock.

His heart still ached to see her so unhappy, but he still couldn't think of anything that he could do to help her out of her dark mood. He thought of trying to talk with her, but she didn't seem in the mood for talking. And Ivan didn't want to make a fool of himself by attempting further conversation with her.

I should've tried a bit harder to talk with her at the sparring ring. She would have spilled if I just pushed a little more… Then again, maybe not.

Ivan sighed.

"Hey, Jenna!" Sheba suddenly said. Jenna was shaken from her own thoughts so unexpectedly that her face went ghost white for a second and then returned to only slightly ghost white (such the improvement). "What'd you do with Felix?" Sheba seemed to have caught on that Jenna might have really hurt him. They all saw her attack Felix, but left before seeing the rest of the fight. Jenna however, didn't open her mouth to speak. Instead, she shifted her gaze to the fields from which they had just come from and held her gaze until Sheba looked that way as well. Ivan looked too and saw Felix walking at a comfortable pace toward them.

Sheba got up to walk with him the rest of the way. As they came to the Psynergy Obelisk, Felix gave Jenna a deadpan stare, but one that held a little more meaning to it; malice probably. One could only tell if they really looked at him. Jenna returned his look with an equal stare. Ivan always thought the close resemblance of those deadpan stares they gave each other made them look more like twins rather than older brother and younger sister. Jenna broke the stare and turned away from her brother as he sat by the other Adepts with Sheba sitting closely to him.

"So, what happened to you?" Garet asked a little snidely. Felix, for once, changed his expression; his eyebrows rose slightly and his eyes were less hard as he answered him and indeed all the Adepts, for surely they wondered as well.

"Oh, you know, sibling quarrels," he said nonchalantly. "Same old stuff that usually happens between us."

"Well yes, this we could see," Piers said. "Jenna pretty much attacked you like a Dinox."

"What we want to know is what she did to you, exactly," Garet implored.

"Well if you had stuck around you could have seen it for yourself," Felix said with slight annoyance. "And maybe you could have stopped her."

"That's never a good idea!" Garet chuckled. "To get in front of Jenna when she's angry. Right, Jenna?" he called over his shoulder to her for reassurance. "I had to learn that the hard way, am I right? …Jenna?"

He was just joking of course…sort of. Garet wasn't always the brightest of the group (and he still wasn't really) and therefore managed to peeve Jenna on several occasions. Either that or he took joy in teasing Jenna relentlessly because she was always throwing fireballs at him. It was thought amongst the other Adepts that Garet had a little thing for Jenna during their adventure, which was proven right by a little Ivan and Sheba mind reconnaissance.

"Jenna?" Garet repeated. Jenna remained silent, ignoring him. Then, she abruptly turned to step in front of the entire group.

"I'm not feeling very well," she said, her eyes sliding over everyone avoiding eye contact, especially with Feizhi. "I'm gonna go home and take a nap. I'll see you guys later." She didn't wave; she just announced herself and then left. Ivan and the other Adepts watched her go. When she was a good enough distance away, Feizhi broke the silence.

"Uhm…" Feizhi started. "I've been meaning to ask this for some time now, but what is up with her? She doesn't seem to like me very much. Did I do something that I shouldn't have? Or is she having a really bad day or something?" Unwilling to break the truth to her, the Adepts looked away to think of something else to answer with.

"Well… she is having a bad day," Mia finally said. "That's for sure."

"It's that time of the month, you see," Sheba lied. "And she's a bit self conscious about it." Feizhi looked as though she understood that.

Ivan pondered as he returned his observation to the Obelisk.

Mia and Sheba were obviously lying. The others seem to know what's going on. I should really not underestimate them. And Feizhi still doesn't know about Isaac and Jenna. Well, no one is going to say anything, I think; it's not our place to tell her. Isaac should be the one to tell her the truth of the situation. And he better do it soon because the longer this is dragged out, the more difficult it's gonna be for him to tell Feizhi. And the more difficult it's gonna be for her to handle it.

But, at the moment, what about Jenna…? She must be thinking a lot of terrible things. I mean, this was sprung on us all so suddenly. So, Isaac hasn't really gotten the chance to tell her anything. Luna knows what she must be imagining. And Jenna was definitely lying, sort of…. She just wanted to get away from Feizhi and everyone to avoid worry and nosiness. I wish I could do something to ease her worry…

"Hey, Ivan! You've been awfully silent. What'cha ya thinking about?" Ivan was jolted from his thoughts unexpectantly. He scanned the group to try and figure out who had talked him. At that moment, Isaac showed up and the attention shifted from Ivan to him. Ivan mentally blew a relief sigh.

"Hey guys," Isaac greeted them. "Ready to go on that tour?"

He was wearing brown shorts and sandals with a loose, short-sleeved, white tunic tucked into a tanned belt. His signature yellow scarf was wrapped droopily around his belt by his hip, so it fluttered limply behind him when he walked giving him a somewhat dashing appeal.

Feizhi regarded him with a blush and a dumbstruck smile to which Isaac smiled widely in return. Ivan didn't like the look of that, and he understood a little more why Jenna was so paranoid: Isaac had been smiling like that since Feizhi arrived.

"Hey where'd Jenna go off to?" Isaac asked.

"She left, dude," Garet answered him.

"Oh… Well, is she alright? Why did she leave?"

"She said she was tired and went home to take a nap."

"I guess... we'll see her later then…" They were just leaving the Psynergy Obelisk when Ivan had an idea.

"Hey uh, guys?" he said to get their attention. They turned to look at him. "My legs are kinda stiff, so I'm gonna go hang with Kraden for the rest of the day." Ivan rubbed his legs to play up the lie. "You guys will have to go without me." Piers and Sheba gave him a suspicious, knowing look.

"Yeah, alright," Isaac said, completely oblivious. "We'll see ya at dinner then, I suppose."

"Yeah, definitely, and I'll bring the old man with me."

"Heh, he'll like seeing Feizhi again," Isaac chuckled. Feizhi blushed.

"Yeah. Well, later." Isaac and the others continued on their way and Ivan turned and walked in the same direction that Jenna had gone. Fortunately for him, Kraden's new cottage lay on the same path as Jenna's house.

As he walked out of the plaza, Ivan pondered how he would approach Jenna. But then his thoughts suddenly jumped to the expression that Piers and Sheba had given him.

Do they know what I'm up to?

Well, Piers might know. His appearance tricks us at times to how wise he truly is. Ivan let out a sigh. Oh well. If he knows, he knows. I doubt he'll say anything. He'll want to talk to me first, just to be sure. And even after he talks to me, he most likely won't say anything to anyone. So, there's no point in worrying about him.

But what about Sheba? She could ruin this whole thing for me. Then again, she's been like a sister to me, so, judging from the way Felix and Jenna treat each other…I'd say it's half and half. She could say something being the devious little gossiper that she is, but on the other hand, despite all the teasing she gives me, she might actually respect me enough to keep quiet.

There's no doubt though, she definitely knows how I feel about Jenna. She's a Telepath for Sol's sake! And so am I. So we've talked with our minds, and on occasion have accidentally delved a little too deep. I still can't un-see some of the things that I saw in Sheba's head. Yeesh! Anyway, as with Piers, if she says something, there's not much I can do about it now so there's no point in worrying about it. I'll just deny it anyway.

Ivan's thoughts returned to Jenna as the road led him westward to where there were fewer houses. It curved to the right around a bend that cut into a grassy hill. To his right, the hill went upward and at the top was Kraden's workshop-villa. To his left, the hill dipped into a short field of rye grass with a creek running parallel with the road.

At the end of this curving road, before it wound its way up the backside of the hill, was Jenna's home. Ivan saw it come into view. It was a rather large house built with that new 'frame structure', and a roof made of wooden shingles. Most of the houses in New Vale had been built this way (as opposed to Old Vale where most of the houses were built using the 'stacked logs' and 'thatched roof' method).

However, this house was slightly different from others in New Vale. It had a porch surrounding the ground floor, and there was a third floor balcony on its rear that looked out on to a stretch of unused flat, grassland.

Ivan remembered that Jenna fought with Felix over the third floor room -which had that balcony- when they moved in. What they agreed on was who ever reached the room first would have the room as their bedroom. Felix beat her to it, but being the dutiful and generous big brother that he is, gave Jenna the room knowing how much she wanted it. That, and Jenna threatened to break his arm after pinning him to the floor.

Funny how Jenna could beat Felix whenever she felt like it but Isaac couldn't do it until today. This was due (probably) to Felix considering it inexcusable to physically fight with his sister; he just would not do it. So, to compensate, he beat the living hell out of Isaac. Ivan had figured that bit out, once again, with a little mental reconnaissance.

From behind a thin white layer of overcast, the sun shone hazily in the mid-afternoon sky as Ivan came closer to Jenna's front door.

Alright, so the plan is: knock on the door, use the same excuse I used before, confront Jenna and talk to her to see how she's doing and hopefully try to cheer her up and… I'll see how it goes from there I guess.

But won't this seem kind of… I don't know… weird? showing up right after she said that she's leaving to take a nap? What if she really is taking a nap? What then?

Hmm… I must be friendly… and nonchalant. That way, I won't expose my true feelings. Just be a concerned and ready-to-comfort friend.

But I am here for more than just friendly purposes, aren't I?

Yes, but I can't come across as more than a friend.

But isn't this also… wrong? I mean, she's dating Isaac. Isaac should be the one doing this, not me.

But, he isn't doing this, is he? He's off with Feizhi, not showing the least bit concern for his girlfriend. If anything, I'm doing him a favor by taking his place as the consoler. And I'm happy to take his place; all I want is for Jenna to be happy again.

So, if Jenna is just a little bit happier after this, then it will be worth it. She'll be happy, Isaac will be happy, and I'll be happy… sort of.

But then, what if there really is a problem here? What if Isaac is really going to break up with Jenna for Feizhi? Hmm…

Well, regardless, I, at the very least, want to know how she's doing at the moment. And if she's really a mess, then I'll try to cheer her up.

Let's do this- wait. What if she really is taking a nap?

…Well… let's just start with knocking on the door and seeing where it goes from there. A little friendly concern never hurt anyone.

Loops and circles…

Ivan walked up to the porch, his footsteps louder on the wood than he would have wished.

Wait a minute, what do I care? I'm not sneaking in. I'm just nervous. 'A little friendly concern never hurt anyone…'

He raised his fist to the door and held it there in hesitation. He shook his head and rapped his fist against the door before he changed his mind.

Three, 'nonchalant' knocks. Silence.

And then, Ivan heard footsteps on wood approaching him from behind the door. He prepared to smile brightly with his last remaining second and then the door opened inward.

"Oh, hello Ivan!" A buxom woman with wavy brown hair and a kind face lined with age had opened the door. It was Jenna's mother.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Pavelssen. Is Jenna here?" Ivan flashed a bright 'nonchalant' smile just like he intended.

"Yes she's in her room. Come on in." Ivan took the offer and stepped in. He quickly scanned the main foyer and what he could see of the adjoining rooms. No sign of Jenna; only various décor and tapestries. She really was in her room.

"Can I get you something Ivan?" Mrs. Pavelssen asked politely. "Some tea and biscuits, perhaps?"

"Oh, no thank you, Mrs. Pavelssen. I just came over to see Jenna."

"Well, she came in not too long ago. She looked rather flustered though, and she didn't say much to me when she came in. Did something happen?" A pang of longing ran through Ivan; longing to help Jenna.

"Uh, no, nothing that I know of," Ivan lied. "That's actually why I'm here. You see, she left us abruptly without a word, leaving us to think she was very distraught about something. So, I decided to stop by on my way to Kraden's to see if she was alright."

"Oh, I see. Where's everyone else?"

"Well they're giving a tour to a foreigner who stopped by around lunch time," Ivan said. "I would have gone with them, but my legs were feeling a bit stiff."

"So you decided to stop by on your way to Kraden's to see if Jenna was alright…" She trailed off as if she were thinking it through. Ivan nodded to reassure her. "You know, Jenna is lucky to have a friend like you, Ivan." He felt rather conflicted about that compliment. However, he couldn't stop from blushing, and he grinned sheepishly with bashful pride. Mrs. Pavelssen smiled softly at his reaction. "Well, Jenna's upstairs. See if you can't brighten her day." A knowing glitter flashed across her eyes as she said that.

"Alright, Mrs. Pavelssen, I'll try." It's exactly what I intend to do.

She smiled quaintly and then went to the living room. Ivan began going up the stairs. He realized now that with every step, he came closer to Jenna. For some reason, this really frightened him. His heart beat faster with each step.

He reached the second floor. Across the longish, second floor hall were 2 flights of stairs adjacent to each other. The one on the left went back down to the kitchen on the ground floor, and the other on the right went up to Jenna's room.

Ivan urged himself forward, but allowed himself to take his time. He prepared in his mind what he could say and how he would present himself. He knew he had to be nonchalant and friendly, but he wasn't sure if he could in fact do that. He became more nervous with each step and doubt threatened to destroy his sanity.

At that point, something in Ivan's head completely shifted backwards. Whatever courage he had was reduced to nothing in a second and totally replaced by doubt. He realized his plan was not very well thought out and it fell apart in his head instantly.

His heart beat faster, his palms became clammy, and he felt as though his body temperature had become as hot as one of Kraden's experiments gone volatile. Doubtful thoughts ricocheted against the corners of his mind giving rise to more unsure thoughts like a chained reaction.

Jenna was so close, yet, so far away. The blood had drained from his face and his legs trembled uncontrollably. He couldn't see Jenna like this! He just couldn't!

Ivan played several scenarios in his mind. He could return to his cabin that he shared with Piers and meditate for the rest of the day. He could take a walk in the surrounding forestland. He could leave and go straight to Kraden's.

No, it was too late now, he couldn't back out. Doubt and uncertainty were out of the question; he had to go through with this.

He was at the foot of Jenna's stairwell. She would most likely hear him coming up. He mustn't be hesitant with his climb or it may make her suspicious of him. Jenna, of course, wouldn't know who it was that was climbing to her room, but depending on the sound of ascending footfalls on rather audible wood, it would surely alert her to who it might be and their purpose.

Then again, she might not even be paying attention, but that was most likely impossible. Ivan had been up there before to know that it was very difficult to ignore the sound of someone stomping up those stairs (even if her door was closed and the stair-climber was trying not to stomp). The stairs rose in a steep-ish, narrow, dim-lit spiral making the climb a rather difficult and echoic one.

Ivan realized, however, that he was giving all this way too much thought and should just go up there without worrying or thinking.

And so he decided.

He took a deep breath and slowly began the climb. He made sure (just in case) to keep his stomping clearly heard and nonchalant. He wasn't intentionally making stomping sounds, but he also made sure not to 'sneak' or even attempt to 'sneak' up the stairs.

What Ivan had no control over was his heart; it pumped furiously against his chest and gained speed with every step. His mind was in the best mind-set he could get it in, but with the quivering of his small chest and the renewed trembling in his legs, he wasn't sure if he would appear the way he intended.

Once again, doubt began to trickle into the puny defences of his courage (or idiocy) and resolve. But he shoved the negativity away, this time with more ease than before and for it he felt slightly less shaken and bolder.

Then he came to Jenna's door.

But instead of allowing doubt to continue battle with his newly found daring, he took one last deep breath and knocked (nonchalantly) on the door.

…

No answer. Not even a sound from within the room.

He knocked again.

… Nothing.

Ivan was about to knock again when he heard Jenna's muffled voice shout to him.

"Who is it?"

"It's Ivan." He shouted back casually.

"Who- oh, it doesn't matter. Just go away, I'm napping."

Ivan was a little put off by this. He didn't know if he should say his name again, or knock again, or leave. Then, instead of any of those things, he chose an even bolder move: he would just walk in, despite her telling him to go away and the obvious outcomes that could come from such an action.

He reached for the door knob, but paused.

What if it's locked? Then I'll look like an impolite fool or an angry stalker or something...

He thought for a second more and then chose to try his luck anyway. Maybe she would open the door if he was persistent.

It wasn't locked.

Ivan pushed the door open and stepped into Jenna's room, at last.

It was a tad stuffy and a little too warm in the room. Ivan instantly wondered how Jenna put up with such inconvenience. He looked to her bed on his left. It was untidy, but Jenna was not in it.

He gave a quick look-around of her room. It was small, yet cozy and hadn't changed much since the last time he was up there.

Just behind Ivan to his right was a nook where the numerous pieces of equipment that Jenna had gathered on her journey lay against the wall gathering dust. On the floor in the center of the room there was a red carpet with simple designs on it. A few pieces of clothing littered the room in various places.

The ceiling, instead of being parallel with the floor, slanted steeply with the roof; the low end was just over a small window over looking her bed and the high end was high over the right side of her room.

Her wardrobe cabinet stood with its doors slightly ajar next to her desk opposite the bed. Loose parchment and charcoal pens lay ignored on the desk. Miscellaneous trinkets and objects from around Weyard were hanging from the ceiling and on the wall and also on her bookshelf near the balcony door.

Ivan noticed the balcony door was open and there on the balcony was the mahogany-red haired beauty, looking out across the green expanse of land behind her house.

Ivan, once again, became aware of his rapidly beating heart. He was nervous and excited so much that he couldn't keep his abdomen from quivering twitchily, shaking him as if he were shivering. Far from being cold, he felt like he was a Mars Adept he was so hot with apprehension.

He tried to focus on Jenna and his purpose for being there to keep his mind from straying to risqué thoughts. He couldn't really help himself; he was in the room of the girl he had a crush on. However, he vowed not to let himself get carried away (not that that would be a problem for a nervous, teenage boy such as him).

Ivan shut the door behind him, closing it with an audible click. Jenna stirred and peeked into her room to face her unwanted visitor. Ivan smiled and waved awkwardly. Jenna stepped into the room to meet him with a frown.

"Ivan?" she asked.

"Uh, hi."

"What're you doing here?" Ivan could sense irritation in her voice.

"I, uh…" Ivan scratched the back of his head.

"I thought I said to go away."

"Well, I…wanted to see you." Jenna gave him a peculiar look. "To see how you were doing," he added quickly.

Smooth…

"Well as you can see, I'm doing fine," she said with a straight face. Ivan was again put off. He did not know what he should do. He had expected Jenna to be more sad than angry.

Well, that's just it. She probably is sad, but she's hiding it behind anger.

"You can leave now, Ivan. And tell anyone else who came with you not to worry about me."

"Well, uh, actually, I came alone," he said slightly awkward.

"…Whatever," she responded indifferently.

Jenna slowly turned around and stepped back out on to the balcony again.

Well she's not exactly the emotionally distraught mess that I pictured, but then…I was being a little dramatic in thinking that. This is Jenna, the most stubborn girl I know, not some crybaby. Even if she's dying on the inside, she would not express it little more than she has with today's situation. At least, I think so…

Alright, enough thinking. Geez! Let's do what I came here to do.

The Jovian followed her onto the balcony and leaned on the railing gazing at the field. The sun was little more than an hour away from sunset. The overcast was beginning to clear from the sky; it had mostly bunched up in the East. What remained in the sky were a few small smudges of white against the light blue.

Ivan looked over to the taller girl. She was looking out onto the wide field with a straight expression and unfocused eyes. Ivan guessed that she was deep in thought at the moment. He decided it would be better to not call her out on her 'napping' lie.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Well that's a stupid question!

But Jenna didn't snap back with 'yes' right away. Instead, she just sighed.

"Jenna, if you want a hug, I'm here for ya'." She smiled slightly at that.

"Nah, Ivan, it's alright… It's just, Isaac." She paused for a moment. Ivan waited for her to go on, his eyes on her with friendly consideration and his ears ready to listen to anything she might have to say. "He's never acted like this before and it's just got me worried. Feizhi, too. The instant I saw her, I knew something was up."

"'Something was up?' There might not be anything up." Ivan lied.

"Maybe… But they kept giving each other weird looks and acting weird around each other. It all feels way too sketchy to me." Ivan got the feeling that Jenna was holding back a lot more than she was saying; that she was much more paranoid about all this than she let on even though she was opening up. "What do you think?"

"Me? Ahh…pssh, I don't know. I think… that… there might be something up, but nothing to worry about." Jenna shot him a stare through the corner of her eyes.

"Really…" she said skeptically.

"Well, yeah sure. I mean, maybe Feizhi does like Isaac. But I don't think Isaac would be that shifty. If anything, he's trying to let her down easy." Jenna turned to face him fully with one hand on the railing. He had her attention. "Think about it, Feizhi had come all the way from Xian just to see him. Do you really think Isaac was going to break her heart then and there by exposing to her that he had been taken by another? It would have destroyed her. And Isaac is too nice to do something that mean."

"You got a point there. Did you read his mind?"

"Uh, no… I'm just speculating. But it makes sense doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Jenna agreed nodding slightly. She seemed to be coming around.

"I bet this whole time Isaac has been hoping that you don't take this the wrong way; that you won't be upset. So, please don't be sad Jenna. It… makes us all worry."

"Oh really? Then why is everyone else being so friendly to Feizhi? Are they in on it or something?"

"Actually… yeah, I think they are." Jenna frowned at him. "Jenna, it's not any of our places to break the news to Feizhi; it's Isaac's. And seeing as how we are all such good friends, I think they knew what was up the same moment you got suspicious and went along with Isaac for his and Feizhi's sake. Not only that, but Feizhi is a friend, our friend, so had this whole mess not been happening, we would have received her in much the same way anyway."

Jenna looked away at this pondering what he said. Ivan knew though that he had succeeded in allaying her fears (with the power of logic and reasoning! Oh, Kraden). She opened her mouth to say something but then shut it. And then, she smiled. She turned to Ivan. He smiled back widely, his own happiness quadrupled by her smile.

"Thanks, Ivan. I'm really glad you came by." She swooped in to hug him, which he received with momentary surprise, but abiding to it he wrapped his arms around her back. Pure bliss. Jenna let out a deep breath of relief as Ivan held her gently.

They parted after a moment but continued to look at each other still with smiles on their faces. Ivan felt an urge to kiss her, but shoved it away. It wouldn't be right.

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. I'll go now." Ivan made to leave but felt a hand on his shoulder preventing him from going further.

"Wait! You don't have to go. Won't you stay?" Jenna asked him, almost like a child. Ivan gave her a peculiar look, but then smiled again.

"Of course, I'll stay."

They ended up talking for quite some time. They talked as the sun went down below the trees on the horizon; as the blue sky went through progressively darker shades allowing the stars to twinkle into existence; as the crickets and croakers of the night began their romantic symphonies and the fireflies became little winking stars of their own all along the field. But eventually, Ivan had to leave to grab the old Alchemist on the hill and take him to dinner.

"Jenna, are you coming to dinner with the rest of us? I know Kraden would be happy to see you."

"No, I don't think I'm ready for… you know…"

"Ah, yeah…" Ivan nodded with dismal understanding. "Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yup." Ivan made to leave. "And Ivan?" Ivan turned to her with his eyebrows raised. "Thanks, again." He stared at her for a moment before going back to her and giving her a hug. She received it instantly wrapping her arms around him. Ivan's chin barely reached over her shoulder. Then Ivan broke the hug, but didn't release hold of her arms just yet. He looked into her eyes and smiled confidently.

"Anytime, Jenna."

…

As Ivan walked out the front door, a shadow of a person loomed toward Ivan in the near-dark.

"Ivan?" A voice from the figure said. Ivan squinted to see: it was Felix. "What are you doing here?"

Ivan froze.

He looked to Felix who was giving him a deadpan, peculiar look; one eyebrow was raised. Ivan needed to get out of there quickly before Felix started asking more questions.

"Uhh… what are you doing here?" Ivan retorted. Felix almost recoiled in confusion at that.

"I live here."

"Exactly." Then Ivan ran off before Felix could say anything.

So, that's Chapter 6. I hope you review.

Chapter 7 has not even been started. And with college and other stuff taking up most my of time, don't expect Chapter 7 any time soon. You're in for the long haul now. The best of luck to those of you who don't have patience. As a plus though, I am determined to finish this story so I will post the next chapter eventually.

-TLotW