Chapter 5: Truth
Pomni woke up, feeling better than she had yesterday. Capturing the gloinks was definitely not her favorite game, but she didn't really mind playing it, and was successful in capturing all of them.
But she didn't understand why Jax decided to drop out, though she didn't really want to know. Jax was overly mean and rude to the others, almost seeming to attack them with his pranks. He was also sarcastic like Zooble, but she almost seemed to be nicer than him, and was even sympathetic at some moments.
That said, Pomni did not want to get wrapped up in anything Jax was in.
End of story.
She was surprised to see him up first, she was the one who woke up before everyone else, and at a longer time, too. She dreaded the time he would start his pranks, almost sure she was going to be the first victim. But today…he was different somehow. He was quiet, almost never speaking, as if thinking about something. Even as the others came along, he didn't do much to anyone around him, mostly just the usual sarcastic comment, but that was it.
Caine seemed fine as always, but he too, had a distant sense of something around him. Pomni wondered what had made these two unlike themselves, and if they had any connection to each other feeling this way.
Even during the theme song, Jax messed up the whole performance by not walking on stage in his place because he was so lost in thought. "JAX! YOU'RE ON STAGE!" "Huh?! Oh! Ahh!" Jax ran onstage as fast as he could, but unfortunately he didn't make it in time.
"Darn it! Now we gotta do it again…because somebody couldn't pay attention." Zooble said, accusing Jax. "Heh, sorry guys. I guess I got carried away." Jax said, trying to fake it, but Pomni could tell he was embarrassed. It was one of the first times she saw him like that. "What made him get caught off guard like that? That doesn't even sound like him…"
For the rest of the day, she paid close attention to Jax, seeing him mostly off in his own thoughts. During the game, he messed up several times, and tried to make it seem like he did it on purpose, but Pomni could tell it wasn't true.
At one point he disappeared from the group, and she found him in a shadow-y corner, looking discouraged. "What's wrong with me…did…did that guy do something to me?!" Jax whispered to himself. And though Pomni was a ways away from Jax to avoid getting seen, she could see the fear and worry clear on his face.
This was the most shocking thing she'd ever seen with Jax. So this was how he truly felt, at least right now. Why wouldn't he tell anybody? She was surprised she felt sympathy for Jax. She just couldn't figure out just what parts of him were true, and what was fake, but seeing him like this…changed what she thought about him.
Pomni wondered who "that guy" was, and how he was affecting Jax. Pomni felt a rush of protection. If "that guy" caused Jax to be scared like this…Pomni narrowed her eyes. Even if Jax didn't want her to help, she had to do something, even if it was little of help.***
Jax was not having a good day. First the dark nightmare, then he started to slip up and almost revealed that he wasn't ok! There was definitely something wrong going on with him. Or was there? Was someone sabotaging him?! Making him slip up? Was it that creepy-version of him?!
Jax took a few deep breaths. He needed to calm down. One thing was for certain, he was getting vulnerable. Jax didn't like that. He didn't want to be weak. Someone finds out your problems, they're going to stab you in the back and leave you for dead.
He couldn't step out of line. He wouldn't get left behind. His problems were safe in his mind, hidden, locked away from everyone and everything, and no one-no one was going to make him pry the words from his mouth.