Jake looked right into Danika's eyes, "Alright, first question. Where's Rose?"
Danika started to chuckle and shake her head, "Rose, Rose. Why is it nothing but Rose with you? Do you ever talk about anything else? How come you don't want to spend time with me?"
Anger flooded Jake, "Losing my patience." He warned.
Nigel stood behind him, "As if you ever had any to begin with," he said, slightly mocking Jake.
Jake turned around, "Can it, Nigel!" He shouted, as he turned his attention back to Danika, "Now where is she?"
"Don't worry, Jake. I'm sure your little dragon slayer is around here somewhere." Danika answered.
That wasn't the answer Jake wanted to hear, but before he pressed the issue further, there was something in Danika's answer that stood out to him, something that shouldn't have been there.
"How do you know Rose was a dragon slayer?" Jake asked.
"Because I knew Rose before you made your wish." Danika replied.
Another thing that slightly alarmed Jake. "How do you know about that?" Jake persisted.
"Oh Jake," Danika said, "I know about a lot of things you probably don't want me to."
Jake wasn't sure what to make of this, and remained silent, so Danika continued.
"You never truly understood the Aztec Skulls, did you?" Danika smirked, "The 13 skulls that granted a person an irreversible wish, and yet, it never stood out to you that you were somehow able to bend the wish and restore Rose's memories. I'll make I really simple for you, the wishes were irreversible because the skulls were able to power them."
"Where are you going with this?" Jake asked.
"Now that you've destroyed the skulls, they can no longer power the wishes they've granted. Many have become weak and easily broken, or bended, while others have been undone entirely. It all just really depends on the wish. Some of them went unaffected by the destruction of the skulls. Like Rose's wish. The Huntsclan was already destroyed. Obviously, a lack of power from the skulls didn't bring them back from the grave, in fact, you would need more power to do that."
"That doesn't tell me what I want to know." Jake said.
"If you would quit interrupting, I'm getting to that part." Danika replied, "Basically, your wish created 2 Rose's. Since the first Rose is the original one, that is the one everyone remembers, except for those who never knew the original Rose, but knew the second one. That is why you, and your friends remember her, and why that picture you carry around in your jacket exists. That is why she is able to remember her past life, and why she still has that birthmark on her hand. Everyone remembers the real Rose. The only people who don't, are her parents and other family members, who only have memories of the life you wished Rose to have."
The concept was a little difficult for Jake to wrap his head around. If he understood Danika correctly, she was telling him that everyone, except for Rose's family, remembered Rose's original life. The only reason her family remembers her new life is because they never knew her first one. Jake was about to speak when Danika beat him to the opportunity.
"I'll give you a little time to let that sink in, I need some alone time." Danika said, as she reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small vial with a glowing liquid in it. She quickly tossed it a small distance, causing the vial to shatter, and a portal to open where it had landed. Danika quickly escaped Jake's grip and threw herself through the portal.
"You're not getting away that easy." Jake said, as he opened his wings and flew through the portal after her.
This portal wasn't like the ones Jake had gone through previously. The portals Jake usually went through were kind of flat, the second he'd go through it, he would come out on the other side, like a door way, but this one was more like a tunnel. A large, green, glowing tunnel. He wasn't sure how long he would be flying through it before he would come out on the other side.
Danika looked back, and saw that Jake was following her, "Oh now you want to spend time with me." She taunted.
Before Jake could give her a reply, a bright light appeared ahead of him. As he reached it, he was thrown into the middle of a dark, concrete room, much like the one he'd just been in.
Danika stood by one of the walls, "Jake, I'm so glad you decided to come. Someone has been waiting for you."
Just as Danika finished her sentence, Jake heard a loud cry, "Ay-ya!"
He was hit in the back, and fell to the floor, with a surge of pain in his spine. He rolled over to see the distinct point of a Huntsclan staff in his face.
Jake's voice was full of surprise, "Rose?"
