Trigger Warning
This story discusses the topics of anxiety and depression.
The experience is different for everyone, and this book will explore those outcomes.
Chapter One
"Jesse?"
The sound of her name echoed in her head. Sighing, Jesse made the final adjustments to her overalls. She took one last glance in the small mirror on the wall. Hopefully, the bits of foundation she had applied covered the dark circles beneath her eyes. Slowly, she turned the doorknob of her bedroom door, opening it and venturing into the kitchen.
Lukas and Olivia were huddled by the set of doors across the room, deep in conversation. Mere seconds passed before Olivia noticed her. "Finally, there you are."
Jesse rolled her eyes, scoffing as she joined them. "I didn't take that long, Liv."
"Tell that to Axel." The engineer tilted her head toward the griefer.
Their food-loving friend sat in a nearby chair. His head laid on the kitchen island, drool coming out of his mouth. Lukas approached Axel, elbowing him. His eyes snapped open in alarm.
Lukas laughed before chiming in. "Well, Axel does have a short attention span, so-"
"HEY!" The taller guy grabbed a nearby glass full of a dark liquid, throwing it. The next few seconds became a sequence of slow-motion as the blonde's clothing was completely drenched.
Dramatic gasps escaping his lips, Lukas screamed. "YOU JUST RUINED MY LUSCIOUS HAIR!"
"Well, now it's as dark as your personality." Axel backed away, hiding behind Olivia. Lukas started thrashing, trying to reach him as Jesse held him back.
Jesse sighed, her grip on Lukas tightening. "Axel, how could you say that? Lukas is my sunlight!"
Olivia covered her mouth with her hand, a smirk expressed on her face. Lukas fell to the floor in shock, looking up at the raven-haired girl as her words circulated in his brain.
"Yeah, cause the sun totally shines whenever he's around." Jesse was the only one who had registered Axel's sarcastic-filled response, glaring at him.
There wasn't a chance for another word, as Radar's voice could be heard in the hallway. He burst through the doors, yelling, "Guys!"
All eyes were suddenly on him. Slowly, he stepped into the room, glancing at each one of his idols. He took in the commotion, facepalming.
"Oh, Stella's going to have our heads if we don't leave in the next few minutes!" Worry laced his tone as he stared at his wristwatch, noting the time.
Axel rolled his eyes at the teen's statement, whispering into Olivia's ear. "If anything, he's going to have our heads."
"I heard that!"
Lukas got off of the floor, dusting himself off as best as he could. Jesse went to Radar's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We should get going before we run into another disaster."
The majority of them exited the room, heading to the Order Hall entrance. Lukas took the next minute, trying to dispose of the liquid. When he joined the others, his appearance was as if the incident had never happened. Jesse didn't know how he did it, but when it came to his excellent hair, he always kept it in the best condition, even in times of peril. It was like pure magic.
The Order fell in stride with each other, walking through the Beacontown streets. Many people were present, leaving their colorful homes and venturing to the nearby city.
Jesse couldn't help but gaze at the architecture. Her citizens were so talented: Building structures beyond her wildest imaginations. A small smile tugged at her lips to see the town back to its former glory, it finally felt like home again.
The place was a pretty pleasant distraction until she and her friends made it to the gate. Every time she looked at the entrance to town, her heart sank: Something was missing. She peeked at her friends beside her, trying to push her emotions aside. She swore she could hear her heart slightly shattering as the reason dawned on her.
Axel, Olivia, Lukas, and Radar were all here. Her closest friends, all except for-
Jesse struggled to even say her best friend's name. Pain struck her at the mere thought of the warrior. The gate reminded the Wither Slayer of her absence, and as they walked past it, Jesse could no longer see the road ahead of them.
The raven-haired girl tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She looked away from the person in front of her, staring at the ground. Her mask of joy seemed to fail her, revealing the frown on her face as she heard the concern lacing the redhead's tone. "Jesse?"
Once she had the courage, she gazed at her best friend once more. "I'm so sorry, Petra," she said softly, "I can't go with you."
Her eyes went back to the ground, only looking up when Petra placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's okay."
Jesse heaved a sigh. "It's not that I don't want to be out there with you- I do, it's just I-"
"Jesse." The redhead cut her off, her voice firm as she grabbed the raven-haired girl's hands. "You don't need to explain, alright? Like I said, there's no pressure-"
"But I-"
"Really, Jesse, don't worry about it." She felt Petra squeeze her hands.
Another sigh escaped her lips. Jesse tried to fight back tears, wrapping her arms around the warrior. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too." The two slowly pulled away from each other. "But I promise, I'll be back."
Next thing she knew, Petra had walked past the town gate. The redhead spun around, waving a last goodbye before turning her back on them: Starting her adventure.
When her best friend was out of sight, Jesse finally snapped. The tears escaped her eyes at last. The hot drops rolled down her cheeks and sobs came out of her lips. Her vision blurred, and she lost her balance, falling into a heap on the ground.
Jack, Nurm, and Radar observed her sympathetically from a distance. Jesse couldn't look at anyone. Burying her bright red and tear-stained face into her hands, Lukas slid down next to her and pulled her into his embrace.
"I knew I had to let her go, but I-" The raven-haired girl couldn't finish her sentence, crying into the blonde's shoulder.
She didn't know how long she stayed on the stone, but at some point Lukas had led her back inside the Order Hall. He sat her down in the living room, offering to help in any way he could. Jesse didn't recall much after that, only waking up on one couch and wrapped in a blanket.
Jesse's cheeks suddenly turned red, as her mind traveled back to the present. She realized Lukas and Radar were walking in front of her. Apparently, her gaze had been on Lukas's hair the entire time.
She frantically looked around, hoping Axel and Olivia didn't catch on. Luckily, sounds of their conversation had reached her, indicating they didn't have a clue. "Stella was a big fan of the city's previous appearance, wasn't she?"
Their view was on Champion City: Its vast buildings peeking out behind hills surrounding the path. Noting Olivia's question, Radar faced her. "Of course. Stella wanted the exterior to look the same. The interior, on the other hand, was redesigned."
"I know Petra told you Stella had her citizens build the previous version, but I have to hand it to her. Her vision is pretty outstanding." Axel marveled. He broke his gaze from the buildings, eyes landing on Jesse.
The Wither Slayer pushed back the tear wanting to escape her eye, her heart continuing to shatter at the mention of the warrior. "Yeah, it is."
"Something wrong?" She almost jumped after hearing those words. She peered in Lukas's direction. His expression was quizzical as he stared into her eyes.
"What? No! Everything's fine." Jesse hoped she sounded sure of herself, at least enough to sway her friends.
"It is now that you're in Champion City." The group broke their conversations. Stella appeared before them, flipping her platinum-blonde hair over her shoulder.
Jesse shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips. "Stella."
"Jesse! And the Order!" The woman returned a smile, her expression genuine.
"Most of the Order, at least," Olivia murmured. Pain shot through Jesse again. How could her friends easily mention her best friend's absence so often?
The raven-haired girl brushed it off, continuing into the city with her friends. Champion Citizens and Beacontowners joined together, creating a multitude in the courtyard. Two civilizations that had once been divided by a one-sided rival, now united by Stella and Jesse's alliance.
Stella weaved through the crowd, making her way up to the platform. Her blonde hair glimmered in the sunlight, almost like it was gold. Her bodyguards flanked the edges, and Lluna trotted excitedly behind her. When she finally stood front and center, Stella gazed at everyone on the ground.
The city leader cleared her throat. "Thank you for coming. I am pleased to welcome you to the new Champion City!"
Gasps swept over the crowd, tiny objects shooting up in the air, one after the other. Fireworks erupted from them, streams of color painting the sky. Lukas took his eyes off the display for a split second, catching sight of Jesse next to him. Like everyone else, her gaze was on the fireworks, but no sort of awe came. Instead, Lukas could have sworn her eyes were glossed over and the smallest of frowns was on her lips.
His expression turned into confusion, his brain formulating all kinds of reasons as to why. Before he could really ponder on it, Jesse's eyes met his, and she quickly plastered a smile on her face. Almost as if that moment never existed- like he was hallucinating- but was he?
The crowd began dividing up, small groups forming and spreading the party all around the courtyard. The Order barely got the chance to move before Lluna came dashing over, a smile on the llama's face as she almost took Jesse to the ground.
"Lluna, you just saw me yesterday." The Wither Slayer giggled, petting her fluffy coat.
"As if that would make her any less excited!" Stella chuckled.
Lluna started shaking, and Jesse released her grip on her. She watched the llama glance at the buildings before turning back to them.
"I think Lluna wants to show us something."
After many hills and crowds, the group stopped at a small corner of the city. The llama rushed up to a small house, running in a circle. She then stood proudly beside it with a smile on her face.
Jesse looked at it intently. Though bedazzled with the city's color scheme, it was still quite simple, cozy. A roof, a round door, and windows adorned it. A cute little welcome mat was placed, too.
"Oh, Lluna." All eyes went to Stella. "She's been overjoyed for months."
Before anyone could say anything else, Lluna bounded off to another cluster of buildings. Stella took the lead, the others trailing. Soon, they were in another place.
"Of course she came here." Stella laughed, opening the doors.
"What else can you expect from a treasure-sniffing llama?" Axel's eyes darted around the room. He lit up as he spotted TNT on a pedestal, one that Olivia kept blocking.
"Hey!" Axel yelled.
"So, what do you think of my new treasure room?" Stella crossed her arms, stopping beside Jesse.
The Wither Slayer took a moment, taking in the vastness. Intricate designs of gold lined the walls, trailing down to the position of the pedestals. A giant chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling, casting light almost everywhere. Even the treasure became more fancy and rare.
"It's definitely a step up from before." She finally answered.
"And thanks to you, I don't have to worry about my hard work going up in smoke." The blonde girl brought out a smile.
"But more importantly, you've turned over a new leaf." Jesse smiled back, placing a hand on her shoulder.
The two shared one last look. "Lluna!"
Stella groaned, whipping her head towards the other entrance, where the llama had run out of.
"She's become quite the tour guide." Radar murmured.
"But that's my job!" Stella immediately ran after her pet.
The remaining people in the room burst into laughter. Making their way towards the other entrance as well, when the others passed the threshold, Jesse halted.
Her eyes landed on the enormous windows looking out on the city, the same hue of blue from the last treasure room. The door frame beckoned to her, and as she took in its appearance, she realized it was also the same.
Her breath hitched in her throat. The new treasure room transformed into the old right before her eyes.
She and Petra fought their way into the treasure room, disarming the first two guards outside. As they passed through the entrance, Jesse's annoyed tone echoed. "This whole Champion City thing is kind of a big deal, don't you think?"
"Is it though? So I have a house here. So what?" The redhead groaned, getting into a fighting stance as two other guards noticed their intrusion.
"So what? I feel like you're deflecting the issue." Jesse said, staring straight at the guard in front of her.
"Uh, me?" The man asked.
Jesse rolled her eyes, knocking him off balance. "No, not YOU."
The raven-haired girl turned to Petra. "What about not wanting to be tied down? What about your friends?"
Another groan came out of Petra, and with a circular motion with her sword, she disarmed the other guy. She finally turned to Jesse with nothing but anger in her eyes. "You mean the friends who are never around anymore?"
"Jesse? Are you coming?" She snapped out of it, shuddering at the memory.
Lukas stood outside, an eyebrow raised as he looked her up and down. "Are you alright?"
Jesse ripped her eyes off the window, staring into his blue eyes. "Just fine. Let's catch up with the others."
Lukas put an arm around her shoulders, serving as an escort. She glanced at the room one last time, trying to keep any emotions from leaving her.
In the far corner, a cackle echoed. It emitted from the shadows; the darkness multiplying slightly. A sickening smirk appeared, revealing the source of the sound.
Glowing eyes, suddenly. Snapped. Open.